Chapter 28

No matter where you go, there are always people like that. They easily become friends with people they meet for the first time and fit in well.

I thought that No Kyung-woo was the best in this team in that area, but my new catcher shattered that belief.

"Fourth batter! Ninth hitter! A man like the wind of Sajik! His name is! Kim! Ji! Ho!"

Perhaps inspired by the fact that he is an outfielder who is almost a base tool, he was shouting while pretending to run quickly in place.

The coach looked as if he was experiencing culture shock. Fortunately, his mouth formed a 'wat' rather than a 'puck'.

Unable to bear it any longer, the head coach stepped in.

"Doesn't he seem to lack stamina? Should we replace him?"

"No! I'm Park Eui-hyun! I have confidence in my stamina, neeeaaamzaaaaaak!"

In the end, today's cheering session ended with our ears ringing. Still, he did manage to go through all the numbers from 1 to 9.

Teams that always finish last often lack confidence. Having someone like that around would probably help keep the mood from sinking too much even when they lose.

Park Eui-hyun, who sat next to me, raised his thumb and said,

"Indeed, a baseball genius! The rumors are not exaggerated! Let's lead the centerline of the Oceans together!"

What does 'rumors are not exaggerated' mean?

"If we're talking about the centerline of the Oceans, wouldn't it be a bit disappointing to leave me out? I'm No Kyung-woo, the man who will bury his bones at second base in Sajik!"

"Oh! I've found a friend who understands! Great! I'm Park Eui-hyun! The man who wants to be buried in a well-lit home plate! Nice to meet you again!"

...Are you planning to turn Sajik Stadium into a cemetery?

By the way, No Kyung-woo, who was sad about losing his character, is now following this person.

The noise from both sides is making my ears hurt.

Senior Kim Jung-yong looked at us and laughed.

"What? Are you forming the Three Idiot Brothers?"

"...I would be grateful if you could leave me out."

"What! Baseball genius Kang Geun-woo! Are you thinking of leaving the Park-Kang-No trio of the Oceans!"

"Geun-woo doesn't seem to fit in with that... Park-Kang-No trio?"

"How about No-Park-Kang?"

"Just end it with Kang-Park."

"Hahaha! Remember this, seniors! Juniors! Coaches! Today will be a historic moment in Korean baseball! The Oath of the Oceans! The Oath of Sajik!"

...Don't.

"Oath of the Oceans? From Romance of the Three Kingdoms? Then am I Liu Bei?"

Before No Kyung-woo could answer, I interjected.

"If we must be precise, you're more like Gan Son Mi."

"Gan Son Mi? A legendary general?"

"Who cares who is who! We're in the middle of a game! No drinking! Let's toast with a drink!"

Just leave me out...

#

A good pitcher can't necessarily pitch well for an entire season.

And a better pitcher should be able to shake off a few runs given up in the first inning and pitch well from the next inning.

From the Oceans fans' perspective, it seemed like they scored about 10 runs in the bottom of the first inning. But in reality, the score was only 2.

The Oceans' 8th batter in the lower order couldn't continue the rally, and the 9th batter, leading off the next inning, also retired without a hit.

"What about Timothy?"

"I understand that he was just unlucky."

"Thank goodness."

"It's Timothy, after all."

The Thunderbirds' manager trusted Timothy Keltman, a 34-year-old pitcher in his fourth year in the KBO.

Although his early career fastball speed had decreased, he had developed a changeup and refined his curveball, remaining a top-tier pitcher in the KBO.

After striking out the 9th and 1st batters in the bottom of the second inning, the manager felt quite relieved.

Considering how many hits they got, 2 runs is excellent. Despite giving up hits and walks, the Oceans batters swung aggressively, so the pitch count wasn't too high.

There's still a chance to wear down the opposing starter and then compete against their bullpen.

"The Oceans must be stopped..."

The manager muttered.

The Oceans and the Meteors must be stopped.

In fact, the standings are often determined by how well these two teams perform against each other.

Both teams are off to a good start this season. If they get swept here, it could cost them in the later part of the season.

Snap!

"Ha. Bae Young-han really hits well."

Kang Geun-woo remembered that Bae Young-han, who was accused of underperforming, was not a concern until his second year of a free agent contract.

He just hit a well-placed two-seam fastball inside for a line drive past the third baseman.

The Thunderbirds also bid for Bae Young-han, but he chose the Oceans, with a difference of about 10 billion won.

"The next batter is Kang Geun-woo, coach."

An interesting rookie hitter.

The Vikings were dismantled. Even with Kim Kwon-jong.

Ironers hit a home run in their first game but deliberately avoided him in the next two.

Although the data is still insufficient, Ironers' manager is a dirty player who knows how to scheme.

He probably didn't just avoid him.

"What's his batting average now?"

"About .430."

"What about his on-base percentage?"

"A little over .600."

With a small sample size, I don't expect these ratios to last the entire season.

The next batter, Wolfpack, is also a threat. The following batter, Lee Si-wook, can hit a long ball.

But Kang Geun-woo is definitely the most threatening hitter in the league right now.

"Sign to pitch more changeups and try to fool him gently."

"Understood."

Young players can be divided into two types.

Those who are full of spirit or those who are overly timid.

Since he hit a double in his first at-bat, he needs to be more careful. The fact that he still has a good swing despite getting a lot of walks in yesterday's and the day before's games means he needs to be cautious.

The Thunderbirds' battery decided to pitch carefully with breaking balls.

Timothy Keltman, having somewhat recovered from the shock of the first inning, started pitching carefully after Bae Young-han hit a pitch out of the strike zone for a hit.

Outside changeup.

Keltman, a veteran, throws a changeup that doesn't drop or spin but slows down to disrupt the batter's timing.

The experienced foreign pitcher's pitch flew to attack the batter.

A pitch that barely grazed the outside edge of the strike zone.

But a changeup at 130 km/h, far slower than Keltman's average fastball of 146 km/h.

Keltman thought it would be a strike, whether the batter swung and missed or let it go.

Kang Geun-woo swung as usual.

Some batters say Keltman's changeup seems to stop in mid-air.

But in reality, a 130 km/h pitch reaches the plate in an instant.

Kang Geun-woo's long, powerful swing met the changeup.

Thwack!

The baseball soared high as if defying gravity. The Oceans fans all stood up, and before the ball cleared the outfield fence, they started singing and cheering, knowing it was Kang Geun-woo's 5th home run of the season.

"Gang! Geun! Woo!"

"Geun-woo!"

Keltman didn't even see Kang Geun-woo throw his bat behind him.

Udong-ja, seeing Kang Geun-woo running the bases with a rather arrogant look, remained silent for a moment before saying,

"...That guy is really something."

Two years ago, the Thunderbirds finished 8th.

Last season, they finished 5th, somewhat restoring their pride.

He didn't say out loud whether it would have been better to finish 10th two years ago.

But he remembered a crazy guy from the scouting department who suggested trading their home run king, Yoon Tae-ho, for Kang Geun-woo and got hit with A4 paper by the department head.

'But I didn't think it would be this extreme.'

Yoon Tae-ho, with a .271 batting average and 47 home runs, is the Thunderbirds' star.

Still, it feels like it's going to be a long day.

Thwack!

Wolfpack hit a back-to-back home run.

Udong-ja, trying to maintain a calm demeanor to avoid showing his expression on camera, put on sunglasses and said,

"...Tell Hyun-seok to warm up."

"...Yes, understood, coach."

#

[Seoul Thunderbirds 5 : 8 Busan Oceans.]

[Andy Garfield 7 innings, 0 runs, first win of the season! Kang Geun-woo and Wolfpack hit back-to-back home runs. And Park Eui-hyun's debut RBI for the Oceans.]

[Already 5 home runs, Kang Geun-woo. Possibility of winning Rookie of the Year, Home Run King, and MVP simultaneously?]

- Just the title shows it's from the Busan Daily.

- Why come to the KBO when he could play in the majors? Tsk tsk tsk.

- Thanks to the Goddess of the Sea. Haha.

- Who is the Goddess of the Sea?

- Kang Geun-woo's girlfriend, a hardcore Oceans fan, said he came to the Oceans.

- But why isn't Kang Geun-woo doing crazy things lately? He used to say he loved his sister and get MOM, but now he seems more reserved?

- Just let Kang Geun-woo play baseball well.

[Season 5th home run, Kang Geun-woo, "I'm happy to hit a home run, and even happier that the team won."]

- Isn't the interview too bland?

- Rather, say 'I love Yoo-ri' one more time.

- It would be funny if he said it on national TV.

- KBO is so funny. Wouldn't it be even funnier if he said it?

- I'm excited. You Oceans fans will complain about the 1.5 billion won if he goes into a slump.

- Kang Geun-woo doesn't have slumps.

- No baseball player is without a slump.

- Kang Geun-woo is different, though.

[Oceans debut catcher Park Eui-hyun, "I am honored to play for the world's best club, the Oceans! My name is Park Eui-hyun!"]

- So full of fighting spirit. Hahaha.

- World's best? Hahaha. I'm leaving.

- The first RBI as a catcher is hilarious.

- I'm satisfied that there were no errors from the catcher today.

- It's been a while since I saw a catcher who doesn't let the pitch go behind.

- Hahaha.

- What