Chapter 91, Norman's Revival
Sajik Stadium had been filled with excitement since the afternoon.
Even in the cold air, the cheering was already rising like a storm.
The big match against the Seoul Triples.
Only one game separated us.
Whichever team won this game would take another step toward winning the regular-season championship.
I sat in the passage behind the dugout, running my fingers over the stitching of my glove.
I calmly prepared for my start.
My opponent was the Triples' ace, Kang Mu-hyeok.
Originally, the Triples' number-one starter had been their foreign pitcher, Curly.
But since the middle of the season, Kang Mu-hyeok had completely established himself as the heart of the team.
His fastball reached the high 150s, and he had a slider that worked perfectly with his unusual three-quarter pitching motion.
This season, he had been the only pitcher to hold me hitless in a game.
Ever since that day, the movement of his pitches had remained in my mind.
It never breaks until the very end. The angle of the ball as it leaves his fingertips is always consistent.
I kept imagining that movement.
I pictured his slider in advance and adjusted my swing path.
Today, I would wait for that pitch.
That one pitch.
Top of the first.
Shortstop Ahn Hong-gyu stepped into the batter's box.
He was currently the best leadoff hitter in the league.
Ever since the Olympics, he had frequently sent me teasing messages.
A .300 batting average.
Twenty home runs.
Twenty stolen bases.
He had already become a complete player.
“Hong-gyu, watch out for the first pitch. This guy attacks from the very beginning.”
Yoon Jae-jun muttered while adjusting his catcher's mask.
I looked at the target he showed with his mitt and nodded.
Let's challenge him with a four-seam fastball.
The first batter's bat cut through empty air.
On the next pitch, he hit a high fly ball.
Kwon Geon-woo caught it easily.
I quickly retired the second and third hitters too.
The inning ended after only three batters.
Cheers rose from the stands.
“Choi Seong! That's Choi Seong for you!”
I steadied my breathing and returned to the dugout.
Soon afterward, in the bottom of the first, Kang Mu-hyeok stepped onto the mound.
His first pitch was a 155 km/h four-seam fastball.
Our lineup was quickly overpowered.
I was the only one who managed to attack his fastball and record a hit.
“...This is fun.”
It had been a while since I had faced someone willing to challenge me directly.
However, every other hitter struck out.
Kang Mu-hyeok's pitches definitely had life.
In the top of the second, I pitched even more calmly.
I did not allow a single hit.
The third inning was the same.
The game moved quickly, while the tension continued growing.
Both sides of Sajik Stadium were filled with burning cheers.
Red and navy flags seemed ready to swallow each other.
But in the top of the fourth, an unexpected crack appeared.
Ahn Hong-gyu stepped into the batter's box again.
The count was no balls and two strikes.
I threw a low inside four-seam fastball.
It was the perfect location.
At least, that was what I thought.
But the ball came off his bat faster than I expected.
BOOM!
The ball flew far beyond the left-field wall.
The stands suddenly froze.
“Home run! Ahn Hong-gyu's twenty-first home run of the season!”
The umpire raised his hand toward the sky.
I lowered my head slightly.
It had definitely been the perfect location.
But baseball always produced results that fell outside your calculations.
You really never know what will happen in baseball.
With that thought, I calmly retired the remaining hitters.
At the end of the top of the fourth, the score was 1-0.
I had never allowed the opposing team to score first throughout the season.
But today was different.
In the bottom of the fourth, Kim Byeong-hee approached me inside the dugout.
“Master, are you okay, sir? That's the first time you've allowed the other team to score first this season.”
“I'm fine. If anything, the game just became more interesting.”
He let out a relieved breath.
When I stepped into the batter's box, I looked directly into Kang Mu-hyeok's eyes.
His first pitch was a fastball straight down the middle of the strike zone.
I watched for the movement I had been waiting for.
Then the slider came in slightly.
At that moment, I swung.
BOOM!
The ball cleared the right-field wall.
1-1.
The stands exploded.
The cheering at Sajik surged like the sea.
I slowly rounded the bases.
The heat, the wind, and everything on the field seemed alive.
Inside the dugout, Yoon Jae-jun pumped his fist.
“That's it! Choi Seong School!”
From the fifth inning onward, the silence returned.
Both pitchers were nearly perfect.
Kang Mu-hyeok's fastball was still heavy, while my four-seam had become even sharper.
I continued piling up strikeouts.
Just as he was trying to contain me, I was overwhelming his team.
By the sixth inning, I had recorded ten strikeouts.
The 1-1 tie left almost no room for another scoring opportunity.
In the top of the seventh, I returned to the mound.
Sweat ran down my face, but the feeling in my fingertips remained clear.
I struck out two consecutive hitters.
Against the final batter, I threw a screwball.
Swing and miss.
Another strikeout.
The top of the seventh was over.
The cheering at Sajik Stadium grew even louder.
“Now this is real baseball!”
Then, in the bottom of the seventh, my turn came again.
From the batter's box, Kang Mu-hyeok's eyes looked cold.
I adjusted my helmet and pictured the trajectory of his slider.
I won't be fooled this time either.
The crowd held its breath.
Camera flashes went off.
The ball left his fingertips.
Its movement seemed to blur the line between a fastball and a slider.
I read that tiny moment.
Then I swung with all the strength in my body.
BOOM!
Once again, the sky above Sajik seemed to split open.
The ball traced an arc toward the outfield wall.
