When You Must Run (5)
"Ryze pitched well yesterday, and we put up a lot of runs in the fifth, which is how we got the win. But the late-inning runs we allowed are something we still need to clean up."
"Lee Hajun batting leadoff for the second straight game has been a hot topic. Are you sticking with that today?"
"As always, I'll put out a lineup that matches the players' abilities and current condition."
Daejeon Hawks manager Park Taesik calmly wrapped up his pregame interview.
It was the final day of the series between the Daegu Warriors and the Daejeon Hawks.
Whether they had already secured a satisfying result or still needed to scrape out the bare minimum, neither side could afford to yield an inch.
"Skip."
"Hey, Dongseong."
Park Taesik ran into captain Kim Dongseong, who had been putting in work on the field.
"Even with the series win locked up, every single game is precious for us right now. You know what I mean?"
"I do."
Manager and captain of a baseball team.
Even so, the two of them operated more like a business partnership than anything else.
Both were renowned in the industry for their professionalism, and Park Taesik was never the type to get warmer with people than strictly necessary.
"Good. That said, no need to make a big speech about it."
He wasn't someone who put heavy stock in mental fortitude or the power of the mind, but he understood perfectly well that a phrase like We've done enough could shatter a team's razor-sharp focus.
"Skip!"
"……"
As Park Taesik turned to leave after saying only what needed saying, Kim Dongseong spoke up again.
"Let's make sure we win today too."
It was that same famously likable smile of his.
"Winning's always good."
Kim Dongseong didn't see it, but Park Taesik answered with a smile of his own as he walked away.
"All right, great work today."
"Thank you for your hard work."
I didn't really work that hard, though…
It hadn't taken long at all.
The content had been filmed for the Daejeon Hawks' official YouTube channel—a special feature on the new transfers.
All the key pieces from the recent blockbuster trade had finally been called up to the first team, and ever since Lee Hajun's third call-up the club had been on a winning streak, so the front office had gone all-out with the production.
Park Jisu, true to form, delivered calm, textbook answers. Jin Yeongil tried to be funny the way the staff directed him to, but unless you were someone who could actually sell the humor with real pro-level timing, nobody was laughing.
Lee Hajun, the one drawing the most attention, fielded quite a few personal questions, yet there wasn't much for the fans to latch onto.
"Why do you always answer everything so boringly?"
"Was it boring?"
"Yeah."
"Fans get the biggest kick out of winning, so I'll show them that later."
"Hahaha, well said."
Park Jisu laughed at Hajun's reply.
Even though they had finished the entire training schedule, his body was still itching for action.
Driving a pitcher's offering into a hit.
Beating the battery's pickoff attempts and stealing a base.
Snagging a ball off an opponent's bat and turning it into an out.
And winning.
Hajun found genuine fun in every situation that could unfold in a game.
Looking at it this way, maybe I…
Thinking back on it now, Hajun wondered whether he had always liked being good at something more than he liked baseball itself.
Thump, thump.
He patted his thighs and stood up.
But it doesn't matter.
He wasn't someone who played baseball as a hobby.
Professional baseball player.
That was his job title.
So there was no need to weigh which he prioritized more—the game itself or the feeling of victory—right now.
"Rise up, Hawks!"
Yes, once again the fans at Daejeon Hawks Park cannot stroll in at their leisure. A packed house for the third and final game of the 2026 professional baseball series between the Daegu Warriors and the Daejeon Hawks.
Series win already secured.
Four-game winning streak.
Two consecutive series victories against the Gwangju Kings and the Daegu Warriors—both teams fighting for first place.
There was no reason for Hawks fans not to be fired up.
"Please give our players plenty of support so they can take another beautiful win today! And now, here to help with today's cheering…"
Cheerleaders appeared in front of the orange-wave-filled stands to introduce themselves, and the big cameras never stopped rolling.
The kind of fervent reaction that made it feel like anyone standing here could become a star.
All they wanted was for every voice, united as one, to raise the chances of victory even a fraction higher.
How do you see today's starting matchup?
The Daegu Warriors are sending out their foreign right-hander Luis, while the Daejeon Hawks counter with twenty-one-year-old lefty Oh Junsu. In terms of reliability, the edge still goes to the Warriors.
Yes—Luis needs to put Warriors fans at ease, and Oh Junsu needs to surprise Hawks fans.
In a good way, of course.
Haha, right. The lineups look almost identical to yesterday's?
The Warriors went ice-cold at the plate in Game 1, then got shut down by Ryze's pitching in Game 2 before waking up late. They're clearly expecting more today.
And for the Hawks' lineup—Lee Hajun's name in the leadoff spot no longer feels strange at all.
Exactly. Precise contact, high on-base ability, and baserunning production as the top of the order. Hajun hasn't just solved the Hawks' problems; he's turned them into strengths.
Hahaha, this is exactly why baseball fans love the pro game—because a player like this can appear at any moment, isn't it?
"Don't let your guard down. They're still a team with a winning percentage a full ten points higher than ours."
"……"
Right before the game, captain Kim Dongseong spoke to his teammates.
"If we drop this streak and miss the postseason again, we're going to get absolutely roasted."
The Hawks had been a pretty miserable franchise throughout the twenty-first century.
Some argued they took even more mockery because of the image they had built during the boom years of pro baseball, and that weight sat as a quiet stress on the players.
Thump! Thump!
Kim Dongseong pounded his own chest.
Then he locked eyes with the veterans around him, including Yu Seungjin.
"If we lose, the older guys will take the heat. You just go out there and play without any regrets."
"Yes, sir!"
They answered as one to Kim Dongseong's plain but deeply resonant speech.
A series win was nice, but wouldn't a sweep be even better?
Whap—!
"Ball!"
Walk drawn by Chae Yongbin! One out, runners on first and second!
A free pass in a situation where you could have advanced the runners into scoring position with a ground ball. That's not good.
Hmm…
Hajun straightened his back as he watched the walk.
Even in the first inning, watching the pitch count climb and free passes get handed out from the defensive side drained the energy right out of you.
The Warriors' four-five-six hitters stepped in one after another.
Ryan, Guk Byeongcheol, Lee Gyuho.
All right-handed batters who could pull the ball hard toward the shortstop hole, so Hajun had to lock in completely.
Crack—!
A pulled ball!
Sure enough, Warriors cleanup hitter Ryan yanked Oh Junsu's off-speed pitch into a rocket.
A bullet screaming toward shortstop.
"……"
Hajun had already been moving the instant he heard the crack of the bat.
Line drive to short!
He snagged it and fired to second in one motion.
"Safe!"
"Haa…"
So close.
Hajun couldn't hide his disappointment as he smacked his glove with his bare hand.
Safe at second! The Warriors dodge the double play!
It was razor-thin. But Lee Hajun calmly handled that hard-hit ball and kept the damage from becoming a run.
The Hawks infield is locked down tight with Hajun anchoring it!
Then came the video review.
It dragged on a little longer than usual, and the Hawks fans staring at the scoreboard refused to let go of hope.
But the home-plate umpire spread both arms wide.
It had been essentially simultaneous, so the original call stood.
Crack—!
Well struck! That's a big one!
Oh Junsu's inside fastball.
Guk Byeongcheol's massive swing caught it clean.
Over the left-field wall! Guk Byeongcheol's leadoff three-run homer!
Haha, I thought it might clear the entire stadium, but it drops onto the upper deck.
Manager Woo Jincheol has kept Guk Byeongcheol in the cleanup spot all year, and Guk answers that faith with a home run!
"Waaaaaaaaaah! Guk Byeongcheol!"
From the Warriors' road cheering section—where irritated voices had been rising over big empty swings in the muggy summer heat—an enormous roar exploded.
Damn…
The moment that monstrous crack of the bat rang out, Hajun's eyes went to the left-field wall, and he knew it was gone before he even finished turning his head.
There was no more powerless feeling for an infielder.
Nine men played defense in baseball, but home runs belonged to the pitcher.
Moments like this made the double play that had just slipped away sting all over again.
He had given everything, but could he have gotten the throw off even a fraction sooner?
"Forget it! Let's get the second out!"
First baseman and captain Kim Dongseong called out.
Falling behind in the starting matchup had always been within the range of possibility.
The gap had simply shown itself a little earlier than expected.
Crack—!
"Out!"
Ji Gyeongjun fielded the infield grounder and threw to first, finally ending a first inning that had felt endless.
"Batting first! Lee Hajun! Hit! Lee Hajun!"
"……"
Get on base somehow.
If they went down quietly in the bottom of the first, they would get dragged around for the rest of the game.
Luis was a pitcher he was facing for the first time.
A sinkerballer with a real weapon.
But he still had to beat him somehow.
If nothing else works, maybe just put it on the ground?
The guy was a ground-ball pitcher.
An infield hit was a real possibility.
Luis sets for the first pitch of the game.
Crack—!
Hajun attacked the first pitch aggressively.
Just as expected—an outside sinker.
The scoreboard flashed 151 km/h.
But I don't need that kind of luck anymore.
Hajun had real confidence in his hitting ability right now.
He wasn't looking for a fluke.
He goes the other way! Clean single into left! Lee Hajun with another hit today!
Incredible, truly…
After turning that diving outside sinker into a base hit, Hajun stood on first, already planning the next play and thinking about the win.