End of the Suspension
My suspension ended on a Thursday.
Which meant the earliest I could take the mound was Friday.
I naturally assumed I'd be starting that day and had been preparing accordingly…
"Kang Hajin. Get ready for a start in next Tuesday's home game."
He called me out of nowhere and dropped that on me.
"What?"
"Why? Is there a problem?"
Why wouldn't there be?
"…Not Friday? Next Tuesday?"
"Yeah. No reason to force a return on the road."
Manager Park's reasoning went like this.
Given all the ugly reactions from this whole mess, there was no point in me pitching on the road just to eat a bunch of boos. Tuesday was a home game—mostly our own fans—so I could take the mound with a clear head.
How thoughtful of him…
"…I'm fine with it."
It wasn't like I'd committed some capital crime and spent months in exile. It was a measly six-game suspension. Why all the kid gloves?
And it wasn't even the Jaguars we were facing. How bad could the booing really get?
From what I'd seen online, every fanbase except the Jaguars' was just munching popcorn and enjoying the show.
This was ridiculous.
But Manager Park had zero intention of listening. Even when I pushed this hard, you'd think he'd at least hear me out… yet that blank, "I've said my piece, now get out" expression left me with nothing left to say.
"…Understood."
What choice did I have? If he said Tuesday, I went Tuesday.
I'd already known that risking the ejection had cost me the first-half wins lead. But stacking the suspension on top of skipping the weekend series meant three of the remaining six games were gone. Push hard enough and I might squeeze in four, but the schedule was awkward.
Our team was rolling just fine without me. The rotation was strong, and even when a starter got knocked around, the lineup exploded and flipped the score. The gap over second place kept widening. So Manager Park could comfortably push my return back. Dropping one game wouldn't hurt much.
"It's a shame, but… there'll be other chances."
I let it go cleanly.
Truth was, I'd wanted that Friday start for a completely different reason.
The new capsule medicine. That was why.
The day I first took the changed formula—I can say this with absolute confidence—I saw a whole new world.
The feeling of a ball I tossed like it was nothing screaming past 155 km/h… it was something else.
So I'd figured that was the new medicine's effect. But a day passed, then two, and the phenomenon slowly faded. Like a heavy buff that gradually wore off over time?
It wasn't a problem—just a return to pre-change levels. Still, I'd wanted to pitch while even a little of that feeling lingered. That was why I'd been greedy for Friday.
Too bad.
I skipped the weekend road trip, stayed in Seoul, and spent the time rebuilding my body for Tuesday.
And then Tuesday finally arrived.
Kang Hajin is back. Savers fans have been waiting a long time for this. Listen to that roar already.
Everyone expected him Friday, but it got pushed back, didn't it? And they lost that day. The fans have been waiting even more eagerly because of it.
The player himself wanted to start Friday, but Manager Park Donghoon stopped him, right?
That's right. Park Donghoon seemed worried about the pressure of a suspension-return game on the road.
And the fact that Kang Hajin isn't batting today—should we read that the same way?
Wouldn't you? Looks like they want him focused purely as a pitcher. Plus the Savers lineup has been terrifying lately. They figure they can afford to sit him.
First-place Savers versus fifth-place Unicorns at Jamsil. We're about to get underway.
He shouldn't have done that.
Manager Park should have put me in the lineup.
I'm serious.
I appreciated the care, but there were times you didn't need to protect me…
This was one of those times he should have left me unprotected.
Bottom of the third. Savers offense comes up empty again. Bases loaded with nobody out turns into another double play—runner left at third.
They're rushing. Way too aggressive. Unicorns starter Lee Jong-gi has looked shaky since the first, yet the Savers hitters keep overswinging and handing him outs.
Bases loaded, two outs in the first—fine, that one stung but whatever. Two outs, man on first, the pitcher unravels, we work two walks… then an out. Can't help that.
But the second inning: one out, runner on second, Na Seung-won smokes a line drive—and Choi Min-gi on second just takes off. The ball goes straight into the shortstop's glove. Shortstop jogs over, steps on second, three outs.
"You dumb son of a…"
And just now, another double play in the third.
Up to that point it was just "what a shame."
The six-hole that would have been mine if I'd been in the lineup. Jeong Jong-seong filled it instead and failed to cash in the first-inning bases-loaded chance, but it was still early… or so I told myself, jumping the gun.
And Lee Jong-gi escapes another jam! Savers can't convert first-and-second with one out. Through six, this game is still 0-0!
This was getting ridiculous…
Captain and Shane string consecutive hits to put runners on second and third, then Jeong Jong-seong strikes out and Ko Mandeok pops a foul to first. That was just wrong.
"These catchers, I swear…"
Through six I'd given up exactly two hits and one walk.
Meanwhile the Savers had six hits and two walks—eight baserunners through six innings—and still zero runs.
At this point a few guys started glancing my way. Especially Jeong Jong-seong, batting sixth in my place. 0-for-3 so far. Bases loaded in the first, second-and-third in the sixth—both wasted.
I shut them down again in the top of the seventh and came off.
The Unicorns pulled Lee Jong-gi, who'd blown past a hundred pitches, and brought in reliable bullpen arm Lee Hyeong-jong.
They were getting greedy too.
Lee Hyeong-jong retires the side in order in the bottom of the seventh. Still 0-0.
Top of the eighth.
"Shit. Almost got ugly."
Two hits, but no runs. Pitch count: 104.
Right fielder Park Ji-hoon's spectacular diving catch! Jeong Jong-seong looks gutted! Nothing is going the Savers' way today!
Two outs, runners on first and third—Jeong Jong-seong finally squared one up… and Unicorns right fielder Park Ji-hoon made an impossible diving grab to snuff it out again.
"…Is he Superman or what?"
Then the ninth. Both sides went scoreless.
By now it was just absurd.
"Kang Hajin, good work."
"……"
I'd already thrown nearly 120 pitches over nine innings. Manager Park had no intention of sending me back out.
Finally! Finally! It's goooone! Go Young-soo's walk-off solo shot in the bottom of the tenth! The Savers take it!
"……Is this a dream?"
If it wasn't a dream, they couldn't do this to me.
"Puhahaha! First-half wins lead my ass. Co-second in wins, lmao."
"……Is this funny to you? You enjoying this?"
My blood was already boiling, and Ho-min cackling beside me only made it worse.
He couldn't stop laughing the entire ride home.
"Told you to take it easy. You threw a ton today."
"A ton? I wasn't even at 120 through nine."
"You usually cut it around 110, don't you?"
"……You don't think that's already a low number?"
"Anyway. Lots of balls today. Command off?"
"No. I was painting deliberately and they just wouldn't swing."
"Stuff must be down then."
"You're telling a guy who just threw nine scoreless that his stuff is down… have you lost your mind…"
He was just saying whatever came into his head to mess with me.
Final game of the first half. Savers starter is Kang Hajin.
Honestly, I didn't think he'd pitch today. The All-Star Game is the day after tomorrow, and as the top vote-getter you'd expect him to rest—but here he is.
Currently at 11 wins, sitting second in the wins race. A victory today puts him back into a share of the lead.
I argued until I was blue in the face.
Manager Park had zero plans to start me, but I practically threw myself on the floor and claimed the ball.
Protect me all you want, but there's a limit…
Even if first-half wins leader was gone, I at least had to climb back to first in the category. Shared or not.
Then he said fine, but pitcher only—so I argued some more.
In the end I won both sides of the ball.
Victory by tantrum, I guess?
I even got the full blank stare he reserved for when he was thoroughly displeased, but I refused to fold—and I won!
He must have finally given up, because the way he waved his hand at the end and muttered "do whatever you want" was honestly memorable.
And the game that followed…
See? Results speak for themselves.