Chapter 96

"Hello, it's me -3-

#

Even though it's not particularly new, it's still somewhat surprising to see some familiar faces.

A good number of the players on my team are also familiar faces.

Actually, some Cuban players are more familiar to me than the current national team players.

"Don't look at me. You piece of trash."

Cuban player Miguel Cruz said this while brushing off his uniform at second base.

Lee Hyun-dong, the second baseman, stood there blankly, not understanding Spanish, but I responded to those words.

"No one is looking at you. And the scouts probably aren't either."

The second baseman and the runner on second base both looked at me in surprise.

When you play in overseas leagues, there are many players who will say anything, thinking that you don't understand their language.

Originally, when I first came here, I couldn't speak English well.

The opponents would curse at me in English or Spanish, and I would curse back in Korean.

But it felt like I was at a disadvantage.

The others would laugh and curse at me, but they wouldn't understand what I was saying.

So I learned English and Spanish. There was a teacher provided by the club, but I refused and learned English through video calls with Yool.

-Why don't you speak? Are you stupid? Are you a fool? Can't you speak?

I couldn't speak English well, but I could understand that much.

But I didn't know how to respond. I had decided not to speak in Korean.

Yool, who seemed to have a lot of pent-up frustration, teased me relentlessly in English, and I desperately learned English.

I've spent my whole life doing sports, but I know how smart Yool is.

Yool learned Spanish to teach me.

Learning and teaching are different. To teach someone, you need to study much more deeply than you would to use it yourself.

Anyway, once I could speak English to a certain extent, Yool started to provoke me in Spanish.

It took quite a while, but this is why I can speak English and Spanish, even though I've only been throwing and hitting balls all my life.

"You didn't expect to be able to talk to a piece of trash, did you?"

"You're the one who's trash. Shut up and play baseball."

This kind of exchange is actually quite common in baseball. The respect for seniority and the formalities of stepping on bases and greeting each other in K-Baseball are somewhat unique.

In the U.S., showing weakness means you won't be respected. Even if a fight breaks out and it's your fault, you don't back down.

Showing weakness means you'll be treated as a loser. It's a bit childish, but it's inevitable.

Cuba isn't the U.S., but it's undeniable that a similar atmosphere exists.

Miguel Cruz spat and lowered his stance.

Instead of arguing or fighting, he was indicating that he would follow my advice and focus on baseball.

The inning ended without incident, and Lee Hyun-dong asked me,

"Do you speak Spanish?"

"A little."

"What did he say just now? He looked so fierce, I thought a fight was going to break out."

I replied as if it was nothing.

"He said your home run was great."

By the way, there was a restaurant in Phoenix nearby that Yool really liked.

When she came to see me, we went to a barbecue place together, and Yool would talk about that place whenever she got the chance.

It was really delicious, and she wanted to go back so badly.

But... well. The timing never worked out, and I never had a reason to go back to Phoenix.

I don't know if I'll have time during this Olympics, but I really want to go there with Yool. It would be a repeat for me, but a first for her.

Things I didn't do or couldn't do before I came back. I want to do everything Yool wanted to do, together.

#

"Keep him from getting too excited."

"Yes, I understand."

Coach Joo Sung-tae said to the coach. The score was 8-1, and the game was in the middle innings.

With the score gap widening, there were a few things he hadn't been able to try during the game, such as bunting, hit and run, run and hit, and double steals.

'Are these Cubans hiding their true strength?'

He had given up a run, but the game felt too easy.

The Cuban batters weren't hitting well, and the pitchers weren't either.

Even if the Cuban national team wasn't as strong as it used to be...

'They need to lose a game before the tournament to get their act together.'

Baseball is a sport where you can't win every game. The perfect victory 20 years ago was partly due to luck, and there were also allegations of teams intentionally losing. The power analysis team is working hard, but it's not easy to know the true strength of the opponents.

He watched the 7th inning defense intently. Some players had been substituted.

It was also to manage the stamina of the starting players and to keep the bench players in game shape.

The pitcher on the mound was Jung Su-ho.

The fiery fastball pitcher was no longer there.

But he was a calm veteran and a valuable left-handed pitcher, making him hard to replace even under pressure or controversy.

He also helped maintain the team's atmosphere. Of course, if he lacked the skills, he would be replaced, but he was still considered effective.

Snap!

He induced a ground ball to the 3rd baseman with a circle changeup to the first batter. Kang Geun-woo took two big steps, then three quick steps to approach the ball, and caught it with his backhand, turning and throwing it with a waist rotation.

"Out!"

The throw was fast and accurate. The batter had quick feet, but he caught it steadily.

The next batter, a left-handed hitter, was hit by a slider that broke slightly outside.

And another ball to the 3rd baseman.

This time, the shortstop didn't run a long distance to catch it. He seemed to know the ball was coming his way and moved in advance, throwing it accurately to the first baseman.

'Hmm.'

He didn't have any particular thoughts. He was just watching the defense blankly, not feeling any sense of crisis.

Crack!

Then, a high fly ball that went a bit past second base.

The center fielder ran out, and the second baseman was nearby, creating a chaotic scene. Kang Geun-woo shouted to clear the way and caught the ball cleanly.

'...'

Coach Joo Sung-tae was momentarily lost in thought and asked the defense coach,

"Did Kang Geun-woo catch all three?"

"Yes, coach."

"Were all three easy catches?"

"No."

"Then?"

"The first ball was a tricky course and speed that even a good shortstop might have to dive for, but his reaction speed was excellent. The second, he was already in position without a shift sign. The third, you saw him keep his composure and shout, right?"

"So?"

"He's a defensive shortstop."

"A .400 hitter is a defensive shortstop?"

"Anyway, he's a defensive shortstop."

"But he's a home run king?"

"His throws are fast and accurate. When I saw him throw 166 km/h, I thought, 'This guy is definitely a defensive shortstop.'"

"Don't say that in an interview."

"Why not?"

"I'll get criticized for hiring a coach who doesn't know baseball."

"No, I won't."

"What do you mean, no?"

"He's definitely a defensive shortstop."

"Ugh. Fine. Get out of here, you."

#

People often focus on Kang Geun-woo's insane hitting skills (home runs) and his 166 km/h fastball.

This was also what the Olympic national team batters always said to him.

"Hey, don't throw 166 km/h to me."

"Sure. Not to me either. Just to him."

"You struck out on a 153 km/h pitch, didn't you?"

"Ah. Trauma. Don't do that. A 130 km/h changeup and a 153 km/h pitch right in, how can you hit that?"

"To be honest, I was expecting a curveball and only aimed for that. But he never threw a curveball."

"While we're at it, can you hit home runs a bit less? It's too hard to keep up."

"Damn. I hit 13 home runs, but I'm being called a minor leaguer when compared to Kang Geun-woo. Hey, Geun-woo. Are you going to play baseball alone?"

Complaints poured out. Before joining the national team, some players thought they would correct his habits, but Kang Geun-woo here didn't seem to need much correction.

He wasn't particularly friendly, but he wasn't difficult either.

His concept of seniority was a bit vague, but he wasn't disrespectful or misbehaving.

There was a bit of that in Jung Jo-jun, who usually played the role of a troublemaker in the national team, but since Jung Jo-jun often grabbed Kang Geun-woo to train or play catch, he wasn't treating him poorly.

He was the most diligent in training and never drank. There was nothing to criticize.

Senior players who wanted to get closer to him would offer drinks, but Kang Geun-woo would always shake his head.

And Bae Young-han helped here.

"Hey, our youngest doesn't drink. I tried to get him to drink when I first met him, but he never gave in."

It was a believable story.

"If even Bae Young-han gave up, he really doesn't drink."

"Doesn't it sound a bit strange?"

"It's a misunderstanding, sir."

"Let's have a drink."

"Ah, then let's go. Sir."

The pitchers were looking at something different from the batters.

Of course, many pitchers were frustrated by his incredible home run production, but more were interested in his defensive skills.

"Having Kang Geun-woo on our team would lower my ERA by 0.5."

"There's one way."

"No, no. I'm not going to Ocean's. I'm not going."

Park Yong-jae waved his hands. Kim Kwon-jong thought for a moment.

"With Yoon Yong-han as the catcher and Kang Geun-woo as the shortstop... Well, I'd go to Meteors if not Ocean's."

"Hey? Did you just insult Meteors? Wow, Kwon-jong, I didn't know you felt that way."

"But Ocean's doesn't have Yoon Yong-han."

"Isn't he a free agent next year? If Yoon Yong-han goes to Ocean's, would you really go?"

"The team might let me go, but they wouldn't let Yoon Yong-han go. He's the Vikings, after all."

"Kim Kwon-jong."

"Yes?"

"Ocean's has a second Yoon Yong-han."

"What? The popular one? Ah, Seung-gi. No way. I get stage fright, you know."

"He's a good kid. I know."

"Did you see Kang Geun-woo's defense just now?"

In the 8th inning, Kang Geun-woo was still playing shortstop.

Chae Ji-sung, who entered in the 8th inning, gave him a thumbs up. Kang Geun-woo leaped to catch a ball that was heading to the outfield, and the first base runner, who had started sprinting, was caught off guard and was tagged out.

"If Bong-sung had defended like that... Man, Moon Jae's defense would look terrible."

Everyone was clapping in admiration, and Min Seung-gi smiled slyly