The Extra in a Baseball Novel

Chapter 39

“Congratulations on your four consecutive wins. You’re about to face your final game against Korea, and they have been showing quite an impressive performance. In particular, the player Cha Taehyun seems threatening. Do you have any strategies prepared to deal with him?”

The American team’s coach chuckled, seemingly in disbelief.

“Well… Cha Taehyun is certainly a talented hitter, but… did you forget? We have a hitter even more talented than him, Tom Clandy, and a pitcher, Nick Trigeris. Both are players that Major League teams have their eyes on. Why would we need to prepare a countermeasure?”

The coach’s confidence bordered on arrogance, and the reporter smiled as he asked again.

“So, are you guaranteeing a victory?”

“Victory? I’m just worried you might fall asleep while watching the Korea game.”

This American interview quickly spread to Korea.

– “Wow, even though I know it’s trash talk, it really makes my blood boil.”

– “LOL, it’s not even trash talk. He’s serious. This coach acted the same way during the last World Cup.”

– “But the most annoying part is that they can back up this trash talk because they’re that good.”

– “Damn… Please, Taehyun-god, teach these guys a lesson…”

– “Even though we call him Taehyun-god… Can he handle players that Major League teams are scouting?”

– “Hey, even Taehyun-god caught the attention of Major League scouts. Didn’t you see them at the finals of the Cheongryonggi?”

– “But we only have Cha Taehyun, while they have both pitcher Trigeris and hitter Tom Clandy… They have two players on par with Cha Taehyun.”

– “Two players on Cha Taehyun’s level? Seriously?”

– “It’s true. Watch the American team’s games. Every time Tom Clandy swings, it’s a hit.”

– “No, no, the real deal is Trigeris. That dude only throws pitches over 155 km/h, LOL.”

– “155? Even Kim Sinhwa throws at that speed like it’s nothing.”

– “Eat something, Kim Sinhwa!”

With mixed expectations of Cha Taehyun teaching the Americans a lesson and the reality check of how tough it would be to beat the U.S., the decisive day finally arrived.

—

“Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to another exciting baseball game at the U-18 World Cup! The future stars of baseball are standing on the field right now, fighting for the honor of their countries. Could there be a more perfect day for baseball, America’s favorite sport? Oh, and don’t fall asleep, folks! Grab some pizza and stay focused!”

– “Guys, will Korea put up a fight today?”

– “Are you kidding? There’s no team that can beat the U.S., except maybe Japan.”

– “Did you not hear the commentator? Our focus today isn’t on beating Korea; it’s on fighting off sleep.”

– “Haha, that’s hilarious! Thanks to that, I can watch the game with peace of mind.”

American viewers seemed to expect a smooth victory—or rather, an overwhelming one.

Today’s starting pitcher for Korea was Kim Changhyun.

The bigger the stage, the better Kim Changhyun performed. He had judged today’s game as a “big game,” and when he did, his pitches were never easy to hit.

– “Strike! Out!”

The first batter was struck out on three consecutive 153 km/h fastballs, all to the same spot.

– Smack

The second batter hit the ball well on the first pitch, but shortstop Cha Taehyun made a diving catch and threw him out with a powerful throw.

The third batter timed his swing well, but again, Cha Taehyun jumped and made the catch.

The U.S. team’s offense ended quickly in a 1-2-3 inning, contrary to everyone’s expectations.

– “Something seems off… Isn’t the Korean team’s pitcher pretty good?”

– “Hey, buddy, why worry? Baseball is a game where pitchers always have the advantage in the early innings. Hitting right from the first at-bat is never easy.”

– “Yeah, and the only reason those hits were caught was because the shortstop got lucky. They could have been hits.”

– “So, don’t worry about useless things. Just wait for our star, Trigeris, to put on his strikeout show.”

Despite the early hiccup, American viewers remained relaxed, confident in their star pitcher, Trigeris.

And, living up to his fans’ trust…

– “Strike! Out!”

– “Strike! Out!”

“Looking strikeout! Trigeris has struck out two batters in a row! Right now, he’s delivering despair to the Korean batters! Just look at the stunned expression on the Korean batter’s face! That’s Trigeris for you!”

Trigeris cleanly struck out two batters in a row.

As the chat began to pick up momentum and the commentators’ excitement grew, Jin Taehyun stepped up to the plate, his face filled with determination.

‘Well… Just because he glares doesn’t mean he can hit this pitch.’

Trigeris chuckled and threw the ball.

– Smack!

Jin Taehyun swung his bat powerfully and hit the slider, which was curving outside, squarely.

The ball easily sailed over the second baseman’s glove. Jin Taehyun made it to first base without difficulty, grinning.

Of course, this was his attempt to mimic his idol, Cha Taehyun.

“You fing sh!”

Trigeris seemed to take it as a provocation, spitting on the ground in frustration.

– “Haha, fake Taehyun with the shot, shot, shot!”

– “Even knock-offs of luxury items are expensive, LOL.”

– “What did he just say? Wasn’t that some harsh cursing?”

– “He probably said ‘fing,’ which is like saying ‘damn’ in Korean.”

– “Oh, I totally get it now, LOL.”

– “Baking ‘damn bread’ from the first inning, huh?”

Soon, the fourth batter, Cha Taehyun, took his place at the plate, giving the pitcher a trademark smile.

“Don’t walk me.”

Surprised by the sudden remark, the catcher chuckled and replied.

“I appreciate that you learned English, but it seems our team didn’t study your style at all. We’re not the kind of team to intentionally walk a batter, so don’t worry about that.”

“Really? Then I’m setting a new record today.”

“What are you talking abou—”

Before the catcher could finish, Cha Taehyun raised his bat, his lips curving into a smirk.

The catcher scoffed and placed his mitt in the center.

‘Let’s teach him a lesson.’

Sensing the catcher’s intentions, Trigeris grinned and threw the ball.

It was a dynamic pitch that ignored any consideration for tempo control, as his upper body twisted dramatically.

Having already secured a spot in the Major Leagues, his top speed reached up to 158 km/h.

Considering he was only 18 years old, this was an incredible speed.

However, the sensation as he gripped the seams just now was extraordinary.

Even more thrilling than the day he recorded his 158 km/h pitch, which shocked the scouts.

Trigeris sensed it.

This pitch would easily break his top speed, zoom into the catcher’s mitt, and make the batter look like a fool.

– Crack!

At least, that’s what he thought.

But then, the bat struck the ball…?

“What…?”

Uttering a scream-like question, Trigeris turned his head.

The ball soared with an unimaginable speed, almost as if it was piercing through the atmosphere.

The center fielder ran hard after it, but eventually shook his head, stopping in his tracks.

The ball kept flying until it met the massive back screen, finally dropping down.

Trigeris, still staring at the falling ball, glanced at the speed measurement next to it, his jaw dropping.

[159 km/h]

‘You’ve got to be kidding…’

The catcher, too, shook his head, unable to recover from the shock.

Meanwhile, Cha Taehyun threw his bat with one hand in a slightly aggressive motion, still in his swing stance.

“You’re not mad because I threw the bat, right? Can’t have you falling asleep now. Gotta put on a show.”

Finishing his words with a smirk, Cha Taehyun ran toward first base.

—

“So… even though there are two outs, Jin Taehyun is on first base. It would be great if Cha Taehyun could deliver a big hit… Oh my!!! It’s gone! It’s gone! This is… over the fence! Oh my! Amazing~! Truly incredible, Cha Taehyun!”

– “Did the commentator just…?”

– “LOL, why does it sound like he’s moaning, LOL.”

– “But seriously, that was insane.”

– “What? They said even Taehyun-god would have trouble? LOL.”

– “Trigeris? Oh, you mean the guy I hit a homer off on the first pitch? LOL.”

– “Real-time U.S. reaction: ‘Hmm… Can we bring him to the Dodgers? We have a close relationship with Korea.’ These guys are already flipping sides, LOL.”

– “No way, he’s our Phoenix ace!”

– “But hey, Phoenix fans, you should be getting nervous. Isn’t it odd that a player of his caliber isn’t going to the Majors?”

– “Right, damn it?”

– “No way, Phoenix for the win!”

– “Wait, did these guys seriously think Phoenix would win if Cha Taehyun joined

…?”

– “They don’t know the Phoenix team. These guys will still curse if they fail to win the championship, even while joking.”

– “Damn, it’s been 30 years without a win. It’s understandable to be like this.”

– “It’s been over 30 years… Seriously?”

– “Shockingly, yes…”

– “Phoenix is something else.”

– “Shut up, damn it…