Peaceful Bullpen Life [EN]: Chapter 187

※ 187. Let’s Make a Grand Entrance

If you’re a fan of a particular professional sports team or player, what’s the most unsettling thing you could hear?

“I’ll bury my bones with this team!”

“I’m sorry for causing social controversy; I’ll repay you with baseball.”

“I played well, but the team…”.

There are many such statements, but if you had to pick the most famous among them, it would probably be “This year is different.”

Why?

When signing a contract or right before, when you’ve caused a major accident, or when you’ve made inappropriate remarks.

It’s not just in those special circumstances; every team, every player says it at the beginning of the season.

This year is different!

If they underperformed last year, it means they’ll do better this year, or if there were problems last year, it means they’ve solved them this year.

But not many fans take this story at face value.

Ah, yes. Okay. Let’s all try our best-.

Most people just shrug it off, thinking, “Here we go again.”

Thwack-!

But there is one player who really is different this year.

“It’s gone!”

“It’s goooone!!”

“Hey, he got hit by the bone!!”

Our Seong-hyun, who briefly earned the nickname ‘Four-Poon’ after recording just a .040 batting average in last year’s Korean Series.

Shamefully, the so-called ‘Batting Bully’ was getting bullied left and right during last year’s Korean Series.

“Yessssss!”

“Hey, take a picture, you idiot, take a picture!”

But in the second game of this series, Seong-hyun is qualified to say, “This year is different.”

First at-bat in the bottom of the 1st, a double. Second at-bat in the bottom of the 3rd, another double. And now,

Click!

Click-!

In his third at-bat in the bottom of the 5th, he hits a solo home run, showing truly terrifying hitting ability.

He was on fire with 4 hits in 4 at-bats in yesterday’s game, and you can really feel that he’s been grinding and preparing.

Not only that,

Thwack-!

“It’s goooooone!!”

“Gi-seong is going too!!”

Overwhelming.

Why did they attach that incredible word to Seong-hyun in the Korean Series teaser video? I feel like I’m the one being overwhelmed.

But now that I think about it, it seems right to revise that thought once again.

Tap-!

“Jin-hyung, come home, moonwalk your way in!”

“You crazy bastard!”

Rather than attaching it to just one person, it seems better to attach it to the entire Wonha Challengers, in this direction.

The Wonha Challengers were, literally, overwhelming the Sangsoo Tigers.

The sight of them openly slapping down the predictions of those who foresaw a close game or a slight advantage for the Sangsoo Tigers is truly exhilarating.

Is this the cider they talk about? [Cider is a popular metaphor for a refreshing and satisfying feeling, like getting revenge or achieving a victory.]

It’s not just our batting lineup that’s drinking this cider.

Bang-!

“Hiiiiii-yah!”

Today’s starting pitcher, Gyu-jin hyung.

“Wow.”

“Gyu-jin hyung is putting a lot of power into it today.”

“That’s how desperate he is.”

155km.

He’s reissuing his personal best speed here once again, filling in the blanks on the document for the second game victory one by one.

But um… there’s one flaw…

Thwack-!

That he hasn’t properly liquidated his nemesis relationship with Yong-ho.

It’s clear that Gyu-jin hyung looks good to Yong-ho. He did it earlier, and now he’s just pushing that 154km ball over the fence.

Clearly, this kind of flow will form a pretty big stem for the pitcher, but Gyu-jin hyung just shrugs even after being hit with consecutive home runs by Yong-ho.

Gyu-jin hyung knows it too.

Bang-!

“Hiiiiii-yah!”

That this isn’t a game that will be solved by clinging to Yong-ho ‘of all people’.

So far, Gyu-jin hyung has only given up two points. On the other hand, our team has scored a whopping 6 points.

If we just block the front and back tightly, we’re confident that we’ll win today no matter what Yong-ho does.

And,

Tap―

“Behind third, behind!!”

“Eeeeeek!!”

Thud―

“Out!”

That confidence is gradually becoming a reality as time passes.

* * *

Let’s briefly recall last year’s circumstances.

A victory in the first game that wasn’t overwhelming, but just clean.

A loss in the second game where we had to admit defeat due to the silence of our batting lineup.

We somehow managed to win the third game, but then lost the fourth and fifth games in a row.

We somehow managed to win the sixth game again, but then realized the difference in skill in the seventh game and were eliminated from the series.

Um, I think it’s okay to shout it out at this point.

This year is different!

2 wins. Not just any 2 wins, but 2 wins right from the start. No losses, just 2 wins. Not somehow winning, but completely overwhelming the opponent with 2 wins.

Thanks to that, the commute home after the 2nd game was so com-fortable.

Thanks to that, the rest day between the 2nd and 3rd games was so com-fortable.

Thanks to that, the commute to work today for the 3rd game was so com-fortable.

But was it too com-fortable?

Thwack-!

“Ah, damn it.”

It was as if God was saying that.

It’s no fun if it’s too com-fortable, sometimes it has to be un-comfortable, right?

“…That’s too much.”

“What is.”

“That state.”

“Hmm….”

Jun-hyuk, the starter for the 3rd game, is doing well. He’s really doing well.

But the thing is, nothing in life is easy,

Tap-!

“Fair!”

It’s like the universe is trying to screw with you at moments like this.

“Damn it, that came in.”

Even if the walk is Jun-hyuk’s problem, there’s the Texas hit [a weak hit that falls between the infield and outfield] by the next batter, or the line-touch ball like now.

Situations that would grind down a pitcher’s mentality even if they only happened once in a while are happening several times, and even in a row,

Thwack-!

“…It’s gone.”

At this point, it’s more amazing that the pitcher’s mentality is still intact.

From the beginning, Jun-hyuk’s pitching style is like that. Rather than catching the batter with a fastball in the low 140km range and various changeups, he has a style that makes them get caught.

It’s stranger if the batter’s bat and the ball don’t meet, so it’s not strange even if all sorts of situations come out.

But that flow,

Thwack-!

“Out!”

Isn’t it something to think about that it’s even affecting our batting lineup?

“Things are really twisted today.”

“Yeah. Were we playing too comfortably until the day before yesterday?”

“It was a bit comfortable…”

Every hit is a liner. Every hit is a foul. Every hit is a good play.

What’s going on?

The team tried various things to turn the atmosphere around.

Sending Ju-ho out as a pinch hitter, putting Eun-gu senior, one of the winning team members, into the defense in the bottom of the 7th, or putting Byeong-cheon into the defense instead of Hoon.

But,

Thwack-!

“Out-.”

What’s not working isn’t working.

“Ah, damn it, it’s over.”

* * *

The same goes for the 4th game.

The flow of the game, which had become strangely twisted, was impossible to watch with open eyes.

No, it was worse than yesterday, with even more serious factors scattered throughout.

Desperation.

The sailors who had been sailing smoothly seemed to think of a reef that they might encounter once in a while, or that they could easily avoid, as a kraken that would devour the ship.

We have to survive, we have to live, we have to keep winning no matter what.

How could a small boat that encountered a reef bigger and more threatening than a kraken roll properly? [Roll properly means to navigate or handle the situation effectively.]

That flow continues to the 5th game, until today.

Fortunately,

Bang-!

“Strike, out!”

It’s a relief that Hyuk-jun, who has regained his place on the mound, is putting in some effort.

Clap clap clap―

“Good job, Hyuk-jun.”

“Nice, nice!”

“Good job, man.”

The team atmosphere is generally very down.

Everyone knows it. That early ease and comfort can’t be possessed forever.

Umm….

After watching the flow in the dugout for a while, I glanced at where the manager was. He’s trying to hide his emotions and maintain a blank expression, but it’s obvious what he’s thinking.

“Manager.”

“Yeah.”

I approach the manager and subtly suggest a countermeasure to break through the situation.

“What are you thinking of doing in the 8th inning?”

“8th inning? I think Hyuk-jun will go out as is, why.”

Hyuk-jun’s pitch count after finishing the bottom of the 7th is 91.

Thanks to managing his pitch count quite well, it seems like there won’t be any problems until the 8th inning.

“Can I go up in the 8th inning?”

“You?”

…But.

“Yes.”

“Why.”

That would make the game track flow too smoothly.

“I know it’s presumptuous, but um….”

“It’s not that, is it? You’re thinking of going up and changing the atmosphere or something. Isn’t that it?”

“Ah, yes. That’s right.”

“Hmm….”

The manager also seemed to accurately grasp the intention of what I said, and stared intently at the lead batter of the Wonha Challengers entering the plate.

“…Han-wool.”

“Yes, manager.”

“If you’re going to go up, can you go all the way to the 9th inning?”

“9th inning?”

My eyes widened slightly at the more intense reaction than I expected. Again, I followed the manager’s gaze and looked at Hoon, who was twirling his bat at the plate.

“Can you do it or not.”

“I can. Of course.”

“Unless there’s a big upset, you’ll be going up in the 6th game too, probably. Can you handle that? If we lose today, you might have to pitch longer in the 6th game.”

Even if I pitch in the 8th and 9th innings, there’s no perfect guarantee that we’ll win today.

I’m in charge of suppressing the opposing team’s score, not creating our team’s score.

With the series score tied at 2 to 2, if we lose today, we’ll really have to go all out in the 6th game.

Of course, if we lose today and lose in the 6th game, it’s really over.

But,

“But even if it’s the 6th game, it’s only the day after tomorrow, right?”

Conversely, if we win today and win tomorrow, that’s also the end. In the opposite direction from what I said earlier.

“…Go get ready quickly, it looks like the attack will end soon.”

“Yes!”

After getting permission, I quickly headed to the bullpen. Of course, I didn’t forget to grab my glove on the way.

As I ran to the bullpen and opened the door, the bullpen members were watching the game situation with very serious expressions.

“Gun-yeong!”

“Yes, yes?”

But there’s no time for that.

“Catch!”

“Yes?”

“Quickly, there’s no time.”

“Ah, yes!”

As expected, Gun-yeong is very perceptive.

While I was simply stretching to increase the range of motion of my joints, Gun-yeong quickly started putting on the catcher’s gear that he hadn’t attached yet.

He was wearing the leg guards, so I left them alone, and after struggling to put the protector on his body, he picked up the catcher’s helmet and mask,

Bang-!

“Ouch, hyung, easy!”

“I told you there’s no time.”

Catch ball preparation complete.

I don’t know what kind of attack our team’s batters at the plate right now will make.

In a similar sense,

Thud-!

“Gun-yeong, sit down.”

“Yes!”

I don’t know how much warm-up time I’ll be given.

As soon as my body was ready to pitch, I quickly sat Gun-yeong down in his seat and threw the ball quickly, almost without intervals.

Pinch hitter, Kim Gi-beom

And the bench is also aware of the situation in the bullpen, and is showing off all sorts of tactics and tricks to buy as much time as possible.

Thank you, thank you.

“Uh…sinker.”

“Sinker!”

Bang-!

I decided not to care what Gi-beom, who came out as a pinch hitter, does or what results he gets.

It’s too scary to get a bad result if I, of all people, volunteered to pitch.

“Han-wool, let’s go up now.”

“Just one last one.”

“Okay, last one.”

“Gun-yeong, fastball!”

“Fastball!”

Bang-!

“Nice, nice!!”

I head to the mound after being as careful as possible until the very end.

Clap clap clap―

“Let’s go, Han-wool hyung!!”

“Show them, Han-wool, show them!!”

The sound of my teammates cheering my name from behind is so clear.

Wowwwww-!!

Kim Han-wool! Kim Han-wool! Kim Han-wool!

The sound of the fans cheering my name from the stands after seeing me on the mound is so clear.

Huh?

What, here?

Why?

The sound effect of the opposing team putting my name up in the opposing dugout after seeing me on the mound is so clear.

“Ugh!”

Bang-!

I went up to the mound and started practicing with a light fastball, foreshadowing that something would definitely change.

You guys already had a hard time scoring against Hyuk-jun, and now there’s an even harder pitcher in front of you.

“Guh!”

Bang-!

As it became the last turn of practice pitching, I hesitated for a moment about what to check.

Not having a concept is good because it’s not rigid, but in other words, it feels like there’s no guide, so the worry is even bigger.

“Um….”

After hesitating for a moment, I checked the opposing batting order,

“Hup!”

Slam-!

I threw a changeup.

“Second!”

Whoosh―

Thwack-!

“Oh, Gyu-hak, nice!”

Gyu-hak, who skillfully scooped up the changeup that was quite difficult to catch and difficult to connect to a throwing motion, made a throw to 2nd base as the lead batter of the bottom of the 8th inning defense, Shin Tae-beom, appeared.

While he was fumbling with rosin in his hands, the infielders’ rounding was all over.

Gi-beom, who received the ball last, walked from the 3rd base area to the mound.

“What were you thinking when you came up here.”

“Just because. I wanted to come up.”

“You’re doing useless things, mister.”

“Everything- has its use, mister.”

At my words, Gi-beom chuckled and put the baseball deep into my glove.

“Let’s make a grand entrance.”

“…Okay.”

Grandly.

“Hoo…”

I stepped on the plate, chewing over Gi-beom’s words. I hid my face in my glove for a moment and straightened my mindset.