Chapter 18
18. The Air of Single-A
[Seo Ji-tae really went to Houston. Aren’t they the last-place team? After all that media play about Bronx or the Stars, reality is the hundred-loss Houston Apollos. He even starts in rookie ball.]
, Houston? Isn’t that a basketball team? They have a Major League team too?
, Houston Apollos. They’re actually a decent-sized market. They’re just terrible right now.
, He talked like he’d destroy the Majors immediately, then got rejected by the big-market teams and barely found work with a last-place club.
, Why would he go there?
, The 1.5 million bonus is probably agent media play too. He ignored all the KBO seniors, and now look at him.
, I bet my wrist he throws batting practice in rookie ball and comes crying home within a year.
Public opinion in Korean baseball had gone beyond cold.
It was almost celebratory.
Seo Ji-tae’s comments about data-driven baseball were worth listening to.
But veterans and fans who had dismissed them as the arrogance of a child refused to accept them.
When they heard his destination was Houston, a permanent bottom-ranked team, many openly felt satisfied.
To them, Seo Ji-tae was an arrogant traitor who had ignored the hierarchy they believed in and escaped to America.
, But isn’t Seo Ji-tae right? He said batting average against pitchers drops as velocity rises.
, Anyone can talk.
, Who asked?
To those people, Seo Ji-tae had to fail miserably in the American minor leagues.
Then completely unexpected breaking news arrived.
[Seo Ji-tae destroys the minor league ecosystem? Promoted to Single-A after only one day.]
, What is this?
, Stop lying.
, Single-A in one day? Who does he think he is, BK?
Everyone who clicked the first article had the same reaction.
They were certain the title was exaggerated clickbait or simply wrong.
But the article itself contained very specific facts.
Four innings.
Ten strikeouts.
An emergency order from Houston’s front office immediately after the game.
Seo Ji-tae had packed for Single-A.
Everyone was confused.
The community boards that had been exploding with posts suddenly became strangely quiet.
, Is this fake news? Did the reporter lose his mind?
, Is promotion from rookie ball to Single-A in one day even allowed?
, Four innings, ten strikeouts? Even baseball games don’t do that. Stop making things up.
A few comments denied reality.
But they did not last long.
Articles from American local media about Seo Ji-tae’s debut were translated and spread through Korean communities in real time.
[Houston Apollos’ 1.5 million dollar prospect promoted to Single-A after one day.]
[Seventeen-year-old Asian pitcher brings terror to Pioneer Park!]
The reports were full of praise.
His momentum was unstoppable.
The people mocking him quickly stepped back.
, Fine. Let’s see how far you go. I’m watching.
That was the most they could say while trying to protect their pride.
Lexington, Kentucky.
Seo Ji-tae arrived at the clubhouse under the sunlight of one of Kentucky’s largest cities.
“I’m tired.”
Seo Ji-tae yawned constantly after experiencing a travel schedule rougher than expected.
He had arrived at the home stadium of Houston’s Single-A affiliate, the Lexington Swords.
The atmosphere immediately felt different from rookie ball.
“Everyone feels like they know what they’re doing.”
Rookie ball had been noisy and messy like a crowded market.
This clubhouse carried a heavier, organized tension.
“What? Is that the new guy?”
An American player with a completely different physical frame walked past him.
Even the bodies of the players filling the locker room were different.
There were no skinny teenagers fresh from high school or desperate kids from poor neighborhoods.
Most were experienced prospects in their early to mid-twenties who had survived college baseball and been drafted.
“He came from rookie ball?”
Players cleaning equipment or stretching all turned toward him.
“Hey, I heard you came from rookie ball.”
Naturally, they knew little about Seo Ji-tae.
Players aiming for Major League Baseball did not pay attention to rookie ball.
The only unusual thing was his age.
“Seo Ji-tae. Just call me Seo.”
“Get changed and prepare, kid. You’re sixteen, right?”
A Black player with dreadlocks showed him his locker.
As Seo Ji-tae walked toward the empty space, Single-A players watched him.
“Another one arrived.”
“What happened to Max?”
“Released, obviously.”
When one player arrived, someone else disappeared.
Like rookie ball, this was still a battlefield.
The players were simply less openly hostile than teenagers.
Everyone watched carefully to see what kind of player Seo Ji-tae was.
Seo Ji-tae ignored their eyes, put down his bag at the empty locker, changed into uniform, and went onto the field.
Surprisingly, the training was poor.
Coaches did not stick to every player from beginning to end and build detailed routines like in Korea.
“Everyone begin your individual training!”
Outside basic conditioning, Single-A used the typical minor league free-range training system.
After a short group warm-up, players were mostly left alone.
They lifted weights in an old gym or did shadow pitching in the bullpen by themselves.
Seo Ji-tae already knew that environment.
That is why I demanded management even in the minor leagues. Korean prospects who cannot adapt to this atmosphere are finished.
Why did many Korean prospects fail in America?
They did not know how to train themselves.
They struggled without constant coaching.
Seo Ji-tae was different.
He was already used to independent training.
“Interpreter hyung, should we start?”
A dedicated interpreter sent by the organization followed him like a shadow and assisted with training.
