Chapter 12

Laughter Candidate -2-

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Daejeon Meteors and Busan Oceans.

These teams have been fixed at the bottom of the KBO League standings for the past few years.

Of course, that doesn't mean they can't do anything throughout the season.

At the beginning of the previous season, Oceans and Meteors both achieved a five-game winning streak as if they had made a pact.

[Rebellion of Oceans and Meteors. Demonstrating their skills by winning consecutive games against top teams.]

-Don't be discouraged. Losing to 'strong teams' is not a shameful thing.

-Is there anyone who can teach us what it means to lose...?

-They've swept the top picks for so long, it's time for them to rise.

-Baseball expert) I predict this season's KBO League. Oceans will face Meteors and win 4-3 in a thrilling victory.

-They've played five games, and it's just a mess and a disaster. Haha.

-You guys are crazy. Haha.

-Enjoy the game.

[The awakening of the Meteors' starting rotation and the rebirth of the Oceans' bullpen.]

-All starters are top-tier. Wow.

-During the five-game winning streak, the starters averaged 7.1 innings with an ERA of 1.2. Is this real? Wow.

-Baseball is all about pitching, after all.

-Without overcoming the two major mountains of the bullpen, Jo Hyung-oh and Park Eun-soo, there's no victory for you.

-Ah, this is what 'bullpen baseball' is.

-Two major mountains, hahaha.

-Prediction of the reaction after one month: "Damn, is this baseball?"

-Haha, they act like they've won the championship just because they had a five-game winning streak.

-Teams that have never won a championship in the 21st century, hahaha.

-Then the Angels should be included too.

-I was quietly waiting, afraid of being grouped together. Please exclude us. We made it to the playoffs, after all.

-Haha, what did you guys do when the new teams won championships?

-The protagonist always appears late.

-Info: Oceans are an original team.

-What does that mean?

-Interpretation: Not appearing late, but being the first to appear as a no-name villain.

-You bastard.

Of course, in the previous season, the two teams slid down like the stocks bought by the father of Kang Geon-woo.

By the end of the season, the stands were filled with fans who were full of venom, wishing for the end of baseball, or hypocritically criticizing the results-oriented culture.

-Oceans don't fail to win; they choose not to. Happiness is not determined by results. Oceans are sounding the alarm about the results-oriented society through baseball. (Agree: 3,451. Disagree: 9,526)

Meteors, who have one of the best starting pitchers in the country, Park Yong-jae, and a fairly decent starting rotation.

Oceans, who lost Park Jeong-shin, their 3rd, 4th, and 5th batters, but still have Yang Dae-geun and a lineup of average-level starters.

The common point between the two teams is a bullpen that burns like an active volcano and a defense full of holes like basalt.

When both teams perform well, they are called the "natural disaster alliance" as the sea of Oceans and the meteor impact of Meteors combine. When they perform poorly, they are just rocks and saltwater.

These teams faced each other in a practice game.

[(Practice Game) Meteors VS Oceans! Live broadcast!]

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Kim Ji-ho (center field), Bae Young-han (right field), Yang Dae-geun (1st base), Wolf Pack (left field), Yi Si-wook (designated hitter) - Kang Geon-woo (shortstop), Hwang Seok-gyu (3rd base), Kim Se-wan (2nd base), Jo Yong-su (catcher).

Looking at the starting lineup for the practice game, No Geon-woo said,

"Is it still time to conserve energy?"

Instead of telling this guy the harsh truth, I just remained silent.

Anyway.

Meteors have Park Yong-jae.

A tall, right-handed pitcher who will later join the Major Leagues and perform quite well.

We often communicate and occasionally meet. He has a friendly personality and can throw various types of pitches.

"If you hit Yong-jae's pitches well, you might get the opening game start. Stay calm. You'll meet him after he pitches two innings."

Well, he's the national team's ace. But unless I mess up badly in practice and exhibition games, I should be the opening game shortstop.

"Stay focused, Kang Geon-woo. If I come in as a pinch hitter in the middle of the game, you'll feel the pressure too."

This guy.

Or the person in the corner with sunken eyes, biting his nails - Kim Se-wan.

Or other hazy shortstop candidates.

It's a matter of pride to even think about being overshadowed by them.

Anyway, to prepare for the ace Park Yong-jae, who is better than any foreign player, the lineup from 1st to 4th is all left-handed batters.

The fact that the 2nd baseman is Kim Se-wan, not the right-handed No Geon-woo, suggests that the manager has a strong distrust of No Geon-woo's defensive skills.

-Glass Sister: Is Geon-woo starting today?

-Me: Yes, as the 6th batter and shortstop.

-Glass Sister: Hit a home run.

-Glass Sister: Heart ceremony in front of the camera.

-Glass Sister: Call?

-Me: Big one? Small one?

-Glass Sister: If it's going to happen, a big one is better.

-Me: I'll watch carefully.

There's no choice.

Today, I'm just going to swing full out.

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-Hi, I'm Kim Young-dong, the commentator for Oceans TV! Today's practice game against Meteors! Our guest is the guardian of Oceans, the two major mountains of the Oceans bullpen, Jo Hyung-oh!

-Yes, nice to meet you. Ah, I should have been there...

-Due to a shoulder injury. Fans are curious, how is your rehabilitation going?

-Bro, please retire and open a chicken restaurant. I'll buy one every day, no matter what.

--Is that something to say to someone who is working hard on rehabilitation?

-Yes. It's in the final stages and progressing smoothly. The goal is to return within a month after the opening.

-I hope you come back healthy and strengthen Oceans' mound!

-Korea's two major mountains: Jo Hyung-oh, solid.

-Even without me, the bullpen pitcher Kim Jeong-hyuk, newly acquired from the Vikings, is a great player...

-Oceans special: A 4.00 ERA is the main closer.

-Tell the other teams to get lost.

-Yes, Kang Geon-woo is very popular among Oceans fans these days. Do you have any stories about him?

-I want to meet him soon. I haven't seen him in person yet, but according to what I've heard, he's really not ordinary.

-Can you tell us more?

-Well, I'm not sure how it will turn out, but you can expect good things. Haha. I don't want to put too much pressure on a young player.

-You should have some pressure too.

-What have you done to deserve such praise??

-There's no player like Jo Hyung-oh in the bullpen, so why keep criticizing??

-Do you know what the problem with this team is? There's no player like Jo Hyung-oh in the bullpen, you bastards.

-You're all reported.

-1st inning, Oceans start the attack! Meteors' starter is Park Yong-jae!

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Our 1st batter struck out.

2nd batter Bae Young-han hit a weak ground ball.

3rd batter Yang Dae-geun drew a walk.

4th batter Wolf Pack is at the plate.

"Is Yong-jae's condition not good today?"

Someone from the bench said, and Kim Ji-ho, who struck out, bowed his head.

Personally, I think you have to be bold to play baseball well. If you get discouraged after one loss, you'll lose again.

So far, Wolf Pack...

Bang!

"Out!"

"Out!"

...always swings full out.

I thought he would create a double play with the slow-running Yang Dae-geun, but he hit the first pitch and really got a double play.

"Come on, come on! Hey! Garfield! Good job!"

The head coach clapped and encouraged him. Well, it's a practice game.

The first pitcher is Andy Garfield. He has good velocity, good control, and is a fast, traditional right-handed pitcher.

However, he seems to have a weak mental game. I've seen him get angry when the ball doesn't go where he wants it to during practice.

We'll have to see if it's a strong competitive spirit or a weak mental game.

After the practice pitches, the 1st inning started. Garfield's pitches are four-seam, sinker, curve, and slider.

The 1st batter for Meteors is a right-handed, left-handed hitting outfielder who likes to push the ball.

If he pushes the outside sinker, it might come to my side.

First pitch ball. Second pitch strike.

And the third pitch.

Bang!

I knew the third pitch would be an outside sinker from the catcher's sign, so I was prepared. The batter tried to hit it by pulling his hips back, and I moved immediately after the ball was hit, caught it steadily, and threw it strongly to the shortstop.

"Out!"

"Good job!"

"Our youngest is doing well!"

Why is he running so hard in a practice game?

What if he gets hurt?

The next batter's hit was a fast line drive.

I could see he was trying to pull it, and since it was a four-seam pitch, I moved back a bit and caught it. Garfield covered his mouth with his glove and gave me a thumbs up.

"Wow..."

Kim Se-wan, who formed the keystone combo with me, opened his mouth in amazement. Well, you should help too.

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-Kang Geon-woo handled all three hits in his first practice game! Jo Hyung-oh, what do you think of the defense?

-As expected. He's praised for his defense like a 10-year veteran. He really catches the ball steadily and has a good arm. Now the pitchers can pitch with peace of mind.

"Geon-woo is really good."

Everyone nodded at the words of Glass's father, Jung Jong-seok. Kang Geon-woo handled the third out himself. When a fly ball came to the infield, he took the sign and caught it easily.

"Jung Gwi-hyun's defense wasn't bad, right? If he hadn't been traded..."

"He's too cocky about his defense. Look how steady Geon-woo is."

Actually, Kang Geon-woo was the epitome of cocky defense in high school baseball.

But now, he's showing a different side based on his regression experience.

"Geon-woo is in the on-deck circle."

"Next is Yi Si-wook, right?"

"Ah, the manager is a baseball novice. If Geon-woo was 4th, it would be 3-0 now."

"The foreign batter is a bit unstable. Where did they get a large fan from?"

-Ah, Yi Si-wook! Unfortunately, a strikeout!

"Is that disappointing?"

Kang Geon-woo's father, Kang Hyun-jae, chuckled.

"Why do you have so many fans?"

Kang Hyun-jae overlooked the fact that his son's swing also looked like a fan.

But a big swing doesn't always mean a fan. If the contact ability supports the big swing, it's different.

Kang Geon-woo stepped up to the plate with his family watching. Suddenly, the screen froze, and the family screamed.

"Ah! What is it!"

"What is it!"

"Why did it cut off!"

Just as Kang Geon-woo took a full swing at Park Yong-jae's first pitch, the broadcast was cut off due to internet issues.

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That guy can't throw a good slider. He throws other pitches well, but his slider is strangely flat.

After the 1st inning, Yang Dae-geun told me that Park Yong-jae was practicing his slider.

Of course, it wasn't a problem. I crushed the flat slider and kept my promise to Glass.

"Are you crazy with the heart ceremony?"

"Did you do it for your girlfriend?"

"Our youngest is a troublemaker. Did you see him hit a home run off Park Yong-jae and send a heart to his girlfriend?"

Still, the bench became quite lively. If this were the Major Leagues, the next batter would get a head shot.

Yang Dae-geun patted my shoulder and said,

"I'll talk to Yong-jae. But you're still a rookie, so don't overdo it."

"Thank you."

"No problem. Ah, your swing was really good. You were aiming for the slider, right?"

"Yes. The sliders were coming in one after another."

Yang Dae-geun quickly put on his mitt and went out to talk to the pitcher after the next batters were retired. Park Yong-jae laughed.

Well, that guy isn't the type to throw a beanball just because someone did a ceremony.

The game went smoothly. I handled all the balls that came my way cleanly, drew a walk in my second at-bat, and hit a single in my third at-bat before being replaced.

Shortstop Kim Se-wan, 2nd baseman No Geon-woo.

We were clearly winning 5-0.

But after that, Oceans exploded.

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[Meteors, 9-6 comeback win against Oceans in practice game!]

-King Meteors: What a joke.

-Is it livable without Kang Geon-woo?

-The losers are talking too much.

-But what is Kang Geon-woo? He's really something.

-The game would be more interesting if both teams made five errors. It was boring because of Kang Geon-woo.

-Without Kang Geon-woo, the keystone combo exploded like a ghost. Haha.

-But if it's the Oceans bullpen, it doesn't matter even if he's there.

-How do these guys not improve? How do they not improve?

-Meteors bastards, you're failing because you're obsessed with the results of practice games.

-Oceans put out their main lineup and got destroyed, so they switched to the bench. Now they're claiming a moral victory. Haha.

-Kick Kim Se-wan out.

-While you're at it, kick the useless shortstop out too.

-Just disband, you bastards.

-If you're going to disband, give us Kang Geon-woo and then disband.