Chapter 6: Unleashing the Fastball

Jamsil Irons' opponent was Gangdong Cheonhajeil.

True to their grand name, Gangdong Cheonhajeil's lineup was impressive.

"Hey, isn't that guy the one who was playing in the first league until recently?"

"Yeah, he used to play for Wonderland."

"And that guy—how is he so huge?"

"I heard he came over after playing in the Minor Leagues."

"No way... isn't that cheating?"

"We're not much different, though."

Gangdong Cheonhajeil was not a team that seemed to belong in an amateur baseball league.

Their roster included a former pro first-league player, an expatriate who played in the Minor Leagues, and every member was a former professional athlete.

'What a crazy lineup.'

Even to Jung-woo, who was unfamiliar with amateur baseball, the match between Cheonhajeil and Irons looked like a battle between David and Goliath.

'But they're the perfect opponents to test my current condition.'

Jung-woo wanted to test where he stood in this game.

In that sense, Cheonhajeil was the right opponent.

"Hello?"

At that moment, a man wearing glasses approached him.

"You're the starting pitcher today, right? I'm Yang Hoseong, the catcher for Irons. Looking forward to working with you."

"I'm Han Jung-woo."

"I heard you were playing in the second league until last year. How fast is your pitch now?"

"Around 140 km/h."

"140?"

Yang Hoseong's eyes widened in surprise.

A retired baseball player's pitching speed usually declines rapidly.

It's common to lose an average of 10 km/h in just a year.

But the speed Jung-woo mentioned was still competitive, even by professional standards, so it was no wonder Yang Hoseong was surprised.

"That's impressive. I hope I can catch it properly."

"Looking forward to working with you."

"Alright, let's start by getting the signals down and then throw a few pitches."

"Sure."

The signals were straightforward.

Jung-woo didn't have many different pitches he could throw.

Even during his playing days, he mostly relied on fastballs, sliders, and curveballs.

They were all classic pitches, but their precision wasn't particularly high.

"Shall we consider the curveball as your secondary pitch?"

"Yes, it might be better to use it for getting strikes."

"Got it. Then let's finalize the signals and start with some light pitching."

Nodding, Jung-woo stepped onto the mound.

The facilities at this baseball field were average at best.

Neither too bad nor particularly good.

But at least the mound was well-maintained, which he appreciated.

'It's been a little over a year, huh?'

In the second league, he had played in games daily.

But since retiring, he hadn't experienced a real game.

Although he had been practicing consistently, he wasn't sure if it was enough without actual gameplay.

'I'll find out today.'

After realizing that his speed had returned, Jungwoo trained even harder than when he was active.

Knowing exactly what he was working on made the training enjoyable for him.

Because he understood how each drill was improving him.

And if those exercises translated well into actual games?

It would boost his confidence even further.

"Alright! Just throw comfortably!!"

At Yang Hoseong's shout, Jung-woo nodded and threw the ball lightly.

Whoosh—!

Pop!!

The ball, thrown with ease, zipped through the air and slammed into Hoseong's mitt.

The sound caught the attention of the players who were warming up.

"What was that noise?"

"It was the sound of Irons' starting pitcher warming up and the catcher catching the ball."

"No way, how hard did he throw in a warm-up to make that sound?"

At that moment, Jung-woo threw his second pitch.

Pop!!

"Whoa..."

"Wow..."

"He didn't even do a full wind-up, and it still sounded like that?"

The players from Cheonhajeil, who had been brimming with confidence moments ago, widened their eyes in surprise.

That's how powerful Jung-woo's pitches were.

"Hyunsu, do you think you can hit that?"

"I'm the guy who played in the U.S. Of course, I can."

"Really?"

"Come on, man. I even made it to Triple-A. There were tons of guys throwing 95 miles per hour. That pitch is barely 85 to 86 miles per hour at best."

"So we can count on you?"

"Just leave it to me!"

Cheonhajeil's coach, Yang Taegun, was satisfied with Hyunsu's confident response.

Who was Hyunsu?

After graduating from high school, he went to the Minor Leagues and even played in Triple-A.

If it weren't for an injury, he might have made it to the Major Leagues.

Though he was no longer playing baseball professionally, his experience hadn't disappeared.

Pop!!

His faith in Hyunsu didn't waver.

Pop!!

No matter how strong Jung-woo's pitches were.

Slam!!

His faith wasn't supposed to waver...

"Are you sure we can count on you?"

"Y-Yes, of course."

Although his response seemed shaky, he had no choice but to believe him.

Meanwhile, it wasn't just the players from Cheonhajeil who were surprised by his pitch.

"What the heck? Who is that guy?"

"Why is his pitch so powerful?"

"Isn't he overexerting himself during practice throws?"

The players from the Irons were also shocked by Jung-woo's pitching. But the most surprised of all was their catcher, Yang Ho-seong.

'The ball feels heavy. Even though it's just a practice throw, the impact on my glove is so strong that my hand is aching.'

In amateur baseball, there wasn't a pitcher who could throw like this. At least, not according to his experience.

'If I hadn't caught pitches from the pros in God of Baseball, I wouldn't have been able to catch this one.'

There were many former pros here, but none of them could compare to the players on God of Baseball. To appear on that show, you had to have made a significant mark in professional baseball. Either that, or you had to have played in the Major Leagues.

Because of their caliber, even after retirement, their pitches were on a different level compared to others.

'He said his name was Han Jung-woo, right? His pitch feels as heavy as theirs.'

While Jung-woo's prowess was becoming clear to Ho-seong, the umpire's voice rang out.

"Alright, let's wrap up practice and start the game!"

With the umpire's call, practice came to an end.

Back in the dugout, the Irons' manager, Sim Tae-ho, handed Jung-woo a drink.

"Thirsty? Here, have a sip."

"Thank you."

"Wow~ Why were you throwing so fiercely? Just watching made me almost wet my pants."

"Hey, isn't that incontinence?" another player teased.

"What? You little—!"

Sim Tae-ho frowned at the playful jab, and Junng-woo chuckled.

"That wasn't even me throwing at full strength."

"Huh?"

"I was just taking it easy since it was practice."

T-That was taking it easy?"

"Yes. Are we starting on offense?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah, we are."

"Then I'll get ready to pitch."

As Sim Tae-ho watched Jung-woo confidently prepare, he turned to a fellow player and asked, "Hey, he said those were easy throws, right?"

"Excuse me? No way, that can't be true. Just by looking, those pitches seemed to be in the mid-130s. Is he saying that if he goes all out, he can hit 140?"

"Maybe he's exaggerating a bit?"

"Probably. Guys his age tend to have some bravado, don't they?"

"Yeah, that must be it."

Though he nodded in agreement, Sim Tae-ho couldn't take his eyes off Jung-woo.

"Then why is my heart racing?"

"Is it a heart attack?"

"You brat, why do you talk like that?"

"Let's not get our hopes too high and just aim for keeping them under 5 runs."

That was sensible advice. The bigger the expectations, the bigger the disappointment.

Sim Tae-ho nodded, setting his sights on the game ahead.

"Play ball!!"

The umpire's shout marked the beginning of the game.

The first batter for Cheonhajeil was their shortstop, Jeong Ki-seok. A player who had been in the pros about ten years ago and had even played in the first division.

That experience still gave him confidence and pride. It was also the reason he could put up such good numbers in amateur baseball.

"Let's start the game with a nice, easy hit!"

"The pitcher's frozen!"

"Just swing and dash!"

As he heard his teammates cheer him on, Jeong Ki-seok took his stance. The pitcher began his windup.

Shooosh-!!

As Jung-woo twisted his body and kicked up his leg, his upper body became completely obscured.

'That's pretty dynamic.'

He was momentarily taken aback by the pitching form, which was entirely different from the practice throws. But that was only the beginning.

Whizz!

As he took his stride, Jeong Ki-seok strained to catch sight of the pitcher's hand.

But he just couldn't see it.

'What kind of deception is this…?'

The way Jung-woo hid his hand was masterful. Especially when he took his stride, his upper body remained completely hidden.

It had been a long time since Jeong Ki-seok had seen such a well-executed delivery.

But the real shock was yet to come.

"Hup!"

Jung-woo released the ball with a spirited shout.

Shooosh-!!

The ball left his hand and precisely hit the outside corner.

Just as Jeong Ki-seok was about to swing his bat.

Thwack-!!

The ball reached the mitt first.

Whoosh—

Only then did Jeong Ki-seok's bat weakly cut through the air.

"Strike!!"

The umpire's voice echoed through the field, but the stadium was silent.

The silence was broken by Jung-woo, the one responsible for the shock.

"Can I throw the next pitch now?"

His voice was brimming with excitement.

After mastering the new pitching mechanism, his pitch speed returned—or rather, it had actually increased.

To be precise, it was an improvement. Even without having fully conditioned his body, he was throwing pitches at the same speed as before, if not faster.

'It feels like this mechanism is tailor-made for my body.'

Throughout his career, he had learned various pitching mechanisms while coaching players. However, this was the first time he encountered a mechanism that perfectly matched his body. It was as if it had been designed specifically for him.

"Hup!!"

Thwack!!

"Strike! Batter out!!"

"Oh! Another strikeout!"

"Wow... that's amazing!"

"How are you supposed to hit a pitch like that?"

"He's easily throwing over 140 kilometers per hour."

"The ball seems to stop for a moment and then suddenly zooms in!"

Every time he threw the ball, the onlookers couldn't help but be amazed.

To be honest, Jung-woo himself was in awe.

'Is this really my pitch?'

It was hard to believe that the pitch leaving his hand was actually his. He felt confident that no matter who the opponent was, they wouldn't be able to hit his pitch.

At that moment, a large man stepped into the batter's box.

"He played in the Minor Leagues! Be careful!!" Coach Shim Tae-ho's voice echoed.

The Minor Leagues.

Once upon a time, Jung-woo had also dreamed of reaching the Major Leagues, with the Minor Leagues being the gateway to that dream.

'If I can strike him out, could I make it there too?'

His competitive spirit flared up.

'To the Major Leagues?'

Was it lingering attachment to an old dream? He didn't want to lose.

He focused even more.

"Hup!!"

Whoosh!!

Jung-woo's first pitch went straight to the outside corner.

The previous two batters could only watch as the ball sailed by.

But Hyunsu was different.

Thwack!!

He reacted immediately, swinging the bat in a compact motion and making contact with the ball.

Crack!!

"Oh! He hit it!!"

"That was a solid hit!"

The ball flew past the infield, reaching the outfield before slicing away and falling outside the foul line.

"Foul!!"

"Damn it!"

Hyunsu clicked his tongue in frustration, and the players watching nodded in acknowledgment.

"As expected, Minor Leaguers are on a different level."

"Right? He reacted to that pitch immediately."

"Isn't he going to take one out of the park?"

Hyunsu's swing was sharp, and his power was strong. It wouldn't have been surprising if he had hit a home run.

'Should I have him throw a curveball here?'

While Yang Hoseong was pondering, Jungwoo sent a sign.

'I'll go with a fastball.'

'Really? You could show him a curveball to expand the options.'

Under normal circumstances, he would have opted for a different pitch.

But after watching Jung-woo's pitching, Yang Hoseong wanted to trust his insistence.

'It seems like he's got something up his sleeve.'

It felt like Jung-woo still had something left to show. Yang Hoseong was eager to see what this retired pitcher was hiding.

'Alright, let's go with a fastball.'

As Yang Hoseong nodded, Jung-woo started his windup.

Since Hyunsu had already produced a solid hit on the first pitch, the players on the CheonhaJeil team had expectant looks on their faces, while those on the Irons team were filled with unease.

Jung-woo kicked up and delivered the pitch.

"Hup!!"

Whoosh!!

The ball left his hand, aiming straight at the inside corner of the plate.

'Another fastball! I'll take it…!'

Having already timed the first pitch, Hyunsu swung the bat accordingly.

But then—

Thwack!!

The ball landed in the mitt first.

Whoosh!!

The heavy sound of the ball echoed as the bat swung through empty air.

The reason for such a massive whiff was simple.

'What the hell… It's even faster?'

Jung-woo's pitch had gotten even faster.

And that wasn't all.

'Another fastball.'

Seeing Jung-woo's signal again, Yang Hoseong immediately nodded.

'Show him everything you've got!'

He wanted to see all that Jung-woo had to offer.

As if responding to Yang Hoseong's wish, Jung-woo hurled the ball with all his might.

"Hup!!"

Whoosh!!

The ball flew through the 18.44 meters in an instant, landing squarely in the mitt.

Thwack!!

Thwack!!

This time, Hyunsu couldn't even react to the velocity and movement of the pitch.

And the result was clear.

"Strike! Batter out!!"

It was Jung-woo's victory.