Chapter 86
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 85
Chapter Title: Departure
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“Oh, Cheol-young, you've grown a lot. You're already the national team's starting second baseman?”
“Nah, not as good as you, Joo-tae hyung.”
“True, you've still got a long way to go to catch up to me.”
“How could I? Hey, Hwan-young. You know Joo-tae hyung, right?”
“Ah, hello! Senior Choi Joo-tae! I'm Kim Hwan-young!”
“Yeah, I catch Silla games sometimes. You snagged a Gold Glove too, right? I was worried when I left, but glad to see you're holding it down. Let's grab a drink after the schedule wraps. Cool?”
Was it because Choi Joo-tae was from Silla too? He seemed tight with the Silla guys… Honestly, among Korean hitters who made it to the majors, only three could be called successes: Joo-hyung Jin, Han-beom Kang, and the guy standing right in front of me, Choi Joo-tae.
'Ki-seong Ju and Jin-cheol Choi were scrubs.'
From one angle, they were failures who couldn't hack it in the majors and came back. Tons of Korean hitters knocked on MLB's door, but only three broke through. And among those three, Choi Joo-tae was the only infielder to succeed.
'Han-beom Kang's a first baseman, you blockhead.'
'Pfft, is a first baseman even an infielder? They just field the ball.'
'Tsk tsk. Still a long way to go, you monkey brat. Don't even know you need brains to play first base? You wouldn't get it, just chucking the ball around like you.'
'Pfft, weren't you a second baseman too, Mr. Hornsby? If it's so great, why didn't you play first?'
'…….'
Wait, no way…? Was he just picking on me? Nah.
'…Ahem. Sharp instincts, monkey brat.'
'…Tone down the bullying.'
I almost swore. Shit.
“Ah, hyung. You know this guy? The team baby, Ji Maeng-ho.”
That's when Park Cheol-young called me over.
“Oh, you're Ji Maeng-ho? Saw you in the papers. Handsome dude. You're SY too, right? Heard a lot about you.”
“Ah, yes. Hello, senior.”
“Yeah, good to meet you.”
Was this the aura radiating from an active big leaguer…? Just talking, but it carried the vibe of a master.
'What bullshit. Nothing special.'
I ignored Hornsby and asked Choi Joo-tae the one thing I was dying to know.
“Uh, senior. Aren't you playing for the Angels?”
“Yeah, why?”
“Then you must know Ohtani pretty well, right?”
“Ohtani? Sure. We're both East Asians, so we're pretty close. He's helped me out a ton.”
Ohtani Shohei. The monster two-way player who nabbed an MLB MVP. If a baseball novel or manga featured a guy like that, it'd get flak for being unrealistic—a player who defied common sense.
He played with Choi Joo-tae on the LA Angels. From what Joo-tae said, they were buddies.
'Impressive, my ass. Guys who suck at both somehow do 'em at once. Shit. If that Ruth bastard hadn't…!'
Seeing Hornsby seethe with jealousy drove home just how insanely tough two-way play is.
“What's Ohtani like? Kinda curious.”
“Whoa, not curious about me? I'm a starting major leaguer, y'know.”
“Hyung, this kid's a little nuts. Bear with him.”
“Nuts?”
“That interview? Total nutjob. Knew it the second I saw you.”
“Yeah, yeah, sure. Anyway, Ohtani…?”
“Ohtani? He's the real deal. But he's just like the rest—not quite like us. Physically, he's not your typical East Asian. Hmm… Might be similar to you, though.”
“To me?”
He thinks I look like Ohtani? Heh. Choi Joo-tae, you've got an eye.
“But he's human. Eats, trains. Impressive, but not some freak monster or anything.”
“True, Ohtani doesn't hit .300, but you do, right, Joo-tae senior?”
Kim Hwan-young, thought you were the quiet type, but nope, total ass-kisser. Ugh… Why compare Joo-tae and Ohtani?
“Haha, is that right? But Mickey, Ohtani—they're insane players. Makes you feel the wall sometimes.”
Mickey—Trout, right? Getting to see guys like that at this WBC… Made me itch to hit the majors ASAP.
'Gotta debut pro first, though.'
'Why? Excited to see those guys?'
'Yeah, honestly. They're legends.'
'What about me?'
'You, Mr. Hornsby? You're….'
This guy had killer stats on paper, but being from a century ago, it didn't feel real. Unless it was Ruth or Ted Williams, old-timers didn't hit me as that impressive. Ty Cobb, maybe? That was the extent of my MLB history knowledge from back then.
Training with Hornsby now had shown me pitchers on that level, though.
Unlike those distant legends, Ohtani and Trout were monsters writing history right now.
'Jealous?'
'Yeah.'
'Heh, don't be. I'll show you those punks are nothing. Just keep training.'
'Oh…!'
Hornsby, reliable as ever. Listening to him, I could picture myself standing shoulder-to-shoulder with those guys.
'And grind that sex training for me.'
…If only he wasn't like this.
'Heh, sex maniac talks a big game.'
…Making me speechless like that.
Anyway, two weeks till departure. Not just hitter Choi Joo-tae, but seeing active big leaguers like lefty ace Sung-hyun—who dominated KBA before heading over—or Jung Woo-sung, who'd settled into a Pirates rotation post-debut—made the WBC feel real.
WBC National Team Departs Today! Gold Medal Prep Complete!
(OSEX Reporter Park OO)
The South Korean baseball team for the 2023 WBC (World Baseball Classic) departed for Japan on March 3. The squad will train in Okinawa, play unofficial exhibition games against Japanese pro teams, then move to Tokyo on March 7—two days before the tournament starts. Meanwhile, Korea's first game is set for March 9 (Thu) at 12:00 against Australia.
The 28-man roster, including three active MLB players, is as follows:
Catchers: Lee Yong-gi (Hancheol Grizzlies), Park Jung-hyun (Hyunseong Madcats)
Infielders: Koo Jin-mo (UG Overrose), Kang Han-beom (Charlotte Blue Mariners), Park Cheol-young, Kim Hwan-young (Silla Triggers), Kim Soo-ho, Ji Maeng-ho (AT Thunderbirds), Choi Joo-tae (LAA)
Outfielders: Lee Jin-hong (Mirae Buffalo), Kim Jung-hyun, Joo Seung-cheol (Hancheol Grizzlies), Ki Sang-ju (AT Thunderbirds), Yang Ji-hyeok (Hyunseong Madcats), Lee Eun-chong (Silla Triggers)
Pitchers: Sung-hyun (NYY), Jung Woo-sung (PIT), Kim Sung-gyeol, Kim Woo-jun (UG Overrose), Choi Jung-hoon, Kwon Yul, Ko Young-hwan (Hyunseong Madcats), Park Jung-seop (JT Gold Eyes), Ryu Tae-hyun (Silla Triggers), Lee Jin-sik, Jang Woo-joo (Mirae Buffalo), Kim Si-hyun (NV Rex).
The roster breaks down to 2 catchers, 7 infielders, 6 outfielders, 7 right-handed pitchers, and 5 lefties. Top team contributions come from 2021 champs Hyunseong Madcats (5 players), followed by Silla Triggers (4). Reigning champs UG Overrose sent Koo Jin-mo, Kim Sung-gyeol, and Kim Woo-jun.
Meanwhile, Hwasan Falcons—who notched back-to-back 10th places (2021-2022)—drew zero roster spots.
The 2023 WBC squad is hailed as the strongest ever. Eyes are on KBA returnee Kang Han-beom and MLB standout Choi Joo-tae to lead the bats.
Yankees' Sung-hyun and Pirates' Jung Woo-sung are expected to anchor the mound.
Some questioned Ji Maeng-ho and Jang Woo-joo's selections, but solid spring camp showings quieted doubts. Jang's near-100 mph (160 km/h) heat draws particular hype.
Still, experts predict a rough road. Top threats USA and Japan field all-stars.
Especially, AL MVP Judge (NYY) and NL MVP Goldschmidt (STL) headline Team USA, joined by Trout, Betts, Harper—making a title run a long shot per analysts.
Japan boasts 2021 AL MVP Ohtani (LAA), 2020 NL Cy 2nd Darvish (SDP), Seiya (CHC), Tsutsugo (PIT), Kikuchi (TOR), and more MLB stars.
Manager Lee Geum-hyun vowed, “We want to recreate 2008's glory and usher in a new golden era for Korean baseball,” as the team boarded for Japan. Can Korea repeat Beijing 2008 Olympic magic? Stay tuned.
USA team wtf? Don't they usually just send minor leaguers and old vets?
Baseball popularity dipping, so they're pulling out all the superstars.
wtf suddenly this year
MLB popularity trending down, so hype grab.
See USA roster and feel doomed? Upvote!
No exemptions this tourney, right? Exempting athletes for 'training' is bullshit
Fr, national glory ain't 80s shit
Healthy limbs? No service. Only no-connections get drafted. Pathetic country.
Probs no exemptions? Public opinion's trash on it.
Roster savage af lmao
Japan stacked too lol
Said they're strong but traitor lol. Gonna get smacked by Japan.
Whoa! Ohtani! Whoa! Judge! Whoa! Trout!
Roster insane lol
Fucked lol
We got Choi Joo-tae, Sung-hyun
Compare apples to apples ffs
Any hope for Korean team?
Real talk: semis tough.
Haha, MLB fans happy. Can cheer USA.
Traitor?
Heh, even top minor league can't beat majors. ETR too OP.
Facts.
Thinking of Judge's swing already hyped…
Wonder if Garout's dark aura works on USA too… Exciting. Heh.
Saw the rookies on nat'l team roster? Babies look so fresh lol. Cheering Joo Seung-cheol, Jang Woo-joo, Ji Maeng-ho! >
Def handsome, easy on the eyes haha
Joo Seung-cheol my fave!
“Alright! Everyone ready? Opponent's Australia. I trust no one's slacking.”
Day before the Australia game, manager Lee Geum-hyun gathered the team for lineup announcement.
“Let's start with the lineup. Leadoff, SS (shortstop) Choi Joo-tae. Two-hole, RF (right field) Joo Seung-cheol. Seung-cheol, you good for right?”
“Yes! I'll hustle like Dad!”
Joo Seung-cheol's club spot was CF, but Silla's Lee Eun-chong was a top CF alongside Yang Ji-hyeok, so Seung-cheol had drilled RF in camp. Multi-tool guy—nailed it.
“Good attitude. Three-hole, LF (left field) Ki Sang-ju. Cleanup DH Kang Han-beom. Five, 1B (first base) Koo Jin-mo. Six, 3B (third base) Kim Soo-ho. Seven, C (catcher) Lee Yong-gi. Eight, 2B (second base) Park Cheol-young. Nine, CF (center field) Lee Eun-chong.”
Ah… No me. Expected it. Best lineup. Unless swapping Seung-cheol to CF for Jin-hong Lee or minor tweaks, it's locked.
'Ugh, spring games were solid, had hopes. Kinda bummed.'
“Don't sulk if you're not starting. Could sub in anytime—stay sharp. Tomorrow's starter. Everyone knows we've got Japan the day after? Don't wanna burn arms, right? Choi Jung-hoon. Step up. Got it?”
“Yes, sir!”
Rotation was set ages ago. Hyunseong lefty ace Choi Jung-hoon prepped for opener. MLB guys Sung-hyun and Jung Woo-sung for Japan, then Panama/China with the rest. Basic plan.
“As you know, Australia'll throw ace Hendricks at us.”
Other teams' strategy vs. us: Let 'em past Japan, snag 2nd-place Korea for their own 2nd. Coaches mentioned it.
“Hendricks closed last year: 65 IP, 2.83 ERA, 39 saves. AL saves runner-up, All-Star. Prep'd as starter for WBC. Likely our first foe. Video time?”
Lineups not due yet, but probable starter Hendricks filled the screen.
'What do you think?'
'Chump change. Whether monkey brats like you can hit him? Dunno.'
'Gotta see in person.'
Soyoung said this Korea squad's all-time strongest. No way they get owned by some MLB pen arm.