The Pitcher Just Hits Home Runs Well [EN]: Chapter 145

145. The Qualification for Braised Short Ribs (1)

-Whoosh!!!

A refreshing whiff.

And a brief, strange silence.

The umpire clenched his fist.

“Strike!!!”

The eyes of everyone in the stadium turned to the scoreboard.

161.1km/h

It was a new top speed.

“Wow… Choi Soo-won is just insane… Is he really raising his speed again in the 7th inning?”

“And it’s his personal best? Did he throw 160 today?”

“I don’t think so, I think he was throwing up to 159 today.”

“Well, Jung Chan-min is the most dangerous hitter today, so he must have put extra effort into it.”

The spectators were simply focused on the top speed of 161.1km/h.

In fact, the number 160 itself is symbolic, and there’s no special meaning if it’s 1km/h faster than that.

However, the big league scouts who visited the stadium were a little different.

“100 miles?”

Of course, unlike 20 years ago, there’s no talk of 100 miles being a dream speed. In the era of big leagues, most teams can see a few pitchers throwing 100 miles. But that also means that even in this era, it’s still a ball that only a few people in the team can throw.

A ball that only the chosen ones can throw even in this era of highly developed sports science.

Even when divided by the 20-80 scale [a scouting scale used to evaluate players, where 50 is considered average], based on last year, it’s a speed equivalent to 70 points. Only the top 2.2% of pitchers threw a maximum of 100 miles.

100 miles is undeniable evidence of a fastball even in this era of high speed.

Moreover, it’s the 7th inning now. Choi Soo-won had a few less pitches, but he was playing as both a pitcher and a hitter. Physically, it’s naturally much harder than specializing only as a pitcher.

Jang Chan-min smiled without realizing it.

No, what? He’s throwing 161.1km/h in the 7th inning? Wow… Is it because he’s young? When people are too dumbfounded, they laugh without realizing it. That was Jang Chan-min’s feeling right now.

But he grabbed his bat and stood at the plate again.

Well, whether it’s 159 or 161, the numbers are a little different, but it’s still a damn fast ball. I can hit it. The important thing is the effort I’ve put in so far. And the belief in that effort.

The bat containing that effort aimed for Choi Soo-won’s second ball.

-Whoosh!!!

“Ah…”

A slow curve that drops sharply.

Was the shock of 161.1km/h a little too strong? Because he put all his effort into swinging the bat to match that speed, he couldn’t stop his swing.

“Strike!!”

The ball count is 0-2 in an instant.

It’s a very unfavorable count for the batter. It’s a very difficult situation where the pitcher can throw as many as three consecutive balls.

But…

I don’t know why.

Jang Chan-min somehow felt that the young pitcher would attack the zone with all his might. Of course, looking at the records of the previous two games, he didn’t. But young players are different from game to game, and what if today gives the feeling of shedding a layer? Wouldn’t he continue to show the very aggressive appearance he showed in the previous innings?

Twenty-nine.

The shortstop Jang Chan-min, who was starting to enter the beginning of his veteran years, trusted his senses. And the young pitcher on the mound wound up greatly.

The third.

The ball flew.

***

I was also surprised when 161.1km/h was recorded.

At the moment of throwing, I felt like, ah, it’s a bit off? But the result was even better. It was a high fastball that almost passed my chest, but the bat came out.

Certainly, the strength in my hand has weakened a bit.

The location is not very good. I also checked the curve, but the drop was a little small. This is because the grip strength has decreased and the number of rotations has decreased.

If it was just a curve alone, it would have been difficult. But since there is the pressure of 161km/h, the breaking ball works even if it goes in a bit like poop.

The third.

Ball count 0-2.

Chan-min hyung [older brother/respected male figure] took a stance.

I decided.

I’m going to be aggressive.

I know it empirically. If there’s something that works well, you have to trust it and go with it. It’s not good to change the pattern because you’re worried that the ball is getting a little worse. The score is 7:0 anyway. If it doesn’t work, it’s not too late to change it then.

The fastest ball.

This time, I threw the ball strongly with the feeling of throwing a 100-mile ball.

‘Ah…’

But maybe it’s because I was conscious that the ball floated too much when I threw a 100-mile ball a little while ago? I tried to lay it low, but this time it was laid too low. Even the rising movement of the ball is falling due to the drop in grip.

-Whoosh!!!!

“Strike!! Out!!!”

But Chan-min hyung swung his bat vigorously at that ball.

If the ball hadn’t sunk a little, it might have been barely caught in the zone. It was a very powerful swing that couldn’t be explained by saying that he predicted that I would come head-on.

It was very fortunate. If the ball hadn’t missed, there would have been an accident. Lee Joo-hyuk’s defense earlier and today, I was a little lucky in many ways.

The number on the scoreboard was 159.6km/h.

It was still a fast speed, but I realized that the strength in my body was starting to weaken.

But despite that realization, I safely caught the third batter with a ground ball to the infield, resulting in a three-way offense.

With this, 7 innings without any runs.

There were only 2 innings left.

***

“What should we do?”

“It seems a little difficult to take him down because there’s a record at stake. Adjusting the next appearance interval or appearance a little…”

“But I was rotating the starting pitcher, rest, first baseman, first baseman, designated hitter routine well, and I’m worried that this will be disrupted.”

“Anyway, it’s not like it’s completely rotated like that because of the rest days in between. You’ll be able to adapt enough. Besides, if your physical condition is good, you can just rotate the rotation as it is. There’s also a day off on Monday this time.”

“That’s true, but…”

Kim Dae-cheol, the coach of the dugout, rubbed his eyes and looked at the scoreboard again when the speed of 161.1km/h was recorded.

100 miles out of nowhere here.

However, after that, he saw that the speed was around 157-158 against the 3rd batter, and he realized, ‘Ah, he’s tired.’ Maybe the 161 he threw against Jang Chan-min was a squeeze to overcome the biggest crisis in his own way.

“Besides, if you just hold on for the next inning, it’s the bottom of the order.”

“In the end, the 8th inning is the problem…”

“But since the score is 7 points apart, it’s not too late to change it if you get hit. Well, someone will talk about overwork, but if you take it down, they’ll talk about taking it down while writing a record, so I think it’s right to go as it is.”

Kang Hee-chan, who had blocked the previous inning without giving up any runs, went to the mound again this time.

As he was a player who had been a starter just two years ago, his sense of playing multi-innings was still alive, so it was not a bad choice for Braves.

Above all, today’s game is a game that you have to be prepared to lose. 7 points left in the two attacks… Even 7 points against a pitcher who is recording no-hits was not an easy number.

[Well, Kang Hee-chan is on the mound. Kang Hee-chan, who finished the previous inning safely, giving up only one hit. In particular, the pitching that induced Choi Soo-won to fly out to the outfield was remarkable, right?]

[Yes, the meaningful smile he showed immediately after being hit by the ball was quite impressive. It was a scene where he captured the rookie’s spirit with his experience. That’s what I think.]

[From my point of view, I think many teams will refer to that at-bat in the future. Since there is a lack of data because he is a rookie, each piece of information from such at-bats is important.]

The commentator and caster exchanged stories that Kang Hee-chan himself would find absurd if he heard them.

I laughed because I was dumbfounded because I thought I was hit by a home run, but it was a meaningful smile that induced a fly ball to the outfield.

Fortunately, the batting order starts with the bottom batting line starting from number 6.

Okay, let’s just block one more inning cleanly and go home. Let’s buy two chickens when we go. One was enough in the old days, but these days, the kids’ appetite has improved, so one is not enough. I have to add three cheese balls so they can eat them.

-Clang!!!

[Hit it!! Saul Lopez!! First hit of the game today!!! Arrives at 2nd base after passing 1st base!!]

Defense fairy [sarcastic nickname for a poor hitter].

Saul Lopez, the man with the worst bat among the foreign hitters of 10 clubs, recorded a double.

Sweat dripped down Kang Hee-chan’s back in an instant.

What to do?

Fill 1st base and induce a double play?

No. But anyway, the next hitter is Lee Joo-hyuk. A 20% hitter.

I’m going to take a bold game.

-Clang!!!

[Lee Joo-hyuk!! A strong hit that breaks through between 1st and 2nd base!! The 2nd base runner goes to 3rd base in an instant!!]

The simple breadwinner who dreamed of two chickens and cheese balls collapsed, giving up more and more points.

***

Ugh…

It’s so hard I’m going to die.

People who don’t know baseball well think that pitching is simply using your shoulders a lot, but in fact, it’s closer to a position where a load is applied, and the muscles that are really exhausted are the forearms and the lower body.

And in the top of the 8th inning, I was shaken one more time in my already tired lower body.

Thanks to hitting a batted ball to 2nd base, I ran hard to 2nd base, and then I ran hard to 3rd base after the hit that followed.

Besides, if I had scored a point after running like that, I would have had less strength, but senior Kyu-man recorded a ground ball in front of the right fielder, so I ran hard to home and ended up without scoring.

It’s not for nothing that the National League introduced the designated hitter system. It feels new that it’s really hard for a pitcher to run as a hitter.

The monsters of pitching and hitting are doing this all year round, and they are playing at the top level in both pitching and hitting, so it feels like you have to be a monster physically, apart from baseball skills.

Anyway, for some reason, the game was held without a pitcher change in the bottom of the 8th inning, so I stood on the mound again. The number of pitches is a little small, but considering my stamina, it seems like it’s time to replace me… Well, it’s not bad for me to experience the situation where I’m physically exhausted in advance when the score is so generous.

The Braves’ batting line starts from number 4.

In the past, the 4th hitter would have been the strongest hitter on the team, but not now. Especially for teams like the Braves that place the strongest hitter at number 2. So this is like the 5th hitter in the old days.

-Whoosh!!!

The fiercely spinning bat is quite threatening.

“Strike!!!”

Changeup on the first pitch.

The speed was 136.1km/h.

Certainly, the strength has weakened. The fastball is also thrown with gritted teeth, but if you just throw it, it means that it will be about 3km/h slower.

I shook my legs lightly several times.

Ugh… It’s that heavy feeling that even if you rest for about 5 minutes after doing a few sets of hard lower body exercises, you can’t fully recover.

I feel it.

Until now, I could rest moderately after playing as a starter and resting the next day, but tomorrow I will have to rest really hard.

Anyway, tomorrow is tomorrow.

Now is the time to focus on the hitter in front of me.

A fastball that goes out.

Ah… In my head, it was a ball that was a bit 걸치는 [crossing] to the outside, but in reality, a ball popped out that told me to hit it right in the middle.

-Clang!!!

A big hit.

I knew it the moment I got hit. Ah… This is a hit that the course is not bad, and if the angle was a little bigger, it could have been a home run. Fortunately, the ball sank a little, so the hitting angle seems to be a little less than 20 degrees. Of course, there are monsters who 넘기는 [go over] the fence with such a hitting angle when they go to the big leagues, but the 4th hitter of the Braves today was not there.

[Lee Joo-hyuk!!! Run!!]

Wow…

I was about to turn around and look at the hit, but what caught my eye first was Lee Joo-hyuk running like crazy.

What?

Ah, of course, Lee Joo-hyuk is really good at running. The problem is that he is good at running ‘only’ and runs around regardless of the ball. But now, somehow, the direction of the hit and the direction of running coincide.

[Jumped!!]

And about 1 meter short. Lee Joo-hyuk threw his body.

Sliding catch.

To be honest, usually when Lee Joo-hyuk shows such a scene, a single becomes a double, and a double becomes a triple. Or an inside park home run.

But…

[Caught it!! Lee Joo-hyuk!! Amazing defense!! Lee Joo-hyuk protects Choi Soo-won’s record once again following the 7th inning.]

Lee Joo-hyuk pulled the ball out of his glove and raised his hand.

Wow… What’s wrong with him today? What day is it? Good defense, hit, and good defense again?

Looking at that desperate defense, I wonder if I should really take him home after the game and feed him a meal of braised short ribs prepared by his father.

11:0

When I turned around, I felt relieved when I saw the outfield scoreboard.

Okay, let’s prepare for the next hitter in this reassuring state.

I was about to turn around again and prepare for pitching…

Wait a minute.

I think I saw something strange?

???

Uh…

Uh?

No-hit??”