Chapter 42. Regional Rivals
The Masan Wolves are a team that becomes terrifying in the second half of the season.
That was how Korean baseball had been evaluating them recently.
Their results were usually poor at the beginning of the season, but from the middle to the latter half, they would suddenly gain frightening momentum and chase the teams at the top.
In fact, they had finished fifth in last year's regular season, but in the playoffs, they faced the first-place Gwangju Jaguars and made it all the way to the doorstep of the championship.
Still, perhaps because they were a team known for their late-season strength, their results weren't very good this early in the season.
They were currently ranked ninth.
Masan Wolves manager Seo Ihun spoke to his players.
“We will bounce back.”
The Masan Wolves were strong in autumn.
There were all sorts of theories about why that was, but Seo Ihun had a rough idea.
“The weather is cool today, almost like autumn. We've always been strong when it's like this.”
It had rained the previous day, leaving the spring air fairly chilly.
Cool weather gave the entire roster an advantage.
Seo Ihun calmly closed his eyes.
He was known as a magician of short series, having barely dragged his team into the postseason last season before taking them all the way to a runner-up finish.
“Let's win. We can't let the Oceans become the first team to reach ten wins.”
That was only natural.
They were regional rivals.
The Masan Wolves had been looked down on by the Busan Oceans when they were first founded as a late expansion team.
Just remembering those days was reason enough to win.
They had finally beaten the Oceans through pure skill last year.
Seo Ihun had never imagined that the Oceans would bounce back like this this season.
“Yes, sir!”
The players answered loudly.
The strategy was simple.
Put everything on Davis, last season's home run king.
Manager Seo Ihun smiled.
Even if the team wasn't in particularly good shape right now, they would find a way to win.
They couldn't hand their regional rival both the first ten-win milestone and Choi Seong's new consecutive scoreless innings record.
At the same time Seo Ihun was hardening his determination to win, Manager Rodriguez and the Oceans players were completely calm.
Summer was slowly approaching, and there were reports of heavy rain in the capital region.
Ironically, both the Gwangju Jaguars and Daejeon Hawks, who were competing with them to become the first team to ten wins, had games scheduled in that region.
If either of them made it past the fifth inning while leading before the game was called due to rain, they could steal the ten-win milestone by a narrow margin.
Before the game, Manager Rodriguez only had a few words to say.
“The Masan Wolves won't be a serious threat to us this year anyway.”
The entire team nodded.
Ironically, that team played better when everyone else felt cold.
The southern region became blazing hot once summer arrived.
It was strange that players based in Masan had somehow developed that kind of trait.
Right now, this weather was practically poison to them.
And sure enough, they had been stuck near the bottom of the standings.
Still, there was one variable.
Their regional rivalry.
The Masan Wolves had become an expansion club when the ninth team was created.
From that point on, they had begun splitting the fanbase of the Gyeongnam-Busan region with the Busan Oceans.
That had led to tension between the fans, and eventually that tension spread to the players too.
“We're going to win anyway. Let's finish quickly. We just need to reach ten wins first by beating them on time.”
Everyone answered in agreement.
Regional rivalry?
That wasn't important.
Manager Rodriguez had recently learned a trendy Korean expression.
Click.
The usefulness of the term was simple.
Click on Choi Seong once, and everything was solved.
The game began.
Sajik Baseball Stadium was completely full that day.
Most of the stands were filled with waves of Busan Oceans uniforms, while a smaller section was filled with Masan Wolves fans.
[The game is beginning. Today is an ace matchup, and all eyes are on whether Choi Seong can break the Korean baseball record for consecutive scoreless innings.]
[That's right. Choi Seong is becoming the undisputed best player in Korea right now. He's only played a little over ten professional games, yet he's already adapted perfectly.]
[I personally find it a little frightening. This is only his first year, yet countless Major League scouts are already gathering here.]
[And it isn't only the Majors. Teams from Japan are also making serious efforts to recruit Choi Seong. I've never seen anything like this in my life. Not even players who earned nicknames like the Monster, the Mudeungsan Bomber, or the Grandson of the Wind drew this level of attention.]
[It's sensational. Choi Seong. This is his third start, correct? He currently has two wins and no losses.]
[Looking at Choi Seong's pitches right now, there isn't anyone who can casually challenge him. The Masan Wolves have gone as far as putting Davis, last year's home run leader, in the leadoff spot. It seems like their strategy is to give him as many plate appearances as possible and try to squeeze out runs.]
[We'll have to see whether that effort actually works. Will they kneel before Choi Seong's overwhelming dominance, or will Davis overcome it and write a record of his own? Here comes the first pitch!]
161 km/h
A four-seam fastball inside.
The perfectly controlled pitch slammed into the catcher's mitt.
There was no question about it.
Strike.
Choi Seong calmly shook the rosin from his hand and prepared the next pitch.
163 km/h
The second pitch was even faster.
The commentators exclaimed.
[Did you see that second pitch? His velocity went up again.]
[The location missed slightly and it was called a ball, but it was still more than powerful enough. Davis couldn't even touch it.]
[And while we're saying that, the pitcher is already working quickly. Here comes pitch number three!]
165 km/h
An even faster fastball shot straight through the middle of the strike zone.
Davis swung a step too late and missed.
[Does this even make sense? He's getting faster with every pitch.]
[That was the fastest pitch thrown in Korean baseball this year. His velocity just keeps climbing.]
[It's too fast. His rate of improvement is almost unbelievable.]
[Overwhelming.]
Choi Seong threw the fourth pitch.
166 km/h
The absurdly fast pitch slammed into the zone, and at the same time, the umpire called strike three.
Davis gave a helpless laugh.
Manager Seo Ihun's expression instantly collapsed.
And it wasn't simply because Davis had struck out.
The first, second, and third hitters had all gone down on strikes.
On top of that, Choi Seong was shortening the time between pitches as much as possible.
Almost as if he wanted to end the game quickly.
“He's way too good, isn't he?”
“Y-Yeah... he is.”
But it wasn't as if they had any brilliant solution.
Davis was currently second in batting average and third in home runs.
They had built an entire batting order around him, only for the plan to collapse from the very start.
“Eighteen scoreless innings...”
One and two-thirds more innings.
In other words, if they failed to score before there were two outs in the third, they would hand him the record.
And that wasn't all.
They would also be remembered for a long time as the team that became the victim of the season's first ten-win milestone.
“What's happening with the games in the capital region? Do they look like they'll end early because of rain?”
“W-Well, the Daejeon Hawks and Incheon Dolphins game has been postponed because of rain.”
“What?”
Manager Seo Ihun let out a sigh.
“What about the Gwangju Jaguars and Seoul Magicians? The Magicians are almost on a seven-game losing streak, so we'll have to count on them.”
“That game is in a dome, so it's still going. Thankfully.”
