Chapter 94

# Hello, it's me -1-

#

I was given a short break, and I spent that time with Yurie.

"Definitely, when you throw fast, both elbows come up a lot. A good hitter might notice that, right?"

Yurie, pushing up her glasses with her fingertips, said. She only wears glasses during exams, but she had a hard time after her eye surgery.

Would it be better to have the surgery done by a better doctor?

I'm not sure. So, I changed the subject a bit in response to Yurie's words.

"Onee-san."

"Uh-huh?"

"Onee-san, you look really smart with your glasses on."

"Out of the blue?"

"No, I've thought that for a while."

"Hmm."

"You look incredibly beautiful."

Yurie froze for a moment. Did she break down?

I'm actually suggesting she shouldn't have eye surgery, but saying she looks incredibly beautiful isn't a lie.

After a brief moment, as if she had rebooted, Yurie said,

"So, what's the solution? When you throw slowly, raising your elbows would look unnatural, right?"

"Should we run a few more simulations?"

"Let's do five more."

Yurie nodded slightly and bowed her head.

As I headed to SMC, I couldn't take my eyes off Yurie's face. I clearly saw her fiddling with her glasses and smirking.

Well, if she likes it, it's fine. She seems a bit embarrassed, though.

The difference in pitching posture between throwing at 166 km/h and 146 km/h...

Yurie would want to make those two forms identical. Yurie is a sports scientist, not a player.

You can't always make everything perfect before going to the field. While perfection would be ideal, there are things that are impossible, and some compromises are necessary.

If you lower your elbows when throwing hard, you won't reach 166 km/h, and if you raise your elbows when throwing slowly, your balance will be off, and you might not be able to control the ball.

Anyway, I was called up to the national team and left home.

My parents and Yurie's family will come to the U.S. according to the game schedule, and we'll be apart during that time.

"You'll miss me."

Yurie smiled warmly and replied,

"Missing is missing, but if we lose to Japan..."

She left the rest unsaid.

Sigh.

It's time to show them what a Major League MVP is made of.

#

"Nice to see you all..."

The first meeting with the national team players.

Coach Joo Sung-tae, the national baseball team coach, rubbed his palms together and cleared his throat.

"There are a few new faces, but I'm sure you all know who I am..."

"Coach, did you eat something good to make your skin look even better?"

Bae Young-han said with a sly smile. Joo Sung-tae frowned slightly and replied,

"Hey, you're here again?"

"Since you called me, I came."

Laughter erupted among the players. Bae Young-han was one of the players Joo Sung-tae had discovered when he was the coach of the Bulldozers.

"Me? I don't think so?"

While maintaining a proper level of tension is important, it's also crucial to ease the tension. With a few new faces, it's even more important.

Coach Joo Sung-tae greeted the regulars warmly.

"Byung-jae, has your swing speed slowed down?"

"If it slows down, I'll retire."

"Just your mouth, huh? Woo-ju!"

"I was hiding behind you, and you saw me?"

"Hey, where did you hide that big body of yours?"

He then turned his gaze to Yang Dae-geun. Although it's his first time on the national team, they are essentially seniors and juniors in the Korean professional baseball league.

"If you want to hide, you should hide here. Yang Dae-geun, nice to see you."

"Nice to meet you."

"Ah, I should be the one saying that. You guys need to do well for me not to get fired."

Then, the coach's eyes stopped on Kang Geon-woo.

"Hey..."

"Nice to meet you."

"Kang Geon-woo... our youngest..."

The coach put his arm around Kang Geon-woo and said,

"Hey, pitchers, you really got hammered by our youngest, didn't you?"

The most senior pitcher, Jeong Su-ho of the Angels, replied,

"Coach, I'm not ashamed of getting hit by Geon-woo."

"What? Is that how the story is going?"

"I got hit fairly, so it's fine."

"Ji-sung didn't get hit, right?"

"Ji-sung only walked him."

"Hey, why did you..."

"It's okay, it's okay. A pitcher needs to be a bit shameless. That's why I like Ji-sung."

"Coach, it's not shamelessness, it's shrewdness..."

"Enough, you."

Laughter erupted again. The atmosphere started warmly, and Coach Joo Sung-tae said,

"Laugh while you can. New faces, stay. Old-timers, go and start training on your own."

#

Coach Joo Sung-tae may seem laid-back, but he's strict during training.

Strict?

When I first met him on the national team, he wasn't that strict. His philosophy is that hitting is a talent, but defense is a skill, and defense determines the outcome of national team games.

Kang Geon-woo needs to toughen up under someone like him.

Coach Hugh Breadman didn't push me that hard during training.

Anyway, Coach Joo Sung-tae asked me various questions.

"Can you play defense at other positions besides shortstop?"

"Personally, I think I can play any position."

"Really? If it were someone else, I'd tell them to stop acting up with just high school-level skills. But your shortstop defense is so good. As a fielder, you'll probably play shortstop most of the time, so don't worry about it. Is there anything special you need to pay attention to when pitching?"

I warm up pretty quickly. In fact, I could start as a starter and throw 100 pitches.

I haven't done that in a real game, but I'm not overconfident. I know my body well, and Yurie's simulations showed the same.

I don't want to push myself too hard.

Of course, in crucial situations, things might be different.

But that's a different story, and the bullpen situation in the Oceans is a bit different from the national team.

"My body warms up pretty quickly. In the team, I've pitched in two consecutive games, and there are no other special issues."

Still, I doubt I'll start as a pitcher.

Seung-gi, who hasn't pitched in the Major League, is no less talented than Kim Kwon-jong, Park Yong-jae, and the other Big 3.

There are other starting pitchers, and while the pitcher rotation in a short tournament can be a bit more flexible, there shouldn't be any major issues.

"Got it. That's good. I'll watch you pitch during training... Your shortstop defense is fine, and as for hitting, as long as you don't get nervous, it should be okay, right?"

I can't tell them I'm a former Major League MVP or that I was once known as the Kanto Earthquake in Japan.

I'm a rookie.

"I'll do my best."

"Good, good. Just do your best. Oh, you've never bunted in the team, right? Can you bunt?"

"If you tell me to."

"If the bunt sign is given and you don't want to bunt, hit a home run. If you can't bunt and can't hit a home run, that's a problem. Do you understand?"

"Yes."

No matter how good a home run hitter you are, if the coach tells you to bunt, you bunt.

That's what he meant, but I thought it would be fun to just hit a home run with the fake rookie's spirit.

Actually, I don't remember ever bunting. Did I try it in high school?

Anyway, since Coach Joo Sung-tae pursues small ball, he does have bunt training.

I remember he used to argue that bunting wasn't done in the Major League.

Snap!

When I failed to bunt properly, the national team players murmured.

"Is there something he can't do?"

"No, he might be doing it on purpose to avoid bunting."

"That makes sense."

Most of the pitchers are the ones who badmouth me.

Hmm. Maybe I've been too dominant in the league.

I can sense a bit of resentment.

#

We had a practice game against the Sangmu baseball team.

Even though Sangmu participates in the second-tier league, there were some first-tier level players trying to resolve their military service issues, and some players showed envy.

"Wow, bro. I should have aimed for the Olympics."

"You wouldn't have been selected, you."

"I could have been."

"Even Choi Ji-yong and Hwangbo Kyung-tae didn't make it, so what chance do you have?"

"Ah, if you say that, I don't have anything to say..."

The best way to avoid military service is to participate in international competitions and become an artistic or athletic staff member.

The second-best option is the Sangmu baseball team.

It's a much better environment than serving as an active duty, regular, or public service worker, but nothing beats winning a medal with the national team.

Of course, that's only after winning the medal.

Anyway, to play baseball properly, you need to forget how to get bored.

The moment you start feeling bored about hitting singles and home runs every day, you might not be able to hit them at all, and you'll miss that boredom.

The weaker the opponent, the more you need to hit.

In fact, winning this game is the least you can do.

While the Sangmu baseball team is in the second-tier league, it includes first-tier level players and talented players.

But the perception of baseball fans is different. If the national team can't overwhelmingly win against a team like Sangmu, it's considered unacceptable.

The batting order was as follows:

Jeong Bu-won (center fielder) - Song Byung-jae (right fielder) - Seo Woo-ju (designated hitter) - Jeong Jo-jun (left fielder) - Yoon Tae-ho (first baseman) - Kang Geon-woo (shortstop) - Park Jung-shin (third baseman) - Jo Yong-han (catcher) - Lee Hyun-dong (second baseman)

Recalling the conversation about tension during the interview, it seems like the batting order is designed to not put pressure on me...

Crack!

The batting order doesn't really matter.

Still, it would look better if Kang Geon-woo batted third or fourth instead of sixth.

I hit a two-run home run against Sangmu's starting pitcher, Lee Sung-hyuk. Lee Sung-hyuk, who is with the Angels, bravely threw his main pitch, only to watch the ball fly out.

"Good job! Kang Geon-woo!"

"Killing it!"

"Hey, Sung-hyuk will be discouraged."

"He's not holding back, he's not holding back."

Since the team members are different, it feels a bit awkward.

Although he's a core player in the team, Da-geun, who is more of a left-handed pinch-hitter here, smiled and congratulated me, and Jo-jun, who scored on my home run, patted my shoulder and said,

"Hey, want to bet on who hits more home runs?"

"You can't beat me."

"Huh. This kid. He's subtly speaking informally again."

"When did I?"

Other senior national team players chimed in after hearing our conversation.

"He's good at hitting and catching, and Jo-jun is good at catching."

"This rookie is amazing."

"He's so good at baseball, you should take him even if he can't play."

"Is there no one who likes this brat?"

"Have you heard of Ii-je?"

"Hey, Geon-woo only acts like that with you. You don't act like that with anyone else."

He grumbles, but a bit of catch play will smooth things over.

Seung-gi, who was sitting on the bench, laughed strangely again.

"Hehehe. Kang Geon-woo..."

"..."

"Keep that hitting feel until next year..."

Jo-jun is fun to tease, but I still don't know how to deal with Seung-gi.

Min Seung-gi, you're making even my second life confusing...

#

First, the national team pitchers dominated the Sangmu batters.

The Big 3 were cruising through this season. The highest ERA among them was Kim Kwon-jong's 2.49, and they all had their own ways of managing their condition.

While breaking innings to check their pitches.

Crack!

Kang Geon-woo hit a home run in his second at-bat as well.

Coach Joo Sung-tae smiled faintly and said to the head coach,

"What do we do with this guy?"

"Excuse me?"

"If he keeps hitting like this."

"Yes, Coach."

"How many times should we put him in the lineup?"

"I've never seen him get nervous in a game. And some say the foreign pitchers' ERA has risen this year because of him... Let's put him fourth."

"Ah, Coach Kim, fourth?"

"Excuse me?"

"Let's consider putting him second or third."

Of course, no one knows if he'll perform like this against other national teams.

But he's currently dominating the league. Putting this young guy sixth in the lineup is a waste.

And in his third at-bat.

Crack!

By this point, the Sangmu pitchers were pitiful.

After hitting three home runs and driving in six runs in his third at-bat, Kang Geon-woo scored, and Coach Joo Sung-tae called for Oksu-kyung to prepare for defense and called Kang Geon-woo.

"Oksu-kyung, get ready for defense, and Geon-woo!"

"Yes!"

"Yes."

"Try to save some home runs for the Japan game. Take a break now!"

Kang Geon-woo sat on the bench, and Yang Dae-geun came up as a pinch-hitter in the next at-bat.

"Da-geun has a pretty good on-base percentage, right?"

"Yes. He's a player with a clear strike zone, so he can be useful when you need to get on base."

Of course, Yang Dae-geun does have a good on-base percentage.

But that's a bit of a biased statement.

Crack!

A bold swing on a 3-1 count.

He hit a sinking fastball below the zone and sent it over the fence for a back-to-back home run.

"Wow, the Oceans kids are something else."

"His swing is merciless. Today, Tae-ho went 1 for 3..."

"How does Tae-ho's swing look?"

"Like he'll hit it if he connects."

"Compared to Da-geun's swing?"

"..."

"Why are you quiet?"

"Um, Da-geun is better. Right now."

"Really? But what's the catch?"

"Star quality..."

"Star quality? Hell. Hey, if we don't win a medal, our necks might be on the line. Are you looking for that?"

"Coach, did you just make a joke?"

"Was it not funny?"

"...Hahaha. Oh, Coach. Find my belly button for me."

"Enough. Get out. Oh! Yang Dae-geun! Good swing! Wow!"