The Upset Over Daegu High and the Cracked Nail
The matchup between North Myeong High and Daegu High unfolded into a full-on slugfest. By the end of the seventh inning, both high school teams were locked in an 8-8 tie.
Daegu High's starting pitcher, Kim Wan-je, had been pulled in the fifth. Even Kim Ji-seok, whom they'd hoped would hold through the sixth, was finally replaced that inning.
And then the bottom of the eighth. North Myeong High sent Ha Tae-hoon to the mound as a bold gamble, but unexpectedly, he gave up back-to-back hits to their third and fourth hitters. A defensive error followed, putting their fifth batter on base with the bases loaded and no outs.
As the situation grew dire, Director Park Sung-tae's face hardened slightly. The next batters were sixth, seventh, and eighth in the lineup. Normally, he'd leave Ha Tae-hoon out there, but against Daegu High? That changed things.
"This is tricky," Director Park Sung-tae muttered.
Pitching Coach Han Myeong-hwan replied with a grave expression. "Should we leave Tae-hoon on the mound like this?"
"......"
Director Park Sung-tae fell deep into thought at the question. Do we have anyone who can properly shut this down right now?
Muttering to himself internally, his gaze suddenly shifted to Yoo Min-hoo, who was sitting off to one side of the mound.
Following his line of sight to Yoo Min-hoo, Coach Han Myeong-hwan looked puzzled. "Are you thinking of sending Min-hoo up there?"
"What do you think?"
"......"
Coach Han Myeong-hwan pondered for a moment, then shook his head. "No, it won't work. His velocity is too low."
"......"
Yoo Min-hoo certainly had an edge with his variety of breaking pitches. But weak velocity was still a major liability. Against another high school team, maybe—but Coach Han Myeong-hwan couldn't see Yoo Min-hoo handling Daegu High's lineup.
After hearing Coach Han Myeong-hwan out, Director Park Sung-tae consulted the other coaches, who all expressed reservations. After listening and thinking it over, he let out a deep sigh.
May 9, Korea Ilbo Sports Section.
Top Contender Daegu High Falls 11-9 to North Myeong High
First Major Upset: Is North Myeong High Reclaiming Its Prestige?
The heavy favorite for the Golden Lion Tournament, Daegu High School, suffered a shocking defeat to North Myeong High School, marking the tournament's first big upset... (excerpt)
"I really feel like bringing you on board as director was worth it!"
May 9, Monday morning. Chairman Baek Moon-sang, who had placed the morning paper on the table, beamed at Director Park Sung-tae sitting across from him.
One look at North Myeong High's baseball field showed the chairman's unusual passion for the sport. When the team's reputation plummeted due to scandals, he'd even sworn off hiring any North Myeong alumni coaches.
The game against Daegu High had been the same. Every media outlet had dismissed North Myeong's chances. Yet, as if mocking them all, North Myeong had won decisively and advanced to the round of 16.
For the chairman, it was joyous news that had him over the moon.
"What did I even do? The players pulled it off."
"You're incredible, Director Park. And so humble, too."
Chairman Baek Moon-sang burst into delighted laughter. Beating Daegu High was a massive achievement in itself.
But for Director Park Sung-tae, yesterday's game left much to be desired. They'd won in the end. In that bases-loaded eighth-inning jam, after much deliberation, they hadn't made the change. Ha Tae-hoon had escaped with a double play and a strikeout, surrendering just one run.
It could be called a good outcome, but if Daegu High had better pitching, victory wouldn't have been guaranteed.
After wrapping up with the chairman, Director Park Sung-tae headed to the baseball clubhouse. The round of 16 schedule started on the 11th. North Myeong's opponent was Chungbuk Construction High—not as tough as Daegu High, and a win seemed assured.
But the quarterfinal matchup was the issue. Gyeongsang High will probably advance.
Director Park Sung-tae's ambition right now was to go all the way. But overcoming Gyeongsang High, anchored by Kim Yong-su—the slugger drawing MLB interest—was another story.
As Director Park Sung-tae predicted, on the 12th, North Myeong High beat Chungbuk Construction High 6-2 in the round of 16, advancing to the quarterfinals.
The quarterfinals were on the 14th. Rather than heading to Busan, the North Myeong players were doing individual training and conditioning management at a gym rented near their lodging.
No major upsets occurred elsewhere, and Gyeongsang High advanced too, setting up a natural regional rivalry clash.
Yoo Min-hoo, seeing the news of Gyeongsang High's win, searched for other teams' results.
Jeju High...
Jeju High had pulled off the tournament's biggest upset by reaching the round of 16, led by their monstrous first-year ace, Lee Soo-min.
The problem? Their round of 16 opponent was Seoul High, a top favorite.
They lost 1-0.
Yoo Min-hoo clicked his tongue softly. No matter how monstrous the pitcher, baseball wasn't a one-man sport. Without lineup support, even the greatest ace couldn't win alone.
Setting down his smartphone, Yoo Min-hoo sighed. I still haven't pitched in a single game.
He'd made the active roster, but Yoo Min-hoo hadn't seen mound time yet. As a bullpen arm, sure—but sending out a low-velocity guy like him against a powerhouse lineup like Daegu High's wouldn't have been wise.
In the round of 16, Ha Tae-hoon had rebounded from his Daegu High struggles with a gem, eating innings and leaving no opportunity.
Thwack!
A sharp crack of ball meeting mitt snapped Yoo Min-hoo from his thoughts. Looking up, he saw Kim Ji-seok firing to the freshman catcher in the bullpen.
Kim Ji-seok was the quarterfinal starter. Maybe because he'd given up a homer to Kim Yong-su in a practice game, he seemed sharper than usual ahead of Gyeongsang High.
For reference, Kim Yong-su was the only one—practice or official—who'd homered off Kim Ji-seok this year.
Thwack!
Another resounding hit. Yoo Min-hoo called out to him. "Ease up. Trainer Park Sang-won will chew you out again."
Kim Ji-seok, catching from the freshman, paused and looked at Yoo Min-hoo. Wiping sweat with a towel, he said, "Hyung, do I have some weird habit or something?"
The out-of-left-field question puzzled Yoo Min-hoo. "What're you talking about?"
"You told Ho-seok hyung about Kim Wan-je's tic during the Daegu game, right? And Ho-seok hyung's too."
"Oh."
Yoo Min-hoo nodded in realization and shook his head. "Nah, you don't."
Kim Ji-seok pressed at the curt reply. "Don't brush me off."
"For real. Nothing obvious."
"......"
Kim Ji-seok went silent, then set into his motion and unleashed another full-effort pitch.
Crack!
"No weaknesses, so why can't I beat Kim Yong-su?"
Yoo Min-hoo chuckled dryly. "That homer to him still eating at you?"
"Yeah."
Kim Ji-seok stared at Yoo Min-hoo, his answer firm. He'd given up plenty of runs to Daegu High, but it hadn't stung much—more like being overwhelmed by their lineup as a whole, not individual batters.
Kim Yong-su was different. He felt like an impenetrable wall. And here was Yoo Min-hoo, who'd struck him out on six pitches—with far inferior velocity.
"......"
Yoo Min-hoo met the gaze of his second-year junior, a pitcher with real promise. Kim Ji-seok's stuff ranked top-tier in high school ball. His fastball had elite movement too. He wasn't an easy mark, knew it, and pitched with confidence.
That was a strength, but...
"If I had to pick, you trust your stuff too much."
"...?"
Kim Ji-seok looked baffled.
"Your velocity's so good, you tend to challenge hitters head-on. Kim Yong-su's the type you can't just overpower straight up."
"Then what do I do?"
"Learn when to avoid the matchup."
"......"
Kim Ji-seok's face said it didn't compute. For a power pitcher like him, who crushed with sheer stuff, dodging confrontations felt alien.
"You can win by avoiding them?"
"Depends on how you see it. A pitcher's ultimate goal is preventing runs. It's just a style difference."
Confident power guys like Kim Ji-seok needed to methodically work through the lineup. Low-velocity arms like Yoo Min-hoo? Sketch the big picture first, then fill it in.
Style differences, as Yoo Min-hoo said.
Kim Ji-seok stared silently, then sighed and resumed his bullpens. Watching, Yoo Min-hoo pulled a nail clipper from his bag, tended his nails, and thought, His condition looks solid.
Yoo Min-hoo stood, preparing for tomorrow.
May 14, Saturday. As a Golden Lion quarterfinal, Mok-dong Ballpark drew a solid crowd. North Myeong High had gone all-out: the chairman personally funded buses for cheering students.
North Myeong was batting first today. In the dugout prepping for the first, Yoo Min-hoo muttered, "Pretty packed, huh."
Lee Ho-seok grinned. "Yeah. TV broadcast too, they say."
The vibe was business as usual, but starter Kim Ji-seok fiddled with the tip of his right index finger off in the corner.
Gyeongsang High's starter was Bae Yong-min, a lefty sidearmer whose fastball topped 143 km/h—their ace. His speed and sidearm movement made him tough to hit.
Bae Yong-min set the side down in order in the first to cheers and headed off.
Switching, Kim Ji-seok took the hill. Showcasing peak form, he struck out Gyeongsang's leadoff man for a smooth start.
But trouble hit against the second batter. After his first pitch, Kim Ji-seok called time.
Sensing an issue, Pitching Coach Han Myeong-hwan hustled to the mound. "What's wrong?"
Kim Ji-seok's face was tense. "Coach, my nail..."
Han Myeong-hwan flinched, checked the finger, and clutched his face. Kim Ji-seok's right index fingernail was split.