The Pitcher Just Hits Home Runs Well [EN]: Chapter 129

129. What Home Runs Mean to Him (5)

“Huh?”

It seemed I wasn’t the only one who didn’t expect it at all.

People’s eyes widened.

Jo Yu’s hit, still separating the upper and lower body [meaning his swing was awkward but effective], landed in a perfect spot. Well, the BABIP [Batting Average on Balls In Play, a measure of luck] gods can’t always favor the opposing team. They have to help our team sometimes like this.

It was a close hit. But it was also enough for Jo Yu-jin, who was a catcher but unexpectedly fast, to reach first base.

“Safe!!”

Seo Kyung-joon, who was in the on-deck circle, tilted his head and went to the plate.

And after him, Lee Jung-hoon picked up his bat.

“Soo-won, I’ll go out and earn some runs for you.”

“I just hope it’s not another one-RBI home run.”

“Oh, dear… That’s going to be hard to grant. I’m planning to sweep them all away from the front.”

“Is this a triple play prediction by any chance?”

“Home run!! Home run, you idiot!!”

“Ah… Yes…”

“You, your answer is quite rude. I’ll see you when I get back.”

Type Joon on the mound sighed.

Well, it’s understandable since he allowed a hit to a guy like that.

[No outs, runner on first. Seo Kyung-joon is at the plate.]

[Personally, I think we should be careful of a bunt here. Seo Kyung-joon is really good at bunting. You can see him as a bit of an old-school type of second batter.]

[He’s a player with good execution skills. Is that what you’re saying?]

[Type Joon, who is facing him, is also not an easy pitcher. He’s already a two-time FA [Free Agent]. He’s one of the best local pitchers.]

[That’s right. Some people say that Type Joon’s record is inflated because he doesn’t face the league’s hottest Dolphins lineup. But the truth is, the Dolphins lineup might also have good batting stats because they don’t face pitcher Type Joon. Well, as we speak, Type Joon on the mound is preparing to pitch.]

A 144km/h fastball.

There was clearly a bunt sign from the bench, but Seo Kyung-joon didn’t offer his bat.

-Whizz!!

It was a wise choice.

The fastball completely missed the zone. The umpire’s hand didn’t go up.

Seo Kyung-joon (34).

He’s definitely a veteran batter. He didn’t cancel the bunt after seeing the ball. He was just planning to let it go from the start. This means he predicted that the first pitch would be out of the zone.

Second.

-Whizz!!!

Again, the umpire’s hand didn’t go up.

The first baseman and third baseman ran forward a few steps and then returned to their positions. Clearly, the opposing team strongly believed that Seo Kyung-joon would bunt.

And third.

-Whizz!!

“Strike!!”

Ball count 1-2.

Seo Kyung-joon still hadn’t swung his bat once. But even so, a strange tension lingered on the ground.

Fourth.

Again, the moment the first baseman and third baseman took a few steps forward.

-Tap

Seo Kyung-joon’s bat softly received the ball.

It was a 143.7km/h fastball.

The baseball rolled along the first base line like a work of art.

Seo Kyung-joon started running towards first base at a crazy speed. His agility belied his thirty-four years. Indeed, it was a speed that I would give a passing grade to.

The speed at which first baseman Baek Kang-ho ran out increased even more. But the speed at which the ball rolled out was too slow. Type Joon, who was covering first base, held out his glove. Baek Kang-ho, who had caught the ball in the same posture as he ran, pulled the ball from his mitt and turned his body elastically to throw the ball.

-Whizz!!

A fast throw from a fresh shoulder. The umpire hesitated for a moment.

“Safe!!”

But the result was safe.

No outs, runners on first and second. At that moment, Sajik [stadium name] erupted.

“It’s out. The ball was faster.”

And in the midst of the commotion, Type Joon shouted towards his dugout.

It was a request to use the video review, which could be used twice in a game. The Dolphins manager nodded.

[Ah, the Dolphins are requesting a video review.]

A fairly long time.

Finally, the result came out.

[Safe!! It’s safe. The original decision stands.]

[With this, it’s no outs, runners on first and second. Next up is Lee Jung-hoon. Wow, the chances of the Marines scoring additional points have become very high, haven’t they?]

I picked up my bat and walked to the on-deck circle.

Type Joon on the mound glanced at me. Well, I guess he’d be concerned since the first pitch in the first inning went straight over the fence. Especially now that it’s no outs, runners on first and second.

But that’s definitely not a good choice.

Lee Jung-hoon may be a pleasure-seeking king who spouts nonsense every day, but he’s still a player who signed a 4-year, 4.2 billion won contract.

-Whizz!!

That means he’s definitely not a player you can afford to face while paying attention to other things.

Seven pitches.

And a very good slider to tempt the eighth batter.

-Whizz!!

Lee Jung-hoon, who had endured all of that, threw down his bat and walked to first base.

Bases loaded, no outs.

For some, it’s a burden in itself. But for others, it’s a perfect setup.

I couldn’t help but smirk at the full table I was receiving for the first time since the season started.

‘I’ll make an exception and yield today.’

Lee Jung-hoon, standing on first base, mouthed the words. I couldn’t help but chuckle.

Well, whether it was a concession or just the best he could do by walking to first base, it’s acceptable.

Type Joon’s face was stiff.

So, he was a pitcher who threw balls that went back and forth at 150km/h in his prime, and even now at thirty-four, he still throws up to 147km/h. His speed has decreased a bit, but considering that his career accumulated innings is 1,700 innings, he has taken very good care of his body. Moreover, if you only look at the results, he is much better now than when he was throwing those balls that exceeded 150km/h. Even if you consider that the KBO [Korean Baseball Organization] was hitter-friendly back then and is now pitcher-friendly.

At least among the KBO’s local pitchers, he’s in the top ten. Maybe he’s close to being the strongest in the league as a third starter?

First pitch.

A ball that goes outside.

-Whizz!!

I just let it go.

And the second.

-Whizz!!

A high course fastball. It was quite close, but it was still a ball that was out of the zone.

Followed by foul after foul after foul.

Thus, the ball count is 2-2.

The imaginary zone I drew in my head.

It may be narrower or wider than the strike zone the umpire sees. And a small range that is further narrowed from that zone.

Type Joon’s sixth ball left his hand.

And the trajectory that is empirically predicted was somewhere in that small range.

A famous player once said this. ‘If you miss a 90, 91-mile ball, you’ll really feel sorry for getting paid to play baseball.’

145.7km/h

The fastest ball thrown by the pitcher on the mound today.

The ball, thrown with gritted teeth, was an ordinary 90.5-mile ball that, by my standards, I would feel sorry for getting paid to play baseball if I missed.

-Clang!!

The hit went over the fence.

***

“Hey, I clearly came to see a pitcher who throws 100 miles today.”

“Uh…”

“But what is this?”

“So… his 5th home run ball of the season?”

Sajik Stadium, filled with over eighteen thousand people.

Two young men who had been pushed out to the outfield in search of the cheapest seats held in their hands the fifth home run ball of the pitcher who started today and his first career grand slam ball.

In an instant, the score was 5:1.

“We’re going to win too easily today, aren’t we?”

“It’s only the bottom of the 3rd.”

“Then we’ll win moderately easily.”

“Since Choi Soo-won is a pitcher and hitter, I don’t know how long he’ll pitch considering his stamina. He can’t even come up as a hitter if the pitcher is replaced.”

“Still, we have a 4-point lead, so wouldn’t we win?”

“Yeah, Hawks vs. Marines.”

“Then it’s neck and neck now.”

A cold assessment of the situation.

Then the man holding the home run ball realized something.

“Hey, but the cherry blossoms haven’t fallen yet.”

“Ah… That’s right. Then we’re winning today’s game?”

“Yeah, the cherry blossoms in full bloom symbolize the Marines’ victory.”

The two men, who had overcome the Azura [likely refers to a losing streak or period of bad luck] that was still subtly present on weekends, exchanged useless banter and watched the game.

What they wanted was the Marines’ victory. And if possible, even the first win for the starter who hadn’t gotten his first win after pitching 5.1 innings without giving up a run.

Noh Hyung-wook, the 6th batter, got a hit.

And Lee Gyu-man recorded two outs with a double play.

“Ah, that pig bastard. If you’re going to die, die alone. Another double play.”

“Hey, a double play comes out because you hit the ball. Originally, good hitters have a lot of double plays.”

“Ugh, you’re so optimistic. Can you still say that after seeing that?”

“It’s 5:1. We’re winning.”

A situation where it wouldn’t have been strange for someone to shout abuse at the top of their lungs.

But the 4-point lead made the spectators watching the game generously. And in that generosity, Kang Ra-on was cleanly struck out.

“But how many kilometers did Choi Soo-won throw today?”

“He threw 158.9 earlier.”

“Is his condition a bit bad today? The speed isn’t coming out.”

“It’s only the 3rd inning. Would a player in bad condition have hit home runs in consecutive at-bats? In my opinion, it’s totally possible to break the KBO’s highest speed record again today.”

“I really hope so. Did you see that post on the internet? That Choi Soo-won’s 160 isn’t a real 160.”

“That old speed gun didn’t record the speed properly, so you have to throw 162 to be the old standard of 160?”

“Yeah. I honestly know it’s bullshit, but I just want Soo-won to throw 162 and make that bastard’s nose flat.”

“Hey, those aggro guys [people who are intentionally annoying or provocative] will still complain even if you throw 162. Is this the first time?”

Choi Soo-won went back to the mound with the strong support of 4 points scored in the bottom of the 3rd inning alone.

“But is it right to call this scoring support? All the RBIs [Runs Batted In] were made by himself?”

“Then scoring self-support?”

***

Victory is no longer the virtue of a starting pitcher.

When I was only playing as a hitter, I strongly agreed with that statement. The saying that victory is the virtue of a starting pitcher was a bit annoying from a hitter’s point of view. It was an expression that I didn’t like because there were nine players playing on the ground, but one pitcher took all the results created by those nine players.

“Yeah, after all, the virtue of a starting pitcher is victory.”

But when I actually stood on the mound as a starter, my mind changed again.

Honestly, in the last game, I blocked 5.1 innings without giving up a run, so you could say I did almost everything I had to do. But even so, I felt sick to my stomach at the team’s loss, and I felt an incomprehensible sense of defeat.

What should I say?

It felt like today’s game wasn’t ‘our game,’ but ‘my game’?

The game continued.

Was it because we were leading by 4 points?

The pitching that followed was a little easier. No, in fact, it wasn’t just because of the 4-point lead. It was because Baek Kang-ho’s pattern had become too easy to read.

-Whoosh!!

A huge heroic swing that anyone could see was aiming for a home run.

Well, Baek Kang-ho’s original swing was like that, so there was no one in the team who particularly stopped him, but the intention itself to hit a home run no matter what was the problem, rather than the swing itself.

Even if I just threw tempting pitches, his bat came out like crazy.

Well, this was inevitable since Baek Kang-ho himself was close to being a guess hitter.

However, Jack Hamilton and Park Joo-won were a little different. If Baek Kang-ho in the middle hadn’t cut off the flow of the attack, it might have been more dangerous.

2 additional runs lost.

I gave up 3 points in a total of 5.2 innings and came down from the mound cleanly.

Ah, of course, the score when I came down from the mound was not 5:3.

7:3.

And a total of 3 team home runs.

[Choi Soo-won. Today was really an amazing performance. 3 hits and 3 home runs in 3 at-bats. It’s the first time in KBO history that a pitcher has hit consecutive home runs in the KBO, which operates the designated hitter system, but three consecutive home runs is really… I’ll have to look it up later, but I don’t think this is a record that’s easy to find even in MLB [Major League Baseball]. Honestly, at this rate, it seems like he could challenge the KBO’s third all-time record of 4 consecutive home runs in a game, so I feel a little disappointed. The crowd is giving Choi Soo-won, who is coming down from the mound, a generous round of applause.]

[Uh… But wait a minute. Is something a little strange?]

A 4-point lead.

Can we really guarantee victory with that?

Honestly, I was anxious.

And it seemed that I wasn’t the only one who had such anxiety.

[Choi Soo-won is now coming down from the mound and heading to the outfield?]