Chapter 69, Removing a Problem
It was exactly like Park Seung-ah.
Cho Seung-hun was fiercely competitive.
In my previous life, he claimed that competitive spirit was what took him to America.
But even while I was playing in America, that same so-called competitiveness caused countless problems.
For example, after spending a long time in Double-A, he once got into an argument while drinking at a local club and ended up in a police holding cell.
He called me and asked me to act as his guarantor.
I refused immediately.
It was not because I disliked him.
At the time, I did not even know who he was.
“Choi Seong School? You’ve really been creating headlines everywhere.”
“I’ll take that as a compliment.”
And then came his biggest problem.
He could not stand it unless everything in the world revolved around him.
He always wanted everything centered on himself.
In my previous life, when Manager Heo Jun ordered him to bunt, he ignored the call and swung away, grounding into a double play.
He did that in around two games.
Those games became a major reason we tasted the humiliation of group-stage elimination.
“What do you want to bet?”
I answered simply.
“If you win, I’ll give you the captain position.”
The seniors who had been quietly listening suddenly cheered.
This was not a small bet.
The price I was offering was too large.
Cho Seung-hun asked back.
“That’s big. Then what should I put up? Want me to give you my Major League posting money?”
“No. If I win, you follow every tactical instruction Manager Heo Jun gives during this tournament.”
Cho Seung-hun’s eyes widened.
Manager Heo Jun, who had been about to say something, went silent.
Applause and cheers erupted around us.
Cho Seung-hun had been a successful player in Korean baseball and even won an MVP.
He definitely had star power.
But he trusted that star status and constantly ignored the manager and coaching staff.
He believed he stood above everyone else.
Was that really a mindset someone wandering around Double-A should have?
“...You little bastard.”
Cho Seung-hun’s stubborn seniority complex appeared again.
The moment he felt I was insulting him, he tried to object.
“Show me with your ability.”
I responded calmly.
How much criticism had we received after suffering group-stage elimination at the Los Angeles Olympics in my previous life?
We lost to Japan.
We lost to China.
That team became known as one of the worst national teams in history.
And because of that, my chance to win an international tournament disappeared.
There was an Asian Games afterward.
But there was no more Olympics.
Winning Olympic gold was much cooler.
“What a joke. I heard you made a bet with Seung-ah before?”
I did not deny it.
“Same rules as then? Ten pitches, and I only need one hit?”
That was ridiculous.
He wanted the same chance Park Seung-ah had received.
That was not something a man who had reached America should be asking for.
“Fine. Let’s do that.”
Still, I casually accepted his condition.
Cho Seung-hun’s expression brightened.
He probably thought he would win.
“Seong. He’s still a senior who went to America...”
“It’s fine.”
I looked at Yoon Jae-jun, who had already put on his catcher’s mask.
I could not lose.
And even if I somehow lost, so what?
Even if Cho Seung-hun became captain, there was no senior here who would actually follow him.
He should have behaved better in the first place.
“All right. Let’s do it.”
Manager Heo Jun finally spoke after thinking it over.
He had originally placed Cho Seung-hun on the roster mostly because of his name value.
But Cho Seung-hun had not played much in important games for a long time.
Heo Jun probably wanted to test him too.
The moment Manager Heo Jun gave permission, I whispered to Yoon Jae-jun.
“First pitch, four-seam fastball. After that, almost entirely breaking balls. Everything inside.”
Yoon Jae-jun nodded.
Cho Seung-hun was strong against fastballs and high-velocity pitches.
Because of that, he always struggled badly against pitchers who relied on breaking balls and finesse.
That was also why he could not get called up to the Major Leagues.
He had power and speed.
But he could not properly handle even Double-A and Triple-A level breaking balls.
“Come on. I’m ready right now.”
Cho Seung-hun entered the batter’s box without even wearing a helmet.
He was not wearing any protective equipment either.
He simply stood there holding a bat.
I could only smile coldly at the sight.
166 km/h.
I threw the first four-seam fastball directly down the middle.
Cho Seung-hun failed to adjust and swung two beats late.
Still, his expression remained confident.
He probably thought I would keep throwing mostly four-seam fastballs.
“Going to throw only four-seamers again like you did against Park Seung-ah? Come on. I’ll hit all of them.”
His voice was full of confidence.
He had not even noticed that Yoon Jae-jun was setting up completely inside.
One of Cho Seung-hun’s weaknesses was that he had a strange fear of inside pitches.
He carried severe trauma about getting hit by the ball.
On outside pitches, his batting average was almost .400.
On inside pitches, it dropped into the .100s.
His strengths and weaknesses were extremely clear.
119 km/h.
The screwball moved toward him as if it would hit his body.
He instantly leaned backward.
“Strike!”
Hitting coach Lee Jun-ho, who was acting as umpire behind the plate, called the strike.
“That’s a strike?”
Cho Seung-hun looked at Lee Jun-ho as though he had been wronged.
Then he checked Yoon Jae-jun’s mitt.
There was no doubt.
It was a perfect inside strike.
“You sneaky little bastard...”
I did not respond.
I simply prepared the next pitch.
