Crushing the Dragons
The Advancing Dragons were currently dead last in the Western League. A string of misfortunes had led to that.
Things like their soul rival, the Pistols, bolstering their lineup by signing Oh Seungjin as a free agent, or Manager Jo Doohyun's hair loss getting worse—those were minor issues at best. The real problem was losing three starters in a flash at a crucial moment.
And.
Thud thud! Clap! Thud thud! Clap!
The blue-eyed pitcher who took the mound amid overwhelming support from the home fans was the cause of that disaster.
- “Gahhh!!”
As his at-bat approached, Byun Jaeyoo's memories of that day grew sharper.
The sidearm pitcher, once hailed as the icon of gritty human victory despite his short stature—the worst trait for a pitcher—and bouncing around with a 3-4 ERA, had his teeth knocked out.
The leadoff hitter, called a master of mind games and favored by the manager, had his nose bone shattered.
The dimwitted center fielder, proud of the team's nickname “Team with Dirty Tempers,” hurt his back.
Crack!!
Crack!!
All of it was Jin Yuha's doing.
‘Jo Doohyun, you damn old man, using me as leadoff?’
Byun Jaeyoo was deeply dissatisfied with his spot in today's lineup. Unlike usual, Manager Jo Doohyun had gone on about a “strong number one” and slotted him in leadoff.
‘Such a transparent ploy…’
The reason was probably.
‘You want me to go down with Jin Yuha? Am I some sacrificial hero?’
Their first clash with Jin Yuha.
The Dragons had lost three starters, but they'd managed to hold him to 4 innings, 1 run. That game was still the only one where Jin Yuha hadn't pitched 5 full innings.
Maybe Manager Jo Doohyun was offering Byun Jaeyoo up as a sacrifice to revive those memories. No, it was definitely that.
“Fuck…”
Suddenly, Byun Jaeyoo felt wronged.
What had he done so wrong?
Yang Soyeol was the one who'd gone to the dugout before the game and picked a fight. Yang Soyeol was the one who'd thrown at that rude catcher punk, who was as obnoxious as his best friend.
Yang Soyeol had already cut ties. No matter what, he couldn't keep hanging with someone who'd messed with Jin Yusung.
‘Isn't that enough?’
The fans who said as long as you played baseball well, it didn't matter. The manager who said anything goes for a win. Everyone saw Byun Jaeyoo as the villain behind the Dragons' downfall.
‘It's a weak team anyway…’
The worst Byun Jaeyoo had done that day was swing too aggressively. Bluntly put, he was the victim.
Byun Jaeyoo was the one who'd taken Jin Yuha's retaliatory pitch, and he'd been ridiculously chewed out by the Titans' foreign pitcher. Instead of protecting him, they'd ignored and insulted him, and now they wanted to sacrifice him?
‘Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!’
Trembling with injustice, Byun Jaeyoo's eyes landed on the back of the catcher's head behind home plate. Just looking at it made his blood boil.
‘Fine…’
Manager Jo Doohyun of the Dragons, who boasted one of the longest tenures in the KBO alongside Pistols' Park Deoksu. The old fox of baseball had an uncanny eye for talent.
“Play ball!”
Grip.
Byun Jaeyoo gripped his bat tight and stepped into the box.
‘Huh?’
The first game of the second half.
I wanted to go deep into the game as the starter. But.
‘This changes things…’
The batter's gaze felt outright murderous, but oddly, it wasn't aimed at the mound—it was fixed on home plate.
‘No way he's crazy enough to swing at Hanseong again?’
Though the world was full of crazies.
Tap tap.
I signaled directly, and Jeong Hanseong tilted his head in confusion. The first pitch of the game didn't really need a sign anyway.
Tap tap.
I kept signaling anyway. Jeong Hanseong finally nodded and held out his mitt. Good catcher—he listened well.
The mitt was positioned high and inside. But.
Whoosh!!
My pitch veered a bit more inside than intended. Meaning, it flew very close to the batter's head.
“Gyaahhh!!”
Byun Jaeyoo screamed and rolled on the ground. A huge scream, but pure exaggeration. Because.
‘It didn't hit him.’
I hadn't intended to hit him in the first place.
‘Does the Dragons' leadoff have some curse that amps up their energy?’
I took the ball back and blankly stared at home plate.
“Ball.”
I fell behind in the count, but there was a gain.
“Ugh…”
The warning that a 160km fastball could come at your head if you pulled any stunts landed perfectly.
‘No real issues in this game, then.’
The announcers spouted words even they didn't believe.
‘On purpose?’ ‘Definitely on purpose.’
Anyone who knew the history between the Dragons and Jin Yuha would obviously think it was intentional. But the broadcast team didn't voice their suspicions.
It was the unwritten rule of Korean baseball broadcasts not to make bold calls like that unless absolutely necessary.
And.
- Waaaaahhh!!!
The Titans fans cheering wildly even on a ball made them a bit scary, honestly.
“Hey! Ump! That was intentional! Eject him!”
The only one protesting Jin Yuha's first pitch was the Dragons' manager.
“Ah, hyungnim, let's just head back in.” “Head back? That guy's pitch was obviously intentional!” “If you keep this up, I’ll have to eject you.” “Hey! How dare you to a senior like me...!”
“...Manager. Should we stay out or what?”
Titans Manager Jeong Hyeonho swallowed his sunflower seeds at his chief coach's question.
“Huh? Why bother?”
A deflating response.
“No, if Manager Jo's pressuring Yuha like that...” “You think Yuha might get rattled? You really believe that?” “...Probably not.”
Jin Yuha was no ordinary rookie, mentally or skill-wise.
“Tch, Jin Yuha! I'm watching you!”
Face red, Manager Jo Doohyun wrapped up his protest with that.
No matter how heated, he didn't want to get ejected right at the start. Stirring things up against Jin Yuha was the main goal anyway.
‘He's just a kid. Must be panicking by now, right?’
Heading back to the dugout, Manager Jo Doohyun sneaked a glance at the mound.
“...That bastard.”
Jin Yuha on the mound looked bored, yawning nonstop.
“Man, Yuha really is one tough bastard.”
Manager Jeong Hyeonho applauded in admiration.
“Tch. Slipped into old habits for a sec there.”
At least I didn't plop down on the mound and tell them to shut up. Small mercies.
Tap tap.
Game resumed.
- Four-seam.
‘Good.’
Manager Jo Doohyun's protest hadn't given the frozen batter enough time to regroup. Naturally, it hadn't rattled me either. Meaning.
Crack!!
“Strike!”
Tap tap.
- Four-seam.
Whoosh!!
Crack!!
“Strike three!”
Psychologically dominating the first batter meant I could take him down with three straight fastballs, easy.
‘Well…’
Even without the mind games edge.
Thwack!!
“Out!”
I wouldn't lose.
Crack!!
“Strike three!”
But like this.
“…”
Manager Jo Doohyun was speechless.
‘What the…’
Already the top of the 5th.
Crack!!
“Strike three!”
The sixth batter stared blankly at the sweeper slamming the back door and went down swinging. Last out of the inning.
‘5-inning perfect?’
Of course, Manager Jo Doohyun knew Jin Yuha's stats well. 5-inning perfects were pretty routine for him. But.
‘Even after all that interference?’
Maybe because their first clash had ended ambiguously, Manager Jo Doohyun thought.
‘He's just a rookie pitcher, right?’
Jin Yuha might have talent, but in game management and mental fortitude, he was just your average high school grad rookie. Data said otherwise, but Manager Jo trusted his field instincts over paper. In their first matchup, hadn't Jin Yuha thrown retaliatory pitches right after his friend got hit and gotten ejected?
Other teams lacked the guts to go after him. The Dragons could. That's what he'd believed. Yet.
‘Useless protests, game delays, timeouts right before pitches—and he doesn't waver?’
The high school rookie on the mound wasn't fazed at all.
‘Should I tell the guys to plunk some Titans now…’
Manager Jo Doohyun seriously considered it for a second, then shook his head.
“Tch, what good would provoking Jin Yuha do now…”
The score was already stretched by 5+ runs. No coming back today.
“Ugh... Byun Jaeyoo, that big lug's all bulk and no balls.”
Manager Jo Doohyun clicked his tongue at Byun Jaeyoo, who'd ruined his plan from the jump.
Maybe the All-Star break rest had me feeling good—body was in solid shape, pitch count manageable. So.
‘Complete game in the cards?’
Natural to think it. But.
“Yuha. Let's call it here today.”
Manager Jeong Hyeonho blocked my path.
“Mm…”
I could guess why. Our team's MO since late first half.
“No need to push it, right?” “Yeah.”
Most teams minimize starter usage with a big lead. Titans did the opposite. Starters were huge in our record, so no sense risking injury on unnecessary strain.
“Tch.”
Still a bit disappointing.
Thwack!!
Right then, a ball sailed over the wall. Home run from Dragons alum Yoon Gangyeol hyung.
“Got it. I'll stop here.”
Had to heed the manager.
The Giant's Bat Ignites, Slays the Dragon! Titans Crush Dragons 13-5!
Record-Breaker Jin Yuha Logs 5-Inning Perfect in Second-Half Debut.
“Jin Yuha Injury? Nonsense. Plenty of gas left, just pulled him.” Titans' Jeong Hyeonho Dismisses Rumors.
“These kids got no manners.” Dragons' Jo Doohyun's Shot—At Whom?
Sunday's game saw the Titans' bats ablaze too.
Thwack!!
Another homer from Dragons alum Kim Taeyong hyung, and the score was a 7-run lead. Titans notched double-digit runs two games in a row.
“Taeyong and Gangyeol—both ex-Dragons, right?” “Yep.” “Must've had grudges. Popping homers like that.” “Looks like it.”
Today's starter, James Gilbert, came down after 5 too. We watched comfortably from the dugout. And.
Beep! Beep! Beep!
No upsets.
Busan Titans Rolling Through Second Half on Win Streak—Suwon Next!
Last Piece for Titans' Title Puzzle: New Import Travis Turner's Debut Impact?
Tuesday.
Travis Turner's KBO debut began.