episode_0027

“Wow, that guy doesn’t even flinch after getting hit by a home run.”

Although we were leading 1-0, our team’s offense ended lacklusterly, and the score remained the same until it was my turn at bat again.

Bottom of the 4th inning, two outs. With no runners on base, I stepped up to the plate.

“Hey! Are you ready?”

As soon as I entered, I greeted the catcher with awkward dialect, but he ignored me with a disdainful expression. The umpire seemed to be giving me a slight glare too, so unfortunately, it seemed like I wouldn’t be able to chat further.

“Ball.”

The first pitch was a ball thrown far outside. It was expected. Usually, teams that hit me with a pitch would have a strategy to avoid me from the next at-bat onwards. Moreover, the opposing pitcher, Shin Jung-hoon, had been striking out all our batters except me, so it was perhaps a natural strategy.

“Ball.”

Two balls. Will one finally come in for a strike?

‘Snap out of it. He’s just throwing outside pitches.’

“Sigh. This is no fun.”

“How great is it to get on base for free.”

And the remaining two pitches also went in as balls consecutively. As I was lowering my bat and adjusting my gear, the catcher threw the ball back to the pitcher and shouted at me.

“Don’t even dare swing the bat out of fear! Throw confidently!”

Sigh. These guys who avoid me and then talk like this are new, aren’t they? I got slightly fired up. As soon as I reached first base, I handed over my gear and spoke to the first base coach.

“Coach, can I steal a base?”

“Huh? All of a sudden? You don’t usually run well.”

As the coach said, I wasn’t known for running well. It wasn’t because my legs were slow; it was just difficult for me to run, so I tended not to. Besides, I had a history of injuries, so the coach usually didn’t give me stealing signals when I was on base.

But when faced with such provocation, I, too, felt the urge to mess with the battery.

“Since I’m already tied down today, I’ll give it a shot.”

“Alright. What’s the timing?”

“I’ll handle it myself.”

It was much better to ask Rossby and then run rather than receiving instructions from the coach and running.

“Mr. Rossby, please advise on the changeup timing.”

“Okay.”

Fastballs arrived at the catcher’s mitt quickly, making it challenging for even fast runners like me to succeed. However, with a changeup timing, both the speed and difficulty of the pitch increased, improving the success rate.

Especially against quick-motion pitchers like Shin Jung-hoon, stealing bases from slower sidearm pitchers was a piece of cake. I took three steps away from first base, provoking the pitcher.

“Two outs, two outs! Let’s focus, batter!”

Whether the catcher saw my lead or not, he emphasized “two outs” to calm the pitcher down. If only the batter was out, the inning could end.

“It’s a curveball.”

“Okay.”

Fortunately, it seemed like he was going to throw a curveball from the first pitch. As the pitcher began his delivery motion, I sprinted towards second base. Sliding into second base from my legs, I used the bounce to rise up and the second baseman tagged me with his glove.

“Safe.”

A comfortable timing.

“Does the catcher have a weird shoulder?”

“Don’t talk to me.”

Crabby. Brushing off the dirt from my legs, I widened my stance and started to taunt. Although the pitcher pretended to throw the ball to second base to deter me, I couldn’t reduce my lead.

“Are you hesitating?”

“Young pitchers are all like that. How about trying for third base?”

“Third base?”

Stealing third base was less common compared to stealing second base due to the shorter distance from home to third base. Also, with a single hit, one could easily score from second base at home, so there was no real need to risk a failed steal attempt for third base.

But now, it was just venting frustration. Since the next batter was unlikely to hit anyway, I didn’t need to worry about such things and wanted to annoy the Gyeongnam Jeil High School battery that provoked me.

“Pitch.”

“Ball.”

He seemed to be boasting about my steal, but his arrogance went off track. The catcher almost jumped to catch the pitch. Should I have run?

“Pitch.”

“Strike!”

“Will he keep pitching like that? What do you think?”

“Most likely. He allowed a steal on a curve. How can he run on the pitch timing?”

“It’s a bit risky…”

“You either make it or you don’t. Are you scared?”

“I’m scared.”

The guy standing at bat doesn’t seem like he’ll hit, so I should just run next time. I widened my lead while looking at the shortstop and second baseman’s positions. And…

“Run!”

As the pitcher started his motion, I sprinted towards third base with all my might. The catcher probably didn’t expect me to steal third this time as he didn’t even throw the ball.

“All the way home?”

“Are you crazy?”

“Wouldn’t it be fun? That guy is facing third base.”

As Rossby said, the right-handed pitcher was looking at third base. When our eyes met, I smirked.

“Look at him blushing. How about that?”

“…It does sound fun, indeed.”

The current batter’s count is two strikes, two balls. A situation where I absolutely need to focus on the batter. To annoy the pitcher, I widened my lead almost to one-third between home and third base.

“Don’t worry about the runner! One strike! One strike!”

Shout all you want. Can that guy hear me while staring at me? Since I had no intention of running home, I focused on the pitcher’s delivery with my weight centered on third base. Suddenly, the pitcher threw the ball to third base. I slid quickly towards third base, reaching out my hand.

*Thud!* As I touched third base, the glove slapped my backhand.

“Safe!”

Phew. I thought I was a goner. Thankfully, I managed to survive by focusing my weight on third base.

“Hey, Jimangho! Don’t do unnecessary things.”

Returning to third base, the third base coach grabbed my shoulder and whispered to me.

“I’ll handle it.”

“What?”

“I’ll concentrate.”

“Fine. Do as you please.”

I widened my lead again. The pitcher kept glaring at me, perhaps mistaking that I had discussed tactics with the third base coach.

“Don’t worry about the runner! One out! One out!”

But maintaining composure as a high schooler in a situation where your mental state is already shaken is tough. Shin Junghoon’s pitch ended up far off, bringing the count to full on the scoreboard.

“It’s a full count. Want to try running on a curve?”

“Should I throw a curve?”

“You fool! Full count with two outs and first base empty. There’s no reason not to throw a breaking ball, right?”

“If you don’t throw it?”

“Then those guys are fools.”

“Understood.”

After a considerable time, the battery exchanged signs, and the pitcher nodded. Then, adjusting his grip inside the glove, he readjusted his hold.

“Curve.”

“I’m running.”

Right. Even if that scarecrow gets on base with a walk, there’s no guarantee the next batter will be taken care of. I steeled myself and timed it right.

“Now!”

“Ahh!”

As I ran home, the expression on the guy who had been watching third base suddenly changed dramatically.

“From the right hand!”

Following Rossby’s words, I slid while instinctively reaching out my right hand to sweep across home plate. I could feel the catcher’s mitt hitting my back.

“Safe! …Bases loaded!”

Seeing me run, the pitcher’s curveball shook.

“Nice!”

“Ahh!”

I stood up, roaring as I headed back to the dugout. I exchanged high-fives with teammates and sat down, where the juniors handed me water. Yeah, this is the taste of life. As I sat there drinking water, the coach approached.

“Hey! Jimangho! Who runs like that without a plan!”

“Oh, I thought I could make it.”

“Still, shouldn’t you discuss before running?”

“…I’m sorry.”

“Why did you run?!”

“I judged it was possible. It was a sidearm, so the quick motion felt slow, and I was throwing from the windup at third base. Also, I thought it was a curveball timing. Since my curveball wasn’t hitting the zone well. I felt a bit shaky facing him.”

“Sigh…. Still, good job.”

The coach’s angry expression slightly eased as I calmly explained. While talking with the coach, a sudden noise erupted from the dugout.

“Oh! He cut it! He cut it!”

“Run! To second base! To second base!”

“All the way home! All the way home!”

The coach and I immediately stood up to observe the situation on the field. The hit went straight to center field, and the runner who was on first base rounded third and sprinted home. The batter-runner made it to second base.

“Safe!”

The runner on first base scored, and the numbers lit up on the scoreboard. 3:0.

“The pitcher is rattled. Shaken!”

“Gunhwi! Nice running!”

I went to greet Gunhwi, the runner who had returned home. As we high-fived, he smiled and said,

“Thanks to you, the pitcher is completely shaken, right? Seems like he’s lost his mind.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes. He was throwing terrible pitches from the plate, wasn’t he? Nothing special about Charlotte’s first pick, huh?”

“Well, then try to hit well in your next at-bat.”

That’s how I can play baseball comfortably.

“Uh, that’s a bit…”

“You need to hit those kinds of pitches to get drafted this time, too.”

“Hey, where can I contact you?”

“Contact? Well….”

“How was it?”

“It certainly caught my eye. Hitting home runs and stealing bases.”

“That’s what outfielders do. Against Shin Junghoon.”

“Mm-hmm. Team leader, still….”

“Look, there’s Han Cheol’s scout over there. Team leader Hong. Didn’t the data I brought impress them?”

“They might be here to see Kim Wonho.”

“We know he won’t show up today, but could it be for that? At this rate, they might pick Ji Maengho from Han Cheol. Can’t be too good.”

“Ugh, seeing the juniors filling in equipment makes me think their character isn’t great….”

“Team leader Hong. Fans don’t like players with good character; they like players who play good baseball.”

“Let’s watch the next game first. The likely pick from Han Cheol is Yongsan Internet High School’s Park Jihoon.”

“Park Jihoon is also a good player. But….”

“For now, understood. Team leader. I’m slightly drawn to Ji Maengho after watching today’s game.”

“If a pitcher like Park Jihoon comes once every five years, Ji Maengho is the only player who can fulfill our desire for a right-handed power-hitting infielder at AT Thunderz.”

“Got it!”

Currently under pressure from General Manager Danjang and Assistant Team Leader Cheon, Scout Team Leader Hong Hyuncheol of AT Thunderz shouted out abruptly. After shouting, he glanced at Assistant Team Leader Cheon, who fortunately maintained his usual cold expression.

“Are Han Yeongjun from Seongsil High or Kim Jucheol from Yongin High not worth considering?”

“Han Yeongjun, Kim Jucheol, both are good pitchers, but players of that caliber come out one or two per year. Team leader Hong knows that too.”

Cheon Sooyoung’s response was icy.

“Yes. That’s true, right?”

“Such pitchers can still be picked even after the first round.”

Sooyoung’s reaction was naturally chilly. Both players had a potential of only 35, so it was understandable. However, not knowing this fact, Hyuncheol internally cursed Sooyoung.

‘This worthless woman. Young woman, what? One or two per year? Babbling without knowing anything about pitching. Ugh… I should just quit. Come to think of it, I heard rumors about hiring a scout team at Volcano Falcons… The General Manager is like that too, sticking with a parachute without any dignity.’

In that moment, as they cursed inwardly, a loud cheer erupted again in the baseball stadium. And naturally, the source of that sound was the Hancheol High School cheering squad.

“Our son is doing well!”

“Hancheol High School, fighting! Let’s score 6 more points and go for a cold game!”

“He’s just the best in Busan, nothing special!”

Empowered by the enthusiastic support of the parents, Hancheol High School added 2 more runs in the bottom of the 4th inning, ending the game at 6:0.

“Did you see that, Manager Hong? Jimaengho is a player who can change the atmosphere of the game.”

“That’s true, but hitters have their limits… Plus, it’s a bit different at Jamsil Stadium…”

“Manager Hong, please pray that Hancheol doesn’t pick Jimaengho.”

“Damn it. Fine, let’s see how well Jimaengho performs.”

Unaware of Manager Hong’s thoughts, Cheon Soyoung could only worry that Hancheol Grizzlies might not pick Jimaengho.