Genius Pitcher Hides 170Km [EN]: Chapter 51

#50. That Bastard Deserved It First…

“Jun-yeong is…”

Senior Jo Seong-oh’s eyes became even more moist, as if he were longing for someone who no longer existed in this world…

I was tempted to ask him about that senior again, but I decided to hold back and listen.

Senior Jo Seong-oh, having drained the last drop of the remaining beer, smacked his lips and began to speak.

“The year he joined was the year our team lifted its fifth Korean Series trophy.”

“2016, then.”

“Right. I was the second baseman then, and Man-sik was the team’s young ace. Jun-yeong was called up to the first team from May and pitched almost every day as a middle reliever.”

“You hit a home run in the fourth game of the Korean Series that year, right? I remember seeing it in a video.”

“A home run? Ah, right, I did. I didn’t hit any home runs in the 2019 Korean Series, so 2016 must have been my last Korean Series home run.”

“No, it’s not your last. You can hit one this year.”

“Really? Haha. Just hearing that makes my heart flutter. Nah, forget about a home run. I’d be happy just to get a sacrifice fly RBI in the Korean Series.”

Standing next to him, Ahn Chi-wook, who had been quietly listening to Senior Jo Seong-oh’s story, chimed in.

“But… Senior, what does it feel like to hit a home run in the Korean Series?”

“How does it feel? Well, to be honest, I was happy, but I wasn’t desperate or anything. Back then, this team was expected to be in the Korean Series every year. It was like, if I don’t hit one this year, I’ll hit one next year, you know?”

A bitter smile appeared on Senior Jo Seong-oh’s face.

It was the kind of expression only a veteran who had experienced the rise and fall of the Warriors firsthand could make.

“Oops, look at my mind wandering. You asked what kind of player Jun-yeong was, right? Yeah, well, when I think about it, he seems a bit similar to you, Soo-hyuk.”

“To me?”

“Right. As soon as he joined the team, he said his goal was to win no matter what. He said he’d throw until his shoulder gave out to make it happen. Everyone just laughed it off as rookie bravado. But later, we found out he was serious.”

Hmm.

Suddenly, I want to meet him.

“Anyway, he joined the Warriors and came up to the first team in May, I think, and from then on, he pitched a lot as a middle reliever throughout the season. I think he pitched almost 100 innings. I think he came up twice in the Korean Series and did well both times.”

Senior Jo Seong-oh habitually reached for a beer can, then gave an awkward smile when he realized it was empty.

“Hey, this one can of beer is not enough. Can I have just one more? Huh? I’ll go buy it.”

“No, you can’t, Senior.”

“Hehe, I know. I was just joking. Where was I? Ah, right. We ended up winning the Korean Series, and he was crying like crazy. He said his lifelong dream was to wear the Warriors uniform and lift this trophy.”

“I think I saw that in a video.”

“Right. It’s probably still around as a meme. Anyway, the next season, he immediately joined the starting lineup and threw his heart out. He couldn’t pitch in the 2019 Korean Series, the team’s last, because he was in the military. After he came back to the team…”

Parched, Senior Jo Seong-oh chugged the carbonated water instead of beer and continued.

“The team kept falling apart while he was pitching as the ace. That guy was something else. In his last season, even though they were already confirmed to finish ninth, he gritted his teeth and threw to win even one more game. Then he earned his FA [Free Agent] qualification…”

“And didn’t get an offer.”

“Right. Jun-yeong was planning to stay with the Warriors, of course. Other teams thought he would stay too, but that crazy owner didn’t even make him an offer because he wanted to sign Hwang Seong-min and Song Gi-tae. So, he left for Incheon. He had to play baseball, after all.”

Having finished speaking, Senior Jo Seong-oh downed the remaining carbonated water in the bottle in one gulp.

“Ugh, damn it. Thinking about it makes me angry again. Should I be honest? I decided to just do baseball half-heartedly from then on. I already had a long-term contract at a bargain price anyway, and no one would recognize me even if I busted my ass. I feel sorry for the fans, but it’s not like I can do it all by myself.”

“I understand, Senior.”

“When I think about it, it’s really messed up. Do you know what I was thinking every time I went to the stadium back then? How are we going to lose like idiots today? What will the fans say? Will they come to my family’s social media and curse us? How could anything go right when I was going into the game thinking like that all the time?”

“……”

“So, I’m really happy these days, Soo-hyuk. And Chi-wook. The team has gotten so much better since you guys came. I only have a few more years to play as a pro. I have to make it to the fall baseball again before that, right? I have to make our fans, who are always so down, shed some tears of joy, right?”

It wasn’t just the one can of beer that made him drunk.

But Senior Jo Seong-oh’s face was flushed red as he spoke.

What can I say here?

Well, I don’t know.

The only thing I’m sure of is that I need to prepare a better contract for Senior Jo Seong-oh, whose contract expires this year.

A player whose spirit is dead, even if his body is fine, can no longer do his part.

But a player whose spirit is alive, regardless of his physical condition, can contribute to the team in some way.

Hmm, anyway.

“But Senior, what I originally wanted to know was what kind of pitcher Lim Jun-yeong is…”

“Ah, right, right. Look at my mind wandering. Yeah, hehe. There aren’t many people in this business who know him as well as I do. First of all, when you meet him in the first at-bat tomorrow, take a good look at the wrinkles around his nose. If there are more than three layers of wrinkles, it means he’s not in good condition that day. And…”

* * *

– Hello, baseball fans. This is Jamsil Baseball Stadium. Today, we will be broadcasting the game between the home team, the Seoul Warriors, who are in fourth place, and the visiting team, the Incheon Rangers, who are currently leading the league. I am announcer Lee Seung-woo, and next to me is commentator Go Dong-sik.

– Hello, this is Go Dong-sik.

– First, let’s take a look at the starting lineups for both teams. Here is the lineup for the home team, the Seoul Warriors.

1st batter, second baseman Lee Chang-mo

2nd batter, center fielder Choi Min-seok

3rd batter, shortstop Han Soo-hyuk

4th batter, right fielder Max Walker

5th batter, first baseman Jo Seong-oh

6th batter, third baseman Ahn Chi-wook

7th batter, designated hitter Kang Jin-seok

8th batter, catcher Jang Deok-soo

9th batter, left fielder Kim Soo-hak

Starting pitcher Brooks Parker

– The best lineup is all here, right? The starting pitcher is left-hander Brooks Parker, who has been playing the role of the de facto ace recently.

– Han Soo-hyuk, who was suspended for four games, is playing a great role as soon as he returns. What do you think of Han Soo-hyuk’s current performance, commentator?

– At first, some people said that Han Soo-hyuk’s early performance was a fluke. But look. With April coming to an end, he’s still batting .400. All the coaching staffs and fans of the other nine teams except the Warriors must be thinking the same thing: Why didn’t he go to the major league?

– Hmm, what do you think is the secret to Han Soo-hyuk’s outstanding performance from his first year, commentator?

– Can I answer in one word? It’s not like my pay goes up if I talk longer, right?

– That’s not the case. Please feel free to speak, commentator.

Go Dong-sik, who has been openly supporting Han Soo-hyuk since his last TV appearance, continued with a sincere voice.

– Okay. In one word, he’s a perfect hitter… That’s how I’d like to answer.

– Perfect?

– Yes, domestic professional baseball has already celebrated its 45th anniversary. During that time, many genius hitters have appeared and disappeared, and there have been mercenaries who made a name for themselves in the major leagues and devastated the domestic baseball scene.

– I can think of a few players myself.

– But no player has ever shown the kind of performance that Han Soo-hyuk is showing now. First of all, he’s strong. Even lightly hit balls go over the fence, and balls hit properly fly out of the stadium. He basically favors an upper swing, but he adjusts his batting form according to the situation so naturally.

– Listening to you say this, there’s nothing I can deny.

– It’s not over yet. With that kind of hitter batting third, the hitters in front of and behind him also get a boost. Choi Min-seok, who bats right before him, is maintaining a batting average of .270 despite being in his first full-time season. Jo Seong-oh is flirting with a .300 batting average for the first time in a long time.

– So, it’s an umbrella effect?

– That’s right. Ironically, a rookie who has only been a pro for a month is giving a buff to the entire team. Is that all? He’s even more perfect as a fielder. Everyone saw how many mistakes were made between 3rd base and shortstop during the five games that Han Soo-hyuk was absent. But there’s something even more important than that.

– What is it?

– I went to the Warriors dugout before the game. I talked to the players included in today’s lineup, and the veterans who have been playing for that team for a long time.

– What kind of stories were exchanged?

– Yes, from seniors to teammates, all the players were just looking at Han Soo-hyuk. It was like the look of an ace leading a team. Congratulations, Manager Lee Dae-jun. It seems like you’ve gained a really good leader from your first year in office.

– That’s high praise.

– I mean it. I mentioned it in the last special program, but I need to go over it again. I’m talking about the WBC [World Baseball Classic] that will be held in August this year.

– The WBC? Yes, one of the biggest concerns of baseball fans these days is the WBC.

– Yes, as everyone knows, this year’s WBC is special. The game schedule, which was originally in March, was postponed to August due to the interests of major participating countries, including the MLB [Major League Baseball] Secretariat.

– As far as I can tell, the All-Star Game schedule has been greatly reduced this year due to the WBC. Please explain why the tournament was scheduled that way.

– The organizers’ intention is simple. Since each league takes a week to ten days off for the All-Star break anyway, they just extended the break a little bit so that the best players in the world can have a go with their full strength, really properly, not in a state where their sense of the game hasn’t come up before the season, that’s it.

– Just hearing that makes my heart pound. Big leaguers with a sense of the game… Wow, as a baseball fan, I’m really looking forward to it. So, how many countries will be participating in this tournament?

– Yes, the number of participating countries has increased to 20 since the last tournament, the 2023 WBC, um… Oh, I’m sorry. I got choked up for a moment because of the memory of being defeated at that time. Anyway, the 20 countries will participate as they are this year without a separate preliminary round, and the games will be played in a 14-day tournament format.

– Ah, I see. But if an international competition is held in August, won’t it interfere with the regular season?

– It may, but since there are usually breaks in the summer or fall in years when there are Olympics or Asian Games, it’s the same. Now, the WBC has just been added there.

– I understand. So, the WBC will be held for about two weeks in August this year… Um, what were you originally trying to say?

– It’s about Han Soo-hyuk. The preliminary WBC entry must be confirmed by early May, and the final entry must be submitted by early July. But I’m hearing negative stories about Han Soo-hyuk’s selection.

– You’re talking about the criteria for selecting the national team. What do you think, commentator?

– It’s not even a subject to be discussed in the first place. Isn’t it ridiculous to discuss whether to select a player who is running first in almost all batting categories?

– Yes, of course, I agree with that to some extent…

– Keep listening. What happened to us at the last 2023 tournament? We were eliminated in the first round after losing to Australia, right?

– Well, commentator. The expression “eliminated” is a bit…

– It’s not my tone that’s the problem… Han Soo-hyuk lacks experience? There may be bad chemistry with seniors from other teams because of the bench-clearing brawl? Ha, gee!

– Commentator, just, just a moment! That part is a bit sensitive to talk about here…

– No, I have to say this. Are we sending them to a Boy Scout training camp now? We’re picking baseball warriors to fight other teams representing the country. What does the bench-clearing brawl have to do with it? Frankly, that bastard deserved to be hit first!

– That’s enough, just enough, commentator.

– Bench-clearing brawls happen often in international competitions these days anyway, so let’s just pick Jang Deok-soo as well and just…

– Viewers, we’ll be back after the commercial break.

* * *

“Okay, everyone, let’s do our best today, and be careful not to get hurt. Captain, if you have anything to say, go ahead.”

“Yes, Manager, thank you.”

Worried that his tension might affect the players, Manager Lee Dae-jun left the rest to Jo Seong-oh without saying anything else and went into the dugout.

Jo Seong-oh, who had been staring at the back of the manager, turned his gaze to the team members.

Normally, he would just say, “Let’s do our best,” and be done with it.

But today, he felt like he couldn’t do that.

Jo Seong-oh smiled faintly and opened his mouth to the juniors.

“The weather is really nice today. The wind is calm, and it’s perfect weather for baseball, right?”

“Yes, Captain.”

“Okay, as the manager said, the most important thing is not to get hurt. But…”

The team members’ attention was focused on Jo Seong-oh.

“Our goal this year is fall baseball [playoffs]. If there’s anyone who thinks in their head that it’s going to be difficult, tell me. I’ll let you rest on the bench.”

The team members couldn’t say anything to Jo Seong-oh’s slightly different words and swallowed hard.

Jo Seong-oh, looking back at each of the juniors, continued.

“So, there’s no one like that, right? Then that’s fine. Okay, at this point, it’s a game against the strongest team in the league, and their ace is pitching. If our goal is really fall baseball, we have to learn not to give up in games like this. Do you understand what I’m saying?”

“Yes!”

“Okay, let’s go. Let’s get Lim Jun-yeong.”

* * *