Peaceful Bullpen Life [EN]: Chapter 143

143. Legend

Which KBO [Korean Baseball Organization] players have had what people commonly call a legendary season?

There’s Park Hae-jin’s 2016 season, where he set a home run record with 57.

Then there’s Director Kim Sun-gon of the Hanseong Winners, who, back when he was a player, had an ERA [Earned Run Average, a measure of pitching performance] in the 0s as a starter in 1986.

And Kim Ki-yoon, the mental leader of the KP Stars, had an unprecedented 40-40 season [40 home runs and 40 stolen bases] in 2015.

They’ve all achieved truly amazing legendary feats, but could I also join their ranks this season?

Kim Han-wool’s 2020 season, recording a 0 ERA, 0 walks, and allowing 0 inherited runners.

“…Okay.”

I thought as I trudged up to the mound in the bottom of the 8th inning.

Even though I’m not a legendary player because I’ve ruined 2/3 of my playing career,

“I will become the legend.”

I will remain a legend, at least for this 2020 season.

Ding-!

[Legend]

– Strike out 3 batters and allow 0 earned runs in 1 inning (0/3)

– Reward – Slider +2 Splitter +2

The quest that appeared just in time was floating above Gyu-hak’s head.

I nodded to indicate that I understood, and the text disappeared. Gyu-hak seemed to have taken this gesture as a sign, as he smacked his mitt and prepared to receive the ball.

Let’s start with a fastball today.

Wham-!

I checked the velocity on the scoreboard and it was 151km [approximately 94 mph]. The velocity is good.

After that, I threw each of my breaking balls one by one to check my condition.

Is the curveball dropping too early? Is the slider too flat? Is the splitter coming out of my hand well? Is the changeup too fast? Is the sinker breaking too much?

Doing this made me feel like I was back to my pre-concept days.

The way I used to throw however I felt like, just as I thought of it.

“Today’s concept is…”

Batter number 1, Song!! In!! Ho!!

“Mindless.”

After promising myself a fiery inning, I sent a sign to Gyu-hak rather than receiving one from him.

Gyu-hak seemed a little surprised by this, as his eyes widened slightly before quickly sending a sign back to me.

I nodded and went into my windup, and Gyu-hak had his mitt in the center of the strike zone, low.

Yeah, there. If I aim for there,

“Ugh!”

Thud-!

“Swing-!”

The splitter will end up in the dirt.

Gyu-hak caught the bounced ball with his mitt instead of blocking it, then threw the ball to the ball boy. At the same time, the umpire threw a new ball to me.

I took off my hat and bowed slightly, then looked at Song In-ho’s expression.

What is this guy?

He had a very satisfied expression on his face.

Although I disguised it as mindless, today’s pitching could be said to have taken a concept from the story I shared with Kim Soo-chan a while ago.

Breaking the mold of who I am under the guise of a concept.

“Heh!”

What kind of mold is it?

Snap, tap!

Based on the 2017 season, it’s about breaking away from the ‘image’ of having a career strike rate of over 80%.

“Swing!”

A changeup that falls low and outside.

After getting another strike with a swing, the process for the next pitch proceeded smoothly.

If I threw a low splitter and a low changeup,

“Guh!”

Whoosh-!

A high fastball that sticks to their eyes.

Ding-!

[Legend]

– Strike out 3 batters and allow 0 earned runs in 1 inning (1/3)

– Reward – Slider +2 Splitter +2

I completed one count for the quest, not the inning, and waved the rosin bag in the air.

Batter number 2, Kim!! Young!! Guk!!

And the next batter, Kim Young-guk.

Before stepping into the batter’s box, he quickly had the dugout supply him with a tar spray to spray on his bat.

Chik chik, he seemed to like the sticky feeling of the spray on his bat, as his batting gloves stuck to the grip every time he took his hand off.

If the batter is using such a cheat,

Tap! Tap! Tap!

I can’t lose either.

Seeing the batter like that made me feel like my rosin was a little lacking, so I rubbed it a little more,

“Ugh!”

Wham-!

“Ball-.”

I threw a fastball right on the outside.

I definitely feel like it’s gotten narrower, the umpire is calling balls on pitches that he could have caught if he wanted to.

Of course, the world isn’t that easy, but isn’t this a bit too much? It feels like giving and then taking away.

“Ugh!”

Tink!

“Foul-!”

This time, I threw a sinker that looked like a fastball that went slightly inside of the previous fastball.

As intended, it caught the end of the bat and passed by the umpire’s left side. Kim Young-guk shook his hand a lot, as if his left hand, the top hand on the bat, was very sore.

“Ooh, that must hurt.”

It’s what I intended, but I feel a little bad.

What kind of pitch is hard to hit when your top hand hurts…….

I kept thinking during the few seconds that Kim Young-guk took to shake off the pain in his left hand.

The bottom hand that leads, the top hand that is in charge of power.

“Fastball.”

And a fast fastball at that.

Kim Young-guk is already considered to lack power, so if he can’t use the power he has properly,

“Heuk!”

A fastball inside, and slightly high, is perfect.

Ttikk!

The fastball that went slightly deep inside was hit on the inside of the sweet spot and flew over the umpire’s head.

Fidgeting, Gyu-hak folded and unfolded his glove, signaling where he would throw the new ball.

Tap! After receiving the ball in a delicious manner, I recharged the rosin and thought about the next pitch.

Location: outside, outside, inside. Type of pitch: fastball, sinker, fastball. Count: 1-2.

Then…….

“Your changeup was good today.”

Let’s throw the most orthodox pitch among the pitches that could be a threat to the opposite-handed batter.

“Ugh!”

Like Song In-ho did earlier,

Whoosh-!

Another count will be created.

“Swing-!”

Ding-!

[Legend]

– Strike out 3 batters and allow 0 earned runs in 1 inning (2/3)

– Reward – Slider +2 Splitter +2

“Hoo….”

After completing 2/3 of this quest, I took a look around the stadium.

Myung-jin receiving the rounding that Ki-sung is throwing, Sung-moon receiving the ball by jumping because Myung-jin tossed it wrong, and finally Sung-hoon hyung [older brother/friend] nodding after receiving the rounding,

Batter number 3, Jung!! Sung!! Hoon!!

And the next batter who is newly appearing.

Jung Sung-hoon, who appeared in the left-handed batter’s box like the batters before him, waited for me confidently, knowing that he was doing well these days.

Throw inside as much as possible only at important moments, and usually tempt him from the outside.

“…Okay.”

After quickly deciding on the concept for this at-bat,

“Hook!”

Wham-!

“Ball-.”

I threw a ball high on the outside. But it was a ball not because it was high, but because it went outside.

He definitely has a weakness on the outside, and the confident swing he showed when I put it inside was gone, and he hesitated vaguely and picked out the ball.

If he keeps reacting like that to outside pitches, I want to keep throwing that way.

Bbeong-!

“Ball!”

This time, I threw a sinker that ran away to the outside in the low zone. After checking the batter’s reaction, it looked like something would come out if I touched it a little more.

Just a little more, let’s tempt him a little more.

Bang!

The changeup that ran away to the outside that Song In-ho and Kim Young-guk had both suffered once before.

“Ball, ball-!”

Thanks to securing a clear count advantage, unlike the previous two batters, Jung Sung-hoon did not swing easily.

But not swinging is just the surface story.

“Swing!”

As soon as Gyu-hak pointed to the 3rd base umpire with both hands, the 3rd base umpire who was called out made a fist with his right hand.

Woo-!

The stadium was soon filled with boos, but the 3rd base umpire stood tall and waited for the next call.

“Are you itching?”

How frustrating would it be for a batter who has been on the outside for three consecutive pitches, and who hasn’t even been able to swing once?

A batter who is the real deal when it comes to power, and who can clear the fence if he just pulls with all his might.

“Kkeueok!”

Whoosh-!

How could he have held back the desire to swing so powerfully?

“Swing-!”

Since I played on the outside for three consecutive pitches, this time I induced another swing in the high zone on the inside.

That’s how important this moment is.

And this important moment is also valid now that the count is 2-2.

Inside, but a space where I can induce another swing. Let’s throw a slider, one of the pitches I haven’t thrown today.

“Kkeueak!”

I gripped it shallower than I usually do, fulfilling the conditions I wanted as much as possible.

Horizontally, but short, and as fast as possible.

These three conditions will be very visible to Jung Sung-hoon, who has his eyes wide open.

Pak!

“Swing, swing swing-!”

The ball hit Jung Sung-hoon’s thigh because it stuck deeper than I thought, but it was recognized as a swing,

Ding-!

[Legend]

– Strike out 3 batters and allow 0 earned runs in 1 inning (3/3)

– Reward – Slider +2 Splitter +2

The quest has been completed.

Control – Top

Power – High

Stamina – Medium

Four-seam – 93

Curve – 86

Slider – 83+2=85

Splitter – 84+2=86

Changeup – 84

Sinker – 85

Traits

Detachment – I don’t mind any batted balls or situations.

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

Comfort – Those who look at me feel comfortable.

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

“Yeahhhhh!!”

“Hoooh!”

Another quest completed.

Another scoreless inning achieved.

Another legend achieved.

It was only natural that the teammates who followed me screamed and followed me after perfectly performing three great feats.

* * *

All-Star Game!

Entering mid-June, the names of the candidates are slowly being mentioned.

There are those who are newly mentioned this season, and those who remain in their place like iron rice bowls [a metaphor for job security].

Based on our Won-ha, Myung-jin is the former. Based on our Won-ha, Sung-hyun is the latter.

Which one do I belong to, the former or the latter?

I was selected as the No. 1 bullpen pitcher in the fan vote for two consecutive seasons in 2017 and 2018, but I messed up big time from the start of the 2019 season and was not even mentioned as a candidate.

And this year,

“Hyung [older brother/friend], it looks like the three of us will be going together again this year.”

“Ah, get lost. Go on your own.”

“Hey, hyung [older brother/friend], you can’t do this between us.”

“You crazy bastard.”

I’m running first in the bullpen pitcher fan vote again, recording the best season ever.

“If you go again this year, would you like to go in my car at once?”

“No.”

“Ah, whyyy.”

When was it, the 2018 All-Star Game.

At the time, I, Sung-hyun, and Myung-jin, who were selected as All-Stars from Won-ha, had a history of traveling to Munhak Stadium in my car at once.

Back then…….

“…If I’m in the same space as you two, it’s a real time and spirit room [a reference to Dragon Ball Z, where characters train in a room where time passes differently].”

Ah, so that’s why drivers get angry and turn the steering wheel, I realized.

“Go on your own.”

“Hyung [older brother/friend], are you abandoning me?”

“You crazy bastard.”

Ahhing, it-hing, Myung-jin made such crazy noises and ran away into the 3rd base dugout of Daejeon Stadium.

Ah, please.

“…Is he always like that?”

“He’s a nice kid.”

Woo-seok appeared and made an interesting expression after seeing that. Then he chuckled and sat down on the lawn.

“You’re doing pretty well this season?”

“I have to. Are you doing okay?”

“Just so-so. I’m doing what I used to do.”

I sat down next to Woo-seok while having a brief conversation, and he started talking to me from the side.

“Ah, hey.”

“What.”

“I finally got a girlfriend.”

“Oh.”

If this happens, the topic that men often talk about should come out.

“Is she pretty?”

“She’s pretty.”

“What happened to announcer Gu Hyun-jung?”

“Well…isn’t that how people’s lives are.”

Confirmed.

“You guys have been together for quite a while, right?”

“Us?”

How long has it been…….

“Since we started dating in August of last year…we’ve been dating for about 10 months.”

“You were flirting for longer than that.”

“Almost…2 years?”

“You’ve been dating for a really long time.”

“If you include the flirting period, we’ve been dating for quite a long time.”

“Marriage?”

“Marriage?”

My head turned towards the guy who mentioned a big deal so casually.

He didn’t have an expression of teasing or joking, but an expression of pure curiosity.

“I want to…but.”

“Don’t be like when you started dating her, saying you were testing the waters or whatever. Just grab her quickly. Grab her quickly.”

“I’m thinking about it.”

“When?”

“If possible, I’d like to do it even this year. It’s been a long time since we’ve been dating and knowing each other.”

That’s right. I should slowly prepare for this too.

“Can I eat noodles this year?” [a Korean expression meaning ‘can I attend your wedding?’]

You’re setting the stage next to me…….

I raised my thumb towards his grinning face.

“I’ll try.”