Chapter 42

Poker Face -4-

#

Anyone can hit a home run. Even an ace with an ERA in the 1s can be hit for a home run by a backup hitter with a batting average in the 100s; that's baseball.

However, the KBO of the late 2020s was the era of 'Kim Park-min.'

These three pitchers, who began to stand out in the early to mid-2020s, not only had exceptional skills but also star power, achieving outstanding results in both the KBO league and international tournaments.

The fact that they were each a different type of pitcher was also a point of appeal.

The common point of these three starting pitchers this season was this:

[Special National Team Ace) Hit a first-pitch home run by Kang Geon-woo]

People answered differently when asked who among the three was the best.

However, almost no one doubted the abilities of the three pitchers.

Kang Geon-woo was a player who knew the habits of pitchers very well and stole home runs from the three national team aces in turn.

"Ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah."

Kang Geon-woo, entering the dugout, was hit on the helmet by his teammates one after another.

Having such a hitter boosts team morale.

There was no reason not to. He had hit home runs against all three players, proving that he could hit a home run regardless of the opponent.

"Ah! No Gyeong-woo! Ah!"

"Proud! Hey! Baseball! Thousand! Talent! Kang! Geon! Woo!"

"Ah!"

"U!"

"Ah!"

"Yut!"

"Ah!"

"Light!"

"Ah!"

"Crack!"

"Ugh!"

While this was not a pleasant experience for Kang Geon-woo, the main characters of the Sajik resolution, No Gyeong-woo and Park Ui-hyun, persistently followed and hit his helmet.

In the midst of this, Kang Geon-woo noticed that Go Min-seong, with his poker face, was holding a two-seam grip instead of a forkball grip in a corner.

Kang Geon-woo, who had scratched No Gyeong-woo's face with his large hand, sat next to Go Min-seong.

"Try throwing a two-seam?"

"Can you teach me?"

"Bend your middle finger a little."

"Like this?"

"Extend it a bit more."

"Hmm. It seems hard to transfer power."

"When you throw, pressing it slightly can maximize the movement."

"Will it strain my arm?"

"Using your pectoral and trapezius muscles can help."

Go Min-seong slowly turned his head to look at Kang Geon-woo.

To him, it was a look of shock and surprise.

But to Kang Geon-woo, it was as if there was no reaction at all.

Perhaps it was because the surroundings were filled with people who reacted well.

"Ocean's 4th batter! When you think of Oceans, Yang Dae-geun! The symbol of Oceans! The giant of Oceans! Yang! Dae! Geun! Yang Dae-geun home! Run!"

The catcher mimicking the cheerleader by the dugout wall.

"Bottom, hoo, bottom, hoo. Today, quickly, bottom, short."

The guy who got the nickname 'No Dung-woo' for shaking his bottom so much.

"Geon-woo... I'm dying..."

Or, Jeong Yoo-ri, who was still suffering from Kang Geon-woo in the stands.

"Is he still like that?"

"Sis. Leave him. He's so happy he's dying."

"Phew. At home, you talk about playing hard to get, but here..."

#

If we were to list Park Yong-jae's strengths, his ability to pitch long innings would be first, followed by his variety of pitches.

Actually, his stuff wasn't that great. He just covered it with excellent control and a variety of pitches.

His strong mental fortitude was one of his most powerful weapons.

Snap!

"Foul!"

A full-count battle with Yang Dae-geun.

When baseball fans choose the best first baseman, they often mention Kim Ho-geun of the Vikings or Yun Tae-ho of the Thunderbirds, but to Park Yong-jae, the most challenging first baseman was Yang Dae-geun.

First, he doesn't fall for tricks. If he doesn't want to hit a pitch, he won't swing, even if it means striking out.

His bat control is also excellent. He hits every pitch he thinks he can hit.

And perhaps, he might be the only one who doesn't know his own power. Park Yong-jae believes that Yang Dae-geun has the ability to hit more home runs than home run king Yun Tae-ho, but because he's a selective hitter, he hasn't surpassed 30 home runs.

'Two-seam.'

Anyway, after taking an unexpected hit, he was calmly continuing the battle with one of the most challenging batters he thought of.

He had no choice but to use his most powerful weapon, the two-seam.

In the most critical situation, it would be a direct confrontation anyway.

Snap!

The sharply controlled two-seam fastball tried to fool the batter by appearing to go outside the left-handed batter's zone.

Yang Dae-geun's bat slightly came out. The pitch, which seemed to be going outside, curved less and aimed inside the zone.

Snap!

Yang Dae-geun's bat speed increased as he tried to pull it back. The bat, following the trajectory and swinging down, slightly pushed the two-seam, resulting in a single between third and shortstop.

'Huh.'

Park Yong-jae bit his lip slightly.

The third baseman and shortstop jumped one after another, but it was an impossible hit.

He slightly took off his cap and scratched the back of his head.

'Oceans is getting a bit tired.'

He needed to step up. Still, being in the double digits in the standings is a bit much, isn't it?

He was a bit envious. No, he was very envious.

'Where can I find a guy like Kang Geon-woo?'

Park Yong-jae thought this and signaled to the fielders that it was okay to focus.

The next batter was Wolfpack.

Just looking at his biceps, it seemed like it would make one's head spin, but Park Yong-jae loved facing such types of batters.

Snap!

"Out!"

A full swing at the first-pitch curve. He hit the end of the ball, resulting in a line drive out to the shortstop.

Park Yong-jae scratched his nose and came down from the mound.

#

Having played both as a batter and a pitcher is a significant advantage.

And did I just do it half-heartedly?

I won the Cy Young Award and the Major League MVP.

One of the MVPs was won simultaneously with the Cy Young, but the other two were won as a batter.

At the time, I thought I won them because I was good.

But thinking about it now, if it weren't for Yoo-ri, I might have just been a peculiar player who could throw a bit and hit a bit.

Actually, most players have some experience in both batting and pitching.

In Korea, many players stand out in both batting and pitching during their high school days. They choose one because it doesn't work at the professional level.

Snap!

The batter of Meteors, who suddenly hit a home run against Garfield, started as a pitcher when he joined the pros.

His wrist strength is so good that Meteors is trying to develop him as a core batter, and he demonstrated that strength.

The game was turned around 2-1 due to that home run.

Of course, when a pitcher-turned-batter unleashes their potential, fans are really happy.

Even if the player is in their thirties, a so-called veteran, seeing that home run might make people say, "Finally, he's breaking out."

Garfield's face turned bright red. He often can't control his anger when things don't go his way.

Still, he somehow managed to get through that inning. The third baseman, Hwang Seok-gyu, fumbled a hard-hit ball and threw it to first base. Initially, it was called safe, but the call was overturned to out after video review.

Garfield regained his composure after that.

For such a type of pitcher, even if they are close friends, telling them to calm down doesn't work. They are just angry at themselves. To prevent their anger from spreading, the best thing is to leave them alone.

Well, if my Major League career were still intact, I could say, "Shut up and just throw the ball," but my glorious and insolent past is already gone.

When we ended the inning and returned to the dugout, Garfield noticed Go Min-seong.

Go Min-seong was practicing throwing in the air at the back of the dugout, following the mechanism I taught him.

Garfield muttered to himself.

"Fucking Andy. Calm down. It's just one home run. Yeah, that's right. Andy, you're better now. Look at that guy. Look at that undertaker's face from hell. Learn from that."

I had to suppress my laughter. An undertaker's face from hell?

But more than that, it was funny to see Garfield trying to calm himself with his own muttering.

"Are you thinking about your girlfriend again, splitting your smile like that?"

No Gyeong-woo's comment, glancing at me, made my expression stiffen. Well, as Yoo-ri said, it's perfect for getting scolded to be laughing in the dugout after a rookie hits a game-tying home run.

#

"Kang! Geon! Woo!"

In the bottom of the 9th inning, Oceans fans were shouting Kang Geon-woo's name at the top of their lungs.

On the mound was Meteors pitcher Jeong Yun-seok.

Park Yong-jae had thrown 109 pitches over 8 innings and allowed only 1 run, but the closer, who throws up to 155 km/h, had walked two batters in a row.

Kang Geon-woo was walking to the plate.

Manager Hugh Breadman didn't particularly like using pinch runners.

Kim Ji-ho, who had a few opportunities as an outfielder when Yang Dae-geun was suspended, had a troubled look on his face.

While Hwang Seok-gyu is quite fast, I thought he could have been a pinch runner when Bae Young-han walked.

Kim Ji-ho, the fastest runner on the team, was worried. The head coach's words, "Don't worry, just wait a bit," provided no comfort.

It was better when I was the manager. Even with more outfielders, there were more opportunities for pinch runners and defensive substitutions.

Anyway, the closer was sweating profusely.

After giving up a home run in the bottom of the 1st inning, Park Yong-jae had tightly shut down the Oceans lineup with all his might.

Of course, Park Yong-jae was the kind of person who would just laugh and say it was okay, even if he lost a win.

Frankly, I think the current situation is partly the batters' fault.

If we had scored 5 runs instead of 2, we would have had more leeway.

"Hey! Don't you want to throw the ball?"

"You're scared!"

Sajik Stadium was really unpleasant. How loud the voices of the drunk fans were.

There was also fear. After all, Kang Geon-woo, who had hit a home run off Park Yong-jae, was up to bat.

Still, he had to do his job. First pitch.

"Strike!"

It was perfectly on the edge of the strike zone, almost impossible for the batter to swing at.

There was a bit of help from the umpire. It wasn't a pitch that would have been called a ball, so Kang Geon-woo didn't show much dissatisfaction.

But in this tense situation.

A shout from one side of the stands started to grow louder.

"Geon-woo! Yoo-ri-ssi wants you to hit a home run!"

Kang Geon-woo hadn't been with the team for very long.

But almost no Oceans fans were unaware of the relationship between Kang Geon-woo and Jeong Yoo-ri.

He must have been quite the showman.

He shouted "I love Yoo-ri-ssi" in front of the fans and said in an interview with a major sports news outlet that the only thing more important than the team was Yoo-ri-ssi.

Oceans fans were fine with it. If a young couple loves each other, it's not something to criticize, even if their love is more important than the team.

Moreover, how well Kang Geon-woo was performing.

In Busan, if you play baseball well, you're a king and a president. As long as you play well, you won't be criticized unless you commit a serious crime. In fact, there might be quite a few people who would defend you even if you did commit a crime.

Anyway, Oceans fans were hoping for a miraculous comeback.

So, someone started shouting, and others followed, praying.

"Hey! Kang Geon-woo! Yoo-ri-ssi wants you to hit a home run!"

Yoo-ri's embarrassment and panic were irrelevant.

"Ah! Mom! Are you crazy?"

"Why? You said it yourself!"

"Ah! What is this?"

Yoo-ri's "Geon-woo! Hit a home run!" might not have reached Kang Geon-woo, but if Oso-hee, famous for the Sajik twin flags, rallied the fans, the story would be different.

"Geon-woo! Yoo-ri-ssi wants you to hit a home run!"

"Geon-woo!!!"

"Yoo-ri!!!"

"Wants you to hit a home run!!"

The shouts grew louder. Though initially disorganized and chaotic, by the time the pitcher was almost ready to throw the second pitch, Kang Geon-woo could understand the crowd's shouts to some extent.

'Hit a home run?'

Kang Geon-woo's eyes sparkled.

This situation was quite amusing.

Over 20,000 spectators were shouting his and Yoo-ri's names.

He felt joyful. And the completely energized Kang Geon-woo literally smashed a curveball that was almost in the dirt.

As if he were playing golf.

Snap!

Oceans' base coach frantically waved his arms at the hit. It was a signal to the runners to run.

Hwang Seok-gyu and Bae Young-han ran as fast as they could. The coach didn't stop waving his arms.

The ball landed in a perfect spot. Almost at the end of the right field line.

Perhaps because he hit a low pitch, the ball had backspin and curved in the opposite direction, landing in a place the right fielder didn't expect.

Hwang Seok-gyu stood and touched home plate. Then Bae Young-han slid into home with a bent-leg slide.

Kang Geon-woo, who had stopped at a base, pointed in the direction where Jeong Yoo-ri was with his outstretched arm.

The flags were waving wildly, and over 20,000 spectators screamed in joy.

And a mischievous shout spread like the previous one.

"Kiss! Kiss!"

Kang Geon-woo, who had been performing a cool and serious walk-off ceremony, couldn't help but smile. In the end, he laughed like a fool, and Jeong Yoo-ri, covering her bright red face with her hands, said,

"Ah, because of Mom, what is this..."

Oso-hee chuckled while waving the