The End of the First Half (2)
The final series of the first half. The Titans announced their strongest rotation yet: James Gilbert, Baek Jeongsu, and Jin Yuha.
It was all to cap off the All-Star break on a high note. Consecutive rainouts had made it possible.
The first game of the series.
The Titans' new foreign pitcher, Travis Turner, thought to himself.
- Waaaaah!!!
'This Korean league sure is noisy...'
He figured the KBO he'd be playing in was one hell of a loud league.
Major League crowds had gotten hotter lately compared to the past. But Travis Turner, who had no big-league debut experience, had never felt that heat himself.
Of course, even in the minors where he'd pitched, plenty of fans showed up in person to cheer.
"Still, it doesn't even compare."
It fell way short of the KBO, infamous for fan support even more passionate than MLB.
Thwack!!
Iron's franchise star, Kim Jeonghyeok—who was riding high in second place in the Western League behind the Guardians—smacked James Gilbert's hanging pitch over the wall.
- Waaaaah!!
In front of Iron fans screaming what sounded like shrieks of ecstasy.
Whoosh!
Kim Jeonghyeok unleashed a bat flip as gorgeous as the arc of that massive fly ball.
"Wow..."
Even Travis Turner, watching from the dugout, couldn't help but gasp in admiration.
"Ah."
He jolted, glancing around. Getting impressed by the enemy's taunt? That was a no-go. But...
"Man... do the Irons have a special bat flip coach or something? Is that Taco guy teaching 'em? Hyungwoo, you wanna teach our guys too?"
"Jihun's pretty good at bat flips, actually. He just doesn't show it off much."
"That clown hits one homer a year, so why's he a pro at that?"
The Titans' manager and coaches reacted much the same as Travis Turner.
'I'd heard the Korean league was lenient on showmanship...'
But he hadn't expected this level.
- "I provoke pitchers too much? Isn't the problem with the guys who get rattled by this stuff? Maybe they need to study abroad in Korea to toughen up?"
It was the moment one of Jin Yusung's legendary quotes from his playing days rang true.
'Still...'
The guy who gave up the homer was American too, wasn't he? And this was their home park.
'The next guy's eating a purpose pitch for sure.'
Travis Turner watched the at-bats with that in mind.
"Hah..."
But soon, he let out a dumbfounded sigh.
Crack!!
"Strikeout!"
James Gilbert had fanned the follow-up hitter with a sweeper so nasty it made Travis's eyes pop.
"Hell yeah!!"
And answered the bat flip with a fist-pumping roar.
It was a far cry from his usual prickly New Yorker vibe.
'Feels like I've dropped into another world.'
Travis Turner was baffled.
James Gilbert dominated with 7 innings of 2 runs but didn't factor into the decision. The eighth-inning firemen blew the lead.
No matter how many innings James Gilbert and Jin Yuha ate up to ease the load, the bullpen couldn't hold every night. Only Jin Yuha could pull that off.
But the Titans' lineup had solutions in spades.
Thwack!!
Kang Gihoo crushed the Iron closer's first pitch over the fence. A walk-off homer.
'Impressive... That guy's a rookie this year? Ex-military?! Right, Korea has mandatory service.'
Travis Turner found Kang Gihoo and the Titans' bats reliable. At least he wouldn't lack run support.
'...The bullpen's worse than I thought.'
On the flip side, the relievers were shaky.
The Titans' pen was either fastball guys with poor command or command guys with slow stuff.
The big three closers were solid, but you couldn't run a bullpen on just three arms.
'Gotta go deep to win here...'
The club expected at least 6 innings from him. That's what it took to be a solid import in the KBO. But it looked like he'd need more.
'In practice...'
Fellow import James Gilbert averaged nearly 7. And Jin Yuha...
"Tch, damn it."
Hated to admit it, but the kid was a freak. Anything less than 7 innings was a down night for him.
"...Still can't accept it."
Travis Turner muttered something he didn't even believe.
The second game of the series.
Bzzz!!
"Swinging strikeout!"
The batter whiffed helplessly on Baek Jeongsu's sweeper.
'All the starters here throw nasty sweepers.'
James Gilbert yesterday. Baek Jeongsu now. Both weaponized the sweeper to perfection.
'...That kid's sweeper was insane too.'
The one from that brat he didn't want to think about.
'Is the pitching coach a sweeper wizard?'
But...
'Heard Kim, the pitching coach here, specializes in curves?'
Jack Gordon, ace of the Mets dynasty with his own elite sweeper, had come as temp coach for his nephew—a big deal back home. But Travis, rehabbing at the time, had missed it.
"Hmm... Maybe ask Kim to teach me the sweeper."
He had no idea the best sweeper teacher on the Titans was Jin Yuha.
1-1 tie.
Baek Jeongsu cruised, but the pen imploded again. Even the Titans' bats couldn't bail that one out.
The series finale—and the last game of the 2040 KBO first half.
Thump thump! Clap! Thump thump! Clap!
The home park shook. Fans clapping and stomping to the familiar chant.
"..."
Travis Turner felt a shiver.
James Gilbert's starts got cheers. Baek Jeongsu's too. But today's heat was on another level.
"What? Already starstruck? Starting to feel the gap between us?"
No room to snap back at the brat's near-taunt.
"Watch close."
Clap!
High-fives with the team.
- Waaaaaaaah!!!
Amid the deafening roar.
Step step.
Jin Yuha sauntered to the mound like...
"..."
A king.
"You seem kinda buddy-buddy with the new import?"
Couldn't help it. He felt a personal connection.
"Dude looks like he needs it."
"...Does he?"
"Jealous?"
"Ugh..."
Jeong Hanseong had burned with envy over Jang Moonwoo recently. Asking brought a wince too painful to watch.
"Ah, buzz off."
I hated drift.
"That's not it!"
Huffing, Jeong Hanseong got serious and asked about today's pitching.
"You throwing like you said before the game?"
"Yeah."
"Didn't expect that. ...You're reacting to the Iron skipper's interview, right?"
Huh?
"What'd he say?"
"You didn't see it?"
No clue.
"He said, 'First time facing Jin Yuha, but the scouting's done. Confident I can game-plan him.' Missed that article?"
"Why do you have every article about me memorized?"
Creepy.
"Well, lucky then. Anyway, today's pitching won't match their scouting."
"...True."
Right before taking the mound, Jeong Hanseong asked curiously.
"So why the change-up today?"
Simple answer.
"Hmm... Establishing dominance? Or a cheeky prank?"
Crack!!
Felt it during bullpen warms: condition was prime today.
Crack!!
The rainouts let the rotation skip ahead and rest up—perfect.
By the way.
'Scouting on me is "done"?'
Fair enough. No pitcher's unscoutable.
'Just means scouting me's pointless.'
Normally, I'd prove it. But today? Different.
"Play ball!"
Umpire's call. Iron's leadoff hitter—a lefty import in the role—steps up.
'Rare for a foreigner: leadoff, not cleanup or 'strong No. 2.'
Fans griped he struggled with RISP and needed replacing.
'Poor guy.'
Not fair for a leadoff who rarely sees scoring chances.
Crack!!
"Strike!"
First pitch: four-seamer right down the pipe.
- 164 km/h
Crowd murmurs awe at the gun.
- Ooooh...
Always feels good.
'No reaction?'
Two options: wear me down on purpose, or froze.
'Batting title contender wouldn't whiff my fastball.'
Former, then.
Tap tap.
No need for bait. Go for two strikes first.
Whoosh!!
Thwack!!
"Foul!"
Like that.
Tap tap.
Two strikes. Jeong Hanseong's sign made me smirk.
'Perfect.'
Nodded.
Whoosh!!
Launched it.
"...What?!"
Batter's shock clear from the mound. Today's me? Not their scouted Jin Yuha.
Bzzz!!
He swung.
Crack!!
Panicked hack wouldn't connect clean.
"Swinging strikeout!"
Three pitches, three strikes. Finisher?
"...A curve?"
My slowest pitch. One per game, usually.
Crack!!
"Strikeout!"
Travis Turner watched Jin Yuha return to the dugout and thought.
"...And he said he can't throw curves so he won't teach me?"
That brat was petty as hell.