Countryside Ace

Chapter 17 : Ingredients (2)

Ingredients (2)

The reason Yoon Bong-wan called for three consecutive four-seams against Jo Kyu-chan, who was strong against fastballs, was simple.

The first pitch, just because.

The second pitch, seeing as that guy who goes crazy for first-pitch four-seams didn't even swing his bat.

The third pitch, because it looked like he wouldn't be able to hit it even if it was thrown.

And he really couldn't hit it.

'This Seo Ye-sung guy is really something...?'

Ordinary people often talk about the power of a tall pitcher's four-seam fastball pounded down from a high release, but even a four-seam coming from a distance has considerable force.

Seo Ye-sung's four-seam, thrown with a lower arm angle to create a greater spin axis and add strength, felt almost like a mutant fastball to a hitter, thanks to its speed and unique movement.

Seo Ye-sung, standing at 190cm, also had long arms, giving him a release point as high as that of a shorter pitcher throwing downward.

'He's gotten even better now that the exhibition games have started.'

It wasn't that the ball suddenly had more weight to it, or that his velocity had jumped.

In fact, his ball control was still a bit inconsistent.

Rather than those things, there was a kind of sharpness to his pitching.

'Coach Song Moon-jung sure has an eye for talent.'

The head coach had a clear favoritism for Seo Ye-sung.

Some players looked at this with distaste, but Seo Ye-sung trained more diligently than anyone, so there was really no reason to dislike him.

In fact...

'If he keeps pitching like this, I'd want to latch onto him too.'

No matter how good a pitcher is, the season is long and rough.

For now, just ride that momentum, and help out when the slump hits.

No player can be good for a whole year. That was true even for Yoon Bong-wan himself.

At any rate, the next batter for the Stars was second baseman Jung Seung-ho.

He had good contact ability, decent running speed, and combined both execution of tactics and the ability to hit on his own.

Yoon Bong-wan again signaled for a four-seam. Jung Seung-ho was also a batter who could hit the fastball well.

'It'll be nothing but four-seams until he finally makes contact.'

Pitcher Seo Ye-sung, upon seeing the sign, nodded immediately on the mound.

For a high-school rookie to shake his head at Yoon Bong-wan's sign wouldn't be easy.

Yet he didn't just nod as if caught off-guard or reluctantly accept the call like most rookies did.

It was one of two things.

Either he perfectly understood the catcher's intent...

'Or his head is totally empty.'

Either way, Yoon Bong-wan preferred both types of pitchers very much.

Thud!

"Strike!"

A 154km four-seam fastball was boldly delivered right over the inside-middle of the plate.

Jung Seung-ho flinched but didn't swing, then licked his lips and spoke.

"Hyung, are you trying to finish the inning on nine pitches? That kid doesn't know how to throw anything but strikes?"

Yoon Bong-wan answered with a laugh.

"I'm thinking I'll throw nothing but four-seams until I give up a hit. By the way, he just keeps pitching strikes."

* * *

[(Exhibition Game LIVE) Gangwon Miners 6 : 0 Busan Stars (End of the bottom of the 5th)]

└ Just disband already, you Star losers

└ 5 innings, 2 hits, 9 K's against a high-school rookie LOLOL

└ No walks at all LOL

└ Star's lineup being shy again LOL

└ You guys suck in the spring too now? LOL

└ Maybe spring is shorter from climate change LOL

└ Well, if it's a lefty rookie, of course the Stars get wrecked

└ But today's lineup had seven right-handed hitters and still getting eaten by a lefty? Damn

└ Hey, your ace has such good command—oh wait, only on paper, foreign scrub lol

└ If his command was really that good, he wouldn't have come to the KBO in the first place

└ If command was easy, everyone would be KBO top

* * *

My first appearance in the exhibition games went really well.

The pitch quality of the four-seam was much higher than I expected, so it was easy to rack up outs.

"Why did you keep calling only four-seams?"

After the game, I asked the question and Yoon Bong-wan sunbae threw it back to me.

"Then why didn't you shake your head even once when I called for a four-seam?"

Well, that's because...

"The way my four-seam was coming out today, I didn't think they could hit it."

Sunbae Yoon Bong-wan gave a big smile as he answered.

"Same for me."

It's a good thing when the battery agrees without even discussing it.

Even though I only threw four-seam fastballs for the first three innings out of five, I didn't allow a single hit.

"The Stars' batters, they had way too much tension in their swings. Maybe they went out to eat and drink after getting 25 hits in yesterday's game. So don't get too cocky. Weird stuff happens in exhibition matches. Well... I don't think you're the cocky type. Anyway, your stuff looks even better in live games."

For the remaining two innings, I mixed in sliders and curves. One slightly hung slider got hit, but it was no big deal.

"Yeah, it's just exhibition. Everyone's like that. Thanks for the advice."

"You lied about your age, didn't you? Be honest. Hm?"

"Actually, I'm thirty-seven this year."

At my joking reply, Yoon Bong-wan sunbae grabbed the back of his neck. He probably thought I was messing with a veteran.

"In all my years, this is the first time a high school rookie's said that to me."

Actually, I knew Yoon Bong-wan sunbae often joked about rookies hiding their age whenever a good one showed up.

If you only play well, you won't hear that joke.

You have to not only be good at your position but also have your vibe liked by the veterans to get that kind of banter.

And before I came back to the past, I never heard anything like that.

I guess he just thought of me as a kid with a fast arm and an arrogant streak.

"If you're thirty-seven, then we're friends, right? Should we be friends?"

I replied with a smile to Yoon Bong-wan sunbae's words.

"Kim Jae-beom said I should call him uncle, so if I become friends with you, the family tree's going to get messed up."

"Ah, Jae-beom. He seems to like you too. Normally he's real strict with the juniors."

Both Yoon Bong-wan and Kim Jae-beom came to Gangwon Miners from Incheon Flamingos.

It's not something I'm used to, but...

Maybe the much-loved rookie role isn't so bad after all?

"I like you seniors too."

At my answer, Yoon Bong-wan sunbae smiled a weird grin.

Yeah, well...

Honestly, I'm a bit embarrassed, too...

* * *

Park Joong-gu, the head coach and overall batting coordinator, could only sigh as he looked over the exhibition hitting stats so far.

The pitching staff's stats were league higher-rank, but aside from a few, almost none of the hitters looked like actual ballplayers.

"Should we trade a pitcher to bring in a hitter?"

Pitching coach Seo Tae-seung asked like a joke, to which Park Joong-gu answered expressionlessly.

"Bring over Baek Jung-woong from the Stars."

"To bring over Baek Jung-woong..."

Seo Tae-seung pondered with a serious expression.

Last season's batting and RBI king, with a .342 average, 24 homers, and 118 RBI.

"Yeah, we're not getting that guy."

"I know."

A player like Baek Jung-woong, not only for his stats but also as the team flagship, isn't going anywhere no matter the offer.

The problem with the Stars' lineup was aging, yes, but it was also that their prospects couldn't break through that aging main lineup.

"Should I find you a leadoff man?"

"Is our pitching staff deep enough?"

Seo Tae-seung's words hit the spot, making Park Joong-gu's eyes widen as he asked back, interested.

Seo Tae-seung responded with a grin.

"One who can play outfield defense."

"Hyung."

Park Joong-gu clasped Seo Tae-seung's hands tightly.

"If you're joking, hyung or not, I swear..."

"How about this guy?"

Seo Tae-seung handed over a report. Park Joong-gu quickly grabbed it and started reading intently.

"Lee Seung-bin from the Stars..."

An outfielder just discharged from military service last season.

"Had great numbers with Sangmu. Hit .385? Fast, covers lots of ground, good defense too. Can play the whole outfield."

"......"

He didn't have much first-team experience, and what he did have wasn't impressive due to erratic chances, but the scouts rated him well.

With newcomer Park Seong-hoo as an FA and a foreign import who was also an outfielder, the Stars' outfield was overcrowded.

Still, aside from the starters, he'd be next in line.

An untried lottery ticket, but also a highly-touted second-round pick from the Stars.

Getting Baek Jung-woong was a joke, but for Lee Seung-bin, he'd bow in gratitude.

But a player like that doesn't come cheap.

"Who are you giving up to get him?"

Seo Tae-seung grinned as he answered.

"Gu Hyun-im."

"Gu Hyun-im, really?"

"Yeah."

Gangwon's first-round pick from two years ago.

A right-handed power pitcher Seo Tae-seung especially worked on during spring camp, recently clocking 155km in the exhibition.

His breaking balls were still weak, but he was young.

"... Are you sure about this?"

"If you don't want to, forget it."

"Please do it."

"Do what?"

"... Trade us Lee Seung-bin. Thank you."

Seo Tae-seung laughed heartily.

This team had no outfielders who hit, ran, and fielded well all at once.

There were players who ran and fielded well but couldn't hit, and some who hit but couldn't run or field.

Even after bringing in center fielder Kim Jae-beom and a foreign outfielder, they'd held corner outfield auditions all spring and exhibition season.

"But aren't you going to regret it?"

Normally, you'd hold onto a first-round power pitcher no matter what.

But Seo Tae-seung had groomed Gu Hyun-im with this trade in mind.

"If I'm going to regret it, at least buy me something tasty."

The deal was basically done.

Seo Tae-seung had cleared it with the head coach, then informed the general manager; the Stars, overloaded in outfielders but with a dreadful bullpen, snapped up the offer.

"Won't the GM take flak for trading a first rounder?"

"That's his job."

"Ah."

"Frankly, it's all decided. Sorry for not telling you sooner."

"No worries. I don't care about that stuff."

Seo Tae-seung said to the understanding Park Joong-gu.

"All we have to do is use Lee Seung-bin better than the Stars did, right?"

Gu Hyun-im might fail here but could flourish with the Stars.

But for Seo Tae-seung, who'd spent most of his career in the Majors, there was another source of confidence.

'Deep down, I think Gu Hyun-im could be useful if polished more...'

His son, Seo Ye-sung's testimony.

'Lee Seung-bin's going to be a Gold Glove outfielder, so this is nothing.'

Working in the KBO was more fun than expected.

Why wouldn't it be?

Despite only holding the title of pitching coach, he could move FAs and trade as he pleased.

Seo Tae-seung leaned back in his chair and hummed.

I wonder if there's another team I can fleece.

* * *

Head coach Song Moon-jung said with a frown, arms folded, to the reporters.

"You guys aren't holding a death-rite for us or something, are you?"

The traces of a childhood spent all over every corner of Korea showed; it was hard to tell what dialect Song Moon-jung was even using, and the reporters chuckled awkwardly.

Even among baseball fans with divided opinions, Song Moon-jung was fundamentally a respected figure in Korean baseball, and finding a reporter who'd never enjoyed his kindness was difficult.

Plus, this was not an official setting, but a casual one for reporters with some personal connection to him.

"Oh, coach, come on! We're just cheering for the Miners, you know..."

"What, are you trying to say something about the whole lion-cub-over-the-cliff thing?"

When the reporter laughed awkwardly, the head coach clicked his tongue.

The recent articles had been like that.

Trading a first-round pitcher for a backup outfielder?

"Total failure for the Miners" and "Where'd all the prospects go?"

FA veterans sent to the minors, or hitters getting wrecked by the aging curve.

There were some positive articles about certain young pitchers stepping up, but overall, the tone was negative.

"A cub has to be a lion cub if it's going to climb up, right? Do we look like lion cubs to you guys?"

After a bit of this kind of banter, one reporter asked:

"Coach, are you really not going to use Jung Han-seung, Jo Sung-gyu, and Bang Min-soo as starters?"

Song Moon-jung clicked his tongue before replying.

"Two foreign pitchers, Hwang Seung-tae, Seo Ye-sung. That's how I'll do it. Who the other one is, I don't know. The pitching coach can figure it out."

A murmur of exclamation went up among the reporters.

Sure enough, when Song Moon-jung took over, things changed.

All those proud old stars had been dumped into the bullpen.

But it was a rather risky looking rotation.

Still, since the season hadn't started yet, they didn't press for more detail.

One reporter cautiously asked,

"Seo Ye-sung's stuff is good, but... isn't throwing him in the rotation from his rookie year a bit much?"

Of course, they'd all seen Seo Ye-sung's stuff in the training games.

A southpaw throwing in the mid-150s.

But his repertoire was simple—four-seam and slider, with an erratic curve as his third pitch.

Song Moon-jung frowned for a moment but played dumb.

"We're out of time. Hey, write some nice stuff in your articles for once, will you? Makes my neck stiff, I swear. Okay?"

With great nonchalance, Song Moon-jung left. The reporters milled around and began to chat among themselves.

"He's dodging, that means there's more going on, right?"

"He's talented, tall, in great shape, good looking... he has star quality. You really think the coach is just going to sit back?"

"So, the exact opposite of you?"

"Hey, watch it."

"Don't you think his dad's shadow will be the real problem?"

"Will he be able to get past it?"

"We'll have to wait and see. Some kids just are meant to make it."

"And the others?"

"Some will never make it, no matter what. This business always has those types."

As they wrapped up their chit-chat, one reporter spoke.

"If he does well, it'll be a story, won't it?"

Everyone agreed with that.

Seo Tae-seung's son.

Plus, he'd once appeared on a nationally popular variety show.

That show, which featured athletes' children. Of the kids who appeared, several were now following an athletic path.

"Right. Like Chang-guk Kang, Song Yeo-reum, Kim Ji-woo... Is Seo Ye-sung next?"

Chang-guk Kang, who made an adult-league debut last year in the Dutch Eredivisie.

Song Yeo-reum, the youngest ever LPGA major winner in the U. S. Kim Ji-woo, gymnast, asian Games silver medalist, and so on.

Thanks to those kids, sports news reporters had feasted for a while.

"They have to do well to be a hot topic."

"Even if they don't, they'll still be a story."

"True. Especially since Seo Tae-seung is the pitching coach now."

"And Seo Ye-sung, he's got an attitude reputation too, right?"

"Yeah, he's known for it. His draft class hated him."

"But he wasn't violent, was he?"

"No, nothing like that. Just kind of standoffish, apparently."

"I didn't notice anything like that when I met him."

The mood was winding down when, suddenly, with a toothpick between his teeth, a laid-back reporter gave a sly grin.

"Looks like it's going to be a busy year."