Chapter 34
34. Shotani
Seo Ji-tae was still Seo Ji-tae.
His performance against Taiwan in the youth championship spread through live broadcasts and recordings.
Social media caught fire because of the attention surrounding him.
, Yep, Seo Ji-tae proved it on the mound, right? This time he destroyed Taiwan’s lineup right-handed, lol.
, He’s played two games in the world championship and hasn’t allowed a single run. Is that real?
, Venezuela and Taiwan combined only got one hit. He’s basically a cheat unit...
, He was way better than we thought. They seriously tried to reject this guy as a parachute pick? What a joke.
More than the Golden Lion Tournament or the minor leagues, this tournament was something Korean fans could watch directly.
That was why they were even more shocked after seeing him.
Of course, some stubborn haters remained.
, Shut up. He just got lucky and pitched well twice.
, International hitters aren’t used to underhand pitchers. It’s just a critical hit because of unfamiliarity. Next game they’ll figure him out.
, Damn, Seo Ji-tae is so arrogant I can’t stand him. Can someone teach him a lesson?
, Are you insane? You want the Korean national team to lose?
, No, but... damn, this is annoying.
The people who disliked him were suffering.
Seo Ji-tae had silenced more than hitters.
One online comment described him perfectly.
, He’s just the national team ace. Watching him on TV finally made me understand properly.
Seo Ji-tae’s value was skyrocketing.
The second Super Round game was the fated Korea versus Japan matchup.
The day before the game, the coaches were preparing the starting lineup.
But there was disagreement among them.
“Park Dong-soo will start as planned.”
“No objections. But what about Seo Ji-tae? We have to beat Japan to confirm a place in the final.”
“He threw six innings against Taiwan yesterday. Regardless of what Houston says, that’s too much.”
The coaches all groaned.
Short tournaments naturally had brutal schedules.
Even so, there was no disagreement that Seo Ji-tae needed proper rest after throwing 58 pitches the previous day.
But they had to win to reach the championship game.
A mound without Seo Ji-tae?
The fear that it might mean defeat had spread through the bench.
Then Seo Ji-tae approached the coaches.
“I’d like to pitch for about one inning.”
Their eyes widened.
“W-What did you say?”
“Seo Ji-tae? You?”
They stared at him like people who had just woken from a strange dream.
“Seriously?”
“You pitched yesterday.”
The coaches, who normally tried to force him to pitch more, were dumbfounded.
“One inning should be fine. And since I’m a switch pitcher, the burden on one shoulder is lower. I’ll assume that’s decided.”
Seo Ji-tae walked away.
The manager and coaches exchanged looks.
“Seo Ji-tae...”
“Volunteered on his own?”
Shock.
A strange wave of emotion entered their eyes.
He finally understands the responsibility of the national team!
He’s always arrogant, but even he’s willing to step up for the team when facing Japan. Yes, this is what makes a united team!
Manager Seo Dong-won gripped Seo Ji-tae’s shoulder with emotion.
“All right! Ji-tae! Just give us one inning!”
They smiled warmly as they watched Seo Ji-tae leave.
“I don’t know what they’re imagining, but I can finally meet him!”
Seo Ji-tae did not care about the coaches’ misunderstanding.
There was one reason a player who normally protected his body and treasured his shoulder had volunteered to pitch.
His eyes were fixed on the Japanese dugout.
Among all those players, there was only one he cared about.
A handsome player with a sharp swing.
Shotani.
A monster genius who would one day swallow Major League Baseball whole.
A two-way player even more dangerous than Seo Ji-tae’s switch pitching.
A future monster who would win Major League MVP awards again and again.
And now Seo Ji-tae was looking at him as a high school student.
Seo Ji-tae’s heartbeat became irregular.
His blood heated up.
I wanted to face him.
Of course, Shotani would only fully awaken as a player after entering Nippon-Ham.
But Seo Ji-tae still wanted to face this unfinished monster right now.
Why do I protect my shoulder so much? Because I want to defeat players like him with my own strength.
In a way, it was an irrational kind of romance.
But Seo Ji-tae had been rationally protecting his body precisely so he could enjoy that irrational romance.
He quietly waited for his moment.
The game passed the middle point and entered the top of the sixth.
The scoreboard showed 1 to 0.
Korean starter Park Dong-soo had survived five innings.
But in the sixth, he began allowing weak hits one after another and started breathing heavily on the mound.
Then he finally gave up a run.
1 to 1.
After allowing the tying run, he gave up another hit.
“This is dangerous.”
Korea’s dugout became busy.
The go-ahead runner was on base.
And then Japan’s cleanup hitter, Shotani, stepped into the box with his strong frame.
He’s definitely thinner than he’ll be in the Majors. Still bigger than most players, though.
Seo Ji-tae had been warming up in the bullpen.
The moment he saw Shotani, he hurried to Seo Dong-won.
“Time to change pitchers, right?”
“Go.”
At last, Seo Ji-tae appeared on the mound.
The future monster of Major League Baseball stood before him.
Facing such a powerful opponent?
Then I’ll give you my fastest pitch.
Naturally, Seo Ji-tae would use his left hand today.
Shotani and Seo Ji-tae stared at each other.
On the mound, Seo Ji-tae glanced down at Lee Jin-woo’s sign.
It was a dangerous situation.
But there was no complicated psychological battle between this battery.
They understood each other clearly.
Rising fastball.
I’m always confident in this pitch.
Nobody in the tournament had properly hit his rising fastball yet.
Unless Seo Ji-tae made a mistake or threw a breaking ball, hitters barely touched anything.
That was why Seo Ji-tae wanted to test Shotani.
This was not the Major League version.
This was the unfinished high school monster.
Seo Ji-tae wanted to overpower him.
No, I want to test him.
First pitch.
Seo Ji-tae’s leg rose into his high leg kick.
His excited left arm snapped forward like a whip.
The ball tore toward home plate.
