The Pitcher Just Hits Home Runs Well [EN]: Chapter 125

125. What a Home Run Means to Him (1)

The MVP for today’s game went to me for hitting that home run as a pinch hitter. To be honest, Hamin *hyung* [older brother or male friend] also deserved to share it since he pitched six scoreless innings in his first start, but I guess the Jaguars had also been scoreless until my home run, so the impact of breaking that streak was a bit bigger for me.

Well, if not that, then the real star of today’s game was actually Mr. Heo Dong-jung. He was the umpire for today’s game, and since I won against the umpire with my home run, it might be natural that it came to me.

Anyway, I was used to MVP interviews, so it wasn’t too difficult.

“Standing here in this vast Jamsil Stadium, I suddenly think of my childhood. It feels like such a distant past, probably before I even entered elementary school. Back then, I didn’t know. I just thought of it as one game my father brought me to, but it would become such a huge turning point in my life… (omitted)… It was truly a grateful thing. So…”

“Ah, Choi Su-won player. That was a really great interview. We’ll look forward to your continued success, and we’ll wrap things up here.”

I hadn’t even exchanged a few questions and answers when the stadium was already deserted. As expected, it was an away game, and since it was a weekday game, and people had schedules for tomorrow, the fans seemed to have left quickly to catch public transportation.

“I won’t lose either.”

“Pardon?”

“MVP. I won’t lose either.”

“Ah, yes…”

I heard Hamin *hyung’s* very sudden declaration as I returned to the locker room after the interview, letting it go in one ear and out the other as I hurried into the shower room.

Jamsil Baseball Stadium is definitely not great for visiting teams.

But actually, this isn’t so much a structural problem of Jamsil Baseball Stadium as it is a problem of two teams using one stadium as their home. Jamsil Baseball Stadium normally has two locker rooms and two shower facilities. But since each team has set up shop there, they forcibly created a locker room for the visiting team, and it’s really terrible.

“Hey, it’s a lot better now. When I was a rookie, I played games in the rain in the summer and rode the bus soaking wet, then caught a cold from the air conditioning, you know?”

“You mean only the senior players showered because there weren’t enough shower facilities?”

“No, back then, it was like the visiting team didn’t have any shower facilities at all. There were only three showerheads, but honestly, when would the whole team have time to shower there? If the senior players showered there, the other guys would have to wait soaking wet, so everyone just went back to the dorm to shower. Hey, try this instead of that body wash.”

For some reason, Lee Jung-hoon, who hadn’t showered until I finished the interview, casually handed me a body wash.

“What’s this?”

“It’s the same brand I use, but with a different scent. It’s expensive. It’s a perfume type, so you don’t need to spray perfume separately. You came all the way to Seoul today, so you should go all out. You hit a home run in today’s game, right? I may not have hit a home run in today’s game, but I’ll show you what a home run in life is.”

That was honestly a home run I didn’t really want to see.

“Well, I think it would be better to hit a home run in tomorrow’s game rather than a home run in life…”

“What, you little punk? Hey. Do you think hitting a home run at Jamsil is as easy as it sounds? Ah, but looking at you today, I guess it might have been easy for you… Anyway, that’s not the point, we’re going out tonight, okay?”

“I’m sorry, but I’m a minor…”

“Don’t worry. Do you think I don’t know you’re underage? I already know everything. See? You know I’m from the Seoul metropolitan area too. My friends from high school still live in Seoul, Incheon, Gyeonggi, and stuff like that. I have a friend who works somewhere, so we can go there.”

“No, it’s not that I can’t go anywhere because I’m a minor. It’s that I have to visit my parents when I come to Seoul because I’m a minor. The manager told me to go home too. My dad will probably be waiting with braised short ribs. Probably.”

“Ah… Braised short ribs… Well, I guess there’s nothing I can do about braised short ribs…”

Lee Jung-hoon stepped back with a dejected expression.

***

On the table, a steaming plate of braised short ribs was neatly prepared. It wasn’t a lie that Su-won’s father would prepare braised short ribs. Of course, his father didn’t make it himself.

“I watched the game on TV today. I would have gone to see you in person if I had known you were playing, but it’s a shame.”

“No, as I told you on the phone, I wasn’t originally scheduled to play. They said they would always give me a rest after starting as a pitcher. But there was a rest day in the middle, so I guess they put me in as a pinch hitter.”

Su-won always found it difficult to have a conversation with his father.

And his father felt the same way.

“Well, it seems like the manager is taking good care of you in many ways. I should say hello to him sometime.”

“Father, you don’t have to treat me like I’m still in school. I’m a professional now.”

“Ah… Right, that’s right.”

In a brief, awkward silence, only the clattering of soup bowls and spoons filled the kitchen.

“But is it okay for you to eat dinner this late?”

“I often end up finishing work late anyway. Don’t worry about it, it’s not because of you.”

“Then I should worry more. I have a cycle of waking up late in the morning and finishing late at night, so my meals revolve around that, but you don’t. You need to take care of yourself. You’re still not going to work at 6:30 and coming home after 11, are you?”

He was truly pleased to see his son worrying about him. Also, there was no need to say that since your school starts so late, I don’t need to go to work so early.

Therefore, all that came out was a blunt remark.

“That’s just how company work is.”

“Anyone would think you’re doing all the company’s work by yourself. Now that I’m earning money, take it easy.”

“Don’t need to. Anyone would think you’re earning billions. Besides, that 2 billion *won* [Korean currency] signing bonus isn’t a continuous income. Your annual salary is 30 million *won*. These days, even a fresh rookie at a small company earns more than that. Besides, do you think your job will last a lifetime? Don’t spend it carelessly, and save it well, thinking you’re earning a lifetime’s worth of money in the early stages.”

“Yes, yes.”

“Tsk, the rice plant bows its head as it ripens. Never be arrogant.”

Unlike his heart, nagging flowed out of his mouth endlessly. At this rate, it wouldn’t be strange if he got up from his seat, slammed the door, and told him to stop nagging. But why? The expression on his son’s face wasn’t angry.

“I’m already doing that. Besides, I’m so close with the seniors. The team’s seniors each have their own close groups. You know I’m a two-way player. Whether it’s pitchers or hitters, everyone’s trying to get close to me. It’s so popular that it’s hard.”

“Yes, instead of always accepting meals from the seniors, everyone is the same. Seniors are bound to like juniors who open their wallets from time to time rather than juniors who always get free meals. Contact me if you’re short on money.”

“Father, I received a signing bonus of 2 billion *won*.”

“Save all of that. These days, kids just say they’re writing it off as expenses. But in the end, not spending money is what’s left. Also, don’t follow anyone who asks you to go out for drinks out of curiosity. There’s absolutely no need to be in the news for bad stories. The public is cold, and good baseball players originally have more enemies than allies. The better you play baseball, the more the Marines fans will like you, but the fans of the other nine teams will hate you. If you get caught doing something, you’ll only suffer.”

His father’s long nagging.

In the past, he probably would have barely eaten and gotten up from his seat. But not anymore. He knew that those many nagging words were just his father’s way of communicating, clumsy as it was.

And

“Yes, yes, Father. But now that I’ve become independent, when are you planning to start dating?”

“What… what did you say?”

He already knew how to end his father’s nagging.

“No, I mean, you should meet a nice lady and have fun, right?”

“What, this guy? What nonsense are you talking about!”

Thus, the two fathers’ and son’s trivial stories continued until quite late.

***

The three-game series in Seoul.

The Marines, who won the first game, seemed to be riding the momentum and winning the second game as well, but that was not the case.

Pitcher Choi Min-hyuk, worth 1.05 billion *won*, held them scoreless for 2.1 innings, but then gave up consecutive hits and allowed 4 runs, and gave up 2 additional points in the 4th inning, eventually coming down from the mound.

“Damn it…”

Of course, there were many excuses. But professionals ultimately speak with results. There was no one in this stadium who would listen to his excuses.

And finally, the third game.

It was Dilton Dooley’s turn to pitch. The man who almost left a great mark on the world of wrestling instead achieved the record of becoming the third pitcher and the second foreign pitcher among the Marines’ first starters since the 21st century to win two consecutive games from the opening game.

“I dedicate the joy of victory to Swan. I think Swan is a really great hitter. Oh, and I also want to express my gratitude to Eugene. He’s a really great catcher who knows how to receive the ball. I don’t think his slight slump in hitting means anything. I’ll say it again. Eugene is a really great catcher.”

─AutumnMarines: Dilton Dooley “Jo Yu-jin is meaningless as a hitter. He must be faithful to his role as a ball-receiving machine.”

─MarinesDisbandPlease: Wow, is Dilton really thanking a .090-hitting catcher right now? How badly must Han Gyo-cheol have received the ball…

─SuwonKingChoiHomerun: That’s understandable. Our Su-won had 4 strikeouts in the first inning of his debut game. And yesterday, he turned Min-hyuk’s strikes into balls. Plus, his ball distribution is really terrible.

─Yajalal: Tsk tsk tsk, a catcher calling balls. *Ajussi* [Middle-aged man]. It’s 2027 now. Hurry back to the present from the 80s.

─V3Let’sGo!!: Hey, did you guys know that this series is our winning series in 246 days?

─SajikAjussi: What nonsense are you talking about? We definitely had a winning series against the Braves last year.

─V3Let’sGo!!: That’s 246 days ago… last July…

The Marines, who finished their record-breaking winning series in 246 days and returned proudly to Busan, were greeted by last year’s defending champion. It was the Suwon Dolphins, led by Baek Gang-ho, who had stayed in the KBO [Korean Baseball Organization] with a smaller-than-expected contract of 4 years and 11 billion *won* after considering going to the United States as a free agent last winter.

“Nice to see you, junior.”

“Ah, yes. Hello.”

“You’ve been quite hot lately, haven’t you? Hitting home runs at Jamsil and all. It wouldn’t have been easy.”

Twenty-seven years old this year.

He had already hit 30 home runs in his debut year, and until last year, his 8th year, he had consistently been a top-class hitter in the league, with a cumulative total of 207 home runs in just 8 years. Baek Gang-ho, the undisputed home run king and the hottest hitter in the KBO, approached me first.

“Oh, right. Did you see that? I hit another home run yesterday?”

Sigh…

Wait, is he here to brag that he hit one more home run than me, making it 4:3?