Weekend League Round 6, Munhwi High [Complete]

The sharp crack of the bat rang out.

"Nice, got it." One out.

Crack!

"Hanil hyung!"

Thump!

"Out!"

"Haven't seen a throw like that in a while." Two outs.

After that, the fifth and sixth batters followed Yang Uijin's lead without much resistance, finishing with a routine fly ball and a grounder. When I returned to the dugout and checked the scoreboard, most of Haneul High's players were swinging at the first pitch.

.........Hmm. They're definitely taking it easy on us.

The score gap was already massive. Munhwi High had no realistic path to a comeback. From their perspective, they were desperately clawing for any chance of victory, but...

Right now, Munhwi High is... in fourth place, aren't they?

To secure an easier matchup in the first round of the national tournament, you needed a high seeding. If they went as the fourth seed, they'd almost ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠certainly run into powerhouses like Haneul High or Seoul High who earned the top seeds. Naturally, they'd want to advance as the second or third seed like usual... but they had suffered a walk-off loss to Dongcheon High, the bottom-tier team. That cost them a precious win point. So they were trying to claw one back here.

Honestly, whether it's first seed or fourth seed doesn't matter to me.

If it came down to it, I could handle every game from the round of 64 to the finals myself. Of course, the coach would never allow that.

"Seriously, if you want to end this quickly, just score three more runs and call the game."

"Hmm... still, I think it's important for the bench players to get real-game experience, don't you?"

"...?"

"Yang Uijin, get over here!"

"Aaaargh! Coach, spare me!"

Honestly, if we scored just three more runs, the game would end by mercy rule... but Coach Kim seemed determined to give the second-stringers some live action to sharpen their senses. He left the infield combo of Oh Jihun and the utility player alone in case of defensive errors, but swapped out the outfielders Lee Surin and Lee Hyunbin, along with the relatively safe Oh Hanil.

Matching up with players whose names I barely remembered wasn't easy, but...

Two-seam fastball, dropping below the zone.

Whoosh!

"Strike! Batter out!"

Since Yang Uijin and I were still perfectly in sync as a battery, there didn't seem to be any major issues. After shutting down the fifth inning once again, we returned to the dugout to see the bench players weakly swinging at first pitches. With so few opportunities, they were swinging with clear desperation. Their "greedy swings," as the pros called them, drew a deep sigh from Coach Kim.

"Haah... I told them to choke up on the bat."

Crack!

Ah, that's a fly ball.

Yeah... their game sense was noticeably behind the starters. And the pitcher Na Hyunsu had sent up this inning... something about him felt off.

"That guy's really a freshman?"

"Yes. According to the data, he's 187cm."

"Wow, he'll probably hit 190 next year. I'd want to recruit him right now."

"Coach, you know illegal recruitment carries a ten-game suspension penalty, right?"

"Hmm... if we skip nine Weekend League games and the first round of nationals, we could use him right away in the second semester..."

Watching the coach and the pitching coach banter, I focused my gaze on the pitcher in front of me.

Information.

Not a bad skill set, Na Baun. Definitely worthy of wearing number 40.

Fastball boosted velocity and movement, Strong Heart reduced mental strain, and Head-to-Head Battle increased strikeout and home run rates when throwing inside the strike zone. He only had a four-seam, slider, and changeup for now, but...

"Whoa, I thought he was throwing from the second floor."

Just having two breaking balls in high school baseball was already impressive. Most pro pitchers only had three or four pitches total. If he was this advanced in high school, the odds were high he'd add a two-seam or cutter by the time he turned pro.

That low four-seam fastball thrown from nearly two meters up was an absolute nightmare to hit. My own high-RPM four-seamer used the Magnus effect to fly straight, but Na Baun's four-seamer, even with slightly lower RPM, came crashing down from such an extreme height that its effective power was off the charts.

If Munhwi High developed Na Baun properly, they wouldn't have to worry about their starting rotation for the next three years. After that, it would just be a pitching duel all the way.

The game had already reached the top of the ninth. When I stepped up to the plate, I expected Na Hyunsu to throw out another cheap provocation like before, but he was surprisingly quiet.

So far my record is...

Reached base on interference, then a hit-by-pitch, then a hit, and what should have been a home run turned into a fly ball...

Four at-bats, two times on base, one homer, one fly ball. Something like that.

A perfectly respectable stat line.

Thump!

The first pitch was a ball. Even in the ninth inning, Na Baun's pitch movement was still razor sharp. Na Hyunsu was calling a decent game, as if proving he at least deserved the starting spot.

Or maybe not.

He wasn't calling for high pitches at all, only low-zone four-seams and sliders. He was probably trying to set my strike zone extremely low with those crushing high fastballs, then go for the high fastball to finish me off, but...

Thump!

"Ball!"

Too textbook.

Crack!

"Foul!"

Good. Let's keep carving away like this.

I fouled off the eighth pitch. He seemed to be thinking about what to throw next; the time between pitches started stretching longer.

Crack!

"Foul!"

Eighteen pitches had been fouled off. By now plenty of obvious balls were coming in, practically begging for a walk, but I kept a long grip on the bat and fouled them all off.

.....Is that a bound ball?

The battle dragged on and on until the twenty-fourth pitch. Na Baun's four-seamer slammed into the dirt and bounced wildly upward.

Crack!

I swung compactly at the rising ball, lining a clean single over the second baseman's head and reaching first base. But after that, the next batter Heo Kangmin hit into a double play, and the following batter popped up, ending the inning. The defense took the field.

...

"He's on a shutout pace."

Unfortunately, it wasn't a perfect game. Our kind-hearted bench player number one had let a ball get past him, allowing a runner to reach second. That had pissed him off enough to throw a few wild pitches and record a strikeout anyway. It had been quite the circus.

The batting order is... two, three, four.

If things continued like this, I'd face Na Hyunsu as the final batter. I struck out the second and third batters with the same familiar flavors I'd been feeding them all game. Then Na Hyunsu stepped into the box for the fourth and final at-bat. His face looked deadly serious, like a criminal ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠about to commit a major offense.

Well, my revenge is already complete... I'll just strike him out and end it.

The moment I threw the first pitch with that light mindset...

Whoosh!

"......!"

Na Hyunsu's bat suddenly flew straight toward me.

"Oh Jihun! Duck!"

I shouted and instantly dropped flat to the ground. Oh Jihun also saw the bat's trajectory and jumped out of the way just in time.

Is this his final desperate act?

Na Hyunsu raised one hand in an apologetic gesture. His eyes looked genuinely sorry and flustered... but it was all an act. The bastard had thrown the bat at me on the second pitch too.

"Haah..."

After reading the bat's path, I lowered my head to dodge it, then glared at Na Hyunsu.

Again?

Once Na Hyunsu retrieved his bat, Yang Uijin's mitt was pointing at the inside of his body.

Hmm... yeah. Even without this ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠kind of ordeal, he'd probably overcome his trauma somehow if he kept facing Munhwi High. And even if Park Minhu couldn't become the national team's second baseman... Lee Yuta sunbae is still here.

This time, I didn't shake my head.

".......Hup!"

Good. Sent it exactly where I wanted.

A ball close to the high 150s flew straight at Na Hyunsu. He tried to dodge, but...

Crash!

"Aaaaaaaaagh!! Aaaagh!!"

The ball struck him perfectly in the knee joint. Na Hyunsu clutched his grotesquely twisted leg and began screaming and sobbing.

"Hey, you...!"

"My hand slipped. It wasn't intentional."

"No, that's obvious... but what about the bat earlier?"

"I'm fine."

How could anyone deliberately throw a 157km rising fastball at someone's ACL with the intent to end their career...?

That's probably what everyone was thinking. The umpire, Yang Uijin, the Haneul High players, the Munhwi High players, and most of the spectators all seemed to share that opinion. Thanks to that, I avoided being ejected. In the chaotic atmosphere, I retired the fifth ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠batter with a fly ball, then slowly stepped down from the mound.

.........Was that too much?

Final score: 10-0. It was a victory filled with both refreshing satisfaction and a lingering discomfort.

...

After the game ended, the first place I headed was Munhwi High's dugout. If I just went straight home, I'd be no better than trash who didn't even check on the player I'd sent to the hospital with a hit-by-pitch. I figured I should at least offer a simple greeting and some light trash talk.

In the messy atmosphere, I heard from the Munhwi coach that Na Hyunsu had already been taken to the hospital, so I immediately headed there.

"Don't blame yourself too much."

"Yes, thank you."

I bowed politely and quickly made my way to the hospital.

"Hey, Kim Sihu."

"What?"

"Come with me. Power should be met with power."

Just in case Na Hyunsu's parents tried to pressure or threaten me using their influence, I brought along Kim Sihu, the ultimate apex predator in that regard.

When we arrived at the hospital with Kim Sihu, we saw Na Hyunsu's parents sobbing after learning the condition of his leg.

"...Oh, honey... they say it's an ACL tear... Our Hyunsoo will be a senior by the time rehab is done... What team would start a senior who just came back from rehab...!!"

She seemed to be on the phone with someone, her guard completely down. Mistaking us for Munhwi High students, Na Hyunsu's mother let us into the hospital room.

"Um... are you awake?"

"...It's you."

I was finally able to have a conversation with the now-conscious Na Hyunsu.