Peaceful Bullpen Life [EN]: Chapter 110

※ 110. All-Out Drive

Win, loss, win, loss, loss.

With home and away games exchanged once, our record stood at 2 wins and 3 losses.

If we were to lose the 6th game, it would be over. We had to drag it to the 7th game no matter what.

Sangsu would likely go all-out in the 6th game, judging that they couldn’t predict how the momentum would shift if they lost.

Whether it’s us or Sangsu, an all-out war is expected in the 6th game.

And the pitcher starting today is also,

Thwack-!

“Ouch….”

You could see his determination for the all-out battle.

Ah, indeed, Emperor Hyukjoon.

Watching the ball curve and bend every which way each time he flicked his right hand,

“Nice.”

I didn’t really have any thoughts.

Mentality.

Rather than that, my judgment of what I needed to do right now and what I could do right now was a few steps ahead.

“Last one! Fastball!”

“Hey!”

Wham-!

Hyukjoon, feeling the attention on his shoulders, glanced at me. His eyes asked, ‘Why?’

“Hyung [older brother or respected male figure], hyung.”

“What.”

“I heard you met Hyunjin-hyung the day before yesterday?”

“Ah, yeah. How did you know?”

“I talked to him briefly yesterday.”

Hyukjoon approached with a bright smile and sat next to me.

“What did he say?”

“He talked a lot about you. He said he talked about high school days.”

“Ah… that’s right.”

“And he talked about mentality too.”

“Why would he talk about that….”

My right hand swept across my mouth, worried about what unnecessary things might have been said.

“What Hyunjin-hyung said was really true.”

“Mentality? That I have a strong mentality?”

“No… no, that’s true too, but not that. What he said after that? Or before that? I don’t remember exactly….”

Even though it was almost time for him to head to the mound, he was deep in thought.

I waited for his next words, with a ‘he’ll figure it out’ mindset.

“He said this. That the mentality you have isn’t just yours alone.”

“Ah….”

‘Your senior’s strong mentality isn’t just for him, but it’s also passed on to those who are with him.’

It was definitely a story I remembered.

As the time to head to the mound really approached, he pulled his hat down again.

“So.”

I threw a word at his back as he gripped his glove and took a step, then another.

“What did you get out of that conversation?”

“I thought I was really lucky to be on the same team as you.”

“…….”

What a cute little rascal.

I chuckled and got up from my seat as well. I walked heavily out of the bullpen and stood in front of the dugout.

Looking left and right with just my eyes, I could see the Wonha Challengers players standing shoulder to shoulder with me.

– The national anthem ceremony will now take place. Everyone, please rise and face the national flag.

Following the announcer’s words, I took off my hat and placed it over my left chest. As my eyes reached the Taegeukgi [South Korean flag] fluttering behind the electronic scoreboard, the intro to a familiar song flowed out.

Tuk, tuk, tuk…….

While reciting the lyrics of the national anthem unconsciously, the stiff brim of my hat stabilized my chest.

After the simple national anthem ceremony, I returned to the dugout.

Clap clap clap clap clap―

Whooooo!!

Waaaaa-!!

Amidst the endless anticipation of the game from the spectators,

“Play!”

The long-awaited 6th game of the Korean Series began.

“Hoo….”

I covered my mouth to hide the strange pressure and watched the flow of the game.

Someone struck out, someone got a hit, and someone else returned to the dugout forlornly.

As I watched those things quietly,

“Ah, good job, good job!!”

“Hyukjoon’s pitching is great!!”

“Nice ball!!”

I thought of one thing that simultaneously satisfied what I could do and what I wanted to do.

Praise for the pitcher who shut out the inning.

Gratitude to the fielders who helped with the shutout.

Admiration for the hitters who scored and returned.

Contagion.

That’s how I understood the meaning of what Hyunjin had said to Hyukjoon. That the emotions and thoughts I have reach my teammates.

“Hanul-ah.”

“Yes?”

“Can you take care of the 7th and 8th innings?”

The score was tied 0-0. And it was the 7th inning.

I felt it would be a waste to use me at this timing.

“Ah, yes.”

But, if I’m thinking this, what about the manager?

If we lose, it’s over. The simple three-word algorithm was a justification that made me, the players, and even the fans nod in agreement.

I picked up my red glove, slightly faded from excessive use, and headed to the bullpen.

Creak―

“Gunyeong-ah!”

“Yes!”

As soon as I entered the bullpen, I called out to Gunyeong and picked up a ball. While Gunyeong was putting on his catcher’s gear, I turned my eyes back to the field.

Thwack-!

Hyukjoon, having recovered his stamina thanks to the cleaning time [brief intermission between innings], was returning to the dugout after brilliantly burning up the top of the 6th inning.

Wham!

“Ah, good ball!”

The great pitching on the field was over, but the great pitching in the bullpen was just beginning.

Bang―

“Wow, Hanul-hyung’s slider is good today!”

Anyone on the Wonha Challengers team could understand the ambiguous phrase ‘this timing’.

The rumor that I would be deployed from the 7th inning in a tie situation would have already spread throughout the entire lineup.

Thwack-!

Influence was something that spread to everyone, even if I didn’t consciously think about it.

Waaaaaa-!!

In the bottom of the 6th inning, with 1 out, Hooni’s hit broke through between 1st and 2nd base. A very precious hit that broke Park Dongil’s no-hitter.

“Ah, nice bat, nice bat!”

“Yoo! Hoon! Yoo! Hoon!”

Clap clap clap―

Hooni pointed at us with his fingers, towards the teammates who were grabbing the dugout railing and shouting with all their might.

“Ah, Hooni’s bat is great!!”

“Let’s gooooo!!”

The Wonha players, even more excited when the batting gloves, blackened by the bat grip spray, pointed at them, began to jump around.

The next batter was Myungjin. He swung his bat without hesitation from the first pitch, but,

Click―

His eagerness was a little too much, and he ended up hitting it with the end of the bat.

“Second!!”

“Ball two!”

Myungjin didn’t really care how or where the ball went. The Sangsu infielders also didn’t really care about Myungjin.

From the defense’s point of view, 2nd base is more important than 1st base.

The opposing pitcher, who hurriedly ran and caught the ball with his bare hand, turned his head not to his left but to his back, following the catcher’s call.

The ball had enough speed to get an out at 2nd base.

The mindset that began to rise with the excitement of being able to get two outs when just one would be appreciated was,

Waaaaack-!!

“Three! Hooni, go back! Myungjin, stop!”

Full of bubbles [overly excited and prone to mistakes].

1 out, runners on 1st and 3rd due to a hit and an error. And in the batter’s box,

2nd batter, Kang!! Sunghyun!!!

A thug.

“Play!”

Before the umpire pointed his finger at the pitcher, Sunghyun, who had finished his routine, was twitching his bat and timing his swing.

How can I steal more?

How can I hit more?

How can I hit the same spot again?

The thug’s eyes were contemplating a very excellent question from a team perspective.

When all the contemplation was over,

Thwack-!

“Run!”

“Go back, everyone go back!”

“Myungjin, you come in too!”

One point is too little, and taking three points is too much for his conscience, so he settles for two points.

Kang Sunghyun! Kang Sunghyun! Kang Sunghyun!

Hooni, who stepped on home plate first, waited long enough for Myungjin to score. After the two of them high-fived above their heads, they smiled brightly and returned to the dugout.

Although they couldn’t hear it over there, I also clapped my glove with my right hand to show my respect.

“Swing, out-.”

The opposing pitcher, who had been hit twice by the thug, took it out on the next batter and,

“Screaaaaam!!”

The batter after that.

As Jinhyung, who decorated the bottom of the 6th inning, returned to the dugout, tilting his head,

Your love is a wildcard, Folding is the hard part―

The bullpen door opened.

Waaaaack-!!

He’s out! He’s out!!

Kim Hanul! Kim Hanul! Kim Hanul!!

I don’t know if you’ll hold me, Or leave me here feelin’ lonely―

While walking to the mound, I stared at the empty field.

Ding-!

[Early 출근 (Chulgeun) – Korean term for ‘going to work early’]

– Hold it to within 1 run in 2 innings. (0/1)

– Reward – Changeup +2

I took my eyes off the text located in center field and looked at the dugout where the players would be rushing out.

“…Hoo!”

After taking a clean deep breath, Gyuhak held out his white mitt behind home plate.

Thwack-!

“Oh, nice!”

I continued my practice pitches and finished designing my pitching for the 7th and 8th innings.

The bottom of the 7th inning starts with the 7th batter, Shin Taebum.

“Play!”

What will be the first pitch today? Which pitch of mine did Gyuhak like the most?

Whoosh-!

“Swing-!”

Gyuhak’s choice today is the slider. And with a trajectory that digs even deeper from the inside.

The time it took from receiving the ball again to throwing it again was very short. So short that it seemed like I was throwing without thinking.

Thwack-!

“Strike!”

A fastball that digs deep inside,

Thwack-!

“Swing, out-.”

And I easily defeated Shin Taebum with another fastball that went out high.

I shrugged the brim of my hat, which had white powder on it, and watched the movements of the infielders.

“Good, nice.”

“…….”

I replied to Sunghoon-hyung’s blunt compliment even more bluntly.

8th batter, Park Myunggi.

“Hoo….”

I had a terrible thought that I could take it easy a little, pointing to the top of the 7th inning, where relatively weak players were positioned.

“Eep!”

Whoosh-!

“Swing, out-!”

But as soon as the play call was made, that thought never came near me again.

9th batter, Min Jonghyun

Thwack-!

“Catcher! Catcher!”

“In front!!”

Whack!

“Out!”

I was afraid that the influence that had been working so hard until now would be disappointed in this side of me and run away.

I received the cheers of my teammates who greeted me with applause and sat on the chair prepared in the bullpen to watch the bottom of the 7th inning.

All-out war.

The manager who had vowed to pour everything out was not the only manager of Wonha. To put in one of the team’s winning pitchers even though they were losing by two points.

It might seem like an unreasonable move at first glance, but it was an operation that couldn’t be done if you had the justification of having to stop the bottom of the 7th inning right now.

Creak―

And their operation was a success.

“Hyungnim [another term for older brother or respected male figure], fighting!!”

“Hanul, let’s go!”

I stepped up the stairs of the bullpen again to maintain the two-point gap.

The top of the 8th inning, where I would face the 1st batter. If I could cleanly block it with three batters, Kyungseok-sunbae [senior] would face Park Haejin, but,

“He’ll do well.”

It would be arrogance and recklessness to intentionally let one batter out so that I could catch Park Haejin. What I had to do was simple.

“Hic!”

Thwack!

Okay, ma! My!

Third, third―

Slightly behind, behind!

“Out-.”

Be faithful to the present. And have the irresponsible trust that the rest will take care of it.

“Eep!”

Bang-!

“Screaaaaam-!”

The 2nd batter indifferently watched the slider that accurately hooked outside and returned to his dugout.

I received the rounded ball and watched Hong Seokjin’s actions while rubbing it.

“What should I do.”

I remembered the times I had blindly charged in based only on seasonal records and bled a few times.

I thought that the reason for the previous results was that I had not separated the framework that the batter was thinking from the framework that the catcher was thinking.

Disparity.

Therefore, Gyuhak demanded a pitch that was easiest to apply that cognitive dissonance to.

“Ugh!”

The end of the rigidly extended index finger was pointing to the outside low part of Hong Seokjin. To be exact, a little bit lower than the zone.

Bang!

“Strike-!”

If there was any ambiguity, other umpires would take even 0.1 seconds to think, but this umpire pointed to our dugout without any hesitation.

What would the batter think when he saw an ambiguous curve being called a strike?

The three fingers located in the center moved around various parts of the left side of his body. If this were translated into Korean,

“Keueuk!”

I’m going to throw a horizontal slider that will barely hook outside, so catch it well.

Thwack-!

“Foul!”

If it’s a ball that heads exactly to the area that was caught just before, the batter will react. Especially if the opposing pitcher has the ability to throw the same thing at any time.

Bang-!

“Low-ball.”

Hong Seokjin didn’t budge at the slightly missing changeup and easily picked it out.

I shared a look with Gyuhak while the batter took a moment to reorganize his batting gloves with his right foot out.

“…….”

“…….”

We had sufficiently gone through three builds to amplify the disparity, so now it was time to explode that disparity.

Sinker inside. Just enough so that you don’t have to force it.

From the first gesture, Gyuhak sent the exact signal I wanted. I nodded quickly and put my hands together.

“Hoo….”

Today is a day when even cm units work.

“Kkeueup!”

The seams 걸친 [geolchin – 걸치다 (geolchida) means to hang, to place over] on the index and middle fingers 파고 들었다 [pago deureotda – 파고 들다 (pago deulda) means to dig into, to delve into] towards the deep inside of the left-handed batter.

No need for a strike inside.

As I watched the batter standing still and watching the ball, I remembered what the pitching coach had told me someday.

But coach,

Thwack-!

“Screaaaaaam-!!”

Clap!

“Shout!!”

Ding-!

[Early 출근]

– Hold it to within 1 run in 2 innings. (1/1)

– Reward – Changeup +2

Control – Top

Power – High

Stamina – Medium

Four-seam – 84

Curve – 80

Slider – 79

Splitter – 78

Changeup – 78+2=80

Sinker – 79

Traits

Enlightenment – I’m okay with any hit or situation.

Uncomfortable – Makes the opposing batter uncomfortable when they look at the pitcher in the batter’s box.

Comfortable – Those who look at me feel comfortable.

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

Strictly speaking, it was an area close to the ball.

However, Hong Seokjin’s excellent eye for the ball created an excessive synergy effect with my control and Gyuhak’s framing.

After finishing the small solo ceremony, I returned to the dugout, receiving a more energetic response from my teammates than before.

I sat in the dugout instead of the bullpen and watched the bottom of the 8th inning attack. And I watched the top of the 9th inning defense.

“Sunbae [senior/mentor], fighting!!”

“Kyungseok is great!!”

Although he was hit with a hit by Park Haejin from the start, he got a double play from Ha Haejin and a ground ball to 3rd base from Heoncheol.

Kyungseok-sunbae’s 모습 [moseup – appearance, figure] of cleanly catching two and one and finishing the game even looked like a hero.

Clap clap clap clap―

Waaaaack-!!

Let’s go, let’s fight! Victory Challengers, for the victory of Wonha!!

After matching the series record again and listening to the cheering song sung by the audience, how should I express this feeling?

The 7th game of the Korean Series that we will face tomorrow. We have finally reached the real end of the 2019 season. I don’t know if that end will be 죽 [juk – 죽다 (jukda) means death] or 밥 [bap – cooked rice, meal], but,

“Hyung.”

“Huh?”

“Let’s go eat.”

If possible, it should be 밥 [bap – cooked rice, meal].

In that form of 제사 [jesa – ancestral rite], I decided to buy the starting pitcher a meal tomorrow.