Thwack! Clash of the Slow Aces

-Ah, Hwang Jae-gun barely nicks that changeup on the fourth pitch.

Right now, Woo Hee-gang's pitch is sharply on the money.

-Grounder to short! He fields it and throws to Woo Hee-gang! Hwang Jae-gun tries to leg it out, but... out!

The top of the first for the Wiz ends in a quick three-up, three-down.

Ace: Tae-woong, Woo Hee-gang looks sharp today. You're gonna get embarrassed if you get shelled.

"Yeah. It's still early, but his command's on point, and the ball's looking better than last year."

Just as the announcers said, Woo Hee-gang's fastball attacked both outside and in without mercy. He stole timing from lefties with sliders and righties with changeups. And he mixed in slow curves at unexpected moments to keep disrupting their rhythm.

"Strike!"

The Wiz hitters were helpless against Woo Hee-gang's top speed in the low 130s.

-Top of the first! Woo Hee-gang starts the game scoreless.

Just 10 pitches! Not many at all!

-Woo Hee-gang wraps it up clean with three up, three down. What a masterful touch.

After the Wiz's turn ended, bottom of the first—Wiz starter Seo Tae-woong took the mound following Woo Hee-gang.

-Until last year, "the art of slowness" in the KBO meant Woo Hee-gang right away.

But this season, a pitcher throwing even slower than Woo Hee-gang has emerged.

-Yes, exactly. Seo Tae-woong's clocked a top speed of 125 km/h right now. That's about 4-5 km/h slower on average than Woo Hee-gang.

And today, the league's two slowest starters are facing off.

-Woo Hee-gang breezed through the first. Now, curiosity's high for this season's new "art of slowness," Seo Tae-woong.

-Shall we watch Seo Tae-woong pitch right away?

-Yes, let's see him!

-Wiz starter Seo Tae-woong takes the mound!

-Heh heh... Seo Tae-woong, such a handsome guy.

"Growth system...? What the hell is this?"

As the announcers hyped Tae-woong up, he climbed the mound with a bewildered look. A strange notification he'd never seen in the game floated right in front of him.

"What the...? Growth? Reinforcement? I wondered when it'd drop. Damn, it came quick. Why not from the start? Shit, and condition correction's gone. That was so convenient..."

New growth options were welcome, but losing condition correction hit hard. Starters followed strict routines to stay sharp every outing, yet perfect or better-than-usual condition wasn't common.

Ace: Whoa, this system's at it again. Another one. No, gotta toughen the kid up. Keep spoon-feeding him like this?

Seo Tae-woong: Ace, hold up. The numbers look way different...

Ace: No clue. Be grateful for what you get. Then use it.

Seo Tae-woong: We gotta help each other for a better world, right? Gimme more.

Ace: World might, but you? I think you need more pain.

Seo Tae-woong: Shut up. Wait, 'terrible pitcher'? You rig this, Ace? That running mission message—you too?

Ace: ......

Seo Tae-woong: Cat got your tongue?

Ace: Sky's so clear today, huh?

Seo Tae-woong: You bastard, knew it.

As Ace dodged, the umpire signaled to speed things up.

'Tch, too long—didn't finish reading...'

Tae-woong tipped his cap in apology to the hitter and ump. 'Max outs is key, so check later.'

Whoosh, swing, swing.

Meanwhile, Bears leadoff Choi Jun-hwan approached, swinging his bat before stepping in. And the instant he did—a huge mark appeared above his helmet, visible even from the mound.

Thought I'd need glasses, but it's clear. Good.

C rank... So, out this guy, and I might snag a C reinforcement ticket?

Ace: ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Yeah, good thing you get the basics, dummy.

Seo Tae-woong: Heh, underestimating me? Years grinding Real Baseball Ace, rookie.

Ace: Gaming that much your brag?

Seo Tae-woong: ......

No comeback, so Tae-woong pondered silently. 'When can I use that skill from last game...? Activation's first batter first pitch out in the first. How? Felt great getting it, but can't force it.'

"Gotta be skill plus a ton of luck..."

Ace: Enough yapping about skills—pitch. Win with talent, talent.

Seo Tae-woong: Your nagging... Skills are talent I earned.

Ace: Huh? That so?

Tae-woong ignored Ace's nagging, exchanged signs with the catcher. 'Let's farm a C ticket.'

First pitch: his money ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠pitch, curve. Right down the middle.

"Eat this!"

His fastball-to-curve gap was 30-50 km/h, wrecking balance and timing. Plus spin and sharp drop made solid contact rare.

Hitters split: Young/green or sluggers watch for next; contact vets or curve-savvy swing.

Outcomes: Take a corner strike, or weak pop/fly/grounder.

Like now.

Thwack!

Slower than expected—it grazed the bat's top. Short ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠pop to third.

Ace, watching intently, yelled in shock.

Ace: No way! Don't tell me? No! Don't catch it! Miss it! Drop the ball!

But third baseman Hwang Jae-gun read it, stepped back behind the bag, glove high—and snagged it easy.

-Ah, Seo Tae-woong's off to a great start too. Like Woo Hee-gang, first-pitch out on the leadoff. One out!

-Both starters' breaking balls look sharp today.

-Tough to time a curve that good.

-Seo Tae-woong must feel confident now, tension gone.

-Haha, yeah—look at his face.

Tae-woong watched the ball arc over the third-base foul line. 'Foul? Catchable?' Seconds later, Hwang Jae-gun gloved it easy.

"Huh? Did it... work? For real? First-pitch infield fly out?"

He revived a hope he'd buried deep.

Ace: What kinda bullshit luck? Straight-up rigged. You bribe that hitter?

"If I had bribe money, I'd buy more beef."

Ace: True... you broke as hell.

Bottom first, one pitch, one out on the leadoff. Pure bliss for a pitcher. Tae-woong grinned at third, clapped lightly.

Umpire's out call—and the message popped.

"Acquisition rate was trash low... Anyway, hot start."

Since regressing, baseball and system flowed smooth. Good omen.

"Hey, Ace. Watch—this is talent too. Got it?"

Ace: Damn, lucky ass. Sigh...

But Tae-woong's joy wasn't just that.

"Alright, next message time? Not over yet, right?"

Right on cue—the alert he craved.

"Nice... Perfect. So, 100 pitches or 200—keep racking outs till game's end? Go full grind mode today! Gimme anything! Whatever!"

Ace: What concept's that? Sneaky and cheap's your default.

"New skill! Love it. Today, I play dirty."

Tae-woong grinned slyly.

Ace: Cheat! Total scam! What movie is this? Skill drops, activates next game?

"Jealous? Say it. Scrooge system."

Ace: Ever hear, "First impression's a killer"?

"Nope. Don't wanna. Gotta huddle with Hae-chan hyung first."

One out in first, skill live—Tae-woong called time, summoned catcher Lee Hae-chan to the mound.

'What's up? Injury? Bullpen's shaky...'

Even if Tae-woong pitched well, he was a rookie debutant. Cramps, blisters, broken nails—could happen. Hae-chan yanked off his mask, hustled up.

'Please... not an injury.'