Perfect Agent [EN]: Chapter 186

186. Attachment or Obsession (1)

I went to the stadium to watch a Suchen High game for the first time in a while.

The reason for this sudden visit was that Choi Woo-jin was finally starting as pitcher.

I don’t know if it was influenced by my conversation with Suchen High’s coach, Park Han-seok, a while ago, or if he directly confirmed Choi Woo-jin’s growth, but either way, it was good news.

After receiving the notice that he would be starting, Choi Woo-jin couldn’t easily contain his excitement.

I understood his happiness at getting the chance to start as a pitcher for the first time, but I was worried he might get injured if he got too excited and overdid it.

I struggled all day to calm him down; he seemed like he was about to float away.

I arrived at the stadium about an hour before game time and sat in a corner seat, looking out at the field.

I could see Choi Woo-jin warming up.

However, I was disappointed to see fewer scouts than at Ahn Beom-seok’s starting game.

Only the personnel to write basic scouting reports were visible.

Even at a glance, it was clear that team-level scouts, not high-ranking ones from the clubs, were writing the reports.

They must know that Choi Woo-jin is a player under Dream Agency….

Even if the major league scouts are like that, shouldn’t domestic clubs be curious about Choi Woo-jin because of what I’ve shown so far?

I felt strangely slighted.

But as time passes, they will have no choice but to recognize Choi Woo-jin’s true worth.

Today was Choi Woo-jin’s first time starting as a pitcher in an official game.

If he shows a good performance as a starter today, he will be able to get more chances to start in the future.

If he proves that he is a left-handed pitcher with good control while playing game after game, there is no way that professional clubs won’t be interested.

Shortly after, the game started with Suchen High’s attack in the top of the first inning.

Tick!

Tick!

The Suchen High batters persistently continued their at-bats from the first inning.

They succeeded in getting a runner on base in scoring position from the first inning, but unfortunately, they couldn’t get a hit and didn’t score.

Bottom of the 1st, 0:0.

It was Suchen High’s defensive inning, and Choi Woo-jin finally went up to the mound.

Choi Woo-jin, who received the ball from the referee, started practicing his pitching.

I swallowed hard, feeling nervous just watching this.

Now it was time for starting pitcher Choi Woo-jin’s first pitch.

Whack!

“Strike!”

The referee raised his right hand and called without any hesitation.

“Wow.”

I couldn’t help but exclaim.

Not only did he throw the first ball as a strike in his first start,

138km/h [kilometers per hour]!

The speed, which had been in the early to mid-130km/h range until last year, jumped to the late range.

Moreover, Choi Woo-jin’s greatest strength, his control, was still maintained.

Although the speed wasn’t very fast yet, a fastball that crossed the edge of the strike zone was bound to be effective regardless of speed.

If he grows more from here and exceeds the mid-140km/h range, he will definitely become an attractive player in the pros.

The following ball was also a fastball that barely crossed the strike zone.

Tick!

The batter swung, but it wasn’t easy to connect for a hit because it was going so accurately into the corner.

Tick!

Tick!

He fouled off the following fastballs as well.

The situation of 0 balls and 2 strikes continued.

Since the speed wasn’t very fast, the opposing batter seemed to be able to foul it off.

This meant that he wasn’t yet at the point where he could strike out batters with just his fastball.

Then it was time to throw a breaking ball.

He had been coached for a long time by various coaches, including Go Ji-hoon and Jung In-gyu, to develop a reliable breaking ball this winter.

Would it be effective?

Choi Woo-jin exchanged signs with the catcher and prepared to throw the ball.

If he could throw a slider that cleverly moved away from the left-handed batter, it would definitely be effective.

Then he threw the ball with all his might.

“Huh?”

It seemed like it slipped out of his hand a little because it was the first time he had thrown it.

But,

Whoosh-

The batter must have thought that Choi Woo-jin would throw a fastball again this time, so he swung at the same timing as before.

“Strike out!”

Although he didn’t throw the ball with a perfect course, he was able to disrupt the opposing batter’s timing.

For now, he succeeded in getting an out against the first batter.

Soon, the battle with the second batter continued.

This time, Choi Woo-jin threw a fastball, and the batter’s bat quickly connected from the first pitch.

Clang!

The batted ball barely escaped between the second baseman and the first baseman.

It was the moment he allowed his first hit.

When the ball was concentrated in the center of the strike zone, he allowed a hit without fail.

It seemed necessary to increase his ball speed more than now.

1 out, runner on 1st base.

The third batter immediately entered the plate.

This was why the first inning was difficult for the starting pitcher.

He hadn’t fully relieved his tension yet, and he had to face the lineup that could score the most points from the opposing team.

But it was a part that he had to overcome in order to grow as a starting pitcher.

Choi Woo-jin prepared to pitch while looking at the runner on first base.

How much had he grown in situations where there were runners on base?

Choi Woo-jin seemed conscious of the runner on first base and only started the battle with the batter after throwing two pickoff attempts.

Whack!

“Ball!”

Whack!

“Ball!”

Unlike the battle with the first batter, the ball barely went out of the strike zone.

Tick!

Thanks to the batter aiming for the ball thrown in a 2-ball situation, he was able to get a strike.

This was also a ball that would have become a ball if he hadn’t swung.

2 balls, 1 strike.

Now, Choi Woo-jin was about to throw his fourth ball,

“2nd base! 2nd base! 2nd base!”

The runner on first base, noticing that Choi Woo-jin was neglecting his check, started running towards second base.

The catcher who caught the ball threw it towards second base, but,

“Safe!”

The runner entered second base with ease.

The ball he just threw also became a ball, putting him in a 3-ball, 1-strike situation.

Whack!

“Ball!”

In the end, he allowed another batter to get on base with a walk.

The part about managing the game in situations where he has sent out runners will get better as he gains experience.

1 out, runners on 1st and 2nd base.

Now he had to face the opposing team’s 4th batter.

In this crisis situation, tension could be read on Choi Woo-jin’s face.

Choi Woo-jin, who received a sign from the catcher, glanced at the runner on second base and threw the ball with all his might.

Whack!

“Strike!”

Perhaps because he had just given up a walk to the batter, the 4th batter seemed to be thinking of waiting.

And then he threw another ball,

Clang!

The moment I heard the sound of the ball hitting the bat, I felt my heart sink.

‘Is it going over? Please, please, please.’

Was it because my earnest prayers worked?

It barely hit the fence and fell.

In the meantime, the runners on 2nd and 1st base were quickly rounding the bases.

The right fielder quickly caught the ball and threw it, but,

The two runners had already stepped on home base, and the batter had arrived at second base.

‘Too bad.’

The opposing team’s score changed to 2 points.

Choi Woo-jin shook his head as he returned to the mound, seemingly dissatisfied.

I was worried that he might be shaken by allowing consecutive hits and giving up a run from the first inning,

Fortunately, he managed to prevent additional runs by getting out counts from the following two batters.

As he entered the 2nd inning, it seemed like Choi Woo-jin’s pitching had a little more leeway as his tension eased.

Since he wasn’t at the level where he could overwhelm the opposing batter with his ball speed yet, he fought by pitching to get them out.

Tick!

Tick!

He succeeded in inducing the opposing batter’s weak contact with his precise control as a weapon.

He was able to accumulate out counts with the help of Suchen High’s infielders and outfielders.

He also reduced the number of pitches by pitching to get them out, but,

Whack!

“Ball!”

Whack!

“Ball!”

He showed signs of faltering, perhaps because he felt the pressure of having to throw accurately when sending out runners or facing players with good power.

However, every time Choi Woo-jin wavered, he was able to get out of the crisis with the help of his Suchen High teammates’ good defense.

Besides,

Clang!

The Suchen High batters scored points with hits and home runs and eventually started to take the lead.

As he pitched in a leading situation, Choi Woo-jin’s expression showed a sense of ease.

Thanks to that, the angle of his slider also became sharper and sharper, inducing the opposing batter’s swing and miss.

“Strike out!”

He clenched his fist and smiled brightly, as if he was satisfied with the finishing ball he had just thrown.

The 5th inning, which is the standard for a starting win.

Choi Woo-jin was still on the mound.

He seemed tired as the number of pitches exceeded 80, but he disrupted the batter’s timing by increasing and decreasing the speed with pace control.

Moreover, his control was maintained consistently even while throwing at different speeds.

That’s something you can’t do just by being told.

Did he learn it by watching Go Ji-hoon?

Whack!

“Strike out!”

The 95th ball thrown was Choi Woo-jin’s last out count of today’s game.

5 innings, 2 runs, 4 hits, 4 strikeouts.

It was the best performance he could show in his first game as a starter.

The record itself was excellent, and above all, the fastball speed was 135km/h at the moment of throwing the 95th pitch.

It was not much different from 139km/h, which was the highest speed of today’s game.

He showed that he had enough stamina as a starting pitcher.

Since the number of pitches increased because he was shaken in the middle due to lack of experience, if he gradually reduces the shaking, his inning digestion ability will naturally improve.

At this point, shouldn’t he be able to get opportunities steadily in the future?

It was a satisfactory first start.

* * *

As soon as the Suchen High game ended, I returned to the dorm.

Thanks to the day game, I was able to arrive before 6 o’clock.

I was planning to watch the game broadcasts of our players in the evening.

I parked the car and was about to go in,

The dorm gate opened, and a player walked out with Jung In-gyu.

“Okay, Gyo-jin. Drive carefully, and stop by before returning to the club.”

Jung In-gyu patted a player on the back.

“Yes, senior.”

As the player bowed to Jung In-gyu and turned around, I was able to see his face.

“Huh?”

It was a face I already knew.

The player’s name was Han Gyo-jin.

He was a player playing for the Jaguars.

I had lived with him in the minor leagues for a short time.

I know he recently served in the military [mandatory service for South Korean men].

Did he come to visit Jung In-gyu after being discharged?

“Gyo-jin!”

“Oh, senior!”

Han Gyo-jin, who made eye contact with me, greeted me happily and approached.

“Have you been well?”

“Yes, of course. And congratulations, senior. Your agency is really cool.”

“Thanks. I’ll work harder.”

I naturally shook hands with Han Gyo-jin.

Looking at the information window, I could guess to some extent what kind of conversation the two had.