The Extra in a Baseball Novel

The second inning continued with Hyuksan High’s offense, and the first batter up was their fifth hitter, Lee Jiho.

As he stepped out of the dugout, Lee Jiho paused for a moment.

“Teacher…?”

Wasn’t his homeroom teacher, Lee Miyeon, sitting in the stands?

“She came all the way here just to support me…”

With his teacher’s advice, he overcame his slump, and now she had even come to cheer him on.

It was time to repay her.

Lee Jiho took his batting stance, narrowed his eyes, and focused. He connected with the pitch that flew toward him.

-Crack!

Lee Jiho ran at full speed and easily reached second base.

A clean double.

It was a good performance, but his expression showed dissatisfaction.

“Cha Taehyun cleared the fence so easily…”

That feeling of inferiority settled back in his heart. But he quickly shook it off, glancing at the stands.

“My teacher came all the way here to support me, so I shouldn’t waste time on useless thoughts.”

Today, the only thing that mattered was winning.

But that resolve soon faded.

-Crack!

“Out!”

-Crack!

“Out!”

“Strike! Out!”

Two groundouts and a strikeout ended their offensive inning in the second.

My turn at bat came again in the fourth inning.

This meant that our team had barely hit since my last turn. Except for Lee Jiho, everyone had been dismissed with groundouts or strikeouts.

Now was the time to hit a home run, regardless of the promise with Miyeon.

I grabbed my bat and stepped out of the dugout, only to have the coach follow me.

He glanced around to make sure no one else was nearby before speaking in a low voice.

“Taehyun.”

“Yes.”

“Grip the bat long.”

“What?”

“I don’t care if you swing and miss three times. Just go for full swings. No one else can get us a run.”

He was telling me to aim for a home run, even if I got out.

Well…

“That’s what I planned to do anyway.”

The coach laughed heartily and patted my shoulder.

“Good. That’s the spirit. Swing away and give it your best shot.”

As I stepped into the batter’s box, I heard Miyeon’s cheer.

“Taehyun! Hit another home run!”

I smiled toward her direction and turned my gaze back to the mound.

Joo Jitae.

Despite being hit in the first inning, he wasn’t shaken; in fact, he was pitching even better, embodying the qualities of a great pitcher.

He was certainly delivering a “career game” right now.

But I had no intention of being the supporting character in his career game.

Joo Jitae wound up and threw the first pitch.

-Thwack!

“Ball!”

A breaking ball fell slightly below the strike zone.

He was clearly mindful of the earlier home run, avoiding pitches I could hit.

The second pitch followed.

“Ball!”

Another inside pitch that missed the zone.

It wasn’t an intentional walk, but he was making sure not to throw me anything good.

Well then, I just need to hit the bad pitches. After all, one of my nicknames was “bad-ball hitter.”

Joo Jitae threw the third pitch.

From his pitching form, it looked like a fastball, but…

Hmm.

My instincts, honed in the majors, told me it was a changeup.

A changeup with the same delivery as a fastball to confuse the batter and disrupt their timing. A fantastic pitch, often considered essential.

Seeing the ball slow down and drop before my eyes, a grin spread across my face.

When you’re aware, it’s basically just a batting practice pitch.

-SMACK!

It was an extreme uppercut swing, almost like a golf shot, and I connected perfectly with the ball.

…Honestly, it was a pitch I shouldn’t have swung at. Could it go over the fence?

I glanced at Joo Jitae. His mouth hung open as he watched the ball fly.

His face said, “Is that actually going over?”

Well…

“Looks like it is.”

That makes it two meals with Miyeon. I tossed my bat and ran the bases, feeling good.

“The ball is lifted as if he was playing golf…! It flies over the center fielder! Over the fence! It’s gone! Wow! What am I witnessing right now? I can’t believe it!”

“Absolutely! To be honest, that pitch wasn’t supposed to go over like that. Look at it! That wasn’t even a lure pitch. It was practically a walk. But he just lifted it! It feels like we’re witnessing the birth of a new star!”

└ Is he playing golf? LOL

└ Looks like when he took that insane curve from China, lol.

└ I feel bad for the pitcher, haha.

└ Look at his face, he’s so bewildered, haha.

└ As expected from Daejeon Volcanoes’ shortstop.

└ Volcano fans, if you want Cha Taehyun, you have to come under us first.

└ I think we could do it. Let’s go Volcanoes, lol.

└ God Taehyun.

└ We worship you, G.O.A.T.

└ Now that I think about it, why are the Phoenix fans acting like they own Cha Taehyun?

└ Who do you think will end up in last place this year?

└ Sorry…

└ Logic, as expected from Phoenix, lol.

└ Last year, it was Lee Seungtae; this year, it’s Cha Taehyun. They aimed for last place on purpose.

└ Phoenix championship confirmed within two years.

└ I can finally see Phoenix win the championship, tears…

└ You guys are getting ahead of yourselves. The player isn’t even on your team yet, lol.

Lee Seungtae was in great form today.

He hadn’t allowed a single runner on base, meaning he was pitching a perfect game so far.

I hoped the game would end like this, but…

-SMACK!

Ilmyeong High’s fourth batter, Kang Daehan, pulled the fastball and sent it flying over the fence.

I suppose it was about time for him to get hit.

In fact, it was more impressive that he hadn’t allowed a single hit against Kang Daehan until now.

If Lee Seungtae was the top pitching prospect, then Kang Daehan was considered the top batting prospect.

Seungtae seemed to understand this as he continued pitching calmly.

“Strike! Out!”

He struck out the next batter right away.

Although he had given up a home run, by the end of the seventh inning, the score was still 2-1 in our favor.

In the eighth inning, Seungtae left the mound due to a pitch count limit.

Honestly, you could say this is where the real game begins.

Last year, Seungtae pitched perfectly until the eighth, but the bullpen gave up runs and turned the game upside down.

To make matters worse, this was Hwang Kwanghyun’s first time pitching in a major game like this.

Will he be okay?

At least he didn’t show any signs of nervousness on his face.

Hwang Kwanghyun threw the first pitch.

-Crack!

The ball flew toward the gap between third and short, but I caught it and made the play.

Hwang Kwanghyun smiled and gave me a thumbs-up.

The next batter, the eighth in the lineup.

-Thwack!

“Strike! Out!”

A clean strikeout with precise control. Hwang Kwanghyun clenched his fist.

The ninth batter stepped up.

-Crack.

A well-hit ball, but it was right towards the pitcher. Hwang Kwanghyun quickly moved his glove and caught it.

“Ugh… Ugh, ahhh!!!”

Hwang Kwanghyun looked at the ball in his hand, then fell to his knees, screaming in relief.

He had hidden it well, but he must have been incredibly nervous.

Anyway, we got through the eighth inning unscathed. Now, we just needed to hold the ninth to secure our win.

As everyone returned to the dugout, I changed direction.

“Hey, where are you going?”

“The bullpen.”

“What…? Why are you going to the bullpen?”

“Myunghwan, what’s the reason for going to the bullpen?”

“To warm up before pitching?”

“Exactly. So, why ask when you already know?”

I walked past the bewildered Jin Myunghwan and entered the bullpen.

The coach made a rather extreme player change.

He replaced the shortstop, Cha Taehyun, with the closing pitcher, putting Lee Changsoo in his place.

Of course, it wasn’t solely the coach’s decision. There isn’t a coach in their right mind who would bring in a shortstop to pitch in a one-run, bottom-of-the-ninth situation.

Cha Taehyun himself had approached the coach in the eighth inning and requested the change.

Initially, the coach rejected the idea, saying it was absurd. But he soon changed his mind when he saw the look in Taehyun’s eyes.

“They were eyes filled with conviction.”

Eyes full of confidence that he would definitely shut down the opposition. In his decades of coaching, he had seen that look occasionally.

Those who had that look always proved their confidence right.

“Seungtae, do you think I’m crazy?”

“…Honestly, yes.”

“I can’t deny it either. But, Seungtae… somehow, I feel like this guy, Cha Taehyun…

he’ll just handle it like it’s nothing. Is it just me?”

After a brief moment of thought, Lee Seungtae recalled something and smirked.

“Now that you mention it… I feel the same way.”

As Cha Taehyun took the mound, the stadium and the chat went wild.

└?????

└Did I see that right? Pitcher Cha Taehyun?

└??? Does our star know how to pitch too?

└There’s no data on him, lol.

└So, he’s a two-way player? Crazy.

└I’m starting to like this guy.

└What? You think Cha Taehyun is your buddy?

└The coach is insane. Ninth inning, one-run lead, and he pulls this?

└There must be a reason. Don’t you know there are many two-way players in high school baseball?

└If he pitches well too, what will his value be…?

└What do you mean? Straight to Mars, lol.

└Then he might go to the majors instead of Phoenix.

└Crap, you’re right. Please don’t pitch well…

└Protect our shortstop!

The distance from the bullpen to the mound.

The short walk gave me time to relish the moment.

This was what I had missed.

The appropriate excitement, adrenaline surging through my body.

I took it all in as I stood on the mound. The cheers for me… were unfortunately absent.

After all, this wasn’t the World Series; it was the Golden Lion Cup.

“Taehyun! You can do it!”

Still, Miyeon had come all this way to cheer for me.

That was more than enough.

I unconsciously lifted the corners of my mouth but quickly straightened my expression.

It’s just my personal belief, but a pitcher’s first priority is to follow their routine. Even minor facial expressions should be adjusted accordingly.

The batter stood at the plate, scowling. He was probably offended that a shortstop had taken the mound in such a crucial situation.

Then, I should help him save face.

I slowly lifted my knee and turned my head up high. Utilizing my tall frame, I stepped forward with a long stride.

At that moment, I shifted my weight onto my pivot foot, firmly planting it, and forcefully brought my elevated hand down.

The sensation of the seams brushing against my fingertips.

I threw the ball as hard as I could, like striking a match.

First pitch.

-Thwack!

A fastball grazing the inside corner.

“S-Strike!”

The umpire’s call was a bit delayed, but that was fine.

The batter was completely frozen.

Feeling more relaxed, I glanced at the scoreboard.

[155 km/h]

“…My speed still isn’t fully up.”

Was my body not fully warmed up?

I reset my stance, and Changseob gave me the sign.

Index finger, ring finger—following our prior agreement, it meant a curveball.

Sure, I agreed to follow his lead, but…

155 km/h was a bit too low for my liking.

For the second pitch, I didn’t change my grip and went for another power pitch.

-Thwack!

“Strike!”

It was the exact same pitch to the same spot, but the batter was still frozen.

[156 km/h]

Next, the third pitch.

Again, a fastball to the same spot.

[157 km/h]

“S… Strike! Out!”

I struck out the batter.

The next hitter, the third in the lineup.

-Thwack!n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

“Strike!”

-Thwack!

“Strike!”

-Thwack!

“Strike! Out!”

Again, I struck out the batter with three fastballs.

The fourth batter, Kang Daehan, stepped into the box, and Changseob called for a timeout.

“Taehyun… Your pitch is great. Seriously… It’s so good that I’m speechless. But… this guy is Kang Daehan, you know? You saw Seungtae give up that home run, right? So let’s not be too predictable, okay?”

In short, he was pleading with me not to throw three consecutive fastballs to the same spot.

“Of course.”

“R-right? Right? You think so too, right? I trust you, Taehyun.”

As Changseob returned to his position, I changed my grip as he requested.

A cut fastball.

It still had the word “fastball” in it, so technically, I wasn’t lying.

I wound up and threw with all my remaining strength.

The feel of the ball leaving my fingertips was electrifying. I had never experienced this even during my pro days.

The ball curved sharply toward the batter’s body.

Oh?

Kang Daehan adjusted his swing to match the ball’s movement and made solid contact.

Changseob’s jaw dropped, and a smile spread across Kang Daehan’s face.

-Crack!

But then, his bat shattered, and the ball floated weakly into the air.

I casually walked over, positioned my glove under the falling ball, and caught it.

-Thud.

“…Out! Game over!”

We had secured the final out.

—