The Pitcher Just Hits Home Runs Well [EN]: Chapter 231

231. The Aftermath of Victory (4)

Phoenix was definitely lucky this season.

Jung Byung-cheol was truly amazing. It’s not common for a twenty-year-old rookie catcher, only two years out of school, to hit 22 home runs with a .270 batting average in the major league. Moreover, the greatest pitcher who had been responsible for Phoenix’s dark ages returned from the majors despite being able to play more, and, though I’m embarrassed to say it, even Oh Min-yeop, the best shortstop in Korea, was there.

Yes, it was no coincidence that Phoenix, which hadn’t made the postseason in eight years since 2019, was competing with Braves for third place this season.

Oh Min-yeop performed his routine at the plate.

Han Myung-hoon on the mound watched him. Being only one year apart in age, Han Myung-hoon had plenty of experience with Oh Min-yeop since their school days. He was definitely a scary hitter.

He briefly averted his gaze.

The runner on second base was threatening. A small hit could give up a point. The wide outfield stretched out behind the runner on second. Imagining the ball landing there made the outfield feel unnecessarily large.

‘It’s packed.’

The stands were truly filled with people.

“Wow, the Chickollasico [a rivalry game between Chick and Kol teams] is unfolding so grandly. My heart swells with pride.”

“Honey, I told you not to use that word Chickollasico. Frankly, no matter how similar the recent records are, you can’t put Chick and Kol on the same level. Chick has at most V1 [one championship win], but the Marines have V2 [two championship wins]. And if you include this season, it’s V3 [three championship wins].”

“Hey, Phoenix has won the regular season twice, and they won the Korean Series much more recently, right?”

“Whether it’s 1992 or 1999, they’re both in the 20th century, aren’t they? If you’re going by recent performance, the Marines have made it to the postseason more often in the 21st century.”

“Hey, what’s the big deal about five times or seven times? And Phoenix had a heartbreaking runner-up finish once during those five times, you know?”

Somewhere in the infield, a man and woman wearing Phoenix and Marines jerseys were arguing. And as always, his gaze finally settled on the fielders surrounding him.

Honestly, he didn’t feel particularly reassured.

The Marines didn’t have players in the infield or outfield who inspired confidence in their defense. The Marines had the biggest gap between runs allowed and earned runs this season.

But Han Myung-hoon actually liked that. Even if he gave up runs, he always had an excuse as long as it wasn’t a walk. Of course, Han Myung-hoon never showed it outwardly. He himself thought it was too pathetic. He just comforted himself by secretly liking comments on his own loss articles online that pointed out the Marines’ poor defense.

Han Myung-hoon’s pitch missed the zone.

It missed again.

And again.

Jo Yu-jin got up and went to the mound.

“Sunbae [term for senior colleague or mentor], relax. Relax. Your slider was really good during practice earlier. In the worst case, we can fill first and second and aim for a double play. Just relax and try to get them out one by one.”

Be a little more aggressive.

With the feeling that it doesn’t matter if you get hit hard in the worst case, be a little bolder.

It was a textbook answer.

Even if you asked a commentator for the right answer in this situation, ninety-nine out of a hundred would give this answer.

Of course, that boldness shouldn’t be too excessive. Some pitchers can do that, but Han Myung-hoon definitely can’t. The ball was generally too low overall, so aim a little higher.

-Clang!!!

The problem was that Oh Min-yeop at the plate had also half-predicted that Han Myung-hoon would give such a textbook answer. He pulled the fastball that came in slightly high, just enough to miss the zone, perfectly.

A huge hit that directly hit the bottom of the fence.

[Ah!! The hit that hit the fence doesn’t bounce back!! In the meantime, the runner on second scores!! Oh Min-yeop!! Past first base to second!! He doesn’t stop at second!! Third!! At third!!]

“Safe!!”

It was not a good start.

Next was Jung Byung-cheol. That guy was a monster too. Honestly, Choi Soo-won was such an overwhelming monster that he was overshadowed a lot, but in any other year, he would definitely be Rookie of the Year, and if he took one more step from there, he would be MVP [Most Valuable Player].

-Clang!!

But baseball doesn’t always give good results just because you’re a monster. The only one who can do that is Choi Soo-won, who is waiting for his turn at the dugout. No, even Choi Soo-won is out at least once out of every two times. Jung Byung-cheol’s hit went deep into the outfield and landed right in Lee Jung-hoon’s glove.

A sacrifice fly.

The score was now 2:0.

And Phoenix’s fourth hitter, Chae Gwang-min, came to the plate.

42 years old.

The same age as the team’s captain, Lee Gyu-man.

A great hitter who would easily be in the top five in KBO [Korean Baseball Organization] history. Even at that age, he was ranked 17th overall this season based on wRC+ [weighted Runs Created Plus, a comprehensive hitting statistic]. If he could keep going like that for just three more years, he might even surpass Lee Gyu-man’s accumulated stats.

He made eye contact with Han Myung-hoon and smirked, raising the corners of his mouth. His face was playful, but it was so threatening. In terms of current skill alone, Jung Byung-cheol might be superior, but the pressure was much greater here.

First pitch.

The slider hit the ground.

[Ah, Han Myung-hoon is having a lot of trouble with his control today.]

[He’s originally a very good control pitcher. It seems like he’s a bit nervous because it’s the last game of the season and there’s a full crowd, and it’s also his seventh win on the line. I hope he can calmly work through the game.]

[The good thing is that Jo Yu-jin is doing a great job of catching the bouncing balls.]

[A catcher who doesn’t let the ball get past him like that is a great support for the pitcher. Jo Yu-jin’s ability has played a big role in the fact that the Marines’ pitchers who throw dropping balls have had a pretty good season this season.]

Second.

Jo Yu-jin barely caught another slider that was controlled too low with his body.

Ball count 2-0.

[Ah, Han Myung-hoon’s breaking balls are all missing too much today. If that happens, he can’t get the batter to swing at all.]

Han Myung-hoon took a deep breath.

In times like these, pitchers like Choi Soo-won, Choi Min-hyuk, and Baek Ha-min trust their pitches and just throw the ball hard. Yes, that’s the right answer for them.

But for those like Han Myung-hoon?

Third.

Slider.

-Whoosh!!!

[A very good breaking ball that barely caught the border line!! That’s right. Han Myung-hoon!! He needs to throw pitches like that.]

Ball count 1-2.

After giving up two hits and an outfield fly and then throwing two consecutive balls, he finally threw the pitch he wanted.

Han Myung-hoon firmly imprinted the feeling from just now in his mind.

And fourth.

High inside fastball.

143.7km/h

About 25 years ago, there was a time when an average speed of 140 km/h was considered the standard for a fastball pitcher. But now that the speed revolution has spread from the United States to Japan and then to Korea. There were differences in degree, but in Korea, you still had to hit 150 to be called a fastball pitcher. In that sense, Han Myung-hoon’s fastball was very ordinary. Or less than ordinary.

-Clang!!

But it was an inside fastball that came after a slider that broke exquisitely to the outside. The location was very good.

A high fly ball.

First baseman Lee Gyu-man moved.

The foul territory close to the infield stands.

Lee Gyu-man’s mitt caught the ball.

“Nice defense!!”

In fact, objectively speaking, it wasn’t exactly a play worthy of being called a great save. But if that first baseman was Lee Gyu-man, it could be considered more than a great save.

He got a groundout against the following fifth batter.

The scoreboard showed 2:0 in the top of the first. And the number 2 hits was written. It was an ordinary record created by an ordinary pitcher.

Han Myung-hoon sat in the dugout wearing his pitching jacket.

The upcoming postseason. That is, the Korean Series. He probably wouldn’t get a chance to start. So today’s game was the Marines’ last regular season game and also his last start in 2027.

‘So please do well, Choi Soo-won.’

When he thought he had to compete for the mound when the season started, it was a name that made him really angry. But now, sitting in the dugout wearing a pitching jacket on the last game of the season, he couldn’t feel more reassured to see him go up to bat. Even if the opponent was Im Gwang-hyung.

Im Gwang-hyung on the mound adjusted his hat.

***

What makes baseball great? Where is the greatness in these simple actions of throwing, hitting, and running?

If someone asked me this question, I wouldn’t be able to answer it in words. But even so, I thought there was definitely something in baseball that deserved the expression ‘great,’ and the pitcher standing on the mound now was an individual who somewhat fit that expression.

Simply because he was a Korean pitcher who had achieved some success in the majors?

No, it wasn’t.

A good record was one of the elements to become great, but if a good record alone could guarantee greatness, then Barry Bonds should have been the greatest hitter of all time.

Im Gwang-hyung was definitely a pitcher who left his mark in the majors, but when you look at the 140-year history of the majors, there are hundreds of pitchers who have left behind better careers than him. But I was sure that among those hundreds of pitchers who came before him, there were only a few who deserved the expression ‘greater’ than Im Gwang-hyung.

He said this when he left Phoenix.

‘I will definitely come back someday. When I still have the strength to throw properly. Then I will definitely wear the Phoenix uniform and bring you the championship trophy. Oh, of course, I believe that Phoenix can win without me.’

Anyone could see that the last sentence was lip service, and Phoenix naturally didn’t win any championships. In fact, most KBO fans at the time thought the entire sentence was lip service.

What, he’s not Korda Hiroki [Japanese baseball player], but he’s going to come back to Phoenix when he still has the strength to throw? Well, if he comes back to Korea for even a year right before retirement to do fan service, that would be enough.

But Im Gwang-hyung kept his promise.

He turned down a multi-year contract in the majors, and even underwent shoulder surgery at that age and rehabilitated to return.

The story he left behind had resonance, and that’s why I thought there was something about Im Gwang-hyung that deserved the expression ‘great.’

A great pitcher is a great pitcher, so why is the expression so ambiguous? What does it mean that greatness exists?

It’s actually a bit ambiguous.

What if he comes back like that and even wins the championship as promised? Yes, that’s a great pitcher. Frankly, if he comes back from the majors and leads Phoenix to a championship, that’s a great pitcher. No one can deny that.

But before I went back in time, Phoenix never won the championship in the end. Im Gwang-hyung at 36 and 37 was a pitcher close to the best in the league. Even at 38 and 39, he was one of the most powerful native pitchers. Even after turning 40, he was solid enough to take a spot in the starting rotation, and even until he was 42, the year before I went to the majors, he was a decent starter. Yes, that was it.

A position one step away from greatness.

He never became a great pitcher in the end, and in fact, that was the same for me.

So what will the second life be like after going back in time?

Im Gwang-hyung on the mound wound up greatly.