The Glove's Tell
As game time arrived, the players lined up in the middle of the field. Here and there in the stands, scouts from pro teams who had come to watch certain players were visible. With the first-round draft coming up at the end of June, opportunities to scout third-year star prospects were running short, so it was only natural that pro clubs' eyes were focused on the Golden Lion Tournament.
North Myeong High was up first to bat today. After exchanging salutes, the fielders returned to the dugout and immediately prepared to hit. The top of the order: leadoff hitter Kwon Wan, followed by Song Yu-bin and Ha Tae-hoon at two and three. Kang Jae-seong, who had hit third in the weekend league, had shifted to the five hole behind Lee Ho-seok. Amid this slight lineup tweak, Daegu High's players headed to their positions as well.
On the mound stood Daegu High's ace right-hander, Kim Wan-je, without any surprises.
As the game began, Kwon Wan locked eyes on Kim Wan-je. Watching up to the third pitch, Kwon Wan, down 1-1 with two balls, lofted a dropping forkball lightly over the shortstop's outstretched glove for a blooper single.
A light cheer and applause rose from North Myeong High's dugout.
Kwon Wan, having reached base easily, shed his protective gear at first and bumped fists with the coach. Next up was the number-two hitter, Song Yu-bin.
Song Yu-bin was renowned for his elite speed, boasting the quickest legs on North Myeong High. Adept at situational play, he excelled at tormenting opponents from the two spot. On the first pitch, he laid down a bunt that easily sent Kwon Wan to second, then sprinted full tilt, barely beaten to first in a close play. An out on the scoreboard, but from the pitcher's perspective, it was a pressure-packed moment.
Now it was Ha Tae-hoon's turn. He battled Kim Wan-je to a full count before striking out and trudging back to the dugout.
Two outs, runner on second. Cleanup hitter Lee Ho-seok.
Scouts from multiple teams had shown up specifically to see the catcher prospect all but guaranteed a first-round pick. Of course, Ho-seok was used to the attention and didn't tense up over it. He loosened up with a casual swing, stepped in, and set his stance.
Kim Wan-je seemed a bit tense as he tossed his cap aside, wiped sweat from his brow with a shoulder shrug, and prepared to pitch.
Ho-seok was an aggressive, proactive hitter, often swinging at the first pitch.
As he focused on Kim Wan-je from the box, something suddenly caught Ho-seok's eye.
Huh?
It jumped out naturally: Kim Wan-je's glove twitching ever so slightly.
"When you look closely, the glove twitches when he grips the forkball."
The conversation from last night with Yoo Min-hoo flashed through his mind.
That was as far as Ho-seok's thoughts went. Kim Wan-je fired.
Ho-seok held off, and the pitch dove sharply just short of the zone. A well-executed forkball, but Kim Wan-je lacked the command to bury it for a strike.
A real forkball.
Ho-seok blinked in surprise.
Coincidence? Or did I imagine it? Given my aggressive style, maybe he anticipated a swing and threw it.
Muttering to himself, Ho-seok reset and refocused. Kim Wan-je prepared again. The mitt twitched faintly once more.
Not my imagination.
Convinced, Ho-seok waited. Another forkball. Quickly two balls. The next pitch, no mitt movement. Ho-seok swung without hesitation, and the ball rocketed straight out, clearing the fence at Mokdong Field.
A first-inning homer erupted cheers from North Myeong High's dugout.
He's being unusually patient at the plate?
Yoo Min-hoo tilted his head inwardly as he watched Ho-seok trot the bases, roaring in triumph. A hitter's approach didn't change overnight. So what was the reason?
Can he actually see it?
Recalling the weakness he'd pointed out yesterday, Min-hoo let out a wry chuckle.
Stepping on home, Ho-seok high-fived Kang Jae-seong in the on-deck circle and whispered, "Hey, check Kim Wan-je's glove closely. It twitches a tiny bit when he throws the forkball."
"Huh? What're you talking about, hyung?"
Kang Jae-seong looked baffled, but Ho-seok patted his shoulder and headed to the dugout amid teammates' cheers.
Wearing a puzzled expression, Jae-seong stepped in.
Kim Wan-je looked sour after the homer.
Watch the glove closely?
Jae-seong stared at it. No movement. He swung anyway—and the pitch dropped, whiffing him.
Damn it! What the hell is he seeing?!
Grumbling inside after fixating on the glove, Jae-seong struck out and returned.
Back in the dugout, Ho-seok approached Min-hoo, who was sitting off to the side. "Hey, I could see it just like you said."
"You actually saw it?"
Min-hoo shot back incredulously, and Ho-seok nodded, turning to the other hitters. "Guys! I've got killer info. Everyone gather up."
The batters looked over curiously—
"Strike! Strike three, you're out!"
The ump's call rang out, and Director Park Sung-tae said, "Everyone, prepare to switch."
Ho-seok missed his moment.
As the fielders geared up, Jae-seong grumbled to him on his way back. "Hyung! What'd you see? I didn't notice a thing."
"Huh? You couldn't see it?"
Ho-seok blinked in confusion, and Jae-seong replied, "Yeah, it actually threw me off and messed up my swing."
"I saw it clear as day."
Ho-seok scratched his head as Min-hoo cut in. "You think everyone can spot that? Go get ready for defense."
Ho-seok tilted his head but started donning his catcher's gear.
The sides switched, fielders took positions, and Director Park, who had been silently observing, approached Min-hoo. "What was that about just now?"
"Nothing much. I told Ho-seok about Kim Wan-je's tic yesterday."
"Tic?"
"Yeah. His glove twitches when he grips the forkball."
"……."
Park's brow furrowed. He hadn't known that either.
"I mentioned it to Ho-seok, and apparently he could see it."
"Fascinating," Park murmured lowly—not in agreement, but intrigue.
"Before your shoulder injury, you were a near-perfect power pitcher, right?"
"Yeah."
"But now you seem like a complete crafty veteran."
"……."
"The kind who's seen it all."
Min-hoo scratched his cheek, meeting the director's gaze. It was too sharp an eye for a guy who'd once overpowered hitters with raw stuff—power arms didn't need to sweat the details.
"Guess analysis suits me more than I thought."
Park eyed him a moment before replying. "Not a bad skill."
Quite the opposite, in fact.
"By the way, Ella stopped by earlier, huh."
"Figures."
Min-hoo shook his head helplessly, and Park asked, "How's your dad doing?"
"He's fine."
No reason he wouldn't be.
"I see."
As they chatted, Daegu High's half-inning began. Park shook off distractions and refocused on the field. Min-hoo scanned the plate with keen eyes.
Daegu High's lineup lived up to its reputation—fearsome. The leadoff man laced the first pitch for a hit. The two-hole guy grinded a full count, pressuring Kim Ji-seok. But Ji-seok held firm, inducing a double play from the three-hole and striking out the cleanup.
Teammates slapped the shoulders of Ji-seok, who pumped his fist on the way back. He looked in top form today. Only a Kim Yong-su from Gyeongsang High could overpower him at peak.
But that doesn't mean we can relax.
Daegu High's order was stacked with high-caliber hitters of every type. Once they got rolling, runs poured in.
The real game starts once they get comfortable with Ji-seok's stuff.
Before the top of the second, Director Park briefed the hitters on Kim Wan-je's tell. By the end of the inning—and into the top of the fourth—the consensus was it was damn hard to spot.
Among North Myeong High's starters, only Kwon Wan, Lee Ho-seok, and first-year Park Chang-sik could catch the glove twitch.
Still, by top of the fourth, North Myeong High added two more runs for a 4-0 lead.
But Daegu High wasn't slouching. They tacked on one in the third, then two more in the bottom, closing to 4-3.
"This is annoying as hell," Kim Ji-seok griped after the fourth. Pitching coach Han Myeong-hwan gave a wry smile.
"No kidding."
"Man, it didn't seem so bad hearing about it, but it's seriously intimidating."
Even Daegu High's bottom of the order had top-lineup talent from other schools. Their top guys were all upper-round picks—especially cleanup sophomore Park Chang-won, a lock for next year's first round.
"When do I get pulled?"
"Director's eyeing the sixth or seventh."
"Hm."
Ji-seok had figured he couldn't go deep, but hearing it still felt odd.
"Who's next?"
"Dunno."