Chapter 95

Hello, it's me -2-

#

In this Olympic baseball tournament, assuming a team advances to the final, they will play a total of 8 games.

With 12 teams, the largest number in Olympic history, participating, they are divided into two groups of six teams each for a round-robin, followed by a tournament among the top four teams in each group.

South Korea is in Group B.

Group A: USA, Taiwan, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Canada, Italy.

Group B: Japan, South Korea, Mexico, Venezuela, Australia, Netherlands.

After each team in a group plays one game, the 5th and 6th place teams in each group are eliminated.

The winner of the match between the 1st place team and the 4th place team in Group A faces the winner of the match between the 2nd place team and the 3rd place team in Group B.

The 1st place team and the 4th place team in Group B, as well as the 2nd place team and the 3rd place team in Group A, also play, with the winners of each block meeting in the final.

"First place, first place. We must aim for first place."

The coach said seriously. And then, he made a strange joke.

"No geese. No geese."

A brief silence fell, and one of the coaches picked his nose. The silence was broken by Bae Young-han.

"Huh?"

"..."

The coach looked at Bae Young-han, who had a strange expression, and said,

"Wasn't it funny?"

"Huh? Funny? Was there something funny?"

"You pack your bags and stay in Korea, you brat."

"Wow, Coach. You used to be so warm."

"Stay in Korea; it's warmer."

"Have you been to the USA, Coach?"

The coach looked around at the coaching staff and said,

"Who suggested picking this old man? Why not pick young and talented players like Bok Hyun-sung or Cheon Je-hyun?"

This conversation, which is more like a stand-up routine, has been ongoing since the team was assembled. It's the coach's way of easing tension. The coach who had picked his nose said,

"Coach said Bae Young-han must be included."

"When did I say that?"

"If you don't take him, he'll torment you for life, so you must take him."

"You stay in Korea with Bae Young-han!"

Anyway, when there are no troublemakers in the team, this method can be effective. And we set off for the USA.

It's been a while.

#

Opinions were divided on how well the South Korean Olympic team would perform.

[The real group of death, what lies ahead for the South Korean team?]

└Apart from Australia, there are no easy teams ㅅㅂ

└Can't beat the Netherlands?

└The Dutch players from the mainland are not great, but there are quite a few from Curaçao and Aruba

└The American rascals pretend they don't care about the Olympics; look at the group draw

└In a way, aiming for 4th place isn't bad

└Can you aim for 4th place and actually get it? ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

└Aim for 4th place and end up with a disastrous result

└Still, it's doable, right? This team looks strong

└No Major Leaguers, what can they do

└But we have Geon-woo

└Fucking hell, he's a show-off. He doesn't know anything about baseball

Still, there's a lot of hope because the team has shown good results in international competitions, especially the Olympics.

[Geon-woo Kang is unstoppable in the Olympicseu.txt]

If he can't resolve his military service, he has to leave his girlfriend and go to the military ㅋㅋ

└That's true, fucking hell ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

└The reason he hit three home runs in three at-bats against the Sangmu ㅋㅋ

└Honestly, if you're as good as King Geon-woo, even Major Leaguers wouldn't stand a chance

└Does he play baseball alone? What if Geon-woo hits and the others just mess up?

└Fucking hell, those guys are disgusting ㅋㅋㅋㅋ Don't go too far

Anyway, some players felt the pressure of the expectations, but the Big 3 starting pitchers of the national team were a bit different.

"The game against Japan is mine."

"What if we get eliminated because of you?"

"That's nonsense."

"You're not good enough."

"Who else can be the ace besides me?"

"Me."

"Me."

This was a familiar argument whenever the three were called up for international tournaments.

The oldest of the three, Min Seung-gi, got angry.

"Only throwing in the low 150s."

Kim Kwon-jong replied,

"Velocity isn't everything, senior."

The youngest of the three, Park Yong-jae, chimed in,

"You guys have chicken chests, so you can't do it."

The "chicken chests" 1 and 2 reacted.

"Chicken chests?"

"Right. Seung-gi senior has a chicken chest."

"What?"

"Does baseball depend on velocity alone? Then Geon-woo would be the best."

"Kwon-jong senior is right. If you say Geon-woo can't throw 160, what would he say?"

"Y...You bastards..."

The three have a subtle rivalry but are quite close.

Min Seung-gi, born in 2002, Kim Kwon-jong, born in 2003, and Park Yong-jae, born in 2004.

To them, 2009-born Geon-woo Kang is a notable player.

"But is Geon-woo close to Seung-gi senior?"

"He's the talent who will help me win the Oceans championship."

"Can you win without him?"

Min Seung-gi trembled.

"You guys. After the Olympics, don't lose to the Oceans."

"Why do you say that, even though you're an Oceans fan?"

"Ah, Kwon-jong senior. He's trying to make sure the Oceans can't win without him."

"But does having Seung-gi senior mean the Oceans will win?"

"With me, it's possible."

"No, senior. I've won before, and it's not just about being good at baseball. Players who haven't experienced the postseason will fall apart. Yong-jae, what do you think... Oh. Have you never played in the postseason?"

Originally, when the three are together, the target changes frequently.

"If I hadn't been on the Meteors..."

"Don't blame the team."

"Are you saying this while the Diamonds are in last place?"

"Anyway, it's not my fault."

While the three pitchers were bickering, Geon-woo Kang walked past, talking on the phone.

"Hey, sister. I've arrived and am adjusting to the time difference. Yeah. I'm fine. Not tired. Except for not having you here, everything's fine. That's a bit of a big problem, though."

The three fell silent for a moment, then all called out to Geon-woo as if on cue.

"Geon-woo."

"Hey, junior."

"Geon-woo!"

But Geon-woo, who didn't look like a junior at all, briefly took his phone away and replied,

"Ah, seniors. I have something urgent to do."

As they watched Geon-woo disappear quickly, the ace pitchers of South Korea each said a word.

"Wow. Look at him, so enthusiastic."

"He must have something urgent to do."

"Hehe. Geon-woo..."

Anyway, the coach will choose the player in the best condition and with the best match-up for the most important games.

"I'm going to work out."

"Trying to look hard like an amateur to impress the coach?"

"Even if I work out now, my velocity won't increase."

#

We are scheduled to play a practice game against Cuba at Cubs Park in Mesa, Arizona.

This is the stadium where the Arizona Fall League is held. The league runs from October to November, and we've heard it's temporarily rented for the game.

I've played here before.

Instead of having minor leaguers from one team, players from five different teams form one team.

The Oakland Athletics play in the Mesa Solar Sox, and Cubs Park is the home stadium of the Mesa Solar Sox.

The fall league stadiums are close together. If I had gone to the Major Leagues instead of the KBO, I would have been playing here about three months later.

I didn't stay there for long, but I remember it a bit.

I was quite sharp, and I made Yooli worry. Thinking about it now, I wonder why I was like that, but there are many reasons.

"Geon-woo, you'll bat third today."

"Yes."

"Do you want to bat second?"

"I'll do as you say."

"Okay? Then you'll bat third."

"Yes."

It was decided rather quickly.

Today's lineup is as follows:

Jeong Bu-won (CF) - Jeong Jo-jun (LF) - Geon-woo Kang (SS) - Seo Woo-ju (3B) - Yoon Tae-ho (1B) - Yang Dae-geun (DH) - Jo Yong-han (C) - Lee Hyun-dong (2B) - Song Byung-jae (RF)

I don't think the batting order matters much. It's just a matter of preference or pride for some players.

Still, it's a bit surprising to see Song Byung-jae batting ninth, but I can see the intention of Coach Joo Sung-tae, who tends to play small ball.

If Song Byung-jae gets a hit, Jeong Bu-won will bunt, and then Jeong Jo-jun or I will try to score.

If Seo Woo-ju, who has a good on-base percentage, extends the opportunity, Yoon Tae-ho, who has power, will follow, and then Dae-geun senior.

Baseball doesn't always go according to the script, but that's the idea.

Still, it's hard to imagine Jeong Jo-jun bunting.

He might refuse to bunt and aim for a home run.

Anyway, standing here, I remember feeling guilty towards Yooli.

I got angry when she asked how I was doing recently. Why did I do that? I know. I just didn