Is This the Major Leagues? (2)
Thwack!!
The pitcher's throw from the mound shook the entire stadium.
- 160 km/h
Rhinos' leadoff hitter Song Jeong-woo still couldn't handle the 100-mph fastball that had exposed his weakness in the past.
Crack!!
He fell for the changeup and fouled it off toward shortstop.
Slide.
The shortstop, putting on an unnecessary bent-leg slide, scooped up the ball.
Whoosh!!
He fired it to first base.
"Out!"
One out.
- Ahh...
- Wooaaah!!
Watching the stadium where sighs and cheers intertwined, the Rhinos' starting pitcher Karl Lauer clicked his tongue in dissatisfaction.
"Tch."
Until the end of the top of the first, the Rhinos had been in control of the atmosphere. But...
'That guy's ruining it all.'
The opposing players, clearly rattled by Lauer's sharp control, now showed relief in their eyes. Even in the Rhinos' home stadium, the sea of Titans away fans filling the stands brimmed with confidence in victory. All because that one pitcher was on the mound—the atmosphere had flipped in an instant.
Jin Yuha. He'd heard the name before.
The son of Jin Yusung and nephew of Jack Gordon. A pitcher who'd gone pro right after high school and notched three straight complete-game shutouts—an absurd record.
"...Damn kid."
He was exactly the type of player Lauer despised.
A freaking genius. Born with the talent to effortlessly chuck 100 mph, making baseball feel like a breeze. A hot prospect who built his fame by feasting on ordinary players like him.
And it was happening right now. Lauer never imagined he'd run into so many MLB reporters and scouts here in Korea, at this time of year.
'Am I the villain after all?'
Those reporters probably wanted shots of the once-called "Wonder Boy" Jin Yuha claiming victory. The away fans packing the stadium would feel the same, naturally.
"Ah."
For a moment, Lauer felt like he'd dropped into enemy territory, even in his own home ballpark.
- "It's fate for an ace on an unpopular team. What a load of nonsense."
If Jin Yuha—who'd started his career with the league's weakest division, a small-market, selling club that checked every box for an MLB unloved team—heard that, he'd scoff.
Of course, this wasn't the majors. It was the KBO.
Even if some players here had been MLB guys in the past or would make it there in the future, right now they were just KBO players. Elite-level ones, sure.
'Take Kang Gihoo sunbae, for instance.'
The Kang Gihoo I knew wouldn't leave me worrying about run support. That guy always delivered points.
Tap tap.
The same went for Jacob Dominguez, who I was facing now. Next year, he'd platoon for the Detroit Tigers and help them win their division.
Thwack!!
"Strike!"
But right now, he was just the Rhinos' foreign hitter gaping blankly at my four-seamer. Not that I'd lose to a would-be MLB guy like Jacob Dominguez.
Tap tap.
Jeong Hanseong tapped the pitchcom. He'd become my personal catcher this season. Unfortunately, his knees held up.
So no grand run support today, but I didn't regret my choice. The kid needed game reps to grow.
- Two-seam, low and away
I recalled the data I'd skimmed on Jacob Dominguez before the game.
'He was confident low-away and had good results there, right? Hmm...'
I nodded and...
Whoosh!!
Threw the second pitch.
Bzzz!!
Like he'd been waiting, Dominguez swung.
'But what now...'
Too bad it wasn't a good choice.
Crack!
The bat connected with a thud, the ball dipping messily over the plate.
Roll roll.
The grounder trickled toward third. Third baseman Yoon Kangyeol sunbae charged, fielded cleanly, and fired to first—a run-saving throw mindful of the lefty Dominguez's decent speed.
Whoosh!!
The slightly high throw...
Thwack!!
...stayed in Kang Gihoo sunbae's range.
"Out!"
Two outs.
There was only one reason I'd thrown a tricky pitch to his favorite zone to induce a groundout.
'Because it's fun.'
Exactly.
'Like Jin Sambong's Baseball Classroom: Real Combat Edition.'
I wondered if tomorrow's starter, Baek Jeongsu sunbae, was watching closely.
Top of the fifth. Karl Lauer, who'd escaped a bases-loaded, one-out jam scoreless on his own, slumped onto the dugout bench with a face full of irritation.
"Damn it. Why can't we even get on base against that guy?"
The answer came from Jacob Dominguez, who'd just whiffed on three pitches in the bottom of the fourth.
"Because the guy on the mound today is the pitcher with three straight complete shutouts."
"I know that! I know his stuff's off today too!"
Lauer wasn't wrong. Jin Yuha's velocity was down a bit from the strain of those three straight complete games, and his command faltered occasionally.
"Hey, Lauer. I won't rip you since you're starting today, but remember we're giving it our all."
Lauer calmed a bit seeing Dominguez's stern face, but...
"No one's gonna blame you for a four-inning perfect game against Eric McClean."
That set off all his pent-up frustration.
"You putting Cy Young winner Eric McClean on the same level as some Korean teenager? And telling me to chill?"
Eric McClean was last season's Cy Young who dragged the Yankees to the World Series.
"...You know I faced Eric McClean before coming here?"
Dominguez furrowed his brow.
"That was the guy who shipped me to Korea after I finally got a spot start."
The memory was still vivid.
"A 100-plus mph fastball jammed the strike zone. I was overwhelmed. Then came a pitch to my favorite spot. I thought I'd capitalize and swung. Maybe I figured it was my only shot to beat him. But turns out, that pitch to my wheelhouse was bait to get me swinging. And that was that."
Lauer couldn't follow Dominguez's sudden monologue.
"Why bring that up now?"
Thwack!!
"Strike three!"
Watching his teammate trudge back to the dugout after whiffing, Dominguez chuckled.
"Why? 'Cause I just got done the exact same way by that guy."
"..."
Flash flash!!
Reporters' flashes popped in the distance.
"That monster's just some Korean teenager?"
Dominguez shrugged.
"Hey, don't say stuff you don't even believe."
Jin Yuha wasn't your average Korean teen pitcher.
"He's a monster. Maybe on par with Eric McClean."
Bzzz!!
"Swinging strike three!"
"Why the hell is a guy like that here? Is this the majors or what?"
Lauer had no answer for Dominguez.
As many predicted, the game's turned into a pitchers' duel. After a breathless battle, it's 0-0 at the halfway mark, and cleaning time is underway.
Park Woo-hyuk, the former Guardians analyst calling Yuha's start for the first time, pondered before speaking.
"...The more I watch, the more I'm just in awe."
Jason Lee, the Dodgers' Asia scout, marveled nonstop at Jin Yuha's pitching while tearing into chicken. He'd griped about flying to Asia just because he was Korean, but now he felt lucky.
"Getting to see a guy's debut season like this is a blessing. Yup yup."
"...Eat quietly. It's not a pretty sight."
"Oh, my damn Giants buddy's here."
Jim Jefferson, San Francisco Giants scout, plopped into the empty seat next to Jason and ribbed him.
"Jefferson, never thought you'd come all this way."
"What're you saying? Which big-league club isn't eyeing that kid?"
"Fair point."
Jason finished his chicken clean to the bone and sipped his beer.
"Your team's broke, though?"
"We just don't throw money around like idiots."
"Pfft! Sure, whatever. So you won't throw stupid money at Yu-ha?"
"Well..."
Even for a minor leaguer, three complete shutouts at 18? By posting time, who knew how much he'd grow? One thing was sure: pocket change wouldn't cut it.
"And naturally, we'd have the edge over you. We know how to spend."
"With those deferral-loaded deals?"
Jason ignored the loser's jab. Jefferson, fuming, soon smirked.
"But the team really in the lead is someone else."
"Huh? What're you on about?"
"Don't play dumb. The Mets, obviously. Son joining dad's team? Perfect story. And they're not broke."
"Ugh..."
Jason had a vision: the "Meteor's" son inheriting his number in the Big Apple. And...
"Damn it. I don't wanna watch the Dodgers get stomped by the Mets again!"
Jefferson, laughing at the sight, felt the same frustration.
'Please, not Mets or Dodgers. Though we probably can't snag him anyway.'
It was a pointless debate. Jin Yuha had zero plans to go to MLB. Not yet, anyway.