Chapter 35

Looking for a Witness -1-

#

[Oceans' Gang Geon-woo, dominating the game with two home runs, including the go-ahead RBI.]

Is his swing not amazing?

Even though I'm a Bulldozers fan, I have to admit it's impressive.

Bong Jae-seok and Yong Su-hyun are on fire ㄷㄷㄷㄷ, they're the ultimate finishers.

Kim Kwon-jong, Simon Timo, and Hwang Bo-kyung are also on fire, making them the ace and the ultimate finisher.

Just wait and see ㅋㅋㅋ King Geon-woo is about to set off Min Seung-gi too, ah ㅋㅋㅋ

During the SCAM, Park Yong-jae also went off, completely outshining the KBO ㅋㅋㅋ

Is this... Oceans' shortstop...?

His swing is so big, are all the pitchers going crazy? Why do they keep throwing fastballs and getting hit?

Didn't you learn anything from the Irons? After getting hit by a home run in the first game, they only threw breaking balls in the next game, and the bat didn't even move, resulting in a lot of walks.

His power and plate discipline are ㄷㄷㄷㄷㄷㄷㄷㄷㄷ, it's a bit scary.

If you're scared, go to the hospital, don't just spam comments.

Why are you so angry?

You got hit so badly, are you not capable of getting angry?

You bastards, you beat us up so badly last season.

Oh, even one hit from Oceans is a huge loss ㅡㅡ

This year is... different...

[Fastball killer Gang Geon-woo. Home run spree against the league's top flamethrowers.]

[2028 KBO hit product, rookie shortstop Gang Geon-woo.]

[Baseball genius who turned down $2 million to stay in the KBO for 1.5 billion won.]

[Oakland Athletics' head scout, who was close to signing Gang Geon-woo, ‘Everything changed suddenly. We couldn't control the situation, and he stayed in Korea. I don't know why he doesn't pitch, but he's definitely excellent as a hitter.’]

[The hot topic of the KBO after 10 games? ‘The Batting Oceans.’]

The wildfires in China are because the bastards' happiness circuits are burning, and the sparks are flying ㅋㅋ

While he's on fire, the bullpen is also burning.

If the bullpen keeps burning like this, their performance will drop as the season progresses.

Who doesn't know? I'm just enjoying it.

Really, Gang Geon-woo is amazing, and the two fans keep going off, adding to the tension.

Oceans has scored more than 5 runs in 8 out of 10 games, and they've also given up more than 5 runs in 8 out of 10 games ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

Is this baseball???

If not baseball, then what???

Gang Geon-woo, oh Gang Geon-woo.

What the hell are you saying, shit.

[Coach Huh Bredman, ‘I'm sorry, but Gang Geon-woo can't attend today's interview.’] Why? ‘I promised him free time if he hit the go-ahead RBI, and he hit a go-ahead home run.’]

[The quirky rookie Gang Geon-woo. Testimony from Oceans' first baseman Lee Si-wook. ‘He hit a home run because his girlfriend came to watch the game, and if he hit the go-ahead RBI, he could meet his girlfriend after the game, so he hit it again...’]

So, that's why he hit two home runs?

Then, did his girlfriend not come to the first game?

There's a sighting of him meeting his girlfriend on his way home after the first game.

He didn't seem to watch the game, though?

Oh, really???

Oceans bastards, hire Gang Geon-woo as a buff and make him watch every game.

What the hell, if his hitting is at the major league level, did he really drift his life for a girl?

Honestly, I don't understand. Wouldn't it be better to go to the majors, earn a lot of money, and treat his girlfriend well?

That's just your opinion.

Your life is pitiful because you don't understand the beauty of love.

Is Gang Geon-woo's girlfriend a mad scientist who controls the baseball robot 1, Gang Geon-woo?

It could be. There's no way Oceans would have such a shortstop.

If you're jealous, just say it, bastards.

#

10 games is less than 10% of the entire season.

There have always been players or teams that shine early in the season. In Korean professional baseball, there's a saying, ‘A team that will decline will decline.’

And the perspective on Oceans, who are leading the league with an 8-2 record in the early 2028 season, was similar.

-YouTube KBO Analyst

“Oceans fans, enjoy it now. The hitting is going off the charts, right? But there's a cycle in hitting. When the hitting dies down, the bullpen will blow up, and Oceans fans will be frustrated. Ah, OceansV3, I'm banning you from chatting. No profanity.”

-YabbaTV

“Gang Geon-woo is hitting well, but this is the scouting period. Korean pitchers aren't that stupid. Once the analysis is done, he won't maintain this performance. If he does, why is he playing in the KBO? What will he do if he maintains this performance? Alright, if Gang Geon-woo maintains a .400 batting average until the All-Star break, I'll go to Sajik in my underwear!”

Most fans (of course, excluding Oceans fans) were predicting the bottom of the league for Oceans and Meteors.

Meteors were performing well with a 6-4 record.

There was a general opinion that Pirates and Vikings, who were struggling early in the season, would soon rise.

Anyway, the Bulldozers players were also discussing Gang Geon-woo.

“Look at this. This is his swing from the SCAM, and this is his swing from yesterday.”

“Completely the same? He must have prepared well. It means he perfected his swing from the SCAM.”

“The coach showed me a video from high school, and it looked like a different person.”

Since he's a rookie, it's necessary to check and there are times when we need to challenge him.

The common point of the home runs he hit yesterday was that they were all fastballs over 150 km/h.

“So, we should focus on breaking balls.”

“He picks them out like a ghost. That guy is a bit strange. Jin-jong only gave him two walks.”

“Is he stealing signs?”

“Oceans players aren't smart enough to do that, right?”

“Did Hyun-han teach him some habits? That guy is a ghost at finding such things.”

“Yeah, that could be.”

“Ah, Hyun-han is just amazing!”

“If they offered 1 billion more, I'd go.”

“I wouldn't go to Oceans even if they offered 2 billion more.”

“Well, let's try to challenge him with breaking balls today.”

“He'll stop. He's been like this since the SCAM, so he'll fall apart in the summer.”

“Shit. I also worked hard since the SCAM.”

“How much did you get for your signing bonus?”

“400 million.”

“He's worth 1.5 billion.”

“Ah, bro. Are you discriminating based on signing bonuses?”

“There is something different about him. Anyway, when you face Gang Geon-woo, try to intimidate him a bit.”

“The Vikings players got hit by Yang Dae-geun.”

“I can't intimidate Gang Geon-woo. If I get hit by Dae-geun, I'll be out for the season.”

“Didn't you see Kim Il-jeon get hit by Dae-geun and end up with an 8.00 ERA? Don't talk about intimidating. It's scary.”

#

Everyone knows how to beat Oceans.

Increase the pitch count of the starting pitcher and bring the bullpen into the game.

This was the same for last season and this season. But what changed from last year to this year is Oceans' hitting.

On the surface, the lineup seems weaker.

Park Jeong-shin, who consistently hit .300 with a .400 OBP, was replaced by Hwang Seok-gyu, and the average keystone combination was replaced by rookie duos.

Two starting outfielders were also replaced, though they were filled by FA and foreign players.

Despite this, it became more challenging.

In the past, Oceans' strategy was to walk Park Jeong-shin and Yang Dae-geun and then face a tough battle, only for Lee Si-wook to ground out.

But now, it's different. Lee Si-wook is already a threat, and the addition of the Wolfpack, a powerful bat, has made the lineup even more formidable. The combination of Gang Geon-woo and Yang Dae-geun is outstanding, and the lineup looks several times more destructive with Bae Young-han replacing last year's second baseman.

Moreover, today's Oceans starting pitcher is Andy Garfield.

Against the Vikings, he pitched 8.1 innings with 1 run allowed, and against the Thunderbirds, he pitched 7 innings with no runs allowed.

Of course, the Bulldozers' starting pitcher is Jace Sullivan. Last season, he pitched 178 innings with a 15-7 record and 184 strikeouts, making him the team's foreign ace.

The two pitchers engaged in a high-level pitcher's duel from the start. Bulldozers fans also criticized the Irons for sending a catcher to Oceans.

“Ah, is Irons crazy? No matter how desperate, they're sending a catcher to Oceans.”

“Even if it was Oceans' original catcher, that curve would have definitely gone behind.”

“Jung Young-soo! Jung Young-soo!”

“What are you doing?”

“If Jung Young-soo comes in as a catcher, we can win easily. Let's cheer for Jung Young-soo.”

While Park Ui-hyun is chaotic, he shows solid defense during games.

Of course, it was noisy, but not as much as the bench.

“Andy! Good ball! Good stuff! You're the best! Cy Young! Cy Young!”

At first, Andy Garfield didn't like the noisy Korean, but now he's adapted.

What could he do? He wanted to use a different catcher to maintain his composure, but the other catcher couldn't even block a bouncing ball, let alone catch a fastball.

Garfield sighed slightly, caught the ball, and turned around. When he met Gang Geon-woo's eyes, he smiled and said,

“Is there a place in Korea that sells soundproof catcher's masks?”

“Throw a 99 mph fastball at his mouth to shut him up.”

“Good idea.”

Noh Kyung-woo chimed in from the side.

“Let's laugh together.”

“Garfield said you're ugly.”

“What?”

“Just play defense.”

The core hitter of the Bulldozers, third baseman Seo Woo-ju, walked on a full count, not fooled by a big drop curve.

The next batter, Lee Ji-hoon, hit a sharp sinker.

But shortstop Gang Geon-woo made a difficult play, turning it into a double play to end the inning quickly.

Andy Garfield smiled and brushed the dirt off Gang Geon-woo's uniform, saying,

“If I knew you could play defense like this, I would have been a shortstop in the majors.”

“What about hitting?”

“Oh, damn. I didn't think of that.”

They chuckled and returned to the dugout. Garfield patted Gang Geon-woo's shoulder and added,

“If you can play defense like that, you could be a backup infielder.”

Gang Geon-woo just laughed it off.

‘Of course. I've played as a full-time shortstop in the majors.’

#

After quitting as a two-way player, I played my first two seasons as a shortstop. Even when I was a two-way player, I played shortstop in important games.

Playing both shortstop and pitcher is really exhausting. Both positions are extremely demanding physically.

After two full seasons as a shortstop, I switched to focus on hitting, moving to third base, outfield, and eventually designated hitter in my later years.

Back then, I hated hearing about physical fitness. So, I trained even harder and only slept when I wasn't playing or practicing. Yeah, that's how it was.

I entrusted all the technical aspects to Yuli. What else?

Talent plays a significant role in baseball.

Without Yuli's help, I won the Rookie of the Year in my first full season in the majors with 10 wins and 15 home runs, so no one doubted my talent.

* * *

“Strike! Out!”

Bae Young-han struck out. It's the top of the 4th inning, and the score is 0-0.

“Ah, Jace, that bastard. He could have let one go, but he didn't.”

Bae Young-han, who played with Jace Sullivan last year, chuckled and leaned over to give a hint.

“It seems they're going to challenge you with breaking balls, even if they give you a walk today?”

I already knew that from the first inning.

I don't particularly like walks, but I can't just swing at any pitch. They're throwing fastballs over 150 km/h to other batters but sliders and curves to me. How could I not notice?

Just hit the fastball.

Ironically, I time my swing better with fast fastballs than slow ones. Adjusting my timing to slow pitches is unrealistic.

Changing my rhythm is risky. It goes against my baseball philosophy, and slumps often start from small things.

A 3-degree angle change in the bat or wrist, or a 1-inch wider stride, can cause my balance to collapse.

“Baseball genius, come on.”

The Bulldozers' catcher is friendly. I just nod and step into the batter's box.

“Since you didn't hit a home run in your first at-bat, did you break up with your girlfriend?”

Trash talk?

Major League-style trash talk is so intense it's hard to even say.

“I told her to go home because I thought I could hit without her.”

Just standing still doesn't suit me. Still, I answered nicely, considering the skill gap between MLB and KBO.

The catcher laughed in disbelief.

You always need to stay calm at the plate. Once your mental state is off, your swing balance is affected.

But thinking about it, what did this guy just say?

No, no. Relax.

Relax.

When I glared slightly, the catcher snickered.

“Why don't you call Dae-geun to hit me?”

His cute provocation suddenly calmed me down.

Having been a pitcher myself, I understand a pitcher's mindset.

The pitcher frowned, shook his head repeatedly, and glanced at the bench.

The signs don't match.

He's a good slider pitcher, and his changeup and curve are decent. But with a good fastball, pitchers take pride in it.

Maybe he's thinking, ‘Why should I do this?’ even though the bench is telling him to make a tough battle.

He did as he was told in the first at-bat, even though he didn't want to, but he's been perfect since then.

He definitely wants to throw a fastball. I know. He's frustrated because he's throwing well today, but he has to do this.

The umpire gave a warning, and the battery finally agreed.

The pitcher glared at me and started his pitch.

If a fastball doesn't come here?

* * *

That's not a man.

“Wowwwww!”

“Gang! Geon! Woo!”

“Geon-woo!”

The ball I hit flew high.

Come to think of it, Hyun-soo messaged me that if I hit a home run