The Pitcher Just Hits Home Runs Well [EN]: Chapter 139

139. Fastball (1)

The Braves were a somewhat unique team.

Since the KBO [Korean Baseball Organization] was inherently a league planned and created by the government, it was highly dependent on large conglomerates, known as ‘mogroups’ [large business groups, similar to chaebols]. In some clubs, the president, and in severe cases, even the general manager, were former executives from the ‘mogroup’ being sent down as a final position before retirement, and no one could object to it.

However, the Braves were the only team that existed as a business entity in itself, which seemed similar to Major League teams, but looking at the substance, it was quite different.

Basically, looking at the revenue structure of a Major League team, the largest income is, of course, broadcasting rights. And then comes ticket sales. In the case of the Braves, the largest income is sponsorship fees, then advertising fees, followed by ticket sales and broadcasting rights.

It can’t be helped. Even considering the economic scale difference between the United States and Korea, the unit price of MLB [Major League Baseball] and KBO differs quite significantly. The same goes for broadcasting rights.

Therefore, the revenue structure of the Braves ultimately differs only in whether they receive the main sponsorship fee from the parent company or recruit sponsors on a case-by-case basis.

However, unlike other clubs that are eventually compensated by the parent company even if they consistently run a deficit, the Braves were a ‘business’ that had to make a profit on its own. And surprisingly, they had been successfully operating the club as that ‘business’ for over a decade.

And for them, posting [system that allows KBO players to sign with MLB teams] was a lucrative business, earning anywhere from billions to tens of billions of won [Korean currency]. Some criticized it as selling players, but I didn’t want to criticize it. Anyway, it’s something done within the established rules. Moreover, I benefited a lot from it as the person involved.

But another interesting point here is that despite such continuous player outflow, the team is not weak. In fact, since 2013, when the team became more like a real team, the Braves have failed to advance to the postseason only twice in 14 seasons until last year, 2026. Of course, they only won the championship once during that time.

Anyway, this is a really great record. It means they have maintained a team that is fun to support and worth sponsoring, consistently advancing to the postseason, for as long as 14 years.

In that sense, many people are curious.

No, why are they always in the upper ranks even though they keep selling players like that? And why do they keep producing ‘superstars’ consistently?

From my perspective as someone who has played there, the fact that there are no parachuters [executives from the parent company with no baseball experience] from the parent company is a bigger deal than you think. These guys have a real, desperate reason to win. That’s why the club itself really does its ‘best’ to develop such players.

Moreover, there are coaches and front office staff who have manuals for nurturing such players, and the culture and know-how to grow into such players are shared within the team. Besides, superstars leave quickly, so there are more opportunities in the first team. It’s not for nothing that I was guaranteed first-team appearances and consistently gained practical experience not long after switching to a hitter.

Friday evening.

Gocheok Sky Dome, with a capacity of just under 17,000 seats.

The first dome stadium in Korea was packed with people.

It was a rare sight. Due to the poorly constructed building, there were many seats with limited views and extremely uncomfortable seats. Thus, even seats that frequent visitors to Gocheok would never buy, even if the Korean Series were held here, were all sold out.

Over there, Lee Jung-hoon, a leader of the nightlife scene, and his junior, Jung Ji-woon, were chatting.

“I don’t know if this is Gocheok or Sajik [another baseball stadium in Busan].”

“Hey, senior. How can you not tell? Just look at the closed ceiling; it’s Gocheok.”

-Thwack!!

Lee Jung-hoon hit Jung Ji-woon’s head for saying something stupid.

“Man, that’s not what I’m talking about. Look around. It’s full of fans wearing Marines uniforms.”

“Ah…”

“Sweeping the series must have had a big impact.”

“Well, maybe it’s just because Su-won is pitching today? He’s been doing so well lately.”

“Maybe…”

“By the way, senior. It’s Friday night in Seoul for the first time in a while. How about we grab a drink tonight?”

“No, I’m good.”

“Huh? Do you have plans or something?”

“No plans. I just don’t really vibe with Seoul.”

“Senior. I’m starting today for the first time in a while… Are you really going to skip the celebratory drink?”

“Yeah, you celebrate that a lot. I’m going to rest today.”

Lee Jung-hoon scratched his chin with an awkward expression.

So, on the way back from sweeping the series against the Phoenix on the bus, and later at the accommodation, I had quite a deep conversation with Lee Jung-hoon.

Through that conversation, I learned the unexpected information about Park Eun-jin’s debut, but more importantly, Lee Jung-hoon revealed some of his inner thoughts to me.

Well, I don’t want to list all the guy’s heartbreaking stories here.

However, it was quite impressive that among the three desires that move people—existence, relationship, and growth—he was significantly lacking in relationship and growth, and he was even aware of it himself.

And the fact that the conversation with me meant quite a lot to him as well.

“It’s embarrassing to talk about this without drinking. Anyway, you’re unnecessarily young. Make sure to come when your birthday passes. I bought a 40-year-old Valentine’s [expensive whiskey] to celebrate my FA [Free Agency]. I was originally going to save it for my second FA, but I’ll open it then.”

With that, Lee Jung-hoon looked away with an awkward face, apologized for keeping me up late when I had a start tomorrow, and disappeared into his room.

Honestly, if he had said all that and then gone out to drink that night, I would have been annoyed, but seeing him act like this, it seems like he’s at least thinking of being my reliable helper today.

Yeah. Honestly, it’s a bit much that I’ve hit 10 home runs this season, even including a grand slam, but I still only have 21 RBIs [Runs Batted In].

[Marines versus Braves. The first game of the Braves versus Marines series. This is Gocheok, Gocheok Sky Dome.]

[Now, today’s starter for the Braves is the Braves’ ace, Jo Chang-hyuk. It’s his third game of the season. He was originally scheduled to pitch in the game before last, but his appearance was delayed due to a stiff neck.]

[Facing him is the Marines’ starter, Choi Su-won. Similarly, it’s his third appearance of the season.]

[In his first appearance, he had a no-decision with no runs allowed. And in his second appearance, he won with 5.2 innings and 3 runs allowed. But more importantly, he hit 3 home runs by himself in his second appearance, leading the game to victory. He’s a two-way player, and it felt like he was doing all the baseball by himself. In that sense, I’m really looking forward to seeing what he can show us today.]

[That’s right. In fact, it seems like we’re not the only ones with those expectations, as a lot of fans have come to Gocheok Sky Dome today. At first glance, there are no empty seats at all.]

“Hey, what’s this?”

“I know… Did you buy a seat with an obstructed view?”

“Yeah, there were no other seats…”

“Ah, damn it. There must have been a warning. You just bought a cheap seat because you thought you were getting a good deal, right?”

“No. There was a warning, but… the price was the same, so I didn’t expect this. In the first place, there were only these seats left on the infield side.”

“Well… But even so, it’s too much if you can’t see home plate and 1st and 3rd base at a baseball stadium…”

“Hey, at least you can see the pitcher and 1st and 3rd base from this seat. You just can’t see home plate.”

“Since you bought it wrong, you sit on this side. I have to see Su-won pitch, even if I can’t see the batter’s box.”

“You crazy bastard. You should just go complain and get a refund or exchange the seat. What nonsense are you talking about?”

“Then you try it. It looks like it’s completely sold out, so they’ll probably just tell you to go home. Are we just going to go back to Busan now?”

“Ah…”

Looking at the stadium, where even seats with a huge wall completely blocking the view were full, I thought, ‘Wow, these guys really took advantage of the Marines fans not knowing anything and sold them all off.’

Today’s leadoff hitter is Kang Ra-on.

Seo Kyung-joon is taking a break today for the first time in a while. Thanks to that, Saul went up to right field, and Jung Ji-woon, the infield backup who usually watches Saul, went into 2nd base.

On the mound, Jo Chang-hyuk was preparing the ball with a serious expression.

Born in 1999, 28 years old.

As of last year, he was the pitcher who threw the fastest ball in the KBO, including foreign players. Of course, based on this year, I’m a little faster.

Anyway, considering the performance and career he has shown in the KBO so far, Jo Chang-hyuk is evaluated as a pitcher who can meaningfully succeed in MLB. But why hasn’t such a pitcher gone to the big leagues by the age of 28? He’s even been playing in the first team since he was 19, so it’s already his 10th year. The reason is quite impressive.

School violence.

So, he committed violence against a junior in high school. Not something ambiguous like Ahn Byung-young, but he definitely beat up his junior. Thanks to that, he received a 3-year suspension from the Korea Baseball Softball Association, which is not a light punishment for such a great player. He is permanently banned from participating in international competitions organized by the Korea Sports Council. In other words, it is impossible to receive military service exemption through winning international tournaments.

He could have tried through the WBC [World Baseball Classic], which is not organized by the Korea Sports Council, but the public opinion and the fact that the WBC is not a guaranteed military service exemption like the Asian Games meant that he eventually spent 2 years in the Futures League [KBO’s minor league] as a member of the military sports team.

We weren’t that close when I was with the Braves.

Because we were divided into pitcher and infielder groups, there wasn’t much contact, and I only lived with that guy for a year. Well, I was happy that my salary went up thanks to him giving the team a lot of money before he left.

A fastball of 154.1km/h [approximately 95.7 mph].

The well-located ball split the home plate.

-Whoosh!!!

“Strike!!!”

Hitting is a cycle.

If someone is rising, someone is falling. In that sense, Kang Ra-on hasn’t been doing well lately. And because his hitting is a bit off, he’s also making mistakes in defense from time to time. The problem is that even if his hitting is off and he makes some mistakes, Kang Ra-on is still one of the best infielders on the team. There is no replacement. The infield backup members, Jung Ji-woon and Kim Hoon, are all hitting around .100.

Fastball, fastball, fastball. And slider.

-Whoosh!!

“Strike!! Out!!”

It’s a sharp slider that comes in at a whopping 146km/h [approximately 90.7 mph]. The command is also good enough to put it inside to the batter. From the batter’s point of view, he’s definitely a difficult pitcher.

The next batter is Lee Jung-hoon, who has been abstaining from alcohol for five days.

Yeah, honestly, it’s time to show something. After having such a meaningful conversation yesterday, and quitting drinking, he should be awakened and become my reliable helper…

-Thwack!!

Ah…

As if to return to his original position, a pop-up to the infield on the first pitch is sucked into the pitcher’s glove. Lee Jung-hoon, who was so eloquent yesterday, silently returned to the dugout without saying anything.

I didn’t bother to talk to him because he seemed a bit embarrassed himself.

[Now, Choi Su-won, today’s starting pitcher and 3rd batter, comes to the plate.]

Jo Chang-hyuk’s face was stiff.

The catcher behind home plate was babbling something.

The guy wound up greatly.

As far as I know, that guy has the highest level of competitiveness. And at the same time as being conscious of me as a hitter, he will also be conscious of me as a pitcher. So, the first pitch will probably be…

The fastest ball.

Almost 100 miles, but just 1 mile short of 100 miles, 99 miles. The fastball of 159.3km/h [approximately 99 mph] bounced off a little faster than it came.

-Thwack!!

Far past the third catwalk, in a place where anyone could be sure it was a home run. My batted ball hit the ceiling at a height of 67.59 meters [approximately 221 feet].

11 home runs and 22 RBIs.

The RBI king of last year had 117 RBIs, so arithmetically, I only need to hit 48 more home runs to become the RBI king.

But now that I say it, somehow the RBI king…

It might be possible?