What You Know and What You Don't (3)
“Still, this is an important game... Aren't you guys all way too relaxed?”
At Manager Jeong Hyeonho's words...
“Ahem.”
“Ahem.”
The coaches cleared their throats repeatedly.
“Well, what can we do? Our starter today is Jin Yuha.”
Only pitching coach Kim Pilsun shrugged nonchalantly.
“True...”
The three-game losing streak after spring training ended. The gap to second place had narrowed to half a game.
It was undoubtedly a situation that triggered long-standing PTSD for the Titans. Even some players were shaken, not just the fans. But the coaching staff felt no worry at all.
Because the starting pitcher was Jin Yuha. To them, he was already a guaranteed win ticket. And even...
“Did you hear what Huni said after his homer? He said it was thanks to Yuha.”
Their ace was now helping the hitters too.
“At this rate, I wonder if hitting coach Park Hyungwoo will lose his spot.”
Manager Jeong Hyeonho had said it because that was originally the hitting coach's job, but the response was spectacular.
“Still, I'm better than Coach Kim, right? When Yuha pitches, Coach Kim Pilsun might as well be unemployed.”
Hitting coach Park Hyungwoo suddenly grabbed pitching coach Kim Pilsun by the collar.
“Urk...”
But pitching coach Kim Pilsun couldn't easily deny it. Because he really had nothing to do.
The overwhelming innings-eater who got called out for underperforming if he didn't go seven innings made the pitching coach's role fade into the background during games. There was hardly ever a need for a pitcher change.
“If that kid knew how to throw a slider, he should've told me earlier...”
On top of that, Jin Yuha had somehow picked up a new pitch—whether he'd been hiding it or learned it somewhere.
“Think of it as karma. Karma. There were so many issues during spring training.”
“Who could've known a rookie would be that polished from the start!”
“Isn't spotting that kind of thing part of a coach's job?”
“...I'm gonna lose it.”
Manager Jeong Hyeonho watched the hitting and pitching coaches bicker, then opened his mouth with a just-in-case expression.
“Yuha, you're not secretly good at hitting too, are you?”
“From his personality, he seems like he'd whack the seniors good with a fungo bat.”
“No, not that—actual hitting.”
Everyone made dumbfounded faces at that.
“Come on, does that even make sense?”
“But wasn't it Yuha who told us Pedro's weakness?”
“He figured it out because he's a pitcher too.”
“Didn't he play as a hitter in the youth national team? They say he smashed homers there too.”
“That was youth nationals.”
“But his pitching back then was already at this level, right?”
“...”
Hitting coach Park Hyungwoo was momentarily speechless.
“He hid the slider until now. You never know about hitting.”
“Nah, that's a stretch...”
“Ohtani did it.”
And above all...
“His dad's Yusung.”
Jin Yuha was the son of Jin Yusung, the greatest hitter in Korean baseball history.
“Sigh...”
Manager Jeong Hyeonho smacked his lips in front of the now-hesitant coaches.
“If the score gets way ahead, maybe put Yuha up to bat once.”
The coaches freaked out at the out-of-nowhere suggestion.
“Manager!”
“Why? Fielders turning pitchers happens all the time.”
“That's not the same thing! You'll get chewed out by the Rhinos' manager!”
“It's fine. That guy's close with me.”
Manager Jeong Hyeonho truly had the makings of a legendary manager.
“Jeong Hyeonho, you dirty lucky bastard.”
The Rhinos' manager ground his teeth, glaring at Titans manager Jeong Hyeonho laughing and chatting in the opposite dugout.
“Just last year he was begging me to help him find a job when he became unemployed...”
The situation had flipped dramatically in one year. The Titans' 2038 integrated last-place finish had been a time of endurance to acquire Jin Yuha, and manager Jeong Hyeonho, who ended his first season in last place, was being hailed as a rebuilding genius with a wild animal's heart.
In reality, it was just insanely good luck.
“Even sports are about results, but...”
This was too much.
Crack!!
“Strike three!”
Jacob Dominguez, deep in thought at the plate due to the sudden addition to the repertoire, whiffed.
Carl Rauer, sitting on the dugout bench, watched Jin Yuha's pitching with wide eyes, muttering “No way...” over and over.
Pedro Lopez, who had given up a two-run homer to unknown hitter Jeon Galhoon and then a solo to Kang Gihoo in the next inning, kept a straight face, but up close you could hear his teeth grinding.
Song Jeongwoo, who had popped out in his previous at-bat, kept lamenting that he hadn't capitalized on the rare chance when he walked and got on base.
This season was supposed to be our championship window...
Last season, they'd heartbreakingly fallen in the Korean Series. But.
Song Jeongwoo, who had suffered the humiliation of four straight strikeouts against Sim Chando in the Korean Series, had gritted his teeth in determination. The new mercenaries were all performing at peak levels. He thought this year would be different.
Until the irregular Jin Yuha appeared and the Titans jumped into the Eastern League standings race.
League championship might be tough at this rate...
But there was nothing a mere human could do against a natural disaster.
Crack!!
“Strike three!”
Baek Daegi, who had shown great hitting talent and earned the manager's trust as a rookie, went down on three pitches. His teammate Jin Yuha had toyed with him using nothing but sliders.
Through four innings, the Rhinos hadn't gotten on base even once, except for walks.
“Hahaha...”
Faced with the familiar situation, the Rhinos manager couldn't help but laugh.
Bottom of the 4th.
Senior Jeon Galhoon, who had homered in his first at-bat...
Thwack!!
Produced another deep fly to the outfield, but...
Pat-pat!
The left fielder's great catch turned it into an out.
“Argh!! So close! I'll get it next time for sure, Yuha!”
“Ah, sure.”
He always seemed to report back to me like that after coming back from the plate, but it was probably nothing.
“Senior Jeon Galhoon is quick on the uptake.”
“What is?”
“Figuring out the Titans' real power player already.”
Hmm. Hard to deny. In baseball, the best player is king, and I was the best here.
“Yuha, wanna take an at-bat?”
“...Manager?”
But this was a bit much.
Of course, Manager Jeong Hyeonho's words were half in jest.
The fact that half of it was serious is what's amazing.
I had confidence, sure. But I had zero intention of stepping up to the plate this season, at least.
I'm not ready yet.
No matter how sturdy my build, jumping into two-way play without proper preseason prep would be a disaster.
“Gonna stick to what I do best this season.”
Top of the 5th.
The Rhinos' aggressive lineup let me conserve pitches.
Barely any at-bats went beyond three pitches outside of strikeouts...
But the leadoff hitter that inning, the five-hole batter...
Crack!!
“Strike!”
Showed no reaction to my fastball zipping right into the zone—unexpectedly.
Tap-tap.
- Fastball
Jeong Hanseong's sign was fastball again.
Of course...
The previous batter had swung early at my fastball too. He probably reacted, but...
Then he's sitting on a specific pitch.
No need to avoid the fastball if he wasn't looking to hit it anyway.
Whoosh!!
The five-hole batter faced a perfectly hittable fastball...
Crack!!
“Strike!”
And the bat stayed put again.
“Ah...”
The batter groaned in regret.
Tap-tap.
Jeong Hanseong's immediate sign:
- Fastball
I nodded. Nothing off about it, so I went with the catcher's call. I'm a pitcher who listens to his catcher. Provided I approve of him. And.
Crack!!
“Strike three!”
The matchup ended anticlimactically. The five-hole batter took three called strikes without swinging once.
“What the hell?”
I muttered aloud in disbelief.
“Fuck, not even one slider!”
Then the batter heading back to the dugout slammed his bat on the ground and yelled.
Huh, so he was sitting on the slider.
Fair enough.
Thwack!!
Whoosh!!
Score: 3-0. Not a huge margin, but a warm breeze blew through the Titans' dugout.
“Aw, too bad for Yuha.”
“Huh?”
“Baseball's an Olympic sport this year—could've gotten exemption.”
“Oh, right. I have to enlist too.”
“Yuha, you're Korean.”
“Military uniforms look good, right? Makes enlisting worth it?”
“Then go Navy. This is a Navy uniform.”
“Come on, what are you all saying! Our Yuha needs exemption and off to MLB! Jin Yuha enlisting would be a huge loss for Korean baseball!”
“Huni just joined the team and he loves Yuha more than us already.”
It was only natural. A familiar scent was wafting around the Titans and Jin Yuha.
The scent of a complete game shutout.