Chapter 58

*Plink Plink Plank Plank* -2-

#

Edward Martin quickly regained his composure after giving up a grand slam. Thunderbirds' manager Donggi said, "Show your son that Dad hasn't lost yet," and Martin did his best to play a game he wouldn't be ashamed of in front of his son who came to watch the game.

Since he had been hit hard by the four-seam fastball and curve, it was a somewhat immediate decision, but his strategy to avoid the crisis by mainly using sliders and changeups worked.

In the top of the second inning, he managed to prevent any additional runs and continued the competition.

On the other hand, Oceans.

When the starting pitcher, Hoon, induced two strikeouts and a groundout in the bottom of the first inning, keeping the score at zero, everything seemed fine.

- Haha, Hoon was once a genius pitcher.

- His potential is about to explode, hahaha.

- Who told Hoon to come to Sajik? Hahaha.

- Seriously, when Hoon throws a forkball, I don't envy Hwangbo Gyeongtae, hahaha.

- Right, hahaha. Honestly, if you only look at Hoon's forkball, isn't he the top in KBO? Hahaha.

- You guys are over the line, hahaha.

However, in the bottom of the second inning, Thunderbirds' home run king, Yun Taeho, hit the first pitch.

*Crack*!

It was a hit straight out of a manga.

The ball, as if drawn with a ruler, soared over the left-field wall.

- Haha, since it's Children's Day, we should give a point to the electric chicken, hahaha.

- Yeah, it's a Children's Day gift.

- Don't be greedy, take one and leave. I warned you.

Hoon is a pitcher known for being a home run factory in the KBO league.

His pitches are fast, but he often gets hit due to the honest ball ends of his four-seam fastballs.

Thunderbirds fans even half-jokingly say that 30% of Yun Taeho's home run king title belongs to Hoon.

*Crack*!

Then came the first-pitch full swing from the Thunderbirds' fifth foreign batter, Tim Carter.

When the back-to-back home runs exploded, the Oceans fans, who had been defending against the criticism from other team fans that it wasn't a tight game, changed their attitude.

- Damn, do the Thunderbirds only bring out the tight balls when Oceans is on defense?

- No, how can a ball fly like that? It's ridiculous.

- It's really suspicious.

Of course, these comments are just unfiltered thoughts from baseball fans who react emotionally.

- Idiots, hahaha. This is less embarrassing than when your Jo Geonwoo and this bastard hit the ceiling, hahaha.

- As a fellow fan, I'm embarrassed. Even if Hoon pitches, if it's not back-to-back but back-to-back-to-back-to-back-to-back-to-back, it wouldn't be strange, hahaha.

- Why does Hoon's ball look like that?

- If you bunt, it goes over the infield, I've seen it.

- Hoon, just stay in Sajik!

- Hey, Hoon, isn't it fine to pitch in Jamsil? If you trade a top outfielder from Angels or Bulldozers, wouldn't it be good?

- Trade a top outfielder for Hoon? These guys are having a conscience sale, hahaha.

- You haven't won in 40 years, so it's not a sale but a clearance, hahaha.

Anyway, the long ball show over two innings was quite entertaining for third-party observers, not just the fans of both teams.

But the fireworks they were expecting didn't start for a while.

The third and fourth innings passed as if nothing had happened, and in the top of the fifth inning.

The fireworks started again.

#

*Crack*!

When you're on the mound and hear such a crisp hit, you get angry first.

A well-hit ball sounds different. Of course, the sound can be louder depending on the stadium environment, but a small hit sound is already unpleasant, and a big hit sound can be infuriating.

But what if you're at the plate and your swing produces that sound?

"Kang Geonwoo! Kang Geonwoo! Kang Geonwoo!"

"Kang-Geon-Woo! Kang-Geon-Woo! Kang Geonwoo! Oceans' Kang Geonwoo!"

"Kang! Geon! Woo!"

It's impossible not to feel good when the fans' cheers echo like this.

It's just a bit disappointing that Yool isn't here today. Well, even without Yool, the fans shouting, "Geonwoo! Yool-ah wants you to hit a home run!" is a separate issue.

"Hey! Are you using a doctored bat?"

A Thunderbirds home fan, either drunk or angry, was shouting loudly.

Bae Younghan, who had just scored with me, looked at that direction and smirked at me.

"Hey, don't worry about it. See? That guy is pretty drunk."

"Drunk people can recognize other drunk people, right?"

"Yeah, he's definitely drunk. You can tell just by looking. The smell... Wow. Do they sell makgeolli at the stadium now? He had makgeolli, soju, and beer."

I called the bat boy to get the bat I just used for the home run.

In the major leagues, a batter once, tired of being accused of using a doctored bat, broke his bat in half in front of the camera and showed it.

I don't plan to do that. I don't want to accidentally hurt myself by breaking the bat with my knee.

So, I walked over to the fan who was sitting near the catcher's box.

"Hey! Hey! Where are you going! Hey!"

"Hey! Kang Geonwoo!"

An urgent voice came, probably worried something might happen. I handed the bat through the safety net to the slightly flustered fan who had been yelling at me.

Then, I pretended to break the bat on my knees with both hands and said,

"Break it in half. If there's anything inside, I'll retire."

The umpire glared at me, and the head coach did too. The security guards were flustered, but...

From experience, when someone is a bit loud, this approach always works out fine.

Anyway, 6-2.

Since it was Children's Day, the children's members of the Thunderbirds were already excited by the earlier home run, so it's not my fault.

#

The game between Oceans and Thunderbirds ended with a final score of 7-5.

Edward Martin gave up two home runs and six runs but managed to pitch six innings.

Hoon, who also gave up two home runs but only two runs, allowed a timely double to Yun Taeho, giving up three runs but still pitched a quality start for six innings. Considering the various bets netizens made on how many home runs Hoon would give up today, he did a pretty good job.

Oceans' bullpen only gave up two runs in three innings, which could be considered a modest achievement.

Even Oceans' hardcore fans didn't expect the bullpen to erase three innings. Kim Jeonghyuk pitched 0.2 innings, Kim Hojin 0.1 innings, and Jang Jinseok 1 inning.

Cho Hyungoh, who had a day off in the last game, recorded his second save of the season with a scoreless inning.

And today's grand slam hitter, Lee Siwook, smiled and told the reporters,

"Ah, yes. It's Children's Day, right? I did it for the children in Busan... Yes, I'm sorry to the Thunderbirds' children's members, but there are many children in Busan. Please understand..."

He might have thought he would be the main topic, but someone else brought even bigger news.

"Kang Geonwoo! Why did you give your bat to a fan in the fifth inning?"

It was an unusual sight. Actually, it wasn't an ideal situation. Interacting with fans during the game can lead to problems.

Kang Geonwoo answered calmly.

"Yes, I got scolded by the manager."

"Why did you give the bat?"

"That person thought I was using a doctored bat, so I gave it to him as a gift."

#

[The only game on Children's Day, Oceans defeats Thunderbirds 7-5!]

[Four home runs. The Gochok Dome Children's Day match ends with Oceans' victory.]

[Grand slam by Lee Siwook, first Children's Day hit in his career!]

[Two-run home run hitting the Gochok Dome ceiling. Kang Geonwoo's bold response to the doctored bat suspicion.]

- They were already saying he was using a doctored bat, and now they should be slapped.

- My face was burning, hahaha. The drunk uncle's face was red, and when Kang Geonwoo approached, he froze and couldn't say anything, hahaha.

- People who get drunk at the stadium and yell at players should disappear.

- You guys are right, but that's not what an Oceans fan should say.

- Hahaha, Oceans' sharp response, hahaha.

- The chicken leg hitters are suddenly acting righteous, hahaha.

- Oceans fans also criticized the chicken leg hitter, so know your place, -_-

- The ones who curse the most are the Oceans fans, hahaha.

[Thunderbirds fan A: "I shouted in a fit of anger while drunk. I feel embarrassed in front of a player around my son's age... I won't drink at the stadium again."]

- Good quick reflection.

- But what if the bat was really doctored when he broke it in half?

- Would you break it? Kang Geonwoo's home run bat??

- Common sense says, would he give a doctored bat? Stupid.

- Would you give your bat if someone cursed you after a home run?

- You'd be buried by Oceans fans in Sajik.

- You should do it on an away game.

- Hahaha, I'll try it at Gochok next time.

#

It was something I did without much thought, but it seems to have attracted a lot of attention.

-Yool: Why did you give the bat to that guy? 😭😭😭😭😭

-Yool: It's so pretty, 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭

-Me: She called after the game and apologized.

-Me: She said she'll be my fan, hahaha.

-Yool: Did you get a certification?

-Me: What certification?

-Yool: You need to buy an Oceans uniform with Kang Geonwoo's name to believe it.

-Yool: The world isn't that easy, Geonwoo...

-Yool: I started my Oceans fan life at five. How did I get to this point?

-Yool: I got rid of the good ones and sent the bad ones away. I killed all the Oceans haters, Geonwoo. Try stabbing a bat.

Sometimes Yool says random things.

I didn't fully understand what she meant, but Yool is cute when she pretends to be an adult.

-Me: What's the big deal, hahaha. It's already in the past.

-Me: How was your day?

-Me: Was it boring without me?

When I asked, Yool called me right away.

Since No Kyoungwoo, who shares the away game accommodation with me, was playing table tennis with Lee Siwook, I answered the call comfortably.

Yool's voice on the smartphone sounded a bit excited.

-Hey, Kang Geonwoo. I asked how your day was, and I suddenly got angry.

"Yea, what happened?"

-Well, I entered the Oceans fan open chat room. I used a different name.

Yool often starts with "Well" when something annoying has happened. She usually calls me with "Hey."

"Really? What kind of place is it?"

-It's just a place where hardcore fans gather to talk about Oceans, but... I was really annoyed.

"Why?"

-Well, someone came in with the name 'Jeong Yool.'

"Is she a fan of yours?"

-Not that. Listen.

Four consecutive "wells." I decided to listen quietly.

-That person pretended to be me.

"Huh? Pretended to be you? You're Jeong Yool, right?"

-It was so ridiculous. I asked who they were and why they were impersonating me.

"What did they say?"

-They went crazy. They wanted me to be kicked out. They said they were Jeong Yool.

"Really? Such people exist?"

-Did I really get kicked out?

"Report them."

-No, no need to report.

"Why?"

-I caught the culprit.

"Caught the culprit? How?"

-They were in the next room.

"...Hyunsoo?"

-Yeah, that crazy guy.

"Did you let him live?"

-Just enough not to kill him. I almost broke my smartphone in half but held back.

I just laughed.

Sometimes, I envied families with siblings because I'm an only child.

When I was young, I told Hyunsoo I wanted a sister. He begged me to take his sister away.

We need to win soon to fulfill Hyunsoo's wish.

"Good job. Hyunsoo needs a beating."

-Right? If that guy gets caught again, I'll kill him.

Hyunsoo needs a beating. That kind of joke is not okay.

After venting, Yool seemed to feel better and excitedly talked about how fun today's game was.

-Next time, if someone curses from the stands, just break their helmet with your bat.

"If I get arrested, who will make Oceans win?"

-What does it matter? You're more important than Oceans.

Why did that simple statement sound so good?

I finished the call with Yool and called Hyunsoo.

-Hey, bro! Listen! I...

"Hey."

-Huh?

"Don't make Yool angry."

-Oh, bro.

"Go apologize to her."

-Bro, I feel so wronged.

"Will you stop giving signed balls now?"

Hyunsoo is still in high school and likes to show off our friendship.

Considering the trouble he's caused, sometimes I need to give him a stern talk.

It's a childish threat, but he's not inherently bad.

Hyunsoo surrendered after a short silence.

"Should I bring her a bowl of ramen and apologize?"

I laughed and replied.

"Make it Jjapagetti."

-Okay.

"Add some green chili peppers."

-Okay.

"Half-cooked egg."

-Got it.

"Kimchi, too."

-That's a given.

I had forgotten, but I need to keep an eye on him to prevent him from causing trouble.

He didn't commit a crime, and we always argue, but Yool will be heartbroken.

"Let's eat meat when I get back from the away game. I'll treat you."

-Of course, bro!

I hung up and sent a message to Yool.

-Me: Do you want Jjapagetti, Yool?

-Yool: I was just craving it.

-Yool: With green chili peppers and a half-cooked egg, mmm.

-Yool: But it's cheating to talk about Jjapagetti when you're not here, -_-

-Me: Wait 5 minutes.

-Me: I'll bring you Jjapagetti.

-Yool: What are you talking about???

-Me: Hahaha, just wait.