Peaceful Bullpen Life [EN]: Chapter 99

99. Smooth Sailing

Victory. Victory. And more victories. They occasionally lost a game, but immediately bounced back with another win in the next. And then another victory.

That was the recent record of the Wonha Challengers. And, miraculously, the Sangsoo Tigers were mirroring our success.

‘Are they twins?’

Their wins and losses aligned so perfectly that people started joking about it.

Before we knew it, only three games remained in the season. And the gap between us and the first-place team was just one game.

Finishing the season in first place wasn’t just about prestige; it meant securing direct entry to the Korean Series [the championship series of the KBO League], a massive advantage.

“Donggyun, let’s gooo!!”

Donggyun was slowly solidifying his position as the team’s fifth starter. He wasn’t pitching spectacularly, but he was consistently ‘not bad.’

Let’s win today, win tomorrow, and then win the day after tomorrow too. Then we’ll finish the regular season in first place. We will.

I shouted, clapping my hands together, towards Donggyun’s back as he headed to the mound to pitch the top of the first inning. The momentary surge of excitement made the back of my neck stiff, so I plopped down in my chair.

Strike, ball, strike, ground ball out to the third baseman.

Ball, ball, ball, strike, ball, walk.

First pitch, fly ball to the center fielder.

Ball, strike, strike, ball, strike, strikeout to end the inning.

I watched Donggyun return to the bullpen after a 멋지게 [meotjige – stylishly, coolly] finished first inning. I immediately jumped up and clapped! Clapped! Clapped! as I opened the door to the bullpen myself.

“He looks really desperate?”

“More than desperate, it’s more like…”

Gyujin hyung [hyung is a Korean term used by males to address older male friends or brothers], who had quietly approached me while I was loosening Donggyun’s shoulders, said.

“It’s a shame, isn’t it?”

“Being in first place?”

“If the game difference was big, I wouldn’t know. We would have just prepared for the playoffs while comfortably managing the players’ stamina. But…”

Bottom of the first inning.

I could see Myungjin glaring at the opposing pitcher with fierce eyes.

In the next circle, Seonghyun was putting on his batting ring and taking practice swings.

Heonhee was wearing all of his batting gear in the dugout and clapping.

“Hyung. Let’s say we finish the season in second place and go straight to the playoffs. After that, Korean Series or whatever, if you just look at that result, would you say it’s a good result?”

“Of course. Do you think being second in the league is a joke?”

“Right. It’s really good. But, what if we were bickering about whether to be in first place or not, and then ended up in second place at the very end. What would you think about that?”

“That’s good too, isn’t it?”

“It’s good. It’s true that we worked really hard.”

Ah… Sunbaenim [Sunbae is a Korean term for a senior or mentor in a school or work environment]… Ah, it hurts…….

Ah, sorry.

The hand that was unconsciously massaging Donggyun’s shoulder ended up putting in too much force. Eventually, I moved away from Donggyun and sat next to Gyujin hyung.

“But wouldn’t you feel a sense of emptiness?”

“Hmm…”

“I was wondering if our team members… after going through that process and ending up in second place in the league… would they be able to win in the playoffs even with that sense of emptiness.”

Bang-!

Turn! Turn around!!

Second!! Go right now!!

“I’m worried that even the sense of purpose will disappear in vain. Even if we get crushed 4-0 in the Korean Series, I think going straight to the Korean Series is the priority.”

“Oh… you think about things like that too.”

“What kind of guy do you think I am?”

“A guy who lives because he was born.”

“Nooo.”

“Sunbaenim, I will work harder.”

“No…”

With Myungjin’s double as the starting point, Seonghyun made the pitcher throw a whopping 12 pitches before walking to first base.

And our honey jar Heonhee [term of endearment], who started as the third baseman in place of Seonghoon hyung.

He let the high fastball go on the first pitch, timed the low fastball on the second pitch,

Bang-!

“It’s going!!! It went overrr!!”

“HooOOOO!!!”

A three-run homer that soared far over the center fence of the spacious Jamsil Stadium. As soon as it was hit, everyone in the stadium knew, ‘Ah, that’s gone.’

Thanks to that, the sight of the honey jar pointing towards our team’s dugout while heading to first base looked so 멋있었다 [meosiss-eossda – cool, awesome, admirable].

The batting lineup scores, and the pitcher prevents runs.

This simple algorithm is more difficult than you think.

What if we can’t score?

What if we can’t stop them?

Because the subtext that’s unconsciously laid out can control people’s minds more easily than you think.

But baseball is a team game.

Even if I can’t hit, even if I get hit, there are teammates who lead from the front and support from behind.

Bang-!

Kim Wook didn’t miss Donggyun’s mistake and pulled it as is. Giseong, who was positioned close to first base to tie up the runner, couldn’t possibly chase after that hit.

“Ball three!”

“No cut, turn it right away!!”

Seonghyun, who caught the ball rolling quickly through the gap between first and second base, threw the ball towards third base without even looking properly.

As expected of Seonghyun’s throw, who has the strongest shoulder among the outfielders, it flew with truly terrifying momentum. I wondered if Heonhee, who had to receive that, wouldn’t be scared.

Whack-!

Eh, I’ll just get hit and it’ll hurt a little!

Heonhee had that kind of expression on his face. He gritted his teeth and somehow managed to catch the throw. The third base umpire, after checking the glove that was naturally tagged, announced,

“Out-!”

He threw a right hook into the air, signaling the end of the inning.

“Yessss, let’s score, let’s score!”

“Donggyun nice ball-.”

Like the 2019 season’s Wonha Challengers, today’s game was also going smoothly.

The fact that Donggyun blocked them with only 2 runs during a whopping 8 innings,

The fact that the batting lineup frugally scored 5 points,

The fact that Senior Kyungseok cleanly blocked the 9th inning.

Everything must be evidence that it is sailing smoothly without a hitch.

“Wow… it’s finally come this far.”

Just like we won today, the Sangsoo Tigers also won on the same day.

“Hyung, hyung.”

“What.”

“Don’t worry, I’m going to win.”

Hyukjoon, who had read my complicated facial expression, came up to me and started acting up. He was coming at me making disgusting noises like ‘euhit, euhit.’

“If we lose, it’s over. For real.”

“We have to win.”

77 wins, 1 draw, 46 losses. And 78 wins, 1 draw, 45 losses.

If we lose tomorrow, all the previous assumptions will be thrown into the trash.

“That’s why hyung has been adjusting his condition, right?”

“Yeah…”

The coach had been slightly adjusting the starting lineup, so he could use the first and second starters at this timing.

In addition, he had been saving me as much as possible in the bullpen, and had completed all preparations for any possible situation.

The batting lineup also knew this situation, so they helped the bullpen rest fully by scoring a lot of points from the beginning.

“…Stats.”

Control – Top

Power – High

Stamina – Medium

Four-seam – 81

Curve – 74

Slider – 71

Splitter – 70

Changeup – 72

Sinker – 73

Traits

Detachment – Accepts any hit or situation as it is.

Discomfort – Makes opposing batters feel uncomfortable when they look at the pitcher in the batter’s box.

Comfort – Those who look at him feel comfortable.

Concentration – The number of targets he can concentrate on increases.

Maybe the system was giving me quests during this period for this very moment.

I worked hard on the quests for a month and received a significant upgrade. Now it’s my turn to make a comeback with these stats.

“We can be number one.”

Hyukjoon, who had always felt unbearably light, spoke in a low voice, but it didn’t feel awkward.

“If we get first place, let’s eat chicken.”

“Ooh yeah.”

I slowly walked out of the stadium with the first starter, who was shouting for seasoned chicken.

* * *

“Hello viewers, this is Jamsil Stadium, where the 17th game of the season between the Wonha Challengers and the Sangsoo Tigers will be held.”

Kwon Myunghoon, the flagship caster of MBS [broadcasting station].

Knowing the importance of today’s game, he announced the start with an even more determined expression and voice.

“Commentators Choi Soohyun and Kim Hyungchul will be working hard for today’s game. Hello.”

“Hello!”

“Hello.”

“It’s not a lineup that was intentionally 짜다 [jjada – planned, strategized], but it’s become quite interesting.”

Caster Kwon Myunghoon first turned his body to his right. It was commentator Choi Soohyun, who had a tall height and a fairly handsome face.

“That’s right. Currently, the Wonha Challengers and the Sangsoo Tigers have been strangely matching their wins and losses over the past month, maintaining a one-game difference. The regular season’s first place will be decided as early as today or at the latest tomorrow.”

“Both teams seemed to be making sure to manage their stamina, knowing the importance of today’s game.”

This time, commentator Kim Hyungchul on his left. Kim Hyungchul, who hid his small eyes with glasses, raised his microphone.

“Both teams showed that they would focus on this two-game series by slightly adjusting their starting pitchers. There were also quite a few adjustments in the bullpen. In other words, both teams are going all out.”

“That’s what you both said. If the Sangsoo Tigers win today, they can secure first place in the season as is, and if the Wonha Challengers win, they will get another chance. We will deliver the game to you shortly.”

After the commercial.

“The game will begin with the Sangsoo Tigers’ attack in the top of the first inning. First, here is the Sangsoo Tigers’ batting lineup. Center fielder Go Dongwook, second baseman Kang Daehyun, designated hitter Hong Seokjin, first baseman Park Haejin, third baseman Ha Haejin, catcher Shin Heonchul, shortstop Shin Taebum, right fielder Park Myunggi, and left fielder Min Jonghyun.”

“They’re strong. There are many reasons why they have been able to dominate the league for a very long time, but basically, the players are very strong. They can score more than one point at any time, and they have a defense that can block more than one point at any time.”

“If there is a batter to focus on, which batter would it be?”

Among the Sangsoo players listed, a red square was added to the third name from the top.

Commentator Kim Hyungchul, who confirmed the existence of the red square, added a word first.

“It’s Hong Seokjin. I definitely feel that he’s getting old. His power has dropped a lot, and his reaction has dropped a lot, especially with the widening of the strike zone this year. He needs a definite turnaround in this important series.”

“Here is the Wonha Challengers’ defense that follows. Yuhoon, Park Jinhyung, and Kang Seonghyun in the outfield, Lee Seonghoon, Lee Myungjin, Jeon Seongmoon, and Nam Giseong in the infield, and Hwang Hyukjoon and Moon Gyuhak as the battery [pitcher and catcher].”

“Wonha still symbolizes powerful defense. I think their defense alone is one step above Sangsoo.”

“Commentator Choi Soohyun, is there a player who is further emphasized on the defense side?”

As soon as the question was over, a red square was added to the first baseman’s position.

“If you only have to think about defense, it’s Nam Giseong. He is one of the few hitters who has not been directly hit by this season’s 투고타저 [tugo-tajeo – pitcher dominance, where pitching is stronger than hitting], but he still doesn’t show a very reliable performance in defense. Sangsoo will definitely target Nam Giseong a lot.”

After the introduction of each team was over, the screen was showing the mound. Hwang Hyukjoon, who was vigorously throwing the ball on the mound, held up the rosin bag towards the dugout.

“The Wonha Challengers’ starter, Hwang Hyukjoon. He recorded 17 wins in the 2019 season, and his ERA [Earned Run Average] was 2.81 in 179 innings. He recorded 194 strikeouts and 98 walks.”

“I think he’s really close to being a complete player now. His speed, control, breaking ball, power, and stamina and inning-eating ability are all very good.”

As Hwang Hyukjoon finished his practice pitches, the umpire called Go Dongwook, who was waiting next to him.

Go Dongwook, who came to the plate and greeted the umpire and catcher briefly, started his routine by waving his bat.

Play!

Even though the umpire was pointing at him with his finger, Hwang Hyukjoon was looking not at the catcher but much higher up.

Whoosh!

After taking a deep breath a few seconds later, his eyes changed. That figure was not the dumb Hyukjoon who always smiled with ‘euhehe,’ but,

“If you had to pick one strength of pitcher Hwang Hyukjoon, what would it be?”

Wham!

“It’s confidence.”

It was the figure of the Wonha Challengers’ first starter, Emperor Hyukjoon.

“He catches the count with a fastball that fills the inside from the first pitch. Go Dongwook seems very surprised by the power.”

“If a 156km pitch comes inside from the first pitch, I think I would be surprised too?”

Looking at an inside fastball, fouling an inside fastball, swinging and missing at a slider that runs outside.

“Swing! Strikeout. He easily catches the first count with three pitches!”

“Pitcher Hwang Hyukjoon is good today?”

“It seems like he really came out with his teeth grinding.”

The next batter to appear is Kang Daehyun. The first ball he got to see after entering the opposite batter’s box from Go Dongwook was,

“114km, this time he threw a curve from the first pitch. He watches one count as it falls far outside.”

A curve that is more than 40km different from the fastball.

All a batter who is not prepared at all can do is just flinch.

Looking at an outside curve, swinging and missing at an inside fastball, and watching a falling slider and an outside fastball one by one,

“High fastball, swinging strikeout! Today’s Hwang Hyukjoon is throwing a very scary ball!”

Swinging strikeout with a high fastball. Relatively easily, 2 outs.

“Commentator Kim Hyungchul said that today’s Hong Seokjin batter is important.”

“Personally, I’m curious about how Hong Seokjin will handle it.”

“Handle it?”

“In terms of physical ability, Hong Seokjin is definitely at a disadvantage.”

“From the first pitch, pitcher Hwang Hyukjoon takes the first count by throwing a fastball outside. Please continue.”

“Coach Kim Seokjoo must know what I said. I wonder why he insists on Hong Seokjin’s third batting order even though he knows…”

Bang-!

“On the second pitch, he pushed it as is. The high fly ball can be easily caught by the left fielder, Yuhoon, three outs. See you later.”

The fateful two-game series.

From the first inning of defense, the Wonha Challengers were ready to sail smoothly with the wind at their backs.