Chapter 80

So, who is the main character? -3-

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Jung Joon.

That guy... He's a bit of a joker and always in the middle of some controversy, but there's no denying his skills.

He's almost always on the list when it comes to picking the best hitters in Korean baseball history, though the rankings may vary.

Of course, I'm number one. He didn't want to admit it, though.

He had a 20-20 season for four consecutive years in the major leagues and even had a 30-homer season once.

Well, the 30-homer season happened after Yoo Ri adjusted his batting mechanics. His batting average also improved significantly after that.

Thinking back, the situation back then was quite amusing. Yoo Ri wasn't a coach for any specific team but was quite well-known as a batting instructor. When Joon's brother asked Yoo Ri to take a look at his swing, Yoo Ri responded with:

"Why should I help Joon?"

Of course, he didn't personally hate him. It was just that during the KBO days, Joon had beaten and mocked the Oceans so much that he wasn't well-liked.

Anyway, the first time I faced him as a pitcher and batter in the major leagues was in 2034, not through posting but as a free agent.

I was with the Oakland Athletics until 2033, and Joon was with the Chicago Cubs in the other league, so we never met.

In 2034, I moved to the Yankees and got injured that season, transitioning to a closer the following year. There was a lot of talk about the Yankees being duped by the Athletics, but I recorded 77 saves and hit nearly 30 home runs over two seasons as a closer, which silenced the critics.

Anyway, even though we were in different leagues, we should have met during interleague play, but strangely, we avoided each other.

Anyway.

We met in the 2034 World Series and faced each other in three at-bats.

The result?

Two strikeouts and a groundout to the pitcher.

"Strike!"

It's the bottom of the ninth inning now.

We're leading 5-4.

With two outs, Joon's brother came up to bat.

He swung and missed at a 158 km/h four-seam fastball that was a couple of inches above the strike zone.

He's an aggressive hitter. He's so confident in his ability to make contact that he tries to hit the ball even when it's a pitch. His pitch recognition is good, and he can control himself well.

He's not incredibly fast, but he's very good at analyzing the pitcher and catcher, leading to a high stolen base success rate. He also worked hard to improve his defense, which was initially poor, to an average level.

To others, he might seem like a naturally talented genius, but he's actually a hard worker who uses research to find ways to counter his opponents.

I feel a bit sorry for him, but I know how he plays baseball quite well, so this is a fight where I have the upper hand.

For the next pitch, I chose a two-seam fastball around 150 km/h, aiming low and outside. It looks like it's coming into the strike zone but then breaks away just before it reaches the plate.

Crack!

"Foul!"

I thought it would have gone in quite sharply, but he hit it perfectly.

Even in a disadvantageous situation, his swing isn't passive. If I had thrown a four-seam fastball instead of a two-seam, he might have hit it.

As I said before the game, he seems to be aiming for a home run. He's biting his lip and muttering to himself, which is a habit of Joon's.

He said he matches his timing by vocalizing.

From the information I gathered, he's aiming for a 150 km/h four-seam fastball. He's definitely smart or has good instincts. Other batters tend to swing a bit faster, anticipating a fastball over 160 km/h, but he adjusts his swing to my average pitch speed.

Other batters will likely start thinking about 150 km/h pitches as more data accumulates, but he's already doing it.

Separate from Yoo Ri's request, I also want to get him out.

I want to rub it in after I get him out.

It's more fun to shock a showboating star like him. I called the catcher, and Park Eui-hyun jumped up in surprise and came over to me.

There's a buzz from the bench too. Since no one has visited the mound while I've been pitching, it seems to be causing a stir. I raised my hand to signal that everything was fine and faced Park Eui-hyun.

"What's going on? What's the matter? What is it? What's up?"

Since I'm on the mound, my voice is naturally lower. Still, the fuss is annoying. Pitchers who don't like this kind of thing would really hate it.

I covered my mouth with my glove and said,

"Lower your voice."

"...Hey."

What's with the "hey"?

"I'm going to throw a curveball."

"Cu-uuuuuuck! Spit!"

"...?"

"I almost said the pitch type out loud in surprise. How was my acting?"

He almost blurted out "curveball" without realizing it and pretended to spit to cover it up?

I sighed and told him to catch it well, as it would have a significant drop.

"Low and inside. Okay. Okay. But are you sure?"

If he hits it, it will tie the game. I understand his concern as a catcher, but I've been pitching in unconventional ways, so he seems to trust me despite his unease.

"Definitely catch it."

"Alright. Baseball genius, Kang Geon-woo."

He turned around, raised his right arm, and gave a thumbs-up. What's with that? Does he think it looks cool?

Anyway, I practiced the curveball on my own.

I don't want to throw a forkball in any situation.

Even though a Vulcan changeup might work, I want to throw a completely new pitch to get Joon out.

Why?

Because Yoo Ri asked me to?

That's part of it, but I also want to completely fool a hitter of his level, which is rare in the KBO where you don't often see major league-level hitters.

I gripped the curveball. I exchanged signs with Park Eui-hyun, pretending to disagree several times to make it look like we were having a conflict. The pitch and location were already decided. As long as I don't miss my target, it will go as planned.

The curveball is somewhat distinguishable from a fastball, but if the batter doesn't expect it, it's not easy to recognize.

I took my usual pitching stance, but my wrist and arm had to rotate slightly. The ball left my hand.

A topspin pitch flew toward the spot where the batter would want to hit it. It should drop sharply at the right moment because it was hit well.

The batter's fierce eyes targeted the ball.

The bat came out. The swing wasn't from low to high but aimed high.

My victory.

Whoosh-

"Strike! Out! Game over!"

The swing was aimed at a completely different spot from where the ball dropped. That's the beauty of a curveball. It drops sharply from a high position, striking out a batter aiming for a high pitch.

"Wowwwwwww!"

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

"Geon-woo! Geon-woo!"

Park Eui-hyun jumped up as if he had caught the strikeout himself and cheered.

"Curveball king! Kang Geon-woo! I believed in you!"

Joon's brother's fist trembled, and he looked down at his feet before turning away.

He broke his bat over his knee and threw his helmet to the ground as he walked in.

He must be pretty upset.

If we meet again in this three-game series, I won't throw a curveball.

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[Oceans defeat Pirates 5-4!]

[Andy Garfield pitches 6 innings, 2 runs, 6th win.]

[The battle between Kang Geon-woo and Jung Joon. Kang Geon-woo wins!]

[Kang Geon-woo: 3 hits (1 home run), 3 RBIs! 2K save on the mound!]

[Jung Joon, aiming for a home run, and Kang Geon-woo, aiming for a strikeout. Result: Strikeout, Kang Geon-woo wins.]

[The heated rivalry on the Nakdong River. The decisive moment in the bottom of the ninth.]

[Kang Geon-woo's secret weapon, a curveball that falls like a waterfall.]

[Jung Joon, completely fooled, 'I'll hit it tomorrow.' A short response and he disappeared.]

[Jung Joon's anger after the strikeout. The manifestation of burning competitiveness.]

[Now with the curveball... How far will Kang Geon-woo's evolution go?]

[Kang Geon-woo, the game's MVP! 'Thanks to Yoo Ri's support, I did well.']

└Yoo Ri!!!!!!!

└Is Kang Geon-woo a rookie? Is Yoo Ri a goddess? Is Kang Geon-woo a rookie? Is Yoo Ri a goddess? Is Kang Geon-woo a rookie? Is Yoo Ri a goddess?

└Yoo Ri is invincible, and Kang Geon-woo is a legend.

└Even if the clowns throw money, they can't do what Yoo Ri can.

└Baseball is a sport where 10 teams fight to the death, and the team Yoo Ri cheers for wins. – Kim Jeong-su, 45th generation descendant of the Kim family from Mun-gyeong

└Jeong-su, you're a good son. Wipe your feet and grow up.

└What is Kang Geon-woo really;;;

└God Geon-woo is 'baseball'.

└What the hell is this;

└King Geon-woo is 'baseball itself'.

[Pyongyang Pirates' manager Seo Chang-won, 'We should have scored more to keep Kang Geon-woo from pitching...']

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