Genius Pitcher Hides 170Km [EN]: Chapter 294

#293. Because I Invested My Money

“I should try to induce ground balls to the left side as much as possible today.”

“Hmm, if you could do that consistently with a knuckleball, the Cy Young Award would probably be yours.”

“Hehe, great. I’ll give it a shot.”

After the All-Star break, Manager Benjamin adjusted the starting rotation once again.

After Ryan and I pitch in succession, Mike, the knuckleball pitcher, takes the mound to baffle the batters.

And after him, left-handed power pitcher Hayashi Rentaro and right-handed pitcher Dimon Anderson Jr., who is a promising pitcher with a similar style to Ryan Thibodeau, will be the 4th and 5th starters.

Looking at the starting lineup’s overall strength, it’s one of the best in the entire league.

With Dalvin Schwartz, Jake Howard, and Jonah Burrow, who were starters until last season, now adding depth to the bullpen, things are sure to improve there as well.

Anyway, today we’re aiming for a sweep against the Marlins with Mike Warren on the mound.

“Oh… a starting appearance right after the trade? Great, I’ll show them what I can do.”

“Raphael, the bathroom is that way, and the locker room is this way.”

“Hmm, I know. I was just joking. That kind of joke goes over pretty well back home.”

Having won the first two games, Manager Benjamin seemed to have some flexibility in today’s starting lineup.

1. Center Fielder Derek Fleming

2. Left Fielder Han Su-hyeok

3. Right Fielder Chuck Clark

4. Designated Hitter Antonio Garcia

5. 1st Baseman Raphael Osuna

6. Catcher Bruce Matthews

7. 3rd Baseman Liam Landman

8. 2nd Baseman Lonnie Montaric

9. Shortstop Josh Oliver

Starting Pitcher Mike Warren

With me in left field, Jim Brown started the game on the bench, and Raphael Osuna, who recently joined the team, took first base instead of Ty Johnson, whose playing time needed to be managed due to stamina issues.

To compensate for the slightly weakened offense, Lonnie Montaric was chosen for second base instead of Jonathan, who is strong defensively.

Jonathan Owens, who has been frequently left out of the starting lineup recently, looks quite down.

Personally, I feel a bit sorry for him, but from the team’s perspective, it’s better to have Liam or Lonnie, who have strong offensive capabilities, as starters, and Jonathan covering all infield positions as a defensive replacement.

Of course, the final decision is up to the manager.

Anyway, there’s no Ty behind me today.

I need to concentrate a bit more.

* * *

“Hey, buddy. How do you like Miami? It’s much warmer than Seattle, right? If we had a day off, I would have shown you some good spots, but it’s a shame.”

“I don’t think we should be talking to the opposing team’s player.”

“You’re right. Damn, I’m actually a fan of yours. Anyway, good luck. Let’s just play the game.”

Leaving behind the catcher, who seemed to dampen my fighting spirit just by talking to him, I turned my gaze to the pitcher.

Top of the 1st, Seattle’s attack, leadoff hitter Derek is out with a fly ball to center field, and it’s my turn.

One out, no runners.

Actually, in this situation, it was obvious what kind of pitches were coming.

Whack!

“Ball.”

Whack!

“Ball.”

Whack!

“Ball.”

“Whack!

“Base on balls.”

Four consecutive balls far outside the strike zone, which I didn’t even attempt to swing at, came flying in.

“Um, why don’t you just signal for an intentional walk if you’re going to do this?”

“Good idea. I’ll talk to the manager.”

That’s enough.

I feel like I’m only hurting myself by continuing to talk.

Let’s play baseball.

[3rd batter, Right Fielder Chuck Clark]

The worst situation that can happen to a batter with one out and a runner on first is hitting into a double play.

But fortunately, Chuck Clark is a player who isn’t easily affected by the game situation and can always swing his bat.

Thwack!

“Out!”

Of course, the problem is that such an aggressive approach doesn’t always lead to good results.

A clean double play on the first pitch.

Watching from first base, it seems like the Marlins’ pitcher is in pretty good form.

Today’s game won’t be easy.

* * *

There are several types of knuckleball pitchers.

If Phil Niekro, who recorded 300 wins and 3,000 strikeouts with just a knuckleball and was inducted into the Hall of Fame, is a typical knuckleballer, then there are also players like R.A. Dickey who mix in a reasonably good fastball with their knuckleball.

In that respect, Mike Warren, today’s starter, is closer to the former.

There are only two situations in which he throws a fastball.

When there’s a runner on base and he needs to check them, and when he needs a pitch that’s far outside the strike zone to induce a swing.

Except for those times, all Mike throws are knuckleballs around 70 mph.

Mike secured the 3rd starter spot on a team challenging for the World Series with just that slow pitch.

“Play!”

From my perspective, as someone who can also throw a knuckleball, the fastest and surest way to become a good knuckleballer is to try to throw the ball as naturally as breathing.

It’s a very obvious statement, but it’s really important for knuckleballers because all pitchers are basically used to strongly gripping the ball with their fingertips to create spin, so it takes a considerable amount of time to adapt to the opposite concept of a knuckleball.

Fortunately, Mike Warren seems to be getting used to that knuckleballer’s life.

The 7 wins and 4.12 ERA [Earned Run Average, a measure of runs allowed per game] he recorded in the first half may not seem that great, but it’s not easy to never skip a start and pitch at least 7 innings in every appearance.

Condolences to the Dodgers’ front office for trading such a pitcher for so little.

Whoosh

Whack!

“Strike!”

Standing on the green outfield grass and seeing the back of one of my former mentors from before my regression, I feel a strange mix of emotions.

I, who was losing everything and tried to learn the knuckleball as a last resort, have regressed like this and am living a new life.

And the person who helped me in my past life is now just starting on a new path.

Someday, when I judge that Mike is ready to accept it, I plan to teach him how to throw two speeds of knuckleballs.

I will return what I received from him in my past life to its original owner.

Whoosh

Woong

“Strike! Out!”

“Damn it! Do it right! Why can’t you hit those trash balls?”

“Get out of the way! I’d rather be at the plate!”

“Damn morons! Just go bankrupt!”

The Marlins’ leadoff hitter is struck out by a 69 mph knuckleball that came right down the middle.

Another reason why it’s hard to hit a proper knuckleball is that you never know when the change in direction will start.

The section where the ball thrown by the pitcher changes direction, that is, until the batter can distinguish the type of pitch, is called the pitch tunnel.

In simple terms, you can think of it as every ball thrown by the pitcher changes only after passing through that pitch tunnel. Downwards, sideways, or even backwards.

However, in the case of a knuckleball, this pitch tunnel section is erratic.

Sometimes it changes as soon as it leaves the pitcher’s hand and goes quietly into the zone, and other times it changes only when it reaches right in front of the strike zone.

This is because the ball with minimized spin moves erratically depending on the turbulence around it as it flies towards the batter.

Whoosh

Woong

“Swing!”

Batting is about timing.

Even if the speed is the same, the timing of the change is different, so it’s inevitable that the batter will be confused about when to swing the bat, and on top of that, the change is downwards, sideways, or even upwards.

Matching the timing to a ball that moves erratically is usually difficult.

But what if the pitcher can artificially add changes to the speed here?

Whoosh

Woong

“Swing! Out!”

If there is such a thing as perfection in a knuckleball, perhaps that is it.

Anyway, when Mike’s hand becomes completely accustomed to the knuckleball, I plan to return it to its owner and erase the thought of the knuckleball from my mind.

Until the moment comes when it is needed again.

Whoosh

Woong

“Swing! Out!”

* * *

Thwack!

“We lost! Damn it! We’re going to lose again today!”

“I don’t even remember when this team last won, you bastards!”

As the Marlins fans watched their team collapse in real time, they threw trash onto the field, temporarily stopping the game.

I know. I know what that feeling is like.

The Warriors were exactly like that before I took over.

In the case of KBO [Korean Baseball Organization] teams, they are used as a means of promotion for their parent companies, so they won’t go bankrupt unless the parent company collapses, but this is Major League Baseball.

In severe cases, even if the team is making a profit, the team can go bankrupt due to the owner’s personal debt, so for Marlins fans, every day must be nerve-wracking.

“Play!”

Anyway, that’s their situation, and we need a win to secure our playoff chances.

Raphael Osuna, who transferred from Tampa Bay, stepped up for his first at-bat.

Josh Oliver, Jonathan Owens, Liam Landman, and Lonnie Montaric,

There are some slight differences, but in terms of overall ability, they are all similar 2nd baseman and shortstop options.

General Manager Daniel brought in Raphael with the expectation that he would serve as a bridge between those similar infield resources when they are used in a platoon.

He can also be used as a backup first baseman when Ty Johnson needs a rest, like today.

It may feel a bit extravagant to use a former starting first baseman from Tampa Bay for that purpose,

But originally, a team challenging for the World Series can afford that kind of luxury.

It’s not like the Yankees, who take a starting pitcher from another team and use him as a middle relief pitcher.

Whoosh

Thwack!

“Foul!”

When General Manager Daniel said he was going to bring in Raphael Osuna, I even spent my own money to approve an additional budget of $3 million because I had some confidence in the player’s future.

In my past life, he was the starting first baseman for Tampa Bay, hitting around .250 with about 15 home runs.

With a positive personality, he doesn’t suffer any setbacks even when he’s pushed out of the starting lineup, so he’s a player who should be considered S-class as a backup member.

Whoosh

Whack!

“Ball.”

Anyway, teams like Tampa Bay and the Marlins are entering full-scale selling mode, and teams aiming for the fall season, including the Yankees, are buying those players, causing considerable upheaval throughout the league.

That’s why what’s needed now is an attitude of cherishing the win in front of us.

We must approach the game with the attitude of not being careless and taking all the games we can win.

Right now, there’s no one who’s ruining the team atmosphere, so I’m just watching, but if there’s anyone who becomes lazy because we’re in first place or has a negative impact on other players,

I will use my authority as the owner to send that guy to the minors or trade him to another team right away.

It’s not just because I invested a whopping $8 million this summer.

Just,

Um…….

Whoosh

Thwack!

“Nice!”

“Good job, Raphael!”

It wasn’t a hit, but the first baseman made a diving catch on a deep ground ball,

Tony, who was on second base, easily advanced to third, and scored on Bruce Matthews’ sacrifice fly, giving us the first run.

Good. It’s a refreshing start to the day.