Chapter 18. Spring Training (2)
It was already the middle of February, and two intrasquad games had been scheduled.
Just by looking at the lineup for the first game, it was possible to roughly understand what the manager had in mind for the season.
I was starting at third base, Kim Taeyoung sunbae was the designated hitter, and a backup player with poor defense had been placed at shortstop.
The manager was probably imagining a situation where I became the regular third baseman.
Putting Wattner on our side as the starting pitcher is probably for the same reason.
From what I had seen during Spring Training, Wattner was a typical pitch to contact pitcher.
That meant the results he produced could change drastically depending on the quality of the infield defense.
Judging by the weak keystone combination placed behind him, it looked like the manager wanted to test Wattner's mentality and ability to manage a game.
But is it really right to bring in a pitch to contact pitcher when your infield defense is weak?
Well, it was nothing new for the Hawks' foreign scouting team to have a poor batting average when it came to picking players.
For now, I could only accept it and move on.
In a similar way, Kang Hyunwoo, who had joined from the Giants, was also scheduled to pitch for our side.
And in this case, my ability was extremely important.
When you use a defensive shift against a left handed hitter, the third baseman has to move closer to the shortstop position.
If I showed poor defense over the next few games, the team would not be able to aggressively use shifts during the regular season.
Naturally, that would increase the burden on Kang Hyunwoo.
And if they failed to properly use a closer they had spent two billion won to sign, criticism would be unavoidable.
"Play!"
I was batting cleanup for the White Team.
I had wondered whether the manager might put me second, following the Major League trend of placing the team's strongest hitter in the number two spot.
But apparently that was still too much.
It would have been strange to immediately place a hitter who had not even played a real professional game in the number two spot.
Instead, the number two hitter was free agent signing Oh Seunggi, the center fielder.
He lacked a little power, but he was still a strong hitter.
He was definitely closer to a modern strong number two hitter than the traditional type.
He was an excellent bad ball hitter with strong contact skills, and he also knew how to work the count.
I think he usually hit around .300/.400/.400 every year.
In many ways, he probably fit better as a leadoff hitter than a number two hitter.
But besides Oh Seunggi, there was nobody else suitable for the second spot.
So the manager probably had no choice.
"Oliver, you good?"
"Fucking very good."
"...Good, good. You're basically Korean already. Very good."
Meanwhile, the Orange Team's starting pitcher was Oliver Evans.
Unless something unexpected happened, he would almost certainly start on Opening Day.
His maximum velocity of 152 km/h was a little lacking by American standards, but in Korea, it was more than enough to be called a power fastball.
Before my regression, I remembered him spending his first season with the Hawks, trying to return to the Major Leagues, and then disappearing somewhere along the way.
According to Gukyoung sunbae, as a classic right handed pitcher, he could throw a curveball, slider, and changeup.
And with that, the game began.
The White Team batted first.
"Out!"
Second baseman Kim Myeongsin, batting first, struck out on a high fastball.
Oh Seunggi lightly touched a fastball that drifted slightly over the middle and reached first base.
"Ball!"
"Ball!"
Taeyoung sunbae watched two pitches go by, then pulled hard on a fastball that came in to steal a strike.
CRAAACK!
The ball slammed into the left field fence for a double, allowing Oh Seunggi to score.
The score became 1 to 0.
Oliver wrinkled his nose.
Since this was his first real game situation, he probably wanted to show something good.
It seemed he was annoyed that things were not going the way he wanted.
Just as I was about to enter the batter's box, the coach stopped me as usual.
"Nahan. The hitting point. You know, right? Just trust your coach once."
"Yes, yes."
The fact that he was still giving me advice meant he had not given up yet.
It seemed I would need to have a serious conversation with him after the game.
At least the hitting coach was stubborn without being completely closed minded.
The manager also occasionally looked in our direction.
If the situation could not be solved naturally, he would probably step in.
I gave a vague answer and entered the batter's box.
"Oh, the factory manager is here."
"Yes, sunbae."
"Hey, he's still our Opening Day starter. Take it easy on him."
Choi Beomcheon, the starting catcher playing for the Orange Team, spoke to me.
Thanks to his friendly personality, he got along with almost everyone.
"Just watching your swing makes my knees shake. Our Oliver is a sensitive guy, so don't beat him up too badly, okay?"
"Of course."
Oliver nodded and threw the first pitch.
CRACK!
The first pitch went foul.
Since it was still winter, his velocity had not fully risen yet.
Even so, it felt like it was already around 145 km/h.
However, the actual quality of the pitch itself felt average.
In Korean baseball terms, he seemed around the level of a solid number three starter.
So that's why he couldn't make it back to the Majors.
With average Major League velocity and below average pitch quality, it would have been difficult to survive there.
There was probably a reason the Hawks did not re sign him either.
They likely wanted someone good enough to act as at least a number two starter.
The pitcher on the mound let out a deep breath.
"Strike!"
Whether it was luck or intentional, the fastball painted the low outside corner.
Since I knew his four seam fastball was not in great condition, I had expected him to avoid challenging me.
It was a surprising choice.
I briefly stepped out of the batter's box.
We had done live batting several times during camp.
Still, it had been a very long time since I played something this close to a real game.
I needed a little time to adjust.
Fortunately, all the steady training I had done since returning to the past did not seem to have been wasted.
I caught the slight rise of the ball as it left Oliver's hand.
The moment I saw it,
I unleashed a full swing.
CRAAAAACK!
"What the hell..."
"Wow."
I could hear the amazed reaction of Alex King, the Orange Team's right fielder, all the way from here.
[Breaking News, Kim Nahan Home Run]
└ Kyahahahaha, that's what I'm talking about~
└ That thing flew ridiculously far.
└ How far did that go?
└ Breaking News, Kim Nahan's home run ball found in Busan.
└ Nobody here was dumb enough not to buy Kim Nahan stock, right?
└ This bastard was posting nonstop hate about him until yesterday, lol.
└ Hehe;; lol;; sorry!
[What are you doing? Upload it.]
(Photo of General Manager Lee Yangcheol)
└ We worship you, GOAT of the draft....
└ My love, my light, my darkness. Me, and Lee Yangcheol.
└ Ninety nine percent of this place cursed Lee Yangcheol when he drafted Kim Nahan, and now public opinion flips after one home run, lol.
└ Nobody like that existed. Why are you making things up?
└ You guys are losing your minds over one home run, seriously, lol.
[Kim Nahan Wins 2024 Rookie of the Year]
, Wins Rookie of the Year and MVP after hitting 144 home runs in one season.
└ Hawks fans have finally lost their minds, lol.
└ This isn't even a regular season game, hahaha.
└ If he homered off Major League ace level Oliver, then 144 home runs is definitely possible.
└ You're really hyping up Oliver now? Even the legendary tank commander couldn't do that, lol. Have you finally lost all shame?
While the Hawks community burned,
the commentators broadcasting the game live on NewTube raised their voices.
"Kim Nahan drives Kim Taeyoung home with a home run!"
