Chapter 52
Chapter 52
“Uh, first of all, Siwoo told me he trusts me, and thanks to that I was able to swing confidently, which led to a good result…”
“…Was that you?”
I was watching Minseok hyung’s interview after his game-winning home run when Kim Minki sunbae walked over.
“Pardon?”
“No wonder he was acting different from usual, all puffed up. What did you say to him?”
“Nothing much. Just told him he’s doing well.”
“…Hoo, yeah.”
Kim Minki let out a deep sigh as he watched the interview.
“Well, at least that’s a decent case. There are plenty of guys who, after doing a little well, start acting like that spot is theirs forever and slack off.”
There was a world of difference between slacking off because you’d play anyway and playing with confidence.
Fortunately, Minseok hyung was the latter.
Soon, after finishing the interview, he came back.
“Whew, how was it? I didn’t look like a rookie, right? I was nervous as hell.”
“You did a little, but you’ll get used to it if you do it often.”
“Often? Really?”
His eyebrows were moving all over the place—he must’ve been that happy.
“Hmm. But I haven’t heard anything yet.”
“About what?”
“My home run ball. It’s my first one, so I want to keep it if I can.”
“This?”
When I pulled the ball out, his eyes doubled in size.
“…For real?”
“Yeah. You always kept my balls for me. I should return the favor at times like this.”
The person who caught it happened to be a Marines fan, and they said they wanted to meet me, so I went, signed a ball, took a photo, and got it back.
Since it was Minseok hyung, I really wanted to make sure he got it.
“…Siwoo. I’ll really do my best.”
“Then you won’t be late for training next time, right?”
“…That—I’m really sorry about that. Seriously, if I’m late again, I’m not human.”
Thankfully, after that, Minseok hyung was never late again.
The problem, though, was me.
The slider I used to throw had gotten to the point where I could start using it in games.
But I still didn’t have another pitch.
Honestly, with just the knuckleball, I didn’t really need one.
Still, I wanted at least one breaking ball to use against right-handed batters.
“How about this?”
“Hmm. It’s… not quite it.”
The changeup I learned from Kyungsoo sunbae, and the grips taught by Donghoon sunbae and Hyunwoo sunbae—none of them felt quite right.
It wasn’t that I couldn’t throw them anymore, especially after focusing on breaking balls during rehab.
I just didn’t throw them for one reason.
There was no reason to throw them over the knuckleball.
Still, while the breaking balls weren’t yielding much, I was making progress elsewhere.
Thud!
“Nice.”
155 km/h.
My velocity had climbed back to my pre-injury peak.
But back then, it felt like I was squeezing out everything I had.
Now, I still had something left.
If I ignored control, it even felt like I could throw harder.
“So when are you planning to use it in a game?”
“Honestly, that’s what I’m struggling with the most.”
Since the Daegu Ace game, I’d only been mixing in the four-seam with the knuckleball.
Around 150 km/h.
Anything faster created differences in my form, and without a proper breaking ball, it wasn’t easy to rely on it alone.
Like the Changwon Dolphins did, teams could just sit on the fastball.
“How about the All-Star Game?”
“The All-Star Game?”
That made me pause.
After that, I’d kept focusing on the knuckleball, and before I knew it, the All-Star Game was right around the corner.
Next weekend.
Time really flies.
“You’re right. I might be able to use it then.”
It was perfect timing.
I’d been wondering where to test it.
Also, for this All-Star Game, I wouldn’t be forming a battery with Minseok hyung.
Starting catcher Kim Minki sunbae had been voted in by fans, so Minseok hyung would have to wait for next time.
And it wasn’t just him.
The Marines were currently in first place, just half a game ahead of the Wolves.
The Wolves were strong too, so the standings flipped constantly.
But every time we went to Sajik, the atmosphere was insane.
Sellouts every game, even weekday tickets were hard to get.
That energy carried straight into the All-Star voting.
“…I made the All-Star…”
I could’ve sworn I saw tears in Cha Jaehun sunbae’s eyes just now.
Anyway, thanks to the fans’ support, we had all 13 positions selected as All-Stars.
“You’ve been before, right?”
“Yeah, my rookie year. But that time I was a coach’s pick.”
“And now you’re going in as the fan vote leader? First overall?”
Thankfully, I ended up as the overall number one in fan voting.
The All-Star Game meant no pressure about runs allowed, so it felt like a good place to experiment.
Still, the All-Star break would’ve been perfect for working on a breaking ball.
The most straightforward option was a changeup.
But it just didn’t fit my hand.
While I was thinking it over—
“That pitch is really good.”
“Who? Oh, Heomin sunbae?”
I spotted a pitch that instantly caught my attention.
Heomin sunbae, one of the top left-handers in the league.
Same as me—lefty, fastball topping around 150 km/h.
That alone wasn’t special.
The real weapon was something else.
“Strikeout!”
That splitter.
It struck out one of our guys, but I couldn’t help but admire it.
Still, he was on another team, and asking someone to teach their main pitch wasn’t easy.
We weren’t close either, so it was hard to approach him.
I was about to give up.
“Splitter? Want me to teach you?”
Then the opportunity came.
The All-Star Game was a festival—and also a place for exchange.
During the season, chatting with players from other teams could get awkward if seen at the wrong time.
Rumors would start—like who wanted to transfer where.
Of course, some players didn’t care and socialized anyway, but most kept their distance.
The All-Star Game was different.
No one cared.
If you were curious about someone, this was the perfect chance to talk.
And the center of this year’s All-Star Game was, without a doubt, Park Siwoo.
Not just the overwhelming fan vote leader, but also a player rewriting records.
Fans weren’t the only ones curious about him.
“Everyone’s been waiting for you.”
Hyunwoo brought Siwoo to a group of pitchers from the Dream All-Stars.
“Welcome to the Park Siwoo Victims Association.”
“Pardon?”
“If you add up the number of losses we’ve taken against you, it’s over ten.”
“Still, there’s a silver lining. Even when we lose, fans don’t complain. They’re like, ‘Well, it was bound to happen.’”
“That’s only recently. Early on, it was brutal.”
Most players at the All-Star Game were top performers.
Which meant they’d faced Siwoo often.
And lost.
Of course, some had avoided him.
“Heomin sunbae, hello.”
“Oh, Siwoo. Thanks for greeting me first. You’re filming, right? Use this as the thumbnail.”
While joking with the staff filming content, Heomin greeted him warmly, then asked cautiously.
“Sorry, but can I get your autograph? My in-laws are Marines fans, and they went crazy when they heard you’re coming.”
“Of course.”
With what he wanted secured, Heomin sighed in relief.
“Alright. This anniversary’s saved. Thanks.”
“Hyung, you’re happy though, right?”
At Hyunwoo’s question, Heomin nodded.
“Happy? Yeah. But the other day, after we beat the Marines, dinner felt a bit cold at home. Anyway, Siwoo, if there’s anything you want, just tell me. If I can do it, I will.”
“No, it’s fine.”
“He was admiring your splitter the other day. Why don’t you teach him that?”
“Oh really?”
Heomin’s lips curled up.
“Splitter? Want me to teach you?”
“I’d be grateful, but is it really okay?”
“Yeah, it’s fine. It’s about time anyway.”
“About time?”
He led Siwoo to the training area.
There, pitchers were already gathered.
“Look who I brought.”
“Oh? You didn’t drag him here, right? He looks like he was forced.”
“What do you mean forced? He wanted to learn my splitter.”
“That’s right. But what exactly are we doing here?”
“Here? Just showing each other pitches.”
It sounded simple.
But it was actually shocking.
“It’s not really teaching. More like showing off.”
That made sense.
If just sharing grips and tips was enough, everyone would have elite breaking balls.
“Then Siwoo, you’re good? Want to go first?”
There was only one pitch he could show.
“I use two grips.”
As he explained the knuckleball, everyone watched with interest.
Some tried throwing it.
“Oh, not bad.”
“Throw that in a game and it’s batting practice.”
A few managed something decent, but quickly gave up.
“How do you even throw this?”
“This’ll mess up my other pitches.”
The mechanics were too different.
They were satisfied just seeing how Siwoo threw it.
Then others shared their pitches.
Finally, it was Heomin’s turn.
“Now, everyone’s been waiting—my splitter…”
“Stop with that already.”
“You’re the only one who can throw it anyway.”
“But Siwoo asked this time.”
Using Siwoo as an excuse, Heomin showed the grip.
“You hold it tighter than I thought.”
“Yeah, that feels better for me. But the key is the feel. Like it slips when you release it… hard to explain.”
That was exactly the problem.
He wanted to explain more, seeing how seriously Siwoo listened, but words weren’t enough.
Still—
He assumed Siwoo would give up after a few tries.
Many had asked to learn it before.
None succeeded.
It was difficult, and lefties usually preferred changeups for right-handed hitters.
“Hard, right? I’ll show you.”
The key was reducing spin.
Especially for Heomin’s splitter.
If done right—
“Yeah, that pitch is legit.”
A 138 km/h pitch that dropped sharply.
Around 800 RPM.
Satisfied, Heomin threw a few more and asked.
“Want to try?”
“…Yes.”
Seeing Siwoo copy his grip, Heomin smiled.
Perfect.
Something to brag about.
Then Siwoo threw.
“…What?”
“What the hell is that?”
“Hey, Heomin, what did you teach him?”
It was clearly over 140 km/h.
With a massive drop.
And barely any spin.
Almost like a knuckleball.
It was the trajectory Heomin had dreamed of.
Control wasn’t there yet.
But the movement—
“…How did you do that?”
“Like you said, I thought of it slipping at release.”
“…That’s not an explanation.”
He felt both absurd and hollow.
“…What do I do now?”
Thinking about the reaction from his in-laws made his head hurt.
“Since you’ve taught him, why not share the rest of your tips too?”
“Shut up.”
“Yes, sir.”
As Hyunwoo got shut down, Heomin watched Siwoo stare at his hand, trying to internalize the feeling.
“…Does he even need my tips?”
At this rate, the day might come when he’d be asking Siwoo for advice instead.