Peaceful Bullpen Life [EN]: Chapter 126

Even Park Hae-jin on the opposing team couldn’t deny the word ‘growth’.

Unfortunately, what Yoon Sung had said to me earlier that afternoon was proving to be true.

Clang-!

“Wow….”

He’s the enemy, and in some ways, the worst guy in the world, but,

“…How did he hit that?”

Watching him, I couldn’t help but feel pure admiration. I wondered if it was just me, so I looked around, and the other team members seemed to be thinking the same thing.

No, this won’t do.

Clap clap clap!

“Ah, Junhyuk, good, keep throwing!!”

“Junhyuk’s ball is good, good!!”

“Let’s go, let’s go, let’s go!!”

Our Bae Junhyuk, the third starter for the Wonha Challengers, was pitching well. He really was pitching well.

A slider that fell slightly below the strike zone on a 1-2 count would definitely have been a swing and a miss for most hitters, or at best, a ground ball.

But somehow, Park Hae-jin mustered all his strength to lift it over the center field fence of Jamsil Stadium.

Mental fortitude.

Our Junhyuk, with whom I could have a whole conversation about mental fortitude, didn’t just stand there blankly.

Clap clap clap!

“Junhyuk, it’s okay, it’s okay!”

0 to 0, in the top of the 6th with two outs, Junhyuk, after giving up a two-run home run, turned his eyes to our dugout, looking for me.

Clap clap clap clap!!

Yeah, I’m here.

As our eyes met, I clapped even more enthusiastically.

Nod.

Confirming my smiling face, Junhyuk nodded once as if he had made up his mind, and then started his windup again.

After that, it was a review of what he had been doing so far. Exchanging signs and slightly pulling his left leg back,

Bang!

Throwing it.

“Strike!”

If a pitcher throws a good ball, his team will naturally,

Clap clap clap!

“Good, so good, Junhyuk!!”

“Junhyuk hyung [older brother or respected male figure], take me!!”

Go wild.

Even just getting a strike is enough for this much excitement, but

Bang!

“Strike, out!”

What if he gets an out, and ends the inning?

Clap clap clap clap!

“Waaa, our Junhyuk is here!!”

“Bae Junhyuk! Bae Junhyuk! Bae Junhyuk!”

The fact that he gave up a two-run home run is already long forgotten.

Although they can’t do a selfie celebration because they gave up a run, everyone is holding their arms above their heads, jumping up and down in place.

Who would ask if there’s any team that likes giving up runs, but here we are. The driving force comes from something similar to a belief that we won’t lose.

In a situation where we’re losing 2 to 0, what should the team do to not lose, and what should the team members believe in?

Clang-!

“It’s goneeee, we’re goneeee too!!”

“Yuhun! Yuhun! Yuhun!”

What else could it be? It’s just something like our hitters can do it too.

In the bottom of the 6th, the very next attack, Yuhun hit a home run that, although it was the same two-run home run, felt even heavier than Park Hae-jin’s.

Our Junhyuk, who knows how to show respect to his teammates who tied the score, also returned to the dugout after blocking the top of the 7th with three batters.

Unfortunately, we couldn’t score more points in the bottom of the 7th, but it’s okay.

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

Waaaaa-!!

Kim Hanwool! Kim Hanwool! Kim Hanwool!

I’ll block it for now. They’ll score more points from behind. And so,

“Ugh!”

Thwack-!

“Ah, nice ball!”

We’ll win again.

Ding-!

[Unrecorded Good Pitching]

– 1 Inning No Runs Allowed (0/1)

– Reward – Four-seam fastball +2

I checked the quest content floating above Heoncheol’s head and tossed the rosin bag back.

The motif for this system I have, the stats, is definitely the baseball game ‘Full Count’ that I used to enjoy.

If so, the maximum per stat is 100.

“Play!”

I’ll probably reach max level within this year. If I reach max level, I’ll truly, in the truest sense, become a bullpen pitcher who dominates the league.

“Ugh!”

Thwack-!

“Swing-.”

I threw and glanced at the scoreboard, 150km [approximately 93 mph]. The red number made me nod my head.

If I got a swing and a miss with a fastball at an ambiguous height inside, let’s throw a slider that hangs on the outside this time.

It used to be nothing more than a burden, but now it’s a slider that’s considered one of the best pitches in the league, so it’s definitely,

Bang!

“Swing, swing!”

I’ll be able to get another swing and a miss.

Heoncheol’s bat flinched at the slider that slightly missed the zone, but the umpire pointed at Heoncheol’s bat from the spot, acknowledging the swing and a miss.

Heoncheol himself seemed to acknowledge it, preparing for my finisher without any particular reaction.

The Wonha-born Premier 12 catcher was talking about catching the Sangsoo-born Premier 12 catcher with a splitter.

Personally, I wanted to throw a fastball, but it’s okay. It seems like it’ll work.

While both hands tied to the glove were going over my head, all five fingers on my right hand were wiggling, receiving their respective tasks.

In that short moment from chest to behind the head, the splitter grip that had finished transforming in between,

“Ugh!”

Thud-!

“Swing, swing!”

Was converted into a splitter that slammed into the ground, leading to the batter’s swing and a miss.

The bounced ball didn’t bounce very far, so Gyuhak quickly picked up the ball, tagged Heoncheol, and rounded towards first base.

7th batter, shortstop Shin Taebum.

Whether the next batter appeared or not, I didn’t pay attention to that side and held up the ball to the umpire.

While I was throwing the ball towards the ball boy and receiving a new ball from the umpire, I felt the batter who was floating in the air feeling awkward, but I didn’t care at all, not at all.

From the beginning, when discussing a pitcher’s mentality, the basics are this. Doing what you have to do. And doing that,

“Ugh!”

Clang-!

“Foul-.”

Continuously.

I hope Junhyuk sees and learns this too.

The curve I threw to get the count was a bit dangerous. I wondered if I hadn’t applied enough rosin, so I took off my glove and applied rosin again.

Good.

Not caring that I almost got hit with an extra-base hit on the previous pitch is also a pitcher’s job.

Usually, they’re scared.

Wow, I timed it right against him? What if he hits it on the next pitch? What if I get hit?

Junhyuk actually told me this before. I answered that question like this.

“Ugh!”

Clang-!

What if you get hit.

Swish-!

They’ll usually catch it from behind.

“Myungjin, shoot it right away!”

“Eutheung!”

Myungjin, who made a great diving stop to catch the batted ball that was trying to escape between third and shortstop, made a strange noise as much as his personality and threw the ball to first base with all his might.

Bang!

“Out!”

Kiseong stretched out his arm and caught the throw. I can’t spare praise for the two infielders who made a good throw and a good catch.

It’s a sin to spare praise.

The rounding ended with Myungjin, who showed a great play. Myungjin ran all the way to where I was, even though he didn’t have to,

“Hanwool hyung [older brother or respected male figure], let’s go!”

He shouted once and went back to his place.

I’m sure he’s out of his mind, I thought, smiling with a smirk, when,

8th batter, right fielder Park Myunggi.

Park Myunggi, who was announced as the last batter of this inning, appeared at the plate.

After wiping the ball clean, he stepped on the plate and looked at Gyuhak’s sign. What he wanted for the first pitch was a sinker that he hadn’t thrown yet today.

I thought it would be good, so I nodded,

“Ggeuk!”

And threw the sinker so that it could hang in a perfect position on the outside.

Thwack-!

“Strike-!”

First, after earning one strike,

“Oops!”

I caught Gyuhak’s return throw, which floated slightly higher than my height, with a light jump and stepped on the plate again.

With plenty of outs and a bit of leeway in the ball count, Gyuhak was suggesting that we try some fishing [deceptive pitch strategy].

Gyuhak, what kind of catcher do you want to be?

Me? I’m…….

“Ugh!”

A catcher who fishes for people, who fishes for batters.

Bang!

“Swing-!”

Gyuhak is someone who wouldn’t be able to say anything even if he was called a bad catcher by fans of other teams, but it’s okay. That’s high praise.

Unlike Heoncheol a little while ago, Park Myunggi, who swung completely and coolly, tilted his head slightly and started executing his routine again.

What would a pitcher who has taken a 2-strike lead with a sinker that hangs on the outside and a slider that runs away from the outside want to throw?

Park Myunggi’s eyes seemed to be saying those words.

Park Myunggi seems to have left out one important word here.

“Ugh!”

What kind of ball would other catchers ask for, and what kind of ball would other pitchers want to throw?

Other.

Why did you think I was the same as other pitchers, why did you think Gyuhak was the same as other catchers?

Thwack-!

“Strike, out!”

Since we played around on the outside twice, isn’t it common courtesy in this world to stab the inside once, teacher?

Clap-!

“Syaaak!”

The pleasure of plugging the ball exactly where you wanted it, and when that ball is caught for a strike.

Ding-!

[Unrecorded Good Pitching]

– 1 Inning No Runs Allowed (1/1)

– Reward – Four-seam fastball +2

Control – Top

Power – High

Stamina – Medium

Four-seam fastball – 87+2=89

Curve – 83

Slider – 82

Splitter – 83

Changeup – 83

Sinker – 82

Traits

Detachment – Accepts any batted ball or situation as it is.

Discomfort – Makes the opposing batter feel uncomfortable when they look at the pitcher at the plate.

Comfort – Those who look at him feel comfortable.

Concentration – The number of targets that can be concentrated on increases.

Before I knew it, the fastball was approaching 90, and the changeups were also reaching the mid-80s.

Wouldn’t this already be a level where there’s no match in the KBO [Korean Baseball Organization]?

Clap clap clap!

“Let’s score, let’s score!”

The bottom of the 8th inning, which we faced after cleanly blocking the top of the 8th, unfortunately had to be changed again with three batters.

The top of the 9th defense, which we faced while maintaining a tie,

“Sunbae [senior/respected colleague], show us, show us!!”

“Choi Eungu! Choi Eungu! Choi Eungu!”

Our Eungu sunbae [senior/respected colleague] was in charge.

It’s not a winning situation, and it can be said that the bullpen card that can be put out in a tie situation is somewhat less stable.

Wouldn’t it be better for Kim Hanwool to throw one more inning? It’s a game against Sangsoo, not another team?

Some people still say that.

But,

Thwack-!

“Strike, out!”

Thwack-!

“Swing, out!”

Tick!

“My, my, myaaaaak!”

Looking at him finishing the inning cleanly with Myungjin’s screams, well, saying such things just feels like the ramblings of haters.

“Ah, Eungu sunbae [senior/respected colleague], nice!”

“Let’s go, let’s keep going!!”

“Let’s score, let’s end it!!”

In the bottom of the 9th, Gyuhak was the lead batter. And Jang Hyungseon, one of the winning team from Sangsoo, appeared.

Thwack-!

“Strike-!”

Gyuhak didn’t care much even after staring intently at the fastball that was coming in strongly from the first pitch.

If you hit it, so what, that kind of expression.

If you hit it, it’s nonsense that would make other hitters laugh, but,

Clang-!

“Niceee!!”

“Let’s go, Gyuhak, let’s gooo!!”

He hits it. He hits it out.

Gyuhak, who stepped on first base and was replaced by pinch runner Gibeom, quickly ran to our dugout,

“Click!”

“Ah, click [taking a photo]!!”

After taking a selfie celebration once, he started watching the plate appearance of Yuhun, who was his next batter.

Yuhun, who countered Park Hae-jin’s two-run home run with the same two-run home run earlier. He’s the lowest-ranked hitter in our team in terms of hitting, but,

Clang-!

“Foul, foul!”

Yuhun too. This year is different.

“Good timing, keep hitting!!”

“Good bat, good swing!!”

Yuhun is also a veteran player who will be eligible for FA [Free Agency] after finishing next season. It’s true that he hasn’t been able to give much confidence at the plate during that long period.

But,

Thwack-!

“Ball-.”

The somewhat hasty appearance he showed is no longer there. He calmly matches the timing, calmly watches, and then,

Clang-!

Calmly hits it out,

“Wow! Waa! Waaak!!”

“It’s, it’s goneee!!”

Calmly ends the game.

Waaaaaaak-!!!

Yuhun! Yuhun! Yuhun!

It seemed like Yuhun couldn’t hear what the Wonha Challengers fans were saying. He quickly turned around the bases, stepped on home, and ran to the dugout,

“Yayaaaaa!!!”

“Aaaaaak!!”

“It’s a click [photo op], you bastarddd!!”

He was beaten hard by his teammates.

“Yeol, Yuhun!”

“Was I cool?”

“Fucking, fucking coolll!!”

I usually try not to swear, but I can’t help but swear in a conversation with a hitter who single-handedly took responsibility for 4 points for the team with two two-run home runs.

“Is that enough! Are we in 1st place! Are we in 1st place again!”

Looking at the entire schedule of the pennant race, it’s only slightly over 10% now.

Nevertheless, the Wonha players,

“That’s right, we’re in 1st place!”

“Hey, take a picture! Take a click [photo]!!”

Were feeling so much joy about removing the two letters ‘co-‘ from the title ‘co-1st place’.

That joy was very well expressed in the ceremony.

Everyone was focused on the left hand that Yuhun raised with our team behind him.

Click!