Chapter 76

Hidden Fastball -5-

#

"Director Park."

"Yes, Chairman."

"About that guy, Kang Gun-woo."

"Yes. I'm listening."

"Baseball, after all, needs star players, doesn't it?"

"You're absolutely right, Chairman."

"Look at him. Even though he's young, the atmosphere changes just because he's here. And also—"

"Yes, Chairman."

"Where can you find someone like him?"

"You mean a good baseball player?"

"That's a given."

"Then what kind of...?"

"Look. That Park Jeong-shin, he left without even looking back, right?"

"Yes. We did our best, but..."

"Kang Gun-woo, that guy, really loves the team."

"Yes. Loyalty. You're right. We got him for 1.5 billion because he's with Oceans. If he were with another team, 10 billion wouldn't be enough."

"Right. Loyalty. That's what matters. Look. He's the team's top star, but if he doesn't love the team, what good is it?"

"A player who only cares about himself ruins the team's atmosphere."

"Right. Are you starting to get the idea?"

"I'll look for a star player with loyalty."

"And one more thing."

"Yes, Chairman."

"If possible, it would be great if he had a good appearance to improve the team and the group's image."

"Chairman!"

"I'm not deaf yet."

"I know a player who fits that description perfectly!"

"Really? Who is it?"

"Well, he'll be a free agent at the end of this season, so he might be a bit expensive..."

"What? Expensive? Park Director, I didn't think you were so small-minded."

"I apologize, Chairman. Actually, there's someone I really want to bring in, but I didn't mention him. I think you might be referring to him."

Director Park opened his smartphone and searched for a player to show.

11 games, 7 wins, 2 losses, ERA 1.95.

A sharp-eyed, good-looking player.

"Hmm. Nice name."

"He's a national team starter. As you can see, he has a good appearance."

"Really?"

"And this guy is a huge fan of our team."

"Is that so?"

"Yes. So, his approximate value is..."

"Director Park."

"Yes, Chairman."

"Are you trying to hurt my pride?"

"I apologize."

"I'll instruct a separate budget allocation. Remember that. And—"

"Yes."

"I want to have Kang Gun-woo do a commercial."

"Great insight. Since he's a firefighter now, something like 'the best firefighter to protect your life, for fire insurance'..."

"Hehe. Park Director, you have a talent for this?"

"You flatter me."

"Good. Push Kang Gun-woo hard. Do you know how much money it takes to run a team? If we're going to spend it, we need to do good marketing. Make sure there's no trouble."

"Yes, Chairman. I'm truly grateful for your attention."

"I've always been interested in baseball. I just pretended not to know because I was so bad at it. How great is it to see someone do well? Let's keep it up, Director Park."

"Yes! I'll do my best to meet your expectations!"

#

"Wow. When do your stats ever drop...?"

No Kyung-woo looked at the team players' records online and sighed.

I'm currently batting .402, with an OBP of .517, a slugging percentage of .951, and an OPS of 1.468. I'm first in all categories.

"Why. Would it be good if they dropped?"

"Could you just drop 10 points? Or even 5?"

Actually, if a high school rookie second baseman were batting .264, hitting doubles, and already stealing double-digit bases, he would likely be a Rookie of the Year candidate.

Just.

My stats are a bit unusual.

"Are you still studying the opposing pitchers?"

"I am."

"Even the bullpen?"

"Um... I try my best..."

"Finish studying the pitchers, and you could hit .400."

"What the hell... Do you think .400 is a dog's name or something...?"

I chuckled, and No Kyung-woo sighed as he looked at other players' records.

"Monsters everywhere. Hey, have you seen the Pirates' Jeong Jo-jun's stats?"

"No."

"He's no joke either?"

[Jeong Jo-jun.]

Team: Changwon Pirates.

Position: Left Fielder (right-handed pitcher, left-handed batter)

Batting Average: .389 / OBP: .491 / Slugging: .602

Home Runs: 12 / RBIs: 42 / Runs: 38

He's second in most categories. Class is class.

"Do you feel any sense of crisis?"

"Sense of crisis?"

"Just a slight mistake, and someone might catch up."

Honestly, I don't really care.

Stats are nothing. I might be overdoing it to say they're nothing, but the important thing is winning.

If I had focused on managing my stats, I would have approached things differently. I think I could have achieved much higher batting and on-base percentages by focusing on contact and getting on base.

"Higher batting average doesn't mean winning."

"Higher average means a higher chance of winning, doesn't it?"

Of course, that could be true, but not always. What is this guy saying? He's hitting .400, so what's a .200 hitter?

"Your batting average going up would definitely increase the chance of winning."

"Yeah, it would."

"How many times did today's opposing starter throw to the back of the mound?"

"Six times during the windup. Three positions, short and fast, five times."

"What about the Thunderbirds' closer?"

"Three times, then back and forward."

"Jeong Jae-won?"

"..."

"Stop looking at other players' stats and study the opposing pitchers."

"Bad guy."

"Being a bad guy is better than striking out with runners in scoring position."

"..."

"Jeong Jae-won throws a bit longer, four times. Your batting average against left-handed one-point pitchers is .158, so you have a high chance of facing him. Why didn't you study him?"

"...Bad guy..."

"Oh, right. Want to go on a date?"

"Good person..."

"..."

#

Every time I face the Thunderbirds, I meet Hwang Bo-kyung-tae.

It's not easy, but Hwang Bo-kyung-tae has a 1-1 record against us in two meetings.

The first matchup was when No Kyung-woo started his rhythm with the pitcher's butt.

The Thunderbirds gave up two home runs to me in the first three-game series and five walks in the second three-game series. If they maintain this attitude today, I need to be more selective with my swings. It's not good to swing greedily when the chance of getting a hit is extremely low.

If all teams were to challenge me head-on, how would my stats look?

Before the game, when I talked to Yoo Ri, she said:

-If you take a half-step wider when you throw, you'll be surprised.

"Half-step?"

-Yeah. If you want to throw faster. But it's fine if you don't. The simulation shows it won't strain your body much, but you'll have to try it to know for sure.

"Is there no problem with my hitting?"

To my question, Yoo Ri answered, emphasizing each word.

-Perfect.

"Perfect?"

She giggled.

-My boyfriend is perfect.

"You're perfect too."

Anyway, while having this conversation, senior Lee Si-wook was looking at me with a strange expression. When our eyes met, he slowly turned his gaze away, took out a chocolate pie, and said as he ate it, then quietly disappeared.

"Ah, the chocolate pie is so sweet today, so sweet. Oh, so sweet. Oh, so good."

Anyway.

I'll listen to Yoo Ri.

That's my life motto.

This is separate from the regression to the past. When it comes to batting or pitching stance, I always listen.

Especially in matters related to me, Yoo Ri doesn't say anything unreasonable.

I don't know if I'll pitch today, but since I didn't pitch yesterday, I tried throwing with a slightly longer step during practice.

Bang!

"Kang Gun-woo! Amazing! I'm serious!"

It wasn't just empty words; he really seemed surprised. Park Eui-hyun, who caught the ball, was amazed and didn't say anything, just looking at the ball from all angles with wide eyes.

Baseball is a game where small changes can make a big difference. Yoo Ri gave me a hint, and now I need to decide how to use it.

The game started. Oceans fans brought more finger-shaped cheering tools than yesterday and were showing me where Yoo Ri was.

"Gun-woo!"

"Yoo Ri!"

"Here!"

"Wowwwww!"

No Kyung-woo, standing next to me, didn't tackle me. Maybe because he said he'd set me up on a date.

Hmm.

Should I really do it?

#

Kang Gun-woo's return has resulted in three consecutive wins in three games.

Andy Garfield pitched seven scoreless innings but didn't get the win because Cho Hyung-oh gave up a home run. However, Kirk Simpson and temporary starter Lee Hui-eun clearly benefited from Kang Gun-woo's presence.

In Simpson's start, Kang Gun-woo provided a different level of good defense compared to when he wasn't there, and considering Cho Hyung-oh's blown save the previous day, Kang Gun-woo's save was a huge boost.

Lee Hui-eun received scoring support from the start. Kang Gun-woo drove in six RBIs and stabilized the infield defense. Although he didn't experience the thrill of a position player pitching, the 15-5 win meant there was no need for a special closer.

In that sense, today's starting pitcher, Lee Hoon, couldn't express in words how reassuring it was to have Kang Gun-woo behind him.

[Just leave Hoon in Sajik!]

Lee Hoon was a pitcher who felt uncomfortable pitching in Sajik. Today was an away game, but there were too many Oceans fans.

'I wish they'd leave me in Jamsil instead. No, that's not it. There are many Oceans fans in Jamsil too...'

Lee Hoon realized there was no place to run.

'Major League...'

He swallowed hard. He knew. Major League? He's called a home run machine even in the KBO.

Just do your best in this spot.

Still, today was pretty good. Three runs in five innings.

It's a bit embarrassing to call it good, but it met the requirements for a winning pitcher.

The batters scored five runs. Yoon Tae-ho, known as "Hoon's Home Run King," hit a home run today. After the fifth inning, Lee Hoon's pitch count was 89. When the pitching coach approached, Lee Hoon knew he would be told to stop and tried to hide his smile.

There were too many Oceans fans in the stadium. Every time he gave up a hit, they shouted, "Ma! Hoon!" which was a burden.

Oceans fans had a strangely distorted affection for Lee Hoon.

[MyHoon, one home run today is a good job, right? Give him some praise]

└myHoon, let's see more of him

└Sajik, don't torment him too much lol

└Just leave Hoon alone...

But the pitching coach's words were a bit different from what Lee Hoon expected. He had to force his drooping eyes to look up.

"Good today. Can you handle one more inning? Throw your forkball freely."

When Lee Hoon returned to the mound in the bottom of the sixth, he couldn't completely hide his expression.

[MyHoon's expression, who's bullying him in the dugout?]

└That guy needs to be bullied

└Don't torment Hoon, leave him alone!!!

└He's probably upset because he wanted to stop throwing but was told to continue

└Maybe

└That guy would be upset, he has no enthusiasm

└Don't slander our Hoon!!!!!

#

After Lee Hoon senior shut out the sixth inning, he said to me:

"Another day without incident..."

He gave up a walk and a hit, but he got a double play and a strikeout, so it was understandable to say that.

The score was 5-3.

In the next at-bat, with two outs and runners on first and third, I drew a walk. The next batter failed to score, and No Kyung-woo grumbled suspiciously.

"Are you deliberately not scoring to show off your pitching to Yoo Ri?"

...

Not that much...

More importantly, if our bullpen blows up again, I might lose my chance to pitch.

Still, the next situation went well.

The relief pitchers, who had been resting, each handled one inning.

It took two months to form a reliable bullpen.

Especially after I became the closer.

The bullpen is a bit tricky to use now.

Cho Hyung-oh can't pitch consecutive days, and Kim Jeong-hyuk isn't in great shape, and I have limited opportunities to pitch.

Still, I think the setup of Park Eun-soo and Kim Jeong-hyuk, with Cho Hyung-oh as the closer, is more stable. Park Eun-soo as a setup man?

No way.

"Kang Gun-woo! Kang Gun-woo! Kang Gun-woo!"

"Gun-woo! Yoo Ri is here!"

"Show us your fastball, Kang Gun-woo!"

Anyway.

Today, the conditions were met.

Not just for Yoo Ri, but also to show my parents my pitching.

The batting order is quite challenging.

Home run king Yoon Tae-ho, foreign batter Tim Carter, and power hitter Koo Young-tae.

Challenging is challenging.

But just because it's challenging doesn't mean I need to be intimidated, especially after winning the Cy Young Award.

Besides, it's a two-run game. If I give up a home run to Yoon Tae-ho, who is swinging his bat as he approaches the plate, I can still pitch carefully.

And I have something to show Yoo Ri.

How effective her prescription is. How great a coach she is.

The catcher's sign was a fastball. I nodded without a word.

The batter is strong against fastballs, but I can't avoid throwing them. I've only thrown four-seam, two-seam, and changeups so far, so I need to show a four-seam first for other pitches to be effective.

What is the batter thinking?

A 150 km/h four-seam? A 162 km/h four-seam?

Or a 150 km/h two-seam, or a changeup that drops suddenly?

I started my windup as if stretching. When I extended my leg lightly, I took a half-step forward as I had practiced before the game. I could extend my leg further without strain thanks to the core exercises I've been doing. I pulled my right hand back, swung my left arm appropriately to maintain balance, and quickly snapped my right arm to release the ball at the designated spot, imparting a strong spin with my entire body.

The ball flew fiercely. Yoon Tae-ho, who was looking for a fast pitch, tightened his eyes and swung his bat.

Bang!

But the bat missed the ball, and the umpire called out.

"Strike!"

The batter looked at the scoreboard in disbelief.

The crowd fell silent for a moment.

That's because it read 166 km/h.

A moment later, the Oceans fans in the away section went wild.

"Wowwwww!"

"Gun-woo!"

"Kang Gun-woo!"

"Kang Gun-woo! Kang Gun-woo! Kang Gun-woo!"

166 km/h.

I've never thrown this hard, even in the Major League.

With my fresh shoulder, old techniques, and Yoo Ri's adjustments, it's no joke.