Chapter 85 - Ace: Skip to the Next One
Ace's words didn't sit right with Tae-woong at first.
From the days when he was just a kid—back when the bat was as tall as he was—he'd always heard that running away from hitters out of fear was the worst sin a pitcher could commit. That mantra had followed him through middle school, high school, and even his pre-regression minor league days.
'Sure, back then it wasn't really fear—it was mostly because I couldn't locate the ball in the zone anyway...'
He'd heard it countless times even from Ace, the smug embodiment of arrogance he was chatting with right now.
Yet here was the guy who'd preached "never back down" suddenly telling him to skip ahead? And it wasn't just Ace—this was the same advice he'd gotten multiple times from Eagles manager Han Young-deok and pitching coach Song Jun-woo since joining the team.
Now that Tae-woong had full confidence in his pitches and faced hitters head-on, it made even less sense.
But Ace's explanation cleared it up quick.
"Nah, not really... Ah! So you're saying...!"
"Yeah."
"Huh? Illegal toto gets busted sometimes, though? Like three guys last year."
"I'll show you after the game. Anyway... keep going."
"So... you're saying fill the zone corners to avoid solid contact, and if it gets dicey, just walk Yang Ui-jin and take on the next guy?"
"Got it. We'll find the way, like always."
Whoosh!Thwack!
A changeup followed by a four-seam fastball rode the edge of the zone low. Catcher Choi Ji-hoon framed it up high during the pause, but the ump called it a ball.
With the count at 3-1, Yang Ui-jin strolled to first.
"That go as planned?"
"Gotta say it like that...?"
Tae-woong's intentional walk to Yang Ui-jin—his second dance with the .400 hitter today—was a calculated move with Ace. But to everyone else? Looked like plain old control issues.
"Ah, Yang Ui-jin draws a four-pitch walk, his second of the day after the 2nd inning. Second time on base against Seo Tae-woong, whose command's looking shaky."
"Gotta be tough facing a .400 hitter. Plus, Yang crushes changeups and curves—stuff Tae-woong leans on."
"Tae-woong starts the inning walking the leadoff man. Now, no outs, runner on first—#6 Oh Jae-wan up!"
"Oh whiffed on a low changeup last AB. Struggles with 'em big time."
* * *
Oh Jae-wan swung in the on-deck circle, eyes locked on Tae-woong. When the walk was issued, he thought,
'Not like it's the 9th with two outs and runners on. No way he's walking him on purpose mid-heat... Guess the tough at-bats shook his Pitching Balance a bit.'
No other explanation. Sure, Tae-woong was lights-out, but still a rookie. Jae-wan figured the streak had to crack sometime—with control woes.
And what does a shaky pitcher throw next? 'Obvious: four-seam to find the zone.'
First pitch: four-seam. Tae-woong was only touching low 130s km/h right now. Predictable? Batting practice for a pro.
'Ui-jin, it's muggy—walk it in today.'
Already tasting fence-clearing glory in his head.
Whoosh!
"Tae-woong's first to Oh Jae-wan! Outer-half four-seam!"
'Here it comes!'
No hesitation—bat whipped through. But as it bit halfway, the pitch hung slower than expected, dropping in front.
His surefire prediction? Busted.
'Damn flatbread! Changeup!'
Clack!
"Oh swings at the first pitch... foul off! Rolling to short—wait, to second! Runner out at second! Then to first—double play! Tae-woong bags two outs with the changeup!"
"Thought four-seam, but it dropped perfectly in front. Slo-mo shows he dropped the wrists low at the end—still no dice."
"Eagles' baby eagle, Seo Tae-woong, schooling the Bears on changeups today."
"Fun matchup: Lindbral's above-avg fastball from the right but weak curve/change. Tae-woong's lefty with league-low velo, dominating with change and curve."
Thud!
"Two outs, #7 Paregis whiffs big on the first-pitch heavy breaker! 0-1 count!"
"Curve inside—flinched, late swing, way off trajectory. Breaking ball reads are iffy."
* * *
Whoosh! Clack!
1-2 count, Tae-woong's 130 km/h high fastball got Paregis swinging. Bat grazed the bottom, pop-up lofted toward the mound.
Tae-woong pointed skyward left-handed and backed off. Third baseman Song Kang-min dashed in, snagged the high fly easy. Inning over.
Among those not playing, the starkest contrast? The managers, naturally.
Both rocked heavy black-tinted shades—no reading eyes on TV—but vibes differed.
Bears' Kim looked stone-faced but tense, face flushed with frustration as things slipped.
Eagles' Han? Faint smirk tugging his lips.
Walking Yang had tested his nerves, but Tae-woong answered with a changeup grounder double play from Oh.
'Damn cute, this kid!'
Truth was, Han had pushed hard for Tae-woong's trade to the Eagles.
'Okay, pretty much solo. Coaches mostly opposed, GM hesitant till the ink dried...'
Trades cut both ways. KBO history's littered more with flops than gems. Failed GMs get roasted forever—"no eye for talent," blind fish eyes.
Still, Han shipped three to Wiz for Tae-woong, slotted him straight into the first-team rotation.
Payoff? Happening now.
'If I'd waffled... might not have this spark.'
Pre-Tae-woong, Eagles pitching teetered. Only ace Simpson trustworthy; others flashed good but imploded early, burning the pen.
'Fine short-term, but stretch to a month, two? Even the league's best bullpen crumbles.'
Now Tae-woong matched—even topped—their ace, paving win paths.
'Good boy. Keep this up through season's end. I'll handle next year's raise with the GM myself.'
Tae-woong grinned heading to the dugout after three outs. Twenty-year-old killing it solo? Manager's job: hype.
"Great work! Dealing like a vet, Tae-woong! Shoulders good? Want a rubdown?"
"Yeah, left's touchy—right one, please."
"This punk bossing the manager!"
"Kidding, skipper, kidding."
Coaches and players cracked up.
"Seo Tae-woong's nuts, kekeke."
"Reminds me of Han-jin back in the day. Giggle. Cute kid. Keep owning? I'll suck your toes postgame."
"Why toes from a healthy guy, psycho? You're the real nut. Need a doc?"
"Joking, man. You got terminal seriousness."
"Past the 6th, into the 7th. Eagles' homebody Choi Ji-hoon two-run shot makes it 2-0 Eagles over Bears."
"Lately KBO's hitter-friendly—2 runs evaporate quick. Not today. Starters dealing."
"Tae-woong's 6 shutout. Lindbral 6 innings, 2 runs—not bad."
"Both could go 7th, maybe 8th. Pitch counts low."
"Back to the 7th top—Bears batting at Daejeon!"