The Pitcher Just Hits Home Runs Well [EN]: Chapter 168

Pitcher Just Pitches Well – Episode 168

Episode 168. Momentum (2)

The Dolphins’ pitcher, Kim Jo-kyung, sighed.

Bad luck. On a day when everything felt like it was clicking, he had to face Choi Soo-won with the bases loaded after putting himself in such a precarious situation. For a relief pitcher who throws just over 60 innings a year, giving up a grand slam is a nightmare scenario.

A single grand slam could increase his season ERA [Earned Run Average, a measure of pitching performance] by a whopping 0.6 points.

How many points would be deducted from his performance review?

The performance evaluation in professional baseball is so detailed, considering the game situation and the opponent, that it’s impossible to know exactly. But roughly estimating, he should be prepared to lose about five million won [approximately $3,700 USD] from his salary.

Good heavens.

Five million won gone with one home run?

For Kim Jo-kyung, who is past his prime and facing a situation where his salary is about to fall below 100 million won [approximately $74,000 USD], all he could do was sigh.

What about the formula, diapers, future education expenses, and the monthly mortgage payments?

Kim Jo-kyung channeled all the weight of his responsibilities as a father into his pitch.

It felt heavy.

Although the velocity was only 139 km/h [approximately 86 mph], the location was excellent.

In the past, Choi Soo-won had quoted a famous player.

“If you can’t hit a 90, 91-mile fastball, you should feel ashamed to be paid to play baseball.”

An 86-mile fastball, filled with the weight of a father’s responsibilities, slightly crossing the outside edge of the strike zone.

Choi Soo-won’s bat connected squarely with the ball.

-Clang!!

And at that moment, a vision of Shin Saimdang [a famous Korean artist and calligrapher, often featured on Korean currency] smiling kindly appeared before Kim Jo-kyung’s eyes, shattering and disappearing. Not just one, but a group of a hundred…

***

The moment he hit the ball, he had a feeling.

Ah, shouldn’t I feel a little ashamed to be paid to play baseball?

The high fly ball sailed through the air. But the feeling wasn’t good. It felt like it barely caught the edge of the bat, and it subtly tailed off.

It was a typical pitcher’s style from 10 years ago.

Low in the zone, with a two-seam fastball or a sinker.

But that old pitcher’s trick worked.

What about my current physical condition?

It was worse than at the end of the season before going back in time when I was exhausted.

The baseball I experienced back then was tough because I had to play without rest days throughout the season, but the physical exertion in each game wasn’t that severe.

But that was only baseball from a batter’s perspective.

Baseball as a pitcher was completely different. The physical exertion is extraordinary, especially the fatigue that accumulates in the lower body. And as you know, the lower body is really important for hitting.

Left-center field.

The fly ball didn’t make it over the fence.

The aging pitcher on the mound clenched both fists and cheered. It wasn’t even related to the win or loss, but I wondered if it was something to be so happy about. But when I thought about my own batting performance, it seemed like it was something to be happy about.

I smiled bitterly and returned to the dugout.

Fatigue.

In fact, fatigue doesn’t knock a person down all at once. It slowly drags a person into a swamp, like turning a ball that would have barely cleared the fence into an outfield fly caught in front of the warning track if your condition had been 100% a little while ago.

The recovery time gets longer, and even when you recover, the maximum power you can exert decreases.

Bottom of the 7th inning.

Again, our fielding inning.

I lightly loosened my neck and shoulders on the mound and clenched my fists several times.

The third at-bat starting with the first batter.

Kang Il-jin came to the plate.

Familiarity is disadvantageous for the pitcher.

That’s a common saying in baseball.

That’s why it’s more difficult for starters than relievers because they have to face hitters regardless of their handedness and have to face the same hitters multiple times.

In fact, in most cases, hitters’ stats increase significantly around the third at-bat. Most pitchers who overcome that change their ball mix around that time. Or…

First pitch.

A low fastball.

-Swish!!!

“Strike!!!”

I didn’t have the ability to confuse the batter by changing my pitching pattern like pitchers with a variety of repertoires.

I can throw a slider and a changeup, but honestly, I can only use that to surprise the opposing batter. It’s not powerful enough to work in the pros yet.

Virtually a two-pitch pitcher with a fastball and a curveball.

But if both of those pitches are the best in the league, the story changes.

A pitch you can’t hit even if you know it’s coming.

I’m sure of it.

The pitches I’m throwing today are definitely those kinds of pitches.

Second.

A 160.7 km/h [approximately 99.8 mph] fastball!!!

-Whoosh!!!

The ball, exquisitely placed on the outside corner, drew the batter’s bat.

Instantly, the count is 0-2.

The numerous three-pitch strikeouts from earlier flashed through my mind. That image of victory leads my body. There is no defeat for me today.

Third.

162.1 km/h [approximately 100.7 mph]

Ah… but this is a bit…

-Clang!!!

It was a very accurate and honest pitch right into the middle of the zone.

The bat of Kang Il-jin, a .300 hitter, hammered my fastball.

Maybe if my pitch wasn’t a 162 km/h fastball, it would have been really close. No, if Baek Kang-ho was at the plate right now, it might have gone over.

The fly ball was quite high.

But the man guarding the outfield today is Lee Joo-hyuk mk.2 [Mark 2, implying an improved version].

Lee Joo-hyuk of Earth 616 [a reference to the primary reality in Marvel Comics], reborn. Surely, he would run and catch this ball without any trouble.

Lee Joo-hyuk ran.

To the right. Straight. Quickly.

And stopped for a moment.

Uh…

I couldn’t see it, but I could tell.

His uneasy eyes and shaking gaze.

Lee Joo-hyuk changed direction and started running to the left again.

Ah, okay, a V is fine. It’s not his unique zigzag defense. Honestly, I can understand a V-shaped rebound. He’s so fast that if he runs straight, it feels like he’s not putting in enough effort, so he might be trying to give the impression that he’s doing his best.

Ah!!!

I’m doomed.

It’s a zigzag.

He turned again.

Was he so envious of Jung Ji-woon’s title of “Dominator of the Game” from the no-hitter game?

Lee Joo-hyuk was finally trying to end the perfect game he had created with his own hands.

Jung Ji-woon got less criticism back then because it was a great play after the error, but I think he’s definitely going to be a major criminal if this continues.

…

But at that moment.

People are supposed to lose some speed when they change direction, and it takes time to regain speed. That’s how the physics engine of this Earth is designed.

But what is he?

The scene was like something out of a racing game with a booster turned on.

He accelerated at a moment when a person shouldn’t be accelerating.

And his outstretched arm chased the baseball.

[Lee Joo-hyuk!! Lee Joo-hyuk!! Lee Joo-hyuk has safely caught the ball!!]

…

A defense that leaves you speechless.

No, there’s supposed to be a level of good defense. This wasn’t really a good defense. Of course, if you had to classify it, it was a good defense, but it was beyond the limits of human ability.

Perhaps the spectators in the stadium felt the same way I did?

Despite the Dolphins’ terrible losing streak, applause came from the hands of the people who were still in the stadium.

Lee Joo-hyuk stood up awkwardly amidst the applause.

Anyway, one out.

Jack Hamilton came to the plate.

Not a bad hitter.

But that’s it.

Today, I was too strong to be stopped by a not-bad hitter.

-Clang!!!

A high foul fly ball going over the third base foul line.

Noh Hyung-wook ran leisurely and caught the ball.

Well, inducing that kind of ball is also a pitcher’s ability…

And Baek Kang-ho came to the plate.

It was no exaggeration to say that this was the biggest crisis in achieving a perfect game today.

From his stance waiting for my pitch, I could feel a strong determination not to allow a perfect game even if the game was lost. A stance to hit a home run no matter what.

There’s only one thing I can do for a hitter with that kind of stance.

-Whoosh!!

“Strike!!”

A slow curveball with a large break that bounced once drew his bat.

Baek Kang-ho frowned.

Second.

Should I go with another slow curveball?

No, no.

The momentum I felt from Baek Kang-ho was unusual. Considering Baek Kang-ho’s performance in this series and today’s game, his form is definitely at its peak.

Outside high corner.

A fastball with the thought that it’s okay if it misses by one.
The 160.3 km/h [approximately 99.6 mph] fastball passed a half ball further away than I wanted.

-Swish!!

Jo Yoo-jin slightly pushes his mitt.

It was a ridiculous attempt.

The count is 1-1.

Baek Kang-ho urged for the third ball while standing at the plate.

He must want to continue his current feeling. I leisurely touched the rosin bag once and filled the 12 seconds as much as possible.

Third.

Inside high corner.

-Swish!!

Baek Kang-ho’s bat didn’t come out this time either. It missed a little more than I thought this time too, but considering that I’m making a record right now, it would have been nice if they called it a strike, but it was a shame.

1-2

Fourth.

A low fastball.

-Clang!!

A huge foul home run that went over the pole.

It was a chilling fly ball.

But anyway, I added a strike, and now the count is 2-2.

Fifth.

Middle.

Baek Kang-ho’s bat sprang out like lightning.

And 0.1 seconds.

A huge load was placed on his body.

He realized it.

That the pitch I threw just now was a slider.

A 148 km/h [approximately 92 mph] slider with infinitely lower perfection than a fastball or curveball.

His bat perfectly picked it out.

-Swish!!

He looked at me with a triumphant expression at the plate. It was as if he was asking, “You thought you could trick me with a pitch like that?”

And the umpire clenched his fist.

“Strike!! Out!!”

[Strikeout!! Strikeout!! Choi Soo-won struck out Baek Kang-ho in the bottom of the 7th inning, once again tying up the Dolphins’ lineup.]

[Ah, it looks like Baek Kang-ho is protesting something to the umpire right now?]

[He’s saying he didn’t swing the bat. Ah. But check swings are not subject to video review.]

Lucky me.

The umpire, who was never on my side, helped me. It was a great bad call that would eliminate about half of the unfair calls I had accumulated.

Kim Kwang-seop.

That was the name of today’s home plate umpire. I’ll remember it well and include it when I write my MLB debut autobiography.

The game continued.

I was getting weaker in real-time, and therefore, precarious and dangerous moments continued to occur.

But surprisingly, the Marines’ fielders showed several times that baseball is not a game played by the pitcher alone, but a game played by nine people together.

Ordinary infield ground balls.

Ordinary infield pop-ups.

Ordinary outfield fly balls.

Clearly, each one was an ordinary ball, but the fact that there were no mistakes in those ordinary balls was something to be praised, even if it wasn’t just the Marines.

Especially in a situation like now, where the record is in progress in real-time, and the fielders have no choice but to be nervous.

In the meantime, Kang Ra-on caught an unusual ground ball with his bare hand and threw it leisurely to Lee Gyu-man at first base.

A throw that goes and sticks exactly like it has a magnet.

One out was added.

Kang Ra-on raises his thumb towards me.

Wow, what is he really?

Lee Jung-hoon and Kang Ra-on, do all the Marines have to have something wrong with their mentality to be good at baseball? Or does something go wrong with their mentality when they get good at baseball in the Marines? Senior Gyu-man threw the ball back to me and pounded his mitt, shouting.

Hmm…

But suddenly, the previous Marines mentality theory combines with Senior Gyu-man’s face, and a strange thought flashes through my mind.

Whatever the reason, the guys who are good at baseball in the Marines have some mental issues.

And Senior Gyu-man was a Marine and was so good at baseball that he almost heard the sound of KBO [Korean Baseball Organization] legends.

‘Hey, no way. Honestly, that’s just aging.’

But soon, the thought was so absurd that I just laughed.

The 8th inning passed, and then the 9th inning.

And in the bottom of the 9th inning, with two outs added, two outs.

The 9th batter came to the plate.

The number on the scoreboard behind me was still only 0.