The Pitcher Just Hits Home Runs Well [EN]: Chapter 13

Opportunity Doesn’t Come Often (1)

There’s one absolute truth that never changes, whether you’re an amateur or a pro, in the KBO [Korean Baseball Organization] or MLB [Major League Baseball].

‘Victory is always right.’

And that also means, ‘Defeat is always wrong.’

In that sense, the atmosphere on the bus carrying the Jungang High School baseball team was gloomy. Defeat is always wrong, no matter the circumstances. And the defeat Jungang High suffered today wasn’t just any defeat.

A crushing defeat. A crushing defeat after a comeback, no less.

In the top of the 5th inning, that Mungae guy gave up 3 runs with a leadoff hit followed by a back-to-back home run, and then allowed a hit after a routine groundout. Even then, the coach was probably still thinking of keeping Mungae in. After all, it’s true that he’s the only pitcher on the team besides me.

But Mungae immediately gave up two walks to the bottom of the order. Mungae is a self-proclaimed finesse pitcher. That means he’s a pitcher who prides himself on his control.

Of course, from my perspective, Mungae is just a pitcher with nothing, lacking both fastball and control, but if you absolutely had to divide all the pitchers in the world into power pitchers and finesse pitchers, he’s closer to being a finesse pitcher.

Anyway, that kind of guy walked two batters in a row? And not even tricky hitters from the top of the order, but batters from the bottom of the order that he should have been able to handle?

It was obvious.

One out, bases loaded.

Coach Park was agonizing. Even I, standing at first base, could see the deep contemplation on his face. Anyone at the stadium would have known it. I mean, he kept looking at Mungae on the mound and then turning his head to look at the pitchers remaining in the bullpen; you’d have to be an idiot not to notice.

Currently, our team has a total of seven pitchers, including me.

Among them, three are first-year students who were middle schoolers just six months ago. They’re practically not even part of our active roster.

In the end, Jinwoo, our third pitcher, went up to the mound.

And so, the conclusion was an 11:3 mercy rule loss in the 7th inning. We not only lost a game we were leading 2:0 until the top of the 5th, but we lost by a mercy rule [a rule that ends a game early when one team has a large lead].

Oh, and why 11:3 instead of 11:2?

***

“Huh? Hey, Lee Ji-yeon. What is this?”

“What is it?”

“I told you to get an article out by today, are you rebelling now?”

There was a time when being a reporter was the epitome of being an elite.

Of course, even in 2025, being a reporter was a job that only a considerable elite could reach, contrary to popular perception. Of course, that was only true for reporters from the top ten daily newspapers, the top three business journals, the three major terrestrial broadcasters, the two major news agencies, and the four major comprehensive programming channels, known as the ‘media exam’ graduates.

Anyway, Lee Ji-yeon was one of the best talents who passed that media exam right after graduating from college. There are a lot of trash reporters in the world, but even being a reporter for a top ten daily newspaper gives you a different status. How many liberal arts students graduate from prestigious universities every year? Only about fifty of them can become reporters for a top ten daily newspaper. Lee Ji-yeon was one of them.

“But I brought you the article.”

“Ah, this crazy bitch. Hey, this is high school baseball. High school baseball. Who in this day and age reads high school baseball articles? Everyone else is talking about Park Ga-ram’s home run record, and you bring me this? Hey, think before you write an article. Huh?”

“It’s only May. There’s no way he’s breaking the home run record.”

“Right, May is the perfect time for home run record hype. Everyone’s full of expectations, thinking this year will be different. Huh?”

Rough, spiky hair. Dark circles that can’t be hidden by light makeup. And beauty that can’t be hidden by any of it.

Lee Ji-yeon didn’t bother to hide her expression.

“Team Leader. Are we the kind of people who just say what people want to hear or what sounds good? We need to write articles. Articles.”

“This bitch still hasn’t come to her senses. So, you think being a reporter means writing whatever you want? If that’s the case, go over there and join the citizen reporter program that’s recruiting bloggers. We’re salespeople who sell a product called ‘article.’ What’s wrong with writing what people want to know and what they want to hear?”

“So, you want me to rip off those sensational articles? Take a look, Team Leader. Three home runs in one game. Three home runs. And the opponent was Baek Ha-min from Hanam High. Baek Ha-min. A pitcher who throws 150 kph [kilometers per hour] and is a sure first-round pick this season. And a sophomore did it. High school baseball switched to wooden bats, and three home runs in one game. It’s the first time since 2004. Even Park Ga-ram, who you like so much, didn’t have a single multi-home run game in his high school career.”

“So? How many views do you think this article will get if you post it? It’s not even the King of High School tournament [a prestigious high school baseball tournament]. Just a weekend league game? And a game that ended in a mercy rule? I guarantee it won’t get even 10% of the views of a Park Ga-ram special. Stop nagging and go write a Park Ga-ram special by tomorrow. Got it?”

“But the mercy rule wasn’t for Jungang High, who hit three home runs, it was for–!!”

“Okay, okay, just go write a Park Ga-ram special. If you say one more word, I won’t upload this article. I’ll just delete it.”

“Are you going to upload it?”

“Why? Are you going to quit again if I say I’m not? Just get lost. Don’t forget the Braves’ away game in Daejeon on Tuesday.”

“Yes!! I understand!! Loyalty!!”

Team Leader Gong sighed as he watched Lee Ji-yeon’s rude back as she closed the door and left.

Seriously, these MZ kids [Korean term for Millennials and Generation Z] or whatever. When he was in his second year, he couldn’t even step on his senior’s shadow, but these days, they act like they’re royalty. And they quit at the drop of a hat. They hired seven people last year, but only three are left. Some say being a reporter isn’t what they thought it would be, others say the work-life balance is terrible. But what can he do? The world has changed.

Team Leader Gong’s gaze turned to the title of the article Lee Ji-yeon had submitted.

-Home Run!! Home Run!!! And Another Home Run!!!!-

Damn it, the title sounds exactly like a Park Ga-ram article.

He mechanically uploaded Lee Ji-yeon’s article.

Well, it’s just another article that will be buried in the overflowing traffic anyway.

***

Was it thanks to the crushing defeat on Saturday? The practice on Sunday was said to be especially tough.

Oh, why is the sentence indirect experience instead of direct experience?

Because, of course, I didn’t participate in practice. On Saturday, I started and pitched 4 scoreless innings, completely shutting down the opponent while throwing over 80 pitches. Plus, I had already dropped the hint that my shoulder was sore.

And from the start, yesterday’s special training was fungo [a batting practice drill where a coach tosses the ball to the batter] and extra batting practice. Both of which have nothing to do with me. I heard that the hitting coach was angrier than the coach.

‘How can you not even graze the ball when the starting pitcher hits 3 home runs?’

Well, he supposedly said something like that, but it was a bit harsh on these guys. Honestly, I was only able to hit 3 home runs, but if you brought in just the pro 2nd stringers [minor league players] against Baek Ha-min yesterday, they would have shut him down within 3 runs. Especially since his pitches got even fiercer after I hit a home run, I almost couldn’t hit a home run myself. Well, thanks to him not giving up his greed and throwing an ambiguous pitch when deciding whether to walk me or strike me out at the end, I somehow managed to get it over, but that last home run was a fly ball that would have ended as an outfield fly if it were Jamsil Stadium [a large baseball stadium in Seoul, known for being difficult to hit home runs in]. I guess I need to bulk up soon.

“You’re here early?”

“You woke me up with a phone call since dawn.”

Monday morning practice.

The first one at the practice field was Jo Yu-jin. Even though it was just past 6 AM, her body was already soaked with sweat.

“The team atmosphere is no joke right now.”

“I know. I heard you lost the practice game 11:6.”

There’s a saying that baseball is a sport of momentum.

Actually, which sport isn’t? But mentality is quite important in baseball as well. Like I said before, even a slight disruption in routine can cause a baseball player to slump. Of course, the practice game after the weekend league was mainly played by the guys who didn’t play in the weekend league, but there’s no way they could perform at their best with the team atmosphere in such a mess.

“Besides that, the hitting coach kept mentioning your name during extra batting practice, so the team atmosphere is completely ruined. If you’re late for morning practice in this situation? You’re really screwed.”

“I don’t know.”

“Always acting cool.”

“This isn’t acting cool, it’s just being cool.”

As I entered the indoor gym, laid out a yoga mat, carefully loosened my body with a foam roller, and warmed up with stretching, the guys living in the dorm started to join one by one. Even though practice starts at 7 AM, more guys than I thought came early.

And among them was a man who gave me a strangely uncomfortable feeling.

179cm and 101kg.

A huge, muscular man who looks like he only eats chicken breast three meals a day.

First baseman Gyuhyuk was among them.

The senior, who had been watching me intently as I was focusing on stretching, slowly approached me.

The biceps revealed under his short-sleeved t-shirt were almost as big as my head.

“Choi Su-won.”

“Ah, yes, Senior.”

What could this be about?

Is it because of Saturday’s game? Or because of the extra batting practice with the hitting coach? Of course, if I did anything wrong in all of that, it’s just that I played baseball too well, but not everyone in the world is normal.

Me, Choi Su-won.

The man who got cursed at just two days ago for turning a hit into an out.

Now, I was confident that I wouldn’t be flustered even if another crazy person showed up.

“Come here. I’ll help you stretch.”