Peaceful Bullpen Life [EN]: Chapter 128

128. Lim Hoteak

This year, we, Wonha Challengers, are performing better than the Sangsoo Tigers.

The ripple effect of my thoughtlessly blurting out those carefully considered words appeared faster than expected. I immediately became public enemy number one among the Sangsoo Tigers’ fandom.

And the ones constantly fueling the fire were the haters of me or Wonha. The Sangsoo fandom, swayed by their agitation,

[Does a nobody like Wonha even have the right to challenge Sangsoo?]

[Sangsoo will still win anyway, lol]

[Award is Sangsoo, lol]

were showing quite cynical reactions.

Cynical reactions? Yeah, cynical reactions.

There was a clear reason why they couldn’t stray further than that.

1. Wonha Challengers 21 wins 9 losses

2. Sangsoo Tigers 19 wins 10 losses

…….

8. Gaya Perfectors 9 wins 20 losses

The reason? Performance, of course.

Wonha continued to rack up victories, racing towards first place in the regular season.

Tuesday, which we faced with a one-and-a-half-game lead over the Sangsoo Tigers. From a baseball player’s perspective, the real start of the week,

Tak-!

“Run, Myungjin, run!!”

“Nice hit!”

started with Myungjin’s single to right field.

We invaded Incheon Munhak Stadium, the home ground of the mid-tier league team, Visco Runners, and confidently held out our hands, demanding victory.

After that, Sunghyun bunted to advance Myungjin, and Kiseong’s timely hit scored a run.

Jinhyeong struck out, and Seungju rekindled the flame with a double, but Sunghoon hyung [hyung is a Korean term for older brother or older male friend] grounded out to third base, ending the inning as it was.

It’s a bit disappointing that six batters came up in the top of the first inning and only managed to score one run, but,

Puh-wung-!

“Alright, Hyukjoon, let’s go!”

“Hyukjoon’s pitches are great!”

It’s okay. We’ll win as long as Hyukjoon doesn’t give up any runs.

Baseball is a sport of repetition. If there’s a repertoire accumulated from past data that’s closest to victory, there’s an obligation to use it indefinitely.

That obligation includes the good pitching of the starting lineup, the support of the batting lineup, and,

“Hanwool, let’s have you close in the 9th.”

“Ah, me as closer?”

“Yeah.”

“Okay.”

the pressure from a bullpen full of reliable guys.

It’s a sad story, but having many team wins also means constantly using up good bullpen pitchers.

The result of that is right now.

We had a day off on Monday, but instead of Kyungseok sunbae [sunbae is a Korean term for senior or mentor], who had recorded saves throughout the three-game winning streak during the previous weekend series, I was going to close today.

Following the pitching coach’s instructions, I immediately grabbed the glove hanging on the side railing and stood up.

After checking the scoreboard, it seemed that the only run our team had scored was the one Kiseong hit in the top of the first inning.

Even so, the fact that they’re using the word ‘closer’ means that Hyukjoon hasn’t allowed any runs during the 8 innings.

“It’s flowing a bit frustratingly today.”

“It is.”

Jiho, who was next to me, answered my mumbling as I stretched my shoulder before pitching. I wasn’t really expecting an answer.

The fact that Hyukjoon is keeping Visco’s scoreboard at 0 is definitely welcome, but the fact that we also recorded 1 once and then continued with 0s isn’t a good thing.

“Im Hoteak sunbaenim is pitching really well today too.”

“Yeah….”

Im Hoteak, the oldest of the eight first-string pitchers from each of the eight clubs.

At 38 years old, a time when baseball players are entering the twilight of their careers, he’s using various breaking balls, control, and modified fastballs to,

Tak-!

“Mine, mine, mine!”

torment our Challengers’ batting lineup.

Right now, Im Hoteak has only taken three strikeouts by the top of the 9th. But the hits he’s allowed are also only the three from the top of the 1st.

That’s experience.

I suddenly had the thought that I want to pitch like that sunbae when I get older. He’s also the sunbae who’s most similar to how I’ll look when my velocity drops as I age.

Is that why,

“Sinker!”

“Ah, sinker!”

The first pitch of my bullpen pitching, which I started after completing stretching and catch-ball, was a sinker, one of the modified fastballs.

Puh-wung-!

“Oh, hyung, did you change your grip?”

“No? It’s the same, why? Is it not good?”

“No, no. It’s good, but the angle is too big.”

“Ah, really? Okay.”

Did I put too much force into it?

I held the ball in front of my eyes and twisted it this way and that to revive the feeling in my hand.

Ah, okay.

“One more sinker.”

“Ah, sinker!”

Basically, a sinker isn’t a breaking ball with a big angle.

Depending on the situation, the angle can be increased or dropped by adjusting the distance between the fingers or the angle of the wrist, but,

“Eup!”

Puh-wung-!

the basics of a sinker don’t change.

“Ah, this is good!”

Small, but fast.

“Hanwool, let’s go up.”

“Yes!”

I feel like I only threw sinkers throughout my bullpen pitching because I was so absorbed in the sinker.

And to support this story,

Dding-!

[Ground Baller]

– Get 3 outs with only infield ground balls (0/3)

– Reward – Sinker +2

The quest that appeared before the inning even started was openly mentioning sinkers.

I stepped onto the plate for practice pitches and briefly stared over Kiseong’s head. After checking the contents of the text, I gently touched the official ball and increased the feeling in my fingers.

“Sinker….”

There’s no need to stubbornly stick to sinkers just to get ground balls. Curves, splitters, even fastballs can induce ground balls if you make them hit it wrong.

But,

“Eup!”

Puh-wung-!

still, sinkers can’t be beat.

During the practice pitches, I continued to throw only sinkers, submitting a plan to produce as many ground balls as possible.

Second batter, Kim!! Wook!!

While the catcher was checking the contents of the plan I had sent earlier, the stadium announcer bought some time by announcing the appearance of the home team’s batter.

“Play!”

Did he like the plan I sent him?

“Keuk!”

Our catcher requested a sinker from the very first pitch.

Tak!

“Foul!”

For Kim Wook, the shortest player in the KBO [Korean Baseball Organization], the ball that seemed even further away escaped towards the end of the bat, resulting in a foul.

After checking the batter’s reaction once, Kyuhak requested a sinker again for the next pitch. The exact same sign as the first pitch.

“Heup!”

I don’t do anything complicated, like putting a little more force into my index finger or paying attention to the rotation.

The ball will rotate on its own according to the grip I’m holding. And as it flies, it will automatically,

Tak―

produce a ground ball.

“Second, dash!”

“Run it through, throw it right away!”

If you really try to force the ball that was meant to be pulled, it’s hard to get good results.

The result is right now.

Bang!

“Out!”

The timing at first base was a bit ambiguous because the first bounce was a bit big, but Sungmoon sensed it and quickly cut it off with a dash forward.

Thanks to that, we earned an out count at first base with relatively ease.

Seeing Sungmoon smiling brightly after making the great play made my heart feel good.

Dding-!

[Ground Baller]

– Get 3 outs with only infield ground balls (1/3)

– Reward – Sinker +2

And seeing the status of the quest with the count increased also made my heart feel good.

“Ah, Sungmoon, nice!”

“Hyung, nice too!”

You rascal.

I chuckled at his cute appearance and then refocused on the next batter,

Third batter, Bang!! Eun!! Min!!

Bang Eunmin… ground ball…….

It’s important to throw a sinker to induce a ground ball, but shouldn’t drawing a blueprint for it come first?

“Hmm.”

I saw Bang Eunmin standing at a suitable distance from home plate, waiting to bat.

Since Bang Eunmin doesn’t have any major weaknesses on either side, this plan is likely to work, but I felt that one preliminary step was necessary for this plan.

That is to keep the batter close to home plate.

Let’s throw a fastball outside first.

“Euk!”

Puh-wung-!

“…Strike!”

Seeing that the umpire’s call came out a bit late, it seems that my specialty and Kyuhak’s specialty worked properly.

And the next sign. A fastball inside, a sinker inside, a splitter that falls, all rejected, and then I sent a sign.

A slider that escapes even further outside from the outside.

With the thought that just two pitches would be enough to justify diverting attention to the outside, I tried to express a horizontal movement.

Puhng!

“Ball!”

The bat twitched, but it’s definitely not enough to judge that it turned.

It’s okay.

It became a ball, but it’s okay. If I throw another fastball outside here to miss,

Puh-wung-!

“Ball-”

another ball is created, but this is also okay.

Thumb and index finger.

Look. The batter’s stance has moved a little closer to home plate.

After checking the batter’s coordinates, Kyuhak slowly sat closer to the inside.

“Eup!”

There was definitely a reward for sending an implicit sign by throwing only sinkers during practice pitches.

Tak―

“Sunghoon hyung, slowly! Slowly!”

“Ah, first base!”

The batter was feeling a lot of pain in his right hand from the sudden inside ball, a ball that dug in even closer to the inside.

He should be sprinting to first base, but if he runs while shaking his right hand to look less painful, he can never achieve good speed.

Then what,

Bang!

“Out-!”

He’s out at first base.

It recorded almost the same first bounce as the previous hit by Kim Wook, but thanks to being caught a little faster and much closer, Sunghoon hyung easily caught another out.

Dding-!

[Ground Baller]

– Get 3 outs with only infield ground balls (2/3)

– Reward – Sinker +2

Two outs like this.

I was fiddling with the rosin, thinking anew that our infield defense is good.

“Good pitches. Let’s keep going like this.”

“Yes, sir.”

Sunghoon hyung, who decorated the end of the round, didn’t throw the ball but came all the way to me and put the ball in my glove.

With Sunghoon hyung’s heart in mind,

Fourth batter, Bae!! Deok!! Hyun!!

If I can get just one last ground ball, the inning ends, the game ends, and the quest ends.

Now, if I induced a ground ball by putting the right-handed batter Bang Eunmin on the plate, then conversely, I need to move the left-handed batter Bae Deokhyun away from the plate.

Puhng!

“Ball!”

Fall, fall, with that in mind, I threw a slider that went deeper into the inside.

Although it became a ball, I’ve long since thrown away any regrets about the ball count since I was planning to catch it with a ground ball anyway.

Then it’s okay to be a little more flamboyant.

Puh-wung-!

“Boooall-.”

After abandoning interest in the top and bottom far away, I stubbornly insisted on only playing left and right.

The output for that can be sufficiently expressed with another fastball thrown inside.

“Damn it.”

But thinking that a batter of his caliber has the right to insist on his own stance, Bae Deokhyun’s position remains firm.

No matter how little regret I have about the ball count, it’s still burdensome to throw another ball in a situation where I’ve already allowed two balls first.

“Hmm….”

Without stepping on the plate right away, I rolled the ball gently behind the plate and thought.

In a 2-0 count, the pitcher naturally wants to catch the count.

The easiest ball to catch the count with is probably a fastball.

But the opposing battery is that Kim Hanwool and that Moon Kyuhak.

They won’t stubbornly insist on only fastballs to aim for the count.

Looking at the front, he threw a lot of sinkers, so maybe he’ll catch the count with a sinker in the same way.

“Okay.”

After reading the batter’s mind with telepathy, I spread three fingers from my pinky finger and sent a sign to Kyuhak.

In a situation where the batter is focusing on the sinker among the fastball and sinker, I chose a ball that is neither this nor that but close to a sinker.

That is,

“Eueuk!”

a changeup.

Tak-!

“Hanwool hyung!”

“Watch the timing, Kiseong, watch the timing!”

The same rotation as a sinker thrown with a two-seam grip, and almost the same direction, but the two decisive differences are speed and drop.

At the same time as the batter, who pulled the outside changeup with all his might, started towards first base, I also ran towards first base with all my might.

“Fair-!”

Kiseong, who was slightly off first base, kept twitching his right arm as he watched me running towards him.

Twitch, twitch, matching the timing for me like that, he tossed the ball with a snap throw around the time I arrived at first base.

If I just receive this and step on the base,

“Out!”

I can achieve three outs and end the inning and the game at the same time.

Dding-!

[Ground Baller]

– Get 3 outs with only infield ground balls (3/3)

– Reward – Sinker +2

Control – Top

Power – High

Stamina – Medium

Four-seam – 89

Curve – 83

Slider – 82

Splitter – 83

Changeup – 83

Sinker – 82+2=84

Traits

Detachment – Accepts any hit or situation as it is.

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

Comfort – Those who look at him feel comfortable.

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

Plus, the end of the quest!

All the Wonha Challengers teammates came out onto the ground with the joy of earning another victory.

We bowed to the Wonha fans who came to cheer us on at the away stadium, clapped our hands, and finished preparing to go home.

“Wow, the game ended really quickly today.”

“It’s good when it’s a pitching match.”

“Yeah.”

The game that started at 6:30 PM ended at only around 9:02 PM.

I was humming a tune, feeling happy about the fact that I was getting off work that much earlier, as I headed to the parking lot,

“Hey, are you Hanwool?”

“Ah, sunbaenim, hello.”

Im Hoteak, who I had suddenly thought I wanted to model myself after, was waiting for me.