Peaceful Bullpen Life [EN]: Chapter 150

※ 150. Side Story – Turn it Off

For Victory! – From All of Wonha Challengers

A small conference room with a banner bearing the wishes of the Wonha Challengers members attached to the ceiling.

Creak—

“Hello…?”

A man hesitantly entered the conference room. After bowing his head once, the conference room appeared as bleak as ever.

A desk in the center. A laptop on it. A camera next to it. A person behind it.

“…What’s this about today?”

“Today is a special feature on Kim Han-wool.”

“What kind of special?”

“You know Wiki, right?”

“What’s that?”

“It’s like a detailed profile page where other people have written all about you, Kim Han-wool. There’s probably a lot about you that you don’t even know.”

“So what’s the point?”

“You’re going to read it today.”

“Did… did the others do this too?”

“No, you’re the first, Kim Han-wool.”

Hmm….

Seated, Han-wool stared at Eun-seo with a blank expression.

“Hey, sorry.”

“Yes.”

“It might just be my mood, but… well, yeah. It’s good to come up with content and try things. But why am I always the first one?”

“Because Kim Han-wool is the most fun to tease….”

“……”

“……”

“Hey.”

“It’s just your imagination.”

“You just said ‘fun to tease.’”

“It’s your imagination.”

“……”

“……”

For a moment, their eyes met.

A fatal blow with just a glance!

Something like that atmosphere briefly unfolded, then,

“There’s a laptop in front of you, right?”

Eun-seo quickly took the lead.

“The document about Kim Han-wool is already open, so please read it slowly from the top.”

“Haa….”

“You do know how to use a laptop, right?”

“……”

“Ah, there’s a mouse next to it, right? If you press the top and left part of the mouse, you can click….”

“I know!”

Whether he shouted or not, Eun-seo continued the content with a cheerful smile.

“Just read it?”

“Yes.”

“…Yeah, I can at least read.”

Han-wool, with his large hand on the black office mouse, made a whirring sound as he scrolled the mouse wheel down.

His left elbow on the table. His chin resting on his left hand.

After reading like that for a while,

“Hey, Kim Han-wool.”

“Yes?”

“I almost don’t want to ask, but you’re not reading it to yourself, are you?”

“What do you mean?”

“No, you have to read it out loud. You read it, the fans listen, and we see their reactions. What’s the point of reading it alone?”

“You should have told me that beforehand. I was just reading because you told me to.”

“Are you stupid?”

“Hey!”

Damn it….

Han-wool sighed softly and clicked the mouse wheel, scrolling all the way up.

“Name Kim Han-wool. Born October 21, 1989. Height 188cm [approx. 6’2″], weight 107kg [approx. 236 lbs]. Graduated from Yangan Elementary, Yangan Middle, and Yangan High School. Position is relief pitcher, bats and throws right. Draft… Do I just keep reading this?”

“Yes. We can edit out the boring parts.”

“Can you completely edit it out?”

“It’s possible to completely edit out Kim Han-wool’s parts from now on.”

“…Sorry.”

Ahem.

“Affiliated team is Wonha Challengers from debut until now. Entrance song is… How do I read this? Mickey Valen? ‘Wild Card’ sung by Mickey Valen.”

“Mickey Valen is the composer, and the song is sung by Pelli Ferraro, who was featured next to him.”

“Ah… What’s this little 1 next to it? Do I read this too?”

“Yes, yes.”

“Uh… Kim Han-wool’s appearance was selected because it means the same as the Wonha Challengers’ wild card. The cheering from the stands whenever Kim Han-wool appears is truly a spectacle… it says.”

“See the link next to it?”

“Yeah.”

“Would you like to watch it?”

“Uh….”

Following Eun-seo’s words obediently, Han-wool watched a Mytube [similar to YouTube] window.

The video quality doesn’t seem very good, and the sound quality is the same, as if a fan filmed it directly, but

– Waaaaah-!!

– You’re the wild card!! Folding is your half-pants!! [likely a nonsensical but enthusiastic chant]

– Kim Han-wool!! Kim Han-wool!! Kim Han-wool!!

The affection of the Wonha Challengers fans for Han-wool was definitely felt.

“Wow, it feels different seeing it from here. I always hear it when I go out to the mound.”

“How is it different?”

“I guess it hits me harder. It’s cooler, seeing it like this… Ah, and I’m exempt from military service. No religion, annual salary of 750 million [approx. $600,000 USD]. Awards… Hold King twice. Nickname….”

Looking at the laptop screen, Han-wool briefly raised his head to look at Eun-seo. Seeing Eun-seo’s expression asking why, he looked back at the laptop screen, but

“……”

The following line did not come out.

“What’s wrong?”

“No, why is my nickname like this?”

“What’s wrong with the nickname?”

“…Cooking King, Joking King, Injustice King.”

Pfft.

Eun-seo couldn’t help but burst into laughter.

“…You uploaded this, didn’t you?”

“Ah, no?”

“At the inauguration ceremony for becoming captain in the 2019 season… he said himself that he would promise injustice and oppression to everyone here in the future… Oh my, how scary….”

Pfft.

“……”

Han-wool couldn’t hide his discomfort and scrolled the mouse wheel down.

“Ah, what’s this picture? This is cool.”

[A photo of Kim Han-wool striking out and nonchalantly pointing his finger at catcher Moon Gyu-hak.]

And below that were a few lines of comments left by top KBO [Korean Baseball Organization] players about Kim Han-wool.

[Everyone says I’m the best pitcher in the country. But I can’t admit it. Kim Han-wool is a senior who is several times better than me – Lee Hyun-jin of Dongsung Hornets]

[Honestly, before that, he was just a so-so pitcher. But now, I’m about to have trauma. Because of that, I get chills just looking at Wonha Challengers, let alone Kim Han-wool – Bae Deok-hyun of Visco Runners]

[Strangely, that hyung [older brother/senior male] does so well when he goes to the mound that it’s a bit boring (Wa-al-wak-ah!!) – Hwang Hyuk-joon of Wonha Challengers]

[Bad bastard – Choi Woo-seok of Sungwoon Hawks]

After reading all these comments, Han-wool said,

“Hyun-jin is still doing this here. He’s really out of his mind. I feel a bit sorry for Deok-hyun hyung… Hyuk-joon isn’t in his right mind either.”

He left a light one-line review.

“A South Korean baseball player belonging to the Wonha Challengers. After not shining for 10 years since his debut, he caught the feeling of pitching and achieved a breakthrough, becoming the first in the KBO League to build a golden tower of 40 holds.”

Oh….

“Only a few years ago, he was throwing speeds of barely 130km [approx. 81 mph], but now he easily throws speeds of up to 150km [approx. 93 mph], and he is a pitcher with five types of changeups and top-notch control at the major league level. Oh….”

“Do you admit it?”

“It’s all true. I have to admit it.”

“Then what about the next sentence?”

The next sentence?

“He is the captain of the Wonha Challengers, and due to the short speech he gave at the captain’s inauguration ceremony, he has the nickname Cooking King, Joking King, Injustice King….”

Pfft.

“Don’t laugh.”

Pfft.

“……”

“P-Please read the next one.”

“Haa… Player career is… What? Why is the front part missing?”

“The front part?”

“No, they’re just glossing over the 16 seasons since his debut with one sentence?”

“What does it say?”

“It just lumps together the results up to the 16th season, and then says, ‘It’s a tearful result, but…’ Is that right?”

“That’s right.”

“Ah.”

That’s right.

Han-wool quickly agreed and read the next sentence.

“17th season. The first season to signal a full rebound. His speed gradually increased, and he began to show the true value that had not been shining. Oh… cool.”

“Please continue reading about the next season as well.”

“18th season, the strongest bullpen ace who cleanly shed the gaze of being a one-year wonder. Oh… I don’t really want to read the 19th season.”

“Why?”

“Look, the thing I was worried about is coming out right away. ‘Was it a two-year wonder instead of a one-year wonder?’ However, in the second half of the season, he returned to his position and showed that he could compete in international competitions.”

“That’s right, that’s right. What about the 20th season?”

“It says the 20th season is writing a legend of legends, but who wrote this? I don’t think the person who wrote this is in their right mind either.”

A legend of legends…….

Whether he liked the nonsense or not, Han-wool chuckled and read the next document.

“There’s my play style too?”

“Yes, yes. It says everything.”

“Let’s see….”

Until the 17th season, he used speeds in the early to mid-130km range, but from the second half of the 19th season, he suddenly took 150km lightly, and in the 20th season, he easily reached the late 150km range.

Speed is speed, but what is very outstanding is his power. As Park Hae-jin explained, ‘I know it sounds ridiculous, but Kim Han-wool’s fastball is really a rising fastball,’ he praised.

“Wow… Hae-jin said this?”

“Yes, yes.”

“He’s not the type to say this. No, is he the type to say this but then just blow me away whenever we meet? This is that, that thing, isn’t it? He’s being deceptive.”

“But hasn’t Kim Han-wool been beating Park Hae-jin lately?”

“…Seems like it?”

Besides his fastball, his changeups are also very diverse. Sliders thrown both vertically and horizontally, a curve with a very sharp angle, Kim Han-wool’s most valuable hidden pitch, the splitter [a type of fastball designed to dive sharply], a changeup that’s a nightmare for left-handed batters, and even the sinker, which Kim Han-wool enjoys throwing the most.

All five of these changeups show movement at the KBO’s [Korean Baseball Organization] highest level or better, which is sufficiently proven by his stats.

“Ah, changeups are being discussed.”

“Is there anything you’d like to add?”

“I’m only saying this now, but was it the 18th season? I was thinking about ditching the slider.”

“Why? Your slider is so good now.”

“It wasn’t good back then.”

“Ah….”

But Kim Han-wool’s real weapon is his control. In his own words, ‘On a good day, I can control it down to the centimeter [approximately 0.4 inches].’

One thing to keep in mind here is that ‘centimeter’ doesn’t mean he’s precisely pinpointing spots in the strike zone. It means he can move the ball in and out of the corners by centimeters.

“It’s written properly here.”

“What is?”

“The centimeter thing. I misspoke once during an interview, and it caused some strange misunderstandings.”

“Ah, control?”

“It’s not a bad misunderstanding, but more like… wow, is that even possible? Is he really a pro pitcher? That kind of feeling.”

And when you watch Kim Han-wool pitch, there’s one very unique thing. Sometimes he takes control of the play itself, even influencing the fielders’ positions, going beyond just calling pitches.

Basically, because he has many pitches and perfect control, he enjoys using ball combinations that exploit the opponent’s weaknesses rather than just playing to his own strengths. (He said that if you keep hitting the same spot, they’ll hurt on their own. Seriously.)

This strategy seems possible because of his accurate understanding of the tendencies of all the hitters in the league, the weapons he has, and the great trust he has in his own team’s fielders.

You might think that a catcher would be very comfortable partnering with Kim Han-wool, since he knows how to mix his pitches and even decides the fielders’ positions, but according to Moon Gyu-hak, it’s actually very uncomfortable. There are times when he inevitably has to call the signs himself, and it feels like getting confirmation from his boss, which is very scary.

In fact, if you look at Kim Han-wool’s innings, most of the interval is taken up by him shaking his head at the catcher’s signs. He rarely wastes time by taking deep breaths or doing unnecessary things.

[Kim Han-wool is a complete pitcher. He’s a pitcher who can bring victory no matter what catcher is behind the plate, what batter is at the plate, or even what umpire is behind him. – MBS Commentator Kim Soo-chan]

[Well, the reason I had good results was because Senior Yang Deok-cheol led so well. But the real smart pitcher, the one who really uses his head well, is Han-wool. – Hanseong Winners Manager Kim Seon-gon]

[I’m a catcher with some experience and a reputation for good defense. No, I *am* a catcher. I’m the one who calls the signs and the pitcher throws, right? But I’m scared to call signs to Han-wool hyung [older brother/senior]. It feels like getting confirmation from my boss. – Wonha Challengers Moon Gyu-hak]

“Ah… talking about ball combinations and signs.”

“What do you think about this?”

“I… I don’t really think I use my head that well.”

“But the results are good, right?”

“The results are good. But this is… how should I put it? I took the first step well?”

“Had a good start?”

“Ah, yes. I had a good image of having good control. Thanks to that, I was able to do some crazy things, and I think that’s what made it possible.”

He throws two types of sliders, vertical and horizontal, and even throws unconventional sliders that reduce the drop or increase the speed.

His curve, which has a large drop but is slow, yet breaks properly instead of just flopping, is also a masterpiece. It was praised as a beautiful curve by the American commentators during the Premier12 tournament [an international baseball tournament].

Although it’s hidden by various factors, the splitter is, in some ways, Kim Han-wool’s real weapon. He says that his condition fluctuates, but on a good day, he can make a living with just his splitter.

The changeup is a nightmare for left-handed batters in particular. There’s no way to distinguish it by form or ball rotation, and his control is perfect, so they have no choice but to be fooled.

He says that he can always justify throwing his sinker, which is his favorite pitch. The most fundamental reason why Kim Han-wool isn’t afraid of runners on base is this sinker.

“Changeups, huh….”

“Kim Han-wool has a remarkably large number of changeups, right?”

“He does have a remarkably large number.”

“Doesn’t it get confusing? For the catchers?”

“It does get confusing. I’m the pitcher that catchers hate the most, especially when they’re partnering with me for the first time.”

“Why?”

“Because it’s a headache. It’s not about how to mix the pitches, but they hate it because it’s hard to remember the signs.”

“Ah, I see. But what about the catcher? Doesn’t Kim Han-wool get confused too?”

“…Not really? So usually the catcher creates them and I memorize them.”

Scrolling down a bit further, there was a document related to Kim Han-wool’s pitching form. The first thing that caught his eye was,

“Wow, what is this?”

A GIF made by overlapping several pitching forms.

[A GIF overlapping three fastballs thrown by Kim Han-wool of the Seongun Hawks to strike out Kim Seong-hoon. The error is so small that you could think it’s just one image.]

“I’ve never seen anything like this before, wow….”

“What’s the evaluation of Kim Han-wool’s pitching form itself?”

“My form? Isn’t it cool? I’m tall and big, and I’m all flailing around.”

“It is cool….”

Overall, his pitching form is considered quite cool. In particular, the way he bows his head during the windup gives off the aura of a general arranging his troops.

Casual fans focus on the external aspects of Kim Han-wool’s pitching form, but hardcore fans and experts, especially elite players, focus on Kim Han-wool’s delivery.

Usually, pitching forms that only look flashy on the outside tend to have excessive twisting angles, or the stride is too much for the physique, resulting in an ‘over-the-top’ pitching form. However, Kim Han-wool is evaluated as having perfectly captured the essentials, such as lifting, stride, twisting angle, and core rotation.

[A scene of catching a runner on first base with a great pickoff throw]

[A scene of perfectly coordinating with shortstop Lee Myung-jin to catch a runner on second base with an outside pickoff]

[A scene of perfectly fooling a runner on second base with an inside pickoff and then running to tag the runner himself]

His runner control is also perfect. It’s natural for him to keep runners close in the set position, and he even catches them on his own.

“Runner control. Runners are important.”

“Come to think of it, Kim Han-wool seems to be stronger when there are runners on base.”

“It’s actually easier to throw when there are runners on base.”

“Huh?”

“There’s one thing that people misunderstand. Which do you think throws a faster ball, the windup or the stretch [set position]?”

“St… what’s the stretch?”

“Ah, the set position.”

“Ah… isn’t it obviously the windup? It’s easier to generate power.”

Han-wool smiled subtly at Eun-seo’s answer.

“Actually, there’s not much difference. Some pitchers might even be faster in the stretch.”

“Really?”

“Didn’t the PD [Producer/Director] say it? That the windup is easier to generate power.”

“Yes, yes.”

“That’s the trap. It’s good if you use it well. But because it’s easier to generate power, it’s easy to overdo it.”

“That… unnecessary force is applied? Like putting force on the shoulder, is that it?”

“Exactly, exactly, that’s it. That too, and when there are runners on base, it feels like the number of pitches I can throw increases.”

“Huh? Isn’t that the opposite? You can’t drop the ball or allow a stolen base when there are runners on base.”

Han-wool smiled and answered, overturning a completely accepted common sense among baseball fans.

“This is something that only I can say, and it’s also something that I can say because Gyu-hak is the catcher. First of all, in the case of stolen bases, I keep the runners close, so their starts are late, and even if they run, Gyu-hak has a strong arm, so stolen bases are usually caught.”

“Ah… I see.”

“And dropping the ball. Wild pitches, it’s similar. My control is at a level where I have to bounce the splitter. So I can roughly control where to plant the splitter.”

“Wow….”

“And the point where the batter is easily fooled and the point where the catcher can easily block are the same. It’s the point where it bounces closest to the catcher.”

“Ah….”

“When you mix all these things together, it’s actually easier when there are runners on base. When there are no runners on base, the best you can do is one out, but when you do well with runners on base, it’s two counts.”

“Wow, this will be quite a hot topic when the video is uploaded.”

“I hope the elite players watch it. Ah, of course, I’m not saying to intentionally let runners on base?”

A pitcher who is called the 5th infielder after throwing the ball. Therefore, a pitcher’s fielding is also important. In Kim Han-wool’s words, good pitching defense lowers your stats internally, but externally, it prevents you from getting hit in the face and going to the afterlife.

[A scene of catching a 167km/h line drive]

[A scene of catching a bunt rolling down the third base foul line and throwing it towards first base with his whole body]

[A scene of sprinting like crazy to cover first base on a ground ball]

[A scene of catching a ground ball in front of the pitcher and throwing it to second base leisurely and accurately to complete a double play]

Kim Han-wool is a pitcher who properly upholds the parts about pitching defense that he talked about. Because of this, the already hard-to-penetrate Wonha Challengers infield seems even more daunting.

“The play style ends here. Should I read the next one?”

“Yes, yes.”

“Evaluation… is this my evaluation? There was definitely a reason why the Wonha Challengers kept Kim Han-wool on the bench for 10 years… Ah, this is a bit cheesy.”

In the 2015 season, an article appeared about Kim Han-wool after a good pitching performance. ‘Kim Han-wool finishes the inning with an impressive pitch.’ The comment on this was ‘A pitcher who makes you frown every time he comes out, so he’s an impressionist pitcher.’

The stats from 2016 and before and from 2017 onwards couldn’t be more different. It’s so different that you might suspect that he’s a completely different person, not that he’s just improved.

Especially this year, 2020, although it’s only about halfway through the season, Kim Han-wool is still recording an ERA [Earned Run Average] of 0, proving that he is developing even further.

Of course, there are those who look at Kim Han-wool with suspicious eyes. In particular, the most representative suspicion is drugs…….

Thud- Bang!

“Seriously. How many times do I have to get drug tested for people to still be talking about drugs? Seriously, it pisses me off? Seriously, I want to stop dropping my pants in front of people I’ve just met, I, I really, everyone, I’ll show you for just 5 minutes? Huh?”

“I’d appreciate it if you showed me….”

No.

“…Calm down. Kim Han-wool’s performance has rebounded so dramatically that you can think of it as envy and jealousy.”

“Hoo….”

Han-wool, who had regained his composure with difficulty at Eun-seo’s words, sat back down and read the next document.

“If it’s an aside, is it just other everyday stuff?”

“Ah, yes.”

“Um….”

Wonha Challengers’ number one crazy guy.

“Who wrote this?”

“Huh?”

“Who wrote this?”

“Kim Han-wool’s fans probably wrote it.”

“Does it make sense for my fans to call me crazy?”

“But it’s not wrong.”

“…….”

Han-wool couldn’t refute it and quietly read the next sentence.

“…Kim Han-wool, Lee Myung-jin, Nam Gi-sung, proudly holding the position of the oldest hyung [older brother/senior] among the three who seem like they’d go out to buy lunch at Wonha Challengers….”

“That’s right.”

“…….”

Seo-yeon of Essentic has publicly expressed her affection for him. She said that she had thought he was cool since the 14th season, before Kim Han-wool’s performance improved. However, Kim Han-wool is scheduled to get married after the 2020 season…….

As mentioned above, he is scheduled to become a married man after the 2020 season. He dated a non-celebrity woman he met through a friend for about a year before he proposed to her first.

As a hobby, he enjoys playing the online baseball game Full Count. His favorite player is himself.

The car he drives is a Wonha Remain. He has a high level of loyalty to the Wonha brand, using all Wonha brand cars, cell phones, etc.

The closest player on the team is Han Gyu-jin, and the closest players outside the team are Lee Hyun-jin of Dongseong and Choi Woo-seok of Seongun.

In terms of fan service, he is by far the best among domestic baseball players. Regarding his fan service, he said that he practiced signing autographs diligently because he thought he should do well in this area since his record wasn’t very good.

Because of this, the Wonha Challengers’ fan service is considered the best among the 8 teams, given that Kim Han-wool’s seniority is virtually the highest on the team.

He is a man who is particularly loved on the official Wonha Challengers MiTube [a fictional video platform similar to YouTube]. He undeniably occupies the largest share of the footage…….

Squeak―

While he was reading, Eun-seo suddenly got up from her seat and slowly headed towards the door.

“…Where are you going?”

“Ah, I’m just going to get some water.”

“Should we do it later?”

“No, just keep reading. This part can be edited out.”

“Yes, well… according to the official Wonha Challengers MiTube PD [Producer/Director], he answered that he’s the player who’s the most fun to tease….”

Eek!

“Yaaah!!”

Han-wool, who had unleashed a lion’s roar, jumped up from his seat, quickly opened the door, and ran out, ending the video.

qqyr****

ㄴIn the meantime, what’s with the PD saying he’d appreciate it if he showed himㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

wrhw****

ㄴAs expected, he’s even being unfair to the MiTube PD…….

fsgq****

ㄴPD-nim, if you’re being treated unfairly by Kim Han-wool, please shake a carrot in the next video! ㅋㅋㅋ