Chapter 22

Professional Baseball's Three Big Lies -1-

#

Team training largely depends on the manager's preferences.

Manager Hugh Breadman is not stubborn about the amount of training. If he is satisfied with the results, he can wrap up individual training in just a few minutes.

However, it's not always easy for the players. If the desired level is not achieved, he can get angry and even provide direct guidance, but if you can't show anything within the limited opportunities, you're off the list. Some players prefer to roll along without much thought until they are cut.

Skill, focus, and a spark.

Under such a manager, you have to prove something.

This manager doesn't particularly favor backup players, pinch hitters, or defensive substitutes, and once he makes a decision, he sticks to it stubbornly.

So, it can be said that No Kyung-woo, who was finally chosen as the second baseman after much deliberation, was a bit lucky.

“Hey, that was a great swing. Let's do a back-to-back tomorrow.”

The manager said that if you want to train on the first rest day after the season started and two games were played, you should do it on your own. And today, all the players showed up for training.

“You should start with defensive training.”

“Hey, I'm still a rookie, so I lack experience, but once I gain it...”

I've never seen anyone say that before. Maybe he has a naturally strong mental game.

Senior player Yang Daegun, who is sure to receive a suspension, is quietly training today.

Personally, I think yesterday's incident might be a turning point.

A bad attitude and a strong competitive spirit are a fine line. In fact, I've seen many players who are greedy and have a bad temper play better baseball.

Sometimes, when you mess up one day, you work harder the next because you're embarrassed.

In that sense, I think Senior Lee Si-wook's style, who is not sulking after missing the first two games of the opening series, is much better than Senior Kim Se-wan, who is dejected.

“Si-wook is great! Hey! I'm counting on you for a home run tomorrow!”

After we all had a drink together yesterday, Senior Kim Jeong-yong, the pitching coach, clapped for Senior Lee Si-wook's practice swings.

I did some fungo drills, some batting practice, and then threw a few pitches with the new pitching form I've been working on with Yoo Ri, and finished my training.

Actually, I thought about not coming to training since it was voluntary.

I had nothing to do because I was meeting Yoo Ri in the afternoon.

“I'm going to head in first.”

When I announced I was the first to leave, a few people seemed a bit surprised, but it was voluntary training.

“Hey, why are you leaving so early?”

“I'm done with everything.”

“But the seniors are still training...”

“I don't need any more training.”

“Uh...”

“I'm leaving first.”

“...Should I go too?”

“You have a lot to improve, so go do some fungo drills.”

“...”

#

“Ganwoo! Where did Ganwoo go?”

When Lee Si-wook looked for Kang Ganwoo, No Kyung-woo hesitated before answering.

“He left early.”

“What? Already?”

“Yes...uh...”

No Kyung-woo rolled his eyes. Even No Kyung-woo knew not to repeat what that crazy senior had said.

“Oh, my dad is not feeling well...”

“Is that so?”

“Yes.”

“Then you should go. Are you feeling okay?”

“I'm fine!”

“Really? Hey, we're a team. You drink well, don't you? Is there something wrong with Ganwoo's social skills? He didn't come to the drinking session and left without saying goodbye...uh!”

At that moment, someone grabbed the back of Lee Si-wook's head.

Lee Si-wook is almost 1.9 meters tall. Yang Daegun, who easily overpowered him, said,

“Lee Si-wook.”

“Ah, why, Senior!”

“Where are you trying to impose discipline on the juniors?”

“I'm not!”

“Let them do their own thing. Didn't you hear what the manager said?”

“Hey, Senior. Why are you picking on me!”

“You're the biggest problem.”

“What did I do!”

“Ganwoo just said goodbye a while ago.”

“I didn't see that!”

“He said goodbye when he went to eat a chocolate pie.”

“Is eating a chocolate pie a crime!”

“Eating a whole pack at once might be a crime against your body.”

“My blood sugar drops, and I can't see the ball! The ball!”

“Why don't you just get an IV of chocolate.”

Seeing the two bickering, Bae Young-han interjected.

“Yang Cap. Aren't you being too hard on Si-wook?”

“Hey! Senior Bae! Right? You're picking on me!”

“Ah, Yang Cap. Don't look at it that way. Your cheek already hurts.”

“No, I...I didn't...”

Yang Daegun was a bit flustered, but for Bae Young-han, it was an attempt to get closer. The clueless junior had made the atmosphere awkward.

“Are we going to have a drink after training and take a picture with the seniors making hearts?”

The atmosphere turned cold, and Lee Si-wook, still being held by Yang Daegun, struggled and shouted.

“Senior! Daegun Senior! Grab someone else's head! That guy is a bad guy! I'm on your side! Ma! No Kyung-woo! Is that what you call talking! Just! Hey! Where are you running!”

#

“Ah, I have too much homework...”

Yoo Ri says she couldn't do her homework because she came to watch baseball. So, instead of going on a date, we are sitting in the office where we set up SMC, with drinks in hand.

“Do you want some help?”

“No, it's okay. Our Ganwoo helps by playing baseball well.”

“So, what are you going to do? Play baseball?”

Yoo Ri said with tired eyes.

“Just chatter away. Don't let me get bored.”

So, I decided to chatter away while Yoo Ri did her homework. It might be a distraction, but she told me to do it. What should I talk about? Since Yoo Ri likes the Oceans, maybe she'll like it if I talk about the Oceans players.

“Senior Lee Hoon? Our team's starting pitcher.”

“Yeah. He's retiring?”

He's only 24, but he retired.

Last season, his ERA was 6.45 with 4 wins and 11 losses.

“Actually, he's an Angels fan?”

“What? How can he be so disloyal.”

“He's a good person.”

“No wonder he did worse when playing against the Angels. Was it because of his fandom?”

“No. That senior just has a weak four-seam fastball and keeps throwing it.”

“Why?”

“According to Senior Si-wook, he thinks his four-seam is the best in the league.”

Yoo Ri laughed in exasperation and typed on the keyboard.

“Go Eun-tae might be traded soon.”

“Really? To who?”

“I don't know exactly. It's just a rumor.”

“Hmm.”

“They say they might bring in a catcher or a relief pitcher, but it's best not to get your hopes up.”

Yoo Ri listened half-heartedly while focusing on her homework, but I wasn't trying to make her listen carefully.

I kept talking.

“Bae Young-han came to the Oceans to meet a girl from Busan.”

“Senior Lee Si-wook eats a whole pack of chocolate pie at once.”

“No Kyung-woo went to the same high school as Seo Chang-yul from the Vikings, and Seo Chang-yul was a legendary bad guy.”

“Senior Daegun pours the sauce on his sweet and sour pork as soon as it arrives.”

“Wolfpac was originally a pitcher but couldn't throw a four-seam fastball, so he switched to being a batter. He claims he can throw 180 km/h, but he's always exaggerating, so the players call him 'Liar Pack.'”

“No Kyung-woo keeps asking if you have any friends. He thinks your friends are pretty because you are.”

I was talking while looking at baseball news on my smartphone.

[Oceans' win rate savings account sales up 1,500%.]

[Vikings' captain Jo Yong-hwan asks KBO for leniency for Yang Daegun. 'It was a minor misunderstanding, and the parties have reconciled.']

I realized the keyboard had stopped clicking and looked up to see Yoo Ri staring at me.

“...Uh, why?”

Yoo Ri laughed without answering.

Ah, I can feel my heart racing. I was fine even when I hit a walk-off home run in the World Series.

“...My heart almost stopped.”

“Heart? Why?”

“Because you were looking at me like that.”

“Is it wrong to look at you?”

“It might be bad for my heart, but it feels good this way.”

I shrugged and smiled, and Yoo Ri blushed before bursting into laughter.

“Are you an alien? Did you kidnap our Ganwoo and pretend to be him? Give us our Ganwoo back!”

“The old Kang Ganwoo is dead.”

“You were reborn?”

“Yes, thanks to you.”

Yoo Ri sighed, unable to hide her smile.

“It was a long, long adolescence...”

By the way, I noticed a dark spot on the ring had disappeared.

It's still a phenomenon I can't understand, but understanding it is less important than being happy right now.

Yoo Ri suddenly closed her laptop and declared,

“I'm not doing my homework.”

“You don't have to?”

“I'll do it at the stadium tomorrow. Let's go. I'll buy you something delicious.”

If I were the old me, I might have scolded her for doing homework at the stadium.

Maybe my lack of awareness, which never developed despite my age, has returned.

I just took Yoo Ri's hand and walked out.

Chattering away.

“The Vikings' Jo Yong-hwan said something to Kim Il-jeon. According to Senior Daegun...”

#

The Gwangju Irons finished 5th in the 2027 season, tasting the thrill of postseason baseball, but they fell to 8th in the 2028 season, tarnishing their pride.

They appointed Oh Dae-seo, a club legend, as the new manager and, as an inaugural gift, acquired third baseman Park Jeong-shin from the Oceans.

When the Irons, who split the first two games of the opening series with the Changwon Pirates, came to Busan for an away game,

Park Jeong-shin felt a bit bitter.

‘Sajik. I wonder how Daegun is doing.’

The KBO's disciplinary decision had just been announced. Yang Daegun was suspended for five games and ordered to perform 80 hours of youth baseball community service.

The punishment was lighter than expected, likely influenced by the Vikings' plea for leniency and the Oceans' front office's proactive response. After all, how could Yang Daegun have done such a thing?

When the disciplinary decision is announced, regardless of the content, debates among fans of each team are inevitable. Some Vikings fans even called for a suspension for the remainder of the season, but the decision wouldn't change.

Still, Park Jeong-shin felt a bit guilty towards Yang Daegun.

If anyone could control Jung Gwi-hyun, it was only him, but Park Jeong-shin was focused on his own training.

He detested team politics and factional fights. Moreover, the stress of Oceans fans, known as 'seunggol' (loyal fans), pushing for the main third baseman to be Hwang Seok-gyu, a player from a different region, was overwhelming. It was easier to ignore the problem than to solve it.

In that sense, he and Yang Daegun had a lot in common. Oceans fans chanted the name of Lee Si-wook instead of the Seoul-born Yang Daegun.

‘I should call Daegun once.’

It was surprising that the man who couldn't even kill an ant had hit someone.

Of course, the guilt was personal. He had no intention of going easy on Yang Daegun just because he was suspended.

On the contrary, he planned to focus even more. He knew very well that if he performed poorly against the Oceans, he would be mocked.

“Jeong-shin, why are you like this? Does Sajik make you feel different?”

“Manager, not really... Yes, a bit. I have some mixed feelings.”

“Baseball players are like that. Show it on the field. Oh, and how is Go Eun-tae?”

“Eun-tae?”

“There's a trade offer. The general manager seems unsure...”

The baseball world is small. Everyone knows what kind of person Go Eun-tae is. The exact details of what happened with Manager Hugh Breadman are unknown, but the rumor that he fell out of favor with the manager spread.

However, in the baseball world, unless it's a major issue, talent trumps everything. Moreover, a player who has a bad relationship with the manager can be acquired at a relatively low price. Compared to Jung Gwi-hyun, Go Eun-tae wasn't that bad.

After a moment's thought, Park Jeong-shin concluded.

“Won't you bring him in anyway?”

“Why do you think so?”

“Manager, you don't like players who don't listen, right?”

Oh Dae-seo laughed.

“Breaking in a player who doesn't listen with a bat isn't bad.”

He's an old-school manager. Moreover, he's a club legend who won the MVP twice in the KBO.

Even if Go Eun-tae were to come, it wouldn't be a big deal.

“Why not bring in Kang Ganwoo instead?”

He's a hot topic after just two games.

The manager licked his lips and said,

“Would you trade him for you?”

He's only 20.

Unless the Oceans are crazy, they won't give up Kang Ganwoo.

“Sajik Stadium might catch fire.”

“The Oceans are building a new stadium, so they must be doing well.”

“Are you sending me there?”

“Why, do you want to go?”

Park Jeong-shin shook his head firmly.

“I'll retire...”

#

Jeong Yoo-ri, who rushed to the stadium as soon as the lecture ended, looked quite excited. Oh So-hee, holding two large flags, asked,

“Daughter, you seem happy today?”

“Of course. Mom, mom. But people recognized me on the subway just now.”

“Phew. We're both famous. What did they say?”

“You're more famous than me. They just said to take good care of Kang Ganwoo.”

“If you want to be famous, why don't you try holding a flag?”

“No, the flag is too heavy.”

It was Tuesday's game. Today, only the two of them came to the stadium.

They sat at a table, eating tteokbokki and chicken, and watched the scoreboard while chatting.

“It feels strange to see Park Jeong-shin's name there.”

“Mom, more importantly, Ganwoo is the third batter!”

“He's the best hitter on the Oceans right now. But weren't you a Park Jeong-shin fan?”

“With Ganwoo, it's fine.”

“Park Jeong-shin was so naive when he was a rookie, it feels like yesterday.”

“Our Ganwoo is doing great even as a rookie, right?”

“Ganwoo is doing