Chapter 9
I felt it!
I leapt into the air and, after landing, immediately checked my glove first.
“Oh my God! Yes!”
I pulled the ball out of the glove and held it up.
The umpire confirmed it and called the out.
I had robbed what could have been a game-tying home run in the bottom of the sixth.
“Waaaaah!”
There weren’t that many spectators… mostly family and acquaintances.
Still, the cheers at Mokdong Baseball Stadium were undeniably loud.
Yeah. This is why I chase the ball as my life depends on it, running myself ragged across the outfield!
“Sunbae!”
A second-year junior looked at me with eyes full of admiration.
“Hey! You crazy bastard!”
And way back there, Nam Woo-jae, who had been out in right field, was sprinting toward me like a madman.
For a moment, I wondered if I should run away.
***
“What did we just watch?”
The scouts blinked repeatedly as they stared at Song Seongjun running in together with his fellow outfielders.
“Director Bae Seonggon. I didn’t take him for that kind of person! He’d been hiding this all along?”
“Seriously! If there hadn’t been that accident in the outfield, he wouldn’t have even put him out there, would he?”
Everyone looked dumbfounded.
The sight of Song Seongjun planting a foot on the fence and climbing it to steal a home run was shocking.
It was the kind of defense you’d expect to see in Major League Baseball.
There had once been a player in the KBO who looked like he could even catch a bird in flight.
“But why would Director Bae hide this? There’s no reason to keep it a secret that Song Seongjun can play the outfield.”
“Exactly. Director Bae. Seriously. Ha!”
It was impossible to understand.
“With the defense he just showed, couldn’t he play center field too?”
Someone tossed out the remark.
And everyone fell silent.
From ‘power-hitting catcher Song Seongjun’ to ‘right-handed power hitter Song Seongjun who can catch and also play strong outfield defense’… that changes draft order.
One by one, people began leaving their seats again.
***
“Did Song have any experience playing the outfield?”
“No. None at all in high school.”
They said the last record of him playing the outfield was just before summer break of his second year in middle school.
The Toronto Blue Jays scout, Christian, openly laughed.
“So you’re saying a player with zero official high school outfield record came in as a defensive substitution and robbed a home run?”
It was absurd. And impossible to understand.
With skills like that… why? Why hadn’t he shown them until now?
And it wasn’t just the outfield defense.
He had suddenly changed his batting form and then sent a nearly 98-mile-per-hour pitch over the fence.
“I thought I’d just lightly summarize Moon’s current status and send it in. Suddenly, there’s a lot more work to do. Hahaha.”
“Isn’t it difficult to sign both Moon Seungchan and Song Seongjun?”
The international signing bonus pool was fixed. A considerable portion had already been used, and there was a little over two million dollars remaining.
Of course, there was a way to increase the bonus pool. Teams could trade bonus pool money with each other… though they would have to give something in return.
“Of course, bringing both would be difficult. But perhaps the Phillies are the ones who’d want to cry.”
Song Seongjun had turned into a far more attractive asset than anyone had expected.
Until now, the Phillies had no competitors. An East Asian catcher had little appeal.
But a power-hitting outfielder… that was an entirely different story.
“A race that had no competitors could suddenly become one where you don’t know how many teams will jump in.”
***
With that one spectacular defensive play, the previously unsettled atmosphere changed instantly.
Riding that momentum, we paid back the two runs we had allowed in the top of the sixth… double in the bottom half.
8 to 2.
The gap widened back to six runs. And we held it to the end.
“Game over!”
On our third meeting of the year,
We defeated Jeongchun High in the Round of 32.
***
┗An article just dropped! Moon Seungchan’s going to the U.S!!.
┗Yeah, figured he would.
┗After Yoo Hyeondo and Moon Seungchan leave, that means only Seong Jinseong is left from this year’s top three?
┗Doesn’t this mean Daegu BaySuns are screwed? lol
┗What do they do? First time getting the 1st overall pick in the rookie draft lol
┗The screwed ones are the Gocheok Villains. BaySuns just take Seong Jinseong.
┗Right lol Gocheok Villains got robbed blind.
┗Nah, Gocheok Villains aren’t in a bad spot. They can just take Song Seongjun.
┗Why is Song Seongjun coming up? Villains don’t need a catcher.
┗Guess you haven’t heard the news yet.
┗Song Seongjun absolutely destroyed Moon Seungchan today lol. And his outfield defense was insane.
┗??? What are you talking about?
┗There’s a video link, go watch it.
┗I saw it too. Song Seongjun’s crazy… what is this guy?
┗That’s why the board flipped out earlier lol. Total ecosystem-disrupting dark horse.
┗If that’s the case, BaySuns might hesitate too. Seong Jinseong is top-three in high school, sure… but honestly, he’s clearly a tier below Moon Seungchan and Yoo Hyeondo.
┗Still, isn’t it a waste to use the 1st overall pick on a position player?
***
Park Songchan was diagnosed with a fractured nasal bone. He had surgery, and his return was expected in about a month.
There was individual variation, so it could take longer… or he might return sooner.
But it was confirmed that he wouldn’t be back before the President’s Cup tournament ended.
Second-year Son Hyeoksu, fortunately, showed no concussion aftereffects.
Still, he was under considerable stress, and it felt wrong, on a human level, to send him out in the very next game. He needed time in the dugout to steady himself.
“At least we have Seongjun. That’s a relief.”
“That’s true.”
Director Bae Seonggon let out a sigh.
“Silver lining” was exactly the right phrase.
Two starting outfielders and one backup, three gone all at once.
Gang Seungju, who had been hit in the side by a pitch, was diagnosed with a minor rib fracture.
From the very first game of the tournament.
What a thunderbolt of misfortune.
“Director, how about putting Seongjun in center field against Sudeok High?”
Seongun High’s second-round opponent had been decided as Sudeok High.
“In the center?”
“Yes. You saw him training in the outfield today. He looks completely capable of handling center.”
“That’s true.”
“Center field is still too much for Choi Seonghu. He’s fast, but his read on fly balls isn’t good.”
An outfielder’s first step was crucial.
That first step could mean catching a ball that seemed uncatchable… or missing one that should have been caught.
“If that’s Coach Hong’s opinion, then let’s do it.”
It was decided that second-year Choi Seonghu would be placed in left field.
“But really. How does he appear exactly when we need him?”
“You mean Seongjun.”
“Yeah. What on earth is that guy? In all my years as a manager, I’ve never seen someone like him.”
Director Bae shook his head and continued.
“He says he’s been personally training as a center fielder for three years? That’s ridiculous.”
Watching his defense in the outfield, there was no way he hadn’t trained.
“That’s right. His ball judgment and movement… You don’t get that without experience.”
“It’s a mystery.”
Pitching and changing his batting form… those he could understand. A year of private training somewhere, perhaps.
“But an outfielder… I don’t know whether to believe it.”
“We should just believe him. It’s not like field-defense training programs don’t exist. He didn’t hurt the team. If anything, he’s helping.”
Coach Hong was right.
“I’d like to win a title this tournament. It would help the seniors with their college admissions.”
Not every player could go pro.
About 1,300 players apply for the KBO rookie draft each year.
Of them, only 110 are selected across 11 rounds.
An 11.8-to-1 competition ratio.
Teams pick a few more developmental players afterward, but for those who go undrafted, the next option is university.
For a high school manager and coaches, it was only natural to want to send as many of their players as possible to the pros or to college.
“By the way, the club scouts are in an uproar. Hahaha.”
Sensing the mood growing heavy, Hwang Taeho, the hitting coach, lightened it.
Director Bae glanced at the assembled coaches.
“They’ve all contacted you once, haven’t they?”
“Yes.”
“They’re asking why I hid him so tightly. Hahaha.”
“I’m sick of it. They’re asking me why my personality is so nasty. Heh.”
“From the outside, Director, your personality probably does look pretty bad. Hahaha.”
From the clubs’ perspective, Song Seongjun had appeared completely out of nowhere.
“They’re saying they have to redo their draft plans. Asking if I couldn’t have told them earlier. Heh.”
That probably wasn’t just whining.
Until now, unless a team desperately needed a catching prospect like Incheon, Song Seongjun had been borderline for a first-round pick.
But against Jeongchun High, he had shown power capable of driving upper-150 km/h fastballs out of the park… and strong outfield defense.
“They’re all holding their heads right now.”
“A Major League team might jump in.”
“A Major League team? Well… that’s certainly possible.”
“Possible? Some teams might just take a gamble. And he still has something he hasn’t shown yet.”
“That’s true.”
He wasn’t some endlessly peeling onion.
“I think that’s what would shock them the most. What do you all think?”
Park Junseok, the oldest among the coaching staff, asked with a smile.
“Director’s going to get cursed out again.”
“I don’t think it’ll end with just cursing. Hahaha.”
“Why? You think someone’ll grab me by the collar?”
Park Junseok nodded without hesitation.
“If it were me, I’d absolutely grab your collar.”
“I can get grabbed by the collar ten times. But about Seongjun… it bothers me that we couldn’t get him real game innings.”
Originally, they had planned to let him throw at least one inning against Jeongchun High.
But with the accident and everything else, they couldn’t.
“How’s training? No problems? Is he keeping up?”
He had told Coach Park to personally oversee him a month ago. Though he had received reports, he asked again.
“You don’t need to worry.”
“Is that your opinion?”
“Yes. At the very least, he won’t tremble on the mound.”
“I see.”
Setting everything else aside.
If experience and training were lacking, velocity and pitch quality usually dropped from the set position.
But Song Seongjun showed none of that.
“Director, instead of overcomplicating things, how about using him cleanly as the first pitcher?”
“Like we do with Jeong Chansu or Hong Chansik?”
“Yes.”
It was a method Director Bae occasionally used.
Start Jeong Chansu or Hong Chansik to eat up as many innings as possible, then bring in the team’s ace, Kim Jewoo or Kim Hyunsoo, as the second pitcher to manage pitch count and innings.
It was a desperate measure born of having few trustworthy pitchers.
In that sense, why not instead start Song Seongjun… the one who threw the fastest on the team but hadn’t been tested yet, as the first pitcher?
“If he throws 155, he can just aim down the middle.”
“That’s difficult. If we start him, we have a hole in the outfield immediately.”
Defense Coach Hong Seungwoo objected at once. He wasn’t confident leaving the outfield entirely to two second-year players.
Director Bae felt the same.
“If we start him, what about hitting? Are we going without a designated hitter slot?”
Hitting Coach Hwang Taeho also raised a counterpoint.
If starting pitcher Song Seongjun also had to bat, they’d have to forgo the designated hitter and let the pitcher hit.
Even after he left the mound, if they wanted him to continue batting, he’d have to take a fielding position. That meant removing another fielder. And the new pitcher would also have to hit.
Keeping the designated hitter slot intact was the simplest option.
But then Song Seongjun would strictly be a pitcher and wouldn’t get to bat.
There was no Ohtani Rule in the KBO or in amateur competition.
“I think it’s best to let him play the outfield, then bring him onto the mound in the later innings.”
They could maximize his outstanding outfield defense that way.
The moment he moved from a position player to the pitcher on the mound, the designated hitter slot would be eliminated.
But he could pitch to the end of the game… and when his turn at bat came around, he would hit as well.
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