Peaceful Bullpen Life [EN]: Chapter 123

Spring Camp.

A time to *buwan* [supplement] the parts you or the coaching staff feel are lacking, and to strengthen the parts you feel are your strengths.

It’s not that you absolutely, unconditionally have to do this *buwan* [supplementation] and strengthening during spring camp, but it’s arguably the best time to concentrate.

Season is for experience, camp is for development.

Yes, strictly speaking, the season isn’t a stage for growth, but a stage for proving yourself.

However, there’s definitely a time lag when it comes to immediately *toup* [investing/applying] the physicality and mechanics developed during camp into the season.

Is this right? Is it going well?

Therefore, once you’ve completed *buwan* [supplementation] to some extent in terms of physicality or mechanics, there’s an opportunity to *toup* [invest/apply] these into something similar to a real game.

That’s the practice game.

“Hoo….”

Today, the Wonha Challengers are about to play their second game in the mini-league within the Miyazaki camp. Their opponent is the Sangsoo Tigers.

“Hyung [older brother/senior], don’t overdo it. You know it’s meaningless to waste energy in a practice game.”

“I know.”

And the starting pitcher for the Wonha Challengers against these Sangsoo Tigers is Gyujin hyung [older brother/senior].

He’s not the kind of person who would feel pressured not to be bedridden from the first year of his FA [Free Agent] contract, or burdened to live up to his price tag.

However…….

Tak-!

Tak-!

There’s Yongho, practicing his batting over there.

Creak―

Gyujin hyung [older brother/senior] was grinding his teeth so hard he was worried about his gums because of that guy who changed from a red uniform to a black uniform due to a trade at the end of last year.

There’s no point in overdoing it from here, but you can never predict a person’s mentality.

Even Gyujin hyung [older brother/senior], who’s known for his great mentality, is shaking this much,

Boom-!

“Ball!”

Checking the velocity on the scoreboard, Gyujin hyung [older brother/senior] is definitely only using as much power as he needs during spring camp.

But the problem is control.

Boom-!

“Ball-.”

He ended up allowing a straight walk to Godongwook, who is also the number one hitter and center fielder for the Sangsoo Tigers this year.

Someone with Gyujin hyung’s [older brother/senior] experience, or mentality, would know if something is creaking somewhere in their body right now.

Looking at him staring at the scoreboard and constantly putting on and taking off his hat, yeah, he knows.

However, if we classify Gyujin hyung [older brother/senior] by whether he just knows this, or whether he can go through other modifications because he knows it,

Tak-!

Gyujin hyung [older brother/senior] is someone who knows what he needs to do.

“Second!”

“No, first, first!!”

“Second is late!”

Kang Daehyun, the second hitter, pulled the curve falling on the outside with all his might, but the speed of the batted ball was very sluggish because he intentionally hit it wrong.

Therefore,

“Out!”

It’s praiseworthy enough that our third baseman, Seonghun hyung [older brother/senior], managed to get just one out at first base with a running throw.

“Ah, nice third!”

“Good defense, good defense!”

When a good defensive play appears, of course all the teammates in the dugout stand up and applaud. Seonghun hyung [older brother/senior], with his back to us, took strength from that support,

“Aigoo [expression of exhaustion/exasperation].”

And responded with a selfie ceremony.

Hyung [older brother/senior]…….

Is this the power of atmosphere? To turn that taciturn person, the person who hates that the most, into that.

Kiseong giggled at Seonghun hyung’s [older brother/senior] appearance and then handed the received ball to Gyujin hyung [older brother/senior].

But the problem is that the person Kiseong gave the ball to was the only one who couldn’t laugh in this atmosphere.

Clap clap clap clap!!

“Eeeee, Gyujin hyung [older brother/senior], let’s go!!”

“Gyujin’s ball is good, let’s go, let’s go!!”

Gyujin hyung [older brother/senior] didn’t care at all what we were talking about in the dugout, or what kind of show we were putting on, and glared at Gyuhak as if he was going to eat him alive.

And Yongho, facing such Gyujin hyung [older brother/senior], was also waiting in the batter’s box with the same arrogance as before.

“Ah, that bastard, really.”

Yes, if we look at the results ‘only’, Yongho has grown into an A-class hitter, albeit late.

But there’s a reason why I can never *indent* [recognize/approve] that bastard as a star.

Boom-!

“Strike-!”

Character.

I’ve wondered if it’s a bit too much to demand the aspect of character from someone who simply chose baseball as a profession because they’re good at baseball.

But that thought was overturned in just one minute.

Do you know what my childhood dream was? A hero…to become a hero. A hero who shares dreams and hopes with children.

Bang-!

“Ball!”

The nonsense he spouted on the phone when Myungjin injured his oblique muscles would be a very good example.

Yes, professional baseball players aren’t just playing catch and hitting among ourselves. We can make a living because there are fans.

Boom-!

“Ball-.”

Our fans are always interested in our every move. Our every move is always exposed to the fans.

People who are old enough to tell right from wrong will say, “That bastard is a bad guy,” but children who really think of us as heroes,

Tak-!

May even learn the dark side of that human being in detail.

“Home!”

“Second, stick to the right, stick to the right!!”

“No cut, second get out of the way!!”

In that sense, the right-field hit that Yongho hit was quite displeasing. Quite, very displeasing.

Still, thanks to Seonghyun’s strong throw,

Swoosh―

“Out!”

We were relieved that we completed two outs by catching Godongwook at home.

“Ah, good defense, good defense!!”

“Seonghyun nice!!”

“Hoo-oo-oo!!”

Thanks to Seonghyun, who showed a good throw, the team’s atmosphere started to heat up even more.

Myungjin, who’s so excited he’s acting crazy.

Kiseong, who’s jumping up and down at first base.

Seonghyun, who’s showing off a selfie ceremony in the right fielder’s position far away.

In the meantime, Gyujin hyung [older brother/senior] quietly formed the word ‘X발’ [a very strong curse word, similar to “fuck”] with his mouth.

While fiddling with the rosin, the pitcher didn’t even look at first base at all. It wasn’t so much that he was trying not to make eye contact with Yongho, but rather that he was just trying to ignore his very existence.

After that, after the runner on first base with one out changed to a runner on first base with two outs, the batter to face was Sangsoo’s fourth hitter, Park Haejin.

“Hey, Gyujin hyung [older brother/senior], let’s go, let’s go!!”

“It’s okay, your ball is good!!”

Once Yongho was on base, Gyujin hyung [older brother/senior] seemed to feel relieved.

Bang-!

“Strike-!”

The way he aggressively caught the count with a curve from the first pitch,

Tick―

The way he got a foul with a changeup deep inside,

Boom-!

“Swing, out-!”

Also the way he struck out that Park Haejin with a high fastball.

Gyujin hyung [older brother/senior], who returned to the dugout after perfectly dealing with Park Haejin with three pitches, had an unpleasant expression on his face.

The players in the dugout, or behind Gyujin hyung [older brother/senior], read that atmosphere,

“Ah, nice pitcher!”

“Hyung [older brother/senior], your ball is good today!”

“Keep going, keep it up!”

Were trying to ease the pitcher’s mood.

Thump, thud―

“Ha…X발 [a very strong curse word, similar to “fuck”].”

Gyujin hyung [older brother/senior], who threw his glove down roughly and sat next to me, started with a curse.

“Ah, it’s been weird lately.”

“What is.”

“Yongho, that bastard.”

“He was always weird.”

“No, not that.”

“Then what?”

At the same time as the question mark, I turned my head to the right. Gyujin hyung [older brother/senior] still had the same unpleasant expression on his face as before.

“…He, he couldn’t hit before. Lately, he keeps hitting my balls.”

“Ah, that.”

I could explain this part because I also had something in common with Yongho.

“I know it sounds like garbage even as I’m saying it. Ah, really, really, really X 같긴 한데 말야 hyung [a very strong curse word, similar to “fuck”], [older brother/senior]. That’s because Yongho and I have something vaguely similar.”

“What?”

“I used to get hit all the time. But as my *seongjeok* [performance/stats] started to improve a bit? Now I’m taking down the guys who used to be really strong against me.”

“Ah….”

If we take ‘me’ as the standard and talk about it, this is exactly what Bisco’s Bae Deokhyeon was like.

Until when was it, the 16th season? Until then, his career batting average against me was a whopping 60%.

However, if we take the 17th season, after I grew rapidly, as a new starting point, his career batting average against me drops below 10%.

“That’s what it is.”

“Ha….”

This is unavoidable.

In one play, in one situation, it is absolutely impossible for both the pitcher and the batter to show good plays.

No matter how well the batter hits, if it is judged as an out, the pitcher wins, and no matter how well the pitcher throws, if he gives a walk or gets a hit, the batter wins.

That’s what baseball is all about in the first place.

“Hyung [older brother/senior], just think comfortably.”

“What, how can I think comfortably?”

“Hyung [older brother/senior], you have a *jikgu* [straight fastball], if you hit his head once with a *jikgu* [straight fastball] over 150km, wouldn’t he be out for the season?”

“Are you crazy?”

I just hoped that Gyujin hyung [older brother/senior] wouldn’t fall into a vicious cycle in this situation. Gyujin hyung [older brother/senior] is someone who has enough mentality to do that.

“…I’m going out.”

Before I knew it, the bottom of the first inning was over, and all I could do for Gyujin hyung [older brother/senior], who was leaving the bullpen for the top of the second inning,

Clap clap clap!!

“Good luck!!”

Was just cheer him on.

“Hankyujin *seonbaenim* [senior] fighting! [Good luck/Go for it!]”

“Gyujin, let’s go!!”

Of course, it’s not just me who’s sending that cheer.

* * *

Although I know it’s a very extreme expression, I’m someone who doesn’t think that even the *seongjeok* [performance/stats] up to the very beginning of the regular season are very meaningful.

In the end, the season is about running towards the final chapter, the end.

Therefore, it really doesn’t matter at all whether today’s practice game was won or lost. It also doesn’t matter at all whether we did well or not.

What really matters is what you can gain from it.

In that sense, this year’s 2020 season spring camp for the Wonha Challengers can be said to be very successful.

Hooni made a remarkable improvement in his ability to select pitches, which was his weakness.

Taewoong was gradually finding stability in his control.

Jinhyeong was trending towards making the gamble of bulking up a success.

Of course, we’ll have to see what happens when we actually enter the season, but it’s important that we know the taste.

The patience not to swing at that ball *ppajineun* [falling/breaking] on the outside.

The muscles in the ankle that hold the right foot in place so that it doesn’t shake after completing the stride.

The trajectory of the swing that has been modified so that it doesn’t get in the way because of the slightly larger volume of the body.

It’s really like heaven and earth whether you enter the season without even knowing these things, or whether you enter the season knowing at least something.

“Time flies so fast, Hanwool ssi [term of polite address].”

“Doesn’t it?”

As soon as I returned to Korea after finishing all the camps, I came straight to see Minyoung ssi [term of polite address]. I thought Minyoung ssi’s [term of polite address] time would be ambiguous, so I didn’t even get a proper rest and ran straight over.

I hadn’t slept properly, so I washed up, put on some clothes, grabbed Minyoung ssi’s [term of polite address] hand, and had a delicious lunch.

Then I sat down at a nearby cafe to talk some more.

I’m tired, honestly.

But as I looked at her pretty face, which I hadn’t seen for quite a while, the fatigue just melted away on its own.

“It seems like you finished the camp well?”

“Um…okay? Not bad?”

“How are the rookie players this year?”

“It’s a bit ambiguous.”

First of all, in the pitcher group, Seongwon and Seungjin, who are rookies in the 2020 season, showed unexpectedly good performances.

As for the infielders…well…I think the backup friends who were already there are better.

“Unless they’re strange kids who appear about once a year, you usually have to see how the season goes to know about the rookies.”

Still, there are no predetermined results. It’s like starting all over again from 0.

“Ah…it’s *makmakhaneyo* [frustrating/daunting], hearing you talk about it.”

“What is?”

“Actually, Wonha’s *seongjeok* [performance/stats] were good last year, right?”

“Of course. They were very good.”

“But actually, I think everyone was thinking, ‘There’s no way they’ll finish first in the regular season, right?’ I don’t think anyone started the season thinking that.”

“Still…everyone says, ‘Our goal this season is to win!'”

“They’re just saying that.”

I’ve been rolling around in this industry for a few years now. I don’t necessarily have to *jjigeomeogeobwaya* [experience it firsthand] to know whether it will work or not.

“Besides, I wasn’t doing well at the beginning of the season.”

“But considering that, you guys were *chigo* [surging/performing well] pretty early on, weren’t you?”

“That’s right. That’s why it’s even more amazing.”

“Is it because you took the *him* [strength/power] out?”

Took the *him* [strength/power] out…important. Memo this part.

“If this was going according to plan, I’d either be riding that plan again or going in the direction of revising it….”

“Things went so well that you’re hesitant to do it again?”

“That’s right. That’s it.”

As expected, Minyoung ssi [term of polite address]. Even if I say it *gaetteokgachi* [poorly/inarticulately], she understands it *chalttukgachi* [perfectly/flawlessly].

“But Hanwool ssi [term of polite address], when was it? I don’t remember exactly when it was…but you once said something like that to me.”

“What did I say?”

“What Wonha Challengers can establish as a strength is that they have the best defense in the league and they are young.”

“Ah….”

Squeeze―

I could feel the strength in Minyoung ssi’s [term of polite address] hand holding my hand.

“Isn’t this the year when the strengths you talked about will really explode?”