The Pitcher Just Hits Home Runs Well [EN]: Chapter 147

147. Qualifications for Braised Short Ribs (3)

Friday evening.

It’s the sweetest time for most ordinary people, when they finish a hard week of work and enter a period of rest.

Some willingly dedicate that precious time—time they want to use entirely for their family, loved ones, or themselves—to cheer on the team they love.

And at least for today.

The fans who came to Gocheok Dome were rewarded sufficiently, or even more than sufficiently, for their time. Of course, the Marins fans, who won today, were overjoyed. And even the fans of the losing home team didn’t feel like they had wasted their time, despite their team’s one-sided defeat.

And it wasn’t just because today’s game was the KBO’s [Korean Baseball Organization] sixteenth-ever no-hitter. Even though it was a game where their team was being unilaterally defeated, there was something inexplicably fun about it.

A nineteen-year-old rookie throwing 161 km/h [approximately 100 mph] fastballs and pitching a no-hitter. What’s more, the pitcher throwing those balls is also a home run hitter at the plate. Generally, it is said that hitters are fun to watch when they are home run hitters, and pitchers are fun to watch when they are fast ball pitchers.

And the fans who watched today’s game could definitely relate to that.

“Hey, still, it’s a relief.”

“Relief my foot. We’re going to see that every day from now on. What’s relieving about it?”

“We probably won’t see him for long, though?”

“What do you mean? He’s only a rookie in his first year. We’ll see him for at least six more years. Oh, are you talking about the Marins’ ‘that curse’?”

There’s a legend in the Marins that an ace’s arm must be sacrificed to win the championship.

Certainly, according to that legend, if the Marins win the championship this year, we won’t have to see that again starting next year…

“Hey, wait a minute, but if he switches to being a hitter, won’t he be even crazier? Looking at him today, he was hitting balls that were almost home runs at the end. If he hadn’t been pitching, he would have conserved his stamina, and then all of those would have been home runs.”

“Ah, what are you talking about? Why are you talking about the Marins curse to a kid with a bright future? Besides that. The posting rule was revised this year.”

“Posting rule revision?”

“Hey, how can you be a Braves fan and not know that the posting rule was revised? Our team’s fans were going crazy because of that. Before, we would watch them for at least seven years before selling them off [allowing them to play in a foreign league], but now it looks like we’ll be selling them off as soon as they break out.”

“Ah!! That’s right!! The annual regulation has been removed from posting, right? But wasn’t there something else?”

“There’s more. The international prospect rule. Before the age of 23, you can only sign contracts within the international prospect slot money. That’s why our prospects still get drafted and we watch them for at least 6 years. That’s how it went.”

“Okay, so we’ll have to watch Choi Soo-won for six more years, right?”

“Hey, but that’s only to a certain extent. If he’s that good, it’s more profitable for him to just go to the States.”

“That’s true for Choi Soo-won. But it’s not for the Marins. The money they receive from posting is a percentage of the player’s total contract.”

“Hey, are you watching what Choi Soo-won is doing right now? A true sports hero is about to be born in Korea. From the Marins’ parent group’s perspective, would it be better for their image to win the championship once and then release him in a magnanimous gesture, or to force him to stay? Their image is already not great as a consumer goods group.”

“Is that so?”

Although Choi Soo-won was an enemy right now, as a fan of the Braves, who had already exported several players to the majors, he could tell.

That guy is definitely going to the big leagues.

“Sigh… But what if the Marins curse overlaps and they make him win the championship and then ruin his arm? Looking at him, he’s only nineteen years old and he pitched a full nine innings today.”

“Ah…”

***

“Oh, welcome. I’ve heard a lot about you. I heard that you are seniors who have been very helpful to our Soo-won.”

“Father, I’m here too. How have you been?”

“Oh, yes. You’re here too, Yoo-jin. Well, I’ve always been doing well. Come on, everyone must be hungry after the game, so let’s eat first. I’ve prepared everything.”

“Oh, Father. Please, don’t be so formal. Even if we’re seniors, there’s not much age difference between us and Soo-won…”

“No, still, there’s quite an age difference between Jung-hoon and us…”

The house was full of people.

Originally, I had no intention of bringing so many people.

It’s all because of that chatterbox Jo Yoo-jin.

He came all the way up to Seoul for the first time in a while, but his parents were going on an overseas trip for their wedding anniversary, so he was going to be home alone in his accommodation. So I suggested that he meet my father and have a meal together after a long time. Thanks to him telling everyone in the neighborhood about it, Lee Jung-hoon, Jung Ji-woon, and Lee Joo-hyuk all said they would follow me to my house. More than half of the people who played as outfielders today.

Thanks to that, I contacted my father urgently, and he very gladly told me to bring them all.

Saying that he could just prepare more food.

“Wow, Father. This food is amazing. The taste is different from what I used to eat in Busan?”

“Really? Is the taste special because it’s Seoul?”

“Hahaha, eat a lot. Mr. Park would be happy to hear you say that.”

“Mr. Park? Is he the owner of this restaurant?”

“Ah, he’s the president of this braised short rib company, and he’s quite close to me. He sent it to me saying he paid special attention to it, but I thought it was just lip service, but it seems like it wasn’t just lip service.”

“Wow, wait a minute. If he’s the president of the company, isn’t this a huge franchise? I think there are like 50 stores.”

“Well, he’s still the most successful among my classmates.”

Still, it wasn’t bad.

After going back in time, I tried to be good to my father, but it wasn’t easy. There was always a slight tension. I was going to bring Jjo Yu because of his sociability, but Lee Jung-hoon went one step further.

“So, I said exactly that there. Even though today’s pitcher is a difficult pitcher, you can do it. Even if I can’t go out, I’ll show you all the types of pitches the pitcher throws so you can keep your eyes wide open and watch carefully.”

“Oh, I see. They say there’s a big difference between a hitter seeing the pitcher’s ball in advance and not seeing it.”

“Wow… As expected of our Soo-won’s father. You know baseball well. It’s completely different to see all the balls in the waiting batter’s box and go in, or to go in without knowing anything.”

“Haha, well, I don’t know if I know baseball well. I just know as much as others because my son is a baseball player.”

Wow, what is it? That crazy sociability?

Wasn’t Jo Yoo-jin the king of social butterflies? How can he have a conversation like that with someone else’s father whom he’s meeting for the first time? My father and Lee Jung-hoon, who were having a great conversation, even took out alcohol from the cupboard.

“Oh, Valentine 30 years. You don’t have to give us such good alcohol.”

“It’s good. It’s just a gift I received. More than that, there’s a game tomorrow, so is alcohol really okay?”

“Haha, I’m just tasting a glass.”

“Father, I’m not starting tomorrow, so I can drink a few more glasses.”

“Hey, Jung Ji-woon, I thought you were going to Gangnam Station, so why are you following us here and coveting alcohol?”

“Senior. Frankly, aren’t I the decisive contributor to today’s no-hitter? But I can’t be 빠질 수 없죠 [ppajil su eopjyo – can’t be left out] from the celebration party.”

“You made a perfect game into a no-hitter, but you speak well. You’re a mess of memes on the internet right now.”

That’s true.

But that doesn’t mean there’s only 욕 [yok – insults/curses]. About 7:3? In every way, good meaning, bad meaning, it’s a mess that he’s the ruler of the game.

“So I’m going to cut off the internet for the time being.”

“Anyway, you’re so sly. Joo-hyuk, you’re not drinking, right?”

“Yes.”

“Senior. I want to taste it too.”

“Really? Well, you worked hard today too… No, wait a minute. Ah, I almost got fooled by your face. Jjo Yu, you’re Soo-won’s friend. How can a minor drink alcohol?”

“No, still, you’re supposed to learn alcohol from adults…”

“I’m not an adult, and my father isn’t in the condition to teach anyone today, so go over there and drink sujeonggwa [Korean cinnamon punch] with Soo-won when I’m saying good words.”

The smile never leaves my father’s face.

It was so good to see that.

“Soo-won, they say that if you do something like a no-hitter, the pitcher gives the catcher who played the game with him a luxury watch or something. Can’t you give me an Apple Watch Pro?”

…

There are too many parts to 태클 걸 [tae-keul geol – nitpick/call out], so I don’t know where to 태클 걸 [tae-keul geol – nitpick/call out].

“Jjo Yu, are you drunk on sujeonggwa?”

“Right? The Watch Pro is a bit much, right? You’ve done so much for me… Then just an Apple Watch 44mm…”

“Stop talking nonsense and go 뜯어 [tteudeo – tear apart/dig into] more ribs. And you’re going to 특타 [teukta – extra hitting practice] later.”

“Huh?”

“Huh? What do you mean, huh? Your upper and lower body were playing separately again. You’re not playing tomorrow anyway. I’ll take some of my precious time to watch you. After eating and digesting, go out and practice swinging 500 times.”

When will this guy realize?

That getting 특타 [teukta – extra hitting practice] from me is a much more precious gift than getting a Rolex?

“Ah… Can’t I just do 300 times?”

“You want to do 1,000 times?”

“No, no. I’ve always liked 500 so much. No matter how I think about it, that seems to be the most perfect number.”

While Jjo Yu was talking nonsense, Lee Joo-hyuk, who was quietly eating next to him, spoke to us.

“Hey, Soo-won. And Yoo-jin.”

“Ah, Joo-hyuk senior. Thank you so much today. I was able to do a no-hitter thanks to you.”

“No, no. It was 당연히 수비 [dangyeonhi subi – naturally defending], but… That… 특타 [teukta – extra hitting practice]. Can I join you too?”

“Yes?”

“No… It’s just that the coaches praise your hitting so much… It’s okay if it’s too much 부담스러우면 [budamseureoumyeon – if it’s too burdensome], you can just do it separately…”

“No, it’s not 부담 [budam – a burden]. Let’s do it together.”

***

It was almost 3 a.m. when I sent everyone off.

And I lay down on the bed and fell asleep as if collapsing.

The first thought I had when I opened my eyes was, ‘I’m sick today.’

Muscle pain is 당연하니 [dangyeonhani – natural/expected] the day after starting, so there’s no need to say I’m sick. So, this 아프다는 [apeudaneun – being sick] now is not just simple muscle pain.

I felt a sense of lethargy as if I had a body ache and was suffering from a slight fever.

Based on my time in the majors, it feels like my body condition after touring for about two weeks in the middle of summer and then playing a double header on the last day.

Until now, the reason why I rested the day after starting was to look at the season for a long time and 배려 체력 [baeryeo cheryeok – consider/conserve stamina], but today I feel like I’m really in big trouble if I don’t get enough rest.

“You seem very tired.”

“Yes, I was fine yesterday, but I feel even more tired after sleeping for a day.”

“Originally, fatigue comes late when there’s something good. You won’t have an appetite, but I’ve prepared some 죽 [juk – rice porridge], so eat it and go.”

“Yes? You prepared 죽 [juk – rice porridge]?”

“Yes, that senior Jung-hoon told me.”

My father smiled faintly.

“I was worried that you only had Yoo-jin and Ha-min as friends, but it seems like you’re doing well. I’m so glad. Bring them often when you come up to Seoul. I’ll prepare something more delicious next time.”

“Yes, Father.”

The remaining two games against the Braves.

I didn’t play in either game and rested well.