Exhibition Game (4)
A scene of utter mayhem. Players and coaching staff from both dugouts poured onto the field, colliding and tangling into a chaotic, churning brawl.
Did Justin have no conscience at all? Throwing a fastball right at someone's head and having the nerve to get angry about it?
"Hey! You just threw a fastball at my head—what the hell gives you the right to act so indignant?!"
"It's your own fault for not getting out of the way!"
Unbelievable. The absolute, shameless gall, even after watching my helmet go cartwheeling through the air.
"Hey, Seonghyun! Calm down! Just calm down, man!"
Seongwon-hyung threw himself in front of me, yelling at the top of his lungs, but there was no way in hell I could stay cool after hearing crap like that.
"Get out of my way. He drills me in the skull and has the nerve to blame me?!"
I shoved past Seongwon-hyung, but in the blink of an eye, a sea of bodies surged between Justin and me, sealing off the path. Hah. If this were Major League Baseball, I would've settled this cleanly with my fists right then and there.
"Hey! Dongjun! Restrain Justin, for crying out loud!"
"Yes, sunbae-nim!"
At Seongwon-hyung's desperate shout, the opposing catcher hurriedly wedged himself between Justin and me. Ah, right. I recalled hearing that the KBO was a remarkably tight-knit circle—everyone was just one degree of separation from knowing each other.
The Knights' catcher was clearly Seongwon-hyung's junior from school. I vaguely remembered reading somewhere that bench-clearing brawls here often blew over into cordial reunions. That was completely unimaginable back in the States. But wait a second—he wasn't my senior, was he?
"Whoa, hey, I'm really sorry, Seonghyun. I'll make sure to warn him."
"Hah. Fine. Drop it already."
Though I'd shoved him aside moments ago, Seongwon-hyung latched onto me once more. Clicking my tongue inwardly, I began trudging over to first base. Justin, having hurled a fastball at my head, was promptly slapped with an ejection, screaming the F-word as he stalked off the mound.
"Excuse me? I'm being subbed out?"
"Yeah. It was a headshot, after all. Better to take you out immediately."
"The helmet absorbed most of the blow, so I'm fine. I can keep playing."
"Manager's orders."
I tried to protest the substitution signal from the dugout, but ultimately, that was the manager's prerogative. Nodding reluctantly, I swapped out for a pinch runner and headed back toward the dugout. Jaehun-hyung, who was taking rhythmic practice cuts in the on-deck circle, called out to me.
"Nephew, you alright?"
"Caught the top rim of the helmet, so I'm good."
"You sure you don't need to head to the hospital?"
"Yeah, I'm fine. My head didn't even rattle."
With a frame as sturdy as mine, there wasn't the slightest symptom of a concussion. It was a blessing I'd jerked my head back just in time.
"...Was it intentional?"
"Yeah. Over ninety percent sure."
Batters who take a pitch can usually tell. You know whether the pitcher simply lost control or deliberately targeted your ribs. Factoring in Justin's unapologetic attitude, it was practically ninety-nine percent intentional.
"Haaah. Why can't folks just play baseball? Trying to haze a rookie in this day and age..."
"Well, since the automated strike zone keeps umpires from giving veterans unfair leeway, I can almost understand his frustration... but throwing at my head crossed the line."
"First off... let me apologize on his behalf. I should've charged out there and beat the snot out of Justin myself."
"Why are you apologizing, hyung-nim? The blame lies squarely on the pitcher who threw at my skull."
"Alright, batter, let's get into the box."
While we were talking, the replacement pitcher had already finished his warmup tosses. The umpire gave the prompt, and Jaehun-hyung gave a sharp nod.
"Go beat the hell out of them with baseball, hyung-nim."
"You bet. Just watch."
Crack!
Class was indeed permanent. True to the timeless baseball adage—attack the new pitcher's first pitch—Jaehun-hyung jumped on the very first delivery, driving it in a gorgeous, majestic arc deep into the stands.
Kanghyuk-hyung followed up with a sharp base hit, but the next batter grounded out softly into an infield out, ending the frame. Having been replaced by a pinch runner, all I could do was sit back and wait in the dugout.
"Yoo. You alright?"
"...Lucas, please tell me you're not planning what I think you are."
Holy hell. The glint in Lucas's eyes was terrifyingly unhinged. Ah, right. The man was a Philigan through and through.
"Planning what?"
"Let's just play baseball. Only baseball."
"They're the ones who decided to play dodgeball with a human target instead of baseball, Yoo."
Oh, God, please, no. Despite my desperate, pleading glare, Lucas wound up and hurled a 95 mph fastball straight at the head of the very first batter to dig into the box. This was why you could never trust a Philigan. Tsk... this is totally screwed.
"Aaargh!!!"
Unlike my pitch, which merely grazed the crown, this fastball detonated squarely against the ear flap. If the batter hadn't been wearing a protective C-flap helmet, it could have been catastrophic. Pitchers, honestly...
Taking a direct shot to the head, the batter crumpled backward onto the dirt, completely unable to get up. If my incident had triggered a scripted, WWE-style standoff, this one kicked off an all-out UFC brawl.
"What the hell are you doing?! Are you out of your fucking mind?!"
"You guys threw at us first!"
Lucas? He was looking down at the fallen batter with a deeply satisfied, smug grin. That crazy Philigan bastard, seriously.
Enraged by his smirk, the Knights players charged toward Lucas, and I bolted out from the dugout to cut them off.
"Jaehun-hyung! Luis!"
The moment three towering behemoths, each standing over 190 centimeters tall, formed an impenetrable wall in front of Lucas, an awkward standoff instantly froze the field. The Knights' captain, who had stepped up, let out a weary sigh, bit his lip, and spoke to Jaehun-hyung.
"Hey, Jaehun. Fuck, isn't this going way too far? Throwing a 150 km/h heater at someone's head—what the hell are you guys doing?"
"Sunbae-nim, your guy threw 146 right at our kid's head too."
"Haaah... Look, I'm sorry Justin threw that beanball first, but... dammit, seriously."
Man, is Justin really not coming back out? I was hoping he'd step onto the grass so I could give him a proper beating. What a waste. It looked as though this bench-clearing would also fizzle out without any real violence... or so I thought.
As Lucas was formally ejected and began sauntering off the mound with a broad grin on his face, the batter who had been sprawled on the dirt suddenly sprang to his feet and lunged straight at him.
The problem was that their number-two hitter was maybe 170 centimeters tall at best—every bit as diminutive as their leadoff man—while Lucas was a 193-centimeter, heavily muscled giant.
"What's this midget's problem?"
Lucas effortlessly shoved the charging batter away with one hand, sending him sprawling across the dirt. Ooh. Yeah. That's it. Now that's what a real bench-clearing looks like. But the weight class difference was so comically vast that there was zero tension. It wasn't even fun to watch.
Is Justin seriously hiding in the clubhouse?
"Hey, Lucas. Cut it out and get inside. I told you to stick to baseball."
"I'm innocent, Yoo! I was literally just walking off!"
What on earth was anyone supposed to do with this unhinged Philigan?
"Yoo Seonghyun steps into the box for his second at-bat."
"His first at-bat home run was truly magnificent. A picture-perfect launch angle and exit velocity."
"His batting form is practically reminiscent of Shohei Ohtani. First pitch! The cutter runs deep inside once again."
"With the first pitch coming this far inside, the second pitch is very likely to target the outside edge, just like the sequence against Choi Kanghyuk... Wait, whoa, WHOA!"
"Fortunately, Yoo Seonghyun turned his head just in time, and the ball caught the upper rim of his helmet, so there doesn't appear to be severe trauma."
"What an immense relief. Under the automatic headshot ejection rule, Justin will be dismissed from the game."
"Wait, Yoo Seonghyun is saying something while making a gesture?"
"Uh, yes. That's probably not something our broadcast cameras need to linger on."
"Hold on, Justin is stepping off the mound and heading straight toward Yoo Seonghyun?!"
"This is completely unacceptable. Why is the pitcher who threw at a batter's head the one getting angry?"
"Both benches are clearing onto the diamond!"
"It's only an exhibition game—we certainly didn't need an exhibition of this kind of drama, haha."
Crack!
"Hwang Jaehun pulls the very first pitch! You can tell just from the sound of that swing! A magnificent parabola! Every single fielder has stopped in their tracks!"
"Caught it right on the sweet spot. You cannot give Hwang Jaehun a pitch like that. A complete and utter mistake by the pitcher."
"The heart and soul of the Titans, Hwang Jaehun! Delivering a thunderous home run right from the exhibition games!"
"Choi Kanghyuk certainly has a peculiar batting stance. It brings back memories of Lee Dae-hyung."
"A solid piece of hitting! That's a base hit!"
"However, Kim San's ball is fielded cleanly in the infield for the third out. The inning is over. Moving into the top of the fourth."
"Leading off is the number two hitter, Lee Hyungmin. He went down on strikes in his first plate appearance."
"Even though it's just an exhibition, Lucas's stuff looks phenomenal today. His fastball has serious life despite the chilly weather, and his breaking balls have sharp break."
"Here's the first pitch! The pitcher winds up... Wait, whoa, WHOA!"
"It's headed straight for the head again?!"
"That hit by pitch was extremely dangerous... Both dugouts are storming the field once more. We hope Lee Hyungmin isn't severely injured."
"Three towering giants from the Titans bench have stepped out to block the middle!"
"Breaching that defensive line to reach Lucas looks practically impossible."
"And just like that, Lucas is ejected from the game."
"Justin losing his temper earlier was problematic, but Lucas smiling as he walks off after an ejection isn't a great look either."
"Wait! Lee Hyungmin is charging straight at Lucas?!"
"Ah. The difference in weight class is simply too vast."
"Lucas has officially been ejected."
"Both teams have pulled all their primary starters, filling the remaining lineup with second-team and developmental players."
"Nevertheless, our duty is to bring you the full broadcast until the final out! We'll be right back after the pitching change!"