The Pitcher Just Hits Home Runs Well [EN]: Chapter 146

146. The Qualification of Braised Short Ribs (2)

Honestly, I always thought it was BS when pitchers said they didn’t pay attention to records. I thought they were all lying.

It’s obvious. Baseball is a sport of records. And it’s not like its history started yesterday. It’s a daily sport, with 30 teams playing 162 games a year. That means there are almost 2,500 games a year. So, most records already exist.

Creating a meaningful record in that situation? How could you possibly forget it? For the record, I was aware of my attempt at the 61st home run every time I stepped into the batter’s box.

But… it’s actually happening?

I was too busy hitting and pitching, and honestly, allowing a runner in the first inning made me push the thought of the record out of my mind a bit.

But now I kind of understand.

Why the people in the dugout had such ambiguous expressions. And why Lee Ju-hyeok was gritting his teeth so hard while playing defense. Why Jung Ji-un became so quiet, as if he had committed a terrible crime with just one error.

Ah, but now that I know, I’m getting angry at Jung Ji-un again.

If it weren’t for that guy’s error, I would be pitching a perfect game right now, wouldn’t I?

The second batter came to the plate.

Ah… but honestly, now that I know I’m in the middle of a record, my motivation is definitely coming back to life. But the problem is that motivation is motivation, and the fact that my physical condition isn’t great remains unchanged.

My condition wasn’t great from the start of the game, and hoo… honestly, the most rational decision here would be to get taken out before giving up a hit and not dwell on personal records for the sake of the entire season. I would say things like that, and people would talk about what would have happened if I had kept pitching.

But…

[Choi Su-won looks a little tired.]

[Well, it’s understandable. This player is surprisingly a rookie of nineteen this year. Plus, he’s doing both pitching and hitting. Thanks to that, he ran too hard in the previous offensive inning. It must be physically tough. But what’s promising is that he threw a ball close to 157 even in that situation, kilometers per hour.]

[Okay, Choi Su-won’s first pitch!!]

You have to set records when you can. Honestly, there have been more than one or two crises today. If Lee Ju-hyeok had been in normal condition, the no-hitter? It would have been broken a long time ago.

Right, Lee Ju-hyeok’s consecutive great plays. It’s like the heavens are pushing me to set a no-hitter.

A 156.8km/h fastball flew.

– Whoosh!!!

“Strike!!!”

The location is not good at all.

It’s proof that my command is slowly going bad.

Somewhere in the Braves’ dugout.

I glanced at Jo Chang-hyeok, my mental mentor for school violence, today. Of course, I can’t see where he’s holed up in the dugout, or if he’s already washed up and left early.

But even so, just thinking about his pitching fills my heart with courage again.

Right, what I need now is that reckless spirit.

My grip is weakening and my command is shaking, so I should pay more attention to control?

No, my strength isn’t pinpoint command in the first place.

So, if I have to give up something, it’s command.

A powerful fastball with the feeling that it doesn’t matter if it goes right down the middle.

157.7km/h.

The ball, thrown with a squeezing feeling, sharply attacked the outside of the zone. It was lucky that it was a ball thrown right at the center of the strike zone.

– Clang!!!

A perfectly pushed hit.

Jung Ji-un, the villain who broke my perfect game today with a stupid error earlier, easily caught the ball and handed it to Lee Gyu-man at first base.

“Out!!!”

[Wow, what is this player? I thought he looked a little tired, but he’s raising his speed again here.]

[Even the location was very good just now. It went in almost perfectly on the outside low course.]

Two outs.

Wow, there are only four batters left until the no-hitter.

The game continued.

***

Top of the 9th inning.

The Marines’ dugout lowered their voices.

A strange silence.

The man who was most anxious in that silence was Jung Ji-un.

A no-hitter is definitely a great record.

But even so, Jung Ji-un couldn’t just be happy that his teammate was setting that record. Choi Su-won’s no-hitter was because of Jung Ji-un himself.

The important thing here is ‘because of’ not ‘thanks to’.

‘Damn… why did I have to be in the starting lineup for today’s game?’

The error he committed in the third inning is vivid in his mind. Honestly, the artificial turf at Gocheok Dome [a baseball stadium in Seoul] is crap. It’s too harsh an environment for infielders.

Was that why? Actually, when I thought hits were going to come out in the 7th and 8th innings, I was relieved. But why is Lee Ju-hyeok, who is usually famous for his brain fart defense, making two super saves at this timing?

‘Hey, if this goes on, is that right?’

‘Yes.’

‘Wow, I’m getting nervous. Is this the first time Su-won has done this for our team?’

‘No. There was someone who did it 41 years ago. It’s the sixteenth time based on the entire KBO [Korean Baseball Organization].’

‘Ha-min, how do you memorize all that?’

‘That’s… I’ve always wanted to do it someday…’

‘Ah, really? Then you can be the seventeenth tomorrow.’

‘Haha… I wish I could.’

‘No. It would be even better if you pitched a perfect game. How many perfect games have there been?’

‘There hasn’t been one yet.’

‘Really?’

‘Yes, there was one that almost happened in 2022, but the team couldn’t score until the 9th inning…’

I could hear everything because I was sitting close.

The sixteenth no-hitter in history that would have been the first perfect game if it hadn’t been for his error. Moreover, the failed perfect game was ruined because the team couldn’t score, but Choi Su-won hit a preemptive home run in the first inning so he wouldn’t have to worry about that.

‘But Ha-min, do you think it’s better to give him some rest now, or to finish the offensive inning quickly before his shoulder cools down?’

‘Usually, it’s better to be a little faster than to rest too much. But Su-won looks pretty tired right now, so I think it would be better to let him rest for about 10 minutes.’

‘Really? I don’t know if our kids can do that…’

The batting order starts with Saul Lopez, the 6th batter.

It was the starting point of the fierce attack in the previous inning, which added four points, but it was hard to expect Saul Lopez to hit.

– Clang!!!

Ground ball out to the infield on the third pitch.

Saul Lopez showed a play that was just like Saul Lopez.

And then Lee Ju-hyeok’s turn to bat.

[Lee Ju-hyeok, Lee Ju-hyeok is coming to the plate. Lee Ju-hyeok recorded a hit in the previous at-bat. I’m curious to see what he will look like in this at-bat.]

Is it because he hit a hit in the previous at-bat? Or is it thanks to making two consecutive good defensive plays? Lee Ju-hyeok felt a strange sensation that he couldn’t explain.

Could this be what the seniors sometimes say is shedding a layer of skin [a metaphor for growth or improvement]?

First pitch.

A 137km/h fastball or two-seam that is laid low.

Perhaps the expectation that he might be able to make it a reality someday arose.

He hasn’t hit a home run in the first team, but he has hit plenty of home runs on the high school stage and in the second team. This feeling is familiar.

It’s going over.

The batted ball stretched out.

Lee Ju-hyeok was faster than anyone else, but this time he slowed down his lightning-fast base running just a little. Of course, it was still as fast as an average batter’s full sprint.

[The batted ball is stretching out!! It’s big!! Will it go over!! Will it go over!! Ah…]

But unfortunately, the batted ball did not go over the fence. It wasn’t even a hit. Center fielder Shin Hee-seong’s glove caught Lee Ju-hyeok’s batted ball. It felt like he was taking back the hit he had stolen earlier.

Lee Ju-hyeok’s steps, which had been running past first base and towards second base, gradually slowed down.

Two outs.

Jung Ji-un made a decision after much deliberation.

Okay, let’s help with the no-hitter as much as possible. Although he is the reason why he can’t pitch a perfect game, he can’t interfere with the no-hitter.

Let’s give Su-won one more second to rest.

– Clang!!!

Infield fly ball on the second pitch.

The Marines’ last attack in the top of the 9th inning ended neatly in just six pitches.

***

Wow… are these guys really human?

No, they could have seen nine balls without even swinging their bats, but they struck out in six pitches? It feels like I just barely sat down on the chair and they’re telling me to go throw the ball again.

Hoo…

No, no.

It would have been even harder if they had hit well and I had to bat again. Let’s think of it as a thoughtful consideration to keep me from forgetting the feeling of throwing.

Still, it’s a shame. If the Braves’ 7th, 8th, and 9th batters were like them, I would have gotten the no-hitter for free…

The problem is Hee-seong hyung [older brother/male friend], the Braves’ 9th batter. Since they use a strong 2nd batter, they also place a fairly strong batter in the 9th batting order.

It means it’s going to be tough until the very end.

Lead batter.

– Clang!!!

After fouling off three pitches at a 1-2 count, finally

– Whoosh!!

“Strike!! Out!!”

Strikeout with a falling curveball.

And the 8th batter, who is virtually the weakest on the Braves.

Fastball, fastball, and more fastball and fastball.

The result is a 1-2 count.

My command, no, my control is starting to shake.

I clearly threw all the balls into the zone, but they missed. Plus, he even got one out of the way. No, honestly, if it was Jo Yu, who is the weakest on our team, he would have tried to get it out of the way and it would have been a ground ball out to the infield…

The batter’s appearance, holding the bat with a firm determination, was quite solemn. Well… he wouldn’t want to be included in the team that allowed the youngest no-hitter in history.

Fifth.

Circle changeup.

– Whoosh!!!

“Strike!! Out!!!”

Perfectly stole the timing.

Wow… is it because I’m losing strength? This was honestly really good. It might be the best circle changeup I’ve thrown today. I engraved the feeling in one corner of my head. I hope it will be helpful when I practice later.

The problematic Shin Hee-seong came to the plate.

31 years old.

As an outfielder, his shoulder is a bit weak and his feet are a bit slow, but his judgment of batted balls is amazing. In short, he’s the opposite of Lee Ju-hyeok.

He was a drafted player who was released once, but he didn’t give up and eventually blossomed in the Braves. He’s old, so he couldn’t get to FA [Free Agent], but still for the next 6 years. He was consistently on the Braves’ first team until right before I went to the United States, and he was so successful as a coach that he was even mentioned as the Braves’ first candidate for manager before I went back in time.

Anyway, he doesn’t have much power, but his eye for seeing the ball is amazing, so he gets walks well and has an excellent ability to hit mistakes and make hits.

In other words, he’s the type that you can just overpower when my stuff is good, but he’s a pretty difficult batter in the current situation.

The ball thrown by Jo Yu passed through Noh Hyung-wook, Kang Ra-on, Jung Ji-un, and Gyu-man seniors and came back to me.

When they throw the ball, they all look solemn and mutter something, so it seems like they’re putting some energy into it. It’s a superstition with no scientific basis, but so what? It’s not like there are only one or two superstitions in this industry.

Holding the ball, I briefly looked at the fielders behind me.

I couldn’t help but laugh at the solemn appearance.

Ah, I must have made that kind of expression towards the pitcher who was about to complete a shutout when I was playing as an infielder.

It was so good.

Yes, hitting is fun, but this mound where I can receive all those expectant eyes is the perfect place for me.

Hee-seong hyung took his stance.

First pitch.

A head-on match without any tricks.

The fastest fastball that penetrates the zone.

– Whoosh!!

Ah…

It missed.

1-0 count.

Second.

I clenched my teeth tightly and stepped forward forcefully.

159.7km/h.

A fastball that hits the center exactly, without any tricks. If the strike zone was a target, wouldn’t it be a perfect 10 points?

– Whoosh!!!

“Strike!!!”

I can feel the eyes of the spectators watching the game.

Bottom of the 9th inning. Evening past 10 o’clock. Even though the victory or defeat has already been decided, the reason why so many spectators have not left their seats is entirely because of me.

So in this place now

What is the difference between a good player and a star?

Before going back in time.

I was definitely a good player. Well, I was good enough to be included in the star category. But if you ask if I had the qualifications of a superstar, well… if I was a real superstar, wouldn’t I have gritted my teeth and shot up 61 somehow at the point of hitting 60 [referencing a home run record]?

Like that number 2 who decorated his 3000th hit with a home run.

I will prove that I have the qualifications of a superstar.

Only a player who makes it in the moment when he has to make it is worthy of that qualification.

Here I go.

Full of condensed power, a 158.7km/h fastball.

Ah…

But why does the course have to be the same as before, another 10 out of 10 points?

– Clang!!!

A well-hit ball flying towards the 1st and 2nd bases.

At that moment, Jung Ji-un threw his body.

– Thud

The batted ball hit the glove and fell.

It wasn’t much different from the moment he made the mistake earlier. But this time he didn’t fumble the ball. The posture was awkward, but the hand throwing the ball was firm.

The white ball draws an arc.

Gyu-man senior caught the ball very lightly.

“Out!!!!”

The 16th no-hitter in KBO history.

What decided it was the flawless good defense shown by Jung Ji-un, who had blown the perfect game in the 3rd inning.