The First Inning Devil
Having clinched the final game against the Incheon Cranes with a victory, I entered the dugout in high spirits. The players' faces showed fatigue, but it was overshadowed by relief and satisfaction.
"Good work!"
"Nice job, Hu-seong!"
Various voices overlapped in congratulations. I pulled out my gear bag, quickly packed up my equipment, and nodded in acknowledgment. Since my return, we'd notched three straight wins followed by two losses. As expected from a team sitting third in the standings, they were tough opponents, and today's game hadn't been easy either. Wrapping it up so cleanly filled me with a sense of pride.
That was when I sensed someone behind me. Turning around, I saw senior Lee Sang-hyeon standing there with his arms crossed.
"Kim Hu-seong."
"Yes, sunbaenim?"
"Congrats."
I blinked in surprise. "Why? What's up?"
Lee Sang-hyeon lifted the corner of his mouth. "You've picked up a nice new nickname."
A nickname? "...Me?"
"Yeah. People are calling you the First Inning Devil."
First Inning Devil?
"They say once the first inning hits, you somehow manufacture runs no matter what. Nice nickname, right? You get on base somehow, disrupt them, steal, and ultimately score. The fans came up with it."
Oh... Hearing that left me a bit dazed but pleased. But he'd called it a good nickname...?
"Were there other nicknames before?"
Sunbae pressed his lips together, then chuckled. "There was that cheerleader incident, remember? Back then, your nickname was probably... Kim Hu-da."
"Urk..." I groaned as I closed my gear bag. "Sunbae, that one was seriously... just hearing it..."
"And there was another one."
"What?"
"Kim Jjam-seong."
...What the hell was that? Lee Sang-hyeon burst out laughing and patted my back. "But that one originally belonged to Han-seong first. It came from a previous Kim Ho-seong sunbae who was a fake. Now it's like Kim Han-seong is the real deal and you're the knockoff."
Lee Sang-hyeon giggled seeing my distress. "Hey, at least your current one sounds cool. First Inning Devil. Feels like it's ripped from some manga. Anyway, at this level, you're basically the team's ace leadoff. Fans love it, coaching staff acknowledges it. You've only been back for a week of games, but this is impressive."
"Haha... Thanks."
"So keep punishing those opposing pitchers from here on out."
"Got it."
I let out a hollow laugh as I zipped up my bag. Like it or not, nicknames were born from performance. This one... well, honestly, I liked it. Hehehehehe.
Ziiiiing
Back in the locker room preparing to head out, a message popped up.
Hmm... What to do? I'm kinda tired... No, actually, I kinda wanna brag about my new cool nickname...
After the weekend three-game series against the Incheon Cranes, the coaching staff was holding a meeting in the Gocheok Turkeys conference room.
"Alright, so we'll stick with Hwang Do-yoon at first base from now on. No more need for Tae-ho there. Now, about Kim Hu-seong?"
"Yes."
The hitting coach spoke up with arms crossed. "His hitting is still shaky. Three double plays in this series alone. Honestly, when there are runners on base, it's hard to expect much from him."
His tone mixed regret and frustration.
"That said, looking strictly at leadoff situations—no runners on—he's a solid asset. If every at-bat was like that, he'd be batting over .300 right now. His current average is mid-to-late .200s, but his expected value in the first at-bat is the highest on the team. He's definitely covering his hitting with his speed."
The baserunning coach jumped in right away. "Exactly. Kim Hu-seong ranks in the league's upper tier with no one on base."
He nodded while holding printouts. "From the Busan Siguls series up to now, he's gotten on base and scored in the first inning for six straight games. He induces errors, steals, and somehow gets the run home. He's the prototypical pressure leadoff who completely seizes momentum. He even got a nickname recently. First Inning Devil, I think? Fans didn't pick it out of thin air."
Kim Young-ho nodded quietly.
He's got real talent. Can't bench him anymore...
The type whose value doesn't show in raw stats. Having seen the impact with his own eyes, he couldn't deny it. But Kim Young-ho let out a long sigh and spoke softly.
"All good... but he's too young."
Leaning back in his chair, the manager continued slowly. "We got reports it was no big deal, but the cheerleader thing... When he was in Double-A, he slacked on weight management. And when he came back up, there were times we didn't even know where he was because he didn't report properly."
"Ah... right."
The chief coach nodded slightly. "But there's more. A few days ago, he voiced complaints about the pitching staff right in front of me. That could shake team morale... Isn't reacting that fast a bit premature?"
"Ah... did he?"
"His skills are improving, but mentally, he's still full of red flags. That's my biggest worry."
The room fell silent for a moment. The hitting coach took a deep breath and exhaled slowly before speaking.
"But... honestly, the hitters have grounds for complaint, Manager. They're producing runs in nearly every game. He's been this consistent, so it's hard to blame the batters."
His words were cautious, but the implication was clear: the hitters were doing more than their share.
Hearing that, the fielding coach nodded and chimed in. "The fielders are solid on defense too. Our defensive metrics are good overall. Outfield's reliable enough, and the infield is top-tier in the league. First, second, short, third—all steady. The pitchers have the luxury of that defense behind them. Not many teams have this."
At those words, the pitching coach's shoulders twitched faintly. It was as good as saying the problem was obviously the pitchers.
The room grew quiet, and the pitching coach pressed his lips tight. Kim Young-ho slowly turned his gaze.
"Besides Kim Hu-seong... are there actual complaints from the fielders?"
Kim Young-ho's expression showed he already suspected as much. The fielding coach chose his words carefully before answering honestly.
"...Not none. It's quiet for now, but it could build up. With the pitching like this, it'd be weirder if the hitters and fielders stayed silent."
Kim Young-ho closed his eyes, then opened them slowly, exhaling deeply.
"It's already surfacing, huh."
Fatigue and resignation laced his voice.
So I have to keep an eye on that kid Kim Hu-seong... He's quick to voice complaints, but on the flip side, that's the start of it... Sigh... This is exhausting.
The room stayed silent briefly before Kim Young-ho spoke again.
"Alright. Let's wrap this up."
He looked alternately at the hitting and fielding coaches, firm. "Tell the fielders to hold back complaints for a while. Hitting and defense are carrying the team right now, true. But if it escalates, the whole team shakes. Pass on that they just need to endure a bit."
The two coaches nodded. They knew there was no other choice for now.
Then the manager turned sharply to the pitching coach, his tone much keener.
"In exchange, the pitchers... we're cycling through them starting now."
The pitching coach straightened up, blinking.
"Jo Seon-jae, Lee Tae-sin. Two guys doing well isn't enough to run the team. If they can't hold innings, send them to Double-A immediately. No hesitation. If results don't come, drop them right away. Keep bringing up anyone decent from Double-A. Repeat that. Since the staff isn't stable, cycle through first team, Double-A, and even development players. Tell Double-A manager Oh Tae-sik too. Hitters endure in the meantime. Got it?"
The blunt words carried a clear message: no more patience for pitchers.
Kim Young-ho tapped the table once with his finger.
"To compete, our pitching needs to be at least average. But right now, it's not even that."
The pitching coach inhaled deeply and nodded.
"Understood... I'll get it started right away."
Kim Young-ho scanned the room one last time. Complex emotions etched the coaches' faces, but no one objected.
"If a month of this yields nothing? Trade for good arms if needed. We have expendable hitters, so give up a few."
"I'll loop in the scouting and analytics teams ahead of time."
"Yeah. That's how you spot good players early..."