Championship Race (5)
The video of Kim Kang-jun's cycling hit failure in the ninth inning from yesterday had set the internet ablaze. It was baffling even for us, but I couldn't imagine how the fans must have felt.
Aside from that, the interview clip of Lee Yang-hoon crying after becoming the winning pitcher racked up a ton of views too. The comments there were full of warm support. Maybe that's why Lee Yang-hoon's face looked so much brighter. He was grinning ear to ear even out on the training field.
It was the happiest he'd looked since joining us from the Eagles. But then he started slyly tossing some pitches and got smacked on the back by Coach Son Hyeok-su. He'd thrown 50 pitches yesterday, so he was supposed to be resting.
Even after taking that smack, Lee Yang-hoon just kept beaming, leaving everyone around him baffled.
Watching the Heroes players train, their morale seemed sky-high. And for good reason—they'd held first place since the early days, baseball was clicking, and everyone was having fun out there.
Riding that momentum, we put up some stellar performances. The Lions and Dinosaurs, our main rivals in the championship race, had their own hot streaks, but after losing to us, no team seemed able to stop us.
Lee Yang-hoon came alive in the second half, stepping up as our fourth starter. Choi Tae-won and Ha Min-young held things down through the tough stretches, shoring up our pitching staff.
And as September wound down, Shin Young-jae finished his military service and rejoined the team. He hit the ground running in the first team, completing our five-starter rotation.
That sealed it—we clinched the regular season title. Everyone's hard work paid off.
144 games: 96 wins, 2 draws, 46 losses. A 66.6% win rate, four games ahead of the second-place Lions. We claimed the crown with pride.
Second: Lions. Third: Dinosaurs. Fourth: Bears. The Wild Card fifth: Wyverns.
Fifth through ninth was a dogfight among five teams, but the Wyverns pulled off a late winning streak to snag the spot.
The Eagles settled for a heartbreaking sixth. Tigers seventh, Giants eighth, Twins ninth, and the expansion Wiz rounded out tenth.
The community boards were flooded with praise for me, the guy who led the Gocheok Heroes to their first-ever regular season championship. Scrolling through the posts one by one, my face lit up with a grin.
"That happy about it?"
Seon-ah slipped into bed beside me during our long-overdue break, peering at my phone as I lounged under the covers.
"Yeah. First regular season title."
"Gotta go for the integrated championship too, right?"
"Damn right. With our guys, it's totally doable."
I wasn't just talking big. If we didn't win it all this year with this roster, I'd feel like no team under my watch could ever pull it off.
"All these posts praising you? You're so cool."
Seon-ah sneaked a peek at my screen and snuggled into me. I pulled her close under the fluffy blankets, savoring the rare downtime.
...
The Wyverns-Bears Wild Card series went to the Bears. They scraped by 5-4 in the opener.
In the semifinals, the fourth-place Bears faced the third-place Dinosaurs—and shockingly, the Bears took it. They stole the first game against the steady Dinosaurs, but got chased down in the next two, making it look grim. Then Nippert delivered seven scoreless innings in his third start post-opener, tying it 2-2, and Jang Jun-won's gem closed it out for the win.
The fourth-place Bears upset third and advanced to the playoffs against the second-place Lions. The Bears came in hot, but couldn't topple the Lions. The Lions won 3-1, setting up our matchup.
I'd pegged the Lions as our likely opponent anyway. Their pitching staff had been flawless all year. We were the bats, they were the arms—spear versus shield.
But I had faith. We'd gone 11-5 against them in 16 games this season. Their pitchers were tough, but most agreed our offense was sharper.
As I sketched out lineups for the Lions series, unexpected news dropped: some Lions players implicated in away-game gambling.
I figured fake news at first, but articles poured in, hitting even the broadcast networks.
Seeing it, I felt more deflated than thrilled. Our first regular season crown, first Korea Series berth—and now the opponent sidelined by scandal? It was absurd. Even a win would feel tainted, like we'd beaten a hollow shell.
But no slacking. We'd crush them clean and claim the title decisively.
...
Sunday, October 25, 2015. Media Day before the Korea Series.
Coaches and two players fielded questions on championship aspirations. I picked Park Byung-hyun and Lee Ji-seung—one hitter, one pitcher, our aces.
Venue: Gocheok Dome. It had soft-opened in September, and with our title, they loaned out the still-unopened stadium for the historic occasion.
Stepping inside, it felt massive. Coming from Mokdong Baseball Stadium, the scale hit different. Hanbat Stadium in Daejeon wasn't huge either, so our new home felt fresh and grand.
Following KBO guides, we entered the dome for Media Day. It didn't even feel like a ballpark—polished to the nines. The field was covered in protective mats, indoor-gym style. Stage set, cameras everywhere.
We took our assigned seats. Lions hadn't arrived yet. As champs, should we have waited? But I was the young manager—they'd defer to seniority. Lions skipper Ryu Il-jung was a veteran among vets.
Soon, Ryu arrived with two players: Koo Ja-yoon and Park Min-seok. Both hitters. Figured the gambling culprit was a pitcher—why else double up on bats?
The Lions' scandal cast a somber pall over Media Day—no festival vibe.
When players shared title goals, the contrast shone. Lions were cautious; Park Byung-hyun declared, "The championship's ours, obviously," all swagger. Lee Ji-seung flashed a V-sign at "How many wins in the Series?"—boldly claiming two.
That was the confidence we needed.
Reporters asked coaches: "Games left after the Series?" I held up three fingers—four wins for us. Murmurs rippled. Glancing over, Ryu flashed seven. Guy was rattled, must've misheard.
Questions zeroed in on Ryu about the gambling—who's involved? He grimaced.
"Police are investigating, so I can't say. But tomorrow's lineup will tell you everything."
A few more queries, but the heavy mood dragged on till wrap-up. They replayed our preseason Media Day title pledge show to close.
Last year in Mokdong, we'd vowed: full team and coaches bungee-jump on a title. With the vibe, it felt destined.
From Media Day, it already felt like we'd won.