Chapter 37

# Looking for a Witness -3-

#

With Kang Geon-woo's decision to stay with the KBO, many things changed.

Originally, the Oceans would have drafted the right-handed, left-batting shortstop Yu Byung-seong and converted him to an outfielder. Now, Yu Byung-seong, wearing the Meteors uniform, is receiving training in the minor league.

Lee Min-ho, a left-handed pitcher who was originally supposed to be drafted by the Meteors after graduating from college, went to the Pirates and is undergoing rehabilitation after surgery. Jeong Hyun-deok, a catcher who was expected to become the Pirates' starting catcher after immediately shining as a backup, ended up starting in the minor league with the Vikings, who already had their best catcher.

No Kyung-woo was also not supposed to join the Oceans.

Many things changed.

Now, as a backup, Kim Se-wan wouldn't have felt rushed due to Kang Geon-woo and No Kyung-woo, and he would have easily taken the starting shortstop position after Jeong Gwi-hyun's drunk driving incident.

Since he would have been cautious around Go Eun-tae, who was close to Jeong Gwi-hyun, the incident with Go Eun-tae due to sudden over-enthusiasm wouldn't have happened.

Park Ui-hyun, who was supposed to stay as a backup for a few more years with the Irons before quitting baseball to become a top car salesman, became the starting catcher for the Oceans after just a few games.

Kang Geon-woo's choice caused a seismic shift in the Korean automobile industry.

Even Kang Geon-woo, the person at the center of it all, was unaware of many of these changes.

One of them was the fact that foreign pitchers, ace starters, and renowned closers were being hit.

"Throw a four-seam fastball and get a home run, throw a two-seam fastball and get a double..."

Of course, it's not a 100% probability.

But to Diamond's manager Jeong Yong-ho, watching Lauri Jackson hit his second double of the game today, it seemed that way.

"Still, it's better than giving up a home run, right?"

The pitching coach started to speak awkwardly but quickly shut his mouth when he saw the manager's eyes.

Vikings, Irons, Thunderbirds, Bulldozers.

Every team that has faced Kang Geon-woo has given up a home run.

What kind of pitchers have given up home runs?

Not just verified foreign players, but also pitchers like Kim Gwon-jong, Bong Jae-seok, and Yong Su-hyun, known for their high velocity.

Manager Jeong Yong-ho clicked his tongue and scolded the pitching coach.

"Come on, even if he's good, how can you not handle a rookie? Do you think you can become a professional team manager with that attitude? Being a manager isn't something just anyone can do."

"Sorry..."

As the pitching coach hung his head, the hitting coach, who used to hit .300 like it was nothing during his playing days, tried to defend him a little.

"His swing is much better than what I've seen in videos. He's really something, Manager. It's not the pitcher's fault."

"I know. Hey, I've been in baseball for how many years, and do you think I don't know that? But even if you have a great swing, does it make home runs worth 0.5 points? Does it only raise the ERA by half? If there's a rule that gives 0.1 win for a good fight, bring it to me."

"No, sir..."

"If you know it's wrong, go figure out how to deal with that Kirk or whatever."

"Understood."

While his velocity might not be as good as Andy Garfield's, Kirk Simpson, with his outstanding control and excellent mental fortitude, was pitching steadily even when allowing baserunners.

"You should quit and become a manager if you find it so dirty."

This was Jeong Yong-ho's last season under his three-year contract, which he signed after experiencing the postseason for two consecutive years out of his first three years. Despite leading the team for six years, his position had become precarious after failing to reach the postseason in the last two seasons, making him more irritable than ever.

"Hey! Battery! If you're going to catch, do it properly! I'm embarrassed, really."

Yang Dae-geun drew a walk.

The catcher barely caught a pitch that was completely outside the strike zone and habitually framed it back into the zone, but the umpire called a walk without hesitation.

The battery coach bowed his head and thought to himself.

'Damn. He's the one who told them to do it...'

#

The hardest part for a pitcher when facing a batter is when you feel like they can hit anything you throw.

And when that happens, it's strangely always a hit.

I know this from experience.

When you're so focused on not hitting a solid shot that you aim for the edge of the strike zone, your control often fails.

You have to throw with the mindset that if they hit it, it's out of your control, and you need to erase it from your mind.

Of course, that's easier said than done.

"Walk!"

But when you're afraid of hitting a solid shot and end up walking the batter, you feel a sense of self-loathing.

That's why mental fortitude is so important for both pitchers and batters. You need to be able to quickly forget a walk, but that's not easy.

Most of the time, it goes one of two ways.

You lose focus and walk the next batter, or you lose your composure and get hit hard.

"Walk!"

Even if you've practiced your pitching motion thousands of times and it feels second nature, if your mental state is off, you might forget how you usually pitch.

Of course, it can be both, but usually one leads to the other.

Crack!

After giving consecutive walks and feeling shaken, if you throw a bad pitch to a power hitter, you're in trouble.

Why are they called power hitters?

If you don't throw outside the strike zone or don't use a good breaking ball, it's a home run.

I remember the feeling when a batter with a .230 batting average but 40 home runs in a season stepped up to the plate during my Major League days.

The compulsion to not throw a mistake.

Anyway, when facing such a type of batter, it's inevitable.

"Ahhhhhhhh!"

"Wolfpack! Wolfpack!"

The Wolfpack player who scored at home pounded his chest like a gorilla. When I told him it looked more like King Kong than a wolf, he shouted without caring.

"King Kong Wolfpack is here!"

He then tried to give me and Daegun a high-five. Daegun, who is secretly a neat freak, looked horrified when he touched Wolfpack's sweaty armpit but swallowed his complaints and congratulated him.

"Nice shot, Wolf. Good shot. Big shot."

#

With the Oceans achieving another three-game winning streak, the fans' momentum is off the charts.

- Yurina: (Link) [Maybe Kang Geon-woo is a god???]

- Yurina: (Link) [Shouldn't we report those who insult Geon-woo to the police?]

- Yurina: (Link) [I need a cooldown. I can't handle the way they call Geon-woo a 'butt-licking seagull' anymore]

- Yurina: Hey, idol of Sajik

- Yurina: It must be nice to be so popular???

- Me: I wish you liked me as much as all the Oceans fans combined

- Yurina: ;;;;;;;;

- Yurina: Hey, wait a minute

- Me: What?

- Yurina: Your last comment was so confusing

Anyway, they are leading with a 9-2 record.

However, baseball doesn't always go as planned. While the team's mood has improved with the winning streak, it's unclear how they will handle a losing streak.

With clear weaknesses, it will be difficult to maintain this positive atmosphere throughout the season.

Individual players and the team as a whole can experience slumps. Even though the KBO is clearly a lower level than the Major League, I can still fall into a slump out of nowhere.

A potential home run might be caught by an outfielder by an inch, or a series of great defensive plays, or just bad luck.

And we lost the next game. Kim Jeong-yong, known as "Kim Qual," failed to achieve a quality start and the team collapsed early in the game.

Disappointment poured out from the fans online.

[Kim Low-Qual is done. Shouldn't he start preparing for his retirement ceremony?]

- Watching him throw a curveball right down the middle and get a home run, I doubt his eyes.

- He wasn't weak against Hong Seok-heon last year, either.

- Retirement ceremony? Just open a chicken restaurant and sell chicken, damn it.

- He's a true koldere.

- Those koldere guys used to curse Jae-yun when he was active, but now they stamp in every day to his chicken shop. Haha.

- Jae-yun will probably build a building with the money he makes from selling chicken soon.

- Honestly, Kim Jeong-yong would do much better than Jae-yun's chicken shop.

The fans who came to support the away game were angry, but when Daegun bowed his head, they suddenly said it was okay and that he did well.

The fans seem a bit inconsistent.

They curse and demand the team be disbanded, but if a single hit is made, they sing about the Oceans' victory. I've seen Yurina do this so often that it's not that surprising.

- Mother: Son

- Mother: Is the pitcher named Kim Jeong-yong known for poor control?

Even my mother, who wasn't particularly interested in baseball, has changed after following my future mother-in-law.

- Me: No, his control is quite good.

- Mother: Then why does he throw a curveball in the middle and get a home run?

- Mother: Are you secretly betting on baseball?

Is baseball corrupting people, or is Oceans baseball that harmful?

- Mother: And there's Park Eun-soo.

- Mother: Tell him to eat more vegetables.

- Mother: His belly is sticking out, but his legs are thin. Is that abdominal obesity?

...It seems the original sin of the Oceans is not minor. My mother was never like this.

#

Coincidentally, the Oceans' Lee Hoon faced off against the Diamonds' ace, Min Seung-gi, in the starting rotation.

Min Seung-gi, a right-handed starter born in 2002, is one of the top three starting pitchers in Korea, alongside Park Yong-jae and Kim Gwon-jong.

He throws a fastball up to 154 km/h and has good inning-eating ability. Last season, he led the league with 195 strikeouts.

While he tends to struggle with runners in scoring position and has less control compared to the other two pitchers, Park Yong-jae and Kim Gwon-jong, even Oceans fans would likely root for Min Seung-gi in a matchup against Lee Hoon.

'Oceans...'

Min Seung-gi had a secret, not really a secret.

A grudge against the Oceans.

It was because the Oceans did not draft him.

'Those ignorant people who didn't draft me.'

Min Seung-gi was an Oceans fan from a young age and always imagined playing for them.

The Oceans passed on him and drafted Park Eun-soo, one of the two pillars of the Oceans' bullpen. Park Eun-soo, who had a 4.89 ERA last season!

'I'll make them regret that mistake again today...'

Min Seung-gi's nickname since middle school was "Min Middle School 2nd Year Syndrome." Of course, almost no one called him that openly.

A serious pitcher. So serious that he's often called "middle school 2nd year syndrome," but he sees it as the fate of an ace.

So serious with himself that when runners are in scoring position, he overthinks. Min Seung-gi stepped onto the mound in the first inning.

'Hwang Seok-gyu.'

The Oceans' leadoff hitter was Hwang Seok-gyu today.

'A year younger than me, the Oceans' first-round draft pick.'

A third baseman treated as a star hitter by the Oceans. He has power, above-average contact ability, and speed, but lacks plate discipline.

'With my fastball...'

Min Seung-gi chose his most confident weapon. A four-seam fastball that is not just fast but also has excellent spin and movement.

'I'll crush it!'

Bang!

"Strike!"

Min Seung-gi was satisfied with the first pitch but didn't show a smile.

To Min Seung-gi, an ace was always a lonely and charismatic figure. Despite having 1.5 vision in both eyes, he always wore glasses when he pitched. He touched the rosin bag, shoelaces, socks, glasses, and cap brim in sequence before preparing the second pitch.

"Strike!"

Hwang Seok-gyu, who took the first pitch, swung but missed the timing.

The catcher signaled for a slider with the favorable count, but Min Seung-gi shook his head.

'Using off-speed pitches with two strikes is for weaklings.'

Fans called him a "weakling" because he tends to struggle with runners in scoring position, but Min Seung-gi thought it was baseless talk from jealous people.

The third pitch was also a four-seam fastball.

'I'll throw it with all my soul!'

Crack!

A powerful inside fastball that nearly broke the bat. The ball soared high over the catcher's head.

"Out!"

The catcher caught the high fly ball cleanly and, without realizing it, wiped the cold sweat from his forehead.

'Phew. If I hadn't caught that, it would have been a one-hour lecture.'

Min Seung-gi, who always maintained a serious attitude towards baseball, was a source of fear for other players.

It was a bit awkward to show dislike. He was always the first to arrive and the last to leave the training ground. He was favored by the manager and was clearly the best player on the Diamonds.

'Bae Young-han. 70 billion won in free agency...'

Min Seung-gi's face became even more determined as he faced the next batter.

'I'll secure a much bigger contract than that.'

Min Seung-gi had ambition.

To sign a huge contract in free agency and transfer to the Oceans, leading the hopeless team to a championship.

Snap!

Bae Young-han hit the first pitch, and the ball was easily caught by the shortstop.

And the batter Min Seung-gi was eagerly waiting to face was stepping up to the plate.

"Go! Geon! Woo!"

Amid the enthusiastic cheers of the Oceans fans, who outnumbered the home fans.

'Kang Geon-woo. Fastball killer.'

Min Seung-gi glared at Kang Geon-woo with intense passion.

'But my fastball is different from others.'