I'll Be Leaving Soon Anyway

September had already slipped by.

With roughly two weeks left in the season, only the rain-canceled games and the like remained on the schedule. I had added two more wins in September, bringing my total to twenty-three.

Looking at what was left, I figured I would start maybe two more times. Greedily, I wanted wins in both of those outings so I could hit twenty-five. The single-season win record sat at thirty… second place was twenty-seven. Those two marks were hopelessly out of reach anyway. Next down the list was twenty-five—third place. If I took both remaining starts, that one was still within striking distance.

Co-third for most wins in a single season. This might be my last year pitching in the Korean league. Leaving a record like that behind when I went felt like a good idea.

Ko Mandeok had a problem. He kept waving it off, insisting nothing was wrong, but every single player on our team knew exactly what was eating at him. If you are going to scrunch your face up like that, at least do not claim everything is fine. Who would believe it? And the worry itself was so obvious you could not miss it even if you tried.

The biggest reason for Ko Mandeok's fretting was me.

From his point of view, things had started to grind a little after Barnett joined the club. It began when Barnett specifically asked for Jeong Jong-seong. As the starting catcher who had locked down the position for years, Ko Mandeok had looked a touch flustered at being openly passed over, but he laughed it off. He seemed to figure it was just one starting pitcher walking away from him… and since Marte preferred Ko Mandeok, he had not worried much. The rest of the domestic starters? Nothing to lose sleep over. Especially with how well he and I clicked, he probably never fretted too hard.

But lately Manager Park kept putting Jeong Jong-seong behind the plate for my starts. And the results were coming out pretty well, so Ko Mandeok had clearly started feeling the heat. The starting catcher was still officially Ko Mandeok. Yet when the team's number-one ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠and number-two starters took the mound, he was not allowed to wear the mask? Was that really the starting catcher?

From where I stood, Jeong Jong-seong had properly caught Manager Park's eye. After Ko Mandeok started dating, he stopped catching pitchers outside of official practice—too busy running off to see his girlfriend, I guess. Jeong Jong-seong had stepped into that gap cleanly, and Manager Park had liked what he saw. So the opportunities kept coming. Honestly, Jeong Jong-seong's bat was better too.

Seemed like Ko Mandeok had finally realized it a little late; these days he was hanging around after practice. He was even digging into the analysis packets from Ho-min that he had been putting off for a while. Trying to look like he was working hard… and apparently it had gotten through to Manager Park.

Ko Mandeok's name was right there in the lineup for the start that would aim at my twenty-fourth win.

"Yes!"

He clenched both fists and trembled with pure relief. The mental grind must have been worse than I thought…

"You should've worked hard earlier. Getting all wrapped up in that girl of yours."

"…You're one to talk?"

Why? I had been working pretty hard lately.

"Quit the nonsense and let's go. I've thoroughly torn the Raiders apart for today."

"Ooh~"

So this Raiders game would be with Ko Mandeok.

Some people called this the Raiders' worst season. They had dropped as low as third behind the Hawks and nearly tumbled to fourth during a losing streak. But I saw it as the year that showed the Raiders' real backbone. Through every crisis they had eventually clawed back into second place.

Right now the Raiders sat in second, one game ahead of the third-place Hawks. A ranking that could flip with one slip in the remaining games, yet somehow they were holding the spot.

The biggest headache for those Raiders—and today's starter—was Kwon Jong-jin. He was having the worst season of his career. With the year almost over he had only nine wins and an ERA in the fours. That they were still sitting in second with Kwon Jong-jin in that shape proved the Raiders were a strong team through and through.

No matter how I looked at it, Kwon Jong-jin was clearly not right… I could not understand why he kept taking the ball without missing a single turn.

"Maybe a sense of responsibility as the team's ace?"

"And if that just makes the injury worse?"

"…It's just a shame."

"Is that even something to say…"

Heartless Ko Mandeok.

Top of the first. Kwon Jong-jin climbed the mound and threw the first pitch.

Eighty-nine miles per hour.

That was Kwon Jong-jin's average fastball velocity these days. A pitcher who used to fire ninety-threes with ease…

His command, though, had not dulled. The pitch painted the low outside corner perfectly. But relying on command alone… our hitters were too hot right now. Especially our second baseman, back from a short injury stint—he was even hotter.

Crack!

As if he had known it was coming, he lightly pushed the outside changeup the other way and trotted to first. Kwon Jong-jin got Ko Young-su on a grounder to third, but Jo Chang-jun advanced to second. Park Jeonghun's timely single scored the run. The captain followed with a hit to put runners on the corners, but Shane got eaten by a cutter and grounded into a double play to end the inning.

They held it to one run, yet already three hits. In his prime Kwon Jong-jin used to shut down entire games with three hits total.

"Worry about yourself."

I came back from the on-deck circle, switched caps, grabbed my glove, and took the mound. With Ko Mandeok catching today, it was going to be a busy afternoon.

Ko Mandeok and Jeong Jong-seong had completely opposite styles. If Ko Mandeok attacked hitters' weaknesses with a full mix of pitches, Jeong Jong-seong mainly demanded power pitching built around fastballs to overpower them. Once I had asked Jeong Jong-seong why he kept calling nothing but heaters.

"Senior, if no hitter can properly square up your fastball, why throw anything else?"

No answer for that. So I threw what he called. Results were good, so…

When Ko Mandeok sat behind the plate, though, I had to plan on throwing at least five different pitches. That was why I said I ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠would be busy today. Not my body—my fingers. Having to mix everything.

I punched a strike with a ninety-eight-mile-per-hour four-seamer. Then slider. Splitter. Slider. Four-seamer. Changeup. Curve. Two-seamer. Changeup. Nine pitches ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠to get three outs in the bottom of the first. Six different pitch types. Pulling the ball in, spreading it out, snapping it off… my fingers were insanely busy from the very first inning.

In my first two at-bats I had watched Kwon Jong-jin's stuff and thought, Man, this guy is really grinding. Velocity that had fallen off a cliff. Breaking balls nowhere near what they used to be. He was surviving on command alone, but that could not keep working forever. If a guy like Jo Chang-jun decided to just foul everything off, getting him out would not be easy. I knew that better than anyone—I used to be that kind of pitcher.

He had somehow dragged the game this far, but I wanted to let him rest already. From the on-deck circle I could see the ball had even less life than early in the game. This was overuse. Pure overuse.

"Mind if I ask you something?"

I could not hold it in any longer and spoke to Kim Gyeong-seok, who was wearing the mask.

"What?"

"Is Kwon Jong-jin hurt?"

"……Why?"

"Just feels like it."

"No. Nothing like that."

"Then why…"

No more answer came.

Kwon Jong-jin set himself and checked second, then first with his eyes. A compact delivery followed, and the ball finally left his hand.

Inside.

Kwon Jong-jin had been attacking the inner half extremely well today. That was the only reason he had held us to three runs so far. But that only worked when the ball still had life. After ninety pitches, the early-game juice was gone.

CRACK!

The sound of contact rang out clean and pure. Even though I felt almost nothing in the bat, the ball still rocketed away. I flung the bat high and far and started a slow trot toward first. The flight of the ball? No need to look. If that one did not leave the park, nothing would.

The game was over.

I pitched through the seventh and then handed the ball over. In the top of the sixth I had given up a solo shot to cleanup hitter Jo In-geol—one run. But it had nothing to do with the outcome. By then our team already had more than ten runs on the board.

After the game came the Player of the Game interview. Near the end I suddenly felt like saying one more thing. Part of me worried I would just get roasted again for running my mouth… but I had been treated like a lunatic for a long time already. What was one more lunatic stunt? And I would be leaving soon anyway.

So I said it.

"Uh… can I add one last thing?"

"Pardon? Oh—yes, of course."

"I… think a player should rest when he's hurt. The team matters, sure, but an athlete who doesn't take care of his own body and just pushes through—that's not right, is it?"

The female announcer handling my interview stared at me blankly. Her eyes said, What the hell is this guy talking about?

The interview wrapped up in a messy, awkward scramble.

And then—

"You crazy bastard. What kind of garbage did you spout in that interview?"

"I just…"

"It's blowing up again."

"Is it?"

"What are you going to do ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠about this? Their side is going to come after you, you know? Saying you ran your mouth for no reason?"

"Who cares. I'm leaving soon anyway."

"Wow~ this irresponsible son of a bitch."

I gave a little shrug. Something I had picked up from Shane; I had been using it a lot lately.

"He's not even on our team… you really will do anything."

Ho-min spent the entire ride home dumping complaints and curses on me.

It looked like this was getting bigger than I expected. Fine. I would just play dumb and let it blow over. And I would be leaving soon anyway.