Log Bridge (8)
The second game against the Dolphins unfolded the next day.
The outcome was decided early on.
Facing the starting pitcher Dunes Felid, they succeeded in getting on base from the 1st inning, created consecutive hits in the 2nd inning, and finally exploded for 5 runs in the 3rd inning through the batters' concentration.
It was a big inning, with the batting order cycling all the way from the 1st batter Ha Yun-min to the 9th batter Myeong Seok-hun.
'Today's game is over too.'
It wasn't completely over yet, but honestly, the probability of the Dolphins coming back in today's game was extremely low.
Not only was Gu Dong-woo, who could be considered the homegrown ace, starting for the Wolves, but more importantly, the level of concentration between the two teams' batters was completely different.
While the Wolves were baring their claws to bite at least once, the Dolphins' batters felt like they were retreating powerlessly.
As if they had lost their will to fight.
"W-we're resting today. Right?"
"Hey, punk. If you're a man, you should want to go out and play, why do you like that kind of thing?"
"Still... t-the Dolphins guys are scary to face."
"Sigh. Grow a pair, you bastard."
'Why are these two acting like this here?'
Han Min-woo, who was watching the game with his arms crossed, let out a sigh.
He was already in a bad mood because it seemed like he wouldn't be able to play in the game.
Currently, Kim Deok-min and Myeong Sang-woo were sitting on either side of him.
And they were carrying on a conversation among themselves with Han Min-woo stuck in the middle.
'I still haven't gotten used to it.'
One of them was the team's closer, but he had a very timid personality. He was afraid of going up on the mound and acted like someone who had no competitive spirit.
But once he actually stepped on the mound, he boiled over with energy. Whether he gave up a hit or a home run, he was the type to unconditionally go for a head-on confrontation. If you just handed him a knife, he'd look like a berserker crazed for blood—that person was Kim Deok-min.
On the other hand, Myeong Sang-woo was a very bold and cheerful person. He also looked a bit like a fighter. There was something between rudeness and fiery passion in Myeong Sang-woo.
But even such an aggressive person would change into someone infinitely calm and cold the moment he stepped on the mound. He mainly went for head-on confrontations, but occasionally, it seemed like he pitched calculatedly.
Just when he thought, 'If it were me, I'd pitch there in this situation,' and saw Myeong Sang-woo pitch exactly there, he couldn't help but feel quite admiring.
'Anyway, I want to watch this quietly.'
"They say there's a place called Cat Street here in Busan. Want to go there after this ends later?"
"Why the hell would we go see something like that? I'd rather lie in bed and watch TV. They said there's a Hades vs. Kruger welterweight match today."
"I, I don't like that. Blood comes out in that."
Han Min-woo shook his head at the conversation between the two.
He felt his energy being drained even though he wasn't playing in the game.
"What are you three doing over there?"
"We're sitting together as the Iron Wall Line, why?"
"Iron Wall Line?"
In response to Pi Gi-jeong's question upon seeing the three sitting side-by-side, Myeong Sang-woo answered.
Then he casually put his arm around Han Min-woo's shoulder with his bruised arm.
It was dizzying.
Why were these two tormenting him? Why did he have to be squeezed between them and listen to this conversation?
"You guys look good together. Keep staying like that."
"Yes sir! Senior, if you're bored, come over here too."
"No, you Iron Wall Lords stay there. You three happen to have faces like iron walls too."
At Pi Gi-jeong's obviously sarcastic words, Han Min-woo squeezed his eyes shut.
And a camera director in one corner of the dugout captured the appearance of the three on camera.
[LOOOOOOOOOOL Shit I just spat out my coffee LMAOOOOO]
[No, why are they like that LMAO Han Min-woo's face is totally hit with reality ROFL]
[LOOOOOL He looks like a cat stuck between puppies, so pitiful TT]
[So the interview where he said 'I'll do my best on and off the field for the team' meant this LMAOOOOO]
[How much salary does a player like Han Min-woo get? Like 100 million won? For someone at his level, they should raise his salary this year LOL]
[Han Min-woo's salary this season is the KBO minimum of 38.6 million won Y/Y]
[Huh? That's all he gets? Don't guys like Yoo Jae-hyuk, Kim Jun-gyu, and Kwon Dong-min get around 100 million?]
[Yeah, it says he hasn't played in the first team for the past 3 years. Only played 4 games in the second team Y/Y So I guess he couldn't escape the minimum salary]
[It's also because he went to public service. Han Min-woo completed his military service LOL]
[Wow LOL Completed military, minimum salary, now in his mid-20s, sending us a pitcher with a 1-point ERA, the Dolphins are just the best..]
[LOLOL What were they thinking sending Han Min-woo? I'm genuinely curious]
[Hey you bastards LMAO These are the same guys who were foaming at the mouth when Han Min-woo first came LOLOL]
[Us? When? where? who? what? how? why?]
Yoo Sung-jong, stepping into the batter's box, acknowledged Pi Gi-jeong.
"Hyung."
"The vibe isn't good, so let's talk later."
Pi Gi-jeong said with a cold voice.
It was a strange situation. He was once a colleague. They were on different teams now, but that didn't make them enemies. The trade wasn't his choice.
But now, they had become enemies. Because of the incident just yesterday.
Yoo Sung-jong had been under a lot of stress lately anyway.
When he first left the Wolves, he was full of expectations.
The Dolphins, who hovered between 4th and 6th place in the league, gave up two prospects to bring him in. They already had a decent batting lineup, but right field was always seen as a hole. He thought he would fill that hole and challenge for fall baseball.
Fall baseball, which he could never reach with the Wolves, a perennial bottom-ranked team.
That had excited Yoo Sung-jong's heart.
"Hello, I'm Yoo Sung-jong."
"Welcome."
"Let's get along well from now on."
When he was first traded, he played quite well. His batting average recovered to the three-hundred range, and he hit a few home runs. The Dolphins fans warmly welcomed him.
However, the situation changed ironically not because of something inside Yoo Sung-jong, but because of an external event.
The two prospects who were traded for him began to unleash their potential and perform phenomenally.
—Strikeout! Another strikeout! The last batter strikes out too! Player Han Min-woo erases the inning with just his own hands!
—The ball, merely tapped with the bat, drops in front of the left fielder! Yoon Jae-hyun, who is having a 3-hit game today!
—That's amazing. From the Dolphins' perspective, the performance of these two players must be painful. The Dolphins also need a decent pitcher and shortstop just as much. It must be more urgent than right field.
[(Dolphins) Ugh, our fucking front office bastards suck so much at their jobs --]
[(Dolphins) LMAO If they gave up Yoon Jae-hyun and Han Min-woo to get Yoo Sung-jong, isn't that philanthropist level?]
[(Dolphins) They practically gave up on fall baseball themselves LOL Look at the Wolves' momentum lately, looks like they'll overtake our team LMAO]
It was unfair. None of it was his fault. His performance wasn't bad—no, he was playing better than when he was with the Wolves.
Despite that, the comments were full of mockery towards him.
'I have to hit better.'
That stress came in the form of pressure.
He became greedy, and as a result, his swing started to get bigger.
That impatience eventually led to the worst result: a decline in his batting feel.
'Fuck...'
The two prospects were still riding high.
On the other hand, while his mind was impatient, his performance was dropping.
In that state, he met the Wolves for a 3-game series.
It was a mess from the start. Min Hyun-jun, Seong Min-gi, and Hong Ji-hoon, who were now his teammates, had picked a fight with Han Min-woo.
Anyone could see it was their fault. But they were his teammates, and baseball is a team sport. From Yoo Sung-jong's perspective, he had no choice but to cover for them.
'Damn it. If only we had at least won the game.'
Thwack—!
"Strike!"
Yoo Sung-jong, who swung and missed at the pitch from the starter Gu Dong-woo, gritted his teeth.
If they recorded a losing series in this 3-game set, the rankings would flip.
The fall baseball he had dreamed of and flown toward would, ironically, return to the team he wanted to leave behind.
Thwack—!
"Strike!"
Because of the video that went up in the morning, his teammates had already lost their will to fight. They were human too. They had made unreasonable excuses, but now that it was exposed as mere excuses, they couldn't help but feel ashamed.
And that shame caused the batters to lose their fighting spirit.
'I have to hit no matter what.'
But Yoo Sung-jong didn't want to give up. He really wanted to win.
However, once lost momentum did not return.
Thwack—!
"Strike! Batter out!"
"Fuck!"
Yoo Sung-jong slammed the bat he was holding down onto home plate.
The wooden bat shattered, splitting into two pieces.
'Is this it after all?'
Returning to the dugout powerlessly, Yoo Sung-jong hung his head.
It was the moment the dream of fall baseball crumbled.
The second game also ended with the Wolves' victory.
The final score was 9 to 1.
The powerless Dolphins throughout the game barely scored one run against Yoo Do-hyun, who came up in the 9th inning, just avoiding a shutout loss.
And the same was true for the third game the next day.
They were dragged around the whole game, eventually ending at 10 to 5.
"Three consecutive wins since the start of the second half!"
"Great work, everyone!"
"Hyungs! We're in 6th place!"
The Wolves players threw a festival in the locker room.
They splashed water on each other, celebrating their rise to 6th place.
'Nice.'
The 3-game series against the Dolphins in Busan gave Han Min-woo a lot to think about.
It was the team he once belonged to, a place where many things had happened.
The Dolphins was where he experienced the most radiant period of his life, and it was also where he experienced rock bottom.
Furthermore, it was while he was with the Dolphins that he experienced the miracle called BnB. Of course, he was traded right after the miracle arrived, though.
"Come on, everyone pack up quickly! Don't you want to go home?"
The Wolves' next schedule would be played at home.
The opponents were...
"Let's ride this momentum and crush the Gladiators too!"
"Crush them!"
Daegu Gladiators.
The team currently running in 1st place in the league. Moreover, having won the Korean Series for three consecutive years recently, they could be called the undisputed strongest team right now.
Thanks to their 3-game winning streak, the atmosphere in the locker room was burning passionately.
However, a few players faced reality with cold hard logic.
"Our head-to-head record against the Gladiators this season is..."
"1 win and 8 losses."
Han Min-woo answered Kim Deok-min's mumbling question.
"..."
It was a despairingly lopsided record. At this level, it was safe to call them their nemesis.
Besides, the Gladiators' ranking was 1st. Meanwhile, the Wolves were only 6th now.
Even looking at it objectively, one could only predict the Wolves' defeat.
Vvvvvv—
Right on cue, a vibration rang from Han Min-woo's pocket.
After checking his phone, Han Min-woo sighed.
—Mom
[Son~ You have a 3-game series against the Gladiators starting tomorrow, right? Your dad and I are going to watch it in person! Fighting!]
It seemed his parents, who were huge fans of the Gladiators, would be coming to the stadium.