My first win in 9 years as a professional
Seo Eui-tae (27, NC) was a precocious monster in the days of Cheongnyangjung. He had already grown to 1m88 and weighed 88kg when he was in his first year of middle school. The fastball exceeded 120km/h. There were not many opponents among his peers. I wanted to become a pitcher like Ryu Hyun-jin, and I wanted to make a name for myself by entering the Japanese stage someday. I didn't know it would take so much time for him to win his first professional victory.
Seo took the mound as relief pitcher in the bottom of the fourth inning when his team was leading 3-2 against the Incheon SSG on Thursday, striking out Choo Shin-soo and preventing his team from losing a point. NC won the game 8-6 despite a close game of more than four hours without allowing a reversal. Seo became the winning pitcher with 0.1 scoreless innings. It was his first win in nine years as a professional. "I expected my first win, but honestly, I can't believe it yet," Seo said with a smile.
Until last year, he had only one appearance in the first division.
Seo Eui-tae was one of the many "monsters" and "geniuses" who failed to adapt to the professional stage and collapsed. He joined KT in the second and third rounds of the 2016 draft (No. 31 overall), but was traded to Kiwoom in two years. He made his first appearance in the first division in his third year as a professional on September 23, 2018. He was replaced after allowing four runs in 0.2 innings. He has not played in the first division since then, and was released the following year.
As much as I had high expectations, I felt frustrated after the collapse. I joined the military with the intention of quitting baseball. I vaguely thought, "If I work as hard as I used to play baseball, I will achieve anything." Taking advantage of my athletic experience, I also dreamed of becoming a fitness trainer. However, I could not let go of baseball. Senior KT players Ko Young-pyo and Eom Sang-baek, 28, who trained together with them when they were young professionals, were already active in the pro league. I wanted to stand in the same position as them on TV once again.
After being discharged from the military, he started exercising again in earnest. Kim Kwang-soo, CEO of the 54K Training Center, who used to be a pitcher for KIA and LG, helped him. After watching the training video posted by Kim on social media, he contacted Min Dong-geun, head of the NC Dinosaurs who was his teacher during his time in Cheongryang Middle School. It was only a month after he was discharged from the military. Seo Eui-tae went down to Changwon by train the next morning. He got tested and signed the contract immediately. "I trust you and gamble once," Min said.
Two years after he was released, he started wearing a professional uniform again. He took the mound at a Futures League game on July 23, 2022. It was his first comeback game in 1,028 days. "I never imagined that I would be able to build myself up and join a professional team and play like today's game," Seo said after pitching a scoreless one inning.
A year has passed since then. It was time for Seo to feel the excitement of returning to the professional league and get tired of waiting for the first-team stage. Seo did not try to get tired of his routine. He woke up at 6:50 a.m. every day to work out, exercise, and play in the second-team field. After the training session, he went to Changwon NC Park right next to the second-team field and watched a first-team game that started at 6:30 p.m. Image training helped him regain consciousness. "It was good because the second-team field was right next to the first-team field," Seo said.
He never let go of repetitive training sessions and was not afraid of new challenges. In 2022, Seo threw away the four-seam fastball, which he had been using as his main weapon all his life. Second-tier pitching coach Lee Yong-hoon called me on a day off that spring, saying, "I suddenly remembered something." He suggested throwing a two-seam fastball. Since the four-seam is not as efficient as his ball speed or speed, he wanted to maximize the movement of the ball with his two-seam. The result was successful. While pitching 39.1 innings in the Futures League last season, Seo did not hit a single home run.
Last winter, he went to a driving line camp in Tokyo. As he had shown nothing in the pro league, he trained with his juniors Shin Young-woo (20) and Lee Yong-joon (22), who are considered key prospects in the team. He also participated in overseas training camp for the first time in nine years since joining the pro league. As Seo grew, his team had high expectations. This season he was one of NC`s other ambitious projects.
Looking back, I have many grateful moments. This was the case with former head coach Min's phone call and Lee's advice to put in perspective. Every single word of coach Kang In-kwon cannot be forgotten. On the second day of the Tucson training camp in Arizona, which was his first overseas training camp as a professional, Kang said, "I didn't have eyes for the teams before." Those words, which could have been words that passed by, gave Seo a lot of strength.
At the bottom of the fourth inning of the match against the SSG on Thursday, Seo was warming up with right-handed Jeon Samin as he watched the runners pile up one by one. Depending on the opponent, the left-hander could go out or the right-hander could go out. Seo thought, "I wish I could get called out." I wanted to show what I had prepared so far. Prior to the match, he had played seven times this season, but failed to produce any remarkable results in the competition. He performed well when the score gap widened, but he performed poorly in a close game. "I waited for a tough situation to come," Seo said.
I wanted to prove my worth to those who I am grateful for. When I was included in the opening entry and was removed from the first team in 21 days, I was not disappointed. I knew what I lacked, and I also knew what to do. He made the first team again on Sunday, and pitched three times without allowing a single point.
Seo Eui-tae is a huge man. He grew much taller than when he was in middle school, and now he is 1m 96cm tall and weighs 120kg. I want to become a pitcher who can confront hitters like a "fighting chicken" by utilizing his good physique and put pressure on them. I spent the past nine years amid various stories, but I am only 27 years old now. Seo Eui-tae, a precocious monster, has a full-fledged baseball career from now on.
BY: 토토
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