BRADENTON, Fla. -- The ball rocketed off the bat of Jung Ho Kang with such authority, such trajectory that one of two things seemed bound to happen as it carved through the air at Pirate City: It was either going to clear the left-field fence or require building a new one.
"Oh, my," you could hear from coach Dave Jauss on the mound. He threw the pitch, and he didn't even bother to turn to see where it was winding up.
The only other sounds, apart from a nearby squawking seagull on this sunny, 78-degree Sunday, came from Clint Hurdle and Bill Virdon perched behind the cage.
"What do you think, Bill?" the manager asked.
"Impressive," the old champion replied. "And effortless."
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