A Rookie In The Baseball Team Is Too Good [EN]: Chapter 200

51. Isn’t This Too Much? (6)

A few days later.

The KH Cannons’ analysis team gathered the entire infield to hold a meeting.

A meeting to strategize against the UB Guardians’ new ace, Mike Pontius.

Of course, representing the analysis team in front of the screen that day was Go Chang-deok.

“The key is in his left knee.”

Instead of making unnecessary remarks, he went straight to the point.

“People often talk about the ‘wall-making timing,’ right? When the hand holding the ball goes behind the head, and the hand with the glove is extended forward… Pay close attention to his left knee at this moment.”

Click.

As Go Chang-deok clicked the mouse button, Mike Pontius’ pitching video appeared on the screen.

The left side showed him throwing a changeup, and the right side showed him throwing a ‘Slamvio’ [a fictional pitch, presumably a type of breaking ball].

“Do you notice any difference?”

“Well, I’m not sure…”

Go Chang-deok smiled as he watched the players tilting their heads.

When he clicked the mouse button again, the players finally exclaimed, “Ah!”

A reference line appeared on the screen.

“Look at the glove extended forward… You can use that glove as a reference point.”

Go Chang-deok’s words started to speed up.

“When throwing a changeup, Pontius’ left knee leans slightly inward compared to the glove. And when throwing a Slamvio, his knee pushes out slightly.”

It sounded like a very clear explanation, but the difference was actually quite subtle.

Even Director Seo Chang-gi, who was standing next to Ji-seop, squinted and looked again several times before giving up, saying, “Ah, I don’t get it.”

But this briefing was for the players who spend 365 days a year chasing after the ball.

It took some time, but before long, all the players slowly began to nod.

“Based on the glove… if the knee is to the left, it’s a changeup, and if it’s to the right, it’s a Slamvio, is that what you’re saying?”

The players’ gazes turned to Go Chang-deok as they reconfirmed the briefing.

“Wow, Hyung [older brother or respected male figure]! You’re amazing!”

Lee Soo-bin said.

“His pitching form is so clean that I thought it would be difficult to catch any tells… How did you find something like this?”

“I know, right? It’s easier to see with the red line drawn, but it would have been really difficult to find at first, wouldn’t it?”

“Either way, Pontius is finished now, right? Isn’t it just a matter of time before we beat him up? Haha.”

The players were amazed by the analysis team’s discovery of the opposing ace’s ‘tell’ [a subtle physical cue that reveals a pitcher’s next move].

Now that they had figured out the opponent’s habit, they were excited about the prospect of attacking him.

Amidst the players’ lively chatter, one person quietly raised his hand.

“I understand the explanation well, but…”

It was Ryu Jang-ho.

As a guy who is meticulous about baseball, there seemed to be something that bothered him.

“I understand how to distinguish between a changeup and a Slamvio. But if the focus is on the knee, wouldn’t it be a bit dangerous?”

He continued.

“If we keep our eyes on the knee… it might be difficult to distinguish between fastballs and breaking balls, right?”

Although there were slight differences among the players, it was necessary to focus on the pitcher’s hand to distinguish between fastballs and breaking balls.

Because they could roughly grasp the type of pitch by observing the movement of the ball at the moment the pitcher threw it.

If they focused on the knee, wouldn’t their response in that area be relatively slower?

“That’s a valid point.”

Go Chang-deok nodded.

“That issue was also discussed within the analysis team… but the coaches told us to proceed with the original plan.”

“Why?”

The attention shifted to the coaches.

The head coach answered.

“Isn’t it obvious? Mike Pontius… that guy must be extremely confident in his Slamvio right now.”

The head coach continued.

“It’s not just one pitcher, is it? The Guardians’ players, coaches, and staff… Even Manager Choi must be confident in Pontius’ ‘magic ball.'”

Then the answer is obvious, right?

The head coach shrugged.

“Even if we get countered by fastballs, we should focus on the Slamvio. If we attack the Slamvio and defeat Pontius…”

The head coach’s sharp gaze swept over the entire team.

“The Guardians guys will be shocked more than we think.”

* * *

A few days later.

The day of the showdown arrived.

The first game of the weekend three-game series between the KH Cannons and the UB Guardians.

The KH Cannons started with ‘Ace’ Jimmy Morris, and the UB Guardians countered with-

Pon! Ti! Us!

Pon! Ti! Us!

A man whose name alone could excite Guardians fans, Mike Pontius.

It was perhaps natural that the broadcasting commentators started the broadcast by mentioning his name.

-Yes, according to the latest news, all 32,000 seats at UB Innovation Stadium are sold out today. This shows how high the Guardians fans’ expectations are for Pontius.

-That’s right. He has been showing overwhelming pitching with a 1-hit shutout in his debut game and 8 innings of scoreless pitching in his second appearance!

-For reference, the consecutive scoreless innings record in Korean professional baseball this season is 17 and 1/3 innings. Coincidentally, it was achieved by KH Cannons’ Jimmy Morris last May.

-Ah, so whether that record will be broken today could be another point to watch. It’s a game that raises expectations in many ways.

The commentator seemed to have said it without much thought, but the Guardians fans watching the broadcast were reacting quite strongly.

-Does the commentator not know how to add? Breaking the record is obvious!

-He’s had 17 consecutive scoreless innings so far, so he’ll tie the record if he gets one out, and break it if he gets two, right? Why are you even wondering if it will be broken?

-Everyone, don’t get angry. It’s not a big deal to break Morris’ record.

-That’s right! How can you compare our Kingtius to a Cannons broadcaster?

-Anyway, the Cannons guys will be quiet after today’s game. It’s been so noisy because of Ma Gang-sik.

-Is being quiet enough? We should go and cause some trouble this time, lol [laugh out loud].

-Recruiting warriors to ambush the Cannons bulletin board in advance (1/10000)

As the Guardians fans’ expectations were rising endlessly.

Wow!!!

Wow!!!

The TV broadcast showed the starting pitcher for the day, Mike Pontius, slowly heading to the mound.

The person walking to the plate to face him was-

The Cannons’ leadoff hitter.

Shortstop Shin Min-sung.

* * *

Top of the 1st inning.

When Shin Min-sung stepped into the batter’s box, someone’s shout was heard from the first base stands.

“Useless! You already got one out!”

Wahahaha.

Laughter followed.

Shin Min-sung couldn’t help but smile wryly.

He had boasted a decent batting average of .280 in the first half of the season, but in the second half, he was struggling with a batting average of .170.

‘Damn it…’

Nevertheless, there was a reason why Arthur Freeman continued to use him as the leadoff hitter.

The first reason was that he still showed excellent plate discipline, even though his recent batting average had dropped a lot.

The second reason was that once he got on base, he could harass the opposing pitcher with his speed.

And the most decisive third reason was that he perfectly executed the coaching staff’s instructions in any situation.

‘Just let the fastballs go and focus on the Slamvio, right?’

He had watched the video footage countless times, but this was the first time he was actually facing it.

The role of the leadoff hitter was to directly face the problematic ‘new type of breaking ball’ and tell the subsequent hitters about the feeling.

Remembering his role, Shin Min-sung lightly gripped his bat.

Whoosh- Pow!

The first pitch was a four-seam fastball.

145 km/h. Called strike.

Whoosh- Pow!

The second pitch was also a four-seam fastball.

147 km/h. Ball.

When the third pitch also came in as a four-seam fastball and passed through the strike zone, Shin Min-sung had no choice but to call a timeout and step back.

‘Those guys… they’re not throwing breaking balls?’

Tweaking his batting gloves, he turned his gaze towards the dugout.

The hitting coach was diligently sending him signals.

Touching his head, touching the tip of his nose, and then grabbing his waist belt again.

The signals seemed quite complicated, but in fact, they all meant one thing.

‘Hehe, just go back to the original plan?’

No matter how complicated the signals were, the moment he grabbed his belt, all the signals were ‘canceled.’

The hitting coach’s diligent movements were ultimately aimed at confusing the opposing battery [the pitcher and catcher].

Shin Min-sung, who was fast, was a hitter who could attempt a surprise bunt.

‘Right, the Slamvio was originally a finishing pitch thrown after two strikes…’

The real game starts now.

Focus from now on.

Shin Min-sung bit his lower lip lightly and returned to the batter’s box.

But from that moment on, the situation began to turn a little unfavorable for the Cannons’ leadoff hitter.

Dum-dum-dum! Strike-out!

Dum-dum-dum! Strike-out!

It was the Guardians’ cheering squad.

They had been quiet for a while, but they resumed cheering at the same time as getting two strikes.

Dum-dum-dum! Strike-out!

Dum-dum-dum! Strike-out!

Approximately 32,000 fans had come to the Guardians’ home stadium that day.

Considering that about 5,000 of them were Cannons fans, the remaining 27,000 were all people cheering for the Guardians.

The sound of so many people shouting ‘Strike-out’ was enough to put pressure on the batter.

‘Wow, this is no joke?’

Of course, the cheers of the Cannons fans must have been heard from somewhere.

The Cannons players in the dugout were also sending applause, saying, ‘You can do it, you can do it!’

But at that very moment, when all of that was buried by the ‘Strike-out’ sound filling the stadium.

Swoosh.

Mike Pontius, having received the catcher’s sign, began his pitching motion.

Lightly lifting one leg and extending it forward.

Widely opening the two hands that had been clasped in front of his chest to both sides.

Creating a solid ‘wall’ with his glove, and at that very moment, swinging his right arm vigorously with that wall as a reference point.

Shin Min-sung’s eyes widened as he kept his eyes on the pitcher’s left knee.

‘Based on the glove… to the right!’

He reflexively pulled his bat.

‘It’s a Slamvio!’

The trajectory of the Slamvio that he had seen so much of over the past few days.

Therefore, Shin Min-sung’s bat, once triggered, was unstoppable.

One fierce swing that slightly raised the bat handle to the ear and then slammed down as if plunging it straight down.

And the next moment, what everyone in the stadium heard was-

Crack!!

It was an intense sound of impact that no one had easily expected that day.

“…”

Even Shin Min-sung himself hadn’t expected it, so he just blinked with his eyes in the same posture after finishing his swing.

And before long, one white trajectory soaring over the left fence of the baseball field was engraved in his black eyes.

Leadoff hitter home run.

KH Cannons’ 1-0 lead.

“…”

“…”

While Shin Min-sung was rounding the diamond, a heavy silence fell inside the stadium.

The players on the ground, the coaching staff in the dugout, and the Guardians fans who had been shouting ‘Strike-out!’ until just now.

Everyone was as quiet as if they had been doused with cold water, and the only place that was noisy was in front of the Cannons’ dugout.

“Hey, Shin Min-sung!!!”

The Cannons players shouted at Shin Min-sung, who was returning to the dugout.

“You clueless bastard! What are you going to do about this atmosphere? Huh? The Guardians guys are speechless, aren’t they? Haha!”

“We told you to just taste the Slamvio… and you couldn’t resist hitting it over the fence?!”

“Well done, well done! You’re protecting Morris’ record, aren’t you? The consecutive scoreless innings record!”

Slapping his helmet with their palms, hitting his back, and kicking his butt.

After a commotion subsided, Shin Min-sung took off his helmet and said.

“The analysis seems to be correct.”

It’s a dugout that the broadcasting camera is watching.

He covered his mouth with his palm and continued.

“I couldn’t confirm the changeup, but if it’s to the right based on the glove… that’s definitely a Slamvio.”

“Really? Is that what you’re saying?”

A confident smile bloomed on the faces of the Cannons players.

All that remained was to give Mike Pontius his first loss on the Korean stage.