Genius Pitcher Hides 170Km [EN]: Chapter 122

#121. Last Chance

There’s a metric to evaluate a catcher’s defensive ability called stolen base allowance rate.

It literally shows the percentage of stolen bases allowed to runners.

So, is the responsibility for allowing stolen bases really on the catcher?

Well, of course, the catcher’s role is also important.

However, in modern baseball, it’s common knowledge that the pitcher is more than 70% responsible for allowing stolen bases.

No matter how great a catcher’s arm is, if the pitcher on the mound loses timing with the runner, they can never stop the stolen base.

Conversely, it means that the runner must aim for the gap between the pitcher’s movements, the loophole between the pitcher’s breaths.

If you can catch that, you can succeed in stealing even if the lead [the distance a runner takes off first base] is somewhat narrow.

Whoosh.

“Safe!”

Just like Han Su-hyeok right now.

– He’s safe! Han Su-hyeok’s surprise steal attempt is successful! No outs, runner on first becomes no outs, runner on second!

– That’s really amazing. The steal just now is a fantastic result of the Korean team’s dugout strategy and Han Su-hyeok’s baseball sense.

– Could you explain in detail?

– Of course. To put it simply, it’s like this. Look at Han Su-hyeok’s lead width. You can see it more accurately if you compare the screens above and below. It’s almost a step shorter than usual, right? It’s like signaling that he won’t steal. And Lee Chan-ho is even taking a bunt stance.

– I see.

– Yes, no matter how wary they are of Han Su-hyeok’s speed, the Japanese team has no choice but to move in a standard way in this situation. Look at the defensive positions of the Japanese team’s second baseman and shortstop. They’re moving to match the sacrifice bunt rather than preparing for a steal, right? They created a situation where they could run like this and then caught the opponent off guard. Wow…….

– But doesn’t a narrow lead width ultimately mean a higher probability of failing to steal?

– That’s right. What covers that is timing. Look at the moment he runs. What I admire every time Han Su-hyeok steals is that timing. He anticipates the start much faster than other players. He runs as soon as the pitcher even flinches. I really don’t know. How can a rookie who’s only in his first year as a pro make such a play?

* * *

The Japanese dugout’s first intentional walk strategy ultimately resulted in the worst possible outcome: a runner on second with no outs.

The face of Tanaka Yamato, the ace of the Japanese team on the mound, began to turn red.

‘Damn it……!’

He was completely thrown off by the guy who was standing on first base with a nonchalant expression.

He was so surprised that he almost committed a balk [an illegal movement by the pitcher] the moment Han Su-hyeok started for second base.

Such perfect timing, as if he was reading his mind inside and out.

Tanaka had felt this way a few times before.

While facing runners who were called big thieves in the Major Leagues, who had reigned at the top of the world’s best stage for at least 10 years.

But that guy is just a rookie in his first year as a pro.

Is it a coincidence? If that guy gets on first base again in the next at-bat, how should he deal with it?

He began to think that giving an automatic intentional walk in a situation where there were no runners in the first place was the problem.

However, in the Japanese baseball world, Hoshino’s influence is absolute. Thinking about his retirement, he couldn’t even imagine disobeying him.

Tanaka, who let out a sigh mixed with annoyance, glanced at the runner on second base and then threw the first pitch to the batter.

“Ball.”

Perhaps because he allowed the stolen base, he is more concerned about the runner than the batter.

This won’t do. The guy in the batter’s box right now, Lee Chan-ho, is a good hitter who is aiming to advance to the Major Leagues after this season and can take a starting position even if he comes to the Japanese national team.

I have to concentrate.

But once shaken, concentration did not return so easily.

Tanaka’s control wavered ever so slightly. And Lee Chan-ho did not miss that ball.

Clang!

“Wow!”

“Lee Chan-ho! Lee Chan-ho!”

A hit that goes through between the first and second basemen.

It was a slightly ambiguous hit, but Han Su-hyeok started without any hesitation as soon as he heard the sound of the hit. Then he came home with plenty of time to spare.

The score was 1 to 0 from the beginning of the first inning, and the crisis of no outs and a runner on first continued.

Tanaka realized. He had to stop the intentional walk strategy against Han Su-hyeok right now.

He couldn’t pitch properly with that guy behind him.

* * *

In the bottom of the first inning, I suddenly realized something.

As a baseball player, my body and senses were taking a step towards a realm I had never set foot in before.

The power of the Japanese national team I’m facing today is close to the level of a Major League bottom team, even if I underestimate it.

It was different from the last preliminary round when there was some carelessness. Today, the Japanese team was the strongest opponent I had met since my regression.

The pleasure of playing a game at the Major League level after a long time, and a moderate sense of tension.

That was leading me to the next level.

It was at the time of Lee Chan-ho’s hit.

The moment I heard the sound of the hit, the moment the ball hit Lee Chan-ho’s bat, I could instinctively sense that the hit would get through the infield.

It’s a feeling that I can’t explain even if someone asks me to explain the principle, like I’m the only one moving normally in a slow-flowing time.

The feeling disappeared as soon as I stepped on home plate.

It’s a pity. It’s such a pity. If I could keep that feeling, I feel like I could do anything.

But now is not the time to dwell on regrets.

In the bottom of the first inning, we took a 1-point lead with Lee Chan-ho’s timely hit, but in the top of the second inning, Ryu Han-gyeol allowed a home run to the Japanese team’s eighth hitter, and the score became tied.

The subsequent attack by Korea in the bottom of the second inning and the attack by Japan in the top of the third inning ended without scoring.

And in the bottom of the third inning, I stepped into the batter’s box again as the lead hitter.

“Should I have just left my bat behind? This is quite heavy, and if you’re going to walk me anyway, you could have told me in advance, right?”

“…….”

It feels like I’m talking to a wall. I thought he’d be a little different since he’s been the starting catcher for the national team for over 10 years, but he doesn’t even react.

Does he really mean to treat me like I don’t exist?

“Batter, to first base.”

As expected, it’s another automatic intentional walk.

“From now on, I’ll leave my bat behind, so don’t wear protective gear either. It’s heavy, that thing.”

“…….”

Oh, this is no fun. I can’t even talk if there’s no reaction.

That’s how no outs and a runner on first were created.

“Safe!”

“Safe!”

“Safe!”

Was he reminded of the bottom of the first inning?

The Japanese pitcher, with a pale face, threw seven consecutive pickoff throws [a quick throw to a base to try and catch a runner off guard]. Even though I was almost stuck to the base to show that I had no intention of running.

“Strike!”

“Safe!”

“Ball.”

“Safe!”

“Boo!”

“Coward! If you’re not confident, just get off the mound!”

A pickoff throw flies every time a ball is thrown.

I know what he’s thinking. I can tell by the way his face turns white and blue.

I’ll try to focus again.

It’s not as good as before, but I can vaguely feel the breath of the players standing on the ground, especially the pitcher who looks at the batter and me alternately with a sour look on his face.

The foot on the pitching plate, the subtle movement of muscles, inhaling, exhaling, the pitcher’s rough breathing.

I felt the feeling of the pitcher’s foot trying to move, the feeling that I can’t explain in words.

Tap!

“Oh!”

“Ball.”

Whoosh.

“Safe!”

“Another steal! Damn it, if that’s the case, just compete!”

The audience’s jeers erupt from the Japanese cheering section.

This is fun. This is really fun. I’m really enjoying baseball today.

* * *

Korea also collided with all its might against the Japanese team, who were trying to win at all costs while treating me like I didn’t exist.

In the bottom of the third inning, with a runner on second with no outs created by another automatic intentional walk and steal, Lee Chan-ho’s advancement hit and Lee Soo-young’s sacrifice fly exploded, and Korea took the lead again 2-1.

If Japan has a monster pitcher named Tanaka Yamato, the Korean mound has another monster, Ryu Han-gyeol, who is taking the final step to advance to the Major Leagues.

Even though he allowed hits and walks every inning, Ryu Han-gyeol somehow endured 6 innings.

Starting pitcher 6 innings, 1 run, Korean spectators poured out a standing ovation behind Ryu Han-gyeol as he went down the mound.

“Su-hyeok, if my goal was to win the Korea-Japan game, I would have put you on the mound here. But no. My, no, our team’s goal is in a slightly higher place. So wait.”

I started pitching a little bit in the bullpen whenever I had time from the 3rd inning. But coach Jeong Yun-seok made it clear that I wouldn’t be on the mound in today’s game.

At that moment, I realized that coach Jeong Yun-seok’s eyes were aimed at a slightly higher place.

It’s a bold gamble that could lose everything.

But this was not a problem I could decide.

Coach Jeong Yun-seok put Lee Ha-yeong, Park Do-yul, and Koo Cheol-jung on the mound in turn instead of me.

The opportunity to advance to the WBC [World Baseball Classic] finals for the first time in 18 years since 2009.

The pitchers representing Korea gritted their teeth and blocked the Japanese hitters.

The top of the 7th inning and the bottom of the 7th inning passed in an instant.

And in the top of the 8th inning, Koo Cheol-jung, who was called the Japanese killer in his younger days and was almost invincible against Japan in international competitions, allowed a hit to the third hitter, Eto Iori.

There were still pitchers like Choi Kyeong-jae and Yang Jin-ho left in the bullpen. But coach Jeong Yun-seok trusted Koo Cheol-jung’s experience and left him on the mound as he was.

It’s a result, but it was the wrong choice.

Koo Cheol-jung’s shoulder, who threw 38 balls in the quarterfinals against Cuba following the preliminary round, was tired.

Takahashi Renji, the veteran catcher who was the fourth hitter for the Japanese team, hit Koo Cheol-jung’s first pitch hard.

The hit, which seemed like it would be caught in front of the fence when it was first hit, continued to extend due to the wind blowing towards the outfield.

“No!”

“Aaaagh!”

A hit that would have ended in an outfield fly under normal circumstances, but the goddess of fortune favored Japan.

A come-from-behind two-run home run that reversed the game to 3-2 exploded.

Koo Cheol-jung, who allowed the home run, sat down on the spot, and all the Japanese players in the dugout ran out and ran to Takahashi.

The Taegeukgi [South Korean flag] flags fluttering in the Korean stands fell to the ground powerlessly, and on the contrary, the Rising Sun Flag [Japanese flag] appeared in various places in the Japanese stands.

The Japanese national team, which reversed the game, immediately put Hayashi Rentaro, who was playing as the second starter for the Milwaukee Brewers, on the mound.

Hayashi, who boasts the highest level even in the Japanese national team in terms of ball speed alone, struck out the Korean national team’s 3, 4, and 5 cleanup trio in a row in the bottom of the 8th inning.

The Japanese spectators were already jumping for joy as if the game was over, and the Korean stands on the opposite side were silent. Min Ye-rin, whose eyes were swollen red, shouted Korea with all her might, but no one responded.

That’s how the fateful 9th inning came.

In the top of the 9th inning, coach Jeong Yun-seok’s choice was Choi Kyeong-jae.

“Don’t worry too much. I’ll never give you extra points.”

“Yeah, Su-hyeok. Trust me.”

The Choi Kyeong-jae battery [pitcher and catcher pairing], Jeong Dae-han, comforted me instead, perhaps because my expression was unusual.

Although he was somewhat sluggish this season, Choi Kyeong-jae’s ball with sincerity was still alive.

He faced Japanese hitters with everything he had in each ball.

He allowed a double after one out and faced a crisis, but he managed to escape the crisis by handling the next two hitters with consecutive ground balls.

“Are you okay?”

“Huh? Ah, yeah. Su-hyeok, I’m okay.”

Choi Kyeong-jae’s eyes were bloodshot as he finished pitching and went down the mound. He was so nervous that he felt subtle convulsions in his body every time he moved.

He’s a player I’ve met as an enemy all season long. But after playing on the same team for only about ten days, I feel sorry for him.

At that moment, something welled up in my heart again.

Since being called up to the national team, the driving force that has sustained me has been hostility towards the opposing team.

The Japanese and Chinese media, who keep bothering me endlessly, and the gazes that look down on our team, the hostility of the opposing team’s players during the game.

Those things made me move.

But at this moment, for the first time, I wanted to run for my national team teammates and for the cheering squad who were shouting Korea with all their might in the cheering section for us.

I want to go out. I want to compete properly for just one at-bat.

I want to turn this game around with my own hands.

“Play!”

The final bottom of the 9th inning, which will determine today’s game, began.

Hayashi Rentaro went down, and Maeda Yukio, the main closer for the Japanese national team who is playing as a closer for the Colorado Rockies, went up to the mound.

Of the four Japanese pitchers who took the mound today, three are Major League starters.

In addition, Maeda was a special-class pitcher who could throw 160 km/h [~99.4 mph] even with his left hand, and even had control, which is hard to see even in the KBO [Korean Baseball Organization].

“Swing! Out!”

“Ah…….”

He was really a great guy, just like I saw in the video.

Kang Woo-chan, the sixth hitter, was struck out without even swinging his bat at the 160 km/h fastball that dug into the batter’s knees.

In an instant, one out.

A deep sigh mixed with despair and lamentation flowed out again from the Korean cheering section, and the number of Rising Sun Flags fluttering in the Japanese stands increased even more.

In that atmosphere, Lee Tae-woong, the seventh hitter, stepped into the batter’s box.

Lee Tae-woong was in charge of second base throughout the tournament in the national team, which did not have a professional second baseman. He also recorded a batting average of 30% in the attack, playing the role of lubricant in the bottom line.

But Maeda’s wall was high and high.

“Strike!”

“Strike!”

The 160 km/h fastball and the 152 km/h [~94.4 mph] two-seam fastball came into the zone in succession.

Lee Tae-woong, who requested a time-out for a while, sighed and looked at the sky.

The word defeat began to come to everyone’s mind in that appearance.

Eventually, someone’s crying began to be heard here and there in the Korean stands, and that desperate atmosphere soon spread in all directions.

A gloomy and desperate atmosphere as if I were at a funeral.

But the goddess of fate has not yet abandoned Korea.

Whoosh.

“Ouch!”

“First base!”

“Damn it!”

A splitter [a type of fastball] that came in aiming for a strikeout right away in a two-strike situation.

Lee Tae-woong’s bat cut through the air, and the Japanese catcher reached out his mitt towards the bounced ball.

But the ball that hit the floor bounced in the wrong direction, resulting in a passed ball situation. Lee Tae-woong, who ran to first base with all his might, took a deep breath with his waist bent over.

It was a miracle.

In a 3-2 one-point difference situation, the last chance for a runner on first with one out came like a miracle.

Min Joo-hyeon, a pinch hitter, stepped into the batter’s box instead of the eighth Jeong Dae-han.

He is not very popular in the national team due to his old-fashioned personality, but he is a player who can do his job without getting excited as easily as that personality.

Also, his bat speed is one of the best in the team.

“Ball.”

“Strike!”

“Foul!”

“Ball.”

“Foul!”

Min Joo-hyeon cut off Maeda’s ball with all his might. He continued to clear all the balls coming near the zone, except for the ones that were clearly missing.

And another piece of luck came to the Korean national team.

Clang!

“Fair!”

Min Joo-hyeon pushed the two-seam fastball that was curving from the outside to the outside.

That hit caused an irregular bounce right in front of first base and bounced in the wrong place.

The first baseman, who belatedly caught the ball, hurriedly stepped on first base, but the fast-footed Min Joo-hyeon was already on first base.

One out, runners on first and second were created. One hit would tie the score, and one big hit could reverse the situation.

The Korean national team dugout moved. Someone’s name flowed from coach Jeong Yun-seok’s mouth.

“Pinch hitter Jang Deok-soo.”

At the coach’s call, senior Jang Deok-soo, who had been sitting in the dugout throughout today’s game, stepped onto the ground with a calm expression.

Whoosh.

Then, as if to show off, he swung his bat tremendously.

It was a swing that aimed for a big hit, not a tie, but a reversal.

The number of home runs Jang Deok-soo recorded this season came to the minds of the Japanese players.

“Be careful of the big one! Low! Throw it low!”

“There’s nothing special! Maeda! Just do what you’ve been doing! You’re clearly above!”

The Japanese players shouted and encouraged each other as if they were listening.

And the Japanese closer slowly entered the pitching motion.

Maeda, the strongest closer on the Japanese team, who had sent out two runners without a single hit, had a cold expression on his face.

From his fingertips, the most powerful fastball he had thrown today flew fiercely towards Jang Deok-soo’s knees.

It was a powerful fastball close to 160 km/h that made Maeda the pitcher he is today.

But at that moment, something no one expected happened.

Tuk.

“Huh!”

Jang Deok-soo, who was swinging his bat as if he was about to split the ball in half, lightly reached out his bat towards Maeda’s first pitch.

“Damn it!”

A surprise bunt towards the third baseman, the Japanese fielders who were caught off guard ran towards the ball, and Jang Deok-soo started running towards first base with his lower lip clenched so hard that it burst.