The Extra in a Baseball Novel

Chapter 37

Meanwhile, in the New York Mets’ locker room. A player, looking at Kim Hosan’s expression, asked his teammate.

“It’s my first time seeing Hosan smile so happily. What on earth is he watching?”

“He’s watching the Youth Baseball World Cup.”

“Huh? Kids? The U-18 Baseball World Cup? And he’s that happy watching it?”

“You must be new here. Hosan is a huge patriot. He’s the kind of guy who tears up whether his country wins or loses on the international stage.”

The teammate nodded in admiration.

“Damn, that’s one hell of an admirable guy.”

At that moment, Kim Hosan approached them, holding out his phone as if he had overheard their conversation.

“Take a look at this.”

The teammate tilted his head slightly as he accepted the phone. It seemed to be a home run video from the Baseball World Cup.

‘Honestly, showing this to us, Major Leaguers…’

He didn’t expect to be impressed, but surprisingly, the swing of the player on the screen was quite clean.

“Oh… the pitch was better than I thought, but the batter’s swing is even more top-notch.”

“I agree. A swing that clean is pretty rare, even here…”

Hearing his teammates’ evaluations, Kim Hosan smirked and handed his phone to another teammate, Bob.

Unlike the others, Bob joined around the same time as Kim Hosan. Having spent a lot of time together, he had already figured out what Hosan wanted.

As soon as he took the phone, Bob placed his hand on his forehead, opened his mouth wide, and exclaimed.

“What…? What am I seeing right now? Damn! This guy has a crazy swing, and he’s only 18? Hosan, which country is this monster from? I can’t believe it!”

Grinning in satisfaction, Kim Hosan nodded and replied.

“Cha Taehyun. A Korean player who will soon conquer the Majors!”

“Damn! Korea again? That country is small, but why do they have so many monsters? If this Cha Taehyun comes here, the U.S. will be turned upside down.”

“Hahaha! Bob, you do have a good eye!”

“And you, Hosan. You should become a scout. Every Korean prospect you’ve found has been amazing.”

The other teammates watching the two of them laughing boisterously had similar thoughts.

‘Is it really that impressive…?’

Sure, the swing was clean and flawless, but saying he would conquer the Majors seemed like an exaggeration.

However, no one voiced their opinions. After all, it was Kim Hosan, the team ace, who was smiling so happily.

—

“Wow! There’s a reason everyone keeps talking about Cha Taehyun!”

“Right? Isn’t he a complete monster?”

“Taehyun, do you want to transfer to our school? No, wait, I’m turning pro soon. When I get drafted, you should follow me. Having a shortstop like you would be incredible.”

I expected reactions like this after hitting a home run, but…

“Oh, the one and only Taehyun-god… I worship you.”

Jin Taehyun, this guy, still hadn’t let go of his fanatic persona and was actually clasping his hands together as if in real worship.

What a peculiar fellow.

Anyway, it might sound odd coming from the guy who hit the home run, but Lin Hao is not a pushover as a pitcher either.

There are times when players refuse to break under pressure and even enjoy taking risks, and Lin Hao seems to be one of them.

Even during my bases-loaded at-bat, his pitches didn’t weaken but instead got even sharper.

“Strike!”

Even after giving up a grand slam, his pitch still had life.

If he had thrown like that from the beginning, he probably wouldn’t have given up consecutive hits to batters one, two, and three…

– Smack!

But… Jiho is an outlier.

The ball soared effortlessly over the shortstop’s reach. Jiho easily made it to first base.

Adding another hit to the grand slam – this situation is likely a nightmare for any pitcher.

Lin Hao nodded silently and threw the ball, his control improving even more.

“Strike! Out!”

He cleanly retired batters six, seven, and eight in a triple play.

“Cha Taehyun.”

As I returned to the dugout, Jiho spoke up. While it’s not unusual for a teammate to talk to me, it’s been a long time… or maybe even the first time?

Jiho awkwardly smiled and said,

“Nice home run.”

With that, he coolly went to retrieve his glove.

“What’s gotten into him…?”

I habitually looked for Jin Myunghwan but clicked my tongue in frustration.

I never thought I’d miss Myunghwan…

—

When Korea’s offense in the top of the first inning ended, Kim Sinhwa took the mound.

Although during the training camp Kim Changhyun had slightly outperformed Kim Sinhwa, Taiwan’s team had a high ratio of left-handed batters, so the left-handed pitcher Kim Sinhwa was chosen as the starter.

“We’ve got a four-point lead, so throw comfortably!”

Jin Taehyun’s words were meant to ease the tension, but the Taiwanese batter stepping into the box had a face full of determination.

‘This won’t be easy…’

Kim Sinhwa rolled the ball in his glove a couple of times before delivering the first pitch.

A fastball inside.

– Whoosh

The Taiwanese batter swung and missed as the ball was sucked into the mitt.

“Strike!”

The second pitch was a slider that broke away on the outside.

– Smack!

The batter swung slightly late, and the ball went foul.

‘Surely, their batters have a high level…’

Though it was a foul, getting the timing right from the first at-bat meant they wouldn’t be easy opponents.

Just as the scouting report indicated, Taiwan had a strong lineup.

Kim Sinhwa threw the third pitch but clicked his tongue as soon as it left his fingers.

It wasn’t exactly a mistake, but it didn’t break as sharply.

– Smack!

The batter didn’t miss the flat pitch and swung the bat, sending the ball over the second baseman’s head and rolling into the outfield.

A clean double.

The few Taiwanese fans in the stands stood up and cheered, and the Taiwanese dugout shouted, rallying their spirits.

‘Taiwan got lucky… If I had touched the rosin bag for just one more second, he would never have hit that.’

Despite his peculiar way of thinking, Kim Sinhwa’s mentality remained intact.

“Strike! Out!”

“Strike! Out!”

He cleanly struck out batters two and three.

As Taiwan’s fourth batter approached the box, the Taiwanese fans who had briefly quieted down stood up again and shouted.

‘Was his name Wang Jian Hao? They said we should be wary of him.’

According to the scouting report, this was the player to watch out for.

He had participated in the Baseball World Cup since his first year, making him quite a promising prospect.

Perhaps considering this, Jin Taehyun called for an outside breaking pitch.

However, Kim Sinhwa shook his head immediately.

‘Wang Hao or whoever, he’s not Cha Taehyun…’

After a couple of attempts to persuade him, Jin Taehyun eventually gave in, and Kim Sinhwa confidently delivered the pitch.

An inside fastball that squeezed the strike zone. The pitch wasn’t perfect, but the velocity and spin were quite good. If it passed through the strike zone, it would surely be called a strike.

– Crack!

But, just as life doesn’t always go as planned, neither does pitching.

Wang Jian Hao’s bat swung at an incredible speed, making perfect contact with the sweet spot, and the ball shot straight out.

Kim Sinhwa quickly turned his head to chase the ball.

The Taiwanese fans, anticipating a scoring hit, were jumping and screaming.

A hit…?

No, given the speed, it was a potential run-scoring hit.

The Taiwanese commentator even stood up and threw the mic, and the chat room was blowing up with excitement.

But then, Cha Taehyun moved.

Raising his arm high, he caught the ball that should never have been caught, almost as if snatching it.

After a slight stumble upon landing, Cha Taehyun showed his glove to the umpire, who, stunned for a moment, belatedly made the call.

“…Out!”

“Crazy! What was that?!”

“Is this real? LOL”

“Do those ‘godlike plays’ from baseball games actually exist in reality?”

—

“Sure, it happens occasionally in professional baseball… but to see it in an international match is something else.”

“Yeah, those kinds of ‘godlike plays’ do exist in real life, but seeing it happen in an international game is rare. LOL.”

“The Taiwanese fans just got their hopes crushed, huh? LOL.”

“Why do the Taiwanese commentators look like statues? They’re just frozen, LOL.”

“Real-time Taiwanese chat: ‘Brothers, I think we need to conduct a drug test on this player, Cha Taehyun.’”

“Now they’re starting to slander Taehyun-god, LOL.”

“But to be fair, watching that defensive play just now, it kind of makes sense. Seriously, what was that? LOL.”

Kim Sinhwa looked at Cha Taehyun and let out a hollow laugh before mumbling to himself.

“Cha Taehyun… As a teammate, I really do like you.”

In what might be the first time ever, he gave Cha Taehyun a pure thumbs-up filled with 100% respect.

—

Taiwan, known for its strong hitting, put up a persistent fight, but sheer tenacity has its limits. Now, in the 7th inning, the score stood at 10-4, with Taiwan barely avoiding a mercy rule defeat.

The offense for this inning started with the third batter, Jin Taehyun, but he struck out weakly, which was unusual for him.

As he returned to the dugout, Jin Taehyun subtly spoke to me.

“I’m sorry… and whatever you do, don’t look at the first base bleachers.”

Although his warning was abrupt, there was a hint of seriousness to it, as if he really didn’t want me to look.

However, humans are inherently creatures of curiosity; when someone says “don’t do it,” it only makes you want to do it more. It’s the same as seeing a red button labeled “Do not press” and wanting to press it.

This is all Jin Taehyun’s fault.

Ah…?

The moment I glanced at the first base bleachers, I understood exactly why Jin Taehyun had warned me and why he struck out so easily.

A small, cute child was looking at me with tear-filled eyes, wearing a baseball cap too large for their head.

No doubt about it… This really is a counter to Jin Taehyun.

He’s already such an emotional guy, and seeing those big, shining eyes giving off a look that says, “Are you going to hit a home run…?” or “Please don’t…” must have been hard for him.

Let’s see… The current score is 10-4, and the runner is on second. So, if I score just one more run and Taiwan fails to score in their turn, it will end the game in a mercy rule?

Thinking about it this way even made me feel a bit soft-hearted.

The kid and their family probably flew all the way here to watch the game, hoping for a good result. They’d be so disappointed if it ended in a mercy rule.

Still… I’m sorry, kiddo.

There are many people back in Korea cheering for me.

Especially Ms. Miyeon.

-Crack!

I adjusted my bat’s trajectory to match the downward curveball and swung with all my might.

The moment the ball made contact, I was certain it was a home run. I glanced over at the bleachers.

“Oh.”

-Waaaah!

The kid was crying loudly, being comforted by their family as tears streamed down their face. I, who was about to habitually throw my bat, carefully placed it down and quickly ran the bases, almost as if trying to escape.

—

“As expected of Taehyun-god… I worship you. The unshakable swing, unfazed even by the gaze of a child…”

“Wow, Taehyun, I saw that kid too. You really are something else, crushing that cute child’s dreams and hopes.”

“Well done, Cha Taehyun. Baseball is a cruel world, after all. If I were a batter instead of a pitcher, I would’ve done the same.”

We had just finished the game against Taiwan in a mercy rule win and were having a silly conversation when suddenly…

“Hey… Isn’t that family over there the one with that kid?”

Just as Kim Yoobin said, the kid’s family was approaching us.

“Excuse me, do you speak English?”

“Ah, yes, I can speak English.”

Upon hearing that, they smiled brightly, removed the kid’s hat, and handed it over to me along with a marker.

“Our child seems to have become a fan of yours. Could you please sign this?”

“Sorry? Me?”

I was momentarily taken aback.

They’re saying their child became my fan, even though I just ended today’s game in a mercy rule…

“Oh, our kid is still young, so they don’t really know which team is from our country. They just like whoever plays well.”

“Ah.”

Now that I think about it, the kid is quite young. I guess they cried earlier because they were overwhelmed by the game.

Anyway, seeing this cute child smile at me, I felt pretty good.

I took the hat and marker, signed it, and put the hat back on the kid’s head. The child jumped up and down in excitement, clearly pleased.

As I watched them with a warm feeling in my heart, a good idea came to mind.

“Wait a moment, please.”

“Sorry?”

I opened my bag, pulled out a bat, and signed it before handing it to the kid.

The bat was too heavy for the child to lift, so they hugged it instead, smiling bashfully as if they liked it.

“Are you really giving this to us? Is that okay? It looks like it’s one you use yourself.”

I did only bring one spare bat, so it’s a bit tricky… But if I need another one, I can just borrow Jin Taehyun’s.

Besides…

“It’s fine. I just wanted to give it to them. Consider it a commemorative gift for my first international fan.”

I thought to myself that receiving this bat would be a memory that stays with the kid for a lifetime. If I could create a memory with just one bat, it would be a small price to pay.

The child’s parents thanked me so profusely that it almost felt burdensome.

They wanted to post it on social media, so I allowed them and took a picture together.

The little kid, showing their tiny front teeth, bowed to me before leaving.

I had felt a bit guilty seeing them cry earlier, but now I felt relieved.

“As expected of Taehyun-god… His kindness is as vast as the sky…”

“This guy is actually kind of cool.”

“Winning the game and building a positive image? Not bad, Cha Taehyun. I respect you for this.”

“…Cut it out, Sinhwa. Don’t ruin this heartwarming moment.”

At my words, Jin Taehyun and Kim Yoobin clutched their stomachs, bursting into laughter.

The hot summer day in Osaka was drawing to an end.