Peaceful Bullpen Life [EN]: Chapter 168

168. Evaluation

Kim Han-ul throws, and Moon Gyu-hak catches. They repeat this several times until Moon Gyu-hak quickly throws to second base, signaling the end of the practice throws.

While the infielders are rounding the bases, Kim Han-ul briefly steps behind the mound, cleans his spikes on the cleat cleaner, and fiddles with the rosin bag.

1st batter, center fielder Go Dong-wook

As Kim Han-ul receives the ball after the rounding and stands on the pitcher’s plate, the leadoff hitter appears.

“In the top of the 8th inning, with the Sangsu Tigers trailing by three runs, 1st batter Go Dong-wook will start. In his previous three at-bats, he recorded a fly out to left field, a line drive to first base, and a fly out to center field.”

“His hitting feel seems good today, but he’s just unlucky. He keeps getting caught by the opponent’s great defense or hitting it right at the defenders.”

“Perhaps the Wonha players are just well-prepared.”

“Are you referring to the defense’s preparation?”

“Yes, yes. The defense studies which direction this player hits the ball well, where weak hits come from, and so on.”

“These days, players have to study a lot.”

“There are many… notebooks? Tables? These days.”

Facing home plate directly, Kim Han-ul, in a seemingly casual yet composed stance, begins to consider the catcher’s signs.

“If the fielders need to know that, the battery [pitcher and catcher] also needs to know something.”

“What would that be?”

“Of course….”

Thwack-!

Strike!

“Which area this hitter hits well, which area he doesn’t. In the end, the pitcher has to throw for the hitter to hit.”

“The first pitch is an outside fastball. 157 km/h. Please continue.”

Kim Su-chan’s commentary is briefly interrupted by Kim Han-ul’s pitch, but Kwon Myung-hoon smoothly leads into the next comment.

“Looking at Kim Han-ul’s pitching in that regard, it’s very comfortable.”

“That’s right.”

“He makes even good hitters unable to hit. That’s Kim Han-ul.”

“As a former hitter, what kind of pitcher do you think Kim Han-ul is?”

“Ah… it’s daunting. Asking me like that.”

Ah-ha-ha-ha!

Kim Su-chan laughs heartily at Lee Young-jin’s words.

Click!

“The second pitch looks like an outside sinker, but it floats high above the umpire’s head. Catcher Moon Gyu-hak runs after it, but it goes over the backboard and he can’t catch it.”

“Kim Han-ul is really smart.”

“In what way do you mean smart?”

“He knows how to use everything in his current situation. That’s really difficult. What commentator Lee Young-jin said is probably along those lines.”

“That’s right. He’s even a pitcher who knows how to use situations that are advantageous to the hitter.”

Tap-

“He tried to induce a swing and miss with an outside changeup, but it’s too far outside. What are some specific examples of using situations that are advantageous to the hitter?”

“From the hitter’s perspective, you think, ‘If I’m a hitter who’s strong on inside pitches and weak on outside pitches, they’ll focus on outside pitches in their pitch selection,’ and the hitter prepares accordingly, right?”

“That’s right.”

“But that doesn’t work against Kim Han-ul.”

“It doesn’t work. You’re strong on inside pitches? I’m even stronger!”

“Haha, commentator Kim Su-chan, that’s exactly the feeling you get.”

Thwack-!

Strike Three!!

“Outside, 158 km/h! Go Dong-wook just watches it go by and has to return to the dugout!”

“Is this what commentator Lee Young-jin was talking about?”

“Yes, this is it.”

The camera zooms in on Kim Han-ul, who is circling the mound after getting the strikeout.

He takes off his hat, wipes the sweat off with his uniform, readjusts his condition, and then ponders while facing the camera.

“Kim Han-ul seems to be deep in thought.”

2nd batter, second baseman Kang Dae-hyun

“Could it be because of Kang Dae-hyun? Even though they’re rivals, he’s hit three times today.”

“He had back-to-back home runs from his first to second at-bats, right?”

Kim Su-chan adds a comment to Lee Young-jin’s words.

As if the commentators are right, Kim Han-ul ponders for a moment before designating the fielding positions to each infielder with his finger.

“Seeing this, Kim Han-ul is really amazing.”

Kim Su-chan exclaims, seeing that.

“Ah, are you talking about designating the fielders’ positions?”

“That’s right. What’s amazing about that is….”

Thwack-!

Strike!

“A 153 km/h pitch that curled inside, called a strike.”

“That’s really complicated.”

“What’s complicated about it?”

“First, you have to know yourself. You have to know what kind of pitches you throw. You have to know the pitches and what type of hitter the batter is.”

“Are you talking about whether they pull or hit to the opposite field?”

“That’s right. And there’s one more thing you need.”

“What else do you need?”

“You also need to know the tendencies of your own fielders.”

Thwack-!

“156 km/h fastball, misses outside. The count is 1 ball and 1 strike. Are you saying you need to know your own team’s fielding ability?”

“Fielding ability… I said tendencies, not fielding ability.”

“What exactly do you mean by tendencies?”

“Fielding ability is too broad. This infielder has a wide range but average handling, or good jump catches but average ground balls. If you go into more detail, whether they lead with their left foot or right foot when starting.”

“There’s a lot to think about.”

“Kim Han-ul knows all of that. Earlier, I compared Kim Han-ul to a smart pitcher, right?”

Tap-

“The third pitch is a splitter that bounces. Moon Gyu-hak points to the first base umpire, but the bat didn’t swing. Please continue.”

“It’s not just a vague idea like, ‘That outfielder is good at defense, so I should send it to that outfielder.'”

“Are you saying you divide the fielding level of the fielder you mentioned earlier in more detail?”

“That’s right. To summarize, this hitter is this type of hitter, my pitch is this type of pitch, so there’s a high probability the ball will go this way. But this fielder has this tendency, so if I send them there in advance, it will be easier to field.”

“Ah, I understand clearly now.”

Clack-

Foul!

“The same sinker as the first pitch, but this time he hits it and creates a foul. Seeing Kim Han-ul like this, I have a question for commentator Lee Young-jin.”

“Yes.”

“From a hitter’s perspective, isn’t it quite common in modern baseball for the pitcher or catcher to discuss these fielding position designations?”

“Ah, that’s right.”

“From a hitter’s perspective, what do you think when you see that?”

“Actually, hitters sometimes feel bad about that. It’s like it perfectly represents the hitter’s weaknesses, isn’t it?”

“That’s right. Because it’s clear that the intention is to send it there because this hitter is weak in that area.”

“In my case, I sometimes felt pressured. I thought, ‘I’m going to hit it on purpose, I’m going to hit this and make them never think of me as this type of hitter again.'”

Clack-!

“Ah, Kang Dae-hyun’s hit!! It flies high into the air!!”

As commentator Lee Young-jin said, Kang Dae-hyun, who properly hit the sinker that came inside again, puts down his bat and starts running.

“But it goes outside the left foul pole. Foul.”

Kang Dae-hyun, whose mood quickly cooled down as commentator Kwon Myung-hoon said, tilts his head once and then returns to the plate and picks up the bat he had thrown down.

“A foul home run, but Kim Han-ul doesn’t budge.”

“I was also curious, so I talked to Kim Han-ul about it. About situations like that.”

“Ah, yes.”

“He said there are times when he gives it to them on purpose, in very special cases.”

“If you mean he gives it to them on purpose, what’s the intention?”

“Everyone knows that Kang Dae-hyun and Kim Han-ul are rivals. No, Kang Dae-hyun himself knows it best.”

“That’s right.”

“If a one-sided relationship continues, that hitter might be taken out and another hitter might come in when you’re on the mound, right?”

“That’s right. There’s a high probability that a pinch hitter will come out.”

“He said he blocks those variables because he doesn’t know what kind of hitter that pinch hitter will be.”

“Ah… is it like, ‘You can hit my pitch if you do a little more, so try a little harder’?”

“Yes. It’s really mean.”

As commentator Kim Su-chan said,

Clack-

Kang Dae-hyun, who gained confidence from the previous foul home run, confidently hits the next ball.

“He lifted the 6th pitch, and center fielder Park Jin-hyung catches it easily in place. Two outs.”

“Wasn’t Park Jin-hyung’s position exactly where Kim Han-ul designated?”

Kim Han-ul, who cleanly got two outs, circles the mound once again.

He takes off his hat and wipes off the sweat, scrapes his spikes on the cleat cleaner, and recharges the rosin bag.

The sight of him stepping on the plate again after showing actions that could now be included in his habits,

3rd batter, designated hitter Lee Yong-ho

“Lee Yong-ho steps up to the plate as the third batter for the Sangsu Tigers.”

Although only the broad back is visible on the broadcast screen, a strange atmosphere is felt.

Overwhelm.

Pressure.

Intimidation.

“Lee Yong-ho is also having a pretty good hitting day today. He has 1 hit in 2 at-bats, including a home run, and one walk.”

“He’s perfectly filling the void left by retired hitter Hong Seok-jin, right?”

“Depending on your perspective, some people evaluate that he has created a better lineup than Hong Seok-jin.”

“What do you think is the reason why Lee Yong-ho’s performance suddenly rebounded last season?”

Thud!

“The slider that curves low and inside is on the edge of the strike zone, Moon Gyu-hak leaves his mitt still and appeals to the umpire, but the ball call is maintained.”

“The thing that Lee Yong-ho has improved is exactly this part.”

“Ah, is it the ability to pick out ambiguous balls?”

“That’s right. Before, it felt like he was just swinging wildly, trusting only in his bat speed, but now he calmly picks out and only hits the balls he can hit.”

However,

Thwack-!

“The second pitch is a high fastball, a swing and a miss to send a count.”

Contrary to Lee Young-jin’s words, a swing and a miss comes out right away,

“Oh dear, I’ll have to say something to Lee Yong-ho after the game.”

Making Lee Young-jin embarrassed.

“Hahaha, maybe he felt intimidated by Kim Han-ul.”

“Commentator Lee Young-jin, didn’t you have a pitcher who was your rival during your active career?”

“I did. Many.”

“What do you think about when you face a pitcher who is your rival?”

“Ah… this is. It’s daunting. Everything is daunting, how to do it, where to start, how to approach it.”

“Is Lee Yong-ho feeling that way right now?”

“Wouldn’t he be?”

This time, as commentator Lee Young-jin said,

Whoosh-!

“A very slow 116 km/h curve, another awkward swing to make a count.”

Lee Yong-ho makes the count 1-2 with a rhythmic swing and miss.

“Since Kim Han-ul is having such an overwhelming season this season… do you know what saying is popular among the players?”

“Ah, what saying is popular?”

“It’s not embarrassing to strike out against Kim Han-ul, even if it’s another pitcher, that kind of saying is popular.”

Ah ha ha ha!

The broadcast booth is filled with laughter for a while due to Lee Young-jin’s story.

That content, which everyone who had been watching Kim Han-ul’s performance this season could agree with, is circulating well not only among the players but also among the fans.

Season ERA of 0 [Earned Run Average, a key pitching statistic].

Kim Han-ul’s appearance, clearly listing the number ‘0’ instead of the vague word ‘0 ERA’,

Thwack-!

“Inside, 159 km/h!! Kim Han-ul’s legend in the 2020 season is not shaken in the slightest!”

To anyone who saw it, it didn’t seem like it would easily go wrong for the time being.