Baby Eagle's Comeback Triumph
Tae-woong had been secretly hoping for a strong performance in his return start, complete with a quality outing and his first win added to the tally.
'Sure, the team's win comes first over me notching another W, but if we're dreaming big, why not aim for both?'
Every pitcher says in interviews that as long as the team wins, they don't care who gets the victory. That held true for most players, excluding a few selfish types who prioritized their careers over the team or foreign pitchers with win-based incentives in their contracts.
'Even if they feel that way, it's not like they can say it out loud in this SNS-crazed world.'
And pitchers weren't just spouting empty words. Throwing from the mound was their job, and stats directly tied to salaries.
'There's a reason they say it.'
First and foremost, it preserved the ideal image of a "professional baseball player" that teams and fans wanted. Unless you had top-tier skills and fit the exact position the team needed, staying with one team from debut to retirement was reserved for a tiny elite.
The KBO had 10 teams where Tae-woong played now, and MLB had three times that at 30. Most players switched teams once or twice before retiring. That meant always considering trades as part of being a pro.
'And that's where your true value gets decided. Even if you're good, if you poison team chemistry, no one will pay big to keep you.'
Of course, boosting your value wasn't everything.
'This isn't the '80s or '90s anymore.'
These days, it wasn't like the old era where the wins leader was automatically the best pitcher. The Cy Young Award in MLB—given to just two pitchers a year across the AL and NL—was a prime example.
Back then, 20 wins basically equaled a Cy Young. But with sabermetrics advancing and baseball reduced to numbers, evaluating pitchers purely on "wins" started seeming unfair.
Now, trends favored innings eaten, ERA, FIP (fielding-independent pitching), and such over raw victories.
'King Felix won the 2010 Cy Young with 13 wins and 12 losses. That says it all. In 2009, Greinke took 16 and Lincecum 15 for the two leagues.'
Even setting aside those realities, Tae-woong valued a team win over a personal one. No player was greater than the team. But he still craved his own victories.
'That said, a 2-win guy doesn't get treated better than a 10-win ace. I'd rather be the pitcher who throws well and gets the breaks for 10 wins than the unlucky stud stuck at 2!'
Ignoring Ace, Tae-woong clasped his hands in prayer.
'Tae-young hyung! Just hold 'em off this once!'
Lee Tae-young nodded, took a deep breath to steady himself, and fired.
'Four-seam? Splitter? But the splitter just wild-pitched earlier, so that's risky... and this hitter crushes four-seams. Damn it.'
The ball left Tae-young's right hand, rocketing toward the heart of the strike zone.
'Just overpowering it? Or a meatball down the middle?'
It felt like watching his past self. Tae-woong gave up and closed his eyes.
'Farewell, my third win. See you next week. I'll come claim you, hyung. Don't go anywhere.'
Soon, the dugout would fall silent amid the crack of a bat splitting the ball.
But the sound that hit Tae-woong's ears was nothing like he'd imagined.
Buuuung!
The whoosh of a bat slicing empty air... followed by
Crack!
A furious bat slammed into the dirt... and
Ace's dismissible nonsense... then
"Waaaaaaah!"
The team's dugout erupted... and
"Wooooooh!"
Home fans roared, shaking Eagles Park.
'Huh?'
Tae-woong opened his eyes. Half the dugout was clapping; the other half pumping fists.
The batter crouched in the box, gutted by squandering a game-flipping chance. On the mound, grinning Tae-young slapped his glove, heading down.
'He held 'em!'
Not yet the future 15-game winner, but his mental toughness matched.
"Ah, molrang!"
Tae-woong bear-hugged the striding Tae-young.
"Hyung, thanks!"
Crunch.
The 190cm Tae-young—one of the team's tallest—shrieked in the even bigger arms of 199cm Seo Tae-woong.
"Aaaack! Easy, man! Easy! My ribs! Bones are cracking!"
All cheering Eagles fans shared the thought as Tae-young descended the mound.
"We got the win today."
"Only Jeong A-ram warming in the pen. Game over."
"Yeah, at this point, it's as good as won."
"Shut down the 8th, 9th's a formality."
"Finally, we can relax."
"Let's stand and cheer."
Led by the cheer captain and squad, Eagles Park filled with the happiness song.
"I'm happy. I'm happy. Happy 'cause Eagles."
"Choi! Kang! Ha! Na!"
"Choi! Kang! Ha! Na!"
Heroes fans hoping for a win felt the opposite.
"Losing and they sing? Pisses me off more. Damn happiness song. Why'd I come live today? I'm nuts."
"Dude, let's bail now. It's done. One run maybe comeback, but this?"
"Yeah, stick for 9th and exit traffic hell."
"Screw it, home for chicken and beer. Too mad to sleep otherwise."
"Call. Outta here."
Unlike quitters, some clung to faint hope.
"Jeong A-ram hurt or something? Playing today?"
"Looks fresh tossing in the pen."
"Hope he loses a hair per out..."
"Take that back! Insulting 10 million balding Koreans?"
"I get you're one, but 10 million baldies?"
"Shut it, you bastard. Who's bald?!"
"Don't comb forward while talking, it's blinding."
Top of the 9th. Eagles pulled their closer, and results matched expectations.
Thwack!
"Out!"
Buuuung!
"Striiike... out!"
Whoooosh!
"Striiike... out!"
Jeong A-ram erased the inning. Early-140s fastballs mixed with mid-120s changeups fooled three batters, ending Heroes' final threat lamely.
-142km/h fastball whiff K!
Jeong A-ram caps the game!
Eagles snag a win powered by new eaglet Seo Tae-woong!
Eagles climb to 4th with the victory, one spot up from 5th. Tae-woong notched a quality start in his return for win No. 3.
-Seo Tae-woong, today's starter for both teams? Wait, no—Eagles' starter went 6 scoreless. Choi Un-tae 7 innings, 2 runs. Rare young guns duel lately.
-Choi did his usual solid work. But no one predicted Seo post-injury looking this sharp in his first start.
-Right. Control pitchers like him often lose balance from minor tweaks and struggle forever. Instead, velocity's up from pre-injury. Beat expectations.
-Now, meet today's hero who led the Eagles win. Announcer Choi Hee-jin?
-Yes! Hana Eagles' Seo Tae-woong. Congrats on the win.
-Thanks!
-Return start post-injury: 6 scoreless for the W, now 3-0. First victory in a month—how's it feel?
-I just did my part. Thanks to fielders who backed me and bullpen who locked it down after.
-Last week, Wiz's Seo Tae-woong. Now Eagles'. Thoughts?
-Sudden trade, but manager, coaches, vets, and fans welcomed me big. Grateful.
-Finally, future resolve?
-Uh... I love Seongsimdang fried soboro buns. I'll pitch that hard too.
-Pardon? What does... Ah, yes. That's Seo Tae-woong, player of the game.
The MVP interview ended with announcer Choi Hee-jin's minor flub and baffled face on air.
"Damn... caught again. How do they know? ID's hidden."
"If you're so smart, tell me what to type next time."
"Nope."