Mop-Up Pitcher (1)
Tuesday, July 9, 2030.
It is the day of the first game in the midweek three-game series against the Gocheok Crocodiles.
Han Min-woo, stretching in one corner of the grass at Jamsil Baseball Stadium, let out a sigh.
"Ah, I'm already tired even though I rested yesterday."
"Dong-woo. Who was that woman you were drinking with yesterday? Her body was killer. Do you happen to have any of her friends?"
"It's boiling hot, I'm roasting. I'm telling you, on days like this, I envy the guys who play indoors like in basketball or volleyball."
"Sunbae, how about some chicken and a beer after work? A really amazing restaurant opened in front of my place. I went with my wife yesterday and was totally surprised."
It was an ordinary conversation. The kind of things healthy men in their twenties and thirties would easily talk about when gathered together.
However, the problem was that the people having this conversation were professional athletes. And they were about to play a game.
Hearing the players' conversation, Han Min-woo shook his head secretly. They looked less like baseball players and more like office workers who had no choice but to commute to work. And highly unmotivated ones at that.
'No wonder their performance is like that.'
This season, the Seoul Wolves' record was 37 wins and 47 losses. They were even on a four-game losing streak recently. Their ranking was dead last out of ten teams.
Furthermore, bringing up the records from the previous five seasons made it even more serious. 10th, 7th, 9th, 10th, 9th.
It was a much more serious level than the Busan Dolphins, who recorded lower ranks every year.
And the game was even worse.
-Hello? To all the viewers who love Korean professional baseball. Today at Jamsil Stadium, the first game of the midweek three-game series between the Wolves and the Crocodiles will take place.
-Starting for the Wolves is Ernante, and starting for the Crocodiles is Bainhard.
-It's a matchup between the aces of both teams. Looking at recent records, the Crocodiles have the upper hand. Alright, the Crocodiles begin their attack in the top of the first inning.
-Ernante's pitches are truly powerful. Especially his mid-150km fastball and the curve that drops right after the fastball are at the level of a nasty pitch. Ernante easily shuts down the Crocodiles' offense.
-Strikeout. Strikeout. Strikeout! Bainhard, three consecutive batters struck out! Today's batters are completely tied up by both teams' pitchers. The score remains 0 to 0 up to the 5th inning!
-Ah, shortstop Park Jun-young misses the ball again! Wolves, that's two errors today just in this game! Ernante shakes his head on the mound.
-The next opponent is the 4th batter, Kwon Ji-hoon. He's been showing an absolute top form lately. With runners on first and second and one out, Ernante faces a tough opponent.
-He hit it! Behind the right fence! Behind the right fence! Over the fence!
-Let's take a look at the slow motion.
-He sat on it perfectly and crushed it. This was a mistake pitch by Ernante.
-For the Wolves, who are on a four-game losing streak, these runs are truly painful. The current score is 3 to 0! With this, the momentum of the game has completely shifted to the Crocodiles!
"Ugh, that bastard Bainhard is on fire whenever he faces us."
"He tore us up again today, tore us up. His pitch count isn't even 70 yet, so if he does well, he might come out until the 8th inning?"
"Oof. Yun-min's out. Let's go out on defense, everyone."
"Who's coming up for us this time? Isn't Jun-gyu going to be pulled? They're not going to bring in a fielder to pitch because we have no pitchers, right?"
"There's that guy, him. Han Min-woo."
"He's a cripple. I mean, among the pitchers."
The players sitting in the dugout grabbed their gloves and stood up leisurely.
'I won't be able to go out in today's game.'
Han Min-woo, who was calmly watching the game from one corner, muttered softly. Even though the other players giggled and sneered, there was no change in his expression.
Before the game started, the pitching coach came and said.
"If the score gap widens significantly, you'll go in, so keep that in mind."
As a professional player, Han Min-woo couldn't possibly not know the meaning of those words. The position Han Min-woo took on the Wolves was the mop-up pitcher. It was a role to handle the remaining innings when the score gap widened so much that the game result could no longer be reversed.
That was why he didn't take the mound often. Because there weren't many cases where the score difference was that large.
However, seeing how the team was operating, it seemed like the day he would take the mound would come sooner than expected.
[Currently Held Points: 220 P]
'I wish I could draw one more special ability before that.'
"Hello, Sunbae-nim. Good morning!"
"Hey, Ji-hyeon. You're here early."
Han Min-woo, who was running along the perimeter of Jamsil Baseball Stadium, raised a hand to accept Yoon Ji-hyeon's greeting.
The current time was 11:00 AM.
It was an hour or two earlier than the time other players arrived for work. But it was a very familiar time for Han Min-woo.
"Sunbae-nim, may I run alongside you?"
"Yeah. Come here."
At Han Min-woo's gesture, Yoon Ji-hyeon latched onto him with sparkling eyes.
'What's wrong with this guy?'
At the sight of him looking like a puppy that had received its owner's permission, Han Min-woo tilted his head.
The two were senior and junior at Deoksu High School, and also senior and junior when joining the Busan Dolphins. Furthermore, as if it wasn't an ordinary connection, they were traded to the Wolves on the same day.
Counting like that, they had been connected for 6 years.
"……."
However, the conversation between the two ended there.
Why?
Because they didn't have much of a friendship.
During their Deoksu High School days, when Han Min-woo was a 3rd-year student, Yoon Ji-hyeon was a 1st-year student.
While people a year or two apart often hang out like friends, that wasn't easy during school days. The younger you are, the more a single year difference matters.
It was the same after joining the pro team.
When Yoon Ji-hyeon joined the Busan Dolphins, Han Min-woo was serving as a public service worker and focusing on his rehabilitation. You could say their timing didn't match.
Moreover, the two had different positions. Pitchers and hitters have different mechanisms, so they train separately. Because of that, factions formed, and they had few chances to get close.
And above all, Han Min-woo didn't like socializing.
Teamwork and socializing were completely different concepts. It's the same everywhere people live, and a pro baseball team was also a place where people lived.
People who liked to play, people who liked to drink, people who liked games—various players existed.
Because Han Min-woo took a step back in such places, he didn't have many opportunities to build friendships with other players.
It was when they were running lightly for about an hour along the ground.
Ring!
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'Finished another one.'
Han Min-woo wiped his sweat and exhaled a long breath.
His back was already drenched in sweat. With this, the warm-up was over.
His body was sufficiently heated, and the daily quest was marked as completed. Now it was time to proceed to the next daily quest.
"Hey, Yoon Ji-hyeon! Oh, Sunbae-nim. Hello."
As he headed to the dugout, second baseman Ha Yun-min bowed to Han Min-woo.
Then, he aimed something he was holding at Yoon Ji-hyeon, who was following behind him. The object was a water gun.
"Ack, cold."
Yoon Ji-hyeon, suddenly hit by the water gun, flinched and flailed his hands.
Seeing that sight, Han Min-woo smiled bitterly.
"Hey, Yun-min."
Ha Yun-min.
A product of Sunrin High School, he was a third-year hitter who joined the Wolves in the 2nd round of the 2028 draft.
Starting from May 2028, he immediately took over the Wolves' second baseman position, and in 108 starting games that year, he recorded 384 at-bats, 114 hits, 53 RBIs, 102 runs, a batting average of .301, an on-base percentage of .380, a slugging percentage of .392, and an OPS of .772.
If it hadn't been for Seo Jin-ho of the Suwon Wolverines, the 2028 Rookie of the Year would have been Ha Yun-min's.
In other words, unlike Han Min-woo, who wouldn't be surprising to be released at any time, he was a solid starting player for the Seoul Wolves.
"Hey, let's go warm up."
"I was running with Min-woo Sunbae-nim until just now."
"Run more, you punk. You're already gassed from just running that much?"
"No. I'm still perfectly fine?"
"No, you're not. You look like you lack stamina. Are you scared?"
"Scared of what? I told you I just ran."
"This punk is chickening out."
Ha Yun-min and Yoon Ji-hyeon bickered.
Actually, the two had been quite close since their high school days.
Both were switch-hitters, played shortstop and second base, had refreshing looks, and had many similar points in many aspects. Moreover, they were the same age.
Because of those commonalities, they came to hang out like friends.
"You lack stamina. That's why you've been stuck in the 2nd team until now. Even if I ran with Min-woo Sunbae-nim, I can run with you again."
"No I'm not? I can run more right now too?"
"Then let's go run more."
"No. I'm going to stretch next to Sunbae-nim."
"This punk is definitely scared. You can stretch with me after running."
"I said I'm not scared."
At the two's conversation, Han Min-woo made a sullen expression.
'Why are these guys acting like this next to me.'
It was then.
"Min-woo, are you fully warmed up?"
"Hello, Coach. I just finished."
Han Min-woo quickly bowed his head to the approaching pitching coach and head coach Kim Young-seung.
"Then let's go to the bullpen. Let's see your pitches."
"Understood."
"Deok-gu! Catch some balls here!"
"Yes, Coach. I'm coming!"
As he moved to the bullpen following the pitching coach, a catcher took his stance and held out his glove.
Head Coach Kim Young-seung, from the side, ordered Han Min-woo, who was standing on the pitching mound blankly staring at that sight.
"Min-woo has a fastball, slider, changeup, and what else?"
"I can also throw a curveball."
"Then let's throw 10 of each, starting with the fastball."
"Understood."
"No need to overdo it. Throw lightly, lightly."
Han Min-woo nodded as he stared at the catcher's glove.
'Lightly, huh... Right, I should throw lightly.'
Normally, other players would have thrown with all their might in this position.
It was the first time he was officially throwing a ball in front of the coaching staff after being traded. It definitely had a strong meaning of a test.
However, Han Min-woo threw the ball not to appeal to the coaches, but with the purpose of checking his own pitches.
'They said I'm a mop-up pitcher.'
It was a passage that showed what kind of treatment he received on this team, and words that clearly showed how the coaching staff could use him for strategic purposes.
Mop-up pitcher.
What people commonly misunderstand is that 2nd team players are in the 2nd team because they lack skill, and 1st team players are in the 1st team because they are skilled.
Of course, to some extent that's right, but it wasn't the perfect answer.
Depending on the case, the players in the 2nd team could be rough gems that would bloom more beautifully if raised well, so they were placed in the 2nd team to be polished. You could say they are being cherished like plants in a greenhouse.
Similarly, apart from being good at playing, players in the 1st team could be there because they had some use on this team.
In that sense, Han Min-woo wasn't a player in the 1st team because he was good, but a player who existed because he was useful. In other words, a consumable to be used and thrown away.
You could say that no matter how much he appealed in this position, nothing would change.
Because they knew that, his other colleagues didn't attach any affection to him either.
The fact that the other players only accepted Yoon Ji-hyeon's greetings yesterday and today was proof of that.
'It doesn't matter.'
Han Min-woo silently threw the ball toward the catcher's glove.
'I'm fine.'
Pow!
"Nice ball!"
Four-seam fastball, slider, and changeup and curveball, 10 pitches each for a total of 40 pitches.
The result wasn't very good.
'I don't know how many mistake pitches came out.'
There were several pitches that deviated greatly from around the glove the catcher held out. There were no wild pitches, but from the catcher's perspective, it was enough to make him grumble inwardly.
Moreover, the pitch quality was nothing special. Unlike other pitchers, the sound of the catch was weak, and the angle of the breaking balls wasn't sharp.
At least, it was a situation where no compliments could come out.
The pitching coach gestured to Han Min-woo.
"Good work."
It meant he could go now.
Any feedback on his pitching that should normally be present after a bullpen session did not exist.
After Han Min-woo bowed his head, he left the bullpen.
The pitching coach asked.
"It's really terrible. Will you be alright? It'll be hard to even use him as a mop-up."
He seemed dissatisfied with keeping Han Min-woo on the 1st team roster.
It couldn't be helped. There were rumors that he received kickbacks to bring players up to the 1st team. For him, backed by high-ranking officials, the Wolves organization was no different from a business establishment.
However, unlike the pitching coach, Head Coach Kim Young-seung thought Han Min-woo wasn't bad.
'He's quite usable.'
First of all, his pitching form was very clean. Just by watching him throw, you couldn't tell what kind of pitch was coming.
Moreover, it wasn't a form that put any special strain on the shoulder, and his control was better than expected.
A lot of effort was truly embedded in it. Probably, in order to make a comeback somehow, he analyzed and researched countless times and finally found a pitching form that suited him.
Of course, he'd have to put him in a game to know for sure, though.
And that testing ground came faster than expected.
-Ah! Jason Cross is clutching his shoulder. It seems he's injured. I hope it's not a major injury.
-I thought it was strange that he was getting hit a lot from the early innings, he must have been pitching while hiding the pain. The Wolves already have a long way to go, and now a disaster has struck here.
-If a foreign player who needs to serve as a one-two punch leaves like this... The Wolves will likely have a lot on their minds.
"Cross says he can't feel anything in his shoulder."
"It's only the 3rd inning... What should we do? Should we tell Do-hyeon and Sang-woo to hurry up and warm up?"
At the pitching coach's question, Head Coach Kim Young-seung, who was acting as the manager, shook his head.
Wearing sunglasses, no emotion could be read from his face.
"The score gap is already 7 runs. On top of that, the starter collapsed. When running a long-distance marathon, you need to know how to take a break."
"Then how...?"
"Bring up Han Min-woo."