Countryside Ace

Chapter 16 : Ingredients (1)?

Ingredients (1)**

Though everyone knows that there's "no correlation at all" between preseason and regular season stats, baseball fans still swing between joy and sorrow based on spring training results.

That's because, by the time last season's Korean Series fades from memory and the terrifying mess of their own team is forgotten, baseball thirst reaches its peak—fans have been waiting only for these games.

[Invincible Stars, victory Shall Be Ours, the Most Powerful Stars Ohohohohohohoho]

└ 'That Season'

└ 'Spring'

└ Memory Reset for the Faithful Loser-Fans: ON

└ Judging by how the Fail-Stars are strutting, must be cherry blossom season soon

Especially, it's the time of year when fans of a certain Busan team, always strong in spring, are the most excited.

Regardless, Gangwon Miners were showing quite a good performance this preseason.

Maybe it wasn't the pinnacle, but certainly a remarkable improvement compared to the past.

[Don't you think the players' eyes look different since Song Moon-jung became head coach??]

└ I feel the same

└ All the slackers are getting whipped into shape, lol

└ Ye Ji-hoon got subbed out for discipline during the preseason, lol

└ Where's Bang Min-soo?

└ Bang-dang in the minors, lOOOOOL

Song Moon-jung's face would turn sour if they lost, but even when they won a preseason game, he'd just grumble, "What does it matter if you win now?"

"You've got to do well during the actual season."

Regardless of how baseball fans in Gangwon felt, the sports media had a keen eye on Gangwon Miners this season.

A retired giant of Korean baseball returned to the field, and Seo Tae-seung—still revered as a baseball icon even after leaving active play—entered the KBO for the first time as a pitching coach.

Song Moon-jung was also a favorite with reporters for his unfiltered tongue.

"Get real, discipline? Jo Sung-gyu? He said he wants to try closing, so I'm letting him. He's not locked in yet. Huh? Our pitching coach said something different? Don't interview that rascal!"

Seo Tae-seung was very popular for his refreshing bluntness.

Of course, that sort of style can be polarizing and, if results didn't follow in the season, even a legend could get roasted.

But for now, it was fine.

It was Seo Tae-seung, after all.

[Miners Pitching Coach Seo Tae-seung: "If you can't throw better than me, just do as you're told."]

Players were split.

Younger ones found hope in Seo Tae-seung's meritocratic approach, while veterans felt uneasy about their places no longer being guaranteed.

Yet one player in a somewhat unique position on the Miners was feeling something a bit different.

'There are more people uncomfortable with me now than before...'

'Why does Father, with a second lifetime's worth of experience, act like that in social situations...'

'Or is he just that sort of person...?'

Seo Ye-sung decided to shake off these tangled thoughts.

No point worrying. No one's going to change just because I want them to.

Of course, he had his own history to consider.

[Rookies About to Debut: The Teammate They Most Want to Beat—Gangwon Miners' Seo Ye-sung]

[Seo Ye-sung, everyone's Rival, chooses "Gwangju Vipers 10th-rounder Jeon Hee-chan"]

Average or below. Being drafted in the 10th round says it all.

And yet he chose Jeon Hee-chan?

Rookies from all 12 KBO teams responded with annoyance.

"Seo Ye-sung probably doesn't even know who Jeon Hee-chan is—just picked at random."

"Knew it. That jerk."

"I wanna punch Seo Ye-sung in the face."

"Hey, you too?"

"Me too!"

* * *

Whenever it comes to rookies, people expect potential over immediate skill, yet also hope for an impact from their debut game.

Many believe that players who do well now will do well later.

And they hope, each game and each season, the player turns into something greater.

This is a league where, if a player in their early twenties with a 2.2 WAR drops to 1.8 WAR the next year, people claim the aging curve has hit.

In this respect, I'm different from other rookies.

I don't know how much more I can improve here.

What if my peak is now?

Sure, I remember a glorious comeback with twenty wins.

But you can't expect that every season. Baseball is just too full of variables.

One 20-win season is no guarantee for another—and a win isn't something you can achieve on your own.

All you can do is prepare according to plan.

In preseason, I'll only throw the slider, omitting my four-seam and sweeper.

And add in my still-incomplete curve. Riding highs and lows is for the fans.

A baseball player's mindset has to be different.

Catcher Yoon Bong-wan, with whom I'd be partnering today, entered the small meeting room where I was waiting.

"Came early?"

"No, I just arrived myself."

"Hehe. Let's get the discussion out of the way first. Today we're facing the Busan Stars..."

Without small talk, the meeting about today's game began, but Yoon Bong-wan lightened the mood with some jokes.

"Do you know why they're called the Stars?"

"I'm not sure..."

"Read it forward, it's Stars. Read it backward, still Stars. Whether starters or bullpen, they're all the same—Stars."

Fans call them Fail-Stars.

I cracked a small smile, and Yoon Bong-wan clucked his tongue.

"Just kidding. Their batting is the real deal, so we'll have to be careful there."

At this time, the Stars were a team that lived and died by their explosive batting.

The problem was, they had a relatively weak starting rotation, the weakest bullpen in both leagues, and bottom-tier defense.

But when their offense exploded, nobody could stop them.

Of course, sometimes their hot streak would fizzle like someone poured ice water on them.

"This team's lineup, top or bottom, just snowballs if they catch momentum... And for some reason, during preseason, even the backups are on fire. But don't lose confidence—pound that strike zone."

* * *

Preseason game: Miners vs Stars. Miners had declared Seo Ye-sung as starting pitcher, while the Stars started their new foreign pitcher, johnny Beck.

It was a showdown between the league's most popular team and the least.

Stars fans, hyped about the new foreign acquisition, flooded online live stream chats.

Top of the first, home team's Johnny Beck took the mound first.

First pitch: strike.

└ That pitching form! Damn!

└ Look at that velocity! Damn!

└ Found our ace starter! Damn!

First pitch, 152 km/h.

Stars fans were buzzing about Johnny Beck, a lefty reportedly able to hit up to 154 km/h.

Miners mostly fielded their starters, except for shortstop, and leadoff, veteran second baseman Woo Hyun-geun, just watched the pitch go by.

Second pitch: ball.

└ Woo Hyun-geun is too scared to even swing, lol

Third pitch: ball.

└ His pitch quality is good, just throw strikes instead of nibbling

Fourth pitch: strike.

└ Why throw balls when you clearly have the stuff?

Fifth pitch: foul.

Sixth pitch: ball.

Seventh pitch: ball. Walk.

└ Did they fish a velocity-only wild pitcher off the street?

└ Foreign signing is a bust, damn

└ PTSD from wild fireballer imports, argh

└ He's nuts, already walked the leadoff batter;;;

└ Busan locals know what's up just by watching

└ If Busan fans are so knowledgeable, why haven't you guys won?

└ ?

└ Is Busan cursed?

└ You talking smack about my region?

└ Out of line, pal

└ Give your address

└ Hey, do you know Sang-min from Gangwon? We're close friends.

Preseason games are for checking players' condition—but also fierce info warfare.

Woo Hyun-geun, a former stolen base king, had slowed but grown wiser.

All spring camp, he focused not on hitting but on strengthening muscles around his joints.

He was Song Moon-jung's VIP at swim training.

He felt a bit uneasy. With age, his swing speed had dropped, and his eyes felt older.

He couldn't shake the thought he hadn't hit enough lately.

But Song Moon-jung said:

'You've still got experience. Just stay healthy. Make sure your knees don't creak and keep them oiled.'

Center fielder Kim Jae-beom, acquired this season, flew out to left after a six-pitch at-bat, and third hitter Domingo Batista struck out swinging on seven pitches.

└ Is he really using 20 pitches for two outs?

└ Where's the guy who called him the ace?

└ Found our number eleven starter, damn

Either way, the top of the first ended scoreless, with Stars fans noting their new import's command was lacking.

└ It's fine, just preseason

└ Foreign swap needed, stat

└ It's only preseason!

└ Busan folks are so impatient, wow

└ Don't Busan fans pride themselves on being baseball geniuses?

└ Let's make a baseball genius acrostic poem

└ Base

└ Baseball: Team that sucks at the game

└ Genius

└ Genius: Even at their best, can't make the Korean Series

└ Whiz

└ Whiz: Turns out, they're not even qualified pros

└ ?

└ LOL

└ I'll sue, you jerk

Bottom of the first, the Miners' new lefty rookie took the mound.

A moment later.

Seo Ye-sung's four-seam fastball to Stars leadoff Jo Kyu-chan clocked 155 km/h, sending Stars fans into a tizzy.

└ Shit

└ That's wild, lol

└ The foreigner's slower than a rookie, lol

└ Both lefties, too, lol

└ This season's bust already, lol

└ Seriously, can a foreigner ruin a season just by being slower than a rookie?

└ Don't ask diehard fans, they don't know baseball

└ Hey hater, do you know my friend Sang-min or not?

* * *

Maybe I used a bit more strength; the first pitch was higher than intended.

Still, it was called a strike, and Yoon Bong-wan and I had talked about ABS before the game.

'You had ABS (Automated Ball-Strike System) in high school too, right? It varies a bit by park, but best to get used to it quickly.'

I'm fully accustomed to ABS.

ABS was first applied to KBO's first division in 2024, with tweaks over time.

There were a few issues early on, but now there's barely any grumbling.

Of course, you still get "No way can anyone hit that!" or "That's a strike (or ball)??," but if it throws off the opponent, it gives me a small psychological edge.

Baseball is a sport where stacking small advantages equals victory, and small losses pile up into defeat.

Of course, no matter how many small wins you pile up, all it takes is one big swing to push it over.

Anyway, the next sign is another four-seam.

The Stars hitters are ultra-aggressive, so we'd talked about teasing them a bit, yet here we are with two straight four-seams.

Maybe Yoon Bong-wan has something in mind...

"Strike!"

The pitch sprayed a bit, but the bat didn't move.

Jo Kyu-chan is famous for crushing fastballs—and for swinging at anything even close.

But he took two straight four-seams?

Maybe it's just spring, so he's working on plate discipline. Or, as a rookie facing him for the first time, he's trying to read me.

Still, if analysis always guaranteed victory, there wouldn't be any losing teams.

Third pitch, another four-seam. High zone.

I didn't shake my head.

It's just preseason, even if I get hit, it's only one, and if I build a reputation for fearlessly throwing four-seams, it'll help once the season starts.

Phew.

I took a breath and started my pitch.

Aiming for where the first pitch landed. High and inside.

But my ball control wasn't quite there. The ball tailed slightly outside for a righty.

The batter was late on the speed, and only swung after the ball had passed. Missed—struck out on three pitches.

"Strike! Out!"

Even though it was just preseason, even though it was just the leadoff hitter, the Busan fans seemed furious.

"Hey! Are you a hitter or a fan? Jo Kyu-chan, you wanting to die or what?"

I found myself smiling.

I'm really back.

Funny that I'd feel this, of all places, at Sajik Baseball Stadium—the one I hated most as a rookie.