The Extra in a Baseball Novel

Chapter 33

“Hey, you must have spent some money, huh?”

As soon as I returned to the dugout, Jin Myunghwan asked.

“What money?”

“Your bat, glove, and gloves, all brand new. You were using some raggedy stuff before.”

So, he was talking about the baseball equipment I received from Lee Siha.

“The design looks fancy and expensive. What brand is it?”

Jin Myunghwan inspected my bat closely and tilted his head when he saw the brand name, Nixon.

“Wait, did Nixon even sell baseball equipment?”

It was natural for Jin Myunghwan to be curious. While Nixon Sports was a prominent name in most sports, they had practically withdrawn from the baseball business.

“They’ve been selling it for a while, but it never gained popularity.”

“Really? How’s it feel to use?”

“Pretty good.”

This wasn’t just lip service because of my contract with Lee Siha; I was genuinely impressed.

Knowing that Nixon would become the top name in the baseball equipment industry in the future, I figured their prototypes might be decent. Surprisingly, they were even better than I had expected.

They were nearly indistinguishable from the equipment I used during my professional career.

“A bat that’s Taehyun-approved… I might buy one too.”

“You can’t.”

“Huh? Why not?”

“It’s not for sale yet.”

An idea suddenly crossed my mind.

If Lee Siha saw me using these prototypes, wouldn’t she be quite surprised?

Typically, baseball players might change their bats, but they rarely switch their gloves because they need a perfect fit.

She might be so moved by this voluntary promotion that she could add some extra incentives.

Though, to be honest, I mainly changed because my old glove was worn out… But there’s no need to mention that to the world.

“If you want it, wait until my commercial comes out to buy one.”

“Huh? What do you mean, a commercial?”

“You’ll see it on YouTube soon enough.”

—

The game reached the top of the fourth inning, with the score still at 2:0.

Judging by the score, Hwachung High’s pitcher was holding up surprisingly well. Although he had slumped after giving up a home run, he seemed to have quickly regained his composure.

I hoped he wouldn’t walk me and would try to pitch to me this time…

-Ball!

The first pitch missed the zone by a long shot. It seemed that he had regained enough control to make rational decisions.

The second pitch followed.

-Ball!

It was far outside. While I did earn the nickname “bad ball hitter,” even I couldn’t swing at pitches like that.

-Ball! Walk!

In the end, I went to first base without even swinging the bat.

Miyeon said she would hug me for five minutes since I hit five consecutive home runs last time. I was planning to use that as an excuse to hit more home runs so I could hold her longer…

Dare you waste my precious time…?

I can’t forgive this.

Until now, I had avoided stealing bases to prevent injuries since I was still building my physical condition.

But this time, I have to steal. No, I must.

Lee Jiho, the fifth batter, stepped into the box, and I started to take a lead-off the moment the Hwachung pitcher stepped on the rubber.

I slowly took one step… two steps… three and a half steps… This was the average lead-off distance.

However… In my professional career, I used to take a lead of four steps or even four and a half, depending on the situation.

I had confidence in my speed, and I was also gifted with a sense of timing and instinct for base-stealing.

Most importantly, having a left-handed batter like Lee Jiho at the plate was key.

With a left-handed batter, the catcher’s view of first base is limited, significantly improving the chances of a successful steal.

So… it was worth taking a bold lead of four and a half steps.

I could be confident in this as someone who once had a 40-home run and 40-stolen base season in the majors.

Of course, that’s from my perspective, and in the eyes of Hwachung’s pitcher, it probably looks like I’m begging to be picked off.

As I kept my focus on the pitcher, he glanced at me before making a quick throw to first base.

It was a pretty decent pick-off attempt, but as soon as I recognized his pick-off motion, I sprinted back and slid just as my hand reached the base.

-Safe!

I stood up and dusted the dirt off my uniform.

The Hwachung pitcher looked frustrated, but… should he be?

To the naked eye, it might have seemed like a close call, but I felt it was comfortably within my range. I probably won’t get picked off moving forward.

In other words, I’m going to keep messing with him by taking the lead.

—

‘Man… This is driving me crazy.’

Kim Taehwan was so distracted by Cha Taehyun on first base that he felt like his head was about to explode.

At first, he thought, ‘What the heck? Is he out of his mind?’ when he saw the absurdly large lead-off. It was clearly enough to get him picked off.

-Safe!

But…

‘Why can’t I get him out?’

He had already thrown three pick-off attempts, yet Cha Taehyun remained on base, leading off again with a grin.

‘Taehwan, just pitch…’

Unable to watch anymore, the Hwachung catcher signaled for a high fastball inside, hoping to catch him if he ran.

Kim Taehwan nodded and threw the first pitch.

A fastball way off the mark. The catcher quickly prepared to throw, but Cha Taehyun was just standing there, as if he knew.

The second pitch was also a high fastball that missed. Again, the catcher moved to throw, but Taehyun somehow sensed it and stayed put.

‘Now I can’t just throw random pitches…’

With a 2-0 count, he couldn’t keep pitching outside the strike zone. Yet, if he threw a fastball down the middle, there was a high chance Lee Jiho would smash it.

‘…A curveball should be fine, right?’

Would he really steal now? If he does, it would raise serious suspicions of sign-stealing.

Or… maybe he just has an insane instinct.

The catcher signaled, and Kim Taehwan nodded.

On the third pitch, Kim Taehwan wound up and threw the ball. The catcher’s eyes widened.

Cha Taehyun, who had been standing still, smirked before turning and sprinting toward second base.

Since it was a low curveball, Lee Jiho didn’t swing. The catcher quickly grabbed the ball and threw it, but…

-Safe!

Taehyun was already hugging the base.

Kim Taehwan shook his head in disbelief and threw the next pitch.

-Crack!

Lee Jiho caught the cutter inside cleanly.

The ball soared and hit the fence. The left fielder hastily retrieved the ball, but since Taehyun had started from second base, he had plenty of time to reach home plate.

The score was now 3:0.

“Sigh…”

Kim Taehwan sighed deeply and muttered.

“This is some messed-up baseball…”

—

As if one stolen base wasn’t enough, Cha Taehyun kept trying to steal more.

“Oh! Cha Taehyun steals second again! That’s his third steal! Can he really see the future or something? Even I can’t believe what I’m seeing on the screen; imagine how Kim Taehwan feels. His expression doesn’t look good at all.”

“It’s understandable. Allowing a stolen base is a huge blow to a pitcher’s pride. Look at Cha Taehyun’s lead-off distance. I shouldn’t say this, but it’s almost like he’s mocking Kim Taehwan.”

? Ta… Taehyun, I… I did it… Stop… Please stop

? Why is someone who never stole bases suddenly doing this?

? LOL;; Feels like he’s intentionally provoking the pitcher

? Thank goodness he’s a Phoenix player; if he did this on another team, phew

? If I was watching on TV, I might have punched the screen

? We’re watching on TV, but Kim Taehwan probably wants to punch Taehyun’s face right now LOL

Despite the concerns of the viewers, Kim Taehwan managed to maintain his composure after three consecutive stolen bases.

Of course… it only lasted up to the third steal.

“Haha! What is Cha Taehyun doing? He’s rocking back and forth as if he’ll steal but then stops! Kim Taehwan’s going to be really mad now!”

? LOL LOL WTF

? This is a bit too much LOL

? It’s a psychological game; don’t slander our Taehyun

? If Kim Taehwan holds up under this, I’ll acknowledge his mental strength

? How can you endure this?

? Forget walking him; his next at-bat might involve a hit-by-pitch LOL

In the top of the seventh inning, Cha Taehyun’s persistent

antics finally broke Kim Taehwan’s composure.

“Ah! Kim Taehwan’s throw is way too high! The ball’s gone wild! Taehyun takes off immediately! Safe! He steals second again! Ah, this is really rough for Kim Taehwan!”

Kim Taehwan closed his eyes and sighed deeply.

‘What did I do to deserve this…’

—

The first match ended with a significant score difference of 9:0 in favor of our Hyuksan.

Kim Taehwan had held up relatively well until the seventh inning, but he eventually crumbled, leading to the wide gap in the score.

Pleased with our performance, the coach announced a team dinner.

As for me, of course…

“Going to see your girlfriend again? She must be something, coming all the way to Seoul every time.”

“No… I keep telling you, she’s not my girlfriend.”

“Well… Sure. What’s the point of eating with a bunch of guys anyway? Go on.”

With Miyeon waiting for me, I slipped away.

“Taehyun, you’re here?”

Seeing Miyeon’s bright smile washed away the fatigue I had been feeling.

“Taehyun, could you follow me for a moment?”

I didn’t know where we were going, but since Miyeon reached out her hand, I obediently followed.

We didn’t go far.

It was the front row of the stands near first base.

“I thought about it, and if I come two hours early, I can always get this seat.”

“What? Two hours? Why go through that trouble? It’s already tiring enough coming all the way to Seoul.”

I was genuinely worried for her.

“So I can see you better.”

Like that was all that mattered, she looked at me and smiled.

My lips couldn’t help but curl up.

“So, you know, if you ever… um, Taehyun?”

I impulsively hugged her. I just… wanted to after hearing what she said.

“I hit a home run today…”

“Right. Yes, you did. Good job, Taehyun.”

Miyeon was momentarily startled but then buried her face in my chest and gently wrapped her arms around my waist.

“Oh, right, I was saying… If you want to find me during the game, just look here. I’ll always be in this spot from now on.”

“Okay. I’ll look here only.”

She seemed satisfied with my answer as she kept chuckling with her face still pressed against my chest.

“Yeah. Look here. I’ll always be right here.”

—