Chapter 92

-4-

#

The U.S. national baseball team usually does not include players from the 40-man roster in the Olympics, but this time, as the Olympics are being held in the U.S., a rather dramatic agreement has been reached. While a 25-man roster is impossible, the remaining 15 players from the 40-man roster are possible.

If someone from the 25-man roster is unavailable, players who are ready to step onto the big league stage can participate.

Objectively, if the players in the 25-man roster give their all, an Asian team's victory might be a joke.

The U.S. is taking this approach, and Japan is a group with bloodshot eyes set on the Olympic gold medal.

It was only natural to analyze the strength of the Korean national team, which has shown strength in the Olympics.

This applies to Major League Baseball's Asian scouts and Japan's team analysis team, given their geographical proximity.

The current Korean national team has no overseas players, but it is evaluated that there are quite a few players with the potential to enter Major League Baseball or Japan's NPB.

Among the pitchers, there are the Big 3: Park Yong-jae, Kim Gwon-jong, and Min Seung-gi.

Among the hitters, there is Jeong Jo-jun.

Other names are occasionally heard, but realistically, these are the talents who could leave a meaningful mark in the Major Leagues.

However, the player that other teams' analysts are focusing on in the Olympics is not one of these four.

[Kan Gon-woo, Orinfiku Yakunan Namibwan is a concern. A powerful hitter with 30 home runs in 74 games and a pitcher who throws at 166 km/h.]

└Is this a Japanese original?

└How low is the level of the Kan-goku League? Isn't it strange that a high school graduate rookie can hit 30 home runs in 74 games?

└Don't be complacent. Since the 21st century, Japan has always been behind Korea in the Olympics.

└wwwwwww The peninsula people are coming to ruin Japanese baseball wwww

└I'm more excited to see Min Seung-gi. Will the Prince of Tears come to Hanshin?

└166? 103 mph? It must be rigged wwww

In the last game between the Diamonds and the Oceans, Min Seung-gi's tears became quite an issue overseas.

In any case, the existence of Kang Geon-woo is becoming known to other teams.

[He plays in Korea, but his name is a bit intimidating. Check out the video first.]

└Gun Woo Kang? It sounds like a gang name.

└His swing is good.

└In the latter part of the video, he throws 103 mph. His two-seam fastball is over 95 mph.

└He's the talent our team needs.

└The A's are close to signing him, and several teams, including the Yankees, have made offers.

└Why didn't he come? I'm angry because he could have saved the damn Athletics.

└His girlfriend asked him to help a certain team in Korea win the championship.

└Fucking romanticist.

└How bad is it?

└It's like... a team like the Mets.

└Oh my God.

└Korean professional baseball started in 1984, and the last championship of that team was in 1992.

└Better than the Mets.

└It's only a six-year difference.

└The Mets were founded in 1962.

└There's another similarity. That team has only won twice.

└The Oceans. It's a name that feels familiar.

While it has become a bit of an issue among baseball fans, it still hasn't garnered attention across the United States.

This is partly due to the pride of American baseball fans who believe that the best is always the Major Leagues, regardless of any international tournament.

└I just don't like it. I wish baseball would just disappear.

└Are you a Mets fan?

└Why would I be a Mets fan?

└If you're a Mets fan, you might feel that way.

#

In Korea, where the league is suspended during the Olympic period, teams are trying to play as many games as possible before the Olympic break.

Fortunately, despite it being a rainy season, the weather has been relatively dry, allowing for many games to be played.

A kind of dry monsoon.

Of course, the players' physical exhaustion is inevitable.

The humid and hot weather continues, and occasional rainouts leave no opportunity for players to recover.

However, with the Olympic baseball season, the public opinion of baseball fans is somewhat different.

Fans are not worried about the players' physical condition but rather about the heavy rain that naturally follows the dry monsoon in Korea, which is often caused by Japan.

[The existence of Japan is just a breakwater for the Korean Peninsula.]

└Damn, it's so hot. Just give us a tenth of the rain.

└A tenth would be fine.

└China is almost like a water park.

└It's good that there's no fine dust in China because of the rain.

└Ah, if China and Japan explode, it would be a king's move.

In any case, baseball in Korea continues.

While others may not, professional baseball team managers are looking forward to the Olympic break.

Injuries and fatigue are causing performance issues.

After splitting the two-game series with the Irons, the Oceans moved to Daejeon.

“It's hot here too...”

“Better than Daegu...”

“Playing baseball in this weather in Daegu is really...”

“Actually, it feels similar to Daegu...”

The Daegu Engines are known as the "Summer Storm" because they surge in the summer. For Engines fans, this timing is probably quite disappointing.

The Engines are surging, while the Oceans have shown a slight lull recently.

Some players who haven't experienced a full season yet lack the know-how to manage their stamina.

“Hey, how do you stay so energetic...?”

Roh Kyung-woo, in his debut season, was very curious.

They are both in their debut seasons, with similar heights. There's a slight difference in muscle mass, but not a huge difference in build.

Yet, Kang Geon-woo is energetic, still hitting home runs and throwing 150-160 km/h pitches.

Kang Geon-woo closed his eyes and answered.

“You should have worked hard regularly.”

“I do work hard.”

“There's no one who works hard among those who say they do.”

“Bad guy...”

Of course, it wasn't just Roh Kyung-woo's problem. Lee Si-wook, who was melting in the heat, took out a chocolate pie to recharge but looked disappointed.

“The chocolate pie... melted... damn...”

#

- How's your stamina?

Whenever I'm away for away games, Yoo-ri worries a lot about me.

In fact, stamina is something you can prepare for.

Mix weight training and aerobic exercise appropriately, and prepare your body well before the season. During the season, ensure you get enough sleep unless it's absolutely necessary. This season, there were about three times when it was unavoidable: twice when I enjoyed dating Yoo-ri so much that I lost track of time, and once after the All-Star game.

“I'm fine. How about you? Do you miss me?”

Through the smartphone, I heard Yoo-ri's strange laugh. 'Hehehe.'

- Ah, I'm fine! No! I'm not!

When I'm away, this is the happiest time of the day.

During home games? Seeing Yoo-ri's face briefly before work and chatting with her after the game.

- But did you know?

“What?”

- Good pitches aren't coming these days?

“Yeah.”

It's a given. I've already hit 30 home runs. The 30th home run was a long time coming because many pitchers were throwing only strikes.

- I was a bit worried.

“Really?”

- When a lot of pitches are aimed at you, you get anxious and your batting average drops...

The batting average is not a big deal, but if my productivity drops, it can affect the lower batting order.

- But our Geon-woo, wow. His batting average slightly dropped, but his on-base percentage increased more than the drop in batting average?

For a while, his batting average dropped. It's now 0.409.

But his on-base percentage is 0.532, which has increased. Seeing Yoo-ri's happy face, I smiled and answered.

“So, are you in love?”

-......

Yoo-ri was silent. I just waited. After a while, I heard Yoo-ri take a deep breath.

- Phew. Kang Geon-woo. You really are... Yeah, I'm in love. What can I do? What?

Finding Yoo-ri's slight irritation cute, I laughed strangely and said,

“What can I do? It means you're really happy to be in love with me.”

- Huh? If you're really happy, huh? Today too! Go out! Hit a home run! Get a save! What?

I promised, of course.

“Don't worry. I'll come back and destroy everything.”

#

And that promise of Kang Geon-woo's was shattered in the third inning.

The starting pitcher for the Oceans today was Lee Hoon.

Despite showing very good form recently, he couldn't handle the increased expectations and gave up 9 runs in 2.1 innings.

“No! Mercy! Match!”

“No! Mercy! Match!”

Excited Meteors fans roared.

While pitchers can suddenly blow up even when they're doing well, the problem was that the next reliever also gave up 3 runs in 0.2 innings, making the game irrecoverable.

To recap, Lee Hoon gave up a grand slam in the bottom of the second inning. It started with a Texas hit, a dropped pitch in a full count, a walk due to poor control, and then a home run.

He managed to end that inning, but in the bottom of the third, another home run.

Then he loaded the bases and gave up another grand slam.

These things happen.

[If Hoonidan keeps this up, they'll all die.]

└I hope the Hoonidan who were boasting about a no-hitter before the game get destroyed.

└Hoon is eternal.

└Shut up.

└Even if Hoon can't throw a no-hitter, he can at least throw a yes-hit, yes-run. h

└The Oceans gallery is joining the Hoonidan crackdown.

└Stop oppressing the Hoonidan...

└How can you still cheer for Hoon after giving up 9 runs in 2.1 innings?

└Hoon, Hoon

└Let's get rid of the Hoon fans, damn it.

└Hoon? :(

└I want to pluck out their eyes, seriously.

└The timing for a manager change is way too late, it's so frustrating.

A 13-point deficit was too big to catch up in a normal situation.

Especially against the Meteors, who had risen to the middle of the pack, not a perennial weak team.

However, after the Meteors' starting pitcher was taken out, their bullpen also exploded.

Kim Jae-sung came in and walked three consecutive batters to load the bases.

Then, the Wolfpack, who was a candidate for a roster change during the Olympic break, hit a grand slam.

“Wolfpack! Wolfpack!”

“When he thinks he's dead, he hits a grand slam!”

It was true. After a slump where he didn't drive in any runs for a few games, the Wolfpack suddenly hit a grand slam.

This was his fifth grand slam.

He had 20 RBIs from five home runs.

“Howooooooooohooooo!”

The Wolfpack, excited, did a chest-pounding celebration and the Oceans players also rejoiced, patting his head.

Although he has clear weaknesses and doesn't show consistent performance, the Wolfpack is quite popular among the players.

His extreme power-hitting and windmill swing style divide fan opinions, but there are quite a few fans who like the Wolfpack.

[Hoonpack grand slam ㅅㅅㅅㅅㅅㅅ]

└Hoonpack ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅅㅂㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

└Both teams have one player with extreme ups and downs ㅅㅂㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

└Their nicknames fit them. Shouldn't they be released when they start to slump, like Hoon?

└They give you hope and then go into a slump for a while, just like Hoon.

└Don't insult Hoon...

└Are there still Hoonidan left?

In any case, the Oceans did hit the Meteors' bullpen hard, but it was difficult to turn the game around.

The final score was 15-10.

[This lopsided game is so entertaining ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ]

└This is the lopsided game I know. It's strange these days.

└Don't compare the Meteors to the Rocks... It hurts my pride.

└Your defense was amazing?

└I felt sorry for them and watched once.

└I watched, but they worked really hard ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

└Today, it felt a bit like last year's lopsided game, which was nice ㅎ

#

- Hello?

“Yeah. It's me, sis.”

- You said you'd come back and destroy everything, but everything was destroyed?

“Yeah, it was a bit rough.”

- It's okay. I'm in a good mood today.

“Why? Did something good happen?”

- Curious?

“Of course. I want to know everything that makes you happy.”

Yoo-ri laughed and lowered her voice.

- Actually, I caught a Hoonidan today.

Come to think of it, Yoo-ri doesn't really like Lee Hoon.

“Hoonidan?”

- Who?

If it's a catch, it must be Hyun-woo.

Lee Hoon is probably considered a traitor among Oceans fans today, and Hyun-woo does all sorts of weird things online.

Surprisingly, he was a Hoonidan.

“Hyun-woo?”

- Yeah.

Yoo-ri giggled. The reason she's in a good mood despite the Oceans' loss is probably due to the standings.

Losing one game while in first place is understandable, but losing one game while in last place can lead to talk of league dissolution among Oceans fans.

I know this very well, having married an Oceans fan.

- Actually, I saw his recent posts, and they were all praising Lee Hoon.

“Really? He must be a fan.”

- He even wrote that Lee Hoon would be better than Kang Geon-woo as a closer.

He must be a big fan.

- He also wrote that if Lee Hoon played as a pitcher and hitter, he would have made it to the majors by now.

That's understandable. If you think he's a fan, it's kind of cute.

- So, when I asked him what he thought about the 2