Battle for Fifth Place
Late Sunday evening after the weekend three-game series against the Jamsil Falcons, I dragged myself home for some rest. My body was exhausted, but sleep wouldn't come, so I grabbed the remote and flicked on the TV. Soon, the familiar theme music blared, and Baseball Together came on.
In the studio on screen, the female host kicked off the show with today's hot topic: the Gocheok Turkeys. With a calm yet slightly excited tone, she summed up their recent surge.
"The Gocheok Turkeys' upward momentum is really standing out. They swept their midweek three-game series against the Busan Siguls, then took a winning series—two wins, one loss—from the Jamsil Falcons, climbing all the way to sixth place before we knew it."
"Their performance has been incredible," the host said, prompting commentator Jo Byung-hun to nod in agreement.
"We always knew the Turkeys' lineup was scary, but I didn't expect them to surge this fast."
"Didn't you say something similar before?"
"Yes, exactly. Back then, they had dropped to tenth, and I said their bats were their only hope. After stabilizing the pitching staff through trades, the atmosphere completely shifted, leading to this climb. From the opposing team's perspective, they're a real headache now."
Jo Byung-hun dove into specifics.
"An offense averaging over three runs per game, paired with a staff that rarely surrenders four or more—both clicking at once. That's why they've only lost one game in the past week."
"And even that was against the Falcons pulling out their ace starter and closer bullpen, right?"
"Yes. The Turkeys still scored three, but their weaker starter gave up five, and the bullpen that followed wasn't their win-and-done guys. You can't always throw your best arms, so it was a strategic call."
The conversation naturally shifted to the schedule ahead. Jo Byung-hun noted the Turkeys still had a golden opportunity.
"Their next midweek three-game series is against the current fifth-place Gwangju Pigeons. It's a chance to leapfrog into fifth."
And that's when my name dropped.
"Kim Hu-seong, currently dubbed the Pigeons Killer, went through a brief slump but has fully regained his form. Expecting another big series from him, I predict the Turkeys could knock the Pigeons down to sixth."
Jo Byung-hun said with a grin.
Whew... It's tough, but we've gotta do it...
Time flew, and Tuesday rolled around—game day between the Gocheok Turkeys and Gwangju Pigeons. Fans poured into Gocheok Sky Dome, the Turkeys' home. Over half the stands were packed with Pigeons supporters, especially down the third-base line, turning it into near-away-game noise.
Right in the heart of the Pigeons cheering section stood their cheerleaders, including Kim Se-rin. Normally the brightest spark in the crowd, her face was unusually tense today. The reason was obvious: me, Kim Hu-seong.
She recalled that day she'd blown a kiss at the ball for good luck. 'Haa...'
Back then, it was just to hype the vibe, figuring it'd help him play better. But the problem came after. I'd recovered my form—and not just recovered, but exploded with even greater play.
Rumors swirling around the stadiums as she traveled only fueled her anxiety. Piecing together chatter from the Pigeons' coaching staff and analytics team, the consensus was I was evolving. No longer just tormenting pitchers—now infielders too. Bunt timing, ball direction, baserunning choices: all calculated. Shifting from hustle plays to strategic mastery.
The nonstop praise felt like a harbinger of defeat.
"Honestly, I have no idea how to handle him."
She'd even overheard that. They were tweaking shifts, but analysis showed it was overloading their infield. Stats-wise, intentional walks against batter Kim Hu-seong were on the table.
Her head throbbed—not as much as the analytics team's or coaches', who had to crack it—but she couldn't help overthinking. 'He was already good last time we met...'
Every at-bat, hits, momentum shifts, rattling the opposition. And now? He looked even better.
'If we face him like this again, how much stronger will he be? Is getting better than that even possible?'
A cheerleader beside her spoke up cautiously. "Unni Se-rin... your face is too stiff..."
Kim Se-rin startled briefly, then forced a smile. "Oh, was it?"
She sighed softly. "Sorry. Just a bit anxious... Why do I dread facing the Turkeys so much? Haa..."
The other nodded. "I feel the same. Why are we always weak against them? We're fifth in the league... we should at least split, right?"
Kim Se-rin glanced at the field again. Far off, I was deep in conversation with a teammate.
"Hope so."
"Hey, Kim Hu-seong."
Before the game, Gu Min-seok hyung called me over. Huh? What's up? His tone felt off—different from usual.
I set down my bat and approached. "Yeah, what's going on?"
"Talk with me."
He leaned against the wall and cut straight to it—or more like venting frustration.
"The problem is you dragging everyone along on your whims."
I listened quietly.
"You need to respect the guy covering your back a bit."
Respect...? Ah! I nodded. Not entirely wrong.
Flashbacks hit: me stealing suddenly to spark a rally, hyung swinging hastily at bad pitches to disrupt the catcher's timing, sacrificing his stats for team play. And yeah, that boosted my numbers too.
So I had respected him. Carefully, I replied, "So... what can I do to help?"
Gu Min-seok chuckled dryly, shaking his head. "Consult first. It's hard matching unannounced moves. Too many surprises."
His words were rough, laced with fatigue. Can't argue...
I pondered my response, but had to clarify my side—there was reason behind it.
"But those moments just happen on instinct. You know my style... lots of that."
He eyed me.
"Then predict a few scenarios. Or signals. Hell, you bolt out of nowhere—how far can I cover? Without me noticing, you'd be toast plenty of times."
Hmm... I took a breath, then started with an example. "Let's think about today's game."
"Today?"
"Yeah. Say bottom of the first, our turn at bat. Runners on first and third. I'm on third, you're on first."
He cut in. "You're already on third? I'm on first—did I get a hit?"
"No." I shook my head. "I got on first somehow, then stole to third."
His eyebrow arched. "Then why am I on first?"
"While I was stealing to third, their pitcher kept pitching out, running the count. You just drew a walk easy."
He sighed deeply. "So no hit for me. Damn it."
"Ow, hear me out. That's not the point. Anyway, after that..."
I laid out a detailed plan. His face darkened again.
"You madman. You really gonna do that?"
"Worth a shot, no?"
"And?"
Then I pitched another idea. "Next time I'm up, I'll take this stance..."
"What's that?"
"So..." I explained in detail.
"..."
"Opponent'll panic, right?"
"Sheesh... really? Tell the skipper first."
"Not doing it ain't bad either."
"No, you gotta loop in the manager. Team'll get confused."
"To fool the enemy, fool your allies first..."
Gu Min-seok shook his head at my words. 'Crazy bastard... Gotta do anything for a team win? Total psycho.'