Peaceful Bullpen Life [EN]: Chapter 142

142. Homecoming

Hansung Winners, based in Gwangju, Jeolla Province, are one of the few teams that have maintained their parent company since the inaugural season of professional baseball.

As a professional baseball team, they each have a defining characteristic. You could call it a modifier.

Hansung is no exception and has several modifiers, but among them are words that most accurately describe them.

Bottom of the league. The weakest. The cellar dwellers. A free win. [A team that is easily defeated, giving opponents an easy ‘win’.]

Words like that.

In fact, Hansung has consistently been at the bottom of the league for so long that even using the phrase ‘recent years’ would be an exaggeration.

A team that shows signs of improvement at the beginning of the season, making people think, ‘Oh, is this year different?’ only to magically find its way back to its usual, losing position.

They’re the complete opposite of the Sangsoo Tigers, who consistently maintain the top spot in the league.

But that kind of team has changed a lot this year.

As of mid-June, the Hansung Winners’ team record is 5th in the league.

Of course, everything will be decided by the end of the season, but few people thought that Hansung would cause such a sensation this far into the season.

A team that people watch out of habit. A team that people support out of hometown pride. A team that people go to see because the stadium is conveniently located.

That’s all they were, a team that even Hansung fans didn’t really expect much from.

Thwack-!

“Ouch….”

Jung Sung-hoon’s hit, sending Tae-woong’s ball far beyond the fence, clearly demonstrated Hansung’s transformation.

The score is 6 to 0 with the bottom of the 6th inning in progress.

Tae-woong is pitching well. His velocity is good, and his control isn’t wavering.

The lineup is hitting well too. They’re getting good hits and drawing quite a few walks.

But they keep giving up runs and failing to score.

“What’s wrong with Hansung?”

What’s the reason for Hansung Winners finally playing well and shattering their losing image?

“They say the teamwork has improved since Yong-ho left.”

Lee Yong-ho, that jerk was the problem after all.

“What’s wrong with Lee Yong-ho again?”

“He was subtly ruining the team atmosphere.”

“But what kind of screw-ups could Lee Yong-ho have made? He only became a regular starter last year at best, right? Or the end of the year before last at the earliest?”

Seok-min, who used to be with the Hansung Winners until the beginning of this season, seemed to have gathered information by talking to the Hansung players he was close to before the game.

Watching Tae-woong pitch, they murmured in the bullpen, reminiscing about someone who is no longer with Hansung.

“He’s a pain in the ass in the minor leagues, and he’s a pain in the ass in the major leagues.”

“What the hell did he do in the minor leagues….”

“Yong-ho was a first-round, first-overall pick, though.”

“Right?”

“When those kinds of players don’t pan out, they fall into two categories. Ah, I’m not good enough for the pros yet, so I need to work harder. Or….”

“F*ck, I shouldn’t be here right now.”

“That’s it.”

Of course, I think only a very small number of players fall into the latter category. Lee Yong-ho is difficult, but not all first-round, first-overall picks are out of their minds.

“He got some special treatment in the beginning, whether he was in the major leagues or the minor leagues. I wonder if that’s where things went wrong.”

“It seems like he got spoiled by the veterans.”

“I think so. I actually had high expectations for Yong-ho.”

Oh my, you’re only bringing up horror stories.

“When he’s in the major leagues, he stirs up trouble behind the scenes, and when he screws up in a game, he blames others.”

If Seok-min, who is in the pitching group and not the infield group, knows this much, the reality must have been much worse….

“But Sangsoo thoughtlessly snatched up Lee Yong-ho.”

“Was it the end of the year before last…? He seemed to have toned down his personality since then. I don’t know what got into him, but he was much more cautious.”

If it was the year before last…was it after that bench-clearing brawl? [A bench-clearing brawl is a large fight involving players from both teams, often triggered by an aggressive play or heated exchange.]

“Actually, you can see that he’s toned down a lot in terms of personality even now in Sangsoo.”

“Hmm….”

No matter what that jerk does, I can never see it in a positive light. I’m someone who has known him since he was a kid. You should never try to fix people.

“Come to think of it, weren’t you close to Yong-ho?”

“Close?”

This guy is talking nonsense.

“Aren’t you?”

“Please, don’t say such strange things anywhere, please.”

“You went to the same high school.”

“That’s when the trouble started.”

“Ah…it seems like he was like that from the beginning.”

“Senior, I don’t know about other people, but you really shouldn’t say that to Gyu-jin. Something really bad will happen.”

If you go to Gyu-jin and say, ‘Weren’t you close to Lee Yong-ho?’ he might actually curse at you.

Clap clap clap!

Ah, Tae-woong, you worked hard!

Tae-woong, nice ball!

Let’s score, let’s catch up, let’s go!

Around that time, the rather long bottom of the 6th inning ended. Thanks to that, the tiresome story about Lee Yong-ho seemed to be over.

Tae-woong’s awkward smile, which had been ruined by giving up runs, turned into a sincere smile amidst the encouragement and support of his teammates.

Clap clap clap, the 7th inning started with applause.

Watching the attack starting with Sung-hoon, the topic shifted slightly.

“Come to think of it, Senior, isn’t this your first time coming to Gwangju since you were traded?”

“That’s right. It just so happens that the schedule is like this again.”

“How is it? It’s been a while since you’ve been back to your old home.”

“Well….”

Seok-min glanced around the Gwangju stadium and smiled with a hint of nostalgia.

“It’s strange.”

In three words, I can roughly understand Seok-min’s feelings.

“I always thought I would stay with Hansung. Whether it was by choice or by force, I thought there might come a time when I would move teams….”

A slight bitter smile.

“But that faded as the years went by. I’ve been here for so long, I’m at this point in my career, they wouldn’t send me away, would they?”

“Um….”

“Haven’t you been with Wonha for quite a while?”

“Me? I’ve been here for…13 years.”

“That’s a long time.”

“It’s been a long time….”

Thwack-!

The conversation was briefly interrupted by Sung-hoon’s hit.

The dugout was briefly stirred by the well-hit ball, but

“Oh no.”

It was blocked by the opponent’s left fielder’s good defense, and he had to return to the dugout without getting on base.

“But don’t you feel a little relieved when you see things like that?”

“What do you mean?”

“You still have some affection for Hansung, right?”

“Um…it’s not something to say to the captain, but yeah, it’s my old team.”

“When you see those lively performances that weren’t there before, don’t you think, ‘Ah, they’re doing well,’ or something like that?”

“Is it like an ex-girlfriend? After breaking up, you think, ‘Ah, she’s doing well,’ or something like that.”

The analogy is….

“…I do have those thoughts.”

…Appropriate.

“But on the other hand, I also have these thoughts.”

“What kind of thoughts?”

“Are they doing well because I’m not there?”

A team that was doing well in the early days. But at some point, it started to decline and never went up again. And then, after I left, the team is trying to do well again.

“That’s the past. It’s good if you’re doing well on your current team.”

But it’s my old team. Now they’re the enemy. I have to crush that team to get to a higher place.

“Yeah. That’s why I get more competitive.”

“Like, ‘Are they doing well without me?'”

“Yeah. That’s it.”

Thwack-!

Seok-min, who cited competitiveness as the most important element for a professional player, applauded Gyu-hak, who hit a solo home run after two outs.

“Ah, Gyu-hak, nice bat!”

That 모습이 [Korean: appearance, figure] 마치 난 잘 살고 있으니까 더 이상 너에게 미련 같은 걸 남기지 않겠다는 전남친처럼 보여, [Korean: That looks like an ex-boyfriend who is doing well and doesn’t want to leave any lingering feelings for you.]

Clap clap clap!

“Let’s score more points, let’s go!! Let’s goooo!!”

I also stood up and shouted loudly.

* * *

8 to 1.

In the end, Wonha Challengers’ only score yesterday was Gyu-hak’s solo home run, and they added two more runs after Tae-woong was taken out.

Also, the Sangsoo Tigers won on the same day, narrowing the gap with second place to three games again.

This won’t do, we need to push forward quickly, everyone in Wonha Challengers had the same thought,

Thwack-!

“Oh no.”

It wasn’t that easy.

Dong-gyun, who had been performing well, was hit with a three-run home run in the first inning.

But it’s only the first inning. It’s only 3 points.

“Jin-hyung, show them!”

“Let’s go, let’s go!!”

Thwack―

In the top of the 2nd inning, starting with Jin-hyung as the leadoff hitter, the Wonha Challengers also started to gain momentum little by little.

Hitting, getting on base, running, hitting again, and hitting one more time.

“They’re good. Wonha is definitely good.”

“They’re good. That’s why they’re in first place.”

When the top of the 6th inning ended, the score was 5 to 3.

The bullpen, who had to maintain this two-point lead, smiled contentedly and looked around the ground.

“Senior, don’t cry because it’s been so long.”

“How old am I to be crying?”

“There’s no age for crying.”

“He’s talking nonsense again.”

“Ah…extreme praise.”

“I know who Myung-jin is learning from, geez.”

“Yes?”

You’re being too harsh all of a sudden.

At my stern expression, Seok-min laughed heartily and left the bullpen. He walked out slowly, and when he crossed the foul line on the 3rd base side, he ran to the mound.

Waaaaah-!!

Son Seok-min! Son Seok-min! Son Seok-min!

“Geez…people are really….”

He’s clearly someone who left the team. He’s clearly the enemy now.

The Hansung Winners fans stood up and started applauding Seok-min, who they now met as an opponent.

Seok-min also stood on the mound, took off his hat, and bowed towards the cheering section on the 1st base side.

An underhand relief pitcher who is a bit short of being considered a legend of the team. But even at a glance, you could see how much love that person received from that team.

Also, even Jung Sung-hoon, who was the leadoff hitter, slightly took off his helmet and bowed, showed how precious that person was to that team.

“…Cool.”

I purely thought that 모습이 [Korean: appearance, figure] was really cool.

Even though he left the team, the fans of that team applaud him, and his former colleagues show respect.

Unless I get much older and no longer work in the pros, or unless I move teams due to my stubbornness, I won’t be going to another team.

Whether internally or externally, I’m already involved in so many parts of the Wonha Challengers.

13th year. Captain. FA [Free Agent]. The league’s absolute ace. And it’s not like I have an excessively high salary.

But there will come a time when I leave the world of baseball, not just the team.

At that time….

“…Seung-jin.”

“Yes, Senior.”

“Later. It’s really later, though.”

“Yes?”

“I’m going to retire too.”

“Ah…yes.”

“I’ll get applause from the Wonha fans like that too.”

I could feel Seung-jin’s gaze glancing at me without even looking to the side. And I could also feel that gaze being withdrawn quickly.

“You’ll receive applause not only from the Challengers fans but also from the Wonha players.”

“That would be a relief.”

Seok-min cleanly blocked the bottom of the 6th inning.

He got Jung Sung-hoon out with a ground ball to the shortstop, Jo Tae-poong out with a line drive to the first baseman, and Chae Ji-hoon out with a fly ball to the center fielder.

I stood up to greet Seok-min, who was returning to the dugout after cleanly pitching 1 inning.

“How do you feel?”

“It’s fun. I feel like I’ve become a team legend.”

Even though his performance is short of legendary….

“You are a legend.”

If we don’t call someone who is so loved by the fans and teammates a legend, then who should we call a legend?

“Is that so.”

“It’s true.”

Seok-min laughed heartily, thinking that my words were flattery, and brushed them off appropriately. Then he went elsewhere for icing.

“Legend….”

A word that everyone who lives in the world of baseball dreams of. No, it’s a word that people dream of in any field, not just baseball.

Can I, who lacks cumulative stats, percentage stats, and a long tenure with good results, remain a team legend?

“Han-wool, you’re going up in the 8th.”

“Ah, yes.”

To be honest, I don’t really know.

Unlike other countries, we don’t have a Hall of Fame in our country, and permanent retirement of a number, which is another indicator of a legend, is not that easy either.

But one thing. I can be sure of one thing.

Boom-!

“Oh, the ball is going crazy, it’s going crazy!!”

This season, I’m really going to make a legend.