Perfect Agent [EN]: Chapter 91

91. Tryouts (1)

I left home with Lee Joo-hyuk, heading for the stadium where the tryouts would be held.

“Lee Joo-hyuk, you can do it! Aja aja, fighting!” [Aja aja is a Korean phrase used for encouragement, similar to ‘fighting’ or ‘go for it!’]

Oh Seok-hoon and Park Seong-joo came to the door to cheer Lee Joo-hyuk on.

Lee Joo-hyuk sat in the passenger seat, looking out the window with an expression that was hard to read—was it tension or excitement?

“Joo-hyuk, are you nervous?”

“I don’t think I was nervous at all until yesterday, but now that we’re actually leaving, I’m getting very nervous.”

“How’s your condition today?”

“My condition is the best. I slept well, and I feel energized by Seok-hoon and Seong-joo’s support.”

A faint smile appeared on Lee Joo-hyuk’s face.

“If you just do what you’ve practiced, you’ll get good results.”

“Will there be a lot of great players coming today?”

Tryouts are often called a test to find hidden gems that haven’t been discovered yet.

But unlike that romantic idea, the reality was harsh.

If they were skilled and had enough potential, they would have already been signed by a professional team with a huge signing bonus during the draft.

Besides, getting into a team through tryouts was like joining as a trainee.

Therefore, they couldn’t even dream of a signing bonus, and there was no guarantee that they would even get to play their debut game on the professional first team stage.

It was no exaggeration to call tryouts a last chance.

“There will be players who have worked hard, but you don’t have to be nervous. Joo-hyuk, you pitched against the best hitters in Korea yesterday.”

The probability of meeting better players than Oh Seok-hoon and Park Seong-joo today would be lower than winning the lottery.

“Hyun-woo, what are my chances of passing the tryouts today?”

Lee Joo-hyuk’s chances of passing…

It was a very difficult question to answer.

If I thought there was a high probability that Lee Joo-hyuk would pass today, I wouldn’t be so worried.

To put it bluntly, Lee Joo-hyuk wasn’t at a level where he could play on the professional first team stage right now.

If he did well, he might be recognized for the second team [a minor league or developmental team].

So, what were the chances that a professional team would select such a player through tryouts?

There was no need to say such discouraging words to a player who was about to play an important game and make him lose his confidence.

“If you show what you’ve prepared, won’t you get a chance?”

“I really hope that’s the case.”

“Joo-hyuk, you have a solid foundation. If you can properly showcase that, professional teams will recognize your potential.”

This much was clear.

Even comparing the time when we first met at spring training to now, the difference in skill was obvious.

As we talked, the stadium where the tryouts would be held began to appear in the distance.

“We’re almost there.”

“Hoo-”

Lee Joo-hyuk took a deep breath with a slightly flushed face.

* * *

It was a day when the wind hinted that summer was approaching after spring.

Whether they knew the desperation of the people who came here or not, the sky was perfectly clear.

Even though the tryouts were held earlier than usual, there were many players who participated.

In the waiting room, some of the participants who had already arrived were preparing.

As soon as Lee Joo-hyuk arrived, he completed the final registration on-site and warmed up lightly to relieve his tension.

Since there would be a physical test soon, I focused on preventing Lee Joo-hyuk from consuming his energy with excessive warm-ups.

As the time approached, quite a few players gathered.

I could feel their desperation just from their serious eyes.

How many people would be able to join a professional team here today?

When the scheduled time came, a person in charge with a microphone appeared.

“First of all, I would like to sincerely thank the players who came from afar. Before we start the test, I will inform you of a few things and then we’ll start right away.”

Now, the players’ eyes also showed tension.

“Today, two tests will be conducted. We will start with a common physical test. For the first test, pitchers will do bullpen pitching, and hitters will do batting. Players who pass will have lunch and then proceed to the second test, a simulated game, in the afternoon. The simulated game will be conducted flexibly according to the situation, as the purpose is testing. The simulated team composition will be announced after the first test is completed. Now, let’s start with the physical test.”

As the person in charge finished speaking, the staff began to move busily.

The physical test for pitchers was a 4km mid-distance run.

They had to finish within 20 minutes for 10 laps of the 400m track to pass.

It was a surprisingly difficult test to pass if they hadn’t been preparing by consistently managing their weight.

Getting one’s body in the best condition according to the set date was the basics for a professional player.

And it was also the fastest and most reliable way to judge a player’s basics and attitude towards tryouts.

Lee Joo-hyuk had been training every day without fail, so he would be able to pass the test without any major problems.

Due to the large number of people, it was divided into three groups.

Lee Joo-hyuk was included in the first group.

Since the physical test was not a competition between each other, the players’ faces still seemed relaxed.

Beep!

Starting with the whistle of the person in charge, several players including Lee Joo-hyuk started at the same time.

Even though the ranking was meaningless, a subtle sense of competition was felt among the running players.

It was a natural instinct that athletes inevitably have.

There were some players who quickly took the lead from the beginning.

There were also several players who increased their speed following them.

Fortunately, Lee Joo-hyuk wasn’t bothered at all and was running while maintaining his own pace.

1 lap. 2 laps. 3 laps.

“Huff. Huff. Huff.”

As the number of laps around the track increased, players with strained expressions began to appear one by one.

This was especially true for players who had overpaced in the beginning.

As they passed 5 laps, those who lost their pace were caught by the players in the back.

“Hoo. Hoo. Hoo.”

The breathing was definitely rougher than in the beginning, and sweat was dripping from their faces and backs.

Finally, the last 10th lap.

Now, there were players who were crossing the finish line one by one.

“Ugh!”

The players who crossed the final line sat down, groaning with a strange sound that was hard to tell whether it was joy or pain.

Lee Joo-hyuk, who had maintained his pace from the beginning, also crossed the final line with ease and was breathing heavily.

It was hard to open his eyes because of how much he was sweating.

As the time limit approached, the person in charge began to look at the stopwatch.

The moment it reached 20 minutes.

“Okay, that’s it!”

The person in charge raised his hand and declared the end of the test.

About a third of the players had not yet crossed the passing line.

“Does it not count for me?”

“No, it doesn’t.”

The person in charge’s answer was firm.

“I came in with almost no difference….”

“I clearly said that the time limit was 20 minutes.”

“It’s not much of a difference. Please let me throw the ball just once. I really prepared hard.”

The players who barely missed the cutoff pleaded, but the person in charge turned his back and didn’t even make eye contact with them.

I could once again feel that if they were really desperate, they had to show it with actions, not words.

* * *

The players who passed the physical test were now divided into pitchers and hitters.

In the pitcher section, a test to evaluate basic control was scheduled to be conducted.

They had to throw 7 or more strikes out of 10 pitches.

It was a test to evaluate whether they were pitchers with basic control.

The type of pitch could be chosen at will, but the possibility that there would be a player who would throw a breaking ball instead of a fastball in this situation was slim.

If they were a player who could throw a breaking ball into the strike zone as they pleased, they would have already signed a professional contract.

The officials measured the speed, but the key to this test was to prove that they were a pitcher who could throw a strike.

Thump!

Thump!

The pitchers standing on the pitching mound began to throw their balls with all their might one by one.

Sometimes, there were pitchers who threw over 150km/h [approximately 93 mph].

Even watching from the side, I couldn’t help but exclaim ‘Wow’.

But that wasn’t the important thing in this test.

It was the control to throw a strike that pitchers should have.

“Eliminated with 5 balls [balls are pitches outside of the strike zone].”

“Ah….”

No matter how fast they could throw the ball, if the number of pitches that passed through the strike zone didn’t meet the standard, they were eliminated without exception.

And now it was Lee Joo-hyuk’s turn.

“What’s your name?”

“Lee Joo-hyuk.”

“Yes, Lee Joo-hyuk. Go in and start as soon as you’re ready.”

As he stood on the pitching mound, Lee Joo-hyuk’s heart was pounding as if it was about to jump out.

“Hoo-”

Lee Joo-hyuk picked up the ball and took a deep breath.

And he threw the ball with all his might.

“Ball.”

Perhaps because he put too much strength into his body, it flew higher than the strike zone.

‘Let’s take it slow. Relax.’

Lee Joo-hyuk tried to shake his arms a few times to get rid of the tension in his body.

“Hoo.”

He took a deep breath and threw the ball with all his might again.

Thump!

“Strike.”

Finally, the first strike was called.

Lee Joo-hyuk let out a faint sigh.

‘Thank goodness.’

If the ball he threw this time was also a ball, it would have been difficult to maintain his composure.

The third ball he threw right after,

“Strike.”

As the strikes were called one by one as he wanted, his mind naturally began to calm down.

Thump.

Thump.

The pitching continued without any major problems after that.

By the time he threw the ninth ball, he had already passed the passing standard.

‘Should I throw a slider for the last one, thinking of it as a practice pitch?’

Since it was okay to throw a ball anyway, there was no pressure.

Lee Joo-hyuk moved his fingers and changed his grip.

Thinking of making it break from the middle of the strike zone to the outside, he threw the ball with all his might, giving it rotation with his middle finger.

The ball seemed to fly to the center, but it curved sharply.

“Strike.”

Even the last ball was cleanly called a strike.

‘Oh! The breaking ball went in too.’

He was surprised himself.

“Lee Joo-hyuk, you passed the first test.”

“Thank you.”

Before the person in charge could finish speaking, Lee Joo-hyuk clenched his fist.

He felt very relieved at the thought that he had taken one step closer to the moment he had been dreaming of.