Ch 26

Episode

9 . Startup (1).

One.

[Angels 2nd team wins against the independent team Goyang Stars!]

[Goyang Stars, are you ultimately trapped in the limits of an independent club?]

[Exchange match with Goyang Stars, is it okay as it is?]

“Whoa….”

Director Jeong Beom-seok, who was checking the article title with his smartphone, put it on his table as if tossing it without turning off the smartphone with a long sigh.

And immediately began to suffer.

‘I don’t have a car.’

As soon as the match against the Angels was over, the media began to bite the loser, the Goyang Stars, not the winner, the Angels.

It wasn’t the first time it happened.

On the contrary, it happened every time Bum-seok Jeong became the head coach of Goyang Stars and played an exchange match.

It was also something I was prepared for.

It goes without saying that the major media that write articles about baseball are on the side of professional baseball teams.

And professional baseball teams are feeling a great burden in exchange games with independent clubs, including the Goyang Stars.

In such a situation, it is quite natural for the media, which is on the side of professional baseball teams, to bite the Goyang Stars.

Nevertheless, coach Jeong Beom-seok felt this loss particularly painful.

The reason was simple.

‘There is no pitcher.’

Currently, there is no pitcher who can reliably predict a win against the Goyang Stars.

In other words, the future was more of a problem than the present.

‘I expected it, but it would be like this.’

Of course, it was unavoidable.

As the saying goes, baseball is a pitching game, professional baseball teams are very interested in useful pitchers.

In such a situation, what if a useful pitcher appears in an independent club whose first goal is to become a professional baseball player?

Even if a player’s skills are a little lacking compared to the professional level, professional clubs take him away.

To put it bluntly, pitchers with skills that would really interest a professional club never come to an independent club.

There is a system for fostering players in the Korean Professional Baseball League.

Using this system, previously called new players, the club can hire any number of players other than the 65 players it can have, so there is no reason or restriction not to hire the players it needs.

In addition, from the player’s point of view, it is better to sign a contract with a professional club as a nurturing player than an independent club.

In any case, training players can also get help from the professional club’s second-team facilities and coaching staff, and crucially, the professional club pays the minimum salary of 27 million won to the training players without a down payment.

Playing for an independent club that pays 700,000 won a month, and playing as a training player with an annual salary of 27 million won.

It would be ridiculous to think about which one is better.

‘I can’t believe that the soil of Korean professional baseball is the worst. After running an independent club for a few years, the best pitchers left in the amateurs disappeared…’

Anyway, in this situation, coach Jeong Beom-seok tried to raise the pitcher somehow.

It was the same with pitching coach Kim Jung-ho.

Day and night, I have been working hard day and night to further improve the skills of pitchers.

The match against the Angels was the most obvious game to gauge the outcome of such efforts.

I picked only the best cards I could export.

‘I feel like everything I’ve prepared for the winter has become useless.’

But the result is disastrous in itself.

‘Skill is also skill, but the biggest problem is that there are no players hungry for victory.’

In particular, what made coach Jeong Beom-seok a headache was that most of the players were filled with a sense of defeat.

‘Baseball is a sport that even weak teams can win.’

In baseball, no matter how strong a team is, it is not easy to maintain a winning rate of 60%.

Conversely, it is not easy for even the weakest team to drop below 20%.

In other words, if the Goyang Stars play 10 matches against the second team of a professional baseball team, they can win one or two matches.

However, the sense of defeat that has now taken root in the Goyang Stars was turning even the game that could win the game into a defeat.

‘It’s unavoidable, but…’

The problem was that this was quite normal.

The players of Goyang Stars are more losers every day than when they started baseball and were winners.

Players who really want to seize the last chance with nowhere to go.

If they demanded the pride and ambition of a winner, it would be strange to ask for it.

‘I still need a twist. Atmosphere reversal.’

At this moment, a man came to mind in director Jeong Beom-seok.

‘Lee Jin-yong.’

Jinyong Lee.

A player selected by coach Jeong Beom-seok solely through arbitrary judgment and decision.

A pitcher that’s just not worth it.

Out of all the pitchers in Goyang Stars, he’s the weakest player in terms of skill and physique.

‘Only that player was trying to win.’

But he was the only pitcher on the mound with a passion for victory.

It wasn’t just because of good grades.

It was based on the bench, where he was the first player to shout a fight for victory.

‘Obviously, he is a player who has more than I thought, more than he could see.’

Lee Jin-yong had nothing but restraint, but his passion for victory was greater than anyone else’s.

Coach Jeong Beom-seok, who remembered that player, took out his smartphone again.

Director Jeong Beom-seok saw a sentence in the schedule.

[March 18, Incheon Sharks 2nd team and Ganghwa away match, start undecided.]

2.

Pitching coach Kim Jeong-ho’s daily schedule usually starts with checking the condition of pitchers.

“So your body?”

“it’s okay.”

After completing the condition check, pitching coach Kim Jeong-ho developed a training manual tailored to the player.

“Don’t overdo it. Once you have loosened up your body properly, you can pitch. keep in mind Throw the ball a limited number of times. Don’t throw it any further.”

“Yes.”

Kim Jung-ho’s pitching theory was none other than that a pitcher’s shoulder was a consumable item.

That was the case with pitching coach Kim Jung-ho right away.

He started baseball a long time ago and was instructed by all the leaders he met during his baseball career that a pitcher should throw a lot of balls, so he was satisfied with his efforts to throw more balls than anyone else.

But when the results came in ways that shortened his career, he realized.

Throwing a lot will definitely help, but as a result, the shoulder will be damaged.

From then on, he studied how to achieve maximum efficiency while throwing as few balls as possible.

“And don’t forget the flexibility stretch.”

What came at the end of the study was various types of training to increase the flexibility of the pitcher’s body.

Increasing muscle mass through bulking increases speed, but conversely, the risk of injury increases, so it is much more important to secure flexibility.

His training method was clearly different from the training method of general leaders.

Still, the leaders of the Korean professional baseball stage were often armed with the theory that the more the pitcher’s shoulders are used, the more he trained, and most of the players who received that guidance thought that throwing the ball a lot was the natural answer.

“Don’t do that! Don’t apply too much force! My muscles are torn! Slowly stretch your body according to your breathing!”

For this reason, for the Goyang Stars pitchers, Kim Jung-ho’s training was awkward, and Kim Jung-ho, who was always involved in the training of such pitchers, was busy moving the ground.

There was only one player who was free from such pitching coach Kim Jung-ho.

“Coach.”

“yes?”

“What shall I do?”

“uh······.”

Jinyong Lee.

Now, the pitcher that pitching coach Kim Jung-ho should develop.

“Let your body relax as usual.”

However, until now, pitching coach Kim Jeong-ho had never taught Lee Jin-yong anything.

It was never out of indifference.

“Yes! I will work hard, so please call me anytime!”

rather the opposite.

‘Where the hell did you learn that training method?’

Jinyong Lee’s body care method was so perfect that pitching coach Kim Jung-ho’s touch was not needed, which was the reason why he couldn’t teach him anything.

That was it.

The training method for Jinyong Lee’s body management was so perfect that pitching coach Kim Jeong-ho had to learn it.

Even just running right now, Jinyong Lee wasn’t just ignorantly running a set distance.

Jinyong Lee checked his running course on foot once before running.

Injuries caused by problems on the course during running are more common than expected, so it was a measure to avoid problems with ankles, knees, hamstrings, etc., which later became a big problem.

He knew better than anyone that the purpose of training was to improve his skills, not to abuse him.

‘It’s difficult for professionals to do that.’

It was a true professional image that even professional players did not show.

Of course, there is no way that Lee Jin-yong could understand the heart of such a pitching coach, Kim Jeong-ho.

“Do you think I’ve been abandoned?”

– What are you talking about?

“Pitching coach Kim Jeong-ho doesn’t take good care of my training, right? It’s clear that you don’t like me either.”

The fact that he did not receive proper coaching from pitching coach Kim Jeong-ho after joining the Goyang Stars was an undesirable fact for Lee Jin-yong.

Kim Jin-ho laughed at Lee Jin-yong’s appearance.

– I learned all the training from this Kim Jin-ho, not anyone else, so I have nothing to touch. I assure you, if you do this, you won’t need coach’s help even if you go to the major leagues.

Because Kim Jin-ho knew that there was nothing to correct in his training method now.

“Ah, maybe.”

– What? hey maybe? When was the last time I bullied you? huh?

“Did you hit it?”

– When did I?

“I said last time that you need to wear red triangle shorts to help when running, right? Damn, I forgot my uniform was white for a while, so I was running in red panties…”

– Man, that was a joke!

“Yeah, that’s why I didn’t believe that thongs could improve performance.”

– uh? that’s real you don’t know How many MLB kids wear thongs? They even have no panties! No, if you don’t believe it, why don’t you try it? Try taking off your pants in the next game! Maybe your speed is 5 kilometers more? Does that sense of freedom lift the pitcher’s limit? Hey, I’m Jinho Kim. MLB Ruler! Trust me and give it a try.

“puck.”

– What? puck?

“or. Very likely.”

– Did you curse now?

“Puck. I do not know Korean?”

– Puck pok pok pok pok pok pok pok pok pok pok pok pok pok puk puk puk puk puk puk!

In the end, the conversation was stopped when Jin-ho Kim, who was speechless, made a childish speech, and Jin-yong Lee understood the running course with the background sound of Jin-ho Kim, who constantly spit non-swear words towards him.

‘yes?’

What caught Lee Jin-yong’s eyes was none other than Park Jun-hyung’s sudden stop of batting training.

He saw a middle-aged man he met with his hitting coach approaching Park Jun-hyeong, who had stopped training, approaching.

‘Who is it?’

And as soon as we had a few words of conversation, Junhyung Park bowed deeply and shook hands.

After that, the three began to move to a corner where the eyes of the players did not reach.

– Something smells.

Not only Lee Jin-yong but also Kim Jin-ho were interested in the appearance that is difficult to see during training.

– Let’s go see. Pretend you’re running and sneak past it.

Jinyong Lee nodded and immediately started running.

3.

“I’ll think about it.”

At Park Jun-hyung’s words, the expression of the middle-aged man in front of him was wrinkled without mercy.

“Hey, this is a good opportunity.”

The middle-aged man continued to speak, revealing his feelings through his face like that.

“Are you guaranteed entry into the 2nd team with a 200% salary increase after the season, and guaranteed entry on the extended roster after August?”

As he spoke, the middle-aged man opened his eyes.

It was a clear signal.

I’m making this offer up to this point, but if you dare reject this offer, it’s not going to end well!

It was a look close to intimidation.

In front of the middle-aged man’s eyes, Park Jun-hyung bowed his head once more.

“Thanks for the great suggestion.”

That was it.

There was no definitive answer, and Baek Dae-dong, a scout belonging to the Incheon Sharks, was very shocked.

“Twitch!”

I looked at Park Jun-hyung with the appearance of kicking his tongue.

Are you the only one who refuses my offer?

In his eyes, such feelings, beyond displeasure, and the hostility towards Park Jun-hyung were shining very well.

“Don’t regret it.”

With those words, Baek Dae-dong turned his back and left the place.

“Baek Scout!”

The batting coach was startled by the sight of Baek Dae-dong and stuck to him.

From the standpoint of the Goyang Stars, who have to send players to a professional team somehow, scouts are like God’s agents.

Therefore, it was because the hitting coach had an obligation to appease Baek Dae-dong scout somehow.

Seeing this, Junhyung Park bit his teeth tightly. He, too, can’t be happy in such a situation.

After hearing this, Jun-hyung Park immediately turned to finish training.

A man entered Park Jun-hyung’s eyes.

‘yes?’

Despite his small physique that can be distinguished from anyone, a pitcher who has never allowed anyone to go on base in front of him.

‘Lee Jin-yong?’

Jinyong Lee, he was looking at the place where Junhyung Park was.

As soon as he appeared, he said with an awkward smile.

“Ah, sorry. Unintentionally, I heard the story.”

At Lee Jin-yong’s words, Park Jun-hyung moved his mouth without a gesture.

“no.”

To be honest, Park Jun-hyung’s current situation was not very favorable.

To be more precise, there was no facet.

There was nothing strange about Park Jun-hyung’s refusal to join the professional team to the Goyang Stars players who risked all their fate to join the pros, even though he looked like a deceiver.

“Hey, why did you turn down the offer to join the pro?”

Like this question by Jinyong Lee.

Therefore, Park Jun-hyung was neither embarrassed nor offended by the question.

“We are waiting for a better treatment. After all, if you become a foster player, you will be able to play in the first team after May 1st, so there is no need to rush until then.”

“Well then, can you really ask the club for conditions, so options?”

However, this subsequent question was unexpected even by Park Jun-hyung.

“If you can only play for one season and release him so that he can go to the major leagues, can I put this condition on him?”

Even in front of this added question, Park Jun-hyung did not dare to answer any questions.

Seeing Junhyung like that, Jinyong Lee said with an awkward smile.

“You said something. Anyway, fighting.”

Lee Jin-yong, who spat out that answer, left after giving an encouraging greeting to Park Jun-hyung.

4.

Lee Jin-yong, who started running with his back to Park Jun-hyung, spoke in a low voice to Kim Jin-ho, who was next to him.

“Kim Jin-ho, please, when I talk to other people, let’s have a quiet listening posture.”

His voice was low, but it was alive like the growl of an animal.

– What am I? were you quiet?

Kim Jin-ho answered, while turning away from Lee Jin-yong’s gaze.

“Don’t shake that transparent arm that can pass through a human body, put it in my asshole and let it come out through my crotch.”

– Whoever hears it will be misunderstood. I just stretched there. It just happened to be stretching near your butt.

At that, Jinyong Lee shook his head.

Kim Jin-ho smiled softly at Lee Jin-yong’s appearance.

– It’s better than that.

That’s great, Jinyong Lee nodded at those words.

“Yeah, that’s great. Scouts say that they will even guarantee you a first-team start, but you say that you reject the offer like a knife… It’s a dream to have someone join a professional team.”

The conversation between Park Jun-hyung and Shaxx Scout a while ago was something that all players would have been surprised to hear.

Guaranteed salary increase, guaranteed second-team start and, although conditional, guaranteed first-team appearance after August!

It was a difficult offer even for a prospect who was drafted with a large down payment.

“I really don’t know why a player like that wasn’t picked in the draft. To be honest, it’s just a point. I’ve never seen a hitter with more than 100 points out of all the players I’ve ever met. oh i’m jealous If only I could be as tall as Park Jun-hyung…”

Park Jun-hyung, the professional clubs’ interest in him, and how great his gaze was.

– No, not that.

But that wasn’t what Jinho Kim said was great.

– You mentioned the MLB. i said that

During that conversation, Jin-ho Kim was surprised that the word Major League came out of Jin-yong Lee’s mouth.

At Kim Jin-ho’s words, Jin-yong Lee tilted his head.

“What’s so great about that?”

– That’s it…

“Is it okay to set big goals? Besides, anyone can say it, right?”

In response to Jinyong Lee’s answer, Kim Jinho stopped what he was about to spit and nodded.

As he nodded, there was a smile on his lips.

– Yeah, what can’t you do with a snout? You say your goal is to leave a great record like Kim Jin-ho, right?

Jinyong Lee also put a smile on his lips.

“Yeah, if someone asks me a question later, my goal is to go to the major leagues and break all records of Kim Jin-ho, who is nothing but a dog! answer.”

– Porok? Did I say porok now?

“yes? When did I use that expression?”

– I said my record was Porok!

“when?”

– now!

“Ah, when did I say Porok? I called it a dog polo.”

– Wow! This is why ghosts become evil spirits. you wait I’ll let you shoot one episode of Juon soon.

“I’ll have to shoot a Ghostbusters episode soon.”

It was none other than Kim Jung-ho, pitching coach, who stopped the nonsensical conversation between the two that started like that.

He called Lee Jin-yong and said.

“The manager is calling. Let’s go to the supervisor’s office.”

At that, Jinho Kim said.

– God, please grant suffering and penance to this ungrateful and ignorant man!