The Pitcher Just Hits Home Runs Well [EN]: Chapter 215

Jake Baur didn’t collapse.

He’d experienced far too much to let a drop in his fastball speed from 103 mph to 92 mph break him. Time had eroded the natural talent he was born with, but he’d filled the void with experience, cultivating a resilient mindset that refused to give up easily.

Of course, there had been moments when surrender was inevitable, but this wasn’t one of them.

Bottom of the 6th, one out, 4 runs allowed.

The score: 1-4.

Jake Baur stubbornly hurled the ball.

Even after surrendering three consecutive home runs to Choi Su-won, he remained a formidable pitcher. He retired Noh Hyung-wook with a ground ball, showcasing his exquisite changeup.

Lee Gyu-man stepped up to the plate.

Su-won’s words after his last home run echoed in Baur’s mind.

‘There’s still one left.’

It was an audacious declaration.

To be on the verge of tying the KBO [Korean Baseball Organization] record for consecutive home runs with three, and then to confidently proclaim another at-bat remained. What kind of mindset allowed for such a statement?

Jake Baur on the mound prepared for his first pitch.

A pitch delivered without hesitation.

-Bang!!

“Strike!!”

It wasn’t exactly on the edge, but clearly outside the zone Lee Gyu-man had established for himself.

Honestly, in his younger days, he couldn’t grasp why older players always lamented, “If only I were ten years younger.” Now, in his early 40s, he understood. If he were just ten, no, even five years younger, he could have pounced on that pitch.

But now…

Lee Gyu-man shook his head.

‘No, I have to get on base somehow.’

With the Marines’ offense faltering today, Su-won had only two paths to a fourth chance. Either someone else reached base, granting him another at-bat in the bottom of the 8th, or the Elitz extended their lead.

The latter was unacceptable, so someone needed to get on base. Otherwise…

‘It would be a disgrace for the ages.’

Three consecutive home runs.

Electric atmosphere.

One more would shatter the KBO record.

But the third batter doesn’t get a fourth at-bat? Even after homering all three times? That would be a humiliating footnote in history.

Of course, Su-won had carried the team before, but the stakes were different now. The KBO home run record would be a long-remembered feat, and he couldn’t allow the narrative to become, ‘Choi Su-won could have broken the record in the first game against the Elitz, but the other Marines batters only managed a combined two hits in eight innings, so the third batter didn’t get a fourth chance.’

Second pitch.

-Whoosh!!

“Strike!!!”

A changeup.

Its movement was subtler than the previous two-seamer, but still difficult to read.

Third pitch.

-Bang!!

The umpire’s hand remained down.

1-2.

Wait.

The pitcher isn’t infallible; eventually, he’ll err.

And the fourth pitch.

A fastball, high and tight, diving deep inside. Within the zone.

But it wasn’t a mistake.

A perfect pitch. Outside Lee Gyu-man’s preferred zone, but tempting enough to draw a swing. Lee Gyu-man had recently adopted a more patient approach, but passivity was a luxury he couldn’t afford now.

-Clang!!!

Lee Gyu-man connected.

A challenging pitch, but his innate instincts and years of honed skill coaxed it into a usable hit.

But Oh Hyung-won, playing deep, easily snagged the ball.

Lee Gyu-man lumbered toward first base. He was never fast to begin with. Now, he was even slower. Of course, even in this state, Lee Gyu-man was likely faster than the average person his age. After all, he had been an athlete his whole life. But someone his age could outrun Lee Gyu-man with a year of dedicated training. That’s how deteriorated his body had become.

-Bang!!

“Out!!!”

Barely three steps.

An overwhelming out, leaving little room for regret.

Kwak Jae-young returned to the mound for the Marines.

Thirty-five.

With advancements in sports science, thirty-five is past your prime, but it doesn’t necessarily signal retirement. Lee Gyu-man, for example, was still playing a full season as an above-average hitter at forty-two.

But pitchers are different. With careful management from a young age, one can pitch well into their late thirties, but that’s not easy.

From the outside, throwing more in the pros might seem like overwork. But the pitchers themselves often see it as an opportunity. It’s only natural. Tearing something, hurting, and having problems are problems for later. They don’t really know it in the moment. They just think, ‘Finally, an opportunity has come. Let’s make a good impression.’

Kwak Jae-young in his youth was the same.

Did he regret it?

Yes, he regretted it. Especially when he saw the Braves’ bullpen trio. When it came to career, Kwak Jae-young’s career was no worse than theirs. His prime was much better. But what was the result? Kwak Jae-young himself never got a FA [Free Agent] deal until he retired, while they were able to get a FA deal in their early 30s, even though they had only continued their careers as relievers. If you only look at the total salary, wouldn’t it be more than 10 times different?

But even so, Kwak Jae-young stretched his scarred shoulders on the mound of Sajik Stadium.

What could he do? He couldn’t turn back time, so he could only live remembering that today was the yesterday he would so desperately want tomorrow.

‘First, one out.’

Without pain.

Rather than trying to recreate what he could do on a good day, he focused on maintaining his rotation axis, even if it meant throwing without pain in his normal condition.

Two types of sliders and a fastball.

Was it thanks to his body and mind being warmed up from the previous inning? Or maybe it was because the score had widened from 1-2 to 1-4.

One hit allowed.

And one strikeout.

One runner left on base, and one inning erased without additional points.

Kwak Jae-young faithfully did his part today.

So that tomorrow’s self wouldn’t regret yesterday.

The game continued.

***

“It’s tense.”

“I know, right? But usually in this situation, wouldn’t you be wondering if a fourth consecutive home run is possible? If a new record will really be set today? Shouldn’t we be nervous about that? But why are we nervous about whether he’ll get a fourth at-bat?”

“Because it’s the Marines. And honestly, if Su-won gets a fourth chance in his current form, I think he’ll definitely hit it over.”

“Hey, you can’t be sure about that. Home runs aren’t child’s play. Even professional players can’t bat 100% against high school pitchers.”

“Well, that’s true for regular professional players. But I think Su-won is a professional MVP hitter, and the other pitchers in the professional league are just like high school pitchers.”

-Bang!!

“Strike!! Out!!”

Jake Baur struck out Saul Lopez.

“You think that feels like a high school pitcher?”

“Uh… a high school MVP-level pitcher?”

“Are you stupid? A high school MVP-level pitcher is just a professional-level pitcher.”

Clearly, seeing how easily he gets the other hitters out, he’s on a different level.

Jake Baur, who was consistently throwing 145 km/h even in the 7th inning, proved without a doubt why he was the Cy Young Award winner last year. And why he was one of the closest pitchers to it this season as well.

[Ah, a pinch hitter!! The Marines dugout is bringing in Jung Ji-woon in place of Seo Kyung-joon.]

[If you only look at the batting average, Jung Ji-woon is about 0.020 higher. Besides, Jake Baur’s two-seamer and changeup are too good today, so a left-handed hitter is probably a bit more likely to succeed than a right-handed hitter.]

Manager Kim Dae-cheol was feeling the pressure as well.

When a player is grabbing you by the collar and dragging you along, you have to at least show some effort to keep up. What if the Marines really can’t give Choi Su-won a fourth at-bat here?

The thought alone made his body tremble.

-Clang!!

Jung Ji-woon pushed Jake Baur’s first pitch.

A fairly hard hit.

Manager Kim Dae-cheol jumped up from his seat.

[Jung Ji-woon!! He hit it!! A hard hit!!]

And Elitz’s shortstop, Oh Hyung-won, moved.

From the 2010s to the 2020s. Because the players he competed with were all overwhelming shortstops who succeeded even in MLB [Major League Baseball], he was always an underrated runner-up.

Today, he was like an iron wall guarding the 2nd and 3rd base lines at Sajik Stadium.

“Out!!”

A defense that seemed to be somewhere between flashy and concise.

Jake Baur gave him a thumbs up.

That’s right.

While everyone from the Marines’ fielders to the manager was focused on Choi Su-won’s fourth at-bat, not just the outcome of today’s game, at least the pitcher and shortstop on the mound were more focused on the outcome of today’s game, not the great record Choi Su-won was creating.

The score: 1-4.

Not yet.

They could still come back.

And Lee Ju-hyuk, the Marines’ eighth batter, came to the plate. And he was similar to the pitcher and shortstop of the Elitz. While the other Marines players were thinking about Choi Su-won’s third at-bat, Lee Ju-hyuk was thinking about something more important.

‘If I don’t hit this time, my batting average will drop below .220… And I need to get three consecutive hits to raise my batting average above Yoo-jin’s…’

He didn’t have the luxury to consider important things like someone’s great record or the outcome of today’s game. You can’t talk about the Diamond Mountains [a famous scenic spot in Korea] on an empty stomach, and you have to save yourself first.

But perhaps that was the most essential part of baseball. Unlike other ball sports where complex strategies and tactics determine the game, the essence of baseball is a 1:1 battle between the pitcher and the batter. All stories start there.

Towards the end of the game, Jake Baur was throwing the ball with ridiculously high concentration. Yes, it was definitely a great pitch that Lee Ju-hyuk would likely not get a single hit against if they faced off 10 times.

But what if it was 20 or 30 times?

At least once.

So, there was definitely a chance that a powerful hit from Lee Ju-hyuk, with his clean form, would break through the infield and outfield defense and fall into the field.

-Clang!!!

Deep into the outfield beyond the infield.

Lee Ju-hyuk ran.

If he had been thinking about giving Choi Su-won a chance, he could have stopped at first base. No, considering Lee Ju-hyuk’s speed, second base would have been enough. But Lee Ju-hyuk didn’t stop there.

“Safe!!!”

A triple.

Lee Ju-hyuk created a triple with his speed.

A situation where they could create an additional point if he just got a single hit.

But there were no additional points for the Marines in the bottom of the 7th.

Ninth batter, Jo Yoo-jin.

The Marines’ starting catcher, and it was quite ambiguous to bring in a pinch hitter here.

He finished the inning cleanly.

-Whoosh!!

“Strike!! Out!!!”

But even so, Manager Kim Dae-cheol breathed a sigh of relief.

Because this meant that Choi Su-won’s at-bat would definitely come around.