Direct Observation [Complete]
"Oh, are you from the baseball team?"
"Yep."
I poked my head out while wearing Haneul High's cap and glove—the ones that basically screamed 'I'm on the baseball team'—and gave the staff member a quick explanation. Thankfully, our interests aligned, and he immediately called me over.
"Yes, yes. You know how to throw the ceremonial pitch, right? Just throw it normally, like a regular pitch, right into the center of the catcher's mitt."
"Ah, thank you."
"No need for any separate practice, I assume?"
"Ah, yes. And... could I have a quick word with Park Sungbin?"
The Heroes' starting catcher. According to the data, he had also been Haneul High's catcher. If he hadn't gone to our school, a high schooler casually asking to speak with the starting catcher might have come off as rude, but...
"He's a senior from my school, and I wanted to get his autograph."
"Ah, in that case, I can call him right away... Actually, it might be better if you go find him yourself, student."
The story changes when it's a junior meeting a senior from the same school. Soon after, I was able to head to the area where the players were warming up, under the pretense of practicing the ceremonial pitch.
"Hello, sunbae."
"Oh, that cap says Haneul High. How's Coach Kim doing these days?"
"He's doing great. He's super excited about breaking in the rookies."
"Haha! Back in our day, if you dropped even one ball, you couldn't eat dinner that night... The world's changed a lot."
With those words, Park Sungbin moved into the catcher's position and raised his mitt.
"Alright, give it everything you've got."
"Yes!"
I quickly stepped onto the pitching plate.
"Hup!"
Oh right... I should've mentioned I throw without a windup.
Even Yang Uijin couldn't catch it. I wondered if this guy could—
-BOOM!
"........Oh, that's a nasty pitch."
As expected from a pro.
I was a little surprised at how easily he caught my ball. Because of my unusual delivery without a windup, the timing could have been off, but... he showed exactly why the title of "pro" wasn't wasted on him. He caught it with perfect composure.
"For the ceremonial pitch, just do it like that? If the fans see a high schooler throwing heat like this, the rest of the guys might get nervous and pitch even better. Haha."
"You really don't hold back. Uijin would cry if he heard that."
-Smack!
"Ow, that hurts, sunbae-nim. Anyway, take a break for now. When the staff calls you up, head out. They're giving you a uniform as a gift, so make sure to take it."
"Ah, yes."
After getting a light smack on the back from the player wearing number 52, Park Sungbin headed back to his training.
...This is fun.
My velocity was still a bit low since I hadn't fully warmed up, but with reflexes like his...
"Think you can handle it?"
My full power. One hundred percent.
...
...
...
"That uniform looks really good on you."
"It's a shame it doesn't have a name on it... but still, it's not bad."
"So this kid's coming to the Heroes in two years?"
"Yep. Coach Eom is going to love it."
Since the uniform made specifically for the ceremonial pitcher was no longer needed, the Heroes simply lent me a fan replica jersey from the Kiwoom goods shop that fit my size for free.
In my original world, the Heroes were a poor team...
Here, they were the first KBL team to build a dome stadium and had made the postseason for eight straight years since their founding—a genuinely strong franchise. Thanks to their corporate backing, players who would have left for other teams in the original timeline were still here.
They had a premium infield with Kim Ha-sung and Kang Jung-ho, veterans like Lee Taek-keun and the rising star Lee Jung-hoo patrolling the outfield, and even Park Byung-ho—the guy nicknamed the National Home Run King—holding down first base.
Of course, if Kang Jung-ho, Lee Jung-hoo, and Kim Ha-sung all head to America, it'll be brutal...
The Heroes, who still had the pre-DUI Kang Jung-ho in this world, somehow still hadn't won a Korean Series like in the original story. It was truly awe-inspiring.
"Alright! Our ceremonial pitcher today is... the star who led Seoul's powerhouse Haneul High School to victory in last year's national high school tournaments, the Blue Dragon Flag and Phoenix Flag! They finished as runners-up in the Presidential Cup! Please welcome Haneul High School's pitcher, Lee Seojun!"
It was time for me to head out.
"Alright, show them a nice first pitch."
"Sunbae, I know it's weird for a junior to say this, but... I recommend you grip that mitt with everything you've got."
"Well, I always do, so don't worry."
Apparently thinking it was just light trash talk, Park Sungbin headed to the catcher's box without another word.
The Ocean's leadoff hitter was already standing in the batter's box.
-Buzzing murmurs
My sudden appearance caused a small stir in the stands. From what I could overhear, some people were disappointed that I wasn't the original ceremonial pitcher. Others who knew the situation were eagerly explaining my appearance to those around them.
"Seojun, fighting!"
And among that huge crowd, Epinel was cheering for me.
Yeah. As long as there's someone cheering for me, that's all that matters.
I rubbed rosin on my hands.
This is... the place I'll stand one day as a pro.
Since the stadium was modeled directly after Major League ballparks, the mound was higher than in other Korean stadiums.
At this height... I should be able to throw a really good pitch.
There hadn't been time to put my name on the uniform, so it only had the number 0. But I thought showing up like some mysterious figure actually made for a cooler entrance.
If he can't catch it, it'll be pretty embarrassing...
Let's see if he can handle it. My full-power pitch.
...
...
...
Epinel was cheering for Lee Seojun while observing the reactions around her. Most people seemed to know that the original ceremonial pitcher had been in an accident and that Seojun was filling in. However, a few fans who appeared to be supporters of the original pitcher were complaining that some random high schooler had stolen the spotlight.
Epinel was about to approach them to explain when—
-KABOOM!
For a moment, the entire crowd fell silent.
A pitcher throwing without a windup—they'd thought it was just for show. But the ball that left his hand flew in a perfectly straight line, as if drawn by a ruler, and disappeared into the center of the catcher's mitt.
160km/h
160km/h. The speed displayed on the Gocheok Dome screen was known to read about 2km/h higher than the actual velocity. It would probably show up as 158 on a normal TV broadcast.
"Holy shit, what the hell was that? Isn't he a first-year?"
"160?! Are all high schoolers throwing like that these days?"
The moment the crowd at Gocheok Dome saw that number, their reaction exploded into flames.
In KBL history, very few pitchers had ever shown 160km/h. Back when speed guns didn't even exist, legends like Choi Dong-il and Jung Min-tae had only approached that mark—they could never break through the wall.
The only players who had recorded over 160 in the KBL were foreign pitchers who came from the monster playground known as the Major Leagues.
Ah, of course Lim Chang-yong had thrown at 160km/h in Japan, but by the time he returned to the KBL his velocity had dropped to the 150 range. Many had evaluated that the KBL would never escape the world of 150km/h...
That was what people had thought until just moments ago. Until a brazen first-year high school student stepped up and threw that dream velocity right in front of them.
"Wow, 160! It's 160!"
"The future of Korean baseball looks incredibly bright. I heard he's still a first-year in high school... The speed gun shows 158, but if a first-year is already throwing at that level, he's going to shatter the Korean pitcher velocity record on the day he debuts in the pros!"
Park Sungbin stared at me with an incredulous look after catching the ball.
"If you keep this up, we might see you on the national team."
"Nah, who picks a first-year?"
"But if that first-year is throwing fastballs close to 160, that's a different story. Anyway, good work out there."
"Yes. Win today."
"Come on, we're playing the worst team in the league. Of course we'll win."
I felt a little embarrassed by Epinel's praise from the table seats telling me how incredible my pitch had been, but I was still pretty proud.
"Heroes, fighting—!"
I had originally wanted to cheer for the Oceans—the team that had once been Choi Dong-il's—but since my girlfriend Epinel was rooting for the Heroes, I quietly watched the game with her.
"Ah! Kang Jung-ho missed it! It was a simple ball!"
The Heroes... lost 8-0 to the Oceans thanks to Kang Jung-ho's catastrophic defensive error—as if he were hungover—combined with the pitcher's complete loss of control. Of course, the Oceans' offense had gone completely insane too.
The saying "Spring Oceans" exists for a reason. They only play well in spring.
I had made a strong impression with the ceremonial pitch, but since the game itself had been such a disaster, I didn't think many people would pay much attention to my throw. However, it seemed far more people had been shocked by it than I expected.
Thanks to that, getting home wasn't easy at all.
Wearing a hoodie pulled low over my head to avoid people on the way back had been pretty exhausting. Epinel must have been tired too, because she was leaning on my shoulder and sleeping.
I pulled a business card out of my pocket.
The Heroes would be the best team if their goal is to advance to the Major Leagues...
It was the card from the Heroes executive who had told me to contact them when the draft came around in my third year of high school.
........Should I debut straight into the KBL?
Most top prospects usually chose to skip the KBL entirely and head straight to the Major Leagues. The problem was, unlike KBL teams that at least gave players a chance, MLB would just bury anyone they deemed worthless in the minors. The minor league salaries and conditions were truly abysmal, so players often tried to return to the KBL... but that complicated things, which is why most used the posting system through free agency to go directly.
But I hated that method. The posting process took five to six years.
I want to go straight there.
There had been players like Ryu Hyun-jin, Kim Byung-hyun, and Choo Shin-soo who had succeeded brilliantly in the Major Leagues, so...
If the opportunity comes, I'll go straight. If not, then I guess I'll just head to the KBO.
Well, it's not like I'm the one making the final decision anyway. I'll just focus on what I need to do.
...
...
...
After my baseball date with Epinel ended, the internet was flooded with stories about me.
"Velocity manipulation, drugs, whatever... There's just so much noise."
"Who cares? We already have the doping test results... Wait, but they said he hit 160 when he didn't even reach it?"
"It's all just journalists baiting clicks."
The Weekend League was going extremely smoothly. Out of ten teams, Haneul High sat in overwhelming first place with a 5-0 record (all by mercy rule). Seoul High, who we had played in that practice game, was also in first in their group with a 4-1-1 record.
Daeji High, who were in the same D group as Seoul High, were barely hanging onto fifth place with a 3-1-1 record.
Ryu Eunseong must have taken over by now.
Daeji High would dramatically join this Blue Dragon Flag tournament. Whether it went well or poorly, they would participate no matter what, so there was no need to worry. As the saying goes, you don't worry about rich people, celebrities, or protagonists.
"Alright, I'll give you a quick briefing on tomorrow's opponent."
And finally...
"Lee Seojun will start against Wihwa High. You'll also play as a batter, so be ready."
"Yes!"
I was going to start as a pitcher.