Historic Showdown (2)
"Heh heh... Impressive as always, Jin Yuha."
Park Gwangho smiled as he watched Jin Yuha step down from the mound after cleanly wrapping up the inning with a three-pitcher-out.
"Hyung, don't smile like that. You'll get caught on camera and take unnecessary flak."
His battery partner, Koo Dohwan, said that, but it didn't matter.
"What's wrong with expressing gratitude for having such a great mentor?"
"...You're hopeless."
But.
"Hoo... That doesn't mean I'm planning to lose."
To Jin Yuha, he was a rival before being a mentor. Of course, that was just Park Gwangho's personal view.
The player the world saw as Jin Yuha's rival was, naturally, the Guardians' Sim Chando. For Jin Yuha himself, if he had to pick one, it was his pre-regression self.
Thwack!!
But such trivialities didn't matter to Park Gwangho.
Thwack!!
Park Gwangho was the starting pitcher, and in the world of aces, the standard was always oneself.
'I was worried after he threw 9 innings in the last game, but his condition looks fine. Lucky.'
His final check during warm-up tosses showed solid form. He wouldn't embarrass himself against Jin Yuha like this.
'Leadoff, Jeong Suyeong... He's been slumping lately. Tired?'
Park Gwangho mentally reviewed the data from the analytics team sent before the game. Truth be told, he hadn't analyzed this thoroughly until last year, but he'd started mimicking Jin Yuha after hearing about it.
- Four-seam.
The first pitch to start the game was a four-seam, too.
Whoosh!!
Thwack!!
"Strike!"
True to leadoff form, Jeong Suyeong watched the first pitch. The 153 km/h four-seam nailed the strike zone.
'A hitter with the precision to bat .300. He'll cut down most sloppy pitches.'
In that case.
Tap, tap.
The second pitch, too.
Whoosh!!
Push it with raw power.
Crack!!
"Foul!"
Jeong Suyeong swung at the four-seam flying into the zone again, but it was just a foul.
"Tch."
Jeong Suyeong clicked his tongue at that.
'His condition doesn't look great.'
It was a slightly inside pitch, but the hitter got pushed back by the velocity. Confirming that, Park Gwangho decided.
'...No need to avoid it.'
Whoosh!!
He'd throw a third four-seam. And.
Whoom!!
The high-zone four-seam resulted in.
Thwack!!
"Swinging strike three!"
A strikeout.
'Good start.'
A faint smile crossed his face at the hot start, but Park Gwangho quickly turned serious for the next batter.
'Kang Gihoo...'
Undeniably one of the KBO's top hitters right now.
'Already 48 homers. Can't just overpower him like that.'
Few pitchers could challenge Kang Gihoo that way, and unfortunately, he wasn't one of them.
'With the strong, be yielding... That's the true way of pitching.'
So Park Gwangho decided to follow the pitching wisdom from a wuxia novel he'd recently enjoyed.
Thwack!!
"Strike!"
First pitch: curveball.
"Huh?"
Kang Gihoo tilted his head.
'Lucky.'
Park Gwangho sighed inwardly in relief. The catcher snagged it off the dirt, but ABS called it a strike.
'Got the first strike...'
He wouldn't aggressively attack the zone now.
Whoosh!!
Second pitch: changeup dropping off the strike zone.
Whoom!!
"Swinging strike!"
Fortunately, Kang Gihoo's bat chased it.
'Nervous maybe?'
Possibly. This game was huge for the Titans.
'...Go for the zone right away?'
The thought flickered, but he changed his mind.
'With the strong, be yielding. With the strong, be yielding.'
Against a power bat like Kang Gihoo, he had to stay soft.
Whoosh!!
Third pitch: another changeup.
Thwack!!
"Ball."
Kang Gihoo held back, making it 2 strikes, 1 ball.
Thwack!!
"Ball."
Kang Gihoo flinched at the high fastball up to eye level, 2 strikes, 2 balls.
'Time to...'
Two balls issued, but Park Gwangho didn't mind. It was all buildup for the finisher.
Tap, tap.
He'd shown high fastballs and dropping changeups, attacking high and low.
Whoosh!!
'Sudden inside slider here...!'
Not exactly "with the strong, be yielding," but whatever. Cool was what mattered. However.
Whoom!!
Park Gwangho didn't know yet. Wuxia novels held a simple truth: no matter how cool or profound the martial principle, if you're not the protagonist, you lose pathetically.
And.
Crack!!
Park Gwangho wasn't the protagonist.
Whoosh.
Kang Gihoo lightly tossed his bat after sending it over the wall.
Crack!!
Thwack!!
"Strike three!"
A lot of people misunderstand this—hell, even I do sometimes—but pitchers don't battle pitchers.
'It's a battle with the hitters.'
Park Gwangho didn't need to get revenge on me to begin with. His real target was the Titans' lineup. Mine was the Carvers' lineup. Which meant.
'This was my game from the start.'
The Titans' offense is stacked. That's why we're comfortably holding first in the East.
The Carvers' offense, on the other hand, is feeble. That's why they're overwhelmingly last.
So.
Thwack!!
"Strike three!"
The Carvers' hitters.
Crack!!
"Out!"
Couldn't produce against me.
Crack!!
"Out!"
It was only natural they'd go down meekly.
Crack!!
"Second! All the way to second! Jeong Hanseong with a beauty!"
While the Titans' hitters.
Crack!!
"Yes! Jang Munwo drives in the run! No scolding from Yuha today!"
Scoring off Park Gwangho was just as expected.
Thwack!!
"Strike three!"
Of course.
Thwack!!
"Strike three!"
Park Gwangho, as the ace of his team.
Thwack!!
"Strike three!"
Wouldn't crumble that easily.
'Looks like the revenge match is a bust.'
Already two runs down. My most I'd ever given up in a game was three.
Whoom!!
"Swinging strike three!"
Thwack!!
"Strike three!"
Crack!!
"Out!"
Bottom of the 5th.
Crack!!
Sunbae Kang Gihoo's fly ball cleared the wall again.
"50 homers... That guy's a monster on Yuha's level."
"Yeah. Hits .300 with 50 bombs right out the gate."
"And still no Rookie of the Year. Poor guy."
"Yuha's a bit much there. Too greedy."
"Jihun, you need some greed. No hits today."
"Suyeong hyung didn't get any either."
"Tch..."
I half-listened to the clock duo's banter.
"Yuha. What now?"
I talked with Manager Jeong Hyeonho.
'...Up by 6.'
Park Gwangho, who'd been fired up for this, had crumbled spectacularly. Not really his fault.
'Two homers to Kang Gihoo sunbae, fine...'
End of season, doubleheader, so Carvers loaded up prospects. The nervous kids committed back-to-back errors, a massive blunder.
Facing Kang Gihoo with the bases loaded after that? Even I'd hesitate.
'Can't trust the defense.'
Anyway.
"Call it after this one?"
"Pitch count's under 60."
"I trust the bullpen."
"Our closers have been solid."
Manager Jeong Hyeonho nodded, then eyed me slyly.
"And you think up pranks like this? Don't trust the pen, huh?"
"Nah, just for fun."
"Ha... Baek Jihun's right. You're greedy as hell."
"I know."
. . .
Top of the 6th.
When not Jin Yuha but closer Park Oseon took the Titans' mound, Park Gwangho trembled.
"Jin Yuha...! Why come down already? I haven't lost yet!"
Carvers' starting catcher Koo Dohwan couldn't say, "Six runs? That's a loss, right?" He was their golden boy ace.
'Why no icing? Doesn't need to?'