Perfect Agent [EN]: Chapter 109

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Starting Real Work (4)

An agency meeting, no different from usual, was underway.

I couldn’t help but be surprised as I looked through the data Lee Joo-hyuk handed me.

“Seok-hoon is in first place?”

Oh Seok-hoon was leading in the All-Star Game voting.

“Not just in first place, but with a truly overwhelming lead.”

“How are the other players doing…?”

As I looked down to find the names of the other players, Lee Joo-hyuk spoke first.

“Sung-joo and Soo-young will likely be selected without any issues. So Young-joon, Na Joon-ho, and Go Ji-hoon as well.”

Up to this point, it was a result I had somewhat anticipated.

“What about Jung-hwan?”

In truth, I was most interested in whether Choi Jung-hwan could get selected.

If he could participate in the All-Star Game while pitching well recently, it would definitely boost his confidence.

“It seems difficult for him to take first place since he overlaps with Go Ji-hoon.”

He was in second place, with a significant gap from Go Ji-hoon.

However,

“But, will Go Ji-hoon be okay to participate in the All-Star Game?”

“We need to prevent him from attending this time. Even though it’s just an exhibition game, he needs to focus on treatment.”

Being able to play in the All-Star Game is always an honor, but for Go Ji-hoon right now, recovering his body and performing well in the second half of the season was more important.

Thanks to that, it wasn’t bad that Choi Jung-hwan could get a chance as the next in line to be selected for the All-Star Game.

“Then, what can the agency do for the players who are attending?”

“Since there are players who have to come from out of town, let’s have them rest here for a day and travel together. It’s a happy occasion, so let’s all get together and have something delicious to eat.”

“Yes, I will inform the players as soon as the final voting is completed.”

As soon as Lee Joo-hyuk answered, he wrote down the task in his notebook.

And then, he brought up a new issue that had crossed my mind a while ago.

“Joo-hyuk, do you remember Michael Scott, the player we met in the United States last time?”

“Of course, I remember him. What’s up?”

“If that player came to Korea and pitched, what kind of performance do you think he could achieve?”

Lee Joo-hyuk paused for a moment to recall and then answered.

“Um… His fastball was powerful, and I remember his average speed being in the early 150km/h [approximately 93 mph] range. If that’s the case, he could definitely make it in the Korean league, right?”

“His control of breaking balls was a weakness, though. What about that part?”

“He didn’t have many different pitches, but his slider was top-notch. Ah! You suggested he try throwing a splitter back then. If he could get his splitter to be at least average, he would definitely have potential.”

My thoughts weren’t much different.

“I’m thinking of signing a contract with that player.”

“Oh…! That’s a great idea.”

“I’m going to try recommending him to domestic clubs. There are a few clubs that seem to be considering replacing their foreign pitchers.”

Besides the Pelicans, which I had confirmed through the information window, there was no way there wouldn’t be other clubs that wanted to secure a more reliable pitcher.

“I’m thinking the same thing. There’s just one thing that’s bothering me.”

“What part?”

“I’m wondering if Michael Scott would want to come to Korea right away. He’s still too young, and I think he’d want to keep trying in the United States.”

“Um… that’s true.”

He was the same age as Choi Jung-hwan, so he was only 23 years old in Korean age this year.

Even if the chances of him playing in the major leagues weren’t high, it was still an age where he would want to stay and try.

“There have been cases where players have done well in Korea and signed major league contracts, but he’s still too young right now.”

“I don’t know what the situation is like in the United States, but if he comes to Korea, he can get consistent opportunities. Unless he’s already established as a starting pitcher, it’s definitely a merit, right?”

Conversely, if he was already getting opportunities as a starting pitcher, there was virtually no chance of bringing him to Korea.

“We can emphasize that. Korea has a better environment for economic aspects and development.”

“Let’s meet him in person and hear his thoughts. Before that, find out what his current situation is like.”

“Okay.”

“Check if he’s signed with an agency first.”

If he already had an agency, everything would be meaningless.

* * *

Park Sung-joo was already in full preparation for the home run derby.

He was burning with the desire to win the home run derby no matter what.

He had asked his soulmate, Oh Seok-hoon, to be his batting practice pitcher and was coordinating their rhythm.

Lee Joo-hyuk and I also went down to the training field to watch their practice.

Thwack.

The ball thrown by Oh Seok-hoon passed through the strike zone marked by the net.

“Is this good enough?”

“It feels like it’s slightly curving as it comes in?”

Park Sung-joo, who was holding the bat and watching the trajectory of the ball, tilted his head.

Because he kept hitting the ball off-center, Park Sung-joo was carefully checking the ball that Oh Seok-hoon was throwing.

“I definitely gripped it with a four-seam grip.”

Oh Seok-hoon showed his grip, lifting the ball with a wronged expression.

“Throw it again.”

Park Sung-joo took a deep breath and prepared to hit.

Oh Seok-hoon threw the ball again at an angle that was easy to hit.

Park Sung-joo’s bat swung with all its might after confirming the ball.

Tick!

The off-center hit ball couldn’t stretch out and became a ground ball.

“It feels like it’s coming in almost like a cutter [a type of fastball that breaks slightly to the side]?”

“I don’t know how to throw a cutter.”

Oh Seok-hoon couldn’t hide his frustration at Park Sung-joo’s reproachful words.

“Senior, wasn’t that ball a cutter just now? You keep hitting it off-center?”

Park Sung-joo fiddled with his bat and asked me.

“It seems like it’s slightly bending as it comes in…?”

Even to me, it clearly felt like there was a change during its flight.

“I’ll try catching it from behind once.”

Eventually, Lee Joo-hyuk put on his gear and sat down as catcher.

Oh Seok-hoon picked up a new ball and threw it just like before.

Thwack.

“It’s not just a fastball? It curves in at the end.”

Lee Joo-hyuk, who caught the ball with his mitt extended, let out a hollow laugh and took off his mask.

“Hey! Look. I’m telling you, you’re not throwing a four-seam.”

“I definitely threw a four-seam. Isn’t this the four-seam grip?”

Eventually, Oh Seok-hoon approached me and showed me his grip.

Oh Seok-hoon’s grip was definitely a four-seam fastball grip.

“You really grabbed it like this and threw it?”

“Of course. It’s batting practice, so I threw it thinking I should throw it easy to hit.”

Even so, the fact that it flew in a trajectory close to a cutter meant that his wrist sense and the force he used to press down with his fingers at the moment of throwing were good.

As expected, people who are good at baseball are good at everything.

“Seok-hoon, shouldn’t you be a pitcher?”

I was so dumbfounded that a hollow laugh burst out.

“Is this really a cutter?”

“The fact that this trajectory comes out when you throw it with this grip can only be explained by the fact that your sense when throwing is good.”

Lee Joo-hyuk looked around at Oh Seok-hoon’s grip as if he couldn’t believe it.

“Should I look for another batting practice pitcher now? How can a batting practice pitcher’s fastball be so dirty [difficult to hit]?”

Park Sung-joo glared at Oh Seok-hoon with a resentful look.

“I’ll try to throw it well. I’ll get better if I practice.”

“Senior, what should we do about this? Can you make Seok-hoon throw a four-seam?”

Park Sung-joo looked at me with pleading eyes and asked.

“Wouldn’t it be faster for you to adapt to the trajectory that Seok-hoon is throwing? It seems more difficult to change Seok-hoon’s pitching style in a few days.”

Forcing him to abandon a good ball that could even work in the pros felt like a waste for some reason.

Even if there’s no use for it right now, it might play a useful role someday.

“Go and throw it again. But you have to keep throwing it the same way.”

“Okay.”

Oh Seok-hoon and Park Sung-joo prepared for pitching and hitting again.

Tick!

Tick!

Oh Seok-hoon still threw a difficult ball to attack.

The good thing was that Park Sung-joo was gradually adapting as he continued to pitch consistently.

Clang!

Clang!

The hits were getting cleaner and cleaner, creating refreshing sounds.

Just listening to the sound echoing in the practice field was enough to make me feel refreshed.

Clang!

Clang!

The two were getting more and more in sync.

But suddenly,

Whoosh-

“What was that all of a sudden?”

Park Sung-joo’s bat spun in vain with an embarrassing swing.

“It seemed too boring, so I tried throwing it differently.”

Oh Seok-hoon couldn’t help but laugh at Park Sung-joo’s expression.

“I’ll throw it properly again.”

“Don’t joke around. I have to win.”

“Okay.”

The two continued to practice for a long time.

I don’t know how much longer it would have continued if I hadn’t stopped them in the middle.

* * *

I drove for a long time and arrived at that place.

It was a place I had to find before I got even busier.

I wanted to relive the memories of that day that made this moment possible, and I also wanted to see his face.

“I think I sat here last time too.”

I took a seat in the stands where the game was clearly visible.

It was surprising that it had only been about a year since I sat in this exact spot.

When I was sitting here last year, I had a lot of worries about the future ahead of me.

Now, so much has changed since then.

Clang!

“Run! Run!”

“Safe!”

However, I couldn’t find any changes in the way the juniors were training with all their might.

The juniors were diving without any concern for getting dirt all over their uniforms.

“My ball!”

The voices calling out to their teammates were loud enough to fill the stadium.

The pitcher seemed to be putting everything he had into each and every pitch.

Thwack!

“Strike out!”

The pitcher clenched his fist and enjoyed the thrill as the batter stood still, unable to do anything about the ball he had thrown.

On the other hand, the batter acknowledged his defeat but slammed his bat hard on the ground, seemingly resentful of his own choice.

Tick!

The fielders ran with all their might even for a foul fly ball that was nothing special.

They didn’t hesitate at all, even though they were throwing their bodies into places where they could get injured.

“Out!”

“Be careful not to get hurt!”

Along with the umpire’s call, a coach shouted from the bench with concern in his loud voice.

It was nothing special, just a practice game for a university baseball team, but the players’ passion was no different from the Korean Series [championship series of the KBO League].

As I was watching the game and reminiscing,

“Hyun-woo!”

A familiar voice was heard.

“Coach!”

I got up from my seat and turned my head in the direction of the voice.

Coach Yoo Sung-hwan was walking quickly towards me.

It was a very welcome face to me.