Regular Season Opening (1)
Yu Suhyeon lay on the bed, using my left arm as a pillow, and asked, “Nuna, since I have night shift tomorrow, can I go cheer during the day?”
“It’s fine. Going to the baseball stadium isn’t that easy. You need to rest well and go to work.”
“Then I’ll have to watch from home. And I’ll definitely go cheer later.”
“Do you know baseball rules?”
“Um… I don’t know!”
“What’s that?”
“Hehe.”
Yu Suhyeon nestled closer into my arms. Her coquettish side seemed to be growing stronger with every passing day.
“Anyway, since all the family members will be watching the Dragons game, there’s no need to ask me about it.”
“But there’s no guarantee I’ll play. I don’t know if I’ll play every day or not.”
“Really? Why?”
“That’s a bit hard to explain, but…”
Actually, even if I say it that way, the opponent for the opening game is the Daejeon Golden Eagles, and while the starting pitcher isn’t bad, they’re famous for their weak batting lineup, so in a way, my chance of playing is higher.
Our team doesn’t seem likely to score a lot of runs, and probably leading by 2 to 4 points, and since it’s the opening game, Albert will probably be taken out early unless something goes wrong.
But nothing can be guaranteed.
“Just think that I’m still young and a rookie, so that’s why. I’ll gradually play on a regular schedule.”
“Really? I hope so soon.”
I feel the same. There’s no reason to think ‘How is a high school graduate rookie starting in the first team?’ I’m enjoying this life now, but I haven’t forgotten the responsibility for the task given by the immortal.
After finishing training and loosening up, I’m already tense. The game starts in about two hours, but the stands are already filling up, and the busy scene of broadcast preparations makes me tremble. My goal is the world’s best, but if the Baseball Immortal sees me like this from the start of my pro debut, he’d curse me.
“Nervous? That’s unavoidable for rookies, especially in front of 10,000 fans at Jamsil.”
Gang Daeho, the team captain and undisputed starting center fielder, spoke to me. While Kim Junsu has a light and fun feel compared to his skills, Gang Daeho has a certain weight to him. If I put it nicely, he has dignity? His lines are sometimes embarrassing, but he’s not disliked.
Moreover, Gang Daeho is the most diligent and fan-service-oriented player. I didn’t particularly like the Dragons, but I had heard many stories of his good deeds from middle and high school days.
“I don’t know if I’ll play today or not, but I’m not particularly nervous.”
“What are you talking about? If you’re the winning pitcher, you have to come to work thinking you’ll definitely play. Or do you think our team will lose?”
“That’s not it. I just want to debut as soon as possible.”
“Haha, that’s a good mindset.”
I was loosening up with a heart I couldn’t tell if it was tension or excitement.
I originally didn’t watch baseball games much. It’s a line that won’t come out of my mouth now, but I thought there was no reason to go watch since I wasn’t a fan and I watched more MLB anyway. However… seeing 10,000 fans with my own eyes, I regret that I should have come to Jamsil a few times.
The team’s intro was displayed on the scoreboard, and the starting players took their defensive positions. Could I start the opening game in the Seoul Dragons uniform? Of course it’s possible. Even if it’s small, I had set a goal in my heart.
“Play ball!”
After the national anthem, Albert, our starting pitcher, prepared to throw.
The broadcast commentary rang out:
“Here, Gang Daeho’s double play comes out. Seoul Dragons, 5th inning bottom, barely misses the chance.”
“Gang Daeho hit the ball well, but in the end, it went straight to the infielder.”
“Valdez of the Golden Eagles is performing well today?”
“Yes, Valdez didn’t have fun against the Dragons last year, but he’s doing well today. Separately, it seems the Dragons batters aren’t playing too impatiently.”
The game was now in the 6th inning bottom, Daejeon Golden Eagles 2:1 Seoul Dragons.
The game wasn’t going well at all. No matter how you looked at it, Albert was throwing harder than Valdez, and our lineup looked better, but… baseball really is tough.
If Albert held until the 6th, and our lineup turned it around, I could play.
Moreover, even if we didn’t turn it around in the 6th bottom, with a one-run deficit in the 7th top, I could come in and hold, giving us a chance in the 7th bottom as well.
What was the manager thinking? The opponent was the Golden Eagles, and if we were aiming for a championship, we had to win no matter what.
“Strike out!”
Though we were behind, Albert was showing his stuff. With a pitch count of 91, considering it was the opening game, this was probably the last inning. What about the 6th bottom? But no matter what happened, I needed to be prepared, right?
“Got it!”
“Oh, it’s a home run.”
The seniors in the dugout all stood up at once.
The ball flew over the left field fence. Ramirez, our new foreign hitter and 4th batter, hit a tying home run.
Ramirez raised his hand in celebration. The Dragons were famous for not signing foreign hitters. Would this be different?
A huge roar came from the cheering section above the dugout. I was frustrated, but how must the fans watching feel?
“Junseong.”
The pitching coach approached.
“Yes, Coach.”
“The manager wants you to wait in the bullpen.”
“…Understood.”
It was my debut, and on the opening day icebreaker.
“After the 6th inning bottom ended, it’s now the 7th inning top. How will this tense pitching duel end?”
“I don’t know what the fans think, but from the watching perspective, it’s really exciting. Hahaha.”
“And now, who do you see warming up on the mound in the 7th inning top?”
The camera zoomed in on Lee Junseong loosening up on the mound.
“It’s Lee Junseong from Seongsan High School. Manager Park Duseong is bringing out a high school graduate rookie pitcher in this important moment.”
“He really is a gambler. No matter how much he was marked as the winning pitcher, bringing out a rookie pitcher here isn’t something anyone can do.”
“Lee Junseong is debuting in front of 10,000 fans at Jamsil. Everyone, please watch how this young player’s debut ends!”
Honestly, I hadn’t been sure I’d come in with a tie or one-run deficit. Even if the manager trusted me, if I gave up runs, I’d be criticized for bringing up a rookie pitcher and killing the momentum.
Park Ujin gave his signature chest-pounding gesture. He was really fired up.
In the pre-game pitcher meeting, I received a briefing on the Golden Eagles batters and how to counter them. And then…
“Strike!”
My conclusion was that it didn’t matter which batter came up; I didn’t need to worry about them.
“Strike out!”
It was fortunate that the opposing lineup was weak. I didn’t think I’d give up any runs. What remained was simply to show an amazing performance.
“Strike out!”
“K!K!K!K! Can you believe it? Rookie Junseong uses his 152 km fastball to clean up the top of the lineup with just 11 pitches!”
“I said I had to keep an eye on Junseong since the exhibition games, but this was beyond what I expected… Hahaha. That’s why Manager Park Duseong trusted him without hesitation.”
“And Junseong didn’t throw just fastballs in a row, right?”
“Yes, he was throwing straight, like ‘if you’re going to hit, hit.’ The batters couldn’t even touch the ball.”
“How happy the fans must be. Rookie Junseong is announcing the shock of the season. Watch soon.”
“After the 7th inning bottom, the score is Daejeon Golden Eagles 2:2 Seoul Dragons.”
“Junseong! Junseong! Junseong!”
The fans’ cheers rang out. It seemed he had struck out three in a row, which was a good sign.
“Good job!”
“Nice pitching!”
“Did you always throw up to 152?”
The seniors came over all at once. There were many who occasionally checked on me, the rookie who joined the first team, but this was the first time they had all come together like this. It must have been because the game had been so tough. They were grateful that I had cleanly completed the inning.
“152? But your control was good too.”
I could throw faster if I wanted, but if control wasn’t there, it was meaningless. I was gradually increasing it.
“Well, since Junseong will take all the attention anyway, let’s just focus on turning the game around.”
Gang Daeho shouted to the players, and the next batter started preparing.
“Out!”
The teammates all cheered, and cheers came from the cheering section as well.
We scored two runs in the 8th to take the lead, and Go Junyong, our closing pitcher, finished the game.
If we had turned it around in the 7th, I would have been the winning pitcher, but what could I do. The winning pitcher who held the 8th was Han Yongjun.
I had finished my debut well. There was a strange feeling that the more I worked in the bullpen, the farther the starting spot seemed to move, but I couldn’t slack off. The opportunity would come.
“Junseong player!”
One of the team staff approached.
“Today’s winning interview is Junseong player, so prepare.”
“Huh?”
Actually, even though it was only one inning with no runs allowed, the rookie treatment was really good.
“We’re meeting Lee Junseong, who had a wonderful debut today. Congratulations on your successful debut.”
“Thank you.”
Announcer Kim Seoa conducted the interview.
“My heart is…”
I didn’t remember anything about how the interview went, only the photo of her I saw online later. As an announcer, her face was pretty, but her figure was even more famous. Well… I had to focus on the interview.
“You threw only 11 fastballs and struck out three today. Did you have confidence in fastballs from the start, or was it a strategic choice?”
“I had confidence, but once I threw them, they were well received, and it seemed Coach Park Ujin properly analyzed it and led comfortably.”
“Yes, your performance was great, but how do you want to celebrate your successful debut after this?”
“Haha… Since there’s a game tomorrow and I might play, I think I just have to eat well and rest.”
“You really are a model player. Then, finally, please give a message to the fans.”
“I got to play my first game sooner than expected, so I’m still a bit dazed right now. I’ll do my best for the team in the future. I hope the fans come to the 10,000-seat stadium like today. Thank you.”
“Thank you for the interview. Until now, we’ve met Lee Junseong.”
I greeted the camera and, as a courtesy, the announcer as well.
When our eyes met, Kim Seoa gave a strangely seductive smile, as if she knew something.
Our team had taken the first win, and I had successfully finished my first game.
Would I play tomorrow? Would there be a position change for me this season? For now, showing the best performance from my current spot was the answer.