Chapter 71

The Worst Kid -5-

#

Instead of going to the training ground, I received permission to train in using the SMC.

The Quality Control Coach, who usually barely spoke due to the head coach's presence, came to see me. He had been here before and seemed a bit surprised to see Yoo Ri working much more professionally than last time.

"Can I ask what these numbers mean?"

Actually, I don't know how to interpret the data from the SMC either. Yoo Ri said she could do it because she learned it in her major's required courses, but it's not something you can just learn.

"x-conS? It measures the transverse contraction of the shoulder muscles. For an average adult male, it's usually between 10 and 20, and for professional pitchers, it's typically between 80 and 100. When we measured Geon-woo's x-conS yesterday, it was 168."

"Is that good?"

"If it's below 50 or above 200, the risk of injury increases. I designed the training course to maintain it below 180 while balancing the longitudinal contraction. This level is just right. It's not only less risky for injuries but also elastic. We're maintaining his muscle recovery rate, recovMQ, above 80 during training."

"Are there many people who can handle this equipment like Yoo Ri?"

Well, not at Oceans.

"There are many...? Even among the students in our department..."

Of course, many college students might know what these numbers mean and what good values are, but how many can design a training program based on these numbers like Yoo Ri?

Anyway, Coach Kim Jun-young was quite surprised to see Yoo Ri working and was observing carefully.

"Should I step aside?"

The coach hesitated and smiled before answering.

"Thank you."

"I'll go get some coffee."

Anyway, I'll hear it all later.

Coach Kim Jun-young's story went like this:

Senior Kim Jung-yong will skip a start.

Andy's mental state has collapsed, so they decided to invite his family from the U.S.

Senior Kim Se-wan volunteered to go to the minors, but there's concern he might be treated harshly by fans at Sajik.

"Um, about Go Eun-tae."

"Yes, is there something special?"

"Irons is protesting fiercely."

"Of course they would."

"It's not just that. Someone has come forward claiming to have been bullied by Go Eun-tae in school."

This was news to Oceans. The person wrote online after feeling vindicated by seeing Go Eun-tae get hit by me in the game, and the Irons club thinks Oceans knew about Go Eun-tae's past but traded him anyway.

It hasn't become public yet...

"And Go Eun-tae overturned a doctor's desk at the hospital."

"...That's serious."

"Well, he'll probably self-destruct if left alone. No need to worry too much."

Baseball fans are criticizing him heavily. It's not right to treat a senior player like that, no matter what.

But Coach thinks the reaction will die down once a few more issues come to light.

"Still, be more careful next time."

"Yes, I'm sorry."

"If something like this happens again, just call Da-geun."

I laughed, and the coach looked around my training area and added:

"Is your girlfriend considering a coaching job?"

I'm not sure if it was a joke or serious, but it's a rookie mistake to jump on it.

"Maybe. Her professor suggested she go to grad school..."

The coach's expression changed.

"No, you should discourage her. I'm serious."

#

- Ah, Kirk Simpson! There seems to be something wrong with his fingernails. He's calling the trainer.

- Oceans is facing one problem after another. This is troublesome.

- Kirk Simpson, who was pitching well, allowing no runs in 3.1 innings! Ah, it doesn't look good. Kirk Simpson is leaving the mound.

- It seems there's no reliever ready in the bullpen.

- Park Eun-soo is warming up in a hurry.

- Yes, the game between Daegu Engines and Busan Oceans at Sajik Stadium has been temporarily suspended. I hope it's not a serious injury.

- The Oceans manager looks very tense.

#

Sometimes, misfortunes come one after another.

Park Eun-soo, who followed Kirk Simpson, is not in good form this season. Yoo Ri knows better than I do.

"Park Eun-soo... sigh."

She said it's hard to understand how such a pitcher can be in the majors. I didn't say anything.

If I had to find a positive, it's that he pitches well against foreign batters?

After seeing Park Eun-soo give up a grand slam, Yoo Ri turned off the TV and muttered to herself.

"I wish today was Monday."

And the next day wasn't Monday either.

Rookie pitcher Lee Hui-eun took the mound in place of Senior Kim Jung-yong.

"Will he do well?"

Our families and Yoo Ri's family gathered to watch the game.

I said that because I had heard of him.

"His minor league record is... pretty good. But his major league record last year was an ERA of over 12 in four games."

Where have I heard that before?

Anyway, it's hard to evaluate a pitcher based on just four games. Everyone in the family had something to say.

"Where's Lee Hyun-ho?"

"He should be better than Park Eun-soo."

"Bro, isn't Kim's quality really bad?"

"They'll skip one game. He has some shoulder stiffness."

"I just hope he doesn't walk anyone."

"He was a pitcher who came up and only threw balls before being sent back to the minors last year."

The game started. His pitching stance is an inverted W.

Still, he struck out the first batter after an 8-pitch battle.

"The ball seems pretty fast."

"If he can just get through the first few innings, it'll be fine."

"Oceans' starter needs to eat innings. The bullpen is unreliable."

Hmm.

I remembered when I saw his pitching form.

"Is he better than expected?"

Looking at Yoo Ri's happy face, I remembered the pitcher's nickname.

Kolsion's Massacre.

Right.

He used to be called that when he played as a setup man for the Engines after being traded from Oceans.

His nickname was shortened to Kolsa.

Engine fans even called him a hero sent by Kolsion.

#

Lee Hui-eun's pitches were good, but Oceans' infield without Kang Geon-woo wasn't solid enough to support a pitcher with little major league experience.

The newly called-up shortstop tried to impress the manager but made two errors on the third base side.

"Kang Geon-woo, you bastard..."

Of course, I wasn't really blaming Kang Geon-woo.

"You damn kid!"

"Did you put springs in your glove?"

"Can't you get your act together?"

In fact, I had relied a lot on Kang Geon-woo's defensive help. Not just a lot, but almost to the point of following his instructions.

Today's starter, Kim Yeon-woo, was better defensively than Kim Se-wan, but he was busy enough with his own game.

Moreover, he had no presence at the plate.

Lee Hui-eun pitched 4.1 innings and gave up 5 runs, taking the loss.

The commentators praised him for not walking anyone during the 5 runs, but he looked quite bitter on camera.

Oceans fans chanted in unison:

"Bring back Geon-woo! You bastards!"

"Is it even possible for the team to fall apart like this without Geon-woo?"

Kang Geon-woo's absence was a harsh blow to Oceans.

The defense was crumbling.

It wasn't just about the flashy, crowd-pleasing plays.

Kang Geon-woo helped with positioning and preparedness, and even covered a wide range for Hwang Seok-gyu. Without him, the defense collapsed uncontrollably.

Not to mention the offense.

Hwang Seok-gyu, Bae Young-han, Lee Si-wook, Yang Da-geun, Wolfpack, No Gyeong-woo, Park Ui-hyun, Kim Sung-hoon, Kim Yeon-woo.

Lee Si-wook, who had recently improved his hitting, didn't look like a number 3 hitter. Instead of delivering key hits early in the game like Kang Geon-woo, he kept hitting into double plays, disrupting the flow.

With the leadoff hitter out, Yang Da-geun couldn't get good pitches.

Wolfpack hit home runs over the fence, but all of them were solo shots during Kang Geon-woo's suspension, drawing criticism from Oceans fans for being "nutritionless."

[That Wolfpack bastard is just managing his stats]

└What's the point of hitting a solo shot after the game is already lost?

└He should be replaced by a center fielder who can get on base and play good defense.

└But that's not Wolfpack's fault, is it? There were no runners on base.

└Next!

No Gyeong-woo has potential but is still a rookie. His defensive struggles affected his focus at the plate.

Even if Park Ui-hyun got on base, the 8th and 9th batters were worse off without him. Backup outfielder Yoo Jun was better at hitting than Kim Sung-hoon but lacked defensive skills, and with Kang Geon-woo out, the team couldn't afford to have a weak center fielder.

Kim Yeon-woo was doing well just to perform at an average level defensively. Kim Se-wan, who had voluntarily gone to the minors, was considering retirement.

Anyway, Oceans fans knew the cause of the losing streak.

Losing streaks tend to erode the team's mental strength.

In the third game against the Engines, after a crucial error by shortstop Kim Yeon-woo, the fireworks of Lee Hoon's mental breakdown began.

[Hang the bastards who say to leave Lee Hoon alone]

└Just leave Hoon alone...

└All the Hoon fans are dead

└He was doing well recently, but ㅅㅂ

└Without Geon-woo, the pitchers' mental states are all messed up

└When is Geon-woo coming back?

└He can't play until the first game against the Angels

└Wow, he's lost his mind. Geon-woo has only played 5 games since his suspension?

└It feels like it's been a month???

└We've lost 5 in a row without Geon-woo???

└We just lose without Geon-woo ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

└It's ridiculous. What, we can't win a game without a rookie shortstop?

└Can't he just secretly play next game? Kim Yeon-woo could wear a uniform and sunglasses and paint his face black, and no one would recognize him?

└These people are crazy. Kang Geon-woo, an integrity trash??? He should be permanently banned

└If he comes back, just play quietly and don't cause trouble

Despite the continued criticism from fans of other teams...

After the game, the revelations about Go Eun-tae overshadowed the news of Oceans' 5-game losing streak.

#

[Go Eun-tae's school bullying in his youth? Exclusive interview with victim A.]

[Oceans infielder Kim Se-wan: "I suffered continuous verbal abuse from Go Eun-tae and received over 50 threatening messages after the bench-clearing incident."]

[Irons second baseman Go Eun-tae assaulted a doctor and is being sued.]

[Kim Se-wan: "I'm scared of Go Eun-tae, but I decided to come forward because I'm prepared to retire."]

[Go Eun-tae refuses interview. Irons club: "We are investigating."]

#

Senior Kim Se-wan's inability to focus seems to have been due to the threats from Go Eun-tae.

Go Eun-tae, with a broken nose, told Kim Se-wan he would kill him and to come out.

Add to that the past school bullying and the doctor assault.

Public opinion shifted.

[God Geon-woo, the great educator ㄷㄷㄷㄷㄷㄷ]

[There were reasons for Geon-woo's actions]

[But I feel a bit sorry for the Irons;;]

[Sorry, Go-geols. Can I take Se-wan instead?]

└What is integrity?

└Isn't it too harsh to come forward and then retire?;;;

[Go Eun-tae's face was intimidating anyway]

└When controversy breaks out, the face reader always appears, it's a rule

[Was it that bad? I didn't know as a fan of another team, but if it was that bad, Geon-woo is innocent]

[I'm an Irons fan, but this is just terrible. Shouldn't Oceans be sued for sending such a kid to the minors?]

He was more of a thug than expected.

I'm fine, though.

While preparing for the trip to Seoul, I had a short meeting with the manager.

"You look fine. He was quite a nasty guy."

"I'm worried about Senior Kim Se-wan."

"Don't worry. The club owner will help him. He won't quit baseball, and Kim is grateful to you."

"For hitting that guy?"

"Exactly."

He had been tormenting him since spring training.

It ended up like this somehow.

"By the way, I heard from the QC coach that you're ready to pitch?"

This is the important part.

Despite the off-field issues, I'm confident I can keep baseball separate.

"Yes, if the manager thinks it's okay."

I believe it will be.

My shoulder is fine, and while I need some adjustments in live action, I've almost perfected a less stressful pitching form.

The biggest hurdle is the manager's reaction. Whether he'll allow it or not is the question.

But the manager smiled brightly.

"If there are minor issues, it might be hard for you to start."

"I think the bullpen is better."

"Right. We need you at shortstop."

Ah, that's why.

"I'm curious about your shoulder."

"Since being a dual player is quite physically demanding, I'd prefer to pitch just one inning without consecutive appearances."

"Alright. I'll discuss it with the pitching coach."

We'll test it during the road trip.

To be honest...

I think I could start if needed.

Pitching in the bullpen would allow some consecutive appearances. I'm a pretty durable pitcher.

I got injured from full-time dual play, but I have more experience now.

Still, it's better to be cautious.

Our starting rotation is quite strong, after all.

Filling the bullpen's weakness is the right move. And with proper management, the risk of injury will be lower.

Anyway.

Before leaving for Seoul, when I met the Oceans players.

"Geon-woo..."

Senior Yang Da-geun grabbed my shoulder and said with a sad face.

"I almost got hit by a chicken leg again..."

Bae Young-han poked my side.

"Ouch. You're here? Baseball can't be played without the baseball genius."

Park Ui-hyun shouted.

"Baseball genius Kang! Geon! Woo! The three brothers of Sajik's resolve are missing so much!"

It was so noisy that I covered my ears, but they pulled my hand away and shouted even louder.

"I missed you! Your swing! Your throw! Your catch! Your base running! We are complete now!"

And more.

Senior Lee Si-wook, whose face was gaunt from not eating chocolate pies, welcomed me, and the pitchers looked at me with intense eyes.

No Gyeong-woo shuffled over and whispered to me.

"You're the worst kid..."

"What? You thanked me for taking the hit for you before?"

"Taking a break and coming back after all the home games are over...? I was in hell..."

"...Was it that hard?"

"I almost died... When I went home, fans were saying we don't need you and to bring back Kang Geon-woo..."

"...What?"

"...Hey."

"Uh-huh."

"Next time, I'll hit someone and get suspended..."

He must have had a tough time.

"I almost died... You were just sucking on honey or something..."

Honey?

I had a tough time too.

"Did you have fun dating while I was out...? Huh...?"

...Was that the problem?