Peaceful Bullpen Life [EN]: Chapter 163

First, I need to check if the theory I hastily decided on is effective.

Not an inside fastball, not an outside sinker, but a high fastball, right?

I didn’t discuss this approach with Gyu-hak beforehand, but luckily, the pitch I wanted appeared on the third try.

I nodded, satisfied, and glanced at Kang-yong’s face.

“Hoo….”

I took a deep breath and bowed my head. Simultaneously, I put both hands behind my head and took a step back with my left foot.

One…two…three…four…five……

Slowly, very slowly. I drew out the time as much as possible, taking deep breaths to justify the delay.

When I felt like I’d be cursed if I took another breath,

“Ugh!”

Thwack-!

“Strike!”

The fastball landed high and outside, right on the edge of the strike zone. The rain made the ball feel even more glued to my fingers—a very satisfying fastball.

However, checking Kang-yong’s reaction, there’s still no significant response.

Then how about this?

This time, I subtly signaled Gyu-hak that I’d throw a curveball to the center.

“Hoo…!”

When Gyu-hak nodded, I again took a deep breath, put both hands behind my head, and slightly pulled my left foot back.

One…two…three…four…five……

And this time as well, after dragging out the time as much as possible,

“Ugh!”

With my index finger extended straight, I pointed strongly in the direction I wanted to throw.

Over there!!

Because the grip was skewed even further outward from the basic grip, it flew even slower, but after floating even higher,

Pop!

It curved at such a sharp angle that Gyu-hak flinched for a moment, then landed in the low corner of the strike zone.

“Ball.”

It was called a ball because it was a bit low, but it wasn’t a big disappointment since it was a kind of experiment.

I should think of it as an opportunity cost [the loss of potential gain from other alternatives when one alternative is chosen].

“…Okay.”

Still, there was a clear reward for paying the opportunity cost handsomely.

Although very subtle, Kang-yong’s head tilted up slightly the moment the curve reached its peak.

Chop!

For now, I was relieved that my hunch wasn’t wrong, that there was some effect. I caught the ball Gyu-hak returned with a firm grip.

However, the fact that its efficiency isn’t that great is a bit concerning. Should I throw it slower, bigger, I wonder?

With a 1-1 count, I scratched the cleat cleaner on the back of the plate with my spikes, briefly organizing my thoughts on the next pitches.

“Hmm….”

A fastball close to the eyes, a slider farthest from the eyes, and a curve that goes above and below these two.

Should I focus on the result, not the process?

“Okay.”

After revising the theory slightly on the spot, I wiped the raindrops dripping from the brim of my hat with my index finger and signaled Gyu-hak.

There are no runners, it’s not a dropped third strike situation; it would be good to throw it at times like this.

“Hoo….”

As with the third pitch, I played with Kang-yong’s nerves as much as possible while breathing.

From the original windup position, I raised my head only slightly to check the batter’s stance.

Frowning! Occasionally shaking my head, and with my head slightly lowered.

One…two…three…four…five……

“Ugh!”

A slider thrown by pressing the front of the ball firmly, not the right side as usual.

Therefore, it doesn’t rotate sideways like a normal slider but has topspin like a curve. But since it’s a pitch thrown with all my might, not dropped like a curve,

Whoosh—

“Swing-!”

It can quickly and powerfully plunge into the ground, leading to Kang-yong’s swing.

After creating a count much more favorable to the pitcher, I grabbed the brim of my hat with my right hand and took it off slightly.

After wiping the raindrops that splattered all over my face on the right shoulder of my uniform, I put my hat back on.

When I stepped on the plate after removing one of the elements bothering me, whether it was the batter or whatever, I had already decided what the final pitch would be.

In the meantime, to buy a little more time, a fastball sign came from the first pitch, but I shook my head for no reason.

When I refused the other changeups that came after that as well, Gyu-hak’s expression was quite a sight to see.

*What do you want me to do?*

Therefore, after taking a step back, I showed my palm to the catcher and batter, subtly conveying an apology.

*I’m so sorry; the signs didn’t match well with the catcher. Let’s take a break and try again.*

Then, I turned my body slightly and sent a subtle signal of apology to the fielders who had to stand still in the rain for no reason, showing them my palm.

When Seong-hoon hyung [older brother/friend] nodded weakly, meaning it was okay, I stepped on the plate again, justifying it by saying I had received permission from the fielders.

When I focused on Gyu-hak’s fingers again, a fastball sign came from the first pitch again. This time, I nodded right away and went straight into the windup.

“Hoo!”

If the previous three pitches had been accumulating energy while taking as much time as possible, this fastball was the turn to release that accumulated energy all at once.

Therefore,

“Keueuk!”

This time, I threw it with the fastest tempo possible, without meaningless pauses.

A fast fastball that passes far above the upper boundary of the strike zone. And,

Whoosh-!

A swing that passes far below that.

“Swing, out!”

Kang-yong, who couldn’t resist and swung his bat, showed all his emotions on his face and returned to his dugout.

Gyu-hak’s rounding [celebratory gesture] flew over Kang-yong’s head as he returned to the dugout, and the end of the rounding that started from 3rd base was,

“Good, good!”

“Hey, sorry!”

It was Gi-seong.

I don’t know what’s so good about getting rained on, but Gi-seong smiled with a dull face and came over to hand me the ball.

By the time the rounding is over in the infield and I step on the mound, the timing for the next batter to enter the plate vaguely matches.

The newly appeared leadoff hitter, Lee Young-ho, was also not much different from the previous batter, Kang-yong, and had the appearance of a batter very annoyed by the rain.

However, one difference is that if Kang-yong, who is a bit older and has a very gentle personality, slowly accumulated annoyance, Lee Young-ho seemed full of annoyance from the start.

Then,

“Hoo….”

This time, the first pitch is a curveball. A slow and big curveball.

“Keueup!”

I threw a curveball at Kang-yong’s first pitch, but at that time, it was a curveball with a strong experimental spirit. The curveball I’m throwing this time has completed clinical trials and gained a foothold in commercialization.

Not being able to stand the annoyance that has been piling up from the beginning,

Whoosh-!

“Swing-.”

It’s an extreme remedy that makes you swing with all your might like this.

Like a doctor who feels happy on the day he completes a theory, receives recognition for it, and becomes widely famous, I smiled while getting rained on and prepared for the next pitch.

Ah, this is a special medicine, a special medicine. It’s perfect for fixing temperaments!

“Heut!”

The slow curveball I threw once more this time fell a little further below the zone, so it was likely to be a ball, but it’s okay,

Whoosh-!

It’s not for nothing that the word *special medicine* comes out.

“Swing!”

The effect is certain, but the patient himself seemed to doubt the effect and tilted his head.

Then, isn’t it the doctor’s duty to further accelerate the research so that the patient himself can also feel it for sure?

If I had only given an injection with a small sample because it was still in the experimental stage,

“Eup!”

I’ll put in a whole medicine bottle this time.

Whoosh-!

Right away, a fastball.

“Swing, out!”

I got an out more easily than with Kang-yong and achieved a clean two outs.

For the sake of the fielders whose bodies would get cold because of me, I deliberately took another lap around the mound, buying time to move around.

3rd batter, shortstop Bang Eun-min

However, the announcer in the stadium announced the appearance of the next batter firmly so that I couldn’t drag out the time any further.

Okay, okay.

Facing Bang Eun-min, who has no particularly outstanding areas but also no particularly lacking areas, I decided to take a slightly more unconventional ball distribution this time.

“Wooeup!”

A slider that starts from very above the strike zone.

The start was openly a ball, but Bang Eun-min reacted urgently to the slider that fell quickly but with a much smaller drop than the curve.

Clack!

“Foul, foul!”

For a moment, when a high breaking ball came in, he must have thought, *Oh, is it a bad pitch?*

High balls are easy to hit for long hits?

That’s right. It’s not wrong at all.

However, the pitcher needs to think about why the upper limit of the strike zone corresponds to the batter’s chest.

Why would it be? Because they judged that the pitcher can sufficiently attack the area, so they must have set the imaginary area between the shoulder line and the belt as the upper limit of the strike zone.

And this upper limit is now exerting the most optimal effect in this situation. And due to this reaction, the lower limit of the strike zone also exerts the most optimal effect.

It’s a simple logic. It’s just that the overall area that the batter has to cover increases, so it just becomes incredibly difficult.

Therefore, this time I decided to aim for the low side of the strike zone and throw a curveball.

I went into the windup, took a breath, and when I thought the timing was right, I raised my left foot.

Receiving the force of the ground with my slightly bent right leg, and so that this force can be fully poured into my upper body, my left foot made a strong braking as soon as it touched the ground…….

Swoosh-!

…I was going to put it in, but momentarily my left foot slipped, causing the side effect of forcibly lengthening my stride by about one step.

Isn’t it good if the stride is long?

“Eok!”

No.

As can be extracted from the story Seung-joo and I shared about hitting in rainy weather, an unintentionally and forcibly lengthened stride rather forms the release behind.

The release of the curve is behind?

Clack-!

Then it goes like this.

“…Oh dear.”

I laughed hollowly, looking at the batted ball soaring through the heavy rain.

After judging that there was no reason to keep that kind of batted ball in my eyes any longer, I stomped on the ground that had screwed me over.

“Foul-!”

Very fortunately, it was a foul.

“Oh…excuse me!”

“Time-!”

The umpire must have checked my condition as well, because as soon as I called the home plate umpire, he immediately called time and called the stadium operations team.

While the operations team was filling the pit with dry masato [a type of soil used in baseball], I heard the brief conversation between our team’s coach and the umpire.

“Aren’t they calling a cold game [ending the game early due to weather]?”

“For now, it’s only three points. They want us to keep going.”

“No, the top of the 8th inning is almost over…the rain is getting heavier. We need to protect the players.”

“I want to go home too, coach.”

Oh dear, umpire.

The umpire’s words, which were more desperate than anyone else’s, were enough to make even the coach look at him with pity.

“How’s your groin? No impact? Do you want to just come down now?”

“No, I’m okay. I caught my balance right away, so there’s no impact.”

“Bang Eun-min seems to be in good condition today. Be careful.”

“Yes.”

I could feel the strong feeling of consideration for the bullpen ace.

I smiled contentedly and prepared to continue pitching, pressing down on the newly charged masato with my spikes.

“Don’t you want to try a practice pitch?”

“Um…I’ll try two.”

“Take your time.”

“You said you wanted to go home quickly?”

“…Hurry up.”

Before that, I briefly checked the newly renovated mound with the umpire’s consideration.

“It’s okay.”

“Then I’ll go in right away.”

“Yes, yes.”

The umpire, who confirmed that there were no problems, put on his mask and arrived behind Gyu-hak,

“Play!”

He resumed the game.

The count was inherited from the previous situation and started again from 0-2.

Before going into the windup, I saw the masato being soaked and washed away under the view of choosing a sign.

“…Ah.”

With only one count left to complete the quest and the inning, a pitch that I felt like I had to throw now or never came to mind.

Since I showed a fast slider and a slow curve, there is enough justification, and the special environment of ‘rain’ that has been accumulating continuously also adds to the justification.

“Hoo…!”

Today’s last ball.

That is,

“Keueuk!”

A fastball that barely grazes the high edge of the strike zone.

Thwack, thud!

The fastball, buffed by the rain and hitting even harder, slightly grazed the top of Bang Eun-min’s bat and went into Gyu-hak’s mitt.

As soon as he caught it, Gyu-hak immediately turned his body and appealed to the umpire, *I caught it!*’

“Out!”

The umpire nodded in approval and declared an out.

Ding-!

[Blindfolded]

– Record 3 strikeouts in 1 inning and allow no runs (1/1)

– Reward – Changeup +2

Control – Top

Power – Top

Stamina – Medium

Four-seam – 100

Curve – 93+2=95

Slider – 90+2=92

Splitter – 91+2=93

Changeup – 93+2=95

Sinker – 90+2=92

Traits

Detachment – I’m okay with any batted ball or situation.

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

Comfort – Those who look at me feel comfortable.

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

Match – Four-seam +5 when I want to win.

Contagion – My emotions are contagious.

“Hoo!”

With a feeling of relief that I had overcome a big mountain, I headed towards the dugout.

However, after arriving at the dugout entrance first, I stopped there without regret and turned my body towards the fielders who were following behind.

“Ah, everyone, sorry! Sorry, sorry!”

Under this damn rain, if I don’t cheer for the fielders who suffered because of my selfish tactics, who will cheer for them?

Gi-seong, Seong-moon, Myeong-jin, Gyu-hak, Seong-hoon hyung, Seong-hyun, Jin-hyung, Hoon.

With sincere apology, I conveyed my apology by touching hands with each of the fielders.

However,

“Oh, good ball!”

“Nice, nice!”

“Hyungnim [term of respect for an older male], nice pitching!”

The teammates rather cheered for me and applauded, and they liked it even more.

“Hyungnim, if it’s raining this much, shouldn’t we call it ‘Bbi’ instead of ‘Bi’ [Korean word for rain, playing on a similar-sounding word]?”

“What are you talking about, you crazy bastard.”

Myeong-jin’s nonsense is perfect.

I don’t know if this feeling is due to the trait ‘Contagion’ or if this atmosphere was created naturally because they are originally these kinds of personalities.

However, one thing I can say for sure.

“Let’s score again, run away!”

“Where are you running away to!’

“Oh, where….”

“Don’t do it, you crazy bastard!”

I don’t know where the end of this emotional line will be,

Clack-!

“It’s gone!!!!”

“Waaaaaack!!”

The direction is definitely fixed.