Perfect Agent [EN]: Chapter 67

Can We Get Along? (3)

The pitcher on the Doubles mound facing the Angels was Choi Jeong-hwan.

You might think he barely secured a spot in the starting rotation this year.

But watching him pitch now, you’d realize you were completely wrong.

Thwack!

“Strikeout!”

-Swinging strikeout! He adds another strikeout to his tally.

-He’s not only getting the first strike easily but also reaching two strikes with such ease. No batter can swing normally when they’re down 0-2.

Even though he’s focusing on the center of the plate without worrying about the corners, the batters’ bats are swinging at air.

Most of all, even the 1st and 2nd batters, who are known for their contact skills, couldn’t make solid contact.

Choi Jeong-hwan himself was surprised by this situation.

‘Wow, it’s no different from the season games?’

He thought the good results in spring training and exhibition games were because the batters weren’t in top form yet.

But now that the season has started, the results weren’t much different.

It was being proven before his eyes that his fastball could be competitive enough.

Choi Jeong-hwan gradually gained confidence.

The next batter was the 3rd batter, who had both contact and power.

‘Can my pitch work against the cleanup hitter too?’

Choi Jeong-hwan just focused on the strike zone.

And without hesitation, he threw his fastball with all his might.

All but one ball, which went high and outside, passed through the strike zone.

Thwack.

“Strikeout!”

As the umpire’s loud call rang out, catcher Yang Hee-chan jumped up and gave Choi Jeong-hwan a thumbs-up.

‘Wow, it really works.’

He didn’t have to aim for the deep corners of the strike zone to compete with the batters.

A smile spread across Choi Jeong-hwan’s face.

-Wow! Choi Jeong-hwan strikes out all three batters in the first inning. He’s battling with fastballs only this inning.

-The last pitch reached 154km/h [approximately 96 mph]. It’s not even summer yet, so how much more amazing will he be when the weather gets warmer?

-It’s so refreshing to see a ball over 150km/h cleanly strike into the zone.

“Choi Jeong-hwan! Choi Jeong-hwan! Choi Jeong-hwan!”

Choi Jeong-hwan smiled shyly at the fans’ cheers and returned to the dugout.

The pitching coach approached and gave him a high-five.

Yang Hee-chan approached Choi Jeong-hwan, who was resting in the dugout, taking off his gear.

“Your pitches were almost perfect today! What on earth happened in the meantime?”

“I just followed your lead, senior [a respectful term for someone older or more experienced],”

“So modest.”

Yang Hee-chan looked at Choi Jeong-hwan and smiled brightly.

“Let’s go with fastballs mainly in the next inning, and after the batting order has gone through once, we’ll mix in sliders and forkballs little by little.”

“Yes, senior.”

Yang Hee-chan patted Choi Jeong-hwan’s shoulder a few times and left.

Choi Jeong-hwan, left alone watching the field, had a smile on his face.

His power didn’t change even when he returned to the mound shortly after.

Thwack!

“Strikeout!”

The opposing batter could only watch the ball passing through the strike zone without being able to do anything.

‘Nice!’

Choi Jeong-hwan, heading into the dugout, clenched his right fist and fully enjoyed the thrill of the strikeout.

“Waaaaah-”

“Choi Jeong-hwan! Choi Jeong-hwan! Choi Jeong-hwan!”

-The highest speed is 157km/h [approximately 98 mph]! Choi Jeong-hwan’s fastball becomes more powerful as the innings go by.

-It’s only the 3rd inning, but he’s already struck out 5 batters.

-He’s been perfect so far. No hits, and most of all, no walks.

-What on earth happened? He was definitely a pitcher who gave up a lot of walks as much as he struck out, but it’s like he’s become a completely different pitcher.

On the other hand, the atmosphere in the Angels’ dugout was getting more and more serious.

The hitting coach’s expression darkened as the game progressed.

He glanced at the manager and hurriedly called the players together as soon as the moment for changing sides came.

“Hitters, gather around for a moment.”

The Angels’ hitters, who were preparing to attack, gathered around the hitting coach.

“They’re only throwing fastballs right now. You need to move your hitting point forward. Anyway, the breaking balls are just for show; they won’t be able to throw them for strikes.”

“Yes.”

“Just aim for the fastball and forget about the rest. Got it?”

They answered coolly, but the Angels’ players’ expressions were still not bright.

Finally, the batting order came around, and the 1st batter stepped into the batter’s box for the second time.

Choi Jeong-hwan’s expression on the mound was full of confidence.

It didn’t take long to exchange signals with the catcher.

He lifted his left leg with all his might, stretched it out, and threw the ball with all his power.

Clang!

-Oh. Finally, the Angels’ first hit comes out.

-It was a slightly centered pitch, but the batter swung without hesitation.

-How will Choi Jeong-hwan perform in a situation with a runner on base?

Now, behind Choi Jeong-hwan, a fast runner was constantly looking for a chance to steal second base.

He had to check not only the batter but also the runner.

‘Let’s just do the slide step [a quick delivery to home plate to prevent a stolen base] as practiced.’

Yang Hee-chan signaled for a high fastball.

The plan was to quickly check the runner even if they tried to steal second base.

Whew-

Choi Jeong-hwan took a breath and threw the ball with a quick slide step.

Tick.

The bat swung by the batter hit the bottom of the ball flying at a high trajectory.

The infielders rushed in to catch the high fly ball.

The 3rd baseman signaled that he would catch it and caught it safely.

“Out.”

For now, the first crisis was safely overcome.

Meeting the 3rd batter again.

Yang Hee-chan was deep in thought until the batter took his place in the batter’s box.

Then he slowly conveyed the signal to Choi Jeong-hwan.

‘Finally, the forkball.’

The batter must be timing for the fastball.

If he could throw the forkball that drops right in front of the batter properly, he could completely throw off their timing.

‘Let’s just do as we practiced. You can do it.’

Thump. Thump. Thump.

Choi Jeong-hwan’s heart started beating faster than before.

He inserted his index and middle fingers into the ball in his glove, and

Threw with all his might.

‘Huh?’

The moment the ball left his hand, Choi Jeong-hwan could feel it first and foremost.

-Ah! What is this?

-The ball completely missed to the backstop.

-The breaking ball dropped too early. It didn’t even reach the strike zone and bounced on the ground.

-In the meantime, the runner succeeds in advancing to 2nd base. He allowed the advance too easily. It’s a pity.

-I think it’s better to assume that the runner who’s out there will score and focus on the batter.”

“Ah…….”

A low sigh escaped from my mouth as I watched the game.

Control of breaking balls was the last remaining task for Choi Jeong-hwan.

Control is something that can’t be improved in a short period of time.

I had to take comfort in the fact that he had at least made the fastball his own for sure.

He threw another ball with force,

-The slider is completely out of the zone right now. No matter how long the catcher’s arm is, he won’t be able to catch that.

-It was fortunate that there were no runners on base. He needs to pay a lot of attention to controlling his breaking balls?

After that, Choi Jeong-hwan struggled because of the breaking balls that didn’t fly as he wanted.

Unlike the unsatisfactory breaking balls, even when throwing his 80th pitch, the fastball speed didn’t even think about dropping below 150km/h.

He finished his appearance today by throwing 85 pitches through the 6th inning.

As expected, it seemed like they were adjusting him appropriately since it was the beginning of the season.

I was relieved that Doubles manager Choi Yong-seok and pitching coach Lee Sang-hak weren’t the type to overwork their players.

6 innings, 3 runs, 8 strikeouts, 2 walks.

There were disappointing parts in the process of giving up runs, but the process of overcoming the crises wasn’t bad.

Of course, it was thanks to the power of the fastball.

And most of all, the fact that the ratio of walks had decreased significantly was encouraging.

* * *

The next morning.

When I woke up, Oh Seok-hoon and Park Seong-joo were back.

“Senior, did you do well without us?”

“Do you know how much I waited for you guys?”

I approached them like I had met a savior.

I really felt like I had gained a thousand allies.

It was the first time I had ever felt so uncomfortable in a house that should be more comfortable than anywhere else.

When I thought back to the period when Oh Seok-hoon and Park Seong-joo were away, I shuddered without realizing it.

-Living with Go Ji-hoon is too uncomfortable.

-I wish we could use the training grounds separately, even if it’s just that.

Looking at the updated information window from Oh Seok-hoon and Park Seong-joo, it was no different from what I was thinking.

Park Seong-joo looked around and whispered to me.

“Is Ji-hoon training, senior? Did he go somewhere?”

“I don’t think he went out? I didn’t hear the sound of the car leaving.”

“Haa……. I have to train before I go.”

Oh Seok-hoon, who was next to him, sighed deeply.

“Senior, you’re going to go train with us, right?”

“Me?”

After the last conversation I had with Go Ji-hoon a few days ago, going to the training grounds itself felt burdensome.

Ah, come to think of it, these two don’t know what happened.

Should I tell them now?

No, let’s not.

“Well…… I have some work to do at the company.”

“Then are we just going by ourselves?”

“It’s very urgent…….”

Park Seong-joo gave me a look that evoked sympathy.

I turned my head away.

Step, step.

In the meantime, I heard footsteps coming up.

Of course, the main character of the footsteps was Go Ji-hoon, who was coming up sweating profusely.

“Senior, you’re here?”

Oh Seok-hoon and Park Seong-joo’s bodies stiffened as if they had seen something scary.

Go Ji-hoon, who was passing by, suddenly turned around.

What’s going on?

“Can I get a glass of water?”

“Yes, just a moment.”

I picked up a bottle of bottled water on the table and handed it to Go Ji-hoon.

Go Ji-hoon chugged the water and went up to the second floor.

In the meantime, his information window was newly updated as our bodies brushed slightly.

‘What a windfall.’

As soon as I read the contents, a smile naturally spread across my face.

“Hyung [older brother or close male friend], is something good happening suddenly?”

Oh Seok-hoon looked bewildered when he saw my smile.

“You could say that?”

“What do you mean?”

“I think it might be a very good thing for all of us?”

“What is it, tell me. Let’s be happy together.”

“I’ll tell you the details later; I think I need to go out for a bit.”

“Where are you going? Tell me before you go.”

Park Seong-joo was about to follow me right away.

“I’ll tell you when I get back.”

I barely calmed Park Seong-joo down and grabbed my car keys.

“I’ll be right back.”

I waved goodbye and hurriedly left the house.