Chapter 55, A Blessing in Disguise
Manager Lee Jun-ho.
Of course I knew him during my previous life.
His records were incredible.
He ranked first among active Korean players in career home runs and also possessed the single-season home run record.
Anyone interested in baseball would know him.
He was even considered one of the greatest players in Korean professional baseball history.
We had occasionally met and greeted each other.
Sometimes, when we happened to be in America or Japan at the same time, we even ate together.
He had been a good older friend.
Unfortunately, he had the same chronic problem that many superstar players possessed.
He had absolutely no talent as a coach.
“No, I’m telling you, just hit it roughly like this. Can’t you see the ball?”
“Why can’t you total 500 kilograms on the big three lifts? Aren’t you a professional athlete?”
“I told you not to throw halfheartedly. If your pitch is only 140 km/h, anyone can hit it!”
He was always like that.
Because he could never properly understand his players’ feelings, the result was obvious.
He produced terrible results with the Seoul Panthers and was fired before finishing his contract.
After ruining one more team, Lee Jun-ho finally discovered the job that suited him.
He became one of the best administrators in baseball.
As soon as he entered the baseball association, he showed overwhelming ability.
After every season, he organized an annual Korea, America, and Japan league All-Star series.
Interest in Korean baseball exploded even further.
Later, after becoming an association director, he systematically destroyed the deeply rooted abuse-of-power culture inside Korean baseball.
He did so well that politicians eventually offered him a seat in the National Assembly.
And when I was injured overseas, he personally helped me in every possible way.
He once told me that I was a player worth helping.
“Walk!”
I had been grateful.
Imagine an association director visiting you almost every day while you were injured, helping take care of you and buying you meals.
That alone was enough to move anyone.
But gratitude was gratitude.
Competition was competition.
I tried to hit the ball, but the opposing pitcher threw it completely outside.
Score, 1-0.
Lee Jun-ho’s style was definitely clean.
Other teams threw brushback or retaliation pitches.
This team did none of that.
Apparently he did not even want to create a misunderstanding.
Every pitch against me stayed outside.
Either way, we managed to create a big inning from the first.
4-0.
We scored four runs in the top of the first.
“See? I told you. Everything changes when you’re here.”
Kim Hak-seong spoke while heading out to play defense.
The team’s concentration really did seem slightly different.
For reasons I could not understand, Kwon Geon-woo, Go Gyeong-tae, and Yoon Jae-jun were showing insane focus.
Even I had to admit it.
There was a clear difference depending on whether one player was present or absent.
I simply continued playing calmly.
It had not been this extreme in my previous life.
I played well.
The other players played badly.
I had always believed we won championships because luck happened to line up.
But hearing everyone speak like this made the feeling strangely new.
6-2.
We continued leading.
Pitchers pitched.
Hitters hit.
The opposing starter had to leave the mound after only three innings.
Meanwhile, Yang Gi-won allowed two runs through five innings and somehow continued surviving.
He did not look particularly sharp.
But he kept escaping.
Excellent defensive plays appeared over and over.
Before anyone realized it, everyone’s prayers for Yang Gi-won had turned into trust.
Players rubbed Yang Gi-won’s head after his unexpected strong performance.
“It’s all thanks to Choi Seong. Seriously... I never expected the fielders to focus this much.”
My name came up again.
It was a strange experience.
I watched with a calm smile.
Not one truly hittable pitch came my way.
I became stubborn and kept fouling pitches away.
Still, nothing changed.
There isn’t a single easy pitch anymore.
They were clearly guarding against me in a gentlemanly way.
Part of it was Lee Jun-ho’s influence.
But Heo Jun’s influence was also important.
Because the national team roster had been announced early, everyone had become much more cautious when pitching to us.
I did not dislike this treatment.
Every hit-by-pitch increased the possibility of injury.
“Out!”
During my third plate appearance, I forced myself to swing and was retired.
Two walks and three fly outs.
That was my final line for the day.
For the first time in a while, I finished a game without a hit.
Lee Jun-ho’s strategy had worked.
Unfortunately, something he could not control, his starting pitcher’s poor performance, still caused his team to lose.
9-3.
We won the second game against the Seoul Panthers.
“I’ll work hard, sir!”
It was Kim Byeong-hee’s second appearance as the fifth starter.
He saluted while shouting at me.
Maybe because I kept teaching him.
Maybe because we had rapidly increased his muscle mass.
Either way, he was slowly gaining control over his faster pitches.
“If you pitch like you did during practice, you’ll definitely win again.”
“Thank you, sir!”
Kim Byeong-hee energetically ran toward the mound.
I calmly watched him.
For some reason, I felt like we could easily win today too.
I was batting second today.
Being placed fourth had not actually been good for me.
It had become closer to a disadvantage.
Every opposing pitcher preferred facing Daniel Sanchez or Yugam instead of me.
