Chapter 378 – Episode 370. Good Influence.

There is a saying that it usually takes a month to catch up on three games in baseball. But it’s been a month since I returned, and there’s no sign of catching up with the volcano.

Of course, considering their performance before returning, which was in the bottom half of the rankings, they have risen quite high, but the momentum of the volcanoes has not been easy. As evidence, the team that did not produce a single national representative in last year’s WBC produced the most national representatives this year.

Looking at the current leaderboard, Hwasan is in first place with 40 wins, 1 draw, 25 losses, and a winning percentage of 0.615. And we were in second place with 40 wins, 2 draws, 26 losses, and a winning percentage of 0.606. Below them, Hancheol, Silla, Charlotte, and Mirae were in the middle tier with a winning percentage of over 50%, while UG, JT, Hyunseong, and NV were in the bottom tier with a winning percentage of 30% to 400%.

‘Sseu-eup, if you look at it this way, it’s a shame that we only got 1 win, 1 draw, and 1 loss in the match against Hwasan. I should have stepped up and stepped up in the head-to-head match.’

In that respect, today’s match against JT was important. Well, you may be wondering what kind of game isn’t important, but since we couldn’t narrow the gap in the game against Hwasan, we had to default to a winning series against teams like JT who were in the bottom tier.

“What are you looking at your phone so seriously? “Aren’t you looking at pictures of women again?”

While I was looking at my phone like that, Baek Jeong-jin, who was sitting next to me, started talking to me for some reason. It seemed like he woke up as it was almost time to arrive.

“… I was looking at the leaderboard. Leaderboard!”

“Okay? What’s wrong with you? “I looked at the leaderboard on the bus.”

“I just took a look at the baseball news since the Olympic roster came out.”

“Is that so? Well, congratulations on the national team.”

“If he works hard too, he will be able to represent the country.”

“What am I? Even the starting position is up for grabs. When Senior Kwan Hyeong returns tomorrow, we have to compete again. Besides, if it were just a little longer, we would have reached Williams. Under…”

‘Fuck, I started talking to you for no reason.’

I was trying to say something nice, but ended up hearing complaints. Well, I thought I knew why Baek Jeong-jin was worried.

It’s safe to say that our team’s outfield is currently oversaturated. Kim Joo-yeop, who occupied one spot last year, left as a free agent, but our team still had many outfielders. First, it goes without saying that Ki Ki-joo, who is a fixture in the left fielder position, was the starting center fielder, Jeong Hwi-cheol, and Lee In-hyuk and Han Sang-gyu, who were designated hitters or on the bench and were pinch hitters or pinch runners, were also players who could aim for the starting position at any time.〈 Br〉

Moreover, the fact that Baek Jeong-jin was a trade player and the other players were pure-blooded players who debuted in AT could have influenced them knowingly or unknowingly.

‘Given the coach’s personality, it may not be like that, but the player may have a lot of concerns. Hmm…’

AT’s starting outfielders didn’t end there. Williams, whom I sent to the 2nd team, was a decent player even though his personality was half-baked. Besides, since I gave him physical therapy, he probably wouldn’t be sabotaged, so it was clear that he would get a spot if he came back.

And Woo Kwan-hyung. Since Woo Gwan-hyung, who had been adjusting to the second team after an injury, would return on Saturday, the second game of this series, Baek Jeong-jin, who is currently playing as the starting right fielder, was bound to have a lot of worries.

Well, other than that, listening to a grown man whine wasn’t my thing, so I quietly turned on iTube.

‘Oh, it’s been newly uploaded.’

“… So, how about I try bulking up… Hey. Hey. “You turn on your phone again while your brother is talking.”

“Jeongjin. Let’s go quietly.”

“Yes. “I’m sorry.”

Even though he spoke in a quiet voice, the buzzing sound seemed to echo throughout the bus, and sharp shouts of disapproval from seniors came from the back seat. After a few minutes of silence, the bus arrived in Suwon.

“So, Meng Hao. What do you think? Bulking up?”

‘Ha, this person is still like this.’

But Baek Jeong-jin’s obsession did not end. Even while I was taking my luggage off the bus, he clung to me and asked me questions.

“How about asking the coach?”

“Honestly, it’s a bit hard to say this, but the coach has a good aim, but it’s a bit… Well, he’s not the type of person who teaches hitting well.”

“… That’s right. Honestly, that guy’s a blow…”

When Baek Jeong-jin secretly criticized Lee Ki-cheol, I unconsciously tried to say, ‘I don’t even know how to hit,’ but I barely held back.

“Huh?”

“… It’s good, but it feels a bit old school, right?”

“Yes. Honestly, you are the No. 1 hitter in our country. Isn’t it? If you’re going to get advice, you should listen to it from the best.”

I didn’t know much until now, Baek Jeong-jin. He was a senior with quite good eyes. In particular, skipping Lee Ki-cheol and asking for advice from me. Besides, it wouldn’t have been easy to ask something like this from someone younger than me, but I thought it would be okay to listen to the story at this level.

“But why are you worrying? Wouldn’t it be good to bulk up?”

“Honestly, is Jamsil so spacious? Even if I bulked up, I would barely be able to get more than 10 in Jamsil. “I thought it would be better to have my value recognized through defense and base running.”

“How old is your brother?”

“Me? “I’m twenty-seven now.”

“Twenty-seven? It’s not too late to bulk up. In fact, it’s never too late. Just do it. Brother. I also gained about 10 kg this season, and honestly, my reaction speed has become slower and that kind of thing is ridiculous. My muscles are gaining, but why am I feeling sluggish? When it gets faster, it gets faster.”

“But things like agility…”

“Hey, my brother isn’t even an infielder. Just see the batted ball, chase after it, and catch it. And as a second baseman, I do it too.”

“… Hmm, is that so?”

“And honestly, my brother’s base running is terrible.”

“Huh?”

“What if you can’t even steal double digits in a season? Running a base is advantageous just by not making a fuss, so what kind of base running play is this? “Just exercise.”

“… Okay. But how do you exercise?”

I immediately got the feeling that if I told you more here, it would be somewhat annoying. At that time, I saw Hwicheol in front of me.

“You have to do that with your trainer. Because each person is different. Oh, Hwicheol probably comes to work two hours early and works out? Hey! Hwicheol!”

“Yes! Brother! “Did you call me?”

“Do you still come out early and exercise these days?”

“Yes, ever since my brother told me… How are you? You seem to be gaining some muscle these days, right? I think I can hit a home run at this rate.”

Hwicheol came nearby at my call and started posing like a bodybuilder in front of me. Of course, it wasn’t as bad as the male bastard was, so he waved his hand to stop the guy and continued.

“I’m not interested. “I want to work out with Jeongjin in the future as well.”

“Uh? Me?”

“Oh, will you also exercise together? It would be nice to do it. “I usually come to work about two hours earlier.”

“… That early?”

Baek Jeong-jin is worried. I decided to ease that worry a little.

“Brother. You know that if you keep doing this, you’ll end up losing out to Hwicheol too, right? Hwicheol is excellent at center field defense, and even though he looks like that, his contact ability is the best on the team.”

I tried to whisper so Hwicheol wouldn’t hear, but I didn’t want to get close to the guy, so I just told him what I thought on the spot. And both of their faces hardened at my words. Even though they seemed friendly while talking, they were fundamentally competitors competing for the same position.

“Well, if Williams or Gwanhyeong come back, Jeongjin will still be the priority. I’m a rookie, so…”

Hwicheol scratched the back of his head and smiled awkwardly, but it was visible that he was conscious.

“Well, anyway, let’s work hard together. To be honest, I don’t think senior Kwan Hyeong, who played as a hitter last year, will play in the outfield. It will take until July for Williams to return as well. Maybe you know. I wonder if my brother will surpass Williams by then.”

“Okay. You have to work hard. Hwicheol. Let’s iron together from now on.”

“Yes. I also like having someone to exercise with. To be honest, I’m a little bored because I’m the only one using it.”

Assuming Woo Kwan-hyung and Williams return, the only remaining spot is center fielder. Although Williams was capable of playing center field, it was only possible, so there was a high possibility that the center field position would remain. And the remaining outfielders, Lee In-hyuk and Han Sang-gyu, were at a level where midfield defense was impossible. In other words, two people had to compete for one spot. Who among the two will be able to occupy the center field position?

“Then let’s unpack and see.”

“Yes.”

I wasn’t sure who would be the starting center fielder, but it felt good to see two people who listened to me and decided to work hard. I thought that if the two people took my advice and stepped up, the future of AT would be bright even after I left.

Maybe it’s because they were two people who weren’t starters to begin with, but they seem to have come to their senses after hearing me say that they had to compete.

‘Wow, this is a good influence.’

Isn’t the term ‘clubhouse leader’ a proper way to describe me? My dedication to the team even off the field was perfect for being called a clubhouse leader.

‘How long has senior Jincheol been insisting? I’d like to claim it once before going to the majors…’

And is it thanks to spreading such good influence?

-Wow!!

-Hwicheol! It was good!

-Aaaaah! Jeong Hwi-cheol!!

-Baek Jeong-jin! Baek Jeong-jin! Baekjeongjin!

-Jeong Jin! Well done!

In today’s game against JT, Jeong Hwi-cheol performed well with 2 hits in 4 at-bats and 1 walk, and Baek Jeong-jin recorded 3 hits in 4 at-bats, and thanks to the performance of the two, they were able to take their first game against JT quite comfortably.

And…

“We finally lost, you bastards.”

“Director! Have you seen it? The volcano collapsed.”

“Then…”

“Hey, you’re finally in first place. Those bastards were disgusting.”

“Now. I feel like I won first place for a day, and I’m out of shape. Have you forgotten that we are the defending champions? Let’s sweep this series and return to Jamsil in first place.”

“Yes!”

“I understand!”

Hwasan lost the game, and a hole was finally created in Hwasan’s first place, which was like Iron Fortress.