The Returned Monster Genius Pitcher Is Also Great at Hitting Home Runs

Chapter 39 of 45

Chapter 39

Chapter 39. The Spoiler Squad

The score was 7–5.

Manager Park Pilseong let out a long sigh.

They had scored four runs early and taken control of the momentum.

Yet a washed-up foreign pitcher who still hadn’t gotten over his Major League habits had gone out there and ruined everything.

“Contact the general manager right now and tell him to find a replacement foreign player.”

Martinez hadn’t followed Manager Park Pilseong’s instructions even once during this game.

The price for that was seven runs.

On top of that, he had beautifully ruined the team’s chance to become the first team of the season to reach ten wins.

Of course, there was still hope.

But Park Pilseong hated unpredictable situations.

“Understood.”

The bench coach nodded with a trembling voice.

The expressions of the players nearby who heard him changed instantly.

Manager Park Pilseong was normally harsh, but when a player made a mistake and got on his bad side, he became even more merciless.

For example, there had once been a star player who rebelled against him.

Park Pilseong had buried him in the second team for six months.

When that player demanded a trade, Park Pilseong made sure he couldn’t play until the following year.

In Korea, professional players had no choice but to follow the club’s orders.

“Some useless bastard comes in here and ruins my plans.”

His words were cutting.

“Should we get the bullpen ready?”

Park Pilseong shook his head.

It was still early in the season.

They could win another game later.

But when a foreign pitcher started getting too full of himself, he had to be crushed.

It was necessary for maintaining discipline within the team in the future.

“Leave him out there. If he’s a professional, he should know how to take responsibility for his own game.”

Martinez glanced toward the bench.

Nothing changed.

He continued pitching.

And continued getting hit.

That was all.

“He’s already given up ten runs through seven innings... This is the point where we need to change pitchers...”

Manager Park Pilseong ignored the bench coach’s suggestion.

The score widened to 10–5.

“A professional should take responsibility for his own game.”

It might have sounded completely absurd.

But none of the coaches dared to say a word.

They knew that if they challenged him here, they would become his next target.

Martinez seemed to realize how serious the situation had become.

With a stiff expression, he glared at the next ‘batter.’

And his solution was simple.

—140 km/h.

It was probably a fastball thrown without using his full strength.

The biggest problem was where it went.

Straight toward the batter’s head.

—Thud!

The moment the ball struck him, another bench-clearing brawl erupted.

“Ejected for a headshot!”

Martinez had ended his own game like that.

Manager Park Pilseong smiled bitterly.

He quickly sent instructions regarding Martinez.

—Send him to the second team. Even if we don’t have a replacement foreign player.

[Busan Oceans Prevent Daejeon Hawks from Reaching 10 Wins]

[Bench-Clearing Brawl After Kim Hakseong Takes Headshot... Tension Remains High]

[Martinez Ejects Himself with Headshot During Punishment Outing... Baseball Association Preparing Disciplinary Action]

[Manager Rodriguez: “I’ve Never Experienced a Nightmare of a Game Like This”]

[Manager Park Pilseong: “Martinez’s Extreme Actions Are Unacceptable... We Will Release Him”]

It had been a first game that left behind plenty of scars.

I had hit a grand slam and several other home runs had flown out of the park.

Yet all the attention was focused on the massive fight we had gotten into.

Kim Hakseong couldn’t play because of concerns about a concussion.

I let out a deep sigh.

Martinez was going to be released earlier than I had expected.

And his personality was even worse than I remembered.

As expected, Park Pilseong was the type of manager who destroyed games.

How could someone like that ever be considered a great manager?

In the end, he couldn’t control his temper and repeated the same mistakes.

Thanks to that, I had easily earned another title.

[Sub Mission Complete!]

—Spoiler Squad: When facing a team ranked higher than yours or a team currently on a winning streak, all pitching and batting stats increase by 1.

It wasn’t a bad potential ability.

It had been a while since I last checked my stats.

Choi Seong

Pitcher Stats (Super Rookie +10%)

Stamina: 110/200
Fastball: 80+8/100
Slider: 55+5/100
Circle Changeup: 30+3/100
Power Curve: 20+2/100
Curve: 10+1/100
Screwball: 1/100 (Championship Contractor)
Injury Risk While Pitching: 0%
(Increasing the number of slots will raise the injury risk.)

Batter Stats

Power: 70+7/100
(Limit Break available after exceeding 100)
Contact: 60+6/100
(Limit Break available after exceeding 100)
Speed: 30+3/100
(Limit Break available after exceeding 100)

Potential Abilities (Activated when certain conditions are met)

—Indomitable Will: Choi Seong from his previous life created miracles no matter the situation. Emotional disturbances are reduced.

—Sweet Revenge: Activates when hit by a pitch, intentionally walked, or under similar circumstances during a game. It also activates when Choi Seong experiences strong emotional agitation. All stats temporarily increase by 20%.

—Championship Contractor: Activates when the team finished near the bottom of the standings in the previous season. One breaking-ball pitch of your choice can be used during that season without any injury risk.
(Selected Pitch: Screwball)

—Super Rookie: All stats increase by 10% during the first season after debut. If MVP, Rookie of the Year, or another award is won, additional stats will be granted and the potential ability will evolve.

—Spoiler Squad: When facing a team ranked higher than yours or a team currently on a winning streak, all pitching and batting stats increase by 1.

With stats like these, I thought I’d be able to completely dominate Korean baseball.

But batting .700 still seemed difficult.

Of course, there was a good chance I would never achieve that in my entire career.

Still, my stats as a starting pitcher remained number one.

Now it was time for the fourth and fifth starters to compete.

Before leaving home, I calmly let out a sigh.

Starting with this game, everything was random.

It was a chicken race to see whether the opponent would play worse or our team would play worse.

“For now, Kim Hakseong has been removed from the active roster because he’s showing symptoms of a concussion.”

Manager Rodriguez spoke in a heavy voice before practice.

Kim Hakseong had been the team’s starting first baseman for a long time and served as its emotional pillar.

With him gone, the mood in the dugout had become slightly gloomy.

Kim Hakseong would undergo detailed examinations for the injury.

But even if nothing serious showed up today, he still wouldn’t be able to return for around ten days.

Once a player was sent down to the second team, he could only be called back up after ten days.

“First, we’ll choose a temporary captain. Park Hyeonghwan, who has been serving as vice-captain, has declined the temporary captain position.”

Why?

I looked toward him.

All I saw was an awkward smile.

Then who would take it?

It had to be a veteran with a certain amount of influence.

Someone who also had the leadership to control the team.

“We’ll make it simple and vote on who should become temporary captain. Everyone, point to the person you think should take the role.”

Normally, didn’t people nominate candidates first or something?

Maybe because Rodriguez was a foreigner, he handled things rather casually.

The problem was...

“Huh? Me?”

I looked around in confusion and asked again.

I had only played ten games.

Yet everyone was pointing at me.

“It’s still early in the season. Rather than a rookie like me, shouldn’t someone else...”

Park Hyeonghwan answered my question.

He spoke simply.

“We’ve been watching you since spring training. Right now, this team moves around you.”

Norman, who had played in yesterday’s game, wrapped an arm around my shoulder.

“Choi Seong. If it weren’t for you, we would’ve been completely destroyed yesterday.”

Yoon Jaejun and Kwon Geonwoo agreed as well.

So did the other two pitchers who had joined the so-called Choi Seong School.

“Think about it. Who is leading us right now?”

It was a little ridiculous that they had reached that conclusion after only ten games.

Did this team really have that few bench leaders?

Then again...

Maybe my presence had simply become too large.

“It seems almost unanimous. Choi Seong will serve as temporary captain.”

The moment Manager Rodriguez made the decision, applause erupted.

“I also agree that we should expand the Choi Seong School to the entire team.”

“I refuse. If I do that, I won’t have enough time for my own training.”

Handling the guys I already had was difficult enough.

A few players immediately looked disappointed.

“Following our pitching coach’s instructions should already be enough. But if I notice something you need at any particular moment, I’ll tell you.”

Their faces immediately brightened again.

“Choi Seong Time...”

Wright muttered quietly.

The other players laughed and agreed.

“Uh... Seong... could you teach me too?”

Today’s starting pitcher, Yang Giwon, asked me.

He was a senior player whose ERA was currently in the sixes and who was only one step away from falling into the abyss.

The desperation in his eyes was obvious.

“This time, we absolutely have to sweep the Hawks and crush them. Our captain is completely knocked out because of them.”

Yeah.

I liked that kind of fighting spirit.

If one of your guys got slapped somewhere, it was only proper for his teammates to come running with an even bigger club.

Still, even if I taught him something right now, it would be difficult for him to follow it immediately.

I was angry too.

Even though we joked around about getting beaten with bats every day, Kim Hakseong had been a captain with real presence.

His leadership was genuinely good.

“It doesn’t matter if you give up ten runs or a hundred.”

Yang Giwon’s eyes widened.

I continued calmly.

“Like I always say, just put the ball inside the strike zone. Whether you give up ten runs or a hundred.”

Yang Giwon nodded with a shocked expression.

“While you’re doing that, we’ll hit home runs, get hits, steal bases, and score. Because the ones who are angry right now...”

I slowly looked around.

Everyone had determination written across their faces.

“...aren’t just me. Every single player here feels the same way. Are you all confident we can win? If we win here, our chances of climbing into first place will become even higher.”

“Yeah!”

The players shouted together.

Manager Rodriguez looked at me with a proud expression.

Starting Lineup

Starting Pitcher: Yang Giwon
1st Batter: Kwon Geonwoo (Center Fielder)
2nd Batter: Go Gyeongtae (Second Baseman)
3rd Batter: Choi Seong (Designated Hitter)
4th Batter: Yoon Jaejun (Catcher)
5th Batter: Daniel Sanchez (Third Baseman)
6th Batter: Gu Jiwon (First Baseman)
7th Batter: Yoo Gam (Right Fielder)
8th Batter: Park Hyeonghwan (Left Fielder)
9th Batter: Kwon Seonho (Shortstop)

It wasn’t a bad lineup.

As someone whose only real strength was power, Yoo Gam had been placed seventh.

Park Hyeonghwan and Kwon Seonho were both decent defensively, but their batting was still a problem.

This time, Manager Rodriguez was facing the Daejeon Hawks with a more conventional lineup.

“The stranger our opponent plays, the more we’ll stick to the basics. Of course, there’s no single correct way to play baseball, but I trust all of you.”

After practice, the game began amid the players’ cheers.

The Daejeon Hawks brought out a batting order that wasn’t much different from before.

However, their leadoff hitter didn’t look particularly good.

Park Pilseong had probably placed every bit of pressure he could on him.

The atmosphere in the opposing dugout was even worse.

Everyone watched the game with uneasy expressions.

And there was a reason for that.

Whenever Park Pilseong received criticism from the media, he was the type to destroy the clubhouse atmosphere.

He genuinely believed that players could maximize their abilities through intimidation and a sense of crisis.

“Interesting.”

I found myself amused as I watched Yang Giwon give up a hit to the very first batter in the top of the first inning.

There was a simple reason why Yang Giwon, despite already being in his late twenties, had been chosen as the team’s fourth starter early in the season.

A fastball averaging over 150 km/h.

I also thought his pitches had excellent power.

But that was only an advantage when he could control them.

Right now, he was deliberately taking about 10 km/h off his pitches and simply placing them inside the strike zone.

When your command was unstable, throwing like that was actually better.

During practice, or whenever his body felt good, he could throw uncontrolled pitches as hard as he wanted.

But this was a real game.

Right now, it was better to throw according to the catcher’s lead.

And Yoon Jaejun, who was unusually good at calling pitches for such a young catcher, continued asking for low pitches.

“So you’re turning a pitcher who used to overpower hitters with pure stuff into a ground-ball pitcher.”

Norman sounded impressed.

Meanwhile, Yang Giwon forced the second batter into a double play.