Chapter 19: Baseball Addict

The Hawks vs.

Chickens exhibition game being held at the Arizona spring training camp.

The starting pitcher for the Hawks in the second game was Dario Sarduy, who was competing with Su-hyeon for the 5th starter spot.

Perhaps stimulated by Su-hyeon’s strong performance yesterday.

Dario started at a faster pace than usual and overwhelmed the Chickens’ lineup from the beginning.

The one who put a stop to Dario’s momentum was none other than.

The Chickens’ cleanup hitter, Choi Ji-hwan.

In the first at-bat, the left-handed Dario managed to target Ji-hwan’s weakness, the inside pitch.

But in the second at-bat, Dario’s 151 km/h four-seam fastball that leaked slightly to the middle was not missed by Ji-hwan.

Top of the 4th inning, a two-run home run by Choi Ji-hwan to take the lead.

In the top of the 6th inning, with the Chickens leading 2-1.

Choi Ji-hwan hit a back-to-back two-run home run, knocking Dario Sarduy off the mound.

“Maybe I should have bought dinner yesterday.”

“If Ji-hwan only had to face lefties, he could make it in the majors.

Dario’s stuff wasn’t bad today, but he had a bad matchup.”

5.2 innings, 6 strikeouts, 4 hits, 2 walks, 4 runs.

Dario’s stat line was clearly inferior to Su-hyeon’s from yesterday.

Even if I pitch better than that girl, there’s no guarantee I’ll make it to the 1st army.

F*ck!

Back in the dugout, icing his arm, Dario’s expression showed that he was unable to contain his anger.

“Sheesh, he’s so scary, I can’t even walk past him.”

“It’s just the average for starting pitchers.

They get sensitive on their pitching days, whether they pitch well or not.”

Of course, Su-hyeon knew that feeling better than anyone.

Because she used to be like that herself.

Especially in the fall.

While fielders play roughly 150 games a year, starting pitchers only play around 30 games.

Just by simple calculation, the pressure on a pitcher’s starting day is 3 times greater.

That pressure is multiplied several times in the best-of-five and best-of-seven fall baseball.

It’s a team sport, but it’s a position where you can’t complain even if they say you ruined the game.

And because of that, it’s the position that shines the brightest.

Su-hyeon was planning to shine even brighter in this life.

More boldly, for the sake of victory, she would devote this chest.

[Breaking] ‘Baseball Goddess’ Jeong Su-hyeon called up to SoftBank’s 1st army camp… joins starting rotation

└She did it, Su-hyeon did it

└It makes me realize how amazing it is that Jeong Su-hyeon secured a starting spot in the NPB’s strongest team

└SoftBank is the strongest team?

A troll who doesn’t watch Japanese baseball

└Why would anyone watch the boring, pitcher-dominated, hitter-starved Japanese baseball

Is this for real, a Won Tae-in vs.

Jeong Su-hyeon K-matchup?

My heart is pounding

└There’s this thing called a league…

and they’re different

On the official Hawks’ YooTube channel, which was uploaded after the news of Su-hyeon’s call-up to the 1st army, the comment section was also buzzing with talk about Su-hyeon.

[2030 Spring Camp] Masaki Tomoya’s 4-hit game! Awarded for outstanding hitting

L3:43 Hyon-chan is here wwwww

└Thank you

└The most rewatched scene www

These guys

└Everyone is indifferent to Masaki www

└They’re late, Hyon-chan’s solo YooTube video…

└At this rate, will Hyon-chan leave for another team next year?

Su-hyeon also appeared in five games at the 1st army spring training camp, recording a total of 4.2 scoreless innings.

She secured a spot in the Hawks’ 2030 starting rotation.

Dae-joon, who was also promoted to the 1st army, finally received an official position.

Assistant to the pitching coordinator, Kim Dae-joon.

It was a newly created position, thanks to the owner’s consideration for him to continue serving as Su-hyeon’s unofficial manager.

“Will it be okay?

I feel like the SoftBank coaching staff will be really territorial.”

“What can we do, it’s true that I’m a parachute.

I’ll pull my own weight, so don’t worry.”

Dae-joon was trying to act tough because he didn’t want to worry Su-hyeon.

But it wasn’t like Dae-joon had only come this far because of Su-hyeon.

He was confident in his baseball knowledge, but there was no end to learning, and it was true that there was a lot to learn here.

As a baseball fanatic, he had no intention of missing out on such a great opportunity.

“Since I can’t pitch in the opening 3-game series…

My first start is the second game against the Nippon-Ham Fighters.”

“Of all teams, you’re starting against the strongest team in the Pacific League.

I guess you can’t always be lucky, Su-hyeon.”

The Nippon-Ham Fighters, who won the Pacific League and the Japan Series in 2029.

They were aiming for the top spot in Japan again this year without any significant loss of power.

They were the SoftBank Hawks’ biggest rival this season.

“If I can just shut out a team like that!

Imagine how happy the fans will be.

This isn’t a crisis, it’s an opportunity.”

“I guess so, but it’s a shame that your debut is away.”

According to Dae-joon’s review of the schedule.

Su-hyeon, the 5th starter, wouldn’t have a home game until mid-April.

If she had been the 6th starter, she could have pitched in the home game after the two games against Nippon-Ham.

Dae-joon was even more disappointed because of the memory of winning two consecutive byes, like winning the lottery, in the Greatest Baseball Tournament.

The opening 3-game series against the Chiba Lotte Marines.

The Hawks won the series 2-1 and headed to Hokkaido, the opposite side of the Japanese archipelago.

“Unbelievable.

It’s farther than Fukuoka-Incheon.

I didn’t know Japan was such a big country!”

“Wouldn’t it be more accurate to say it’s long rather than big?”

Whether it was because Japan was bigger than she thought, or because the flight was longer than she expected.

Su-hyeon felt resentful the whole way there.

The following two-game series against the Nippon-Ham Fighters.

The Hawks lost the first game by a score of 3-4.

With a season record of 2 wins and 2 losses.

In the bottom of the 1st inning of the second game, the much-talked-about pitcher finally made her debut.

“Su-hyeon, even though it’s your debut, there’s nothing special.

Just do what you always do.

Okay?”

Hawks’ 1st army pitching coach, Saito Kazumi, encouraged Su-hyeon as she headed to the mound.

It was just some obvious advice with no real substance.

But coming from a two-time Sawamura Award winner, it had a certain weight to it.

“Yes, Coach.

Here I go!”

As she warmed up on the mound, Su-hyeon understood why Dae-joon was disappointed.

Because Fukuoka and Hokkaido were so far apart.

More than half of the away seats at ES CON Field were empty.

Combined with the unique quiet cheering culture of Japanese professional baseball.

The atmosphere in the stands was so quiet that it felt like this was an extension of spring training rather than a debut game.

I was pretty popular in Korea, so this is a bit disappointing.

Normalization of the abnormal.

Normalization…

Do I have to?

[Boing Boing (EX) trait is activated]

Boing~

Whoosh-

Thwack!

“Swing, strike!”

Even though it was her debut game in front of over 20,000 spectators.

Su-hyeon’s pitch was heading towards the catcher’s mitt without any wavering.

Boing~

Whoosh-

Thwack!

“Swing, batter out!”

Spring Su-hyeon.

It was one of Su-hyeon’s nicknames from her time with the Chickens.

Because of the impact of her other nickname, Autumn Choker.

Even the people who used this nickname were confused about whether it was a compliment or an insult.

Either way, there was one definite fact.

Jeong Su-hyeon pitching in the spring?

You can’t stop this.

Su-hyeon’s 134 km/h four-seam fastball hit the farthest outside corner from the batter’s eye.

Thwack!

“Strike!

Batter out!”

After quickly getting two outs, the Fighters’ 3-hole hitter, Mannami Chusei, stepped into the batter’s box.

He was a famous player, not only for his skills.

But also for his mixed-race appearance, inherited from his Congolese father and Japanese mother.

Su-hyeon from her previous life had also heard about Mannami.

That Mannami had grown into the Fighters’ cleanup hitter, hitting over 200 home runs in 9 seasons.

According to the data provided by the team.

He was a bad-ball hitter with great power and speed but poor contact and plate discipline.

The type of hitter Su-hyeon found difficult to face.

‘If I make a mistake to this type, and he hits it out, I’ll be really pissed off.’

Focus on inducing swings while being careful not to make a mistake.

The catcher seemed to have the same thought, as he called for a low Boing-Linker, and Su-hyeon nodded.

And there was one more thing that kept bothering me.

[Boing Boing (EX) trait is activated]

Phew, that’s a relief.

That Gaylord guy gave me a weird prejudice.

Sorry, Mannami.

But you’re 31, isn’t it time to settle down and start a family?

Su-hyeon wound up and threw a Boing-Linker towards the catcher’s mitt.

But maybe it was because she had too many unnecessary thoughts.

Su-hyeon’s Boing-Linker ended up a little higher than intended.

Crack-!

Mannami’s monstrous swing hit the bottom of the ball.

The ball soared high into left-center field.

Su-hyeon saw the left fielder heading towards the fence.

Oh, come on.

No way, right?

“Three outs!

Change sides!”

I knew it, NPB dead ball!

Seeing the left fielder catch the fly ball against the fence, Su-hyeon let out a big sigh of relief.

Phew, that’s why I hate pull hitters.

“Su-hyeon, I did good, right?

Treat me to something!”

The Hawks’ left fielder and captain, Masaki Tomoya, joked with Su-hyeon as he returned to the dugout.

“What do you mean treat you!

I saw you just walked over there to catch it.”

“Oh yeah?

Then treat me if I hit a home run later!”

Why do Japanese people like betting so much?

“Nice pitching, Su-hyeon!”

“Thanks to you!”

It was a bit dangerous because of the African-Japanese.

And a bit anticlimactic because there was hardly any cheering.

The tension that can’t be felt in practice games.

When that tension is overcome, the exhilarating pleasure is doubled.

The reason why I started playing baseball again without any hesitation even after becoming a woman.

It was because of this dopamine rush right now.