Ace (4)
“Guess I'm gonna catch some heat, huh?”
The Guardians' manager, Won Sangcheol, muttered to himself.
“...Surprisingly, maybe not. It's only the sixth inning.”
The head coach replied with a subtle expression.
“Nah, I'm definitely getting flak.”
Still, there were no regrets.
“It was a choice worth making as a manager.”
Even if the outcome wasn't great.
“Haa...”
Maybe, just maybe, the head coach was right and he wouldn't get chewed out. If the opposing pitcher had been ordinary, that is.
But the guy they were facing was Jin Yuha. The monster who'd shattered every record in a single season and notched more than ten shutouts. Fans' expectations were on a whole different level from some average pitcher.
“At this point... we have to win.”
Just win. Win, and no one would criticize him for breaking baseball's unwritten rules.
Crack!!
“Strike three!”
It wouldn't be easy, though.
Bottom of the seventh.
The batters were starting to adjust to my pitches.
Still, no need for any major changes.
Even if they adapted, my stuff was still tough to hit. I'd have to be a bit more cautious, sure, but nothing drastically different from what I'd been throwing.
Crack!!
“Strike!”
First pitch, always attack the zone aggressively.
“...”
The Guardians' second batter, foreign slugger Carpenter, stared at the ball buried in the mitt, then nodded.
What're you nodding for?
Well, maybe he'd figured out some counter after seeing that pitch. Maybe it'd be sharper than expected and turn into a good hit. But.
Whoosh!!
I wasn't some lone-wolf ace trying to do it all by myself.
Thwump!!
A true ace trusted the defense behind him. Provided that defense was trustworthy, of course.
Thwack!!
Luckily, the Titans' fielders were rock-solid.
“Out!”
Sunbae Baek Jihun leaped into action.
Whoosh!!
“Urk!”
Kim Beomjun swung big and lost his balance, tumbling over.
Crack!!
“Strike!”
Against a righty, it was a sweeper straight out of hell.
“You good?”
“...Yeah.”
His classmate Jeong Hanseong asked without a hint of concern, and Kim Beomjun played it cool in response.
...Embarrassing.
No matter how he really felt, he couldn't start off on the back foot.
“Hoo...”
So damn annoying. That was Kim Beomjun's sudden thought upon facing the Jin Yuha-Jeong Hanseong battery.
They were like this in high school, and now they're blocking my pro path too.
No need to say more about Jin Yuha. Then and now, he was an anomaly.
Jeong Hanseong was a pain too. As hitters, Kim Beomjun had the edge, but as catchers, Hanseong was superior. That's what everyone said, and that's how Kim Beomjun felt.
Tap tap.
The quick tempo unique to Jin Yuha and Jeong Hanseong—once the Seoul High battery, now the Titans' rookie duo.
Gonna drive me nuts.
As a batter, it messed with your head. You'd set up, and bam—the ball was coming like it'd been waiting.
Whoosh!!
And that ball was fast.
Crack!!
“Strike!”
“That one's coming in?”
“Two-seamer.”
You couldn't even tell what it was until it reached the plate.
“Time!”
Cornered at 0-2 in a flash, Kim Beomjun called for time to catch his breath.
“...”
He fiddled with his batting gloves, steeling himself.
I can't just watch Shim Chando sunbae lose like this.
Shim Chando was a good sunbae. Even when rookie Kim Beomjun screwed up, he'd brush it off with a smile. Chando's influence had been huge in him becoming the starting catcher in his first year.
To Kim Beomjun, Shim Chando was a benefactor. And now that benefactor was on the verge of losing his spot as the league's top ace.
Grip.
Clutching the bat tight, Kim Beomjun returned to the plate with resolve.
He's gonna fire right into the zone anyway. I'm swinging no matter what.
Whoosh!!
His prediction was spot on.
True to his aggressive style, Jin Yuha showed no intention of wasting pitches, stabbing one boldly into the strike zone.
Thwump!!
The moment he swung, Kim Beomjun knew.
Got it!
The most perfect swing of his life.
No launch angle, but it'll punch through the infield for sure!
Thwack!!
A bullet liner rocketed toward the mound, ready to rip through.
It should've been a clean hit splitting the infield.
Crack!!
“...What?”
That was supposed to happen.
Thwack!!
Park Woo-hyuk, the color commentator, glanced at Kang Dong-ho, who was foaming at the mouth in excitement, and let out a deep sigh.
The Guardians were staring down a nightmare.
“Whoa... how'd you snag that?”
Honestly, even after catching it, I was stunned. Pure instinct.
“Close one?”
Jeong Hanseong, walking back to the dugout beside me, nailed it. Dangerous situation. But.
“Blocked it, didn't I?”
“...Freakin' beast.”
Result's what matters, right? An out's an out.
“Your turn to show something at the plate. Kim Beomjun at least nearly got a hit.”
“Tch... not easy... Got it. Can't lose to him.”
Striding to the plate confidently as the lead-off man, Jeong Hanseong.
Crack!!
“Strike three!”
Whiffed meekly.
“How'd Kang Gihoo sunbae hit that? No clue.”
Hanseong muttered sheepishly, but nothing to be ashamed of.
Crack!!
“Strike three!”
The sunbaes behind him followed suit.
Thwump!!
“Swinging strike three!”
Strikeouts all around.
Pitches sharpening as the game goes on.
Too late for that to matter now, though.
Bottom of the ninth.
Shim Chando, who'd held the Guardians' mound to the end, stared stone-faced at the Titans' pitcher on the hill.
“...Complete defeat.”
Absurd to call a 1-run, 9-inning gem a complete defeat. But no one in the dugout argued.
Because.
Crack!!
“Strike!”
The opponent was making history.
Fielding differences... batter quality gaps... all excuses.
Shim Chando had no intention of making them.
Thwack!!
“Out!”
Jin Yuha had simply pitched better.
Thwack!
“Out!”
And was the better pitcher.
Grind.
For the first time since debuting, facing someone superior, Shim Chando's eyes blazed.
Lost today... but not next time.
He vowed to grow from this loss.
Crack!!
“Strike!”
Not every player shared his positive mindset, though.
Thwump!!
“Strike!”
Defeat hung heavy on the slumped Guardians dugout faces.
Some sniffling. Some eyes squeezed shut. Some dazed.
Whoosh!!
They watched Jin Yuha's final pitch.
Crack!!
Quintessential Jin Yuha.
- 161 km/h
A four-seamer over 160 km/h.
“Strike three!”
Game over.
Beep! Beep! Beep!
The final buzzer echoed.
- …
But the stadium fell silent.
“Fuck... what the hell was that.”
Even the crushed Guardians home fans.
“...Is this real?”
The triumphant Titans away fans, speechless.
- Rooooaaar!!
But the hush didn't last. A stadium-shaking roar erupted—from the away stands, naturally.
The Titans' ace had become a legend.