Chapter 82

So, who is the main character -5-

#

Amid the spotlight on the showdown between the Oceans and the Pirates, the Meteors, whose starting pitchers had the lowest ERA in the league, were also performing well.

There's a saying that baseball is a pitcher's game.

However, a team can't win just because it has strong pitching.

In this regard, the recent slump of the Meteors was largely due to their weak offense.

How else could it be said that while their pitchers throw meteor-like balls, their batters have forgotten how to hit home runs by getting hit on the head by meteors?

Anyway, the recent surge of the Meteors was partly due to the efforts of a few batters. The left fielder Bok Hyun-seong, known as 'Just a Click' or 'JDC' for short, recorded an on-base percentage of 0.452 and unleashed his potential. The power hitter Kim Se-jin, who was often mocked for being a one-dimensional slugger who couldn't hit the ball, occasionally delivered game-winning hits and led the team's upward trend.

Moreover, Yu Byung-seong, who would have become an outfielder for the Oceans, made his debut mid-season and hit six doubles and stole five bases in 10 games, bringing hope and dreams to Meteors fans.

[If Byung-seong had debuted at the start of the season, he could have competed for the Rookie of the Year with Kang Geun-woo.]

└King possibility

└The manager is so stifled, why not just use him from the start? Good players will do well no matter what.

└Why not send Byung-seong to the Olympics? Let him take care of his military service first.

└Byung-seong is on the preliminary roster. If he performs well from now on, there's a chance.

When the Meteors' rookie shortstop Yu Byung-seong hit a single against the Thunderbirds and successfully stole a base, the Meteors fans started to buzz.

└This is it, we have a big shortstop too.

└Go Byung-seong to the Olympics!

└Wow, his 6th stolen base of the season.

Then, a little later, Kang Geun-woo hit a three-run home run in the game between the Oceans and the Pirates.

[(Live) Busan Oceans 3 : 0 Changwon Pirates.]

-Kang Geun-woo's 24th home run of the season (distance 124m)

└Geun-woo, Geun-woo, Geun-woo!

└Ah, Son Yong-gi is just a meal for him. Hahaha.

└Yong-gi is still good, he throws with courage and gets hit.

└? What kind of head-bursting joke is this?

└Haha, Son's curveball slipped and he got hit.

└Look at Ddung Yong-gi's face. Hahaha.

└The camera is showing his face. He looks like he ate shit. Hahaha.

A few innings later, in a defensive situation, Yu Byung-seong missed a fly ball.

Although Meteors fans cursed, some fans also defended Yu Byung-seong.

└Don't expect too much from just 11 games. 😢

└Let's give the kid a chance. He'll get worse if we criticize him.

└Who's dissing our Byung-seong? 😡

└Byung-seong Team ㅉㅉㅉㅉ

Kang Geun-woo once again showed his amazing defense, this time against Jung Jo-jun.

Kang Geun-woo, sliding on his knees, backhanded a ball from Jung Jo-jun, who has one of the highest batted ball exit velocities in the KBO league, and quickly threw the ball behind his back without looking to make a double play.

Some Oceans fans, who were cheering for Kang Geun-woo's defense, moved to the Meteors' live chat room.

└Oh, do you think they'll go easy on a rookie?

└Oh, whether a rookie or a veteran, they need to be criticized if they perform poorly.

└Oh, what? Yu Byung-seong competing for Rookie of the Year? Going to the Olympics as a shortstop? Get a grip, you idiots. Hahaha.

The keyboard battles between the two teams sometimes left viewers speechless.

Although they had been at the bottom of the league for several consecutive years, they had developed a mutual dislike and even formed a natural disaster alliance or a saltwater alliance.

Baseball fans, however, are optimized for emotional highs and lows.

For Oceans fans, the past image of the Meteors was almost forgotten. Although the Meteors had risen to the middle of the league and were performing well, the Oceans, who were in the top contention, saw a significant difference compared to the Meteors.

└How long do you think you'll stay there? My team, I don't know.

└Met, hahaha, the moment Kang Geun-woo or Park Eui-hyun leave, you'll be in hell.

└Oh, even if we drop, we'll still be above you.

└Park Yong-jae will be in an Oceans uniform when he becomes a free agent. Hahaha.

└Would Yong-jae go crazy and join the Meteors? Hahaha.

└Conscience-bursting guys, comparing Yu Byung-seong to Kang Geun-woo. Hahaha.

└If he had been given more opportunities from the start of the season, Byung-seong could have had 60 steals.

└Byung-seong just struck out on a swing and miss. Hahaha.

└(Breaking News) Kang Geun-woo hits a two-run home run.

└Ah, hahaha, watch and learn from Geun-woo's home runs. Hahaha.

└Geun-woo has 26 home runs this season, and your team's home runs are similar.

└2028 Home Run 1st: Kim Meteor (28) 2nd: Kang Geun-woo (26)

└Meteors play a speed game, you baseball ignorants.

└Speed game, hahaha.

#

In today's game, Kuk Min-sung seemed to pitch with a bit more control.

Not that he was throwing 150 km/h fastballs or striking out batters with dazzling curveballs.

Today, the balls were coming to my side a lot.

"Hmm."

After the bottom of the 5th inning, Kuk Min-sung made a strange sound and nodded at me.

Strangely, he was getting a lot of tough pitches and tight situations.

It seemed like he was deliberately trying to guide the batted balls to my side.

The fact that it was even possible was absurd.

"Baseball genius. You're working so hard on defense today?"

"Yeah, I am."

"Hit one more home run. If you keep defending so intensely, you'll run out of stamina and throw 166. Just score more and don't pitch."

Compared to when I first met him, Bae Young-han's intensity has decreased.

I don't know if he's cut down on drinking, but he trains quite hard. Moreover, he seems to be giving advice to other batters, which is unusual for him.

Jung Jo-jun seemed quite angry. He was swinging full in the batter's box, which only made him a good target for Kuk Min-sung.

Kuk Min-sung's two-seam fastball has improved significantly. Although he says his control isn't perfect, it's undeniable that it has gotten much better.

Four-seam, two-seam, and changeup.

The pitches are slow, but the batters seem confused, indicating that he's hitting the right spots.

Now that I often stand on the mound, I can observe the batters' attitudes more closely. It seems like their strategies are consistently failing.

Thwack!

A line drive coming straight at me.

I lifted my glove and caught it.

"Out!"

Thwack!

A ground ball heading to the 3B-SS gap.

I approached quickly, swung my glove accurately to scoop it up, rotated my body, and jumped to throw it to first base.

"Out!"

Thwack!

A fly ball slightly off the infield, rising high.

"I'll get it!"

I pushed away the approaching No Kyung-woo and signaled to the center fielder Yu Jun to handle it myself.

"Out!"

After handling all three outs myself, I approached Kuk Min-sung, who was raising his thumb expressionlessly.

Maybe that expressionless face was actually a celebration.

If I had to pick the two strangest people on this team, it would definitely be Kuk Min-sung and Park Eui-hyun.

"How did you do that?"

"What?"

"Making the balls come to me."

Kuk Min-sung tilted his head slightly and replied.

"Is there something you can't do?"

...What kind of person is he?

#

"Kang Geun-woo! Kang Geun-woo! Kang Geun-woo!"

When Kang Geun-woo appears, the Oceans fans are swept up in a frenzy.

It was a frenzy in itself. Today, Kang Geun-woo flawlessly handled an enormous number of batted balls without a single mistake and hit two home runs.

Although it's unlikely he'll appear as a closer with the score at 10-2, he was undoubtedly the best player of the game today.

Jung Yoo-ri, who had drunk quite a bit, called out with a slightly slurred voice, making a megaphone shape with her hands.

"Geun-woo!"

It had been a long time since the sun set, and although it was quite hot during the day, the weather was now cool.

Parents watching Jung Yoo-ri clicked their tongues.

"Can he hear you?"

"Jae has been looking for Geun-woo all day."

Jung Yoo-ri didn't care. She pushed her brother's face away, who was saying, "Stop making that pig-slaughtering noise!" and called out again.

"Geun-woo! One more!"

This season, Kang Geun-woo's hits have created a new cheering culture among Oceans fans.

Cheer songs and chants usually include the player's name or the team name. However, 'Yoo-ri Unnie' has become a good cheer for Oceans fans.

"Geun-woo! Yoo-ri Unnie wants you to hit one more!"

When a fan near Jung Yoo-ri shouted at the top of his lungs, the chant spread around the stadium.

"Geun-woo!"

The voices grew louder, and a unified cheer filled the stadium.

"Yoo-ri Unnie!"

Straining her already hoarse voice from shouting all day.

"One more hit, please!"

Of course, Kang Geun-woo doesn't always respond to the cheers.

If he hit a