Chapter 12: A Pitcher's Dilemma

It was dinner time.

The staff had gathered after their meal to hold a meeting.

"The article has been published domestically, and public reaction is heating up. Posts are continuously appearing on social media, and hot keywords like 'Yashin Team' and 'Baseball God' are trending."

"But is this okay? In baseball, where the results of the game are crucial, revealing the outcome in advance through an article..."

Producer Yang responded as if it were no big deal.

"Is the benefit greater from spoiling the results, or is it greater from promoting the program through an article? When comparing the two, I chose the latter. Of course, if we keep revealing results, interest will fade, but for just one or two specific games, it won't be a big problem."

"So there won't be any more spoilers like this in the future?"

"Well, who knows."

It was better not to give a definitive answer. Situations could change at any time.

"It's been half a year since Season 1 ended. In the meantime, the world has changed again. The public's interest in us has waned, and we need to find a way to reignite it."

"Understood."

"What's the reaction to the players?"

"The hottest topic is, of course, Han Jung-woo. We exposed his video through Shorts, and the response in the comments has been phenomenal."

"Really?"

Producer Yang opened YouTube and checked the Shorts. It was a 30-second video edited to show Jung-woo pitching.

The view count had already surpassed 200,000.

"Not bad for an unknown player to get this many views. It seems he's being mentioned somewhere."

Satisfied with the video, a smile crept up his face. He then opened the comments section to check the reaction.

"His pitch was insane."

"Is that really 150 km/h?"

"Why would they release a player like this?"

"Recruiting members to burn down the FireStars' headquarters – 1/100."

"I reported the arsonist. Bye."

"His pitch is alive."

"Sure, the opponents are college students, but striking out five of six? That's crazy."

"Do those guys really look like college students to you?"

"Just looking at his face, you'd believe he was in his 30s."

"But why is he only throwing fastballs?"

"28 out of 31 pitches were fastballs."

"He threw a curveball too, but it wasn't that great."

"I'm already excited for Season 2."

The response was overwhelmingly positive. Many comments were curious about Jung-woo, which was exactly the picture Producer Yang wanted.

"When is the pre-interview video with Han Jung-woo going up?"

"It'll be up in two days."

"Good. Let's move on to the next agenda."

The meeting continued late into the night.

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Jung-woo discovered something new.

"I didn't know there was amateur baseball in the U.S."

The second opponent for Team Yashin was a U.S. amateur baseball team called the Palm Beach Power Rangers.(Jungle fury 😉)

"Power Rangers, huh..."

"I heard the team was named by the GM and initial members who were fans of the Power Rangers."

Jung-woo nodded at Baek Seung-jin's explanation.

"But there are a lot of Koreans."

"They probably sought out a team operated by Koreans. It would make for better footage."

"Oh, but I see quite a few foreigners too."

"As time passed, naturally, white and black players joined the team."

While listening to the explanation, the game began.

Not being the starting pitcher today, Jung-woo watched the game from the bullpen, getting a feel for the level of amateur baseball in the U.S.

'It's about the level of the top amateur league back home. The individual mechanics of the players aren't bad either.'

Jung-woo, being a coach by profession, prioritized observing the mechanics of the players.

While he was focused on the game, Coach Seong was in the dugout, checking the lineup.

"Put Jung-woo on the mound around the 5th inning."

"Yes, sir."

Since his first appearance, Coach Seong hadn't said much about Jung-woo. But Coach Choi Hyung-tae knew.

'He must like him.'

If he didn't, he wouldn't have given him a second chance himself.

'I hope it goes well.'

Choi Hyung-tae wished that the awkward relationship between the two would soon be resolved.

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The second game also ended in a victory for Team Yashin.

The score was 14 to 4.

It was a complete win.

The opponent had a decent track record, but it was a match between an amateur team and former pros. It would have been strange if it had been a close game.

"Hm."

Coach Seong was in his room, reviewing the game footage. It was something he had consistently done since his days as a pro coach.

Even though it was just an entertainment program, it didn't feel much different from managing a professional team to Coach Seong.

[Thwack-!]

[Thwack-!!]

In the video, each time Jung-woo threw a pitch, a heavy sound echoed.

"He throws cleanly and powerfully. He doesn't show any signs of hesitation. Most importantly, he has strong confidence in his pitches."

It's difficult for a pitcher to trust their own pitches. It's often said that the first pitch should be in the strike zone, but very few pitchers in Korea could actually do that.

This was always a point of frustration on the field. That's why he liked pitchers who threw with confidence. Of course, any coach would, but this was something that particularly resonated with Coach Seong.

Bzzt-!

At that moment, Coach Seong's smartphone vibrated.

When he turned on the screen, he saw messages coming up in the group chat.

Producer Yang: The pre-interview with player Han Jung-woo has been uploaded on YouTube. Please like it using your personal accounts.

Writer Lim: Please refrain from commenting.

Coach Seong, curious about Jung-woo's interview, accessed YouTube.

Despite being over seventy years old, he skillfully navigated his smartphone to access YouTube and entered the channel called "God of Baseball."

Just as Producer Yang mentioned, Jung-woo's interview was uploaded.

He clicked "like" and started watching the video.

[Please introduce yourself.]

[I'm Han Jung-woo, currently working as a coach at Kim Joong-ho Academy. I used to be a pitcher for the Treon Fires.]

The interview was conducted in a Q&A format.

After the self-introduction, some simple questions followed.

Then, the interviewer asked a key question.

[How did your pitch velocity increase so much?]

[I wanted to become a better coach for the members, so I studied foreign papers and materials. During that process, I found a pitching form that suited me well.]

After hearing the answer, Coach Seong realized something.

"So that's why he said that to me. Hmm... This is really... I've been living my life in vain."

It was a pitching form he discovered after much hardship.

Since he found it on his own, it must have been even more valuable to him.

Trying to correct such a pitching form naturally led to strong resistance.

"I'm still living in the past."

Back in the day, it was common for coaches to correct a pitcher's form.

Experienced coaches with proven track records were brought in for that purpose.

It was an era when good pitchers were made that way.

But the world had changed.

Unable to accept this, Coach Seong stepped down from the front line.

He had somewhat acknowledged it, but his old habits resurfaced.

At that moment, the interview continued to play.

[If you had the chance to return to the professional leagues, would you take it?]

[If the opportunity to challenge myself arises.]

Jung-woo answered without hesitation.

I would like to give it a try.]

His words were unwavering.

The once impudent kid now appeared to be a determined young man.

_____________________________________

Although it wasn't a professional team, the players at "God of Baseball" didn't neglect their training.

And every moment was being captured by the cameras.

Producer Yang was personally directing the scene at the bullpen where the pitchers were throwing.

"Camera 3, zoom in a bit more on player Han Jung-woo."

[Yes.]

The reason he was here was, of course, because of Jung-woo.

While the camera was zooming in on Jung-woo and pulling back, another player appeared on the screen.

"Jung-woo."

"Yes, senior."

The player was Han Young-jun, who had a record of 101 wins and 91 losses in professional baseball.

"I have something I'm curious about. Why did you only throw fastballs for two consecutive games?"

Hearing his question through the headset, Producer Yang brought the walkie-talkie to his mouth.

"Camera 3, don't pull back. Capture both of them in a two-shot."

[Understood.]

Then, Jung-woo's answer came.

"Actually, my other breaking balls are weak."

"Weak? But you throw a changeup from time to time, don't you?"

"Yes, but it's really just enough to disrupt timing."

"Really? Then how about learning the forkball from me?"

"The forkball?"

"Yeah, it was my main weapon during my playing days. If you combine your fast fastball with the forkball, it would be... a masterpiece, don't you think?"

The response came not from Jung-woo's mouth but from Coach Seong, who was passing by.

"Don't you know that the forkball has a high risk of injury?"

"Come on, Coach. That's only if you don't learn it properly..."

"The reason why the forkball disappeared and the splitter became more common in the Major Leagues is also due to the risk of injury."

"Oh... really? Is that why my arm hurt so much? Jung-woo, I'm sorry. I really didn't know."

"It's okay, don't worry about it."

While Young-jun looked embarrassed, it was actually Jung-woo who was flustered by his apology. At that moment, Coach Seong continued speaking.

"Young-jun's not entirely wrong. A single pitch might work at the amateur level, but it won't be enough at the professional level. If you're thinking of returning to the pros, you should quickly master a secondary pitch."

With that, Coach Seong walked away.

As he moved further away, Jung-woo quickly bowed deeply.

"Thank you for the advice!"

But Coach Seong disappeared into the distance without responding.

Producer Yang, watching this, had a puzzled expression.

'Why is that guy acting like that all of a sudden?'

To a third party, Coach Seong's behavior seemed out of the blue.

However, Choi Hyung-tae, who was close to him, nodded in understanding.

'I knew he'd like it.'

There was no way he wouldn't like someone who took baseball seriously.

_____________________________________

After finishing his training and returning to his room, Jung-woo recalled Coach Seong's words.

"A secondary pitch, huh..."

He continued to ponder.

He also believed that mastering a secondary pitch was essential to returning to the pros.

"I tried throwing the pitches I used during my playing days, but they pale in comparison to the fastball."

The slider lacked sharpness, and the curveball had a different pitching form from the fastball.

"I've been focusing on the fastball, but if I've decided to return to the pros, I need to put effort into refining a secondary pitch as well."

At that moment, there was a knock on the door.

Knock, knock!

"Jung-woo, it's Seung-jin."

Hearing Baek Seung-jin's voice, Jung-woo quickly got up and opened the door.

Standing beyond the door was Baek Seung-jin, with Han Young-jun beside him.

"Were you resting?"

"Oh, yes. Please come in."

A bit flustered by the sudden visit of two seniors, Jung-woo invited them in.

Baek Seung-jin sat down and immediately got to the point.

"Did you make up with the coach?"

"Huh? No... We haven't had a separate conversation about that incident."

"Really? That's strange. The coach suddenly told me to give you some advice on your second pitch."

"The coach did?"

"Yeah, I heard from the coach and Young-jun that you're basically a one-pitch pitcher, right?"

"Yes. I've been focusing solely on honing my fastball."

"Your four-seam fastball is definitely impressive. But if you want to make it to the pros, the second pitch is crucial."

Jung-woo nodded in agreement.

"That's what I've been contemplating."

"Really? Have you decided on which pitch to go with?"

"After throwing some pitches in real games, I think going with an off-speed pitch would be best."

"What's your reasoning?"

"I believe that to maximize the strengths of my fastball, a contrasting pitch would be the most effective."

Han Young-jun, who was listening, agreed.

"I think the same. That's why I wanted to teach you the forkball. But I didn't realize it had such a high risk of injury..."

"Back in our day, there were quite a few pitchers who used the forkball, but now it's nearly obsolete because of the injury risk. You should've known that even after retiring."

"I'm sorry..."

Seeing Han Young-jun look so down, Jung-woo felt guilty. After all, Young-jun was just trying to help with good intentions, but now he was getting scolded.

"Anyway, the important thing is that you need to develop a second pitch that can synergize with your fastball. What pitches were you throwing when you were in the second team?"

"I was working on a slider, curveball, and I also practiced a changeup. But when I was in the second team, most of my training focused on adjusting my pitching form and increasing my velocity."

"Right, and you also served in the military?"

"Yes, so I had quite a long break from playing."

"That explains why you haven't mastered a second pitch yet. Between your slider and curveball, which one do you feel more confident in?"

"The slider, but I'm concerned that the break isn't big enough to create synergy with my fastball."

After listening to Jung-woo, Baek Seung-jin thought for a moment before speaking.

"If you're leaning toward an off-speed pitch, then it's better to focus on taking away the batter's timing with either a curveball or changeup rather than with the slider."

"I was thinking along the same lines. I believe it would be best to focus on perfecting the curveball since it's more refined than my other pitches."

"Great. I'll teach you the slurve I used to throw during my prime."

A slurve—it's a pitch that falls somewhere between a slider and a curveball, with more vertical drop than a sweeper. Knowing that this was Baek Seung-jin's most frequently thrown pitch during his playing days, Jung-woo's face lit up.

"Thank you so much!"

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