Perfect Agent [EN]: Chapter 172

New Season Begins (3)

While the opening game between the Buffaloes and the Doubles was taking place, another game between the Jaguars and the Pelicans was also underway at a different stadium.

The player receiving the most attention in today’s game was undoubtedly Donald Watson.

└Finally, we get to see Watson in Korean baseball! I’m so excited.

└Don’t you think Watson will hit a home run right from his first at-bat?

└Just give us 30 home runs and 100 RBIs [Runs Batted In, a key offensive statistic] this season. And Scott should get 20 wins.

└If we have a 20-win pitcher and a 30-home run, 100-RBI hitter, wouldn’t the Jaguars win this time?

└Let’s go Jaguars, win it again!!!

└It’s a problem if foreign players are too good. What if they go to the US next year?

└Let’s worry about that then; for now, just hit like crazy this season.

└Let’s at least easily win against the Pelicans. They didn’t even reinforce their team in the winter.

Even before the game, Jaguars fans were openly expressing their anticipation for Watson.

However, it was a shame that it was hard to find stories about Seo Seong-min.

Maybe after a few games, we’ll be able to find his stories too.

As soon as I arrived at the stadium, I met with Jo Gwang-hoon, the Jaguars’ general manager.

Jo Gwang-hoon asked me with a face full of anticipation.

“Representative Kang, how was your dream last night?”

“My dream? I just slept well.”

“Tsk. Representative Kang should have had a good dream.”

Jo Gwang-hoon couldn’t hide his disappointment.

“General Manager, Scott is pitching today. He’ll do more than the basics.”

“Of course, I believe that. But this season is very important to me. This year is also the last season of my contract.”

“I know that well.”

“If only Watson could explode, I think we’d have good results.”

Jo Gwang-hoon said, moving his fingers busily.

“Everything will be fine. You can look forward to it.”

I gave Jo Gwang-hoon a relaxed smile.

* * *

-The Jaguars and the Pelicans are facing off in the opening game.

-The player who is getting the most attention in today’s game is definitely Donald Watson, right?

-That’s right. Donald Watson is a player whose skills are beyond doubt.

-Of course, we can’t leave out Michael Scott, who debuted in the Korean league in the second half of last season and recorded 6 wins.

-That’s right. He showed a sensational performance in the second half of last season. I’m curious to see how well he’ll do this season while pitching full-time. From what I saw in the practice games, his ability to use breaking balls has improved a lot. I’m looking forward to seeing what he’ll show in the season games.

-Let’s watch today’s game where we can see those two players at the same time!

Donald Watson was listed as the 6th batter, and Seo Seong-min was listed as the 7th batter.

It seemed like the batting order was adjusted to reduce the pressure on Watson, as today was his debut in the Korean league.

Pelicans’ shortstop So Young-joon was scheduled to face Scott as the 4th batter.

The game started with the home team Jaguars’ defense in the top of the first inning.

Michael Scott began practicing pitching on the mound.

Meanwhile, Donald Watson stood in center field, and Seo Seong-min stood at second base.

-Michael Scott was a player who was full of question marks when he first came to the Korean league. It only took him half a season to prove his capabilities.

-Will he be able to continue his good performance this season?

“Play ball!”

Finally, the game started, and Michael Scott began pitching.

Even though it wasn’t hot, my hands were sweating.

Thwack!

150km/h

“Strike!”

Scott’s first ball passed through the strike zone coolly.

The second ball followed.

Thwack!

151km/h

“Strike!”

In an instant, the ball count was 0 balls and 2 strikes.

And,

Whoosh-

153km/h

“Strike out!”

-Scott strikes out the first batter with a fastball from the start!

-No matter how much the batters have prepared for the actual game, it’s never easy to get a hit off a 153km/h fastball in the opening game of the season.

Scott, who had a clean match against the first batter, had a faint smile on his face.

His pitching exuded confidence, as if the tension of the opening game had been relieved.

Thwack!

Thwack!

The intentionally thrown balls didn’t stray far from the strike zone, which was enough to confuse the batter.

Thwack!

“Strike out!”

In the end, the second batter was also struck out.

The third batter met in a 2-out situation.

The batter, who carefully selected the ball, swung his bat boldly.

Crack!

The batted ball flew towards second baseman Seo Seong-min.

Seo Seong-min quickly moved, stably caught the bouncing ball, and threw it to the first baseman, successfully raising the out count.

-Oh! It was a more difficult hit than I thought. He catches it comfortably and raises the out count.

-Seo Seong-min is also famous for playing all positions except pitcher and catcher. Anyway, he did well in his first defense after the transfer.

Scott finished the first inning cleanly.

He went back to the dugout and high-fived Seo Seong-min.

The Jaguars’ attack in the bottom of the first inning ended without a score, and the top of the second inning followed.

Michael Scott was on the mound, and So Young-joon was at bat.

Although the two are the best of friends outside the stadium, they were just opponents who had to target each other on the field.

Seriousness was evident not only on Scott’s face but also on So Young-joon’s face.

Thwack!

“Strike!”

Thwack!

“Ball!”

Thwack!

“Ball!”

It was felt that Scott was approaching carefully when facing So Young-joon, who had long hit power unlike before.

As So Young-joon persistently continued the match, the ball count became 3 balls and 2 strikes.

Scott exchanged signs with the catcher and threw the ball with all his might.

The ball, which was flying quickly, suddenly fell in front of the batter.

So Young-joon’s bat cut through the air without fail.

Whoosh-

“Strike out!”

-Wow! He induces a swing and a miss with a splitter here.

-If it flies at 143km/h, which is the fastball speed of most pitchers, and then drops like that, wouldn’t you have to swing and miss?

-If Scott can throw that ball freely, he will have a really scary performance this year.

So Young-joon, who saw the splitter, which was more upgraded than last year, laughed in vain and returned to the dugout.

In the following pitching innings, Scott showed his power for sure.

Whoosh-

“Strike out!”

Whoosh-

“Strike out!”

-Is Scott starting to warm up? He struck out all three batters in this inning.

-The point to note is that Scott is striking out by inducing swings and misses.

-Last season, the feeling was that he was overwhelming with his ball speed, but has he evolved in the meantime?

-It is felt that the falling breaking ball has definitely improved compared to last season. The batters are not easily adapting.

-The batters who will face Scott in the future will have to worry a lot.

Finally, the Jaguars’ attack inning in the bottom of the second inning.

When it was the batting order of the 6th batter, Donald Watson, not only the Jaguars fans but also the Pelicans fans couldn’t hide their expectations.

“Watson! Watson! Watson!”

-It’s time to meet this player at the plate.

-Just a few years ago, he was a player who could be seen in the major leagues. The day has come when I can see this player in front of me and broadcast him. As a baseball fan, I am really excited.

Donald Watson took off his helmet and raised it to greet the fans as he stood at the plate.

“Watson! Watson! Watson!”

The cheers of the audience echoed even louder than before.

“Woooooo-“

“Thug, go back to your country!”

On the other hand, there were also boos sent to Watson.

Watson put his helmet back on and prepared to hit.

The Pelicans pitcher carefully prepared to pitch, unlike when facing the previous batters.

Thwack!

“Ball!”

Thwack!

“Ball!”

The pitcher couldn’t easily throw a strike, perhaps intimidated by the fact that Watson was at the plate.

And now, throwing the third ball,

Crack!

Watson’s batted ball flew high into the sky.

However, the center fielder, who accurately judged the landing point, succeeded in catching the ball without difficulty.

“Out!”

It was a situation where it was difficult to hit the ball properly because it flew so high that it would have been called a ball if he hadn’t swung.

-Watson swung confidently, but unfortunately, the batted ball couldn’t go any further.

-Even though it was a mis-hit, the power alone is still a powerful player.

-I hope he hits a clean hit in the next at-bat.

And now, finally, Seo Seong-min stepped up to the plate.

“Seo Seong-min! Seo Seong-min! Seo Seong-min!”

The cheers of the fans filled the stadium.

-Another new Jaguars player appears.

-Seo Seong-min is a player who has risen again after suffering the pain of being released in the middle of last season.

-One thing you should pay attention to is that Seo Seong-min, who was a left-handed hitter, has converted to a switch hitter [a batter who can hit from either side of the plate].

-In fact, it’s never easy to make changes to the batting you’ve been doing.

-I heard that his wife is expecting a baby. Will Seo Seong-min be able to set off a celebratory shot for his new child?

Because the opposing pitcher was a right-handed pitcher, Seo Seong-min stood in the left-handed batter’s box, just like last season.

Perhaps because he had faced Watson earlier, the pitcher seemed relieved.

Thwack!

“Strike!”

Thwack!

“Strike!”

The pitcher has been actively throwing strikes and competing.

Seo Seong-min had no choice but to swing his bat to avoid being struck out.

Crack!

The batted ball hit by Seo Seong-min flew at a high speed.

But,

-It was a well-hit ball. Shortstop So Young-joon caught it by flying his body at the right time.

-It would have been difficult to catch if the start wasn’t good because the ball speed was fast, but So Young-joon showed good defense.

Seo Seong-min, who was sprinting towards first base, couldn’t hide his disappointment after confirming that the batted ball had entered So Young-joon’s glove.

After that, the game proceeded fiercely.

Michael Scott’s pitching became more powerful as the innings went on.

So Young-joon, who had to face him, naturally had difficulties.

The Jaguars’ attack was also not going well.

Watson boldly swung his bat at the balls, but he couldn’t get a hit.

Now it was Seo Seong-min’s turn to bat again.

When the Pelicans’ starting pitcher’s pitch count reached 85, the pitching coach went to the mound.

-A pitcher change is in progress against Seo Seong-min. It will be changed to a left-handed pitcher.

-Seo Seong-min’s record against left-handed pitchers was very bad compared to right-handed pitchers, so I think they are making the change at this timing.

Seo Seong-min, who confirmed that a left-handed pitcher was being replaced, quickly ran to the dugout.

Then he came out with a helmet suitable for the right-handed batter’s box.

He also changed the position of the equipment he was wearing on his shin and moved it to his left leg.

-Seo Seong-min has changed his helmet and protective gear and came out.

-It’s the first time I’ve seen it in a real game. What will he show?

Seo Seong-min, who had finished preparing, swung his bat and prepared to hit.