Countryside Ace

Chapter 8 : Spring Ghost (1)

Spring Ghost (1)

When combining the coaching staff and the players, there were nearly 70 people gathered before the spring camp departure.

Head coach Song Moon-jung insisted on checking the players personally, and as a result, more people than other teams were included.

Among all the players gathered, only two were rookies drafted in the last draft.

"Weren't those two a battery in high school? I heard they got picked first and second overall?"

"Look at the rookie catcher's face—like he devoured high school baseball and plans to do the same in the pros."

If you're drafted first and thirteenth overall, you've been recognized for your potential.

And to be picked at those spots, you must have, quite literally, dominated the high school scene.

But really, how many here haven't already dominated the high school baseball league?

Even if this team is at the bottom, to be in the pros at all, that's a baseline expectation.

All the more, with a team packed with FA players.

"That's coach Seo's son, right?"

"He looks relaxed."

"You think he'll pitch like his dad?"

"If he pitches like his dad, he'll have to go to the Major Leagues."

People huddled together whispering, people standing awkwardly, people stiff with nerves, and some who looked completely uninterested.

Seo Ye-sung was among them.

Next to him stood Byeong-ju, who was tense as if ready to jump at any moment, but for a rookie, Seo Ye-sung seemed unexpectedly indifferent.

Once head coach Song Moon-jung, the rest of the coaching staff, and a few front office workers appeared, the murmuring stopped.

"Tsk. Why are there so many familiar faces? You all know who I am, right?"

A few of the players laughed at Song Moon-jung's comment.

Of course there were familiar faces.

Song Moon-jung's experience in the KBO league was second to none, and most of the former stars the Miners had recruited had brushed shoulders with him at some point.

The current coaching staff was exceptionally impressive. Even leaving aside head coach Song, there were two Major League MVPs.

Some players made remarks like, "Back on the national team, I even cleaned up after Tae-seung hyung," and "Don't you remember my highlight defense play at WBC when Tae-seung hyung was starting?"

Of course, some players felt a sense of crisis.

'Man, I can't handle Seo Tae-seung's personality.'

'Shit. Seo Tae-seung as the pitching coach in my twilight years?'

'This is crazy. Song Moon-jung and Seo Tae-seung together? And on top of that, Park Joong-gu? Nuts. I can't breathe.'

At least the latter were the sharp ones.

Senior coach Park Joong-gu had won the home run king title twice in the KBO and was just as famous for his bad temper.

Song Moon-jung exchanged some banter with the players before glancing at his watch and saying,

"Alright, is everyone ready to die? Let's get going."

He really did say that, spinning on his heel.

Afterward, the players saw Seo Tae-seung smiling in a way that looked thoroughly aggravating.

And then—

"... Those catchers are going to die."

"Doesn't the battery coach's expression seem kind of off?"

And then there were the half-lidded eyes of Timothy Goldberg, with muscles threatening to burst.

* * *

After greeting each other, the players boarded the plane.

Some talked for a while, but most were now asleep or quietly minding their business.

These players were never that tight-knit or friendly to begin with.

If all went as usual, this team would hardly be attractive.

But in the end, two FA players, who were just a waste of money, left to join other teams, and two others—who weren't as high-profile but delivered strong performances—were brought in.

All the foreign player contracts changed as well.

After all, when you've recruited two people with serious MLB resumes as coaches, it would be odd not to use their network.

The starting pitchers, whom Father said he'd blow away to the bullpen, were big names.

Jung Han-seung, former wins leader.

Jo Sung-gyu, former strikeout king.

Bang Min-soo, national team lefty.

Ordinarily, the wins leader couldn't crack 140km/h, the strikeout king didn't have the stamina for a starter, and the national lefty had turned into a home run machine.

If all three star pitchers moved to the bullpen, the starting rotation would consist of foreign pitchers, Hwang Seung-tae, who joined via FA, and myself.

As for the last spot, there was no telling who would take it. Who could say what the future held.

As for catcher, there was Yoon Bong-wan. His skills were still among the best in Korea, but at age 35 with nagging injuries, he couldn't play full time.

Except for one position, all infield starters were FA players—former home run king, stolen base king, the names alone sounded impressive.

With Kim Jae-beom joining, the outfield was somewhat improved.

The foreign player Timothy Goldberg brought in was also an outfielder.

This team had defensive and agility problems in general. It wasn't quite unwatchable, but with so many older players...

The mound's issue was that the overpriced FA signings didn't eat innings at all, leaving the bullpen overloaded the whole season.

Well.

Father can worry about the team; for me, it's best just to do my job well.

Even if, by some chance, father got fired, it's not like I'd get kicked out too, right?

* * *

Spring camp for Gangwon Miners, taking place in Arizona, U. S.

There was a clear difference from last season's spring training.

"It's a shitshow. A total mess."

When Song Moon-jung clicked his tongue, senior coach Park Joong-gu surveyed the training ground with a cold glare and said,

"How many should we send back to Korea?"

The Miners' coaching staff included Seo Tae-seung, who was already rumored to be chosen as the next head coach before even starting his coaching career, as the pitching coach.

It wasn't easy to serve as the senior coach between the absolute authority of the head coach and the head manager.

You could get swept up in politics rather than just your regular duties.

However, Park Joong-gu was one year Seo Tae-seung's junior in high school, and during his playing days, he always named Seo Tae-seung as the person he respected most.

After high school, he followed Seo Tae-seung in challenging the Major Leagues but didn't make a big mark there.

Though his name sometimes showed up in sports news, he never played a season as a full-time starter.

However, the sight of him landing a punch on the massive jaw of a two-meter-tall white man during a bench-clearing incident made a lasting impression on Korean baseball fans—perhaps even more than his home runs.

After some twists and turns, he came to the KBO and won the home run king title twice.

Even in Korea, he showed off MLB-style bench-clearing brawls a few times—most of the time, the victims were foreign pitchers.

The Korean players played it safe and didn't get hit to begin with.

"All you do is beat them up and cut them..."

"Did I overdo it?"

"Not quite overboard."

Song Moon-jung was famous for his demanding training, but he wasn't one to lead it personally.

By 'self-directed training,' he didn't mean the amount, but rather the kind of training was at the player's discretion.

He'd leave the players to train by themselves but wouldn't go home until he was satisfied, sitting somewhere he could see everything.

This was precisely that kind of self-training time.

Sending someone back to Korea mid-camp sent a very clear message: if you didn't want to get kicked out too, you'd better bust your ass.

"Joong-gu."

"Yes?"

"I've never thought of myself as old, you know."

"Yes, sir."

"But those guys out there must think I'm washed up."

There was an edge to those words.

Some players test the waters when a new head coach arrives.

Some want to coast to the end of their careers, having made big money as FAs.

Those attitudes risk rubbing off on even the motivated players.

Park Joong-gu understood exactly what the skipper meant.

It might be a bit old school, but shipping out a player or two should tighten discipline.

"But you know what?"

"Yes, sir?"

"Why isn't that guy training the players, and is just working out by himself?"

The 'that guy' the head coach referred to was pitching coach Seo Tae-seung.

While he was training the players, he was also sweating alongside them.

"He says if anyone pitches worse than him and mouths off, he'll send them to the minors, so he's getting himself in shape."

"He's insane."

"Want me to stop him?"

"Leave him. He's not the type to listen."

"Right you are."

"Don't go that crazy yourself, okay? That'd be too much for me."

* * *

The training atmosphere at spring camp was a bit unsettled.

Some veterans were testing the water, some players were working hard.

The younger players mostly seemed unsure how to fit in with all the new faces.

There were no true veteran leaders in this team.

It was inevitable, with all the players coming from different teams. Even those working hard did so on their own.

"Hyung, aren't you working too hard?"

"If you end up on Song Moon-jung's shit list, you're done. For real."

"Still, would he do that even to you?"

"Thinking like that, you'll be the first one to go."

The players who were "testing" things were feeling out the new manager's and coaches' styles.

"Still, you think he'd be like he was in the old days?"

"I'm betting he hasn't changed at all, that's why I'm working my ass off, man."

Before coming back to the past, there was friction because of the pitching coach.

The veterans felt they could look after themselves and left the lower-years to get ridden hard.

Meanwhile, some players were taking it easy on purpose.

"Nice day."

"Yeah."

"If I close my eyes and open them, I wish it were this time next year."

"Same here."

Some players couldn't decide which way to go.

"... Hey, Ye-sung."

Take someone like Byeong-ju.

"What?"

"You know Coach Goldberg?"

"Yeah."

An odd expression crossed his face. Byeong-ju knew I'd trained with Goldberg all winter.

"I was honestly looking forward to it. I mean, when would I ever get to train under a Major League MVP catcher? But..."

"But he just keeps making you do weights?"

"Yeah."

"He had me doing that all winter."

"..."

After finishing my run, I lay down and flexed only my thick arms in reply.

But Timothy Goldberg, for all his macho appearance, had surprisingly nuanced training theories about strength building.

He knew exactly what muscles a pitcher needed. As a former catcher, he understood exactly what training a catcher needed.

He was also an excellent hitter, so it was the same in that regard.

"Just do what he tells you."

"Right? Well, he was a Major League MVP, after all..."

The team didn't seem any different, but really, it had changed a lot.

Maybe Byeong-ju would unlock his potential even faster than last time.

By the way, the foreign players were showing a pretty unusual attitude.

It's not always the case, but usually foreign players get slightly different treatment.

Not special favors, but since they're from different environments, training is sometimes adjusted for them, or cultural differences are taken into account.

But this time, the foreign players were training harder than the Koreans.

Not because they hired super work-ethic guys but...

The foreign hitter, though technically the battery coach was a Major League MVP legend, would get swing tips and then go swing himself breathless like a puppy in the snow.

One of the foreign pitchers, Graham Donald Porter, had played in the Major Leagues up to last year.

Apparently, he was a huge fan of Father. Another pitcher had even played a short stint with Father when he was active.

Harold Bradshaw, a 35-year-old lefty who'd played in the U. S., Japan, even Taiwan.

There was some talk about why they'd sign such an old veteran, but Father was adamant about his ability.

Either way, Bradshaw was the hardest working guy at camp.

As I took a short break, pondering all this, a burly, bearded white man suddenly popped his face right in front of me.

"Hey, boys! Planning to give your muscles a vacation?"

Byeong-ju shrieked and tumbled backward, as if he'd seen a ghost.

Without a word, I shot to my feet and yelled,

"Vacation is a luxury for muscles!"

"That's what I like to hear!"

It had been a long time since I'd lost my mind like this. The smell of iron seemed to float at the tip of my nose.

Goldberg shouted again.

"It's time to go meet your girlfriend! Tell me your girlfriend's name!"

I resigned myself to it all.

"Her name is Barbell, coach!"

"..."

... Byeong-ju was staring at me like I was a total weirdo.