episode_0368

-Williams Injured Again! Revealed to have a minor rib fracture.

…Foreign hitter for the Thunders, Don Williams, was diagnosed with a minor rib injury and has been sent down to the second team…

“Hmm, if it’s this area, how many weeks would it take?”

“It varies from person to person, but for baseball players, about 4 weeks should be enough if they’re healthy.”

-“I’m sorry. I really felt pain, so I got checked, and it turns out there’s a crack in my rib. I’ll diligently undergo rehabilitation in the second team and come back. I’m not faking it this time, so please forgive me just this once. -Don Williams”

“…Did I hit him too hard?”

I did give him a smack on the side, but to crack a bone like this. Apart from his antics, he seemed physically weak. Still, perhaps this injury will instill some perseverance in him. Maybe he’ll return as a changed man.

Reviving yet another person like this. Should’ve become a teacher. I turned off my phone and placed it in the locker. Today’s starting pitcher, Crongs, is approaching. We went to the club together yesterday, I gave Williams some advice, and when I came out, he was already gone. Judging by his expression during training today, he seemed to have brushed off all worries.

“Hey, Ji. What happened yesterday? I heard some fighting.”

“I don’t know anything. Just pitch well today.”

“You’re not a fan of giving explanations, are you?”

“Curious?”

“Heh, typical manly response. Ji, you know what I like, right?”

“Damn, stop talking nonsense. Get lost!”

“Even that weird Texan old man tone of yours is charming.”

If we hadn’t cleared up the misunderstanding about this guy last year, punches would’ve been thrown. Why is he acting like this towards me?

But he’s undeniably talented… On days like today when we face the opponent’s ace, there’s no more reliable pitcher than Crongs. His banter suggested he was in good shape too.

“It’s unbelievable that this guy is considered an ace.”

I’ve known him since high school, but him being the ace of a team is quite surprising. Last year, he had decent stats, but this season, his pitching is truly ace material. His performance cannot be denied.

Last year, Juju achieved 10 wins and 6 losses with an ERA of 2.71. Apart from Crongs, no other starting pitcher on our team had better stats than him. Furthermore, this season, with a record of 7 wins and 2 losses and an ERA of 2.11, he was leading the Future Buffalos along with Jin-hong Lee, who returned from injury.

“Has he really grown? His pitches were light last year… Well, I’ll see during today’s game.”

To be honest, I was worried. Even from watching videos, it’s clear his pitches have improved. His curveball, which used to be subpar at the pro level, now has its own flair, and his slider, thrown only for a short while since the season started, was rated as the top breaking ball in terms of effectiveness.

“Until the Asian Games, he didn’t feel like this, but maybe it’s because he’s older now? Every year is different.”

Especially last year, without a proper curveball, players with the caliber of Gisangju or Choi Jin-cheol could handle Jang Woo-joo. His slider, similar to other pitchers’ fastballs, sometimes caught hitters off guard. However, with a refined curveball, batters facing Jang Woo-joo felt significant pressure, according to those who faced him.

Of course, it didn’t concern me much. However, I was worried about his fastball exceeding 100 miles per hour. Last year, with poor control, it felt like he was inviting hits, but this season, with improved control, it seemed like a tough game ahead.

…Truth be told, I was afraid.

“Ha, if I manage to strike this guy out once, it’ll be so satisfying.”

Even if he hits a foul ball, the guy who always boasted about his pitching skills during breaks made me nervous. If today was a day for him to face a no-hitter game against me, it seemed like it would be unbearable. No, even if I hit a single or a home run, it was clear that he would brag if he became the winning pitcher in today’s game.

As his mentor who taught him about women and baseball, I couldn’t just stand by and watch such a sight. Today, we must win no matter what.

Fortunately, the atmosphere in the locker room didn’t seem tense, especially since Jang Woo-joo was set to pitch. Particularly, our most important hitters besides me, Ki Sang-joo and Choi Jin-cheol, didn’t seem too concerned about Jang Woo-joo taking the mound.

“Ha, Williams was strong against fastballs.”

“That’s true. Even in the States, he had a weakness for breaking balls, but he was praised for hitting fastballs well.”

“It’s just talk, but honestly, I thought Williams was a pushover. But he really got hurt. How did he play with a broken rib? It’s not easy for a foreign player to do that… Maybe it’s because he cried over a minor league injury, he definitely has a weak spot for walks. Honestly, if it were one of the young guys these days, they would have been out immediately.”

“A broken rib. It’s just a hairline fracture. It should get better with some rest. Honestly, where can you find a pro player who plays without such an injury? It hurts, damn it.”

“His face looks like it hurts the most.”

“What? This guy.”

Listening to them talk, I wanted to interject with a few words of correction, but I refrained from doing so as I felt Ki Sang-joo might start lecturing if I did.

“And even with a hairline fracture, it must hurt every time he breathes. Gyeong-ho hyung still hasn’t returned… Ah, there was also Maeng-ho, sorry.”

“Damn, caught.”

“…Why are you apologizing to me for that?”

“Well, you’re the one who broke Gyeong-ho hyung’s rib.”

“In baseball, things like that can happen. Frankly, it’s not strange for men to collide and end up injured. Maybe I helped discover the injury early on? It was already a sore spot, and I found it sooner.”

The day Baek Gyeong-ho got injured still remained a mystery. I felt bad for causing the collision, but no matter how much I thought about it, it wasn’t that serious… same with Williams. Just a slight touch and he ended up with a rib issue.

“Tsk, how will he survive in the tough world of professional baseball if he’s that fragile.”

“…Did you go visit him at least?”

“I was planning to, but Gyeong-ho sunbae told me not to come. He said not to worry about him during the game. He mentioned it wasn’t because of me that he got hurt.”

I wasn’t particularly eager to go, but when the team provided me with his contact information and I reached out, Baek Gyeong-ho’s response was as such.

“Well, back in our day, body-checking at home plate was fine, but is Gyeong-ho hyung getting old? Seems like he’s gotten a lot weaker.”

“That’s right. Ha, I miss those times.”

“You couldn’t hit back then. You were good at hitting when I was pitching well. If it weren’t for you, I might have won an MVP once.”

“With your skills?”

“Oh, I was MVP material in ’16.”

“I hit 51 home runs that year, man.”

“I hit 29 home runs at Jamsil. Honestly, back then… was it Mujeon Stadium? If I played at Mujeon, I would’ve hit 50 home runs.”

“Probably. Did you know I hit 44 home runs last year?”

“I hit 30 home runs last year. Honestly, you’re the home run magnet. Maeng-ho would signal, fill the bases.”

“You don’t remember all the good pitches you got in front of Maeng-ho. Have you hit 20 home runs in the majors?”

“Have you hit .300 in the majors?”

“That was during the shortened season due to COVID.”

“Even a shortened season is recognized as a regular one.”

Though they were two individuals playing around in an immature manner for their age, their conversation was harsh. Yet, it was reliable.

To conquer Jang Woo-joo’s pitch, it seemed necessary to possess either the contact skills equivalent to Ki Sang-ju or the power to brush past like Choi Jin-cheol. While Suho senior was also reliable, there wasn’t a feeling that Suho senior was at the KBA level, so the two of them were crucial in today’s lineup, excluding me.

“I believe in you today, seniors.”

“What are you suddenly talking about? Anyway, Maeng-ho, if you played like you did back in our days, you would’ve been taken to the hospital last year. Right, bro?”

“That’s true. Back in our day, if you didn’t slide after looking at the second baseman’s ankle, you’d get slapped by the coach.”

“You slid at AT? We didn’t slide, did we? Seniors did show spirit though.”

“Did you only slide at AT? Honestly, we’re lucky because we’re on the same team. If we had watched Maeng-ho play baseball on another team, we wouldn’t have been able to stand it.”

“I thought, ‘This guy must be crazy,’ when he did that ceremony. I thought Korea had changed while I was in the U.S. You’re really lucky. If we had done that kind of ceremony back in our days, my ankle would have snapped right at second base. I probably would’ve been in a wheelchair.”

“…These stubborn guys.”

Always talking about our days, our days.

“…Do you think I was just taking it?”

To tell someone like me, who received a direct murder tackle from Rossby, such a story. Does Major League Baseball in the early 20th century seem like a joke?

“……”

“……”

“…You playing baseball now is fortunate, really.”

“Look at Kyungho’s injury. If Maeng-ho played baseball back in our days…”

“In that sense, please take care of the game today. You know that Woo and I are the same, right?”

“Why bring that up now? Hey?! Hey! Where’s Ji Maeng-ho?!”

Since it was getting difficult to listen to the old men’s nonsense, I ignored the voice calling me and headed towards the dugout. In the dugout, Kim Suho, who had already finished all preparations, was staring intently at the empty mound, likely doing image training.

“Indeed, that’s a senior for you. He has a solid presence.”

Perhaps in the eyes of other juniors, I appear like that too, right? A solid and cool demeanor. Seeing how the juniors treat me with respect, that’s probably the case without a doubt.

“Oh, hyung, you’re here?”

As the youngest, Jung Hwi-chul comes out of the dugout first and greets me while organizing his equipment. Even seeing someone like Hwi-chul, who is my junior, act this way confirms my thoughts. Indeed, as a senior, I should have a solid presence.

“Yeah. Hwichul, try to get on base a lot today.”

“I’ll do my best.”

“Don’t just try, do well. That’s the problem with kids these days. Pros should perform well. It’s been two years already, and you’re still in high school? No way.”

“…Yes. I’ll do well.”

“Alright, do your best.”

Giving such words that are tough but essential for the junior. There won’t be another senior like me.

“Can I ask how to approach the ball?”

“Sure, go ahead.”

“The ball is too fast, and I’m not sure how to hit it properly. I met once before, and although my bat speed isn’t slow, I couldn’t connect well.”

“Swing faster, kid.”

“…Yes?”

“Swing your bat faster.”

“…Okay.”

“It’s not working. You need to exercise more. Come in an hour earlier from now on and hit the weights.”

“I already come in an hour earlier….”

“Then come in two hours earlier and hit the weights. When I was the youngest, I never left the practice field. These days, the kids lack perseverance. Williams is the same.”

As I advised, if he puts in a little more effort, he might also be able to become a free agent. Giving advice that becomes blood, flesh, and muscle like this without hesitation. It’s because there’s no senior like me, really.

“If this kind of advice, Hwichul should give me a cut of at least a few percent when he becomes a free agent. Hehe.”