The Prodigy Who Rejected the Major League Chapter 22

Chapter 22

 

It seemed that stopping the leadoff hitter from getting an extra-base hit had definitely paid off.

Kim Jewoo struck out the next two batters in order, shutting down Cheongtap High’s offense in the bottom of the sixth with just three hitters.

It was a dopamine-charged performance on the mound.

And then came the top of the seventh.

Just as failing to capitalize on an opportunity had led to a crisis,

if you weather a crisis well, an opportunity comes your way.

Leading off the inning, Choi Minsu worked a full-count walk and took first base.

 

[Top 7th — Seongun High 3 : 3 Cheongtap High]

 

┗ Ssssa! The leadoff hitter gets on base!

┗ Really? Then it’s another bunt, I guess.

┗ No way. They wouldn’t bunt three times in a row, would they? Ah… Motherfu-! It’s another bunt! Is there a ghost that died failing a bunt or something?!

 

As soon as the ninth hitter stepped in with a runner on first and no outs, he squared around.

 

┗ LMAO

┗ Guess you don’t watch much high school baseball, huh? Sacrifice bunts come out all the time in high school games.

┗ Looks like they’re changing pitchers.

 

Cheongtap High’s head coach walked out to the mound, took the ball from the pitcher, and a new arm came in.

After the new pitcher finished his warm-ups,

the batter returned to the box.

This time, he wasn’t squaring to bunt. He took a hitting stance.

 

┗ Oh! Not a bunt stance? He’s back to swinging!

┗ Is the pitcher hard to bunt against?

┗ Is there even such a thing as a high school pitcher who’s hard to bunt against?

┗ If he’s at Moon Seungchan’s level, bunting’s tough!

┗ Doesn’t look like that. The scoreboard says around 145.

┗ Then no bunt? Going full swing?

 

The first pitch was a ball.

On the second pitch, Kim Minjae swung.

The ball one-hopped over the mound, its direction perfect. The second bounce skipped right over second base. The diving second baseman couldn’t reach it, and the ball rolled out toward center field.

 

┗ Hit! Nice! Nice!

 

Runners on first and second, no outs.

 

┗ I found where they’re streaming it!

┗ Where?

┗ On the KBSA website. It’s just a basic screen feed, though.

┗ KBSA? What’s that?

┗ The Korea Baseball Softball Association. You really that uninterested?

┗ I don’t usually watch high school baseball. I’m only watching because of Goguma-nim WWW

┗ Same here! It’s actually fun. I’m going to check it out too.

┗ I’ve been watching on KBSA from the start.

 

There’s always one person like that. Everyone ignored him.

 

┗ I’m working, so I’ll just lurk in chat keke

 

Anyway, some now watched through the video feed.

 

┗ This one’s definitely a bunt.

┗ Yeah, bunt here is the standard play.

┗ What’s the batting order now?

┗ Leadoff hitter’s up.

┗ Then it’s definitely a bunt.

 

Everyone assumed it would be a bunt.

In a close game, even in pro ball, with runners on first and second and no outs, a sacrifice bunt is nearly automatic.

 

┗ He’s squaring around right away.

 

Leadoff hitter Yoo Junho squared to bunt and waited.

This was a perfectly understandable sacrifice situation.

The pitcher delivered.

On the first pitch,

The batter suddenly pulled the bat back…

then slashed lightly at the outside pitch.

Crack!

The ball split the gap between first and second.

 

┗ Oh my god! Oh my god! What?!

┗ What just happened?!

┗ What is going on??

┗ Fake bunt and slash!

┗ Isn’t their coach supposed to be conservative? What’s this fake here? LOL

┗ Ah! I need a video!

┗ It’s on KBSA.

┗ Wait, the runner on second didn’t score?

┗ Was his jump late?

┗ No replays, huh LOLOL

┗ You’re asking too much, LMAO

┗ Bases loaded, no outs. No need to force it.

 

The second batter stepped in.

 

┗ Goguma-nim, is this guy good?

┗ Sophomore. Scoreboard says he’s hitting .250.

┗ In high school, .250 is terrible.

┗ Really?

┗ Yeah. There are like thirty .400 hitters this year.

┗ LMAO

┗ That many? kekeke

┗ .400 in high school just means “he’s decent.” Not “wow, insane.”

┗ If he hits like Song Seongjun, that’s insane.

┗ Kekeke Your standards are weird.

 

As they chatted, the second batter struck out.

 

┗ See? .250 means he can’t hit.

 

Now it was Song Seongjun’s turn.

 

┗ The outfielders are all moving back.

┗ I see it too. The center fielder’s backing up.

 

On the KBSA feed, the full screen showed the view from behind home plate, while a smaller broadcast-style camera angle from behind the pitcher appeared in the top-right corner.

Then the home plate umpire called time. Cheongtap High’s coach walked out to the mound again.

 

***

 

“It’s fine if you walk him and give up one run. Dongjun, focus on your corner work. Got it? Outside. Absolutely no middle, no half-hearted inside stuff. Even if you walk him. Understand?”

Head coach Yoo Myeongseong emphasized to pitcher Yoon Dongjun.

Best case was zero runs, of course.

But the opponent was the best power hitter in high school baseball… and he’d homered earlier that day.

The bases were loaded.

They had no choice but to pitch to him, but if things went south, forcing in one run with a walk was acceptable.

“Yes, sir.”

“Good. Changseok.”

He also spoke to the catcher. If the count went bad, don’t force it into the strike zone.

“Got it?”

“Yes.”

He patted both of them on the shoulder and headed back. Before entering the dugout, he turned once more toward the plate.

Song Seongjun was taking easy practice swings.

Just watching him made something feel off.

‘Should we just automatically intentionally walk him?’

He’d said a walk was fine.

Trying to bait him and ending up walking him was one thing.

But an automatic intentional walk… giving up a run without even trying?

That was psychologically hard to accept.

‘Not every pitch he hits turns into a home run. If it does, that’s just the game. That’s baseball.’

He tried to shake the unease.

Dongjun threw the first pitch.

Ball.

But it was outside, as instructed.

“Slider?”

“Yes.”

“Good.”

He nodded, watching the next one.

 

***

 

“Ball.”

Outside slider. Unhittable.

Second pitch.

“Ball.”

Again, drifting farther outside.

“Isn’t that too obvious?”

I muttered casually.

The catcher gave no reaction.

Were they planning to walk me from the start?

I couldn’t know. But after the mound visit, two straight outside sliders.

‘Hmm.’

I crept forward in the box.

Even if they kept throwing outside sliders, they couldn’t miss too far. A wild pitch would score a run.

I planned to attack the pitch before it broke fully.

Moving up makes fastballs tougher… but this isn’t 99–100 mph MLB heat.

Mid-140s? Even at the front of the box, no problem.

The pitcher began his motion.

I tracked his arm like a hawk.

Slider again!

I toe-tapped, closed my stance, leaned in, and swung while lowering my body.

The moment I felt the ball meet the barrel…

I let the swing flow naturally.

Crack!

Where the ball goes depends on timing. It could be left-center or center.

My rule is simple: never force a pull. Always aim for right-center.

To keep from falling over, I spun a full turn in the box.

Then steadied myself.

But I lost the ball.

‘Where’d it go?’

From our dugout…

“Hey! Song Seongjun! It’s gone!”

“Run! Run! Hahaha!”

“You psycho! Pulling a triple axel here?! Hahahaha!”

Huh? Gone?

Too late to drop the bat stylishly. I just kept holding it and ran.

“What are you doing? Hahaha.”

I handed it to the laughing first-base coach.

“Here.”

Can’t run the bases with a bat, after all.

 

***

 

┗ Wooooooah!

 

Goguma typed furiously again.

 

┗ Insane!

┗ What was that?!

┗ He spun in a full circle, and it’s a home run? LOL

┗ Like that old baseball video… the triple axel homer?

┗ Yeah, that one LMAO

┗ He keeps outdoing himself.

┗ Seongjun~~~!

┗ Goguma-nim calling him by name again kwkwk

┗ Let him. I’m calling him Seongjun from now on, too!

┗ The Baysens must be thrilled they tanked last year. That’s a generational prospect.

┗ This is why finishing 6th or 7th is pointless.

┗ If you miss the playoffs, might as well go all the way to 10th.

┗ Damn. I’m jealous.

┗ Your team finishes 6th?

┗ 9th. By .003.

┗ Seong Jinseong’s a good pitcher, too.

┗ Aaaaaagh!

┗ That’s just cruel.

 

***

 

It was a home run.

A grand slam.

The score flipped to 7–3 in an instant.

Seongun’s dugout roared.

Cheongtap fell silent.

He’d spun in a full circle… and it cleared the fence.

“Does that make sense?”

Yoon Dongjun was stunned.

‘Did the slider drift into the zone?’

He’d tried to bait him.

Should he have thrown it farther outside?

His control unraveled.

Two straight walks followed. The coach replaced him.

Maybe rushed…

The new pitcher hit the sixth batter in the thigh.

Bases loaded again.

Then a routine grounder by the seventh hitter.

It should’ve been a double play.

The shortstop juggled it. Everyone was safe. Run scored.

Errors spread like a virus in student baseball.

The eighth hitter, Choi Minsu, pulled one to left.

The left fielder misjudged it…hands up in despair.

Two-run double.

11–3.

The game spiraled fully toward Seongun.

 

┗ What is this inning?

┗ Eight runs in one inning LMAO

┗ Cold game?

 

If a team leads by 7+ after seven innings, it’s over.

They now lead by eight.

 

┗ That grand slam broke them.

┗ Defense didn’t help either.

┗ Two straight errors lol

┗ Poor left fielder ㅠㅠ

┗ It’s okay. They grow from this.

┗ If this were pro ball, that’d be immortalized for 50 years.

 

***

 

“Seongjun.”

Pitching coach called.

“Start warming up.”

“Already?”

I usually pitched in the eighth.

It was only the seventh.

“Big lead. Coach wants the cold game.”

Ah. Makes sense.

Less work for everyone.

And I had to join the national youth team after this game.

“Yes, sir.”

I warmed up with the freshman catcher.

Minsu stood on second.

‘Nice one today.’

It was clearly the left fielder’s error. But since it never touched his glove, it’d go down as a double.

 

[Song Seong-jun: 4 PA, 2 AB, 2 HR, 2 BB, 6 RBI]

 

┗ He’s warming in the bullpen.

┗ Coach really wants the seventh-inning cold game SMH

┗ I’d prep him too with an eight-run lead.

┗ What a game. So fun.

 

The inning ended soon after.

Bottom of the seventh…

as expected,

Song Seongjun took the mound.

Bang!

 

┗ 155 on the first pitch!

 

The crowd gasped.

 

┗ Better than Moon Seungchan?

┗ That’s too much. Moon sits 157.

┗ Song’s hit 160 before.

┗ Moon probably averages 1–2 km faster. Same top speed.

 

Second pitch… hard-breaking two-seamer.

“Strike two!”

 

┗ 153! Two-seam!

 

Then third… changeup.

Swing and miss.

“Strikeout!”

 

┗ That drops like a splitter.

┗ It’s a kick changeup.

┗ Cruel to throw that to high school hitters lol

 

People were just watching, in awe.

Cheongtap needed two runs to avoid a cold loss.

Seemed impossible.

As expected…

“Game over!”

Seongun High advanced with a seven-inning cold-game win.

Minsu ran to the mound.

“Sunbae!”

“Yeah?”

“It’s over!”

No kidding.

Cheongtap left the field, face grim.

But in baseball, no one escapes wins and losses.

“Good job.”

“Nice work.”

We shook hands with coaches on the way down.

The head coach, too.

“Go represent us well with the youth national team.”

“Yes, sir.”

Come to think of it…

This would be my first time wearing the national youth team uniform.