Did You Get Cocky?
"Hoo..."
I arrived at the training ground early as usual, finished my personal workout, and was catching my breath for a moment.
"Even mornings are hot in the summer..."
I took a sip of water and stretched my back briefly when a familiar voice came from behind.
"Hu-seong."
I turned around to see Son Tae-ho hyung heading straight toward me right after arriving for work.
"Perfect timing. Want to hear some news that's a little related to you?"
A little related news? I set down my water bottle and said,
"Sure? What's up?"
"Remember Mun Bo-young from before?"
Mun Bo-young. The pitcher from the Changwon Larus who'd stirred up a fuss just a few days ago. I nodded.
"Oh, yeah. He shut us down pretty decently, didn't he?"
Son Tae-ho chuckled at that.
"Heard he got sent down to the 2군 this time."
I gave him a puzzled look.
"Has he been slumping since then?"
"Nah."
Son Tae-ho lowered his voice a bit.
"He developed the yips."
My eyes widened instantly.
"The yips? Like what kind...?"
Son Tae-ho nodded at my reaction.
"They say he was fine up until that game against us. But ever since, every time he goes into his pickoff motion, he gets a double movement. Balk calls. Can't send him out to pitch like that."
I let out a wry, admiring laugh.
"Whoa... that's no joke."
"Right?"
Son Tae-ho crossed his arms.
"His mental game got rocked hard once, and it just snowballed. No time to fix it in the 1군, so they sent him down to the farm."
I thought back to that game for a moment. His antics had pissed me off big time, but seeing him crash like this brought a mix of satisfaction and a twinge of pity.
"Well, kinda self-inflicted. They messed up too."
He patted my shoulder.
"Anyway, that's the story. Don't sweat it—just focus on your job. Concentrate in training today."
The game against the second-place Suwon Igrets was underway.
- Kim Hu-seong steps up to the plate.
I'd heard two pieces of decent news today. One was the story about Mun Bo-young from Son Tae-ho hyung, and the other was from the coach: no more getting scratched from the lineup. I'd be starting and getting pulled later if needed. Smart call for a first inning where I usually did well. So I entered the batter's box feeling pretty satisfied.
But the moment I stepped in, I couldn't shake the feeling that something was off with this game.
Whiiiiiiff
Thwack!
I knew it the instant the first pitch came in. Dead center fastball. If I had to nitpick, it was a bit inside on me. Basically a hanging curve... right down the middle... and it had no zip on it.
What the...?
I just watched it like always.
"Strike."
Strike call, as expected. But something else felt weird too... I glanced at the fielders around me. The outfielders had crept in a step or two, and the infielders were positioned a bit forward too.
I swallowed hard.
What’s with this vibe...?
As the second pitch was readied, I focused even harder. But pitch two was another center-cut fastball. No life, straight trajectory.
What the hell is going on? Are they throwing this on purpose...?
No matter how I thought about it, it didn't make sense. But before my body could figure it out, the third pitch made things crystal clear. I felt the fielders tense up. They were all shifting like they were hunting something specific.
The catcher still called for center, and the pitcher fired without hesitation. Another weak fastball near the middle. If I didn't swing, it'd be a looking strikeout.
I swung on instinct. The moment it connected, I knew.
Oh, this one's dead.
I sprinted to first, but I was toast. Thwack—the first baseman's mitt popped.
"Out!"
And right then, a regretful sigh from Lee Seo-jin in the broadcast booth under the scoreboard.
"Ah... the first-inning demon gets caught in the first today. That streak where he always scored when starting the first had been going strong for a while, but it ends here."
I pulled off my helmet, exhaled shortly, and muttered to myself as I walked back to the dugout.
Bad omen. Something's up.
The moment I entered the dugout, a strange silence hung in the air. No one asked outright, but everyone knew what had just happened. My unbreakable first-inning scoring streak was over.
Hwang Do-yoon hyung approached first, keeping his tone deliberately light.
"Man, that sucks a bit."
...It's more than a bit... Then Lee Sang-hyeon hyung came over too.
"Hu-seong, records are made to be broken. One day doesn't change shit. Lighten up."
They were both trying not to show it, but I couldn't even process their words properly.
Ah... is my face that dark?
But I couldn't help it. That ominous unease from my first at-bat still clung to me. It wasn't about the record. It was the sense that the whole opposing team was gunning for me. That anxiety made me dead serious.
And that conviction solidified in my second at-bat.
As I stepped up again, the catcher didn't even bother signaling at first. The pitcher went right into his windup. First pitch: another fastball dead center in the zone.
I held the bat but didn't swing. Can't swing at that. Pure bait. Anyone would chase it. But what came next was the problem.
Second pitch: same thing. Center fastball, a tad inside. Watched it again. The strike count piled up on the board, but I got it now.
This... is bad.
Third pitch. Ah... No choice—I swung. Connected, and I knew instantly. Right into what they wanted. The defense moved like they'd rehearsed it. Same result.
"Out."
I tugged my helmet low and trudged back. This wasn't coincidence. For sure. They were targeting me. Blatantly, relentlessly. I'd been scouted.
Back home, I shut the door and slumped against the wall, letting out a deep breath.
Today's line: 0-for-3. And it ended with the manager pulling me. Sure, the sub was planned, but it looked ugly. Total disaster.
Only then did the tension drain from my body, unleashing a flood of fatigue and stress from deep inside. But no time to wallow.
I knew what I had to do: rewatch the game.
I flicked on the TV and loaded the replay.
- Today it's the ninth-place Gocheok Turkeys versus the second-place Suwon Igrets.
Luckily, Lee Seo-jin was on commentary. His analysis was always solid. Maybe I'd get a clue this time too.
First at-bat: center fastball, grounded out. He just lamented the streak ending.
Second at-bat, same fate—his tone shifted.
- Whoa~ The Suwon Igrets came prepared.
I paused and rewound. Pitch location, fielder shifts, my response—it all clicked. They'd set the perfect trap to induce my outs.
Hoo... What now?
Lee Seo-jin added,
- Feels like the Suwon Igrets cooked up a specific plan for Kim Hu-seong. Interesting. Must be some serious pressure, right?
My gut twisted. Yeah... exactly.
Then the third at-bat. Another center fastball. No wasting pitches. I had to swing at the third.
Thud! Infielders moved the instant I hit it.
- Lee Seo-jin, any reason Kim Hu-seong keeps getting nabbed?
- Looks like the Igrets' lineup is key. Thought they were just playing it safe at first, but this was deliberate.
I checked the Igrets' starting lineup again. Got it... Their main infielders were missing. All replaced by glove-first guys.
"All defensive specialists..."
Lee Seo-jin's voice brimmed with certainty.
- Clearly, Suwon Igrets figured something out on Kim Hu-seong. If he doesn't find a breakthrough soon, he's in for a rough ride ahead.
"...I know. I felt it from the first at-bat..."
I muttered blankly at the TV. But knowing and fixing were worlds apart.
So... what the hell do I do?
Scouted. Dumbass. They're a pro organization. They scout you just like you scout them. Should've seen it coming.
Other teams would watch this and copy the blueprint soon. How do I escape it...?
Surprisingly, it helped the team. Their offense swapped high-average guys for defense, easing our pitchers' load. But...
Baseball's both team and individual. If I get squeezed...
Questions ricocheted endlessly in my head. My heart wasn't beating—it was pounding against my ears. Body exhausted, mind razor-sharp. Hyper-alert. Like I'd be trapped in these thoughts all night.
And that turned to stress and irritation fast. I paced the room, grinding my teeth.
Then something caught my eye. A stack of papers in the corner of my desk. Stuff I'd ignored lately... crucial intel.
I reached out slowly and picked it up. In that moment, the suffocating frustration lifted.
The breakthrough was right here.