The Extra in a Baseball Novel

“There are so many people here at the stadium today. I can’t remember the last time I saw a Blue Dragon Tournament final this packed with spectators. It’s probably thanks to those fiery interviews from Kim Sinhwa and Cha Taehyun!”

“That’s right! It’s quite an unprecedented level of popularity. And, get this, there are even Major League scouts in attendance today. Apparently, Kim Hosan has been actively promoting Cha Taehyun. It’s going to be interesting to see how Cha Taehyun performs today.”

“While Cha Taehyun is certainly a focal point, I was quite surprised to see that today’s starting pitcher for Hyuksan High School is Kim Changhyun. I think most people were expecting Lee Seungtae, weren’t they?”

└ Kim Changhyun???

└ Where’s our Phoenix’s ace, Seungtae?

└ Sir, Lee Seungtae pitched in the last semi-finals. If you use him again now…

└ But is it really Kim Changhyun?

└ Did the coach throw the game?

“Haha… It seems our viewers are equally confused. It’ll be interesting to see if Kim Changhyun can prove himself amidst all this doubt today.”

The diamond-shaped field.

The circular mound in the center.

The eternal battleground of pitchers.

The mound.

Kim Changhyun stepped onto it.

He turned his head, scanning the entire stadium. It was filled with a crowd far beyond what you’d expect for a high school baseball game.

He knew that most of those eyes were filled with doubt, not trust.

In fact, he wondered if maybe all of them were filled with suspicion.

Yet, Kim Changhyun simply smirked.

‘It doesn’t matter if everyone doubts me.’

The practice he had begged his junior to help him with.

His teammates who believed in him all this time.

And the endless sweat he had shed.

Even if everyone doubted him, Kim Changhyun believed in himself.

He asked the catcher in front of him, “Do you believe I’ll shut them down today?”

Ji Chanwoo chuckled and patted his chest.

“Who else would the catcher trust if not the pitcher, you idiot?”

Nodding, Kim Changhyun muttered quietly, “Then it’s a perfect game today.”

“Yeah, let’s make it happen!”

Thus, the Blue Dragon final began.

—

‘I hear Daesangogo is known for their offense…’

None of Daesangogo’s batters had an average below .300. Essentially, there was no clear division between their upper and lower batting orders.

This was the most difficult type of lineup for any pitcher to face.

But Kim Changhyun wasn’t concerned about that.

‘A pitcher who throws according to the situation isn’t a real pitcher…’

It didn’t matter if the opponent had a .300 average, a .400 average, or if it was someone like Cha Taehyun who hit home runs without fail.

To be called an ace, you had to get the outs.

That had been Kim Changhyun’s long-held belief.

A Daesangogo batter stepped into the box, his expression calm with not a hint of tension. He even seemed to be smirking slightly.

Seeing that, Kim Changhyun’s lips curled into a faint smile.

No words had been exchanged, but he already knew.

The batter was underestimating him.

He had heard it before, back during the handshake ceremony.

‘If it’s not Lee Seungtae, it’ll be a breeze,’ they had said.

Slowly raising his knee, Kim Changhyun muttered as he began his pitching motion.

“I’ve been watching Cha Taehyun so much…”

Taking a powerful stride and rotating his right arm smoothly,

“…seeing you guys is underwhelming!”

The ball left his hand.

As it flew towards the batter…

‘…Huh?’

The batter’s face showed signs of surprise.

-Thwack!

By the time the ball hit the mitt, the batter had frozen in place.

A fastball right on the inside corner.

The scoreboard displayed 153 km/h.

Receiving the ball again, Kim Changhyun chuckled at the sign Ji Chanwoo flashed.

It was the same fastball, aimed at the exact same spot as before.

A bit risky… but he didn’t mind.

The ball flew to the exact same location as the first pitch.

-Thwack!

Once again, the batter couldn’t even lift his bat.

‘You can’t get startled by just this.’

Grinning at the dumbfounded batter, Kim Changhyun spread his index and middle fingers and gripped the ball.

-Can you throw a forkball, Changhyun?

-I know how, but I don’t use it often.

-Maybe you should start. You’ve got perfect hands for a forkball…

Of course, even when he threw a forkball during practice, Cha Taehyun managed to hit it without fail…

‘But it’s more than enough for these guys.’

The ball left Kim Changhyun’s hand, drifting towards the batter.

It was an enticing lure, and the batter, thinking it had finally arrived, opened his mouth wide to take the bait.

-Whoosh

As the bat swung out to hit the ball, the forkball dipped sharply, hitting the ground and sending dirt flying. Ji Chanwoo quickly crouched to scoop it up.

When the ball touches the ground, it’s considered a “strike not out.” If the batter reaches first base before the throw arrives, it counts as a hit.

“Not running?”

But it didn’t matter, since the catcher had already made a clean grab.

Ji Chanwoo casually tapped the batter with his glove, and the umpire called, “Out!”

The second batter followed suit.

Two fastballs raised the count, and a forkball finished him off.

Then came the third batter.

‘I need to be careful with this one…’

He was known for his excellent contact and sharp eye, making it difficult to limit his pitch count.

Glancing at Cha Taehyun briefly, Kim Changhyun gripped the ball for a two-seam fastball.

He planned to let Cha Taehyun take care of it if the batter made contact.

And as if reading his intention, the batter swung at the two-seamer.

-Smack!

A solid hit flew towards the gap between third and shortstop. It was a fast grounder, and the batter smirked, already expecting a hit as he sprinted.

But oddly enough, Kim Changhyun was smiling too.

‘…Why is he smiling?’

Just as the batter glanced back at the pitcher in confusion, something flew in from behind.

“What the…?”

Cha Taehyun, diving for the ball, caught it cleanly and raised his glove.

“Out!”

Laughing at the now-frozen batter, Kim Changhyun shouted.

“That’s it, Cha Taehyun!”

“Whoa!! Can you believe this? That was an unbelievable catch! I think ‘flying’ is the perfect word here. Let’s watch it again! This moment right here, flying like a bee and catching it like a butterfly! What a beautiful play!”

└ Lol, is he using some kind of martial arts?

└ Taehyun General using teleportation, lol.

└ Honestly, just with his defense, he could be Phoenix’s main shortstop, lol.

└ Even without defense, his charisma alone makes him the starting player, haha.

└ What kind of shortstop does Phoenix even have?

└ Don’t ask…

└ But seriously, what’s up with Kim Changhyun’s pitching? It’s amazing.

└ How about Kim Changhyun joining our Daejeon Volcanoes?

└ Volcanoes switching to Kim Changhyun since they can’t get Lee Seungtae, lol.

└ Isn’t Kim Sinhwa supposed to be better than Kim Changhyun? How good is he?

└ No, high school baseball’s just crazy right now… Beyond a golden generation…

└ Truly a crazy golden generation.

—

Retired pitchers often share stories about that one game in their life where they pitched beyond their usual abilities.

Every pitcher has a day when they throw an incredible game that they’ll remember for life.

From my experience, today seems to be that day for Changhyun.

I can’t say for sure if he’s better than Seungtae, but right now, I can confidently say that no one is missing Seungtae.

“Changhyun did a great job shutting them down… Now, let’s see how good that trash-talking Kim Sinhwa really is.”

“It’s Sinhwa, not Shihwan.”

Jin Myunghwan, who was about to leave the dugout with his bat, corrected me.

“Does it matter? You understood, didn’t you? Anyway, don’t get struck out and at least try to make him throw some pitches.”

“Sorry, but I’m hitting a homer on the first pitch.”

Striding confidently to the plate, Myunghwan watched Kim Sinhwa wind up for the first

pitch.

-Thwack!

“Strike!”

“Not as bad as his trash-talking, but he’s not bad.”

A fastball right on the outer corner. Myunghwan, one of the best in high school baseball for contact, couldn’t even touch it.

The speed displayed on the scoreboard was 155 km/h.

Honestly, maybe my standards are just too high, but by regular high school baseball standards, he’s definitely top-tier.

Throwing over 150 km/h in high school isn’t common.

No wonder they’re talking about this as a golden generation.

As the second pitch came, I smirked.

“Strike!”

Same spot, same fastball. Is he trying to match Changhyun?

Anyway, it looks like Myunghwan won’t even be getting a hit, let alone a home run.

“Strikeout!”

As expected, Myunghwan struck out cleanly in three pitches.

“Weren’t you going to hit a home run on the first pitch?”

“I thought only his mouth was annoying, but damn, that ball’s annoying too.”

“How can a ball be annoying?”

“I mean it’s nasty. Can’t you understand that?”

“… …”

I was at a loss for words. I never thought I’d hear that from Myunghwan.

“I don’t think Chanwoo will have an easy time with him either.”

“Well, if it’s Chanwoo, you never know.”

Chanwoo wasn’t wearing the number two just for show. He was known as the best-hitting catcher.

“Strikeout!”

“He struck out too?”

Myunghwan asked in disbelief.

“Yeah, his pitches are pretty nasty. Hitting him in the first at-bat looks tough.”

As I picked up my bat and started to leave the dugout, Myunghwan asked.

“Do you think you won’t be able to hit him on your first at-bat either?”

“Do you think I can’t?”

“… Ugh, so annoying. But… since it’s you, I think you will.”

I chuckled at his backhanded encouragement as I walked out.

While practicing my swing, I watched Taehyung at the plate.

Even if he’s overshadowed by me and Jinho, Taehyung is still one of the top sluggers in high school baseball.

He won’t go down so easily.

-Smack!

Much to my surprise, he barely managed to hit a weak grounder toward the shortstop.

The shortstop should have no trouble handling that…

“Huh?”

Suddenly, the ball bounced awkwardly and slipped past the shortstop’s glove. He quickly picked it up and threw to first, but…

“Safe!”

Since Taehyung had been sprinting from the moment he made contact, he was already hugging the base.

-Whooaa!!!

-Cha Taehyun! Cha Taehyun!

Just walking to the plate, I was met with cheers like I’d already hit a home run.

It was a shame I couldn’t hear Miyeon’s voice amidst the noise, but… this wasn’t a bad feeling either.

Standing at the plate, I glared at Kim Sinhwa. Sensing my gaze, he smirked.

…Myunghwan was right. He’s really annoying.

Just as I gripped the bat lower,

“Oh, look who’s here to make history!”

A mocking voice called out from behind.

“If you don’t walk me, that is.”

I heard a scoffing chuckle, but I ignored it and got into my stance.

If he underestimated me, that was to my advantage.

Despite having Taehyung on first base, Kim Sinhwa clearly knew he wasn’t a fast runner. He took a big windup and threw the first pitch.

A sharp curve broke towards the plate, looking as if it was going to dip below my bat.

Most hitters would be tempted to swing here, only to cut through empty air.

But I’m not just any hitter.

Plus, the ball was only half a ball width outside my strike zone, well within my range.

-Crack!

With a slight flick of my wrist, I adjusted my swing and made perfect contact.

The ball soared high into the sky.

The Daesangogo catcher, who had been sneering moments ago, threw off his mask in a panic and jumped to his feet.

The center fielder chased after the ball with his head tilted back, crashing into the wall in a desperate attempt to catch it.

But the ball kept flying.

-Woooaaahhhh!!!!!!

As the crowd erupted into deafening cheers, I casually tossed my bat.

“I told you, don’t pitch to me if you don’t want to get hit.”

Leaving a stunned catcher in my wake, I began a slow trot.

-Cha Taehyun! Cha Taehyun! Cha Taehyun!

The spectators along the first base line chanted my name wildly, and I turned to them, raising a single finger in the air.

—

“Ohhhh! He did it again! Cha Taehyun with that uppercut swing! Every time I see it, it leaves me speechless! The Major League scouts must be shaking their heads in disbelief! What an incredible swing!”

“Haha! Just now, Cha Taehyun held up a single finger to the crowd. Could that mean it’s his first home run? Will he hold up two fingers for his next at-bat?”

└ Lol, Kim Sinhwa talked all that trash, only to give up a home run on the first pitch. n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

└ How many fingers is he going to raise today, I wonder, haha.

└ I worship you, g.o.a.t…

└ Kinda sad we don’t get to see sweet Taehyun today.

└ But honestly, Kim Sinhwa has a right to be pissed. That pitch was a ball…

└ Not in Taehyun’s strike zone, lol.

└ Right? Does he not know? Didn’t they analyze him? Haha.

└ But seriously, I think Phoenix’s championship is within sight.

└ Agreed. Lee Seungtae + Cha Taehyun = championship.

└ Finally, the Huangnix dynasty is being built…

└ Here we go with the crowning talk again, lol.

—