The Pitcher Just Hits Home Runs Well [EN]: Chapter 159

159. A Waste of Life (1)

“AHHHH!!!!”

In a small waiting room,

A slender woman screamed.

“What? What’s wrong?”

“I don’t know, probably just another crazy bastard sending dick pics in her DMs [direct messages].”

“Those perverts never decrease, no matter how much time passes. That dick pic probably isn’t even his. Guys with dicks the size of rice grains always use pictures they found somewhere else.”

“Indeed, the vibes of experience from your Facebook days…”

“Oh my, look at this one? Facebook? TikTok was my first SNS [social networking service].”

“No, that *unnie* [older sister or female friend in Korean] said she used Cyworld [a Korean social media platform popular in the early 2000s] back in elementary school.”

The woman who initially screamed was now completely isolated.

She raised her voice again.

“Choi Su-won!!!”

“Huh? Su-won, our cutie? What about him? Did he get caught up in a dating scandal?”

“No, Su-won left a comment on my post.”

“Really? Su-won to *you*? Why?”

“I ran into him while greeting Jung-hoon *oppa* [older brother or male friend in Korean] a while ago, and we took a picture together. He left a comment on that picture.”

Cheerleaders are called the flowers of professional baseball.

People often assume that cheerleaders and players frequently meet, but that’s not always the case. Cheerleaders, in particular, tend to be cautious about dating energetic young players because their futures are uncertain, and getting caught up in rumors only makes things tiring, as they’ve learned from the experiences of senior cheerleaders.

However, that was just a general rule, and exceptions existed. Currently, among the Busan Marines cheerleaders, Baek Ha-min and Choi Su-won were the most popular. It was hard for them not to be popular, given their star quality and looks.

Despite their popularity, no one had even managed to exchange numbers or follow each other on social media. As a result, some people even whispered that Choi Su-won and Baek Ha-min might prefer men.

“Should I send him a DM?”

***

“Puhahahahaha, hey Su-won, look at this.”

“What is it?”

“Remember Hyemi, the cheerleader we took a picture with a few days ago?”

“The one with chubby cheeks?”

“Yeah, she posted that picture, and look at this. It’s hilarious.”

Lee Jung-hoon held out his smartphone.

There was a picture posted by that cheerleader named Hyemi, and what could I say? It was quite a sight. Seriously, what kind of filter did she use? It barely looked like a human. Did she really think this looked good?

“Hey, why are you trying to comment with my account? Use yours. You’re tagged in it anyway.”

Someone’s famous saying that SNS [social networking service] is a waste of life no longer applies in this era. SNS is a very efficient means of promotion, and it’s foolish for a celebrity not to use it. Of course, doing it myself is even more foolish. I’m a baseball player, so I should play baseball, and SNS should be handled by SNS experts.

Of course, my fame isn’t great enough to hire someone to manage my SNS, so it’s more like a ghost account. It’s not really for communication but just for posting pictures of my games or food.

When I logged into SNS after a long time, my DMs [direct messages] were full.

I didn’t bother checking the messages because all sorts of weird things come in.

After leaving a comment on that bizarre picture, I wondered what other pictures of me were out there.

“Wow… 130,000?”

It’s only been a little over a month since I started playing professionally. Yet, there were over 130,000 posts tagged with my name. I could feel the fans’ affection in the pictures. Besides, I look pretty good. My self-esteem soared.

But as I looked at the pictures, something felt strange.

They were definitely good pictures, but there was some kind of weird filter on them, and…

“There seem to be a lot of shots of me and Ha-min *hyung* [older brother or male friend in Korean, used by males] in the dugout. And a lot of shots of me and *hyung* in the on-deck circle…”

“Ah… that? The comments are even more amazing.”

Lee Jung-hoon gave a strange smile.

That strange smile felt quite unpleasant. And I had a strong feeling that there was an abyss lurking that I didn’t want to understand. And it occurred to me again that SNS should be left to the experts.

“Huh? What? Why are you deleting it?”

“No, I think I should quit SNS and focus on baseball.”

***

-Clang!!!

In recent years,

The KBO [Korean Baseball Organization] League had extremely low scoring. The low scoring was so severe that not a single league home run king had recorded more than 40 home runs.

But this year, the atmosphere was a bit different.

If you ask if the league itself has become high scoring, the answer is no. But basically, starting with Choi Su-won, a monster who hits as many home runs as an average team, there were three players running at a pace to surpass 40 or even aim for 50 home runs this season.

[Baek Kang-ho!! He hit it!! A strong hit!! Will it go over!! Will it go over!! It’s over!!!]

[Ninth home run of the season!! In the bottom of the 6th, Baek Kang-ho hit Choi Eu-tteum’s inside pitch over the fence. A three-run come-from-behind home run!! The Dolphins are now leading the Phoenix by 2 points.]

[Baek Kang-ho’s recent home run pace is quite fierce. Following a solo home run in the game before last, he hit a three-run home run today. With this, he has surpassed the Griffins’ Carlos Edwin and moved into sole second place in the league home run rankings.]

[Now, that puts him three behind Choi Su-won, who is currently in first place in the league home run rankings, right?]

[Yes, that’s right. Choi Su-won recorded his 12th home run ten days ago, and while he has been quiet since then, Baek Kang-ho has added three more home runs.]

Baek Kang-ho, who had rounded the ground, raised his hand high.

A rather provocative celebration for baseball. But it was undeniable for a player of his career.

The Dolphins fans filling the stadium cheered.

“Our Kang-ho is really going to make something happen this year? He’s on pace for 48 home runs this season.”

“I know. Even though Korea has a premium, I was a bit uneasy when they gave him 11 billion won [approximately $8.3 million USD] for 4 years as a free agent, even though he was being offered 6 billion won [approximately $4.5 million USD] for 2 years in the US. But Baek Kang-ho is Baek Kang-ho. He might even win the home run title?”

“That would be great. Choi Su-won has 12 home runs now, right?”

“Yeah, but honestly, he’s not even a competitor. It’s been ten days since he hit a home run. A rookie had a brief flash. Carlos Edwin is a bit more worrying.”

“I don’t know. Isn’t Choi Su-won not adding home runs just because they’re not giving him a chance to swing? His OPS [On-Base Plus Slugging] is crazy, isn’t it? His on-base percentage is over 50% right now.”

“That’s true, but… anyway, he can’t get into the batter’s box often because he’s pitching. The home run title is ours.”

“Yeah, I really hope so too.”

This season,

Jung Hye-sung, whom Baek Kang-ho considered a rival, left for the United States. But baseball is so interesting that an even greater monster appeared.

Choi Su-won.

He was now only 3 home runs away from the 12 recorded by that guy.

Baek Kang-ho gritted his teeth.

***

I tried to recall the memories.

Actually, it was so long ago that it’s a bit hazy. If it had been something that happened next year, it might have been completely dark. But since it was during my first year as a professional, I still remembered it somewhat.

At the time, Baek Kang-ho hit 27 home runs and had a batting average of around .250?

Anyway, he recorded almost career-low stats and was criticized as an 11 billion won bust. He even lost the home run title to Park Joo-won at the end of his career.

He revived in his third year. That was when I and Jung Byung-chul exploded and competed for the title of the league’s best hitter.

And now.

This guy’s pace is almost renewing his career high.

Well, there are many cases where you burn up when there is a competitor.

In fact, even Sosa and McGwire might have taken fewer drugs if they hadn’t had a competitor when they were competing to see who could suck the drugs better.

Ah, of course, that doesn’t mean Baek Kang-ho took drugs.

That guy’s mentality is a bit rotten, but his talent is genuine. Instead, Carlos, who is competing with that guy, was fully juiced up.

“Choi Su-won.”

“Ah, just a moment. I’m doing my best right now. If you were coming, you should have told me 5 minutes in advance. How can I make it come out when I just peed a little while ago.”

And I’m the one getting tested.

Honestly, it wasn’t something I couldn’t understand. If a player suddenly hit 12 home runs in three weeks in a league where the home run king hit 36 home runs last year, I would be suspicious too. In fact, when I exploded in my third year and hit almost 50 home runs, I had to go through a doping test around this time.

“Ah, I can’t get it out. Inspector, let’s just draw blood.”

“Blood? Are you sure?”

“My condition will drop a bit, but I think it’s better to just draw blood than to hold onto pee that won’t come out. Anyway, I finished pitching three days ago, so I’ll just be standing in the batter’s box looking at the balls flying by for the time being.”

In fact, blood tests are more accurate than urine tests for drug testing.

There were so many designers who designed drugs by properly predicting the test time and calculating the half-life for urine tests. However, you can’t just draw blood as you please because it actually affects your condition. Whether it’s a psychological problem or because you actually drew blood, opinions are divided, but there are players who even decide on their breakfast menu on game days.

In a situation where they get angry because they couldn’t hit a hit because their breakfast menu was hard-boiled instead of soft-boiled, how much more would they care about drawing blood?

Anyway, there’s been some talk about drugs among the troublemakers in the community lately. How can a player who is only nineteen years old achieve these results while playing this schedule? It’s impossible without drugs. That’s their argument. I couldn’t blame them for their lack of imagination.

Honestly, no one in their right mind would think that a major league MVP-level hitter has regressed 17 years. And it’s a bit strange to imagine that he’s regressed and doing baseball instead of stocks.

Anyway, instead of letting those behind-the-scenes stories come out, it would be better to clearly reveal that I am a clean player when I do the test. There was also going to be a drug-related scandal in the league soon.

The blood test procedure was quite complicated.

It was natural because there was a possibility that the blood I drew could be contaminated by someone’s intention, beyond simply proving my innocence.

Two tubes of 5ml each.

Since a normal blood donation is about 400ml, they drew out only a tiny amount of blood.

The next game is Suwon.

Although I hadn’t contacted him since the last game, I could instinctively tell.

Baek Kang-ho of the Dolphins was waiting for me.

Choi Su-won, the best pitcher in Korea who throws 100 mph fastballs.

***

5 days ago

─Baek Kang-ho: Hey, Choi Su-won. 5 left now.

3 days ago

─Baek Kang-ho: Hey, Choi Su-won. 4 left now.

One day ago