The Pitcher Just Hits Home Runs Well [EN]: Chapter 88

88. Two Billion (2)

Some guys claim they can tell just by holding hands. Frankly, Gwang-sik thought those guys were all scammers. But what could he say?

The moment he held Choi Soo-won’s hand, he felt it.

It was heavy. Not from flexing his hand to show off his grip strength or anything like that.

Was it because he was aware of Choi Soo-won’s talent, which he already knew through the media? Or was there really something special about him?

Park Gwang-sik shook his head, trying to dismiss the thought.

No. Those who talk about such special qualities are all scammers. It’s been ages since the aura theory was debunked. Such things don’t exist in the world.

Besides, if you only consider his high school days, Park Gwang-sik wasn’t just any ordinary prospect either. Back then, 1 million dollars, considering the inflation in Major League Baseball, was a huge sum, close to 3 million dollars today.

So, in today’s terms, he was about 0.5 Choi Soo-won.

And he, who had gone to the United States with such a large sum, eventually returned without ever stepping on the MLB stage, and even retired sadly without leaving any significant record in the KBO [Korean Baseball Organization].

‘Still, he is a bit different.’

Of course, even so, the weight of 6 million dollars is different. Moreover, since there was no international prospect signing bonus pool system at the time, the actual value is somewhat different from the current international prospect slot money of 6 million dollars. Park Gwang-sik accurately acknowledged that.

A short time.

Choi Soo-won spoke first to Park Gwang-sik, who was lost in his own thoughts.

“Coach. I enjoyed watching today’s game.”

“Ah, yeah. I’m glad you enjoyed it. How is it? Has Byeong-yeong’s pitching improved a lot?”

“Yes, his curveball was really excellent. I’m not sure if I saw it properly since I didn’t see it from the batter’s box, but instead of a small angle, there was almost no floating feeling when it left his hand.”

“Indeed. You really know how to see it. That’s right. The launch angle is slightly different between the curveball that ordinary high school baseball coaches teach and the curveball that I teach. I guarantee there are only a few coaches in Korea who teach this properly.”

Was he excited that Choi Soo-won accurately recognized the curveball he taught?

Park Gwang-sik continued, his voice slightly raised.

“Actually, that’s how breaking balls are. It’s certainly good to see it drop with a hook. It looks more difficult to hit. But in the end, the purpose is to deceive the batter. When I first went to the United States, the kids strangely hit my curveball really well? But that’s how it is in the United States. It’s different from Korea. None of the coaches tell me about the problems with my curveball first.”

“So you found out yourself.”

“No, not really. I went straight to AA [Double-A, the second-highest level of minor league baseball], but I got stuck there and struggled for about a year. At that time, there was an old man named Will among the coaches in the team, and he was a bit of an busybody for an American. Thanks to that, many kids disliked him, but in my case, it was a thank you. Anyway, that old man Will told me that I could play in the majors if I mastered his curveball properly. That’s what he said.”

From the age of 22 to 26, a full 4 years.

Park Gwang-sik spent that long time honing his curveball. Of course, he had to replace his elbow ligaments in the middle, but the time he used for rehabilitation was only about a year, so he had been working on the curveball for a full 3 years.

“I was crazy. I suffered like that for 3 years, but in the end, I couldn’t throw the curveball to the level that old man Will was talking about. Still, I somehow had a chance to be called up to the big leagues a couple of times, but it went awry, and when I was about 27 with an ERA [Earned Run Average, a measure of pitching performance] in the 4s, I started to get nervous. The money I received as a signing bonus was already spent on living expenses and whatnot. Anyway, so I eventually returned to Korea. Fortunately, in our time, there was also a special overseas KBO draft, and I could also play in the Sangmu [military sports team] and National Police Agency even if I didn’t play in the KBO…”

Park Gwang-sik shook his head.

“Oh, what am I talking about with a kid? Anyway, that’s the curveball I learned. Well, as I threw it for a long time, I realized that I could throw it much better than when I was in the United States. And it was quite useful in Korea. Well, after finishing Sangmu, my velocity had already dropped by about 15km/h compared to my prime, so it didn’t mean much.”

“The tips you taught Byeong-yeong are the tips you learned with your body.”

“Yeah, that’s right. But honestly, it’s partly because I taught him well, but Byeong-yeong has quite a talent for curveballs. His velocity is a bit low, but he has a sense for it. You can’t do it by teaching. You have to be born with it. Or you have to fill it with experience by throwing a lot.”

Choi Soo-won nodded. When he thought about it, Ahn Byeong-yeong had used the curveball as a finishing pitch quite effectively when he was in school. It was also effective because Jo Yu-jin was so good at blocking that the one-bounce ball didn’t go behind him.

“Coach. So, could you tell me how to grip a curveball?”

“A curveball? Hmm… Soo-won, don’t you throw almost 100 miles per hour? Do you really need a curveball?”

“Pardon?”

“No, that’s right. Honestly, if you have that kind of fastball, it’s hard to get a clean hit if you just put it in the corners of the zone, so there’s no need to waste time learning a curveball.”

Park Gwang-sik’s words were an answer that Soo-won had not thought of.

“Actually, a pitcher doesn’t need to throw all kinds of pitches well. Rather, you have to choose something that suits you. Well, a fastball, a curveball, and a changeup are the repertoire of an orthodox pitcher, but I’m honestly skeptical about that. Ah, of course, it doesn’t seem like something a coach who makes kids who enter our school learn only curveballs all day long should say, but there’s a reason for that.”

Of course, if you master the curveball properly, it is the most powerful pitch as a single pitch. But the problem here is the ‘properly’ part. It takes too long to learn the curveball ‘properly’.

Moreover, even if you have learned the curveball ‘properly’, if you ask whether you can really make it in the big leagues with just one curveball, as old man Will said, Park Gwang-sik had no choice but to answer that it might have been the case in the past, but it is not the case now.

“Still, the reason I teach curveballs to children is because those who have been dropped from the draft and have come to college don’t have many options. And the place where they will play is not the big leagues but the KBO. But Soo-won, you are different.”

In Park Gwang-sik’s opinion, if a pitcher with as much talent as Choi Soo-won is thinking of playing in the big leagues, it would be faster to learn other pitches in the time it takes to learn a curveball, and if he doesn’t go to the big leagues, he doesn’t need a curveball because he has an ecosystem-disrupting velocity, so it’s better to refine that.

That’s right.

If all you want is to be a pitcher in the big leagues.

Choi Soo-won opened his mouth.

“I don’t just want to be a pitcher in the big leagues.”

But what Choi Soo-won wanted was a genuine ace who could compete for the Cy Young Award [annual award given to the best pitchers], which might be found in a contender team with two or more plus pitches.

“That’s definitely not something that can be done in a month or two.”

“Yes, if I thought it could be done in just that much time, I wouldn’t have stayed in the KBO.”

The height that Choi Soo-won was looking at was an infinitely high level that could not be compared to the goal that Park Gwang-sik had unconsciously thought of, the goal that he himself had not achieved.

Was it because that figure was so overwhelming?

Park Gwang-sik unknowingly wondered for a moment if some of the scammers who claimed that they could tell just by holding hands had experienced meeting the ‘real’ thing.

That’s why he wanted to check it out.

Whether that absurd idea could really come true.

“Then shall we go to the practice field for a while?”

“Yes.”

***

End of September.

The long and arduous negotiations between the Marines and Choi Soo-won finally came to an end.

[Highest ever 2 billion!! Marines Announce a Surprise Contract with Choi Soo-won from Central High School!!]

─StrikeoutKingKimHomerun: 2 billion? Are the Marines crazy? They’re investing 2 billion in a rookie?

─8888577: For the Marines’ victory.

─SaveSamsung88thFloor: ㅅㅂ That’s great. A high schooler has already saved up retirement funds.

─EverVictoriousClub: What? Until yesterday, our team’s reporter was tweeting that Choi Soo-won and the front office were talking?

─SquidGame: Wow, KBO inflation is crazy. But if it’s a draft, isn’t it like an exclusive contract? Why invest 2 billion in a fish you’ve already caught?

─IAmHappy: KBO is exclusive, but it’s not an exclusive contract because you can go to the United States. If it’s Choi Soo-won, Major League teams are offering 5 billion right now.

─WhenWill88thFloorRescueCome: 5 billion? Choi Soo-won is still young and doesn’t know the fear of money. There’s a difference of 3 billion, but he’s staying in Korea instead of going to the United States?

─8888577: For the Marines’ victory.

─LogicKingPikachu: Because staying in the KBO is less risky. And the posting rules have changed this time, so you can leave for the United States without filling 7 years. If you go now, you’ll start from the minors, so there’s no reason to do that.

─BeanManager: Anyway, baseball-illiterates are pretending to know. If it’s Choi Soo-won’s batting, he’ll be called up to the majors almost immediately even if he goes now. There’s definitely an under-the-table contract.

─SquidGame: 2 billion is crazy, but there’s an under-the-table contract?

─BeanManager: The Marines don’t lose anything. He’s being talked about as a 5 million dollar player in the big leagues right now, and even if they put him up for posting [system by which KBO players can be signed by MLB teams] next year, they’ll make more than 3 billion. Even that 5 million is 5 million because it’s limited by the limit, so it will definitely exceed 10 million? Watch. The Marines’ parent group will probably give Choi Soo-won a lot of money for CF [commercial film, i.e., advertisement] or something for that difference.

─GlassesAce: Don’t talk nonsense. Our Soo-won will now build a dynasty for 20 years in the Marines and be eternally retired. What majors.

─JamsilGlutton: Hooligan conscience. The guys who can’t even go to the postseason are talking about a dynasty because a rookie came. I can see him working hard for 7 years and then going to the majors and wearing a championship ring.

The internet opinion was literally explosive.

Of course, the story of 2 billion had been steadily coming out, but it was such an unrealistic amount that most people were watching with a ‘really?’ mind. That’s because 2 billion in the KBO is a larger amount than the total amount of a decent mid-to-lower-tier FA [free agent] player.

Those who knew the situation said that even that 2 billion was a very cheap price, and that the Marines could even make several times more if they were determined to do business. But the huge number of 2 billion that was immediately visible was enough to sweep away such stories.

And it wasn’t a bad thing for Soo-won that people’s attention was focused only on the number 2 billion right now.

“You really put those clauses in the contract?”

“Yes, it took a little longer thanks to that, but I thought it was a necessary part because it’s the reason why I’m staying in the KBO.”

As already mentioned, one championship or two MVPs [Most Valuable Player awards].

It was a condition that the club would fully cooperate with Choi Soo-won’s posting. But it didn’t end there. Kim Tae-geun, the lawyer, acted as Choi Soo-won’s agent this time, and he received concessions from the club in really detailed and many areas, as if he was venting his anger at being in the position of the weak when he usually acted as the agent for his player Kwon Ho-young.

In particular, the part about pitching was very long and dense, and it was full of clauses that were rare even in the big leagues, from rest days to maximum innings and mandatory opportunities.

Of course, Soo-won didn’t think that all these clauses would really be perfectly followed. There are so many things that can’t be helped when you play baseball on the field. But at least it was meaningful in that he had created a basis for avoiding something he didn’t want to be forced to do.

Soo-won had no intention of keeping the Marines’ tradition of being able to win the championship only by smashing one arm of the glasses ace.

And so, in 2025.

Early October, when some teams are in the midst of the postseason.

The inauguration ceremony for new players was held at the Marines’ home stadium.