Second Team Shenanigans
Slightly annoyed though he was, Tae-woong quickly accepted reality. Sooner or later, one of the five pitchers holding down the current starting rotation would hit a stamina slump, a rough patch, or an injury. And when that happened, he knew he'd be the top choice to step in as a starter.
"Can't be helped. From the manager's or pitching coach's perspective, they can't just pull a guy who's been steadily delivering as a starter and shove him into the bullpen...."
-Ace: For now, focus on bullpen sessions and get your Pitching Balance dialed in. Having the skill doesn't magically fix your body's own balance.
"Yeah. My velocity's up 1 km/h anyway—might as well toss with a light heart. A 1 km/h bump is still a bump."
-Ace: Feels like measuring your height in the morning and getting 1 cm taller than at night, huh?
"What kinda bullshit analogy is that? Doesn't even make sense."
-Ace: Hey, I'm talking from the hitter's viewpoint. Unless it's a 2-3 km/h jump all at once, it barely shows, right? You know that.
"True.... Ah, screw it."
Thump.
Tae-woong flopped onto his bed, closed his eyes, sank into thought, and was out like a light moments later.
The home of Major League Baseball, where the world's best players gathered—America. Fitting for the country with the biggest league on the planet, it boasted over 15,000 high school baseball teams.
Japan, home to the NPB—the second-largest league—had around 4,000 high school teams.
So how many did Korea, with the KBO, have? About 70.
The numbers told the story: compared to America or Japan, Korea was getting crushed in both scale and quality.
Until recently, the KBO had just eight teams. But with the addition of the Masan Dynamos and Tae-woong's own Suwon Wiz, it was now ten. More teams meant more players needed, which tied directly to talent levels. Players who would've never sniffed pro ball before were now getting drafted due to shortages.
Of course, Tae-woong had no complaints about that.
Well, thanks to that, even a scrub like me hung on until my mid-30s....
Fans watching first-team games on TV or from the stands often griped like this: Why couldn't eight or nine out of ten teams even run a proper fifth-starter rotation? The players' levels were so low it dragged down the game quality. Cut the dead weight—guys who couldn't field or hit basics. Why put these bums on the first-team roster?
The criticism had been steady since the 21st century, but outside a few bad seasons, the first team usually held above average. So what about the second team?
"One word: total chaos on the brink."
-Ace: Nice expression—hits the spot. At this level, it's more like five seconds from disaster.
Three days prior, the second-team manager had asked Tae-woong if he'd start against the Eagles' second team and go about four innings. Tae-woong accepted without hesitation.
-Ace: Smart move, shitballer. One real-game outing against hitters beats days of bullpen drudgery any day.
Whoosh.
A curve to test the second-team batters' reactions.
Thwack.
A liner straight at the second baseman, the batter already sprinting to first with his head down. It wasn't fast—just ordinary—but the fielder bobbled it.
-Ace: Did your second baseman step out for lunch with the circus troupe? Check out that juggling act. Three baseballs would do the trick at that skill level.
While the fielder fumbled, the batter who'd left the box picked up speed and reached first safe. The second baseman gave Tae-woong an awkward wave of apology.
Respect for his senior, plus knowing a blowup would poison the team vibe—Tae-woong just nodded with a small smile.
"No sweat. Gotta have a defensive miscue now and then for that human touch, right? Yeah!"
-Ace: Human touch my ass.... After the inning, check that guy's glove for sesame oil when you hit the dugout.
From the top of the first, an error put the leadoff man on, and the No. 2 hitter—a lefty too.
"Striiike!"
Tae-woong attacked the zone fearlessly, stacking the count. On the third pitch, caught in the mitt, the ump bellowed the call. Now 1-2.
The batter hadn't even touched the ball in three pitches.
Whoosh.
First pitch a ball outside, then curves right down the middle—yet wild swings at nothing.
-Ace: Slump? Right? Getting drafted with that talent's the real issue.
"Beats me—maybe his eyes got blurry first thing in the morning."
The slider tailed low and away to the lefty.
Thwack.
An awkward hack connected somehow, half-swing, half-prayer.
-Ace: That's a talent if I've seen one. Did he sneak a Gomu Gomu no Mi? How's the bat reaching there?
"Future aspiration: Luffy."
Roll.
A routine grounder, skipping two steps wide of shortstop.
"Not even that hot out—heat exhaustion solo? Reactions that slow?"
In the first team, it'd be scooped and fired to first easy. Not here. Misread the angle, glove tip grazed it, caromed away fast. Third baseman chased, threw to first—but the runner's foot beat it.
Back-to-back errors in the first: no outs, runners on first and second.
"That's a bit much, huh?"
-Ace: And why're you whispering more than usual?
"Don't want it carrying."
-Ace: Pathetic.... But yeah, not wrong. Pros—even second-teamers—shouldn't butcher defense like this. Basics are nonexistent. Infield, outfield—wrecked.
But errors weren't Wiz-exclusive. Thinking the big lefty Tae-woong couldn't hold runners? Second-base runner strayed too far—picked off.
-Ace: Hopeless. Both sides. Same shit.
One out, Tae-woong induced grounders with changeups away to the righty. First taken for a ball, second nicked into a clean double play.
"There we go—that's second-team ball. Forgot how it felt back then."
-Ace: You played a few intra-squads right after getting drafted post-regression.
"That was late-inning relief, not starts—and I was just winging it flat-out...."
Tae-woong mumbled, staring at the dirt like he wanted to burrow in.
-Ace: Anyone'd think it was ancient history. Delusions of grandeur?
"Past I wanna forget—shut it?"
Finishing the inning brought flashbacks. Difference now: he was sharp, but defense sucked. Back then, both sucked. No mutual apologies then, so no hollow vibe like this.
Two runners on via errors, but Tae-woong's gem kept the first clean for Wiz. Now the Eagles' starter took the hill.
Second-team pitching? Average velocity around 130 km/h. Slow and wild, no bite.
A few "fast" guys hit 140-145—but lacked first-team control, stuff, breaking balls.
"Here, I'm basically a fireballer...."
-Ace: Big dreams. You're still a shitballer here. Rubbing a 126 km/h heater where?
Even versus second-team arms, Tae-woong's stuff was slow-ish. Just more consistent than first-team variance.
"Hey, my control backs it up. Ball's got weight too. Huh? You know the saying: pitchers gotta be heavy. Ever hear it?"
-Ace: You're not heavy, and it's leaders who need weight—not pitchers.
"Same diff anyway."
-Ace: Worlds apart.
While they bantered in the dugout corner, the mound guy wrapped warm-ups. Game on.
Thwack.
First-pitch slider away to left field. Ace, beside Tae-woong, snarked.
-Ace: Leadoff hitter blind-swings first pitch for a fly-out.... You give up one run today, you're cooked.
Eagles proving second-team creds: routine fly dropped in for a hit. Runner swiped second quick.
-Ace: What's his deal?
"Day game at 1 PM—sun's brutal."
-Ace: Sunglasses on? Or did he Magic Marker the lenses black?
"Dunno—check later yourself."
Left fielder followed by showing why he was down here: four straight balls, walk. Next pitch sailed high wild, runners advanced—suddenly no outs, second and third.
-Ace: You're a saint by comparison. My eyes are rotting watching this.
"Grateful you met me yet?"
Crack.
Mid-banter, a fastball hunting control got too much plate—the batter pounced. Cheers erupted from the Wiz bench.
-Ace: How light's that pitch to clear the wall on a nubber?
Next guy chased a hanger way off the plate—swinging K.
"Hey, wait.... Nah, forget it."
Tae-woong stroked his chin, trailing off. Ace prodded till he spilled.
"If I get the win today, any rewards? First second-team victory's an achievement, right?"
-Ace: Velocity -1 km/h? I could whip that up. No achievement, though. Want a mission right now?
"Sorry, pass. Please, no.... First bump in forever."
-Ace: Hardship forges strength. Holler if needed.
Tae-woong kept his eyes glued to the ground, lips sealed till the inning ended.