Peaceful Bullpen Life [EN]: Chapter 6

※ 6. Un-Comfortable

You know how in comics, the pitcher throws a ball that slams into the catcher’s mitt, and white smoke comes out from inside the mitt as it spins a few times, unable to handle the force? Something like that.

Of course, my pitches are nowhere near that level. With my current ball, it’s probably around… 134km [kilometers per hour], give or take?

It might not actually be that fast, but I feel like I could reach that speed during the season. You can feel that kind of vibe, right?

“…Hanwool.”

“Yes?”

Gyu-hak catches the ball I pitched, and I step back onto the plate when the coach calls me from behind. I instinctively step off the plate and turn around.

“What was that just now?”

“It was a fastball.”

“No……”

He seemed frustrated by the incomprehensible situation. His expression, waving his hands around, was unusual.

“You said you referenced Hyuk-joon, right?”

“Yes.”

“Specifically, which part?”

“Yes?”

Come on, don’t hit me with that all of a sudden…….

“How did you pull the release point forward?”

“Well……”

“No, it doesn’t make sense. No matter how much you adjust the release point, it shouldn’t make the ball rise like that.”

“I’m not sure either……”

Would anyone believe me if I said it was thanks to the system? I’d be grateful if they didn’t just think I was crazy.

“No. Just keep throwing for now.”

“Yes.”

I get the fastball sign again and pitch.

Bang—

“Ah, good ball, good ball!”

Gyu-hak shows enthusiastic support.

Other pitchers are also pitching on the next mound, so the sound of the ball hitting the mitts overlaps, but I could definitely tell the difference in Gyu-hak’s mitt sound. It was different from usual.

The other pitches weren’t particularly special.

Only the fastball stat increased, so only the fastball felt noticeably different, while the other changeups felt the same as usual.

However, it would be different in a real game. I wouldn’t just throw fastballs or changeups; I’d mix them up.

The bullpen pitching was successful. No, it was a huge success.

The power of the fastball stat increasing by 5 was significant. Not only our pitching coach but also Hyojae-sunbae [senior player] and other pitchers on the next mound, and even the reporters who came to the camp, were all focused on me. There were even interviews.

This year will be different.

Fans always fall for this magical phrase.

But I can guarantee it this year. This year will really be different. Really. I might even break 140km [kilometers per hour] for the first time in my life.

* * *

The camp period is longer than I thought. First camp, then second camp. Only after two long periods of intense training do we return to Korea to prepare for the season.

This is our team’s second camp location in Japan. After flying diligently, everyone was tired but still thinking, ‘I have to play baseball, I have to play baseball,’ as they packed their bags and headed to the dorms.

The first day is rest. A truly sweet rest given to the players and coaching staff who worked hard for a month. No one interfered.

Everyone knew how important and sweet this one-day rest was, so the players tried not to cross the line. No one went out to the city to play, even though they had come all the way to Japan.

“Ah……”

But the next day, everyone changed their minds.

Ah, I should have crossed the line a little.

It’s tough. A bit tougher than I thought.

If the first camp focused on training players with insufficient physical or technical skills, now we have to integrate the two.

Practice game.

Yes, it’s a game. The word ‘practice’ might make it seem less important, but it can’t be ignored.

This small practice league is like a preliminary round. No, it’s not even on the level of a preliminary round.

The exhibition game is the preliminary round, the regular season is the main round, and the post-season, which we may or may not reach, is the final stage.

I have to show how much I’ve prepared, how great I am, and ask, ‘Are you still not going to use me?’ That’s how I can secure my spot and take care of my livelihood.

Of course… the starting players who have already secured their positions don’t have that pressure. This practice game won’t particularly catch their eye.

They will raise their condition for the regular season beyond the exhibition game. To them, it’s literally just practice, nothing more, nothing less.

But it’s different for rookies who haven’t been in the team for long, or players who are in their mid-age or quite old but don’t have a secure position.

The degree of desperation is very different. They are desperate and miserable, to the point where tears fall from their eyes.

They desperately try not to fall behind and to beat one competitor in front of them.

The team’s season plan is usually 80% complete at this time, and in the case of teams with solid starters, the outline is already 90% complete. They try to steal that remaining 10% seed.

Me?

I belong somewhere in the middle. My performance isn’t good, so I wouldn’t complain if I were released immediately or started the season in the minor league, but…….

This year, the team didn’t particularly reinforce the pitching staff.

After last season, they passed on all the FA [Free Agent] pitchers on the market who could be used effectively, even if they weren’t S-class or A-class.

I wondered what they were so confident about, but I soon stopped caring. Thanks to that, I was able to come to this camp and secure my position without any problems. Like a secure civil servant.

“Hanwool, get ready.”

“Yes.”

Our Wonha Challengers, who were 6th last year, were playing a practice game against Hansung Winners, who were two steps below us.

They have no particular strengths or weaknesses. A team that has become an icon of defeat, not living up to the name of Winners.

I don’t particularly like this team. No, to be exact…….

8th batter, left fielder Lee Yong-ho.

Because of this bastard.

As always, I warmed up and went to the mound. Top of the 8th inning, leading 4 to 1.

I gave up a hit to the first batter, but then I threw an inside sinker to the next batter and easily got a ground ball double play. Then, I faced the third batter.

The batter entered the right-handed batter’s box and went through his routine.

He held the bat with his left hand and tapped it on the front of home plate, swung the bat around once, and then put the bat on his right shoulder. And the look in his eyes as he looked at me was,

Go ahead, try it.

He was looking down on me.

Alright.

First, the sign. Inside slider on the first pitch. Okay.

Bang!

“Strike!”

A strike that starts as an inside ball and curves into the inside corner. I get the first pitch easily. The second pitch is a sinker that misses inside in the same course.

“Ball.”

A slider that misses outside.

“Ball.”

He watches and it’s a ball. Next is a sinker that comes in from the outside.

“…Ball!”

The umpire hesitated slightly before calling it a ball. It’s 3-1 like this.

It looked like it went in… no, it went in.

Hmm?

As the count became favorable to the batter, Lee Yong-ho smirked and looked at me. It was a different kind of smile than Woosuk’s last year. He was clearly mocking me.

‘Pfft. That’s what I expected from you. Someone like you?’

This bastard…….

I wait for the next sign.

Splitter into the zone, inside curve, outside curve, and then he finally put his right hand on his right shoulder.

Bang!

“Strike!”

Low and outside, very accurate. Just as I wanted. The count is 3-2, full count.

Lee Yong-ho looks a little puzzled. Not surprised, but a look of incomprehension. It’s the frustrating expression that comes out when something seems different but you don’t know what it is. I feel even better seeing that expression.

Eventually, he calls a time-out first, steps out of the batter’s box, swings two or three times, and then steps back into the batter’s box.

Try all you want, you’ll never hit it.

The sign comes out again.

Inside fastball, outside fastball, bouncing changeup, inside slider.

But this time, he only showed his pinky finger and touched his left shoulder, glove, then shoulder again, elbow, and glove.

He takes his left foot back slightly, looks at the mitt as he lifts his leg. And then, I threw with all my might. With the thought that it would be okay if the ball came out of my hand and hit that bastard in the face!

Whoosh—!

Bang—

“Swing! Out!”

A ridiculous inside high fastball that missed the zone by about three balls.

The expression on the guy’s face, who swung at a 135km [kilometers per hour] dung ball on a 3-2 count, was quite a sight.

In response, I went down the mound without any change in expression, as if I had no interest in someone like you from the beginning.

* * *

The training camp schedule ended after practice games with the Japanese team’s 1.5-tier players.

Personally, it was a very fruitful camp. I preserved my position and gained quite a few stats.

The quests started with the condition of observing Hyuk-joon’s fastball 5 times, and then they popped out from unexpected places, making me interested.

Get 3 outs with 3 pitches in 1 inning, exceed 145km [kilometers per hour], get a triple play, get a pickoff out, get consecutive hits, let them get on base with a dropped third strike, and even get hit by a home run.

Of course, I couldn’t achieve all the quests. But it was quite rewarding.

Ding—

[Player Stats]

Control – Top

Power – Medium

Stamina – Low

Fastball – 41

Curve – 36

Slider – 24

Splitter – 29

Changeup – 35

Sinker – 34

Traits – Detachment, Uncomfortable

In particular, there was great improvement in the fastball. It rose by 17 from my initial stat of 24. Slightly exaggerating, it almost doubled.

Considering that the stats of other changeups also increased, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that the power has doubled even without exaggeration.

In fact, the power also increased by two levels from the lowest to medium.

I also gained a new trait. In addition to the nonsensical trait of accepting any batted ball, there was the trait of ‘Uncomfortable.’ At first, I was saddened by the name alone, thinking what kind of terrible trait would make me sad again, but…….

[Uncomfortable: Makes hitters uncomfortable for no reason.]

It was a good trait. Even if it only amounts to ‘uncomfortable,’ the butterfly effect caused by that discomfort in this world where fate is determined by 0.01 seconds and 0.01 degrees cannot be ignored.

“You look good?”

“Of course. I can’t help but look good.”

Hyojae-sunbae [senior player], who came up next to me, tapped me on the shoulder and said a word.

“Well.”

“If I don’t look good in this situation, wouldn’t that be stupid?”

As a result of the camp, I, who was only a mop-up pitcher, was included in the secondary setup group.

Promotion. A vertical rise. There is no other word to replace this.

On the one hand, it’s also bitter. Just because my power went up a little, it changed so quickly. I wondered if our bullpen was that weak.

As soon as we returned to Korea and reorganized the team, the exhibition games began. When viewed as individuals rather than as a team, the true preliminary stage had begun.

“Hanwool, get ready.”

“Yes.”

Promotion.

I picked up my glove and checked the scoreboard. My status within the team has definitely changed.

I was still going up when we were losing, but the difference was that I was being put in situations where we could still win, not just when the game was already lost.

The usage has changed.

Bang!

“Hyung [older brother/senior], did you really do something during the off-season?”

“What did I do? I’m getting old.”

“No, but this is……”

Hyuk-joon, who was just hanging out in the bullpen because he started yesterday, keeps throwing out a word.

Well, it would be absurd from his point of view. Just because I referenced his form a little, my power changed so quickly.

Dude, I’m the most dumbfounded. In a good way.

Wowwww—

I opened the bullpen door and went outside, and the home fans cheered for me. I went to the mound with the pleasant noise behind me.

The routine is always the same.

I go to the mound and roughly sweep the dirt on the plate with my right foot. I move a few steps and check the condition of the spot where my left foot touches.

I receive the ball and pick the ground once, and then do a few practice pitches. After the practice pitches, the catcher throws the ball to second base.

While the infielders are rounding, I fidget with the rosin, and the shortstop is ready to throw the ball to me at the right time.

I step on the plate and wait for the umpire’s play call.

Hoo.

With a deep breath, what I saw in my sight was Gyu-hak, who always catches my ball, and the umpire. And…….

Top of the 7th inning, Sangsoo Tigers’ attack, 4th batter Park Hae-jin.

My rival came to the plate. Let’s see you hit my changed ball, you bastard!

Bang—!