Chapter 68

The Worst Kid -2-

#

At the end of the first inning, the score was 1-0. Oceans scored with a run batted in by Yang Daegun, while the Vikings went down in order with three outs.

It was only the beginning of the game, and with just one point, there was no sense that the game was tilting one way or the other.

However, the atmosphere of the conversations between the catchers in the dugouts was completely different.

"Oceans' eternal mental pillar! Kim! Jeong! Yong! Kim Jeong-yong! Kim Jeong-yong! Senior Kim Jeong-yong! Today's curveball is so, so, incredibly legendary, and Park Yehyun is drooling while catching it, not just admiring it, but literally drooling!"

Today's curveball was indeed good. It induced a swinging strikeout from Seo Chang-yeol and put Yang Daegun at a disadvantage with a favorable count. Kim Jeong-yong smiled and handed over a towel.

"Wipe your mouth."

"Ooh! Senior Kim Jeong-yong's towel! I'll treasure it as a keepsake!"

"That was the one the batter used just now."

"Ah, that's why! The familiar unpleasant smell of that man!"

Meanwhile, in the Vikings' dugout.

"Yong-han hyung."

"Yeah."

"Hyung, you made a bad pitch today."

"..."

Kim Young-joon, the Vikings' manager, placed a lot of trust in Jo Yong-han, who was a quiet player and usually called the pitches himself unless there was a special situation.

The pitchers also had a lot of trust in him. He was a smart player who had learned English and Spanish to communicate with foreign pitchers, making at least basic communication possible.

Actually, because Kim Gwon-jong was such an excellent pitcher and had a unique personality, he could say this. If it were another pitcher, the probability of thinking that he himself had made a mistake rather than the pitch being wrong would be almost 100%.

"I'll just throw as I see fit."

"..."

"Why?"

"..."

"Do you acknowledge that the pitch was bad?"

"Hey, even if it was bad, isn't that a bit harsh?"

"Hyung, are you past your prime?"

"..."

Jo Yong-han had nothing to say.

Usually, he could have argued or gotten angry, but today, he could only remain silent.

It was the same when he walked a batter on balls and when he gave up a timely hit to Yang Daegun.

The Yang Daegun he knew would never swing at that pitch on the first ball, but he had led with his past experience and ended up giving up a run.

"Kwon-jong."

"Yes."

"..."

"Why did you call me over and then not say anything?"

He couldn't bring himself to speak.

He couldn't say, "I'm sorry, I'll do better next time, please give me another chance," because his pride wouldn't allow it.

He also couldn't say, "Go to hell" or "F**k off," because Kwon-jong was starting today.

After a moment, Jo Yong-han quietly got up and gathered his equipment.

"Let's go for a perfect game for eight innings."

And Kim Gwon-jong grumbled all the way to the end.

"Hyung, if you do well, we can go for a perfect game."

"..."

#

Yuri always had mixed feelings when Kim Jeong-yong took the mound.

"Please, let it be a high-quality start today."

Senior Kim Jeong-yong is one of the players who looks very different from the outside and the inside. From what Yuri said, he seemed inconsistent, weak in big games, and lacked impact, but the Kim Jeong-yong I saw was a bit different.

Crack!

He wasn't so much inconsistent as subtly aggressive, often allowing consecutive hits when the defense didn't back him up or the batters were on.

I'm not sure about big games. Before I came, Oceans was always in the lower ranks, so it's questionable whether he was really weak in big games.

However, it's true that he doesn't have much impact.

"Out!"

While National Star Jon tests the batter's eye by alternating between inside and outside, this guy tries to throw most of his pitches in the strike zone.

If he had a faster fastball or exceptional movement, he could have been an incredible pitcher.

Thinking about it, he is definitely a great pitcher.

Even without exceptional speed or movement, he tries to win in the strike zone and continues this approach even if he gets hit.

If he had a proper pitching coach...

Well, baseball is a sport where anything is possible if you add "what if," so such assumptions are meaningless.

Kim Jeong-yong, who had retired the Vikings' fourth batter with a flyout to left field, smiled slightly and returned to the mound, rotating his arm.

A bit out of the blue, but maybe I'm the pinnacle of "what if."

What if an MLB MVP played in the KBO?

I'm currently hitting over .400 and have an on-base percentage of .510.

I was a bit curious about what kind of stats I would put up. I'm not sure if I can maintain a .400 batting average and a .500 on-base percentage, but I'm quite satisfied with my slugging percentage of .928 so far.

I was confident in my hitting.

I also paid a lot of attention to my defense.

Crack!

Senior Kim Jeong-yong threw a curveball that was working well today. The ball from the Vikings' fifth batter bounced low and to the third base side.

Senior Hwang Seok-gyu, the third baseman, dove, but the ball hit his glove and bounced towards me, slowing down a bit.

I was already running, anticipating a bunt.

I needed to change my steps.

I shortened my stride, bent my waist slightly, and slowed down. I wasn't sure if I could catch the ball in my glove and tag the runner. The short time it takes to catch, pull, and throw could make the difference between an out and a safe.

I adjusted my stride and waist angle to catch the ball barehanded and throw it immediately.

"Yahhhhhh!"

The cheers from the stands seemed to think the batter had reached first base with an infield hit.

Thud.

I caught the ball accurately.

Checked the first baseman's mitt position.

The runner was very close to first base.

I didn't have time to adjust my stance. I just had to throw.

I rotated my body and threw immediately.

Whoosh!

The ball flew straight and hit Senior Lee Si-wook's mitt, which was extended forward.

"Out!"

Instantly, the stadium fell silent.

The home fans, who were in the majority, were speechless, and a moment later, the smaller number of Oceans fans erupted in cheers.

"Wowwwww!"

"Geon-woo!"

"Kang Geon-woo! Kang Geon-woo! Kang Geon-woo!"

Senior Kim Jeong-yong laughed strangely.

"Hahaha."

So, this is it.

I haven't played shortstop for a long time.

It's been worth the intense training I've done.

#

[Damn... Kang Geon-woo's defense is f**king amazing...]

...

[The number of likes is quietly rising...]

[If it weren't for Yuri-ssi, he would have gone to the majors, right?]

[Thank you so much, Yuri-ssi!]

[Isn't this f**king possible?]

[I've only seen this in MLB highlights...]

[To see such a defense from a player I've known for a long time...]

[His hitting is great, and his defense is great too.]

[The ball gallery is like a funeral home right now.]

[That's why Yuri-ssi fell for him.]

[I would fall for him too.]

[Don't try to seduce Geon-woo. He only has Yuri-ssi.]

[The pitchers' improved performance is largely due to King Geon-woo's defense, right?]

[Yeah, a lot.]

[No runs allowed so far.]

[It's amazing. Even without errors, he's catching balls that should be hits.]

#

When the sixth batter, Jo Yong-han, struck out and returned, Kim Gwon-jong said,

"Hyung, did you see that throw?"

"What are you trying to say?"

"He said he could pitch well, right?"

"That's a bit unfortunate."

"He had good control. Even with a poor stance, he threw it right into the first baseman's mitt."

"..."

"If you're struggling, just move the mitt. I'll hit it right in."

"..."

#

Jung Yuri made a note.

-Geon-woo ♥♥♥♥♥♥

No Gyeong-woo: Needs to improve his batting.

Park Yehyun: Needs to be more composed.

Kim Sung-hoon: Beyond redemption.

In the notebook filled with such notes, Kang Geon-woo was overwhelmingly loved.

Today's game.

A three-game winning streak was faintly in sight.

Kim Jeong-yong recorded six scoreless innings.

There was a bases-loaded, one-out situation, but he met the requirements for a winning pitcher thanks to Kang Geon-woo's highlight-level defense and was taken out.

The score didn't increase much against Kim Gwon-jong, but Hwang Seok-gyu hit a solo home run, making it 2-0.

Kim Jeong-yong was taken out after throwing 94 pitches, but Kim Gwon-jong remained on the mound.

"Seeing him pitch in the first inning gave me some hope, but look at how fast that guy is throwing."

Kang Hyun-jae said, putting an apple in his mouth. Jung Jong-seok replied with a bittersweet expression.

"Hey, even two runs is something. Last year, I almost had to take blood pressure medication because of that guy."

Im Mira, who became a baseball fan because of her son, asked Yuri,

"Yuri, with Geon-woo's defense, how bad can his hitting be and still be a starter?"

Yuri answered without hesitation.

"If he hits .200, he should definitely be in the lineup. Actually, even .100 is worth using. The pitchers' stability is partly due to the addition of Park Yehyun, but Geon-woo's defense also plays a big role. If it weren't for Geon-woo's defense today, we might be losing."

Oh So-hee, who was polishing the flag as if she were a swordsman polishing a sword, interjected.

"Geon-woo's mom, if he hadn't come to Oceans, I wouldn't have taken out the flag at all."

Jung Hyun-sung, who only wrote on the internet when he wasn't arguing with his sister, wrote:

[Please give me some likes for peeling and giving an apple to my sister.]

-Okay.

-Okay.

-Did you peel it nicely?

-I'll give you a like if you did a rabbit cut.

Anyway, it seemed like a peaceful day was coming to an end.

Of course, that was just the hope of the Oceans fans.

#

-Oh, it's over! It's over! The Vikings tie the game! Kim Ho-geun hits his 10th home run of the season against the new pitcher Kim Ho-jin! The score is 2-2! A tie! He hit a forkball slightly inside and sent it over the right-field wall!

-This is a really disappointing moment for Oceans, but the Vikings have a chance to end their losing streak.

-Recently, Kim Ho-jin has been performing quite well in the bullpen, but he ends up giving up a home run.

-He's a young player, so he seemed to be under a lot of pressure. Park Eun-soo, who has been in poor form lately, is in the bullpen, but I hope he can throw confidently without being discouraged.

-Yes, it's still a tie. The game is taking an unpredictable turn!

#

"Fuck. What do you think about having that shortstop pitch with the pitchers?"

The new pitching coach, Ron Berger Kin, whispered to the manager.

Some pitchers were really good, but more pitchers, except for a few, were far below the standard.

Manager Hugh Breadman cautiously covered his mouth and replied.

"I was thinking of asking You Re New Now for help."

"Who's that?"

"A genius robot scientist who manipulates the gang from behind."

"I don't understand what you mean, but from the way he throws, he could succeed as a pitcher too."

"I think so too. You know, he wanted to be a two-way player, and major league teams made offers."

Fans also hoped for Kang Geon-woo to be a two-way player, but there was a significant difference in perspective between fans and the manager.

Fans only knew that Kang Geon-woo threw 160 km/h in high school. Generally, being a two-way player is almost impossible in modern baseball, so they didn't find it strange that he was focusing on shortstop.

Actually, the manager understood to some extent.

Being a two-way player is not easy at all, especially in terms of physical stamina.

Playing shortstop is also a physically demanding job, and as a manager, Kang Geon-woo was a player who was really hard to take out of the lineup.

"I'll go prepare another pitcher."

"Is there someone who can be brought in immediately?"

"I've already told Park and Jang to warm up."

Park Eun-soo and Jang Jin-seok.

The manager didn't respond. His reaction showed that he wasn't satisfied with the pitchers who were warming up, but the pitching coach headed to the bullpen.

'Damn. He said it was an interesting team, but it's not just in a positive way.'

Hugh Breadman, the manager, had lured him to this team by saying it was an interesting team.

Ron Berger Kin found it interesting in many ways.

When he arrived at the bullpen, he saw Park Eun-soo and Jang Jin-seok throwing balls. The pitching coach told the interpreter,

"Tell Park that his arm angle is up. And tell Jang that his face is pale."

The only pitcher he could trust, Kim Jeong-hyuk, had pitched three times in the last five days, and he couldn't bring up Jo Hyung-oh right now.

So, the pitcher who could be brought up to replace the young pitcher who was on the verge of tears after allowing a tie and consecutive walks was either a pitcher with technical issues or a pitcher with mental issues.

Ron Berger Kin, who had been given almost full authority over the pitching staff, barely suppressed the urge to decide by flipping a coin and patted Jang Jin-seok on the shoulder.

"Throw as if there are no runners on base."

If it worked, the Irons wouldn't have let him go as a free agent compensation.

He could start or relieve, throw fastballs in the high 140s, and had above-average control (when there were no runners on base), and Jang Jin-seck took on the important role and ran to the mound.

Crack!

Jo Yong-han, who hadn't met expectations defensively or offensively in today's game, hit a three-run home run.

Ron Berger Kin thought he should have flipped a coin, but he couldn't change the result.

The Vikings attempted an intentional walk to Kang Geon-woo with a runner on first and no outs, and managed to end their losing streak.

[Damn, I should have brought McDonald's instead of Burger King.]

-Actually, this is Kim Tae-yong's fault. Haha.

-What could the new pitching coach do?

-Still, it's fortunate that we won the series.

-It's a bit disappointing, but I'm satisfied with God Geon-woo's defense today.

-Our record against the Vikings is now 4-1. Last year, it would have been 0-5.

-That's true. Under Manager