Chapter 66
Chapter 66
This season, Ha Seojin recorded 28 home runs and 34 stolen bases, narrowly missing joining the 30-30 club.
And there was another player who also narrowly missed the 30-30 club.
27 home runs, and 32 errors.
Marines’ starting second baseman and error king, Cha Jaehoon.
And he just added another error.
‘…Why did the ball bounce like that?’
The plan had been almost perfect.
Catch the slow pitch, throw it with a running throw to first base, and get the out.
The idea was to secure the final out of the regular season.
But this error extended the time before the game could end.
The only relief was that the run scored didn’t seem to bother Park Siwoo, who looked calmly at Cha Jaehoon.
‘Hmm. Doesn’t seem intentional.’
It was frustrating for Cha Jaehoon, but given that it was him, the play was understandable.
That tied the game.
If the Marines finished the game in the bottom of the 9th, Park Siwoo would be credited with the win.
But because the process was a bit messy, it could spark some discussion.
Still, since the player who made the error was Cha Jaehoon… well.
As Park Siwoo suspected, the error immediately set the online communities ablaze.
Everyone else might have complained, but Cha Jaehoon being the culprit made it forgivable.
Park Siwoo decided to look at it positively.
‘Errors can’t be helped.’
For the first time, an error actually helped.
“Strikeout!”
Still, Park Siwoo got the final out with a strikeout, earning the cheers and applause of the fans as he stepped down from the mound.
“Cha Jaehoon! Cha Jaehoon! Cha Jaehoon!”
The other hero, Cha Jaehoon, blushed under the fans’ cheers.
It wasn’t a great feeling to be cheered after making an error.
“You weren’t doing it on purpose, right?”
“Huh?”
Seeing Cha Jaehoon’s frustrated expression, the other players nodded in understanding as they passed by.
‘I almost thought I’d mess up if it came my way, but there’s no way I could act it out this well.’
‘Jaehoon’s really kind. He takes the blame.’
Though it was a misunderstanding, everyone refocused on the game.
Gradually, Park Siwoo had met the conditions to earn the win.
All that was left was to score a run.
The bottom of the 9th started with the 8th batter, Song Minseok, who came in as a pinch runner alongside Park Siwoo.
“They even brought in Park Yunsu.”
The Friends also sent in their closer, Park Yunsu, though he wasn’t fully warmed up.
-Whack!
Song Minseok calmly hit a straightforward pitch and reached base.
“Finally, hitting like that.”
Kim Mingi looked satisfied as he watched Song Minseok.
The 9th batter was pinch hitter Yoo Jungwoo, who hadn’t played today.
-Whack!
“Nice bunt!”
Yoo Jungwoo successfully laid down the bunt, and now there was a runner on second with one out.
Now only two bases remained for the Marines to end the game, and Ha Seojin stepped up to the plate.
The Marines had played their best card.
“Batter, to first.”
The Friends chose their best defensive option.
“Ugh, why am I so nervous?”
Marines fans watched every moment with bated breath.
This had started as a lighthearted, low-stakes game, but now it had turned into a nail-biter.
And now, the batter who had created this situation stepped up.
“Home run! Cha Jaehoon!”
Cha Jaehoon’s heart raced.
‘Do I need to go to the hospital?’
Though he was used to tension, this was extreme.
A walk-off opportunity, and it was all because of him.
Even with one out to spare, his hands shook uncontrollably.
It was more nerve-wracking than his first professional at-bat.
‘…Huh?’
He remembered some seniors saying there are days when you can see every seam of the ball perfectly.
Cha Jaehoon had never experienced it.
He had always thought they were exaggerating.
‘That was real?’
The ball was crystal clear.
Missing it would make him feel ridiculous.
-Whack!
It wasn’t a massive hit.
The ball landed in center field.
Cha Jaehoon raised his hand in triumph as the ball rolled exactly where he wanted.
Song Minseok rounded third and sprinted home, the ball rolling to the fence.
His first career walk-off.
“Waaaaah!”
Cha Jaehoon finally exhaled the breath he had been holding.
Soon, a shower of water was poured over him.
And as the water settled, Park Siwoo was smiling and spraying water again.
Now was the perfect time.
Every time Park Siwoo had come in during a game, Cha Jaehoon had made errors. He finally had a chance to apologize.
“Siwoo, sorry you had to go through so much because of me.”
“Yeah. Well, it happens.”
‘…Uh, I should be saying “No, it’s fine” or something.’
When the scenario didn’t go as planned, Cha Jaehoon’s mind scrambled.
Finally, his mouth moved on its own.
“Just a little more hard work for you.”
“Huh?”
“I try my best, but it’s not easy. Still, I’ll do better in the Korean Series, so give it a shot.”
“Senior, uh—”
“Yeah, go ahead.”
‘Not bad at all.’
Cha Jaehoon felt satisfied with his own words, but when Park Siwoo stepped back, question marks filled his mind.
He soon realized why.
“You idiot! Do you know how much I was scared because of you?”
The water soaked Cha Jaehoon from head to toe.
Park Siwoo laughed heartily at the sight.
The eventful regular season ended with Cha Jaehoon completely drenched.
Seoul Friends 5 : 6 Busan Marines
Park Siwoo’s final game of the season, reaching 30 wins!
32 appearances, 30 wins. An unbreakable record.
Fans celebrated endlessly, and the stats were absurd: 32 games, 30 wins, 0 losses, 0.47 ERA, 312 strikeouts, 249 innings.
The regular season was over.
Now it was time to see the final standings.
4th and 5th went to Daegu Aces and Seoul Falcons.
3rd was Seoul Friends, 2nd Gwangju Wolves, and 1st was Busan Marines.
Before they even realized it, the Daegu Aces and Seoul Falcons prepared for the Wild Card game.
Seoul Friends and Gwangju Wolves were also busy preparing for the postseason.
Four teams, except the Marines, were strong, consistent autumn contenders.
Fans were equally familiar with the routine.
Postseason ticketing was intense, and fans discussed opposing starters and how far their team could go.
Marines fans were especially eager, having waited ten years for postseason baseball.
Now was the time to change their routine.
Even though winning the regular season was amazing, the real test was the Korean Series.
Luckily, teams that go straight to the Korean Series often win.
Fans worried about the players’ rustiness, so they started volunteering and supporting them for luck.
Meanwhile, the players were enjoying a rare vacation.
“Is it really okay to just do this?”
Park Hyunwoo asked while rolling on the floor, and Lee Donghoon looked at him incredulously.
“Why are you saying that at my place?”
“So what? It’s a vacation.”
“Then go outside, since it’s a vacation.”
“Eh, I like staying home now. During the season, we hide from fans all the time, so this is nice.”
Park Hyunwoo suddenly took out his phone.
“Don’t.”
“What?”
“You’re calling Siwoo, aren’t you?”
“Wow. You’re sharp, senior.”
Lee Donghoon sighed.
“He needs a break. Let him be. It’s his first time in a while with his family.”
The house grew quiet again.
“This is more boring than I thought.”
“Then go to your place.”
“No, I mean… I thought winning the regular season would make everything mine, but it’s just…”
“Overwhelmed?”
“Did you really become a shaman?”
“No way. I feel the same, that’s all.”
Park Hyunwoo stopped rolling and looked at Lee Donghoon.
“Shall we loosen up a bit?”
“Get dressed.”
Even going to autumn baseball would satisfy them, but after winning, they realized…
They wanted more.
They wanted to keep going.
Regular-season victory wasn’t enough.
Winning the Korean Series would be ultimate satisfaction.
Of course, thoughts could change after the Series, but for now, this was the shared feeling of Lee Donghoon and Park Hyunwoo.
And another player shared that feeling.
“What’s up?”
“Hello!”
They met Kim Mingi and Song Minseok, who were entering the stadium with coffee.
“What are you two doing?”
“Just guiding them a bit and making sure they don’t skip anything. You?”
“Pretty much the same.”
Kim Mingi smirked at Lee Donghoon for a moment.
“Brr, it’s cold just standing here. Let’s go inside.”
-Whack!
-Whack!
As they approached the training field, someone was hitting balls.
“Ha, what are you doing here?”
It was Ha Seojin and Cha Jaehoon.
“I needed to ask Seojin something…”
“It’s the Korean Series. Can’t rest.”
All the players seemed to think alike, already six gathered.
And at the top was…
“…Wasn’t he visiting his parents?”
Park Siwoo, who had said he’d visit his parents, looked surprised to see the players.
“Hey, Siwoo.”
“What are you doing here?”
“And you? Your parents?”
“Ah, I’m tagging along, so it’s a bit inconvenient. We’ll join for dinner later.”
“Then just rest and eat. Why come here?”
“The last game, my knuckleball felt off, so I wanted to adjust with Oliver.”
Even on vacation, they returned to the stadium to train.
In fact, other players, including Lee Donghoon, were thinking the same.
“Sigh. How could I scold you? Still, stop pitching and watch my throws.”
“Huh?”
“Oh, perfect. Two catchers here.”
“Want us to watch your at-bats?”
“Sounds good.”