The Pitcher Just Hits Home Runs Well [EN]: Chapter 385

385. Side Story 3) How Did He Become a Major Leaguer? (1)

-Whoosh!!!

“Strike! Out!!!”

[Ah!! Jo Yu-jin with a swing and a miss on that breaking curveball, resulting in a strikeout.]

[He battled well, working the count to 2-2. Ah… he chased that breaking ball. That’s his third strikeout of the game.]

[Jo Yu-jin is currently riding a three-game hitless streak. You can see a hint of frustration in his play right now.]

[Actually, when Jo Yu-jin first came to the States, there were concerns about his ability to adjust to major league fastballs, weren’t there? But surprisingly, he adapted incredibly well. Now, he seems to be struggling with breaking balls, which he handled well back in the KBO (Korean Baseball Organization). What do you make of this, analyst?]

[It seems that Jo Yu-jin is timing his swing for 160 km/h+ (99.4 mph+) fastballs, causing him to make decisions a little too quickly. He needs to be more patient and track the ball longer.]

-Crack!!!

[A high fly ball!! The left fielder makes the catch, and that’s the ballgame. Final score: 5-2. The Washington Nationals sweep the Philadelphia Phillies.]

A spacious and comfortable bus headed towards the airport.

His mouth felt dry, and his head was swimming with complicated thoughts. He might have felt better if he had a tangible injury, something to explain his slump, like the rumors floating around the internet. But that wasn’t the case. His hamstring was a little tight, but that barely qualified as an injury for a professional baseball player.

No, this was undeniably a matter of skill.

Choi Su-won had given him a goal. Back in 2028, the electric atmosphere of Dodger Stadium, which he experienced firsthand, remained in his mind long after and motivated him to push harder whenever he felt like giving up.

Like Choi Su-won, he debuted at the age of 19 and was eligible for free agency at just 27 years old. However, the offer he received when he considered going to the United States at the time was a two-year, $3 million deal. It was even a split contract [a contract where the salary differs based on whether the player is in the major or minor leagues]. It felt too risky and the money too little for him, who was about to become a father.

Yes, of course, 4 billion won [approximately $3 million USD] for two years is a lot of money by normal standards. It was also more money than he had ever seen in his life. Even after taxes, it would be over 2.5 billion won. But it was less than the 10.5 billion won for four years that the Marines had offered. Perhaps the fear that this might be the first and last chance to make big money as a player clouded his dream.

In the end, he chose security.

It was a happy time.

A good house, a good car, a cute child. It was a picture-perfect successful life. To be honest, he couldn’t even remember the excitement of Dodger Stadium anymore. Wouldn’t it be a successful life to just live like this? It would be nice to become a coach after becoming a franchise player and retiring, or to do commentary or become a manager. Or maybe becoming a “sports entertainer,” which is popular these days, wouldn’t be so bad.

“Can I get an autographed ball? Or a uniform?”

“Huh? Out of the blue? Who needs my autograph?”

“No, I need it.”

“You do? Why do you suddenly need my autograph?”

“Why? I’m going to hang it on the wall. I’m thinking of opening a store after I retire this time.”

“Huh? You’re retiring?”

“Yeah.”

The year he became a free agent for the third time.

Ahn Byeong-yeong, who had endured eight years in the pros with what could only be described as ‘gritting his teeth,’ decided to retire. The reason was that his shoulder wasn’t functioning properly.

Professional career of 8 seasons, 301.2 innings pitched, 13 wins, 27 losses. ERA 5.58

He had more losses than wins and had no experience as a starter except for one season. But despite that, he looked relieved.

“Don’t you have any regrets?”

“Regrets? No way. I gave it my all. At least I’m confident that I won’t regret not trying hard enough, or whine about giving up too early like that guy Gyu-hyeok when I’m drunk.”

Unlike his classmate, who still seemed to harbor resentment towards Ahn Byeong-yeong, he had spent years working with him in the close-knit world of professional baseball as one of the few alumni, and he didn’t dislike Ahn Byeong-yeong anymore. He had no intention of defending the twisted sense of competition he had shown back then, but more than 10 years was a long enough time to let even that animosity fade.

“So, what kind of store are you going to open?”

“Ah, this is a really great idea. You can’t steal it when you hear it, okay?”

“What is it?”

“I’ve been thinking about it. When we have gatherings, some people want to eat meat and some people want to eat seafood, right? So, I’m going to sell both at the same store at the same time. How about that? Isn’t it a great idea?”

……

“That’s… interesting. Beef and seafood. But I just had a thought, senior.”

“What is it?”

“Since you already have a grill, why don’t you sell shellfish too? When I go to Taejongdae [a famous spot in Busan known for grilled shellfish] to eat shellfish, I sometimes crave meat.”

“Oh, that’s a killer idea.”

Watching his senior, who was going to leave baseball behind and transform into a businessman, Jo Yu-jin felt a complicated emotion that he couldn’t quite define.

He burned everything out, so he has no regrets.

That night, Jo Yu-jin had a dream.

Dodger Stadium was packed with people. Choi Su-won was on the mound.

But it wasn’t the young man from 2028.

It was Choi Su-won at almost thirty. The face he had seen on a video call just a few days ago shook his head with the most serious expression in the world.

‘No, not that one.’

Before he knew it, Jo Yu-jin was no longer in the stands but on the field, wearing heavy protective gear and crouching behind home plate, holding out his mitt. Choi Su-won nodded and wound up.

The baseball flashed for a moment and slammed into Jo Yu-jin’s mitt.

-Boom!!!!

10 years.

It was the first time in 10 years since he had chosen to stay in Korea that he had caught his friend’s fastball.

And at that moment, Jo Yu-jin realized that he was lying in his bed, not in Dodger Stadium.

Tears streamed down his face.

He wondered if this dream might have been a reality if he had made a different choice two years ago.

Of course, the fact that the team that offered him the contract at the time was not the Yankees.

And the fact that it was not realistically easy to be called up to the big leagues through a split contract was not so important in front of the dawn sensibility at 4 a.m.

“Senior, please take a look at my batting form.”

“Batting form?”

“Yes, I want to be able to hit fastballs over 160 km/h.”

“Out of the blue? Hmm… Well, the kids’ fastball speeds have been increasing lately. But even so, you don’t need 160 km/h, do you? Even if it’s only about 155 km/h… Ah, wait a minute. Yu-jin, don’t tell me?”

Lee Gyu-man, who finished his coaching training in LA and was appointed as the Marines’ manager in just two years, was fired after completing his three-year term. The reason was poor performance. In fact, he didn’t have much talent as a manager. His playing career was worthy of a manager position, but his personality was not.

However, his ability as a hitting coach was undeniable. The unfortunate thing was that his career was so illustrious that he couldn’t find a manager who would hire him as a hitting coach, but that was okay. After all, the path to becoming a sports entertainer was wide open.

“Gyu-hyeok, can you come to Sajik [the location of the Marines’ stadium] five times a week on a business trip?”

“Huh? Suddenly?”

“I can’t pay you much. Instead, I’ll let you put ‘Major Leaguer Jo Yu-jin’s exclusive physical trainer’ on your resume later.”

“No, money… Well… My gym is doing well these days, so I can make time.”

Jo Gyu-hyeok, who retired from professional baseball early but became a successful businessman running five large sports centers in Changwon and Busan, was also happy to help him.

“Hey, Yu-jin. I heard you’re preparing something fun these days? Can I help you with anything?”

“Yes, I was going to ask you for a favor.”

“Oh, what is it?”

“Please help me persuade my wife later.”

“!?”

“No, you’re good at that kind of thing. Like saying things that make women swoon.”

“Hey, man, that’s different. And wait, you’re making all these decisions on your own without even discussing it with your wife?”

“Yes.”

“Wow, this guy is for real. You’re brave. You’re brave.”

Lee Jeong-hoon, who has been appearing as a panelist on various broadcasts since his retirement, also volunteered to help him. Ah, of course, it wasn’t of much help.

It was two years of doing his best.

─Marines!! Reach the playoffs for the first time in 6 years!!

─Peak performance at thirty? 0.286/0.371/0.463. Jo Yu-jin. Wins his 4th Golden Glove as a catcher in his career!!

Career high in batting average ahead of his second free agency.

Although he failed to win the MVP award thanks to his teammate Lee Ju-hyeok, who suddenly had a career year at the age of 35, it was a record that he was not ashamed to use to pursue a major league debut.

─Marines Series Game 5, 11:9, a heartbreaking loss!!

─Marines’ bid to advance to the Korean Series fails. 11-year quest for the championship ends in failure.

“Yes, this was the last year of my contract, and I wanted to end my career in a beautiful way by leading the team to victory like my friend who is playing in the United States, but it’s a shame.”

“When you say ‘end beautifully,’ do you mean that you will not be re-signing with the Marines?”

“Yes, I think that’s what it will be for now. Ah, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to another team in the KBO. As many of you expect, I’m thinking of trying to go to the United States again.”

Jo Yu-jin’s bombshell declaration.

In fact, it was already well known that Major League Baseball had requested a background check on Jo Yu-jin. However, the impact is different when the player himself makes the announcement.

Speculative articles began to pour out from everywhere.

Positive and negative comments were fiercely debated.

─Who’s going to take Jo Yu-jin? Honestly, the Marines gave him 10 billion won for 4 years. He was offered 2 years for 3 million at the age of 27. Even that was a split contract. 30 years old? He’ll be lucky to get a one-year deal for 1.5 million.

─What nonsense? The catcher has an OPS [On-Base Plus Slugging, a common baseball statistic] of 0.834 and is the best in the league defensively.

─There are plenty of catchers in the minors who hit 0.9.

─There are exactly four catchers in the PCL (Pacific Coast League) who hit 0.9. There are none in the IL (International League). But the average OPS in the PCL this year was 0.821, and the KBO was 0.713. Do you think that’s comparable?

─If you can’t hit fastballs, you can’t go to the big leagues.

─This season, Jo Yu-jin is the seventh-best hitter in the league against fastballs over 155 km/h.

Of course, how they argue on the internet has little to do with the actual outcome.

“Yujin. We have offers from a total of three teams.”

“Are they split contracts?”

“Oh, of course not. We didn’t even entertain those in the first place, and they didn’t waste their time on that either.”

The process leading up to the contract was quite difficult.

As a result, the team he signed with was the Philadelphia Phillies. Yes, that’s the team famous for the passionate (and sometimes unruly) Philly fans.

But he was a player who had played for the Marines, who can be seen as the Phillies of Korea, for 12 years. He was confident no matter how extreme they were.

Yes, he ‘was’ confident.