The Pitcher Just Hits Home Runs Well [EN]: Chapter 141

141. Fastball (3)

“Changeup?”

Kim Jin-gyu’s eyes widened.

Clearly, Choi Soo-won’s scouting reports didn’t mention him throwing a changeup. They highlighted an excellent fastball and curve, with a somewhat clumsy slider.

Of course, confirming it as a true changeup would require data analysis, but from Kim Jin-gyu’s experienced perspective, it looked a little unrefined. The important thing, however, wasn’t the pitch’s quality. It was that Choi Soo-won had the confidence to throw a changeup to Jung Chan-min right now.

Jung Chan-min was no pushover at the plate.

Just four years prior, he’d been on Kim Jin-gyu’s radar as a potential MLB prospect. If it weren’t for a hamstring injury requiring surgery, significantly impacting his athleticism, Jung Chan-min might be playing for the New York Mets instead of the Kia Tigers [a KBO team] right now.

Even post-injury, Jung Chan-min possessed considerable power compared to the average KBO hitter. However, he had a notable weakness against elite starters, particularly those with fastballs exceeding 95 mph and a well-executed changeup.

This vulnerability wasn’t widely known. After all, the KBO didn’t boast many pitchers consistently throwing over 95 mph. But Jung Chan-min himself was acutely aware of this weakness, a key factor in his decision to remain in Korea rather than pursue the Major Leagues, where pitchers could readily exploit it.

In essence, Choi Soo-won was aware of Jung Chan-min’s relatively obscure weakness and had diligently practiced a changeup to exploit it, refining it to the point of throwing it for strikes.

‘He’s got a good head on his shoulders, and his ability to learn new pitches is impressive.’

The key to pitcher Choi Soo-won wasn’t his current abilities, but his potential for future growth.

“That guy’s a monster, seriously…”

The top of the 2nd inning continued.

Jo Chang-hyuk returned to the mound.

And Kim Jin-gyu’s gaze remained fixed on Choi Soo-won, now back in the dugout.

***

A pitcher should be focused on the opposing team’s hitters, not the opposing team’s pitcher. It’s a fundamental principle, yet Jo Chang-hyuk seemed incapable of applying it today.

As a hitter, he’d smacked a home run and celebrated flamboyantly. Now, as a pitcher, he was racking up strikeouts.

‘Damn, you stupid bastards.’

Especially Jang Chan-min.

‘You cripple.’

What’s so great about being just one year older that you act like a senior, and then you strike out swinging at that garbage pitch?

Looking at Jang Chan-min makes him furious.

It’s not his fault that he won a medal and got a military exemption [South Korean athletes who win medals in international competitions are exempt from mandatory military service] and became a cripple, but that one military exemption card is so wasteful and infuriating.

It’s because Jo Chang-hyuk himself had his national team eligibility revoked for life for doing some of the junior hazing that everyone did in school. It’s such an unfair thing.

Honestly, wouldn’t it be much more beneficial for the national interest if he got the exemption by winning a medal instead of Jang Chan-min? He’s the one who would go to the US and earn foreign currency, right? Besides, he would have been exempt anyway since he’s a cripple, even if he hadn’t won a medal.

Everything was displeasing.

He was so angry that his insides were boiling.

Jo Chang-hyuk threw the ball with all the anger he had inside.

-Whoosh!!!

158.8km/h.

Saul Lopez, the Mariners’ sixth batter, couldn’t swing at that fiery fastball.

“Strike!!!”

A fastball close to 99 mph.

Even by American standards, it was a legitimate fastball.

Wasn’t he a pitcher aiming for the majors at the end of this year? Certainly, just looking at this fastball, he deserved that evaluation.

Saul Lopez was definitely a fielder who had set foot in the majors. But what made that possible wasn’t his bat. It was his defensive ability to show a decent level of defense regardless of infield or outfield.

Swinging strike.

And a ground ball to the infield.

Jang Chan-min lightly stepped up and handled the ball. Very clean defense despite the artificial turf of Gocheok Sky Dome [a baseball stadium in Seoul].

Jo Chang-hyuk finished the inning by getting Lee Joo-hyuk and Jung Ji-woon out with infield fly balls and strikeouts, respectively.

A clean three-up, three-down.

But even so, his expression was still not good.

It was because Choi Soo-won’s earlier three strikeouts and the score of 2:0 weighed on his mind.

‘Damn it. If a pitcher does this much, try to step up a little.’

And Choi Soo-won went back to the mound.

***

Certainly, Jo Chang-hyuk’s pitching was clean.

Although our pitching repertoires are a bit different, that’s the kind of pitching style I need to adopt. Whether it works or not, just overpower them with force.

Honestly, it was more effective because it was the lower batting order, but either way, it was a matter of being pushed back in spirit. There were even pitches thrown right down the middle, but they couldn’t even hit those properly.

Well, you could say that that kind of style only works in Korea, right? But Jo Chang-hyuk goes to the US on a 4-year contract and manages to hold on as a solid third starter for about 2 years.

He falls off after that, but that was closer to his body not being able to handle the hard schedule and tight 5-man rotation in the US, so it’s hard to see it as a problem with his skills. He even filled the rotation for one of the remaining 2 years and pitched quite a bit as a reliever for the other year. He even stayed in the majors for another year after that before returning to Korea.

Of course, Jo Chang-hyuk, who returned to Korea like that, was no longer the has-been he used to be.

-Whoosh!!!

“Strike!! Out!!”

[Commentator: Choi Soo-won!! Already his fourth strikeout!! His pitches are really amazing today. The Kia Tigers’ hitters can’t lay a hand on him.]

[Commentator: Originally, Choi Soo-won only had a fastball and a curve. In fact, even if he just throws those properly, a pitcher who throws up to 160 km/h is bound to be a difficult pitcher. But earlier, he got Jang Chan-min to swing and miss with a changeup, right? From the hitters’ perspective, that’s one more option added to their minds.]

[Commentator: The multiple-choice question has become a three-choice question, so the calculation has become more difficult. Is that what you’re saying?]

[Commentator: Yes, that’s right. Of course, he hasn’t thrown a changeup at all since throwing one to Jang Chan-min, but it’s still difficult to completely erase it from their minds. Besides, a 139km/h pitch is a perfect pitch to hit, isn’t it? If you’re aiming for a changeup and a changeup comes in? Then that’s a jackpot.]

Honestly, it wasn’t the best condition.

Usually, there was a schedule with Mondays in the middle, so I could rest for an extra day, but this time, I played as a hitter for three consecutive days on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, and then I’m starting as a pitcher right after that.

It’s still early in the season, so I don’t feel too physically exhausted, but it still feels a bit tough. If I were really an inexperienced rookie, I might have been a little shaken.

But I’m a veteran with 16 years of professional experience. I even spent 9 of those years in the MLB, which is much tougher than the KBO. I know better than anyone how to manage this.

-Woosh!!

“Strike!!”

The batter’s swing was late. And that was something the batter himself knew well. He readjusts his bat. He’s shortening his grip a bit and trying to watch the ball while cutting it off somehow.

So I gave him one.

A ball that gets sucked into the middle.

-Clang!!!

Of course, it wasn’t a fastball, but a high-speed curve with a slightly weak angle.

A ball rolling on the ground.

It was a ground ball to the infield.

In fact, it’s hard to completely trust the Mariners’ infield. Besides, in the case of Gocheok Sky Dome, the ball speed is a bit faster because of the artificial turf. Back when I was playing as a first baseman before going back in time, Gocheok was my home, but it was the worst place to play defense. Of course, I benefited from that in terms of batting average, so it wasn’t all bad.

Anyway, Kang Ra-on ran quickly.

It would have been more unsettling if it had flowed between first and second base towards Jung Ji-woon, but thankfully it didn’t. Kang Ra-on’s glove caught the ball safely. Besides, if you catch it properly, the fast ball speed can sometimes help with the defense.

Just like now.

-Whoosh!!

“Out!!!”

An easy out.

And then an easy fly ball out on the first pitch.

Just seven pitches were enough to stop the Kia Tigers’ attack in the bottom of the 2nd inning.

***

“Good ball.”

“Good catch.”

Jo Yu-jin took off his heavy gear.

The time allotted for switching offense and defense is only 1 minute and 55 seconds.

It was tight.

He put down his equipment and picked up his bat.

His body and mind were focused on catching the ball just a moment ago. The opposing pitcher’s pitching patterns and other data didn’t come to mind easily.

But there was no time to look at the notes.

The time given from the end of the inning to the first pitch of the next inning is exactly 2 minutes. A fine is given if it exceeds that time. It’s a 200,000 won fine [approximately $150 USD], but it’s a significant amount for a player receiving the minimum salary.

He quickly swung his bat a few times and went up to the plate.

Before coming up to today’s game, he heard news from the minor league.

It was about Choi Jin-woong, the Mariners’ starting catcher. He had been diagnosed with a torn adductor muscle in his thigh and swelling of his testicles for 6 weeks after failing to properly catch Choi Soo-won’s ball in the early stages of the exhibition game. He has now safely returned to the minor league and had a rehab game yesterday.

If there had been a game at Sajik Stadium [the Mariners’ home stadium], he might have joined the team right away, but the team’s momentum was so good and it was a six-game road trip, so it was decided that he would rejoin the team from the next series.

Han Gyo-cheol or Jo Yu-jin himself.

One of them would have to go down to the minor league after this series.

Han Gyo-cheol is slightly ahead in batting.

Jo Yu-jin is getting better reviews in defense. If this were the starting catcher position, Jo Yu-jin would definitely win. But in the end, the starting catcher is Choi Jin-woong, and the position that Han Gyo-cheol and Jo Yu-jin have to compete for is the backup catcher. The importance of batting increases a bit more.

His head became even more complicated.

Jo Yu-jin shook his head a few times.

The pitcher on the mound is none other than Jo Chang-hyuk.

Only Choi Soo-won and Noh Hyung-wook have managed to hit Jo Chang-hyuk in today’s game.

He stopped thinking bad thoughts.

As positively as possible. He imagined only the sweet future that would come when he hit Jo Chang-hyuk’s ball.

And he swung his bat.

-Woosh!!

“Strike!!!”

And Jo Chang-hyuk unknowingly twitched the corners of his mouth.

‘Wow, what is that? Is that guy a comedian?’

Although Jo Chang-hyuk stopped hitting after high school, he could still tell. With that batting form, even if he hits the ball, there’s no way he’ll put any power into it. No, his upper and lower body are moving separately, and that guy is a pro? The KBO level is pathetic. He strongly felt once again that he should go to the majors as soon as possible.

Second pitch.

A strong desire to just end it quickly.

A fastball of 157.8km/h.

It was very similar to the fastest ball Choi Soo-won threw in high school.

-Clang!!!

The bat was pushed back.

Even though the bat was pushed back, his body turned slightly towards first base before he could even push the ball to the end, so he couldn’t put any power into it properly. He thought he had completely returned to the form of bending his upper body, but it was still a bit lacking.

But instead, Jo Yu-jin’s body was already running towards first base.

The Kia Tigers’ catcher jumped up from his seat.

The Kia Tigers’ first baseman hurriedly ran towards the rolling ball.

Jo Chang-hyuk hurriedly ran out to cover first base.

But Jo Yu-jin, the Mariners’ ninth batter.

Despite being a catcher, he is not a power hitter, but he was fast enough to beat the throw.

“Safe!!!”

Not a clean infield hit.

Jo Yu-jin smiled.

His current slash line is 0.161/0.161/0.194 [batting average/on-base percentage/slugging percentage].

It was because he had finally become almost equal to Han Gyo-cheol in batting.

Top of the 3rd inning.