Peaceful Bullpen Life [EN]: Chapter 108

※ 108. Away Game

The 50 innings pitched by a bullpen pitcher are worth as much as, if not more than, the 150 innings pitched by a starting pitcher.

The number of baseball fans who recognize this is increasing year by year.

Thank you. Overwhelming gratitude.

So why, why only now are we noticing this phenomenon?

It’s simple, the number 50 is much smaller than the number 150.

“Hanwool, I’m counting on you for the 8th.”

“Yes.”

After splitting one win and one loss at our home, we were assigned the third game at Sangsoo’s home.

Including today’s game, if I pitch about 1 inning in every game, the expected innings are 5 innings.

Of course, it will be more in reality.

Squeak—

I headed to the bullpen, moving in the exact opposite direction from the day before yesterday. Everything along the way was positioned in reverse, but

Bang-!

“Ah, gooood!”

Once inside the bullpen, everything returns to the basics.

The pitcher’s plate that aligns with my shoulder line and angle.

Gunyoung sitting behind home plate.

The black catcher’s mitt, flickering as it waits for the ball.

And,

Whack!

“Nice ball, nice baall!”

My mentality, gradually armoring up with each ball I throw.

I briefly took off my glove and fiddled with the ball in both hands. Using the resulting time gap, I checked behind the center fielder.

Top of the 8th, 1 out. The score is 1 to 1.

“…hit it, Kiseong…”

And Kiseong is at bat, with Myungjin on second base.

Clack!

“Foul!”

The batted ball, contacted behind my navel, hit the bullpen fence where I was and rolled onto the field.

Boom-!

Before the game resumed, I threw one ball too.

“Strike!”

And took a peek at the outside situation once.

Even after several cross-checks [multiple attempts to signal a different play], Kiseong remained at bat.

“Ball!”

“Foul—.”

“Foul!”

“Foul—!”

Tenaciously cutting, and cutting again, cutting however he could.

Despite being assigned the role of needing to warm up a bit more, I was hanging on the railing, watching the duel on the field.

“Kiseong…”

Clack-!

“Foul-!”

This is the 11th pitch with this ball.

Tick—

“Foul—.”

12th pitch.

“Time, time!”

Feeling fatigued from the continuous battle, Kiseong raised his left hand. As the time was accepted, the pitcher also took his foot off the plate.

“How many pitches is it?”

“It’s the 13th now.”

“Ah…”

Having taken his foot off the plate, the pitcher fiddled with the rosin bag with his left hand.

The batter, having completely left the batter’s box, briefly approached the dugout and ordered a tar stick [a pine tar-coated bat handle for better grip].

They used any legal substances they could to recharge.

The 13th pitch, met after a time of recharge.

The pitcher stared at the catcher with his left foot on the plate.

The batter stared at the pitcher, checking the state of his grip.

After several rejections [of signs from the catcher], the pitcher nodded. After checking the runner staring at him from second base, he quickly raised his right foot.

When his right foot touched the ground and his waist quickly rotated, when the pitcher’s jersey number, viewed from the third base bullpen, became invisible,

Clack-!

“Waaaaaah!!”

“Go!!”

“Myungjin, come on in!”

The ball, technically tapped, drew a trajectory that the shortstop could never catch unless his height was 3m.

Myungjin, who started sprinting towards third base, moved slightly to the right of the line after seeing the base coach’s right arm spinning like a windmill.

“Third cutting!! Send him home!!” [The third base coach is waving the runner home.]

Amid the shouts of the noisy crowd, the opposing catcher’s desperate voice was louder than any other.

Desperately.

That word, which would be incredibly negative to them or those they support, has the opposite meaning when it comes to us.

Swoosh-!

“Safe!!”

Myungjin, who slid forward and touched home plate with his left hand, jumped up.

He exchanged a high-five with Jinhyung, who was waiting next to him, that made me worry about his wrist breaking, and ran into the dugout.

Hooooooo!!

Yaaaaaah!!

Niceee!!

Having scored an important point, our mouths had already given up on uttering normal words.

Screams, cheers, or if it was a slightly more refined emotion, exclamations.

Amid the various letters floating around, the direction of everything was converging on one place.

Nam Kiseong! Nam Kiseong! Nam Kiseong!

Respect for the team’s 3rd batter, who hit the go-ahead RBI [Runs Batted In] in the top of the 8th, in a tie game.

Kiseong positioned his enemies behind him and raised his right hand towards us, who were the furthest away.

“Gunyoung, let’s throw.”

“Yessss!”

Smiling contentedly, I regained the courage to step on the plate once more.

Boom-!

“Ah, goood!”

Whack!

“Hyung, I like you so much!”

In order not to be left behind among the team making all sorts of strange noises and the audience showering all sorts of cheers, Gunyoung also chose his path.

Bang!

“They can’t hit this!”

Unconditional support, and encouragement.

Gunyoung’s shouts were like adding layers of outerwear to the mentality that had been thickening with each ball I threw.

Squeak—

“Good luck!”

I showed my teeth to Gunyoung, who was smiling brightly after taking off his mask. I even raised my bright red glove, signaling that I had completed my preparations.

“Hoo…”

My second appearance in the Korean Series. I arrived at the mound, walking a path that was 180 degrees different from my first appearance.

“Hup!”

Bang-!

Taking the initiative.

I just threw a strong ball in front of Min Jonghyun, who I would be facing shortly, as if to show off. He was matching the timing by turning his eyes from my side to the catcher’s side, but well,

Boom-!

“Ah, good!”

Ding-!

[You Shall Not Pass]

– 1 Inning, No Runs Allowed. (0/1)

– Reward – Splitter +2, Slider +2

I won’t allow it.

“Play!”

The reason why the Sangsoo Tigers can reign as the strongest team in the league is in a simpler place than you think.

The league’s best batting lineup, the league’s best starting pitchers, the league’s best bullpen, the league’s best defense, the Sangsoo Tigers are not interested in such grand titles.

Clack-!

“Foul—.”

Bang-!

“Strike!”

They’re just all good at baseball.

The team’s number one starter, the team’s cleanup hitter [the batter who bats fourth in the lineup, typically a power hitter], the team’s middle relief pitcher, the team’s center fielder, even the team’s backup members.

Boom-!

Following that sequence, it wouldn’t be a coincidence that he easily picked out the inside fastball from before.

Fiddling with the ball, I laid the plate spread out right in front of my feet in my line of sight. I firmly stepped on the pitcher’s plate, which had been diagonal for a moment, with my right foot.

Gyu-hak was asking for a sinker that dug into the inside. I also chose the easy path without necessarily fixating on a strikeout.

“Hoo…”

The head, which had been lowered in the windup, found its place. The baseball, intertwined with two fingers and receiving a stronger spin, accurately dug into the batter’s body.

Clack-!

As expected of the Sangsoo Tigers, he didn’t bother extending his left elbow for a ball that deeply invaded.

“Three!”

Following the batted ball flowing through the right side of my vision, my head turned. At the same time, I unconsciously called out to the infielder who would be in that position.

“Ah.”

However, due to the technical hit, the batted ball had already pierced through the gap between the shortstop and third baseman. Looking at Sung-hoon hyung’s [older brother or respected male figure] posture sprawled on the dirt, I had no choice but to admit it.

The batter hit it well.

“Hyungnim [a more respectful term for older brother], your ball is good!”

Even though his team’s pitcher had just been hit with a hit, Myungjin was smiling brightly.

Boom-!

“Strike- Out!”

Trust? Confidence?

Bang!

“Swing, swing out—.”

Well, the smile that sprang from such a feeling became enough motivation for me.

After handling the 1st and 2nd batters with three pitches each, I lit up two red lights [got two outs]. The next batter I’ll meet is…

3rd batter, Hong!! Seok!! Jin!!

During the 2019 Postseason, 3 hits in 12 at-bats, a batting average of .250.

The veteran player, who had to accept a scorecard that fell short of his name value during the regular season, did not change much even after entering the postseason.

However, if you move the category to the right a few times and move to the on-base percentage tab, the story changes.

.545.

Boom-!

“Strike!”

If a bad result seems likely, he boldly discards it, even if it passes through the center of the zone.

Whack!

“Ball!”

He lets go of any ball that deviates from the zone by even 1cm without any movement, accurately.

Clack-!

“Foul-!”

If he gets two strikes during the process, he tenaciously, tenaciously endures.

Bang!

“Low ball—.”

Even though he is cornered with two strikes, he calmly picks out the balls without shaking at all.

Tick—

The feeling I get from seeing the batted ball leaving the first base foul line was definitely etched in my memory.

The feeling I felt when I let Hong Seokjin walk when I was about to recklessly take on Park Haejin not long after encountering the current stats and quests.

Baseball is such a bitch!

Clack!

“Foul—.”

Was this how the opposing pitcher felt when facing Kiseong earlier?

“Hoo…”

I occasionally mixed in pickoff attempts and continued the battle with Hong Seokjin. I threw so many balls that I was confused about the sequence of balls I had thrown in this at-bat.

Was this the 7th pitch, or the 8th pitch?

Bang!

“Ball!”

Son of a bitch!

Eventually, I couldn’t help but curse inwardly when I reached a full count [three balls and two strikes].

The batter must also be fatigued from this battle, but looking at his eyes, which showed no change, I thought.

“…wow.”

Amazing.

What he has to do. What he can do.

The veteran batter, who has at most 5 games left, understood and executed the content I was using as a motif better than anyone else.

“Son of a bitch, this sucks.”

The corners of my mouth, which were uttering harsh words on the outside, were subtly pointing upwards.

The last three balls thrown were an inside slider foul, an inside fastball foul, and an outside changeup that he watched for a ball.

Even if I get hit with a hit, I have to end it here. If I let him go without doing anything, I’ll meet Park Haejin.

“Hoo…hoo…”

I could hear my breathing, which had become slightly rough from exerting all my strength. I took a deep breath in, and then a deep breath out, and picked out Gyuhak’s sign.

Inside sinker, outside fastball, outside curve, outside changeup, I passed four signs in a row.

The sign I encountered after that was an inside fastball. Adding an understanding of the height, it was inside.

I promised to throw the strongest ball possible. I wanted a fastball so strong that his aging physique wouldn’t dare to touch it.

“Hoo…hoo…hup!”

Boom-!

150km.

If I had seen the speed I had dreamed of on the scoreboard, I should have been happy.

“Ah, son of a bitch.”

But looking at the batter walking wearily to first base, it was nonsense.

“Time!”

“Time!”

He allowed a hit to the leadoff batter [the first batter in the lineup], but struck out the next two batters. He seemed to be escaping the crisis, but then walked the next batter after throwing 8 pitches.

With a very bad flow, Gyuhak called time and came up to the mound.

“Are you okay?”

“I’m okay. You didn’t have to come up.”

“I was just… wondering what to do. It’s Park Haejin.”

“Park Haejin…”

I could see Park Haejin swinging his bat near the batter’s box. I wanted to take the lead from my side, but it becomes unnecessarily complicated because of the runner on second base.

“Focus on sliders and fastballs. Finish with a splitter.”

“Okay.”

In times like this, the length of the conversation should be short. Unnecessarily long meeting times tend to go off track.

“Play!”

First pitch slider.

It seems that Gyuhak has properly underlined the key parts of the meeting minutes.

“Guk!”

Bang!

“Strike!”

The slider passed the outside, a boundary line that seemed quite far away. Park Haejin only twitched his bat once.

The second pitch is an outside fastball, okay to miss one. I took the set position and glared at Min Jonghyun on second base.

Because of you.

Thinking that this mess happened because of that damn leadoff batter who doesn’t avoid my eyes,

“Keuek!”

I felt bad for a moment.

1-1.

In an ambiguous count situation, Gyuhak asked for a slider once again.

Which one would be better, one that falls vertically, or one that flows horizontally?

After thinking for a moment, the grip I took was the one I had learned from Hyun-jin.

“Euk!”

The ball flew to the center of the zone, but low. The perfect trajectory of the bat also seems to overlap in time.

It’s coming.

The slider sank straight down from that trajectory. If it maintains its current state, I’ll be able to earn one more count.

Clack—

However, Park Haejin, who momentarily took his right elbow away from his body, managed to hit the ball.

The batted ball felt like it grazed the back of my head.

“Eu!”

As soon as I confirmed that the batted ball had passed the keystone [second base], I ran towards home plate with all my might.

“Short cut! To home!!” [Throw to home plate!]

Gyu-hak’s lion’s roar was heard around the time I passed home plate.

Please.

Jinhyung’s shoulder isn’t bad for a center fielder. Myungjin’s shoulder is also in the top tier among shortstops.

“Kkaheu!”

With a strange shout, Myungjin’s body rotated towards home plate. Min Jonghyun, who started from second base, was already close to home.

Thud-!

Gyu-hak, who skillfully caught the ball that bounced right in front of him, pushed his right knee inward without hesitation.

Swoosh-!

“Out!”

The umpire’s cheerful out call.

Ding-!

[You Shall Not Pass]

– 1 Inning, No Runs Allowed. (1/1)

– Reward – Splitter +2, Slider +2

Control – Top

Power – High

Stamina – Medium

Four-seam – 84

Curve – 80

Sla – 77+2=79

Spli – 76+2=78

Chain – 78

Sinker – 79

Traits

Detachment – I accept any batted ball or situation as it is.

Discomfort – Makes the opposing batter feel uncomfortable when looking at the pitcher from the plate.

Comfort – Those who look at me feel comfortable.

Concentration – The number of objects I can concentrate on increases.

Yaaaaaah!!

Hueeeeeeng-!!

The infielders, who had each recorded a bodhisattva [made a great save], ran into the dugout, celebrating in their own way.

“…wow.”

Even while watching them, I couldn’t easily follow along.

The chilliness itself, coming from sending a runner into scoring position and then allowing a hit in a scoring position situation, was less.

Rather than that…

“Hyung, what are you doing.”

“Uh…”

I thought I could catch it.

I thought that the inertia of taking outs from Park Haejin recently would continue until today.

‘The reason I knelt was to gain momentum.’

But he kept his promise to me and managed to get a hit.

“…I have to go in.”

Watching Park Haejin, who was returning to his dugout from first base, made me feel like I was giving something and then taking it away.

“Ehhh!”

“Let’s go, let’s go!!”

Even until Kyungseok sunbae [senior colleague] blocked the bottom of the 9th without allowing any runs, I couldn’t suppress the uncomfortable feeling somewhere in my heart.