The Indispensable Player
Hu-seong had no choice but to be that player. Whew... Focus. From third base, he quietly observed the opposing players. Hmm... A sense of crisis? Their focus... He could feel it. In their stances and eyes. The tension hung thick in the air among the opposing infielders. With tension like this... they were probably thinking it, right? Stealthily... he began widening his lead just a bit.
As he edged away from third base little by little, the opposing starter, Park Sang-hu, shot him a glance. Their eyes met. Does even this rattle him? If just this one look could shake the pitcher's nerves again, it would be as good as fulfilling his role once more. A sharp prick... He felt the pitcher's piercing glare. It was like the eyes were saying, 'You wanna push it from there? Are you crazy?' This was it. Exactly what he wanted. If his mere presence could disrupt the pitcher's concentration, that was enough.
While keeping an eye on the pitcher, he sidelong glanced at the infield movements. The third baseman stood near the base but slightly forward, and the shortstop was also a bit farther out than usual. Got it... Their intent was clear. If a grounder came, they could throw home if needed. That was when it happened. The pitcher ignored him completely and threw the ball. Focusing solely on his pitch without minding the runner. The right choice.
Crack! No. 2 hitter Hong Yu-chan swung. The ball rolled low and fast toward shortstop. Damn! Bad course. A routine grounder right at the shortstop. Siguls' shortstop Song Jae-hyun calmly dropped low and fielded it. Then he flicked his eyes toward Hu-seong. That look carried a warning: Just try moving. This was trouble... But Hu-seong was already primed to react. If they threw to third, he was at a distance where he could return, so he held still and stared back at the shortstop. So, what'll you do? The batter was heading to first. The shortstop, figuring he'd pinned Hu-seong down, spun and fired to first in that instant.
But Hu-seong had been waiting for exactly that moment. He exploded off the base. Pabababak! His spikes dug into the dirt with a sharp burst. "What?!" The third base coach jumped in surprise, letting out a weird yelp, but Hu-seong kept his head down, eyes locked on home as he sprinted.
"Back home!" The shortstop's throw was already sailing to first, and the catcher, belatedly grasping the situation, tossed his mask and raised his hand.
"Safe!" Cheers erupted from the stands. Safe at first, too. No helping the missed call. Pros move on to the next play immediately. Busan Siguls' first baseman Kang Kyung-won urgently fired home. Go! Calculating his final slide angle, Hu-seong thrust out his left hand. The catcher spun, received the ball, and tagged him as he reached. His hand grazed the plate. And almost simultaneously, the catcher's glove smacked his shoulder. The umpire's hand went up.
"Out!" Out? Damn! Did he blow it? No way... The umpire called him out, but Hu-seong's mind was filled with doubt. His fingertips had definitely touched first... As he rose to request a video review from the manager...
"Video review?" The Siguls manager requested it first.
"How was that safe at first? It's out."
Ah... That side? Hu-seong signaled his manager too. He'd won at home. Soon, Manager Kim Young-ho came up as well.
"We request a review too. Home was safe, not out."
The umpires raised their hands, calling time. The stadium fell silent for a moment, and the scoreboard flashed "video review in progress."
Two plays to review: first base and home.
"We have video reviews on two situations. We'll start with first base."
The umpires took their time reviewing. The scoreboard replayed the first base play first, rewinding multiple times before it seemed done.
"First base call: Overturned to out."
"Waaaaah!" Siguls fans roared in delight, while Turkeys fans held their breath.
"Now to home."
The screen shifted to the home play—Hu-seong charging in. The Siguls catcher tagged him with his glove, but just before, Hu-seong's hand flicked out, brushing the plate. It replayed from various angles, dragging out since points were on the line.
> What do you think, announcer?
> Me...? Ah... Looks safe.
The home plate umpire nodded, confirming via headset. The stadium held its breath as he grabbed the mic.
"Video review result for the runner entering home..." A brief silence, then the verdict.
"Safe. The hand touched the plate just barely first. Both plays overturned."
Yes!
"Nice! Good job." Slap! He high-fived No. 3 hitter senior Lee Sang-hyeon waiting at the plate and headed to the dugout. The Turkeys dugout erupted after the safe call. As Hu-seong entered, Hwang Do-yoon was first to smack his helmet.
"That's it, Hu-seong! Keep it going!"
"Haha..."
"Great job. Perfect. Grab a sip of drink. Nah, stolen base, so two sips. Tap water in Double-A must've sucked, huh?"
"Pardon? That was tap water?"
"What else? No purifier in Double-A. Everyone buys their own."
Son of a...
Then bottom of the first, defense began. Hu-seong slipped his glove back on and trotted to third. On the mound stood today's starter, No. 5 Jeong Tae-gyun. He struck out the first batter with two quick strikes and a low-sliding slider whiff. The second fouled off the first pitch, then hit a clean 2-6-3 double play. The problem was the third batter—Siguls' power-hitting No. 3, Lee Jin-ho. Jeong threw a changeup outside, but the timing matched perfectly.
Crack! The pushed ball rolled between short and third. Hu-seong reacted instinctively, diving left. His shoulder hit the dirt first, the ball scooping into his glove. He popped up instantly and fired full-body to first for the cover. The ball sliced through the air; a pop echoed in the first baseman's glove. Razor-thin timing. The first base ump clenched his fist.
"Out!" Hu-seong knelt, catching his breath before heading in. In the dugout, Son Tae-ho clapped his shoulder.
"Kim Hu-seong, great defense and throw. That was perfect. Well done."
"Yes, sir. Thank you."
Whew... Things with the seniors were thawing a bit?
"Hwang Do-yoon."
"Yes, hyung."
"Talk for a sec."
...Or not?
Manager Kim Young-ho stood in the dugout, arms crossed, silently watching. They'd scored nicely top first, and bottom defense was clean too. Especially Hu-seong's plays stood out. He'd known the kid could steal second easily, but going to third? And stable defense at third unlike others. That diving catch on a tough between-the-legs grounder, followed by a laser throw to end the inning—could this really be the same Turkeys with shaky 1-3 holes?
We could've had more games go this smoothly... Infield instability had plagued Turkeys. Only shortstop Kim Han-seong had been consistently steady. Im Jae-min and Hong Yu-chan helped on D, but inserting Edison at short, Hwang Do-yoon at first, and Hu-seong at third changed everything. The biggest win: third base, long a worry, now solid with Hu-seong.
Of course... just the first, but feels good. Hold on... The game flowed like clockwork. Kim Young-ho flipped through records.
Here it is. Not 1G, but 2G games. The lineup showed Hu-seong slotted at third repeatedly. He'd thought it mere testing by Manager Oh Tae-sik, but certainty grew.
"So that's it..." Oh Tae-sik's intent clicked. Keeping Hu-seong at third wasn't just tests—it prepared the final puzzle for 1G's starting lineup.
Hu-seong was always decent anywhere on D. Fixing Edison at short, Hwang at first, and Hu-seong at third... He must've foreseen using him like this in 1G.
Kim Young-ho smirked inwardly.
"Even if they call him old-school, the guy's got vision. Now we have to keep using Kim Hu-seong."