Chapter 67, The All-Star Game
The Busan Oceans added two more wins recently, bringing their record to 52 wins, 1 tie, and 34 losses.
But they were still only one game ahead of the second-place Gwangju Jaguars.
The last-place Seoul Magicians were in danger of falling into the nightmare of one hundred losses if things went badly.
Either way, the Busan Oceans had safely survived the summer.
The Oceans had always been mocked for completely collapsing in the summer heat, and they had not finished the first half in first place even once since 1999.
, Choi Seong really changed something by holding the team together.
, This is insane. When have we ever finished the first half in first?
, Damn, this is actually starting to scare me... Are the Oceans seriously going to win the championship?
Countless comments appeared.
Still, we had failed to create a real gap from second place.
The Gwangju Jaguars kept chasing us endlessly.
In a situation like that, the All-Star break felt incredibly sweet.
The players were slowly beginning to feel pressure from having to protect first place.
This break let them escape from that pressure.
Because the All-Star break overlapped with the Olympic break, it would last almost a month.
During that time, we only had to participate in the All-Star Game and then head to the United States for the Olympics as national team players.
“Do you really need to do all of this?”
Manager Rodriguez sighed.
Since the Busan Oceans were first in the regular season, Manager Rodriguez belonged to the Dream All-Star team.
But because he was worried, he came to see me personally the day before the All-Star Game.
It was almost like a home visit.
“Of course. Won’t it be fun?”
“Your muscles are developing well right now, but we don’t know what will happen later. Fatigue is continuing to build inside your body.”
“I’ll manage it properly.”
Maybe that answer sounded a little rude.
Still, Manager Rodriguez nodded.
He really was different because he was a foreign manager.
He simply accepted it and moved on.
Besides, my injury risk literally appeared in front of my eyes.
What was there to worry about?
The All-Star Game was five days after the break began, so both my batting and pitching injury risks were below one percent.
I walked toward the place where they were calling my name.
What I wanted to do was simple.
[Player Number Eight, Pitcher Choi Seong. Pitcher Choi Seong.]
My name was announced.
Even though this Home Run Derby was being held after the minor league All-Star Game, countless fans had gathered.
For this Home Run Derby, eight players had been selected by fan voting from the twelve hitters with at least ten home runs.
Of course, Yoon Jae-jun, Yugam, and I had all been selected.
The order was random, and by coincidence, I was last.
Only two players would advance to the finals.
The hitters before me had already posted good numbers.
Yoon Jae-jun, Busan Oceans, 9 home runs.
Davis, Masan Wolves, 8 home runs.
First and second place belonged to the current season’s home run leader and last season’s home run leader.
If I failed to hit at least eight home runs, I would not reach the final.
The prizes were a brand-new car and fifty million won.
That was probably why Yoon Jae-jun, who was still poor, had swung like his life depended on it.
For reference, Yugam hit four home runs and finished last.
Still, his very first home run had completely cleared the outfield stands, so he would probably win the longest-home-run award.
I could respect Yugam as a romantic man who put everything into one swing.
“I’ll do my best, Master, sir.”
My partner was Kim Byeong-hee.
I had thought about who to choose, then picked the pitcher I felt I could hit most comfortably.
By hit, I meant I thought I could get good contact against him.
Strangely, whenever I ran simulations, Kim Byeong-hee was the most stable batting-practice pitcher for me.
“All right.”
“Yes, yes! Master, I will sacrifice my pitches so you can achieve the greatest possible result! Thank you for trusting me among all these players! For today, I threw one hundred pitches every single day and...”
“Please go to the mound. I trust you, senior.”
Of course, Kim Byeong-hee had no idea what I was thinking.
He happily ran toward the mound.
“Send it flying, Choi Seong!”
“Oh, oh, oh, oh! Choi Seong home run!”
“Choi Seong oppa, I love you!”
The crowd roared.
Oceans fans were cheering while holding huge posters with my face printed on them.
I smiled slightly and waved.
Professional baseball could only exist because of fans.
Just like the Oceans fans of the future had sent me back into the past.
Maybe someone among those people was the person who would eventually send me back.
Maybe they would build a time machine in the future and send me here.
Crack!
A slow pitch of around 100 km/h came toward me.
That was the minimum speed I had requested.
I quickly hit the stable fastball.
“Ooooh!”
The crowd cheered.
The ball easily cleared the left-field wall.
First home run.
Kim Byeong-hee smiled brightly and immediately prepared the next pitch.
Second home run.
Third home run.
Before I knew it, I had hit nine.
I heard Davis sigh.
“As expected, you’re incredible, sir!”
Kim Byeong-hee shouted.
I nodded after hearing him.
Before I knew it, this had become a battle between Yoon Jae-jun and me.
“I didn’t think it would end up like this.”
Yoon Jae-jun snorted.
I smiled.
“Same here.”
Yoon Jae-jun’s partner was Kwon Geon-woo.
Without planning it, the three Saeum High School players had ended up competing with each other.
“Oceans! Oceans! Oceans!”
While the crowd continued shouting, Yoon Jae-jun and I shook hands firmly.
I felt a little strength enter his grip.
That made sense.
Home runs were his territory.
I was basically invading his territory now.
Yoon Jae-jun went first again.
The rules were different in the final.
Each hitter received five outs.
Every ball that was not a home run counted as an out.
A hitter could let up to two pitches pass.
If he did not swing at the third one, it would also count as an out.
Crack!
Yoon Jae-jun immediately hit Kwon Geon-woo’s pitch.
The ball smashed into the scoreboard for a home run.
