The Pitcher Just Hits Home Runs Well [EN]: Chapter 161

The Pitcher Just Hits Home Runs Well – Episode 161 (161/404)

161. A Waste of Life (3)

If a batter who hits .400 in the Major Leagues goes down to AAA, could he hit .500?

Of course not.

Everyone knows that improving from 40 points to 80 points is easier than improving from 80 points to 100 points.

In fact, .400 is like 99.99 points, and .500 is like 99.999999 points. This is definitely not an area achievable through skill or effort alone.

Moreover, hitting .400 itself is a dream batting average. In modern baseball, it’s considered an impossible record under normal circumstances.

In the past, ESPN identified three major requirements for hitting .400: a high home run rate, a low strikeout rate, and a high BABIP [Batting Average on Balls In Play – measures how often a batted ball becomes a hit].

ESPN then took the players who were the best in each of those three categories and combined their stats, resulting in a .396 average.

In reality, hitting .400 in modern baseball is considered possible only in places like Taiwan. It means it’s achievable if a AAA-level player, or someone who barely makes it to the majors, happens to appear in a Single-A league.

And currently, in the KBO [Korean Baseball Organization], there was a .500 hitter who was recording that 99.999999 points.

“He’s going to slump soon. Seriously, 0.526/0.690/1.298. Does that make sense? I mean, okay, let’s say the on-base percentage and slugging percentage are what they are. But .500? How much is the BABIP god helping him?”

“Well… I don’t think he’s helping that much?”

“What nonsense are you talking about?”

“No, he has 30 hits in 57 at-bats, and 12 of them are home runs… The reason his batting average is high is simply because he’s hitting everything out of the park.”

“Okay, whatever. He’s definitely going to slump. He’s pitching too, so he’s bound to run out of stamina. And have you seen his recent performance? 2 at-bats, no hits. The pitchers were careless and lenient at the beginning, but now that they’re being more careful, the hits and home runs have stopped.”

Top of the 1st inning.

One out, runner on 1st.

The batter whose hits and home runs had stopped stepped up to the plate.

Choi. Soo. Won.

A man with the same name as Suwon, the first planned city in this land, established over 230 years ago.

The Suwon Dolphins fans clenched their fists.

***

My batting hasn’t been great lately.

But, well, it can’t be helped. After all, it takes two to clap, and you need a pitch to hit something.

Since the last Griffins game, no team has really challenged me properly. Honestly, I have an OPS [On-Base Plus Slugging] of 2.0, so they should have done this a long time ago, but it was more like, ‘Is it okay to do this to a rookie so early in the season?’ Then it changed to, ‘Well, they’re doing it, so why not us?’ But it’s been a bit much.

I don’t think I’ve seen a ball properly enter the strike zone in several games.

It’s not just about walking me if necessary, but a determination to not put the ball in the zone at all, no matter the situation.

This was definitely treatment I never received even during my time in the majors.

But there was a time when I felt something similar, and I learned one lesson back then. Trying to force the issue myself will only make things worse.

If you try to catch the guys who are running away by doing something clumsy, you’ll mess yourself up a little. Batting is like a delicate machine, and that little mess-up can be a real headache.

So, it’s better to just give up and take the walk.

It’s not for nothing that Barry Bonds’ batting average stopped in the low .400s even when he had an on-base percentage of .600 and a slugging percentage of 1.4 during his prime.

But the thing is, even if you know the answer, you can’t always follow it…

-Thwack!!

Dolphins’ ace Alex Cruz’s cutter went outside the zone.

Honestly, I almost flinched. It was a well-thrown ball, but also, I kind of wanted to swing the bat.

Okay, let’s calm down. It’s all because I haven’t been able to swing the bat freely lately, and I’m feeling a bit frustrated.

Second.

Fastball? Cutter?

It was a perfectly controlled ball on the outside corner.

Logically, it’s a cutter.

But Alex Cruz, the pitcher on the mound for the Dolphins, had 22 scoreless innings in his last 3 games. He was one of the hottest pitchers in the league.

Should I swing? Or not?

I held back.

-Thwack!!!

“Strike!!!”

A fastball that barely grazed the outside of the zone.

Alex Cruz on the mound smirked. It was definitely bad luck. But one thing was certain: that guy was testing me in his own way.

Well, I haven’t had a hit in almost a week, and I messed up my last appearance, so it was about time someone like him showed up.

Hitting is a cycle.

If you avoid it when you’re hot, you lose some momentum. And it takes time to get that momentum going again. Sometimes, players start hot at the beginning of the season, lose momentum in the middle, and never find that feeling again until the end of the season.

I’ve hit two fly balls to the outfield in the last two games, so he might have judged that my sense was starting to fade.

Third.

-Whoosh!!

“Strike!!”

A cutter that fell out of the zone.

Count 1-2.

I could feel a slight murmur from the stands.

“What? Is Choi Su-won going to strike out? Awesome…”

“No, what’s so awesome about striking out a batter…”

“He’s only struck out five times so far.”

“Huh?”

“He has 30 hits in 57 at-bats, and he’s only been struck out five times. His BABIP is 0.409 right now, which is high, but the reason is not only because he has a lot of home runs, but also because he has so few strikeouts.”

The pitcher on the mound prepared his fourth pitch.

Same course.

It was such a perfect stance that it was almost impossible to distinguish whether it was a cutter or a fastball. Honestly, with that level of skill, he could have easily played as a reliever in the Big Leagues.

And to rephrase that, the fact that he couldn’t play as a reliever in the Big Leagues and came to the KBO meant that there was definitely a weakness I didn’t know about. Or maybe today was just a day when he was in incredibly good condition.

I stopped the bat that was going out.

-Thwack!!

The umpire’s hand didn’t go up. The catcher jumped up to check if it was a check swing.

It was a hopeless attempt. The bat hadn’t even passed 1/3 of the way, so there was no need to ask if it had swung.

Fifth.

The ball came flying.

Fast and low. The course was slightly inside compared to before. Logically, it should have been a cutter that tempted the bat and then fell out of the zone.

But why?

I just felt like it was a fastball.

When reason and instinct give different answers, I choose instinct. World-class instinct is more reliable than mere middle school-level intelligence.

-Crack!!!

A refreshing hit.

For the first time in a long time, the ball stretched out.

[He hit it!! A high fly ball!! Stretching out!! Will it go over!! Will it go over!!! It’s over!!!]

[Ah, if you look, the ball was slightly centered, and Choi Su-won didn’t miss it.]

[It seems that Alex Cruz was trying to play a bit of a psychological game of chicken, but Choi Su-won mercilessly crushed it.]

[That’s his 13th home run of the season!! Choi Su-won is widening the gap with Baek Gang-ho to 3 home runs again.]

[Choi Su-won’s slugging percentage had dropped a bit in recent games, and his OPS of 2.0 was broken, but with this, it’s back to 2.038. Wow… Once again, we realize that you shouldn’t give this player a good ball.]

[In fact, Alex Cruz has been pitching really well recently. 22 scoreless innings. Eight hits allowed. Only two walks given. But still, Choi Su-won. It really feels like he’s on a different level.]

“Thanks, senior.”

“Huh? What for?”

“You told me to fight!! I fought.”

I gave Baek Gang-ho a light taunt as I passed first base.

“No, I told you to do that from the next series!! Hey!! Hey!! Choi Su-won!!”

Ignoring the desperate voice calling me from behind, I passed second base, then third base, and came all the way home.

Seo Kyung-jun, who had stepped on home plate one step ahead of me, held out his palm towards me.

-Slap!!!

“Wang Galbi [Korean BBQ short ribs] after this?”

“Are you buying?”

“Of course, the senior buys the meal. Why are you even asking?”

“Oh, thank you!!”

“I’m bringing Senior Gyu-man too, by the way. Expensive meals should be bought by rich seniors so there’s no pressure.”

While exchanging silly jokes, Noh Hyung-wook, who was walking from the waiting batter’s box to the plate, spoke to me.

“How did you distinguish it?”

“The cutter and the four-seam?”

“Yeah.”

“I just felt like it was a fastball.”

“The situation? Or because you saw the ball coming?”

Oh, Noh Hyung-wook is definitely a good hitter.

He’s slowly learning how to utilize me.

“Well, the situation suggested a cutter. But I just felt like it was a fastball.”

“Is there a tell or something, or is the trajectory a bit different? Okay. I’ll tell Senior Gyu-man too. Tell him to watch closely.”

“Yes.”

Senior Gyu-man also nodded at my story.

And without another word, he silently stared at Alex.

Sometimes when I look at Senior Gyu-man, I’m reminded of Senior Jin-woo’s last moments. Actually, I’ve seen many players retire during my 17 years as a professional. And for someone like Senior Gyu-man, it was a truly commendable retirement.

In fact, retiring voluntarily rather than involuntarily in this industry is a rare thing. Moreover, it’s not common for other teams, not just the team you played for, to prepare a retirement ceremony.

So, it was a bit strange.

The emotion that a player who has built a brilliant monument throughout his life, leaving the last piece, sometimes shows is desperation.

And that it overlaps with the back of a boy who had to give up the path he had run for eighteen years.

-Whoosh!!!

“Strike!!! Out!!!”

Noh Hyung-wook’s bat slashed through the air on the 6th pitch.

-Tap!!!

And the bat swung by Lee Gyu-man cleanly led to a ground ball to the infield on the first pitch.

2:0

Only a 2-point lead.

Maybe I would have been very anxious in the past.

But since the last trade, our team’s situation has changed a lot. Now, it wasn’t just the starting pitchers who were strong in our team. The bullpen that could support the strong starting pitchers!!

-Tap!!!

[Kang Il-jin!! Hits Dilton Dooley’s 153km/h first pitch!!! Creates a hit that goes over the shortstop’s head!!]

-Tap!!!!

[Zack Hamilton!! A huge hit!! Will it go over!! Will it go over!! Hits the fence directly!! In the meantime, Kang Il-jin passes 2nd base and goes to 3rd!! Huh? He doesn’t stop at 3rd!! To home!! To home!!]

-Thwack!!

“Safe!!!”

[Bottom of the 1st inning!! Zack Hamilton’s double with no outs and a runner on 1st!! The Dolphins are catching up by 1 point!! As expected, the defending champion Dolphins!! Clearly shows what the league’s strongest batting is.]

[Batter Baek Gang-ho, the 3rd batter, comes up to the plate. He already has a whopping ten home runs so far!! Looking at his pace, he’s definitely going to renew his career high with almost 50 home runs.]

[Choi Su-won, who is competing for the home run title, added another home run in the previous attack, widening the gap again!! What kind of performance will Baek Gang-ho show in this at-bat?]

Game 1 against the Dolphins.

Dilton, who had been pitching well steadily until now, exploded with 6 runs in 3.1 innings.

[Marines vs Dolphins, a fierce slugfest!!]

[A total of 31 points scored by both teams!! 16:15. Choi Su-won’s quick feet decided the victory!!]

[Choi Su-won’s sensible base running, rushing from 2nd base to home on Noh Hyung-wook’s single.]

The game that started at 6:30 ended at 10:37 in the 10th inning of extra innings.

“I don’t think we can eat ribs at this point?”

“What are you talking about? Eating ribs at night is a delicacy. That’s why you don’t gain weight.”

“No, won’t the restaurant be closed?”

“How many years have we been with the owner? I’ve already made a reservation in advance. He said he’s saved the good ribs for us, so let’s hurry up and clean up and go.”