Chapter 26
26. Players Inspired by Him
The Double-A schedule began moving seriously.
Seo Ji-tae had played only one game, but the organization watched him even more carefully after his shocking performance.
[Report]
, Ji-tae Seo prefers a catcher who trusts his stuff and attacks boldly rather than controlling him through constant pitch calling.
, After his first game, he argued with the Double-A catcher over game calling.
Seo Ji-tae’s personality had not changed.
He trusted his pitches.
He attacked boldly.
Sometimes, he followed his own thoughts rather than the catcher’s call.
He produced his best performance when the catcher trusted him.
The organization received a report that Seo Ji-tae had already clashed with the Double-A starting catcher.
“If that’s the problem, promote Josh. His numbers are good anyway.”
Seo Ji-tae wanted a catcher who fit his style.
The organization had even begun discussing a call-up for Josh, the catcher who had worked with him in Single-A.
But that was a small issue.
The most important thing was Seo Ji-tae’s physical condition.
[Ji-tae Seo is still at an age where his body must develop. Manage him strictly.]
To survive a real starting rotation, he needed even more physical management than in Single-A.
Houston sent someone specifically for him.
Veteran conditioning coach Carter.
Carter stood in the pitching lab with Seo Ji-tae’s data displayed across the monitor.
He watched Seo Ji-tae’s training and began full management.
“Seo. Your ability to switch arms is a blessing, but it is also a time bomb.”
Carter pointed at the screen.
“Especially your right-handed submarine release. Sometimes it sits between low submarine and normal submarine, and sometimes you drop all the way into low submarine. That angle creates enormous stress on the muscles behind your shoulder and the rotator cuff. If you fail to manage it, you’ll break down quickly.”
Seo Ji-tae wiped his neck with a towel.
“How badly?”
“Do you remember BK, the unique submarine pitcher who came from Korea?”
Carter crossed his arms.
“The release point was different, but as a submarine pitcher he had incredible stuff. The problem was that he reached the Major Leagues too quickly. He never had enough time in the minors to systematically learn postgame recovery routines and deceleration-muscle training. He was used immediately because he could help the big club. His prime became shorter than it should have been. You need to dominate the Major Leagues much longer and become much more expensive, so you need to carve these routines into your bones right now.”
Knowledge and advice came out like rapid-fire bullets.
Joy appeared on Seo Ji-tae’s face.
The memories from before regression were clear.
This is what I wanted. Yes, a fast call-up is good. But I need systematic body management.
Seo Ji-tae knew better than anyone how accurate Carter’s warning was.
He welcomed it.
“If you’re going to manage me, this is how you should do it. I have no intention of destroying my body. If there’s a better routine, I’ll learn it gladly.”
Carter gave a short laugh.
He liked the cooperative answer.
From that day, Seo Ji-tae’s physical management became stricter than anything he had experienced in high school or Single-A.
The moment pitching ended, contrast recovery began.
His arm went straight into ice water.
Reduce joint heat.
Seo Ji-tae’s whole body trembled.
Then immediately into hot water.
Increase blood flow.
He threw specially weighted balls to strengthen the tiny deceleration muscles behind the shoulder.
He constantly pulled resistance bands.
He stood on force plates.
Balance training.
Correct the asymmetrical core balance caused by pitching with two different forms.
Naturally, this was completely different from simply training with an interpreter.
Different from following a written manual.
“This is hard.”
Seo Ji-tae’s body screamed.
But it was part of the process.
It hurt now because it was preparing his body for the future.
After physical management, he went to the pitching lab.
“In the end, it’s still one pitcher against one hitter!”
Seo Ji-tae stepped onto the mound with his glove on his right hand.
The target was clear.
Maintain a tunnel that perfectly overlapped the fastball.
Maximize horizontal movement running away from right-handed hitters.
Refine the unfinished sweeper.
Seo Ji-tae placed his index and middle fingers close beside the seams.
He maximized horizontal spin efficiency.
The sweeper appeared.
His left arm drew a powerful circle.
Then whipped.
“Hoo.”
High-speed cameras caught the release.
The baseball launched from the ground reaction force.
The early trajectory looked honest.
Indistinguishable from his mid-150s fastball.
Then something strange happened before home plate.
The pitch sharply broke right.
It escaped as if a broom had swept it away.
It moved more than a full bat-width farther sideways than a normal slider.
The ball barely caught the edge of the catcher’s glove.
The glove itself twisted backward.
Data updated.
[Spin Axis: 210 degrees / Horizontal Break: 18 inches]
Seo Ji-tae wiped away sweat.
He looked at the monitor.
Still not enough.
The spin efficiency was slightly wrong relative to the velocity.
Too dangerous for games.
Sometimes the path became too flat.
That meant danger of leaking toward the middle.
“This is fun.”
