Peaceful Bullpen Life [EN]: Chapter 103

“Hoo…”

A deep breath, thick with emotion, escaped me before I realized it.

Bottom of the 9th, two outs. A one-point game, a face-off against Park Hae-jin with a runner on first.

Of course, I considered intentionally walking him. Gambling my competitive spirit when the stakes were this high felt like too much.

Even so, the feeling of knowing my opponent’s hand—that gut feeling—was the hint that gave me the confidence to go all-in.

Some would call it reckless, others stubborn, and the haters would call it irresponsible.

The ‘gut feeling’ that made me commit to this at-bat came from a subtle cue I picked up in Park Hae-jin’s eyes, of all places.

Caution.

The way Park Hae-jin looked at me was definitely different. I sensed an unusual level of wariness, as if he thought I might actually get him out.

I chose the pitch carefully, very carefully.

I could start with a ball [an intentional pitch outside the strike zone]. The one eager to score and win was Park Hae-jin, not me, who didn’t necessarily need to force the issue.

After selecting a plausible sign from Gyu-hak [the catcher’s signal for the type of pitch], I glanced at the runner on first. Unnoticed, Hong Seok-jin had been replaced by a pinch runner [a substitute runner brought in for speed].

“Hoo….”

After settling into the stretch [the pitcher’s stance before delivering the ball], I turned my head slightly towards the runner. Even so, my eyes remained fixed on the batter, not the runner.

I just hoped the brim of my cap hid my eyes.

“Eup!”

Curveball.

To throw a curveball, which I hadn’t used once today, I had to put even more force into it than a fastball.

The ball, which initially climbed almost to the batter’s shoulder height, then broke sharply and dove into the outside corner of the strike zone.

It didn’t necessarily have to be a strike. No, it might be better if it wasn’t.

Bang-!

I saw the white catcher’s mitt twitch almost instantly. The brief moment before the umpire opened his mouth felt incredibly drawn out.

“…Strike!”

Based on his call, the umpire must have gestured towards the Sangsoo dugout.

I didn’t look. It felt more important to maintain eye contact with Park Hae-jin.

Whether he thought it was a ball or had decided to take the first pitch,

I locked eyes with Park Hae-jin, who seemed to be holding back his swing rather than trying to time it.

“……”

“……”

I received the ball in silence and stepped back onto the rubber [the pitcher’s mound]. I briefly shifted my focus from Park Hae-jin to Gyu-hak.

He flashed some experimental signs.

Throw another curveball outside, bounce the curveball in the dirt, throw a changeup [a slow pitch designed to disrupt the batter’s timing] into the zone.

Among them, one sign stood out, making me think, *wow, this guy is really going crazy.*

Gyu-hak, is he starting to lose it like me?

It was hard to suppress the laughter that threatened to bubble up.

I gripped the fastball and assumed the set position. I glanced at the runner, but didn’t give him much thought.

Run if you want.

He wouldn’t dare run unless I threw a wild pitch or my delivery was unusually exaggerated.

Because attempting to steal a base would be a mistake.

That allowed me to relax a bit and fire a fastball towards the heart of the plate.

“…Kkeuak!”

Peong-!

“Strike, two!”

149km [approximately 93 mph].

The fastball blazed across the very center of the strike zone, without a hint of deviation.

I felt the left corner of my mouth twitch upward as I waited for the ball to be returned. I didn’t bother hiding my expression and met Park Hae-jin’s gaze.

“……”

“……”

Swing if you dare.

I should ask Gyu-hak later when I get to the dugout: *Seriously, what kind of crazy catcher calls for a fastball right down the middle like that?*

That’s just what I thought, and this second pitch became a crucial piece of information. Using that hint as a lifeline, I arrived at a conclusion.

The current Park Hae-jin wasn’t properly reading my pitches.

There could be several reasons. The simplest explanation would be that Park Hae-jin wasn’t in top form, or something along those lines.

To offer a more complex explanation,

“Kkeueup!”

Tak-!

“Foul!”

I became convinced as I watched the foul ball on a fastball that was just a hair outside.

I can win.

“Hoo…ook!”

Chwaak-!

“Safe!”

I didn’t forget to check the runner for a moment.

Looking curveball outside, looking fastball in the middle, foul on a fastball outside.

Overwhelming.

Listing the pitches I’d thrown in this at-bat, I felt like I was dominating Park Hae-jin, of all people.

“Calm down, Han-wool. Enlightenment, work.”

The nod to choose a sign was like shaking off the arrogance that was trying to creep into my mind.

The splitter [a type of fastball with a downward break] is working well today, shouldn’t I try it?

I nodded at the splitter sign and began my set motion. A momentary surge of power coursed through my left thigh.

At the same time, my right leg bent quickly, completing the preparations to generate momentum. All that was left was,

“Euk!”

To release the ball with maximum force.

Thud-!

“Ball!”

I knew it missed the zone, but Gyu-hak, not satisfied, immediately pointed towards the first base umpire.

Waaaaa-!!

“Ah…too bad.”

But here, he sided with Sangsoo instead of Wonha, giving me a headache.

“Ah, my head hurts.”

The current situation was expressed out loud. I was even contemplating throwing another fastball right down the middle like a madman.

“…Ah.”

But Gyu-hak gave a sign similar to that, causing me, someone known for a strong mentality, to make a dumb sound.

I think he’s slowly losing his mind.

I smiled contentedly and assumed the set position. The knee of my free leg, filled with satisfaction, rose slightly higher than it had on the previous pitches.

Runner?

“He’s running!”

Run if you want.

I have a much more important task and a formidable opponent. I don’t have the focus to spare for a runner.

“Eu…kkeuk!”

A fastball hurtled towards a fairly high part of the strike zone. It was high, but still a spot where I could get a strike call.

If it went wrong, I could really be screwed, so I gritted my teeth and threw it with everything I had.

The brown wooden bat, the baseball flying in a straight line, and the catcher’s mitt waiting to receive it were all sharply defined, as if they had been cut out with Photoshop.

Tak-!

The batted ball soared high into the air. Park Hae-jin, after watching the ball, slowly started running towards first base.

Waaaaaak-!!

I, who had been tracking the batted ball, also remained rooted to the spot. No, I couldn’t move.

“Mine!”

The ball that had climbed so high was now descending right towards me.

Tak-

“Out!”

I snagged the batted ball just as it was about to hit me in the head.

Tting-!

[Hengahe Pitcher]

– Record a save with 1 inning without runs allowed (1/1)

– Reward – All pitches +3

Control – Top

Power – High

Stamina – Medium

Four-seam – 81+3=84

Curve – 76+3=79

Slider – 73+3=76

Splitter – 72+3=75

Changeup – 74+3=77

Sinker – 75+3=78

Characteristics

Enlightenment – Accepts any batted ball or situation.

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

Comfort – Those who look at you feel comfortable.

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

When I lowered the glove that had been blocking my view, I saw Gyu-hak throwing off his mask and sprinting towards me.

“Uwaaaaaagaaga!!!”

“Daettaaaaak!!!!”

“Heoheoheong…!!”

Joo-ho, screaming like a madman as he ran towards me.

Gi-seong, unable to contain his joy, tossing his glove high into the air.

Myeong-jin, covering his face with his glove and collapsing, sobbing.

Chaos.

I couldn’t help but laugh as I watched the unfolding drama after securing the top spot in the regular season, a position we hadn’t been able to achieve for so long.

“We won!”

I hugged Gyu-hak, who had reached me, and celebrated with all my heart.

Let’s go out! Let’s fight! Victory Challengers! For Wonha’s! Victory!

Several teammates approached to help Myeong-jin, who was so overcome with emotion that he couldn’t even stand, and ended up getting caught up in the celebration themselves.

It was an honor to compete alongside the fans this year!

The players, with their tear-streaked faces, grabbed the placard [a sign displaying a team slogan or message] and bowed to the fans.

I understood their emotions, but it was still a bit much to witness.

“Hey, smile!”

“Hyeoheong….”

“Smile.”

“Eohyeongheong….”

I pushed away the face of Hyuk-joon, a giant with a physique close to 190cm [approximately 6’3″], who was crying and sniffling.

After that, the championship ceremony began. Although today’s game was held at the Sangsoo Tigers’ home stadium, this Jamsil Stadium is also Wonha’s home.

After getting the Sangsoo Tigers’ approval, the entire team gathered in front of the Wonha fans, who filled half of the stands.

Everyone was smiling brightly, wearing championship t-shirts with the Wonha logo, instead of their uniforms.

First, the coach raised the regular season championship trophy above his head. I was feeling good and laughing, so he called me over.

Ah, I was the captain.

So I trotted over and raised the championship trophy above my head with the coach.

Click click―

I posed for some pictures in front of the reporters and gave the fans some time to take pictures, even though they were a bit far away.

What followed was an interview.

“First of all, I would like to express my gratitude to the Sangsoo Tigers, who played a wonderful game until the end, and… and who allowed us to share these words with our fans.”

The coach began by showing respect for the opposing team.

“In recent years, Wonha has often been called a strong team. Thanks to that, I’m also renewing my contract. I hope to remain as Wonha’s coach for a long time. Thank you.”

Clap clap―

As I was clapping happily, the microphone was thrust in front of me. I stared blankly at the coach.

*Say a word too.*

He mouthed.

“……”

I awkwardly took the microphone and stepped forward.

Yollob eejeo waaalkat!! Folding eejeo hal- pat!! [Nonsense lyrics from his entrance song]

As I laughed awkwardly, the fans began to shout my entrance song at the top of their lungs. Not only that, but the same song was being sung loudly from behind me.

*What is this?* I thought, and turned around to see our players also singing my entrance song.

“Uh….”

I don’t really have anything to say.

“I wasn’t very good at the beginning of the season. If I had been good from the start, we might have secured first place relatively easily, but that….”

I don’t know what I’m talking about, but I was just rambling whatever came to mind.

“…So, see you at the Korean Series [the championship series of the KBO League].”

Waaak-!!

The Korean Series.

Perhaps no one will truly understand the meaning of what I said. I don’t even know what I said.

Even so, everyone was excited by that one phrase. The players had calmed down, but some fans were still overwhelmed and burst into tears again.

“I told you. I’m going to put up a flag [a banner signifying a championship win].”

“Crazy bastard.”

I returned to the players’ ranks. I spoke to Hyung Gyu-jin, who was standing next to me, and he smiled.

“Now that it’s like this, you have to put up a flag for the Korean Series too.”

“Hmm.”

Pretending to be worried, pretending to be lost in thought.

I pressed my forehead with my index finger and pondered for a moment. With a sudden “Ah!”, I raised my head and blurted out.

“We’re going to win the Korean Series.”

“Really?”

“I saw it with my mind’s eye.”

“Crazy bastard.”

My excitement level, pleased with the compliment, was much higher than usual.

Regular season 1st place.

The Wonha Challengers, who finished the pennant race [the regular season] with a resounding victory, now had to plan for the approximately one-month break that would begin immediately.

Poong-!

“Yaaaaaak!!”

“Yeeeeeeee!!”

“Hooooooong!!!”

Ah, let’s have a champagne shower first.