Chapter 53
Chapter 53
“Hey, uh… Siwoo said he trusts me, and because of that I swung with confidence, and it led to a good result…”
“…That was you?”
I was watching Minseok hyung’s interview after his game-winning home run when Kim Mingi sunbae walked up.
“Pardon?”
“No wonder he looked so puffed up, totally different from usual. What did you say to him?”
“Nothing much. Just told him he was doing well.”
“…Hah, figures.”
Kim Mingi watched the interview and let out a deep sigh.
“Well, whatever. That’s still the better kind. There are plenty of guys who get a little success and start acting like that spot belongs to them forever, slacking off.”
There was a world of difference between slacking off because you know you’ll play anyway and playing with confidence.
Thankfully, Minseok hyung was the latter.
Soon, after finishing the interview, he came back.
“Whew, how was it? Didn’t look like it was my first time, right? I was seriously nervous.”
“It showed a bit, but you’ll get used to it if you do it more often.”
“More often? Really?”
Judging by how his eyebrows were dancing around, he must’ve been in a great mood.
“Tsk. But I haven’t gotten any contact yet.”
“About what?”
“My home run ball. It’s my first one, so I kinda want to keep it if possible.”
“This one?”
When I pulled the ball out, his eyes widened twice their size.
“…For real?”
“Yeah. You always keep my balls for me. Figured I should return the favor at times like this.”
Luckily, the person who caught the ball was a Marines fan. They wanted to meet me, so I went over, signed a ball, took a photo, and got it back.
Since it was Minseok hyung’s, I really wanted to make sure he got it. Worked out well.
“…Siwoo. I’ll seriously do better.”
“Then you won’t be late to practice next time, right?”
“…That one I’m really sorry about. If I’m late again, I’m not even human.”
Thankfully, after that, Minseok hyung was never late again.
The only problem was me.
The slider I used to throw was finally at a level where I could use it in games again.
But I still didn’t have another breaking ball.
Honestly, with just the knuckleball, I didn’t really need one.
Still, I wanted at least one pitch for right-handed batters.
“How about this?”
“Hmm. It’s kind of… meh.”
I tried the changeup grips I learned from Woogyeong sunbae, as well as the ones Donghoon sunbae and Hyunwoo sunbae showed me, but nothing really clicked.
It wasn’t that I couldn’t throw them. If anything, focusing on breaking pitches after the injury helped.
The reason I didn’t use them was simple.
There was no reason to throw them over the knuckleball.
Still, even if breaking balls weren’t working out, I had progress elsewhere.
Thwack!
“Nice.”
155 kilometers per hour.
My velocity had climbed back up to my pre-injury max.
But back then, it felt like I was squeezing out every bit of strength.
Now, it felt like I still had more left.
If I ignored control, I felt like I could throw even harder.
“When are you planning to use it in a game?”
“Honestly, that’s what I’m struggling with the most.”
After the game against the Daegu ace, I’d been using my four-seam only in combination with the knuckleball.
Around 150 kilometers per hour.
If I threw harder, my form would change, and without a proper breaking pitch, it wasn’t easy to rely on it alone.
Teams like the Changwon Dolphins could just sit on the fastball.
“How about the All-Star Game?”
“The All-Star Game?”
Since then, I’d been focusing on the knuckleball, and before I knew it, the All-Star Game was right around the corner.
Next weekend.
Time really flies.
“Yeah. You could try it there, right?”
“…You’re right. That might work.”
I was wondering what I should prepare, and that seemed like a good option.
For reference, I wouldn’t be forming a battery with Minseok hyung this time.
Kim Mingi sunbae, the starting catcher, had been voted in by fans, so Minseok hyung would have to wait for next time.
And it wasn’t just him.
Right now, the Marines were in first place, just 0.5 games ahead of the Wolves.
The Wolves were a strong team too, so the standings kept flipping every game, but whenever we played in Sajik, the atmosphere was insane.
Sellouts every game were a given. Even weekday tickets were hard to get.
And that energy carried straight into the All-Star voting.
“…I’m an All-Star…”
For a moment, it looked like Jaehoon sunbae had tears in his eyes.
Anyway, thanks to the fans’ support, all 13 positions were filled by our team.
“You’ve been to one before, right?”
“Yeah, my rookie year. But that time I was selected by the manager.”
“And now you’re going in through fan voting… and first overall at that?”
On top of that, I ended up being the overall number one in fan votes.
Since it was the All-Star Game, there was no pressure about runs.
It felt like a good chance to pitch freely.
Still, it would’ve been nice to study breaking balls during the All-Star break.
The safest option was probably the changeup.
But it just didn’t feel right in my hand.
As I was thinking about it for a while—
“That pitch is really good.”
“Huh? Oh… Heomin sunbae?”
I found a pitch that instantly caught my attention.
Heomin sunbae, one of the top left-handed pitchers in the KBO.
Same as me, a lefty, with a fastball topping out at 150.
That alone sounded pretty normal.
But his real weapon was something else.
“Strike, you’re out!”
That splitter.
Even though it struck out one of our hitters, I couldn’t help but admire it.
But since he was on another team, and it was his main pitch, it wasn’t easy to ask him to teach it.
We weren’t close either, so I hesitated.
I was about to give up.
“Splitter? Want me to teach you?”
An opportunity appeared.
The All-Star Game wasn’t just a festival. It was also a place for interaction.
During the season, chatting casually with players from other teams could feel awkward, and depending on the timing, weird rumors could spread.
Like someone wanting to transfer teams.
Of course, some players didn’t care and still built friendships, but most kept their distance.
The All-Star Game was different.
There were no strange looks, and if there was someone you were curious about, it was the perfect chance to talk to them.
And at the center of this All-Star Game was, without a doubt, Siwoo.
Not only was he the overwhelming number one in fan voting, but he was also stacking up incredible records.
And it wasn’t just fans who were curious about him.
“Everyone’s waiting for you.”
Hyunwoo led Siwoo to a group of Dream All-Star pitchers gathered together.
“Welcome to the Siwoo victims’ club.”
“…Excuse me?”
“If you add up how many times we’ve lost to you here, it’s over ten wins.”
“But there’s a good part. Even when we lose, fans don’t blame us. They’re like, ‘Well, it was bound to happen.’”
“That’s only recently. Early on, it was brutal.”
Most of the players in the All-Star Game were top performers in the league.
Which meant they had all faced Siwoo.
And lost.
Of course, some had been lucky enough to avoid him.
“Heomin sunbae, hello.”
“Oh, Siwoo. Thanks for greeting me first. You’re filming this, right? Use this for the thumbnail.”
Joking with the staff filming for their team’s YouTube, Heomin greeted him warmly before asking carefully,
“Sorry, but could you give me an autograph? My in-laws are Marines fans, and they’re going crazy since they heard you’re coming.”
“Of course.”
Once he got what he wanted, Heomin let out a relieved sigh.
“Okay. Thanks to you, I’ll survive this wedding anniversary too.”
“Hyung, you’re happy though, right?”
At Hyunwoo’s question, Heomin nodded.
“Happy? Yeah, I am. But the other day, after I beat the Marines and went home, dinner was a bit cold. Anyway, Siwoo, if there’s anything you want, just tell me. If I can do it, I will.”
“It’s really okay.”
“He was admiring your splitter the other day. Just teach him that.”
“Reeeally?”
Now with something to brag about to his in-laws, Heomin grinned.
“Splitter? Want me to teach you?”
“I’d really appreciate it, but… is it okay to just teach it like that?”
“Yeah, it’s fine. It’s about time anyway.”
“About time?”
Heomin led Siwoo to the practice field.
Other pitchers were already gathered there.
“Look who I brought.”
“Oh? You didn’t drag him here, right? That face says he was forced. Careful, Marines fans will kill you.”
“What do you mean forced? He said he wanted to learn my splitter, so he came willingly. Right?”
“Yes. But I didn’t quite understand earlier—what exactly do we do here?”
“Here? We just share pitch grips and stuff.”
He said it casually, but it was actually pretty shocking.
“Well, ‘sharing’ is just a nice way of putting it. It’s more like showing off.”
At that, Siwoo nodded.
If knowing the grip and a few tips was enough, every pitcher would have elite breaking balls.
“Then you’re okay with it too, right? Want to go first?”
There was only one pitch Siwoo could show.
“I use two different grips.”
As he explained his knuckleball, the pitchers watched with interest.
Some even tried throwing it themselves.
“Oh, that actually feels pretty good.”
“Throw that in a game and it’s batting practice.”
A few managed it somewhat, but soon gave up.
“How do you even throw this?”
“If I keep trying this, it’ll mess up my other pitches.”
Since it went against their usual mechanics, they couldn’t make it work.
They were satisfied just understanding how Siwoo did it.
After that, several pitchers shared their grips and demonstrated.
Then came Heomin’s turn.
“Alright, everyone’s been waiting—my splitter…”
“Man, stop that already. How many years has it been?”
“You’re the only one who can throw it anyway.”
“But this year, Siwoo asked, so I have no choice.”
Using Siwoo’s name shamelessly, Heomin took the splitter grip.
“You hold it narrower than I expected.”
“Yeah. That’s what feels comfortable for me. Anyway, the grip’s not the main thing. It’s the feel when you throw it. Like… it’s slipping out? Hard to explain.”
That was exactly why others had complained.
Still, seeing Siwoo listening so seriously, he wanted to explain more, even if words had limits.
Though that seriousness made him a little uneasy.
He assumed Siwoo would try a few times and give up.
Plenty of players had asked him to teach the splitter before.
Not a single one ended up using it.
It was difficult, and for left-handers, it was mainly used against right-handed batters.
Most chose the changeup instead.
He thought Siwoo would do the same.
“Hard, right? I’ll show you.”
To make a splitter drop, you reduce the spin.
Heomin’s splitter was famous for its especially low spin.
Everything about his grip and technique was for that.
And if done right—
“That pitch is legit.”
You’d get a splitter at around 138 kilometers per hour that dropped sharply.
RPM around 800.
Satisfied with the movement, Heomin threw a few more before asking,
“Want to try?”
“…Yes.”
Seeing Siwoo take the grip he’d taught, Heomin smiled.
‘Perfect. I’ll brag about this later.’
But the moment Siwoo threw the ball—
His smile vanished.
“What the hell was that?”
“Hey, Heomin, what did you teach him?”
Clearly over 140 kilometers per hour.
A massive drop.
And barely any spin, the seams almost visible.
Almost like a knuckleball.
It was the exact trajectory Heomin had chased his entire career.
The control wasn’t there yet, but the movement was real.
“…How did you do that?”
“Like you said, I imagined it slipping when I threw it.”
‘That’s exactly what I can’t explain.’
He felt both hollow and stunned.
‘What do I even do now?’
Thinking about the cheers Siwoo would get from Marines fans—including his in-laws—gave him a headache.
“Since you’re teaching anyway, why not share the full know-how?”
“Shut up.”
“Yes, sir.”
After shutting down Hyunwoo, Heomin looked at Siwoo, who was staring at his hand, trying to internalize the feeling.
‘…Does he even need my know-how?’
At this rate, the day might come when he’d be the one asking Siwoo for tips.