The Pitcher Just Hits Home Runs Well [EN]: Chapter 12

Baseball is a Game Where Good Players Excel (5)

The number two hitter from Cheonnam High stepped up to the plate.

I had faced him twice just a moment ago, but honestly, I didn’t really know what kind of hitter he was. Are you wondering if there’s something wrong with my memory?

Of course not!

I want to emphasize once again that in this game, I was fighting against myself, not the Cheonnam High hitters.

But thinking about it rationally, he probably wasn’t a great hitter. After all, he’s the number two hitter. Of course, these days—or rather, it’s been more than ten years, so it’s a bit strange to call it ‘these days’—anyway, having a strong number two hitter is a trend, but that’s mostly in Major League Baseball, or maybe a few teams in the KBO [Korean Baseball Organization] do that.

Whether it’s because they don’t have enough depth to use a strong number two hitter, or because the coaches’ lifelong baseball experience is based on that kind of baseball, it’s rare to see a strong number two hitter in high school baseball for any reason.

-Clang!!

Uh…

Hmm…

Anyway, it’s rare to see.

A hit that barely cleared the shortstop’s head. He was a pretty fast runner, but he didn’t have time to run to second base. He stood on first base, took off his shin guard, tucked his batting gloves into his back pocket, and quietly spoke to me.

“What’s wrong, did you break down somewhere? Or are you getting scared because it’s the second time through the batting order and you think you’re going to get hammered? But too bad for you. If you were going to bring in a pinch hitter, you should have brought in someone decent. You guys are in big trouble now. You’re just going to get pounded.”

What is this? Is it concern? Provocation? Or is it praise for me, saying that Mung-gae is nothing compared to me?

Well, let’s just say it’s a mix of things. In that case, I should give a suitably complex answer. From experience, it’s good to answer politely in these situations.

Of course, quietly, so only he can hear.

“Thank you for your concern. I’m fine. And honestly, I wasn’t worried about getting hammered by hitters who can’t even touch my pitches with their bats. Mung… I mean, Senior Byeong-yeong’s pitches are slow enough for flies to land on them, but I thought he was still not a bad pitcher. But seeing you, a strategic number two hitter who’s not particularly good at hitting, get a hit off him, I’m starting to worry about getting hammered in the future too.”

Because that’s how you piss them off more.

“What did you say, you little punk? What the hell did you just say, you sophomore?”

His voice rose a little.

It was a complete victory. For a guy like him to bring up age is practically a declaration of defeat.

What a dumbass.

Does he really think it’s just the two of us here right now?

“What’s going on over there?”

In a professional game, the umpire probably wouldn’t intervene at this point. This kind of trash talk is part of the game. But this is high school baseball. The first base umpire, who was a little further away, approached us.

“It’s nothing. I was just thanking this senior for saying my pitches were so good that he couldn’t even think about hitting them.”

My booming voice echoed quite widely.

Inevitably, Mung-gae’s fierce gaze poured over here.

‘That @#[email protected]$% bastard?’

If there were a competition for glaring with insults, he’d be good enough to make it to at least the finals. Mung-gae, I thought what you carried above your neck was just a weight, but I’m surprised you’re smart enough to realize that this is an insult.

“Is that true?”

The first base umpire asked the Cheonnam High number two hitter, who had nothing to brag about except his age. The guy hesitated for a moment and then nodded. That’s a relief, at least he has some common sense.

Surely, this guy is a sensible person who would at least say thank you to any junior who helps him, no matter how much he dislikes them. Unlike Mung-gae, who stands on the mound shooting lasers with his eyes and allowing hits.

And then, the highly anticipated number three hitter stepped up to the plate.

Baek Ha-min came up.

He’s a bit old-fashioned visually because he’s a buzz-cut high school student who hasn’t been managed, but if he goes pro and goes to a hair salon and gets some skin care, he has the kind of face that could sell uniforms. It’s a stark contrast to Mung-gae on the mound.

Baek Ha-min glanced at me once and then adjusted his stance at the plate.

Mung-gae’s nostrils flared. Well, he’s the pitcher on the mound, but the hitter is paying attention to the first baseman instead of the pitcher, so how infuriated must he be?

People get stronger when they’re angry.

Something about the sympathetic nervous system or the parasympathetic nervous system is involved, so maybe that’s why there are monsters who get faster when provoked.

So, what about Mung-gae?

-Clang!!!

A cool first-pitch attack. The high fly ball floats up.

An impossible foul ball. But it was big. Maybe it would have been a foul home run that easily hit the third floor of the infield in a professional stadium?

Mung-gae’s reddened face gradually returned to its original state with that cool foul home run.

Okay, calm down.

It’s rare for guys to get stronger when they’re angry. That’s why they’re called monsters. Of course, Mung-gae, your face and lack of manners are monstrous enough, but not your skills.

Baek Ha-min stood at the plate again with a disappointed expression.

Mung-gae took a deep breath and glanced at first base. Has he finally come to his senses? His gaze brushes past the runner, not me.

Second.

Mung-gae was a pitcher who threw a maximum of 132 km/h and averaged in the late 120s, but he was still a crafty pitcher who knew how to throw both sliders and curves in and out of the zone.

The count is 0-1. If he has any sense, he should throw a breaking ball here. The first pitch was a curve, so this time it’s a slider. It’s a bit obvious, but not bad.

-Strike!!

But Baek Ha-min didn’t swing.

Fortunately, Mung-gae had a sense, but unfortunately, he lacked the skill. The slider, which was intended to pull the bat down by taking it slightly out of the zone, missed the zone by a lot instead.

Ball count 1-1

Mung-gae tapped the rosin bag. It’s still relatively cool May weather. Despite having only thrown three pitches to two batters so far, he was sweating profusely.

Mung-gae shakes his head at Jo Yu-jin’s sign.

And so, the third.

-Strike!!

Again, the bat didn’t come out. It was a better course than before, but it means he can still pick this much out.

Thick beads of sweat ran down Mung-gae’s bumpy face. He looked as solemn as if it were the World Series finals.

But I didn’t feel like making fun of this solemnity. Maybe this was such an important moment in Mung-gae’s life.

Ball count 2-1.

Unnecessary tension fills the ground.

Baek Ha-min waited for the fourth pitch in a relaxed posture.

Mung-gae’s gaze flickered to the runner on first base.

Following the slide step [a quick movement towards home plate to prevent the runner on first from stealing second]. It was a textbook posture created through countless practices.

A perfect course.

Finally, after three pitches, the kind of pitch he wanted to throw came out.

A perfect slider that went out of the zone from the inside by about one ball. Although the speed was only about 120 km/h, it was a top-class pitch at the high school level.

-Clang!!

Yes, the pitch Mung-gae just threw was definitely a top-class slider at the high school level.

However, unfortunately, Baek Ha-min, who is now at the plate, was already beyond the high school level as a pitcher, and also a top-class high school hitter as a hitter.

Baek Ha-min pulled the slightly missing ball as it was.

Perhaps it was because the previous two balls had missed far to the outside, so his eyes and body had adapted to it.

He was complacent.

He should have used the curve a little more. Or he should have mixed in a fastball.

Of course, the first pitch was a curve, and he might have been uneasy about Baek Ha-min sending that ball so high.

Also, when he threw the ball in the bullpen, the slider might have been better than the curve today. And that’s why he might have taken the ball distribution mainly with sliders.

But to throw three sliders in a row.

Baek Ha-min threw down his bat and ran lightly towards first base.

“This makes it a tie.”

And he didn’t even listen to my answer; he just unilaterally said what he wanted to say and ran past first base to second base. Again, passing second and third base to home.

I didn’t feel good.

It wasn’t because Mung-gae on the mound was staring blankly at the spot where the baseball fell far away.

A tie? A tie, really? Of course, the team is tied 2-2.

But I have one strikeout and one walk against him, and he’s only hit two home runs against me, so how can you simply call it a tie? That’s why people have the prejudice that baseball players are ignorant guys who are bad at math.

“Senior, it’s okay!! It’s still a 2:2 tie. Let’s take it one step at a time.”

Yu-jin shouted loudly. Mung-gae picked up the rosin bag again.

Mung-gae no longer glared at me.

The number four hitter from Cheonnam High stepped up to the plate.

Looking at his physique, he seemed to have quite a bit of power, but I don’t remember what kind of hitter he was either.

Mung-gae threw the ball.

It was a good ball.

Yeah, a perfect ball to get hammered.

-Clang!!

Back-to-back home runs, 3-2.

As I expected, the hitter was a very powerful hitter.

And with that, the game was completely blown open.