The Extra in a Baseball Novel

The commentators, known for rarely being speechless, were at a loss for words while watching Cha Taehyun’s pitching.

One of the commentators, who managed to regain composure, urgently began speaking.

“As you can see on the screen, his last pitch was a 160 km/h four-seam fastball. Up until now, only three players in the Korean professional baseball league had thrown over 160 km/h. Cha Taehyun just became the fourth, and he’s the youngest among them.”

“Haha… it’s truly astonishing. Honestly, I was a bit skeptical. Cha Taehyun, despite having some pitching experience in high school, is starting as a pitcher for the first time today. I never expected him to clock in at 160 km/h, especially from the first inning. It’s incredible! The future of Korean baseball looks very bright.”

└ To all the people who doubted Taehyun, come out now

└ Sorry…

└ But seriously, we had reasons to doubt, lol

└ He’s our player, but is this even allowed?

└ Isn’t he like a web novel protagonist? Maybe Cha Taehyun is actually a major leaguer who time-traveled back?

└ Phoenix championship incoming

└ Another spy from another team, huh? Where are you from?

└ It’s Lee Joon, of course, haha

└ Ugh, can someone shut down the Lee Joon squad?

“Hey, Lee Yuseung, why are you leaving without saying anything?”

As Dragon’s second batter headed to the plate, he grabbed Lee Yuseung, who was walking back to the dugout.

Usually, when a batter returns, they at least give a hint about the pitcher’s throws to the next batter in line, but Lee Yuseung was leaving without a word.

“Aren’t you going to say anything about the pitch?”

Lee Yuseung chuckled and answered briefly.

“What’s there to say?”

“Huh? Hey! Lee Yuseung!”

With just that, Lee Yuseung coolly walked back to the dugout.

Clicking his tongue, the second batter stepped into the box. Although he didn’t get a detailed explanation, what he saw from the on-deck circle was enough to show him how fierce Cha Taehyun’s pitches were.

Not to mention, the guy just threw a 160 km/h fastball.

Even though sports science has advanced and the level of Korean baseball has improved, 160 km/h still carries significant weight.

‘Still… it’s not unbeatable.’

Sure, it’s a symbolic speed, but it’s not entirely rare. Just last season, the KBO record was updated with a 163 km/h pitch.

‘He must have more than just a four-seam fastball… I’ll just have to see the next pitch.’

Cha Taehyun wound up and threw the ball.

-Crack!

Before he knew it, the first pitch came in, a four-seam fastball tightly packed inside.

Seeing it up close, the batter understood why Lee Yuseung struck out so easily.

‘Wait… did his speed drop?’

Even though it didn’t feel any different from the previous pitch to Lee Yuseung, the scoreboard showed 156 km/h.

It seemed like he was conserving his energy early on in the first inning, which made sense, but the batter was annoyed that he started taking it easy against him.

‘Fine, throw another like that and see what happens…’

Gritting his teeth, the batter glared fiercely at Cha Taehyun as the next pitch flew in.

This time, the pitch looked hittable. The batter swung his bat.

-Whiff

“Strike!”

But just when he thought the ball would make contact, it curved sharply, and the bat sliced through the air.

“Hah…”

A soft laugh escaped the batter’s lips. How could he throw a 160 km/h four-seam fastball and have such a perfect slider?

Raising his bat again, the batter focused all his concentration. His pride wouldn’t allow a three-pitch strikeout.

‘He hasn’t thrown a single ball yet. He’s bound to throw one outside the strike zone at some point… I’ll just hold off for now.’

Cha Taehyun wound up and threw the next pitch.

‘There it is!’

The pitch came slower this time. Whether it would hit the strike zone or not was uncertain, but based on the count, it was highly likely a bait pitch.

-Whiff

“Huh…?”

Despite that, the batter swung instinctively and missed, striking out again.

“Strike three! Another three-pitch strikeout! The Dragons’ batters are completely helpless against Cha Taehyun!”

‘So this is what it feels like to be robbed blind…’

As the batter shook his head and headed back to the dugout, the next batter called out to him.

“Hey, what was the pitch like?”

The batter chuckled at the question.

“Ah… now I get it. My bad.”

“What do you mean? Just tell me how the pitches are.”

“Go stand in the batter’s box and see for yourself.”

Without saying “you’ll strike out too,” the batter returned to the dugout.

There’s no such thing as a sure thing in baseball, so there was no need to break his teammate’s spirit.

It wasn’t long before another loud “Strike three!” echoed through the stadium.

“A perfectly placed fastball! Strikeout! Another strikeout! Cha Taehyun strikes out three batters in a row to shut down the Dragons’ offense!”

“Wow! That was an incredible performance. He just finished the inning with only nine pitches, making it a perfect inning! That’s only the 16th perfect inning in KBO history. And he’s already set two records today in the first inning alone! What an amazing player!”

└ Ahh… Taehyun-god, we’ve been waiting for someone like you…

└ A perfect inning is so rare, wow

└ Nine pitches to end the inning? Phoenix did that? Is this a broadcast or a deep fake?

└ I’m starting to think they just swapped out Yankees players for Phoenix ones…

└ Reasonable doubt accepted

“Hey Coach Goo… to be honest, even I thought I was crazy.”

“Yes, well, putting a rookie in for the opening game is a bit of a crazy move. Especially since this rookie’s only experience was in a few intra-squad games.”

“No, that’s not all. Even before joining the team, I heard he had been steadily practicing pitching with the intention of being a dual-position player.”

“Still, lack of real game experience is the same thing.”

Coach Lee Eun-seok nodded in agreement.

“Yeah, you’re right. Honestly, I did think it was a bit crazy… but then again, Cha Taehyun is a crazy guy too. So, it works out, doesn’t it?”

Coach Goo also nodded.

As absurd as the strategy might have seemed at first, the fact that it was succeeding meant the payoff would be huge.

If they were to find themselves in the championship run later, today’s victory could turn out to be a crucial one.

But for now…

“Coach, do you think you can handle it?”

“Huh? Handle what?”

Coach Goo Minseung smirked and nodded toward Cha Taehyun, who was coming back to the dugout.

“You might be dealing with a lot of stress from salary negotiations starting next year.”

“I don’t know… Isn’t that the chairman’s job to handle? The chairman has plenty of money.”

“What if the chairman refuses to pay, and Taehyun starts slacking?”

“Then I’ll slack off too.”

“Wait, what…?”

Jin Taehyun was known for his perpetually sleepy-looking eyes and dull expression.

However, on rare occasions, even he showed a hint of a smile, and today was one of those days. His lips were curled up slightly as his heart raced in excitement.

It had been a long time since he’d been this excited. Not since he faced Kang Woochul, who was considered the best slugger in Korean baseball.

“He’s probably a great batter too.”

Jin Taehyun’s instincts were telling him that the rookie glaring at him from the batter’s box was no ordinary player.

‘I won’t let my guard down.’

A rare, precious opponent had come his way… he intended to savor it to the fullest.

‘Let’s see how good his eye is.’

If the rookie had good plate discipline, it might turn into an exhilarating battle of wits. He decided to start with a curveball, aiming just below the strike zone.

Hoping Cha Taehyun would lay off the pitch, Jin Taehyun threw the ball with his arm gracefully arcing.

But instead of holding back, Cha Taehyun swung at it.

‘His eye isn’t perfect… or maybe he’s confident he can turn even that into a hit?’

Jin Taehyun thought it wouldn’t be easy, but in that moment—

-CRACK!

A ferocious crack echoed as the ball rocketed off the bat.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

‘That was a better hit than I thought… it might actually reach the center fielder.’

No, it might actually—

“It’s over the wall! Cha Taehyun has taken Jin Taehyun’s beautiful curveball and sent it flying with a perfect uppercut swing!”

└ Cha-pang is back!

└ Cha Taehyun, the golf pro, enters the chat, lol

└ Taehyun-god, nice shot!

└ It’s been a while since we’ve seen an uppercut homer!

└ Why is Jin Taehyun laughing after giving up a home run?

└ He’s not laughing out of disbelief; he’s genuinely enjoying this!

└ There’s a reason his nickname is Jin “The Joker,” lol

The ball barely made it over the fence, but a home run was still a home run. And it was on the first pitch, no less.

Yet, even after giving up the home run, Jin Taehyun’s smile didn’t fade. In fact, it grew wider.

‘At least things won’t be boring until I leave for the majors.’

His expression resembled that of a child who had just received a new toy.

“Are you okay?”

The Dragons’ catcher had climbed the mound and placed a hand on Jin Taehyun’s shoulder.

“What do you mean?”

The catcher chuckled at Jin Taehyun’s response.

He had just given up a home run to a rookie on the first pitch, a situation that would shatter most pitchers’ confidence, but Jin Taehyun was as calm as ever.

“Well, as long as you’re fine.”

The catcher returned to home plate, and Jin Taehyun, seemingly unfazed, struck out the next three batters with the same dominant force—or perhaps, even stronger than before.

Baseball is often called a “data sport” because almost everything can be represented in numbers.

You can analyze a batter’s weaknesses—what kind of pitches or situations they struggle with—and the same goes for pitchers.

In this world of baseball, having no data revealed is an enormous advantage.

So, what if a pitcher with no data at all could throw just as well as a veteran?

“Strike three! Another strikeout for Cha Taehyun! This is incredible! He’s just recorded his 16th strikeout and is inching closer to a historic achievement!”

“How is it possible that we haven’t seen a single hit off him by the 8th inning…?”

“Even as the opposing team, I have to admit, Cha Taehyun is amazing…”

A perfect game was unfolding, with Cha Taehyun striking out 16 batters by the 8th inning.

But to simply call it a “miracle” would be an understatement.

-CRACK!

“Strike!”

Cha Taehyun’s control and pitch variety were as polished and flawless as any seasoned professional.

Even when compared to Jin Taehyun, who had started his professional career six years earlier, Cha Taehyun didn’t fall short.

As the bottom of the 8th inning approached, with Phoenix holding a tight 1-0 lead, the crowd seemed less focused on the score and more on the potential for a perfect game.

“Do you think he’s really going to pull off a perfect game?”

“I don’t know… but it kind of feels like it might happen.”

A perfect game.

The Korean professional baseball league had never witnessed one before, and now the possibility of such a record loomed. Who cared about winning or losing in comparison to that?

Even some Dragons fans secretly hoped to witness this historic feat.

“Dad, Dad! If that guy gets another out, will we win?”

“No, there’s still the 9th inning. He needs to get three more outs after this.”

“Again? That’s too much! He’s already gotten so many outs!”

“He’ll get the outs for sure! Let’s cheer him on!”

“Okay!”

The child, who had earlier complained about not wanting to watch the game, now stood up and eagerly waved her hands.

“You can do it, you can do it… Taehyun can do it!”

Even Lee Miyeon, with her hands tightly clasped together like she was casting a spell, was earnestly rooting for Cha Taehyun’s perfect game.

It was the bottom of the 8th inning, with two outs and everyone’s hopes pinned on him.

Then, the Dragons’ sixth batter began to foul off pitch after pitch, refusing to go down easily.

-CRACK!

“Ah!”

“Oh no!”

The ball shot off the bat, flying dangerously close to the foul line. The crowd gasped in shock as they stood up.

“Foul!”

Only after the ball landed outside the line did they let out a collective sigh of relief.

But on the next pitch, the batter connected again.

-CRACK!

The sound of the hit made the crowd’s hearts sink once more, but the ball weakly dribbled toward the shortstop, much to the relief of the fans.

All except for Miyeon and a few die-hard Phoenix supporters.

“No… not him!”

Even though the ball was an easy one for the shortstop to handle, Miyeon screamed in despair.

“Ji Chanwoo can’t be trusted!”

And sure enough, her fears were justified.

“Oh no! What just happened? Ji Chanwoo got the ball in his glove but failed to hold onto it! It slipped out! He recovered quickly and made the throw, but… safe! Safe at first! And with that, Cha Taehyun’s perfect game comes to an end!”

└ Sigh…

└ Damn it, Chanwoo! Not again…

└ I can’t believe I forgot about that guy because of Taehyun-god…

└ This is so frustrating…

└ How does Ji Chanwoo still have a place in the first division?

└ Why, you ask? Just look at Phoenix’s shortstop depth, and you’ll understand.

Lee Miyeon stood up, staring blankly at the mound, her fists trembling in anger.

“Just retire already! You call yourself a pro?”

It was a rare moment. She had never lashed out like this before since becoming a Phoenix fan.

The perfect game was broken.

Hmm… how should I put this? It feels worse

than I expected.

I thought I wasn’t too attached to the idea, but I guess I was more hopeful than I realized.

No… actually, I must have been really hopeful, given that I can feel the frustration rising to my throat.

Of course, I wouldn’t say anything out loud, but maybe… just maybe I could give the shortstop a glare…

No, that wouldn’t be right. At most, I could look a little disappointed, right?

With that thought in mind, I turned my head… and instantly, all my anger vanished.

“I’m so sorry, Taehyun!”

It was written all over his face. He didn’t need to say a word—his expression showed just how sorry he was.

Well… fine. People make mistakes.

“It’s okay. It happens.”

I gave him a quick wave before stepping back onto the mound.

If I can’t handle something like this, how will I ever lead Phoenix to a championship?

Fine, let it go. Just focus on the game. There’s still the 9th inning. Time to adjust my approach.

I took a deep breath and threw the next pitch.

-CRACK!

[154 km/h]

It’s okay. These things happen. Getting angry over it is childish.

-CRACK!

[156 km/h]

Stay calm. Don’t overexert yourself… there’s still the next inning.

-CRACK!

“Strike! Out!”

[157 km/h]

Yeah, I can handle this.

—

TL Note:

EBN Patreon’s back. Added new covers and broke the link. Have a happy New Year guys.