Chapter 39
Chapter 39
I didn’t step up to help Hailey for any special reason.
I just… had been there myself once.
Feeling like every misfortune was my fault, like it was all my doing.
The more you try to escape it, the stronger it pulls you back. I knew better than anyone how cruel that feeling could be.
That’s why.
I wanted to help Hailey, even just a little, who might be feeling the same, or even worse, than I once did.
But it was a decision I made on my own.
I asked senior Park Hyun-woo to act for me, but kept it a secret from the other players.
From my experience, many people feel burdened if they hear something like this.
Plus, my streak hadn’t been broken yet.
Hearing about Hailey now might make things worse.
“Did you all hear? Our team’s very cute mascot is going through a brutal losing streak.”
Still, before the game, senior Kim Min-ki brought up Hailey in the locker room meeting.
He didn’t know the exact story and vaguely called it a losing streak, but just bringing it up was surprising.
“We all know how you feel. The atmosphere’s good, and bringing it up might stir trouble. But isn’t it worse for a six-year-old to feel like she’s losing baseball because of herself? Right, Si-woo?”
“…Yes.”
“Exactly. You’ve all laughed thanks to Hailey before. Now it’s our turn to make her smile. And since Si-woo stepped up himself, don’t worry too much.”
“If Si-woo’s stepping up, then it’s definite.”
Senior Lee Dong-hoon’s words loosened the slightly tense mood.
“See? Just do it like usual.”
“Easy, easy.”
It was almost surprising how casual it felt.
I expected someone to resist, but everyone just looked at me, smiled, and dispersed as if it had been promised.
Both Park Hyun-woo yesterday and producer Ona-eun had reacted like that too.
Even though I appreciated the players’ reactions, it still felt slightly awkward.
“Si-woo! Want to throw a pitch?”
At that moment, Min-seok approached enthusiastically and asked.
“Are you sure you’re okay with it?”
“Huh? With what?”
“It might be a bit of a burden. We could lose the game.”
“Hmm. True. But you stepped up, didn’t you?”
Min-seok reacted as if it were obvious.
“Then it’s fine, right?”
“…That’s it?”
“What else do you need?”
“…I guess.”
I didn’t really know what I was saying, or what I wanted to hear.
“You said to throw a pitch, right? Let’s go.”
I needed some time to sort out my thoughts.
Oh Kyung-soo had no complaints about being the fifth starter.
“Things happen as they should.”
If the team brought in a foreign player, it was natural for domestic pitchers to move down the rotation.
His advantage as a lefty and excellent control of runners covered for his top speed of just 145 km/h.
Sometimes he got hit hard when pitches piled up, and sometimes he surprised everyone with great starts.
In a way, Oh Kyung-soo was the most typical type of pitcher in the KBO.
Recently, he had a new routine.
On game day, he went to a quiet part of the stadium and performed the knock ritual he had promised.
“Came alone?”
“…Yes. The ball?”
“Here it is.”
Oh Kyung-soo checked the ball Min-seok handed him and nodded.
“Are you sure about its history?”
“Yes. This is the ball Si-woo struck out the seventh batter with in his no-hit, no-walk game.”
Holding the ball, Oh Kyung-soo asked.
“But Min-seok…”
“Yes?”
“How long do I have to do this?”
It wasn’t illegal, and it happened every time.
Of course, it had Park Si-woo’s approval.
But Min-seok, acting as the supplier, had grown used to it and now requested this little theater every time.
“Isn’t this more fun?”
“…Alright. I’ll ask again next time.”
Even Oh Kyung-soo found it easier dealing with Min-seok than directly asking Park Si-woo.
If he asked Si-woo, it felt like asking for luck personally, which was awkward.
With the ball he wanted, Oh Kyung-soo confidently prepared for the game.
His season stats: 4 games, 22 innings, 2 wins, 1 loss, ERA 4.1.
Touching Park Si-woo’s ball didn’t guarantee a win, of course, but it helped him focus.
“Phew. Thanks.”
Back in the dugout, he sought the ball.
A well-hit ball went straight to the shortstop for a double play.
Since receiving Park Si-woo’s ball, these kinds of plays seemed more frequent.
The truth was unknown.
But one thing was clear: it gave him more confidence on the mound.
“Out!”
This also coincided with the psychology of the Friends’ batters, creating a synergistic effect.
The shock of losing the first two games of the season, plus yesterday’s defeat.
Tomorrow, Park Si-woo would pitch.
If they lost today, the series could end terribly.
That thought made the Friends’ hitters nervous.
Six innings, zero runs.
Oh Kyung-soo returned from the mound after his first scoreless game of the season.
Then Choi Seung-ho – Park Hyun-woo – Park Jung-won came in as the bullpen.
Choi Seung-ho struggled, Park Hyun-woo loaded the bases, but Park Jung-won managed to finish the game.
“Out!”
With season win #3, Oh Kyung-soo immediately looked for Park Si-woo.
“Thanks, Si-woo.”
“…Me?”
“Yeah. I got your ball from Min-seok again.”
Seeing Park Si-woo’s subtle expression, Oh Kyung-soo carefully asked.
“Does that upset you?”
“No. Just thinking about something.”
“Serious? You looked a bit down. Is it about Hailey?”
“Nothing major. Anyway, glad it helped.”
Park Si-woo downplayed it, but Oh Kyung-soo found himself watching him for a while.
The bomb they had started had come full circle.
Park Si-woo’s surprise start in the opener ended in a nine-inning shutout.
Even after allowing 3 runs to the starter, the team reversed the game.
Perhaps that’s why the Friends’ hitters had a special mindset today.
“If we lose today, that’s a 5-game losing streak to the Marines. Last year was just 4. How is this fair?”
“This is a must-win for a team aiming for the top.”
This season, the Marines were truly different, but the season was still long.
Today’s single loss could eventually become many.
But seeing Park Si-woo throw practice pitches, the Friends’ #1 hitter Kang Hyuk-woo tensed.
“How’s he look?”
“Crazier than last time?”
“Right? I thought my eyes were mistaken.”
Kang Hyuk-woo and table-setter Baek Ho-gi couldn’t even laugh or cry.
The nightmare of the previous game came back.
After facing Park Si-woo, Kang Hyuk-woo couldn’t hit until the game after next.
It wasn’t just him.
Baek Ho-gi and other batters struggled similarly.
Even if they wanted to sit out, their batting order didn’t change.
“Don’t get too scared. We started it, we’ll try to stop it.”
Baek Ho-gi’s words gave Kang Hyuk-woo confidence, though it vanished on the first pitch.
“Strike!”
“How am I supposed to hit this?”
The pitch seemed far from the lefty Kang Hyuk-woo.
Yet it grazed the outside ABS slightly.
Could he even make a hit? Could he even swing?
Even someone as skilled as Kang Hyuk-woo sighed heavily.
Already overwhelmed by the first pitch, that was it.
He swung and popped it to the infield.
Other batters were similar.
Baek Ho-gi, table-setter with Kang Hyuk-woo, struggled.
Anthony Peters, crushing 7 home runs, also failed.
All other Friends batters were powerless against Park Si-woo’s knuckleball.
The only consolation was breaking the consecutive no-hit innings with a fluke hit.
[Strikeout! Park Si-woo becomes the first KBO pitcher with 50 consecutive scoreless innings!]
The record that seemed unbreakable changed hands.
[Cha Jae-hoon’s RBI! Runner scores! First points of the game go to the Busan Marines!]
The game’s balance collapsed.
But the Friends’ hitters’ hell was just beginning.
Thinking they had adjusted to the knuckleball, a ghostly 130 km/h hard knuckleball appeared.
“Damn it…”
It seemed to curve outside for lefties, but the catcher caught it right next to their body.
“Please, God, let this pitch hit my bat.”
Some hitters looked for a supernatural explanation for the absurd trajectory.
They did manage occasional hits or walks.
Even reaching base on a dropped ball strikeout by Min-seok happened.
But that was it.
Runners trying to advance were held in check, sometimes by remembering Oh Kyung-soo’s pick-offs yesterday, ending the inning.
Meanwhile, the Marines steadily scored, widening the gap.
[Left field! Ha Seo-jin! Home run! Marines lead by 6!]
“Don’t worry. Our team scored.”
Hailey, startled by the announcer, turned away from the TV, and Danny reassured her.
Her eyes widened, and she peeked at the TV again.
Danny gently stroked her head, pleased.
After Ha Seo-jin’s homer, the game tilted rapidly.
Friends pulled starters and put in long-relief pitchers for the future.
Meanwhile, Marines’ mound remained under Park Si-woo.
Top of the ninth.
As Park Si-woo took the mound, the Marines fans cheered.
Hailey swallowed nervously, taking it all in.
She clapped awkwardly, following others’ lead.
“Strikeout!”
Hearing it, perhaps, she watched closely.
The final batter struck out swinging on three pitches. Players rushed toward Park Si-woo.
Fans cheered and called his name.
Hailey was enjoying the moment too.
After the game, in the Marines locker room.
Hailey peeked her head, waiting for someone.
“Have you been waiting long?”
Turning her head, Hailey asked cautiously,
“Were you not scared today?”
Park Si-woo looked at her.
A question only he could understand.
“No, I was scared. But…”
Locking eyes with Hailey, he said,
“I could win because you cheered for me. Thank you.”
Hailey immediately teared up and began to sob.
Players watched silently for a moment.
“Hailey, did you have fun today?”
“…Yes. A lot.”
“Nothing that happened in this stadium today is your fault.”
It was what Park Si-woo said to Hailey, but also what he wished someone had said to his past self.
“So… let’s keep enjoying it from now on.”
Today, he could finally say that.