Chapter 22
Chapter 22
“Hyung. Doesn’t something feel strange today?”
“What do you mean?”
“Just… never mind.”
It felt a bit awkward to say that ever since I came to the stadium, it seemed like people kept looking at me wherever I went, like they wanted to say something but were hesitating.
Well, it is probably just my imagination.
“Siu.”
“Yes?”
The one who spoke to me was senior Oh Gyeongsu, someone I had barely ever had a proper conversation with.
He was today’s starting pitcher, so it surprised me that he spoke first.
“What did you do for Donghun yesterday?”
“Ah, that? He just asked me to pull something in a game, so I did it for him. That is all.”
“Really? I see…”
“If you have something to say, feel free to tell me.”
“Is it that obvious? Well, I heard you have been lucky lately, so I was wondering if I could get some help too.”
“But it is not like I did anything myself to help.”
“Is that so? Alright. Thanks.”
“Senior, then how about this?”
At that moment, Minseok hyung, who had been listening nearby, jumped into the conversation.
“This is the ball Siu used to get his fourth strikeout in the last game. You remember, right? That strikeout that barely clipped the ABS zone perfectly. Even I got chills catching it, and as it happens, I have it with me.”
“…How much?”
“Come on, it is not even mine, how could I sell it for money? Right, Siu?”
“…Yes. That is right.”
“If Siu ever needs help later, you can just help him a little then. Here, you give it to him yourself.”
“Thanks. I will make good use of it.”
Senior Oh Gyeongsu examined the ball from different angles, then smiled and walked away.
“Why are you even carrying that around? No, why did you even keep that ball?”
“Just. Felt like it might be useful someday. So, are you grateful? Senior Oh Gyeongsu is really introverted. For him to come up to you like that, that took real courage.”
“…Yes. Thank you.”
It was not so much pressure as it was strange.
It felt like just recently people would panic and run away if it was something that belonged to me.
Maybe that was why it felt a little unsettling too.
Still, if this is how we get closer, that is a good thing.
Right now it feels like only the people already close to me are close, and I am not really the type to approach others first.
“I received a lucky item from Siu today, and I think it helped me.”
…But it does not seem like something that needs to be said in an interview.
Senior Oh Gyeongsu recorded a quality start today with 6 innings and 3 runs, leading the team to four straight wins.
Overall, his performance was not perfect, but in every crisis, he received perfectly timed help from the ABS.
The batting lineup also scored plenty of runs.
So it was just a coincidence.
But if there was one mistake I made, it was forgetting how superstitious baseball players can be.
“Oh, Siu.”
The next day, as soon as I arrived, the players started looking for me.
There was only one reason.
They wanted to know if they could get something like what I gave to senior Oh Gyeongsu.
Minseok hyung was not around either, so it was a difficult situation.
“Hey. What are you doing over there?”
Fortunately, senior Kim Mingi arrived late and stepped in to handle the situation.
“Are you guys even professionals? If you have time for this, take another swing or throw one more pitch. I can see what you are doing, get lost.”
After all the players left, Kim Mingi let out a deep sigh and looked at me.
“You went through a lot. They are not usually like this, but… ha.”
“It is okay.”
His method was a bit rough, but I understood.
When things are not going well in baseball, it is only natural to want to rely on something, and I understand that feeling better than anyone.
“Yeah. Thanks for understanding.”
Kim Mingi picked up a bat, probably to go train.
“Ahem, my bat has not been connecting well lately.”
Kim Mingi still had not gotten his first hit of the season.
Even excluding the opening game, three straight hitless games.
But why do you keep looking at me?
“Siu.”
“Yes. I will do it for you.”
“No, I was not asking for anything. Still, thanks.”
It was nothing special.
When hitters are struggling, there is this superstition where they ask good hitters to pass some kind of energy into their bat.
So the fact that Kim Mingi got his first hit of the season that day and even hit the game-winning shot was also just a coincidence.
“Ah, today I got from Siu…”
…Senior?
Five straight wins to open the season.
For Marines fans, who had spent the past few years at the bottom and had become painfully realistic, this was unbelievable.
It was not against weak teams either.
They achieved this against the Seoul Friends and the Suwon Knights, both of whom made the postseason last year.
The reporters did not miss this moment and started pouring out articles about the Marines.
And there was one keyword that appeared in every article.
Luck.
Lee Donghun overcomes bad luck in Suwon, leads team to three straight wins with 7 innings and 1 run
One centimeter of luck, Oh Gyeongsu records a quality start in his first game of the season, team wins four straight
Kim Mingi’s silent bat erupts, thanks to the energy he received from Park Siu
If you combined all that luck, it pointed to one person.
Park Siu, who until last year had been the symbol of bad luck.
After drawing massive attention during the offseason, he was now at the center of attention every single day after the season began.
On top of that, the Marines announced Park Siu as the starting pitcher for their home opener, amplifying the interest even more.
It even reached the opposing team’s manager.
“Manager, do you have any way to prepare against Park Siu’s luck?”
“…Luck?”
Caught off guard by a question he had never received in his managerial career, Gwangju Wolves manager Lee Jeonghwan chuckled.
“Well. I have heard that he has been lucky recently. But I think luck follows us as well. In the end, the game will be decided by skill. Competing with him in luck might be fun, but we will show you a win through skill.”
The Gwangju Wolves, who had won the championship last season with an upset, strengthened their weak points during the offseason and were now considered a team with no weaknesses.
As if to prove it, they were tied for first place with the Marines, both having five straight wins to start the season.
Although it was still very early in the season, an unexpected battle for first place would take place in Busan.
The Wolves’ starting pitcher was Conan Gray, an ace with 2 playoff wins, 2 Korean Series wins, and 16 regular season wins.
On top of that, he had an overwhelming advantage against the Marines, having earned five wins against them last season alone.
It was an expected matchup for the opening series.
On the other hand, Park Siu had made a huge impact in his first game, but it was still just one game.
And as a knuckleball pitcher, it was impossible to predict his performance until he actually threw the ball.
No matter how lucky Park Siu was, a win seemed unlikely.
“Busan, the strongest!”
Even so, the Marines’ home stadium, Sajik Ballpark, was packed with fans lining up to enter two hours before the game.
The fans knew the odds of winning were not high.
But they had gathered to watch the home opener and Park Siu’s pitching.
As the fans began filling the stadium, and the players prepared for the game, Marines president Kim Seonghyeon waited for someone with a somewhat tense expression.
“Welcome, Chairman.”
“Yes. It has been a while. Where is that guy?”
“General manager Lee Gyutae is currently on a business trip to the United States regarding a foreign player issue.”
“Tch. Bringing in someone with such flaws. Or maybe I should say it was lucky.”
As the chairman suddenly burst into laughter, Kim Seonghyeon asked as if he understood.
“Are you referring to Park Siu?”
“Yes. He is starting today, right?”
“Yes, that is correct.”
“This should be interesting. Let us go.”
Kim Seonghyeon led the way, but his expression was not very bright.
With the chairman visiting, they absolutely had to win.
But the opponent was too strong.
No matter how much analysis or advice they gave, the Marines hitters could not score against Conan Gray.
He was even said to have improved since last year.
In the end, the only thing they could rely on was Park Siu.
He was not hoping for a win.
“At the very least, I hope he meets the chairman’s expectations.”
The Wolves thought similarly.
They did not come expecting to lose.
Conan Gray against the Marines.
He was a card that never disappointed when a win was needed.
Park Siu was a variable, but they had prepared for him as well.
“Do not try to make perfect contact. Just get the ball in play somehow and get on base. Once you are on, second base is basically free, so just focus on getting on.”
“Coach, can I run too?”
At the words of Park Munho, a massive batter weighing 120 kilograms, the base running coach smirked.
“If you want to add a stolen base to your career, go ahead.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. It is that easy. Just get on base.”
The Friends had not been able to take full advantage because Park Siu suddenly appeared, but we are different.
They had watched that game endlessly.
Park Siu’s weakness was clear, and they just had to exploit it.
The Wolves were confident.
And in the top of the first inning.
“Wooooah!”
Amid the cheers of the fans, Park Siu headed to the mound.
Watching him warm up from behind the catcher, the Wolves’ leadoff hitter Kang Jaeseong let out a hollow laugh.
“So it really is a knuckleball.”
The trajectory was completely different from what he had seen on video, which made it feel even more like a true knuckleball.
But as he stepped into the batter’s box, he clearly remembered the advice from the analysis team.
“They said it is different outdoors.”
Park Siu’s first dominant game had been in a dome stadium.
A controlled environment where factors like humidity, rain, and wind that affect knuckleballs are stable.
But Sajik was an open stadium.
Even the slightest breeze brushing against Kang Jaeseong’s face could become a huge variable.
“I will watch the first pitch.”
Who knows, the knuckleball might lose control because of these variables.
And that thought of his.
“Strikeout!”
Was shattered in just three pitches.
“…You expect me to hit that?”
Shocked, Kang Jaeseong stuck out his tongue and stared at Park Siu for a while before approaching the next batter.
“How was it?”
“…Just.”
After thinking for a moment, he gave something that was not quite advice.
“You might have a better chance if you just close your eyes and swing.”
There are all kinds of debates about whether a knuckleball is stronger outdoors or in a dome.
From my experience, in a dome, the knuckleball has less movement but is easier to control.
On the other hand, outdoors.
“Strike!”
“No, what is that… ha.”
It moves in ways you do not expect at all.
You can even hear how frustrated the batter is all the way up to the mound.
If I had to summarize a knuckleball outdoors in one sentence, it is that you have to rely a bit more on luck.
Of course, nothing comes with only advantages.
Control becomes harder, and that burden falls directly onto Minseok hyung.
“Strikeout!”
“Left! To the left!”
I struck out the second batter as well, but Minseok hyung failed to catch the ball.
Fortunately, it did not bounce far, so we got the out at first base.
Now the third batter.
As he stepped in, the presence alone felt overwhelming.
He was that big, which made me a bit uneasy.
Not because of a long hit, but because I might hit him.
“Hit by pitch!”
…I had a bad feeling, and it actually happened.
A pitch that would have comfortably passed by another batter grazed his stomach.
There is nothing you can do about that.
You just have to accept it as bad luck.
Still, now there is a runner on first.
A very slow runner.
Even with an extra-base hit, it would be hard for him to make it home.
Sigh. More than that, the fact that I hit his stomach kept bothering me.
I stepped off the mound for a moment to gather myself.
“First base!”
The runner, who made eye contact with me, had started running and hurried back.
I immediately threw to first, and the first base umpire shouted loudly.
“Out!”
What… was that?
Park Munho, who had attempted to steal, walked back to the dugout with a flushed face.
“Sorry. I should have been paying attention.”
“No, I did not expect it either.”
Neither Minseok hyung nor I had even considered it, so it had actually been a dangerous timing.
Who would expect someone that big to run?
Still, there was something gained.
“Feels like they are going to run a lot today.”
“Yeah.”
A runner that big tried to steal on the first pitch.
That meant if other hitters got on base, they would be even more aggressive.
At least we caught him. Otherwise, the momentum could have shifted early.
“But still, is it not cheating for someone that big to run?”
“Exactly.”
The fact that Park Munho’s face was still red as he went out on defense was probably not just my imagination.