Peaceful Bullpen Life [EN]: Chapter 157

※ 157. Contagion

To explain a bases-loaded situation from a pitcher’s perspective, it’s fear, pure and simple.

Or, it could be more than that.

Hit a batter or walk them, and it’s a free run. Give up a single, and it’s two runs. A double, and it’s three runs. A big hit, and it’s four runs.

And the inning isn’t over; you have to pitch again. How terrifying is that?

Bang-!

“Strike!”

But here’s the funny thing: I’m not your average pitcher.

Is my velocity not average? Is my control not average? Are my breaking balls not average?

No, it’s just that my way of thinking isn’t average.

After all, a bases-loaded situation puts even more pressure on the batter.

A defense that becomes relatively easier to manage with the bases loaded.

The consequences of failing to hit in a crucial moment.

Boos raining down as they disappointedly trudge back to the dugout.

Moreover, if the pitcher they have to face is virtually invincible, the batter’s burden increases exponentially.

“Ugh!”

Whoosh—

“Swing, swing!”

I wanted to get ahead in the count with an outside fastball and then throw a changeup, but having faced him most recently in the All-Star game, I thought he might still be anticipating my changeup.

Sigh, is it more of a predictable pattern than him actually reading it?

So, I boldly changed the pattern and jammed him inside with a fastball to induce a swing and miss.

After getting ahead 0-2, I stepped off the plate for a moment to think.

I have to get him out perfectly here to reap the reward. Can’t let him put the ball in play, can’t let him foul it off. Walking him is even more out of the question.

What should I throw?

It’s easier to get out a batter who swings wildly, but with these restrictions on a batter who just taps the ball, it’s actually harder to get him out.

As I stepped back on the plate and kept shaking my head,

“Time!”

“Time, time!”

Kim Seok-ho held out his palm to my left. He showed the palm he had shown the umpire as he stepped out of the batter’s box to me once more, but why are you sorry? I’m the one who’s sorry.

It’s okay, I’m more sorry. I showed him my palm once as well, meaning that, and I had some time to think.

Whoosh— Whoosh—

In that moment, I took a step back from the plate and watched Kim Seok-ho take practice swings.

His right elbow slightly away from his torso.

His left ankle turning too quickly, before the bat.

As a result, the contact point is formed earlier than average.

Kim Seok-ho is a typical left-handed hitter who displays the performance he can at the 9-hole [referring to the last spot in the batting order] with his lean body.

He doesn’t usually swing like that, and if he were playing his usual role, he shouldn’t be swinging like that.

“…Now’s the time.”

And that action clearly works as a positive factor for me right now.

“Play!”

As soon as I stepped onto the plate, before Gyu-hak could even give me a sign, I started moving my fingers this way and that, sending signals.

Gyu-hak glanced at the batter and then slowly moved to the outside, presenting his mitt.

Yes, there.

“Eep!”

The ball, with a clean spin caught on my middle and ring fingers, flew accurately towards Gyu-hak’s mitt.

Kim Seok-ho quickly swung his bat as the ball came in at the location and with the spin he had anticipated.

A swing that perfectly matched the practice swing he had just shown.

Thanks to that,

Whoosh—

“Swing!”

Gyu-hak caught the changeup long after the bat had passed, ending the inning.

Ding-!

[Delivery]

– Strike out the batter in three pitches (1/1)

– Reward – Changeup +2, Acquire trait ‘Contagion’

Control – Top

Power – Top

Stamina – Medium

Four-seam fastball – 100

Curveball – 90

Slider – 87

Splitter – 88

Changeup – 88+2=90

Sinker – 87

Traits

Detachment – Accepts any batted ball or situation with equanimity.

Discomfort – Makes the batter feel uncomfortable when they look at the pitcher on the mound.

Comfort – Those who look at the user feel comfortable.

Concentration – The number of targets one can concentrate on increases.

Clutch – Four-seam fastball +5 when you want to win.

Contagion – Your emotions are contagious.

Normally, after getting through a crisis, I would have gone to the mound yelling, “Yeah!” or “Shyah!” or something like that.

But, considering that my appearance today wasn’t over yet, and in order to figure out the newly added trait, I quietly walked to the dugout.

“Contagion….”

The trait of my emotions being contagious.

Unlike other difficult-to-understand traits, this time, for some reason, I immediately understood the trait.

All I have to do is specify the subject who is infected with my emotions.

Clap clap clap!

“Let’s get more runs, more runs! Huni, blast it!”

The subject of the infection hasn’t been specified as my teammates yet, but whether it is or not doesn’t matter.

Either way, I have to clap hard, I have to raise my voice, and I have to hope for victory.

“Huni hyung [older brother/male friend], let’s go!”

“Yoo, Hun! Yoo, Hun!”

Following my cheering, my teammates started getting up from their seats again. Huni glanced at me, the subject of this situation, and smirked.

Is it because he’s friends with Seung-joo? Huni looks normal on the outside, but he’s a little erratic.

Watching him act crazy and then completely shut his mouth and concentrate when he steps into the batter’s box makes me wonder if he has multiple personalities.

But then, he doesn’t hide his emotions when he misses a mistake or strikes out, and he doesn’t hide his emotions when he gets a good result, which makes me wonder if he has multiple personalities.

But then again,

Click!

“Foul!”

Huni, who missed a mistake with an awkward swing,

“Hyungnim [term of respect for older brother/male senior], Huni hyung is smiling right now?”

Was smiling brightly as he stepped into the batter’s box, just like when he’s playing around with us.

“Timing’s good!”

“Ah, too bad, too bad!”

“Eunbi Kkabi [nonsense phrase, like gibberish]!!”

“You crazy bastard!”

Whatever they’re muttering in the dugout, whatever they’re shouting.

Bang-!

Huni, who crossed the center fence of Gocheok Dome [a famous baseball stadium in South Korea] and rounded the bases, wasn’t overly happy like before.

“Yeeeeeeah!!”

He just screamed like a madman, clapping his hands and rejoicing.

“Huni Huni!!”

“Yaaaaaak!!”

When Huni rejoices like that, I also cheer like a madman when I see that, and when I feel so uplifted,

Bang-!

“It’s gone!!”

The mood of the batters stepping into the batter’s box also rises.

4 points.

In a clear virtuous cycle, in the top of the 8th inning, the Wonha Challengers lineup definitively turned the direction of the game around.

“Let’s go, let’s go!!”

I will dedicate myself to the team’s championship, not just the team’s victory.

I don’t know when or who said it, but what trait could be more fitting than this ‘Contagion’ trait I gained today?

All the traits I had before are precious and work in a good direction when they are important.

And if I use these traits to achieve good results, it’s also true that this small contribution will be the foundation for the team’s championship.

But baseball is a team game.

“Ah, second!”

Whoosh-!

Adding a little more strength to the catcher’s shoulder as he throws a long pass to second base,

Clack!

“Gyu-hak’s throw is good!”

Lightening the footwork of the infielders who are turning the ball around before the start of the inning.

“Hyungnim, hyungnim, let’s go comfortably!”

“What dialect is that again?”

“I don’t know!”

Myeong-jin, who finished rounding, came directly to me instead of throwing the ball, and handed me the ball.

Ding-!

[Virtuous Cycle]

– Allow no runs in 1 inning using the fielders (0/1)

– Reward – Breaking ball +1

“Play!”

First of all, quest or no quest, I decided to think of a way to cleanly block the second inning today.

This defense starts with the leadoff hitter, Choi Yong-hwan.

Meeting a batter who has gathered only the elements I hate the most from the start of the inning naturally makes me feel terrible.

But something….

“Ugh!”

Bang-!

“Striiiiike!”

Ah, I’m going to get some defensive help this inning.

“Keugh!”

Whoosh-!

“Swing-!”

I’m going to have an easy time this inning.

“Ugh!”

Tudak—

“Swing, swing-!”

As soon as I thought that, the splitter plunged into the ground, but thanks to Gyu-hak’s great blocking, the fast-footed Choi Yong-hwan couldn’t go far and was tagged out.

It’s contagion, right? Wasn’t I infecting the kids? I think I’m infected?

Ah, of course, sometimes there are side effects because of this excessive hype.

Bang—

Whether I trusted the defense too much, or whether I put too much strength into my shoulder.

“Oh dear.”

After catching the leadoff hitter in a cool way, I gave up a hit to left field to the second hitter, Jo Hee-jin, from the first pitch.

It was a pretty sinker parked on the outside, and the batter’s hitting form didn’t collapse much either, so it seems like I was caught off guard by his strategy.

It’s a shame, but I can only shrug as I watch left fielder Huni return the ball to the infield.

The batter hit well, so there’s nothing I can do.

Thanks to the ‘Contagion’ trait, Myeong-jin, who came back to the mound, also showed similar emotions.

“Wow, that’s a nice sound off the bat.”

“What, you punk?”

His tone was a bit twisted, though.

I glared at Myeong-jin, who ran away to shortstop while saying, “Ehehehehe!”, and stepped back onto the plate.

Not looking directly at the catcher, but aligning with my left shoulder line and glancing at him.

From that position, I checked the runner on first base out of the corner of my eye,

“Ggeuk!”

Bang!

“Striiiiike!”

I threw a slider towards Go Myeong-hyeon’s body.

Whether he was planning to watch it, or whether he just thought it was a ball.

Go Myeong-hyeon, who watched the first pitch quietly, seemed to be reorganizing his image, waving his bat with his right hand.

Image, what kind of image could it be about? Me? Or our team?

It probably looks like he’s revising his image of me with a very high probability, but well.

Normally, that would be right. It’s important where the fielders are standing, but that’s a secondary issue. What’s more important than that is what kind of ball the pitcher in front of you will throw.

But not now.

The ball I’m throwing now is different from a ball that I’m simply throwing alone.

Why, you know how it is in cartoons.

“Heup!”

This ball contains the wishes of our teammates!!

Bang-!

He didn’t react properly to the inside slider, so I tried to jam it in a little deeper, and Go Myeong-hyeon pulled the inside fastball properly this time, sending the ball between first and second base.

Just seeing the speed and angle passing by the edge of my vision, I thought, ah, this is a hit, but,

“Two, two!”

“Second, straight to first!”

As I happily watched Seong-moon, he knelt on one knee and tossed the ball towards second base.

Myeong-jin, who caught the ball that flew in at the right time, scraped the second base with his right foot,

“Keung!”

And spun his body around with a sound that perfectly matched his image.

The result was,

“Out!”

Four, six, three, DP [double play]!

“Out!”

Ding-!

[Virtuous Cycle]

– Allow no runs in 1 inning using the fielders (1/1)

– Reward – Breaking ball +1

Control – Top

Power – Top

Stamina – Medium

Four-seam fastball – 100

Curveball – 90+1=91

Slider – 87+1=88

Splitter – 88+1=89

Changeup – 90+1=91

Sinker – 87+1=88

Traits

Detachment – Accepts any batted ball or situation with equanimity.

Discomfort – Makes the batter feel uncomfortable when they look at the pitcher on the mound.

Comfort – Those who look at the user feel comfortable.

Concentration – The number of targets one can concentrate on increases.

Clutch – Four-seam fastball +5 when you want to win.

Contagion – Your emotions are contagious.

A 4-6-3 double play that makes you feel like you should pay admission.

“Shyah!”

“Nice, Gyu-hak!!”

“Nice, nice!!”

After watching the perfect combination, I quickly ran into the dugout, probably thinking that if I had a wallet in my back pocket right now, I would have taken it out and put it in front of them.

“Hey, hey, let’s go further!”

How about it, I don’t have anything I can give you right now, but would you like to receive this energy instead?

Bang-!

Bang—

Bang!

The energy I was spreading around was definitely potent.

9th inning, the game ended when I started to feel sorry for the Dongseong Hornets to some extent.

“Hyung [brother/friend], hyung.”

“Why.”

After the game, I greeted the fans and went to find Gyu-jin hyung first. I gave him a thumbs up towards the hyung who was looking up at me sullenly.

“…What is it?”

“I think I can set up a lot of flags now [make bold predictions].”