The Pitcher Just Hits Home Runs Well [EN]: Chapter 203

203. The Greatest Thing (3)

Choi Su-won predicted that Lee Jung-hoon would definitely spread the word. And that prediction wasn’t far off.

Sitting in the locker room, Lee Jung-hoon whispered to Jung Ji-woon, who was sitting right next to him.

“Hey, Raon. Su-won said that it was all arranged from the start. Su-won is going to America no matter what, regardless of the team winning or anything.”

“Hyung [older brother or close male friend], what nonsense are you talking about again?”

“It’s true. Su-won told me himself.”

“That’s probably just something he said to get rid of you since you keep bothering him.”

“No. Isn’t Choi Su-won’s 2 billion [Korean Won, roughly $1.5 million USD] too meaningful to say that? The highest amount ever was 1.05 billion, but suddenly the digit changes. Do you think that makes sense? From a front office that’s so picky about raising his salary by 3 million?”

However, what Choi Su-won didn’t predict was that rumors tend to grow the moment they pass through people’s mouths. And the intensity of the story that Lee Jung-hoon spreads when he tells someone depends on how important he thinks it is, which is quite fluid.

“Think about it. In the first place, isn’t 2 billion a reasonable amount, even for a rookie of the century? But look. Even if they give Su-won 2 billion now, if he receives 10 million dollars, that’s 20% of it, so 2.6 billion. The Marines are just using Su-won for free and earning 600 million while sitting down. Honestly, 600 million for the value of the first pick is pretty sweet.”

“Wait a minute. Did Su-won really say that too?”

“······. Not exactly. It’s circumstantial evidence. Plus, looking at how things are going, it seems like the American club complained to our club.”

“What? What are you talking about all of a sudden? Did Su-won say that too?”

“Oh, Su-won did say something like that. Honestly, from our club’s perspective, there’s no reason to manage him strictly since he’s going to America anyway after the season. Right?”

In fact, if it were normal times, Kang Raon wouldn’t have listened to Lee Jung-hoon’s story with much credibility. But the situation was a bit strange, and the rumors he heard from here and there were also a bit odd. Above all, Lee Jung-hoon’s atmosphere was different now.

He was talking about gossip that he liked so much, but he didn’t seem happy. He seemed heavy.

“Honestly, I feel a bit complicated hearing those stories from Su-won.”

“About what?”

“Well, you know. A kid who was supposed to go to America from the start doesn’t have to try hard, but he’s trying his best to win, not skipping selections, hitting and running as a batter every day. What am I doing, who has to keep playing in the KBO [Korean Baseball Organization] and think about FA [Free Agency] again in two years? What about that work ethic is the cause of his performance? I had some thoughts like that.”

In the past, he would have lightly dismissed the difference in performance between Su-won and him as not just a work ethic issue but a difference in talent that was insurmountable. But Kang Raon couldn’t bring himself to say that because of Lee Jung-hoon’s serious expression, which was hard to see. No, he even replayed Su-won’s actions, pondering Lee Jung-hoon’s words.

“Ah!!”

“Why?”

“No, I was thinking about why Su-won wanted to win so much······.”

Kang Raon’s gaze turned to Lee Gyu-man.

“Su-won once said something like that. He said that Gyu-man should wear a championship ring before he retires. He’s achieved almost everything in the KBO, but it doesn’t make sense that he doesn’t have a championship ring in his career.”

Stories tend to grow as they pass through people’s mouths. It was a story that started as if it had already passed through three or four people’s mouths from the beginning. When that story reached Lee Gyu-man’s ears, Choi Su-won had become the unfortunate protagonist running only for the championship even in a complex situation involving American clubs wanting him, mysterious domestic forces taking advantage of it, and stupid Marines front offices being played by their schemes.

‘Marines fans who have been waiting for the championship for 34 years. And for me, who has never worn a ring in 23 years of my career······.’

Lee Gyu-man reflected on himself.

Even that young nineteen-year-old rookie thought about those around him, but what about the captain······. Even consideration for him was hidden in that kid’s head. But what about him? He was too focused on completing his career.

Triumph?

Yes, of course, he desperately wanted it. But it was more of a selfish desire for the culmination of 23 years of career than for the fans who had been waiting for 34 years. No, perhaps the obsession that he shouldn’t be a drag on the team at the time of retirement was greater than the culmination of the championship.

[Okay, no outs in the top of the first. Lee Jung-hoon is on third base. And second batter Kang Raon comes up.]

[Kang Raon. His batting performance in July was quite poor. Thanks to that, he was temporarily assigned to the 7th batting order, but now he’s back to 2nd. From the Marines’ point of view, I think it’s a part that they can fully expect.]

Of course, not everyone can suddenly sprout batting ability just because they grit their teeth.

But just as a little heat is enough to boil 99-degree water, that slight stimulus was enough to touch something of a batter whose mysterious batting cycle had gone down as much as it could, hit the bottom, and started to wriggle.

Kang Raon didn’t miss the slider that came in a little blandly on his favorite course.

-Clang!!!

A timely hit that pierced between 2nd and 3rd base.

The Marines easily scored the first point.

And that was just the beginning.

***

“Hey, is it real?”

“What?”

“You were promised 10 million dollars in the majors, but there was a problem with the international prospect slot, so you postponed it for a year through behind-the-scenes negotiations with the Marines, who have the first pick, and you agreed to it, so the Marines are using you almost for free, but they’re compensating you for the posting fee.”

“Jjo-yu [nickname], do you think that makes sense? They’re throwing away the first round draft pick like that?”

“No, they’ve already internally judged that your batting skills are major league level, so they brought you in with the concept of using you for one year without even emptying a foreign hitter slot, and even for free? But you’re trying to win somehow for the fans and Gyu-man, so you’ve been pushing yourself a bit. So the major league club that was promised in advance is putting the brakes on your appearances. Isn’t it?”

Of course not.

What I told Lee Jung-hoon was, ‘The team won’t be trying to stop me from playing to prevent us from winning. Regardless, I think I’ll be leaving for America when the season ends.’ That was all. I didn’t want the team, which was in a good mood right now, to have a conflict with the club. Anyway, we had to win the integrated championship.

But what happened in the process of the story spreading that such specific and absurd stories were created? Leaving everything else aside, I don’t even know where the 10 million dollars came from for the international prospect contract.

“So the atmosphere is like this because those rumors are spreading. Is that it?”

“Yeah, honestly, the seniors are a bit like that too. If you’re going to America right after playing this year, then frankly, you have nothing to do with winning. Honestly, it’ll be the same even if you take a good rest now. But you even went to the manager a few days ago to ask him to let you play. Anyway, you’ve been the best in the world at pushing since you were in school.”

“Huh? Me?”

“You’re embarrassed, you little rascal.”

No, I definitely had an interview with the manager a few days ago, but I didn’t exactly push him. There were too many seniors listening to my conversation with Jjo-yu right now. Besides, the team atmosphere wasn’t that bad right now.

Jjo-yu lowered his voice.

‘And······. Honestly, everyone’s probably thinking about it? They’re barely running in first place with you here, and if you disappear next year, they might not get a chance for the rest of their lives. The seniors are getting impatient now. Me too. Look at Gyu-man. He’s been playing at the top of the league for 23 years, but he doesn’t have a championship ring. How much regret will he have?’

Well, what should I say?

In fact, the Marines lacked a bit of desperation.

Of course, the fans had the desperation of not winning for 34 years. But the players who are playing right now, is it because they haven’t failed to win for 34 years? Or is it because they don’t have any problems making a living even without that championship? They didn’t have that desperation to win right now.

No, maybe it’s because they thought they would have a steady chance while I kept playing on this team.

Even Gyu-man, who is retiring this year and should be the most desperate, had such a great career that he didn’t feel like ‘I’m so desperate to win.’ It was just ‘It would be nice to have a championship as the finishing touch.’

Well, he might really think he’s desperate, but that’s how it looked from the side. If he was really desperate, he wouldn’t be letting the kids go with a leisurely laugh at this timing, but he would have used his great career and position in the team to tighten them up a bit more.

“Anyway, I’m looking forward to seeing you play a big role today.”

“Are you going to try for your second home run? Hey, don’t do that. What home run are you going to hit······.”

“No, it’s not just the second home run. I’m going for a multi-homerun today.”

“You’re out of your mind.”

“Hey, I really got the feel for it? I felt it when I hit a home run last time. Oh, that’s how you hit a home run. What about that feeling?”

“Jjo-yu, did you take the wrong medicine? Or did you skip the medicine you should have taken?”

-Clang!!!

Gyu-man, who played as the 5th batter, hit a ground ball.

Ah, it would have been a hit if his feet were a little faster. Still, he wasn’t bad when he swung his bat these days. What should I say? He put down a lot? He narrowed his zone more than before, so he gave strikes to full balls, but there aren’t many balls that come in perfectly on that course in the first place. Strikeouts will increase a bit, but won’t BABIP [Batting Average on Balls In Play] increase a bit instead?

The game was going quite favorably.

“Ah, too bad······.”

“Hey, shouldn’t you say ‘too bad’ when the ball goes at least near the warning track? That was almost a fly ball to the infield.”

“No, it would have been a home run if the ball had come in a little lower.”

“Jjo-yu, please have some conscience······.”

Of course, Jo Yu-jin didn’t help much in that favorable flow.

But Kang Raon, Lee Jung-hoon, and even Seo Kyung-joon and Jung Ji-woon showed really fierce bats. They didn’t completely fill my void, but they filled about half of it with a little exaggeration.

Even though the highest daytime temperature was still over 37 degrees Celsius [98.6 degrees Fahrenheit], all the Marines players did their best in the temperature that exceeded 33 degrees Celsius [91.4 degrees Fahrenheit] even after the sun went down.

Even Han Myung-hoon, the Marines’ most winning pitcher from last year, who started today, showed the best pitching of this season, giving up only one point in 7 innings.

When I saw it, if other people were stimulated by the fact that they were doing their best for the championship regardless of whether I was going to America, Han Myung-hoon seemed to be doing his best with the thought of stamping his eyes on the fact that one starting spot would be empty next year, but anyway, the result was good, so everything was fine.

And in the 8th inning.

-Clang!!!

Gyu-man hit his 17th home run of the season.

It was a two-run home run that sealed the victory.

[Lee Gyu-man “The current team atmosphere is the best. We are qualified to win the championship, and we are already ready to run to that point.”]