Pursuit Team (7)
Bench clearing.
It's a term referring to a brawl in team sports where even the team members on the bench come out to fight.
However, cases that escalate to an actual brawl are extremely rare in Korean professional baseball.
The teams are close enough to know each other with just one degree of separation, and since the entire industry is bound by senior-junior relationships, there's an atmosphere of restraint against fierce fights.
So when most bench clearings happen, the players usually come out, half-heartedly break things up, ask how each other's doing, and disperse.
But today's bench clearing between the Wolves and the Stings was a little different.
"This bastard dared to lay hands on our Min-woo?"
Jin Sang-heon broke into a cold sweat from Pi Ki-jeong's aggressive grip.
"No, Ki-jeong hyung. Why are you being like this? He threw a beanball first!"
"Beanball my ass. Even rolling forward, you were the one who held on. Do I look like an idiot? You think I wouldn't know it was intentional?"
Jin Sang-heon was on fairly good terms with Pi Ki-jeong. They had lived together eating from the same pot on the national team.
The Pi Ki-jeong he knew was a straightforward but not prickly, warm senior. That was why Pi Ki-jeong being this angry was an unfamiliar sight.
But Jin Sang-heon's misfortune didn't end there.
'Gasp...!'
Because Jo Woo-chan was stomping toward them from the far end.
In reality, he was just out of breath from running in from the outfield, but from Jin Sang-heon's perspective, it couldn't help but feel like he was furious to the top of his head.
'Even Woo-chan sunbae is ganging up on this guy? Why on earth?'
He couldn't understand this situation.
In principle, it was true that all players had to come out during a bench clearing.
But things done by humans inevitably carry emotions. It was rare for anyone to go out of their way for a player they disliked.
That was why Jin Sang-heon hadn't expected the Wolves players to go this far for Han Min-woo, who hadn't even been traded that long ago.
However, there was something Jin Sang-heon hadn't considered.
It was the fact that the lower the expectations, the greater the sense of being moved.
'Trying to shake up a kid who's pitching well? These bastards.'
'My shoulder's been cold lately... it'd be troublesome if Min-woo is out.'
'He does weird things sometimes, but he's basically polite and respectful.'
When Han Min-woo was first traded, the Wolves players had internally expressed enormous dissatisfaction.
They were already in last place and being cursed at by fans left and right.
On top of that, instead of reinforcing their roster, a player who would increase the team's probability of losing was arriving—no player would welcome that.
'There's no one like Min-woo.'
But when they actually met Han Min-woo in person, he was an incredibly good kid. Both on and off the field, he was virtually flawless.
He took baseball seriously in everything he did, and trained diligently. On top of that, he knew basic manners regardless of who he was dealing with. Someone you could get close to without any burden, perhaps.
For that reason, the Wolves players had been unconsciously showing favor toward Han Min-woo lately.
"Hey, everyone back off."
Jo Woo-chan approached with a face full of scowls. At that sight, Jin Sang-heon involuntarily stepped back.
'H-he's not going to hit me with a bat or something, is he?'
The other Stings players felt the same. Jo Woo-chan looked so intimidating that just seeing him grab a bat and step up to the plate made them swallow hard.
At the very least, the veteran players tried to pat down the Wolves players they had some friendship with, making efforts to contain the situation.
"Hey hey hey, Joon-soo. Calm down, why are you so worked up?"
"Does he not look pissed off? They're the ones who started picking a fight first like that?"
"No, man. It was inside pitching so Sang-heon got a little worked up. He hit his elbow wrong and lost last year, remember?"
"Shut up. Who wouldn't be sensitive to a pitch like that?"
At the Wolves players sharpening their blades, the Stings players were struggling.
All they could do was calm the Wolves players down to wrap up the situation while simultaneously separating Jin Sang-heon to the back.
Jin Sang-heon allowed himself to be led to the back by his teammates' hands as if he couldn't win against them.
'Phew... I almost died from a pounding heart.'
Jin Sang-heon let out a sigh and looked around.
Han Min-woo, the actual cause of this situation, was nowhere to be seen.
Glancing toward the back, two or three players were tightly surrounding Han Min-woo.
'Are they his escort knights or what?'
Jin Sang-heon stared at Han Min-woo with an expression that said this was ridiculous.
└That bastard's causing trouble again. Just what you'd expect from that nasty temper ㅡㅡ
└Honestly it was dangerous; if it flew a little more to the left it might've hit his head.
└Bullshit ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ Jin Sang-heon just had his elbow in the zone ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ At that level isn't he basically advertising he wants to be hit?
└Honestly it was pretty pathetic. If you're mad about it then get a hit or something, these so-called pros ㅉㅉ
└ㅋㅋㅋ Maybe they're doing that because they can't get that hit? Min-woo's form is insane lately ㅋㅋㅋㅋ
└What's with them, are they escort knights?
└ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ Jo Woo-chan really looks like he's going to bury someone
└ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋkekekekeke
└Yoon Jae-hyun, Ha Yoon-min, and even foreign mercenary Victor, so solid fr. At that level people would probably stop mid-way from fear
└Han Min-woo must have a good personality? Otherwise the other guys wouldn't compete to protect him
└He's handsome, good at baseball, and even has a good personality! Perfect!
The bench clearing could only be concluded after the coaching staffs of both teams came out.
On the mound, which had grown quiet after reaching a lull, Han Min-woo adjusted his cap.
'I waited a long time.'
Contrary to Jin Sang-heon's expectations, the damage Han Min-woo sustained from the bench clearing was zero. As long as he had the Non-Stone Mind, there was no possibility of Han Min-woo's mentality being shaken.
No, if anything, it was the Stings and Jin Sang-heon whose momentum had been dampened.
'The Wolves were famous for being good at bench clearings.'
Han Min-woo smirked as he covered his lower face with his glove.
Wandering in the lower rankings for a while had made them look dampened, but originally when it came to bench clearings, it was the Wolves. Since they constantly fought with their Jamsil rivals the Seoul Lunatics, they had become experts at bench clearing.
'Thanks to that, I can take this lightly.'
To say it again, baseball is a mental sport. If your mentality is shaken, even the league's best contact hitter could become an ordinary player depending on the situation.
Jin Sang-heon, standing in the batter's box now, was noticeably deflated.
'Shall I begin the point hunt.'
Han Min-woo threw the third pitch against that Jin Sang-heon.
The pitch type was a slider. The course was a ball dropping low and inside.
'A pitch that the current Jin Sang-heon can't react to.'
The ball Han Min-woo threw.
Whoosh-!
"Swing strike! Batter out!"
It slipped past Jin Sang-heon's bat and cleanly dropped into the catcher's mitt.
-Strikeout! Han Min-woo even strikes out Jin Sang-heon!
-There was a bench clearing just before so the situation was a bit chaotic, right? But he still catches him so cleanly.
-With this, the momentum seems to have shifted toward the Wolves. Will the Stings be able to protect their one-run lead? Let's watch together to see how today's game unfolds!
'Truly impressive.'
Chief Coach Kim Young-seung nodded his head as he watched Han Min-woo strike out Jin Sang-heon.
He had been inwardly worried about what would happen if the balance was shaken by the bench clearing.
That was why he had been carefully observing Han Min-woo's condition.
But the kid had caught Jin Sang-heon so cleanly as if mocking that worry. Even his control was perfect.
'We have to keep pushing with this momentum.'
For autumn baseball, simply winning today's game wasn't enough. It meant they had to consistently win against the team called the Stings throughout the season.
Therefore, the current situation was a golden opportunity for Chief Coach Kim Young-seung.
"Strategy coach. Instruct Han Min-woo to hit Oh Jae-sung coming up this time."
"Sir? The bench clearing just ended."
The strategy coach's eyes went wide at Chief Coach Kim Young-seung's instruction.
"It's by driving a knife into the back of a fleeing enemy that you can inflict a fatal wound."
"Will it be okay? You know Oh Jae-sung's nasty personality."
It was a situation that made no sense logically. The player stepping up to the plate was Oh Jae-sung, famous as the Stings' fighting cock.
But Chief Coach Kim Young-seung's eyes showed no wavering.
"Give the order."
"Understood."
'Throw a beanball here?'
At Pi Ki-jeong's sign, Han Min-woo involuntarily looked toward the dugout.
At that moment, his eyes met Chief Coach Kim Young-seung's.
Nod.
"……."
The instruction was clear. Throw a beanball at the third batter Oh Jae-sung currently in the box.
The reason was unknown.
But since this wasn't simply a personal order from a senior or coach, but a direct instruction from the acting manager, there was no need to hesitate.
'I just need to carry out the orders well.'
If it were other players, they would have hesitated to throw a beanball in this situation.
Throwing at a senior, and creating another incident when there had just been a bench clearing, would inevitably be a burden.
But Han Min-woo threw the ball without a shred of hesitation.
Thud-!
-Ah, Han Min-woo records his second hit-by-pitch of today's game.
-He got hit solidly. That must really hurt?
The third batter Oh Jae-sung, hit by the pitch on his back, grimaced.
At that moment, everyone in the stadium waited for his reaction to follow.
The umpire stepped in front of Oh Jae-sung just in case, and Pi Ki-jeong also assumed an awkward stance, bracing for the storm to come.
Even the noisy spectators were holding their breath as they watched the situation unfold.
But what everyone expected didn't happen.
"……."
Oh Jae-sung, glancing sidelong at Han Min-woo, slowly walked toward first base. An action unbefitting of his usual nickname as a fighting cock.
Everyone racked their brains to understand the meaning of that action, but only Han Min-woo, facing the fourth batter, knew what this was about.
'The Stings tucked their tails.'
Not even five minutes had passed since the bench clearing ended.
In that sense, Han Min-woo hitting Oh Jae-sung just now was no different from picking a fight, essentially saying "let's go at it again."
But the Stings ignored that provocation.
They had completely lost their fighting spirit.
'You saw through all this?'
Han Min-woo looked at Chief Coach Kim Young-seung.
Honestly, he was impressed.
He had recognized him as a capable person when every operation he set up succeeded, but he hadn't thought he'd also be well-versed in reading human psychology.
With this one beanball, the Wolves would be able to start not just today's game, but also the next three-game series in a dominant position.
'Thanks for the meal.'
Facing an opponent who had lost their fighting spirit was an extremely easy task.
Han Min-woo placed his spoon on the prepared table.
[Recorded one out. Acquired 50 points.]
[Finished the inning without allowing a run. Bonus points have been awarded.]