Peaceful Bullpen Life [EN]: Chapter 188

※ 188. What I Have to Do

Is it even possible for just one person to change an entire ‘team’ unit?

“Ugh!”

Bang-!

“Strike!”

Absolutely possible.

Once stuck at the bottom, the Wonha Challengers are now recognized by everyone as the league’s strongest team. The baseball fans’ opinions are the testimony, and the league standings are the proof.

What was the biggest factor in achieving such a drastic change?

Besides the cliché stuff like the players’ efforts, the front office’s insight, and the fans’ cheers.

“Ugh!”

Bang-!

“Strike!”

What else but me?

Since the 17th season, my pitching has been on fire, clearly changing the Wonha Challengers as a team.

I showed them that they could do it, that they could get up if they fell, and that they could rest for a while when they were tired.

This is the 4th year that time has passed like that.

“Ugh!”

Whoosh-!

“Swing, out!”

Kim Han-wool, the pitcher, became the league’s best pitcher, and the team he belonged to became the league’s best team.

Eighth batter, Park!! Myung!! Ki!!

Of course, I don’t have the arrogance to think that all of this was achieved solely by my power and effort. I don’t even intend to.

I don’t know if God really exists. But I got stronger thanks to this system and status window, not by my own power.

That’s why I sometimes fall into sudden anxiety.

What if this power disappears, even tomorrow?

What if I return to my original self, even tomorrow?

What if I lose everything, even tomorrow?

“Ugh!”

Boom-!

“Strike!”

But my conclusion is that I can worry about that tomorrow.

Focusing on the present. Selecting what I can do from what I have to do.

“Ugh!”

Whoosh-!

“Swing-”

At least I know that’s what I have to do right now.

After getting the first count with a slider against Park Myung-ki, I briefly stepped behind the plate.

“Hoo….”

Maybe it’s because I’ve been throwing the ball like crazy since the beginning of this inning,

Give us a hit, Park Myung-ki!

Park Myung-ki!!

Give us a hit, Park Myung-ki!

Park Myung-ki!!

I belatedly recognized the loud cheers of the home fans supporting the opposing batter.

Is this really the autumn baseball season? Somehow, the cheering is more intense than the summer heat.

Of course,

“Ugh!”

Whoosh-!

“Swing-!”

Ah, Han-wool hyung [older brother/respected colleague], nice, nice!

Your ball is so good, keep going, fastball is great!!

Good ball, good ball!!

The cheers of our teammates are even more enthusiastic than that.

And,

Strikeout!

Clap clap clap!

Strikeout!

Clap clap clap!

The Wonha Challengers’ fans are even more enthusiastic than that.

After creating a 0-2 count, the fans, sensing that the next ball would naturally be a strike and an out, were all standing up from their seats even during the defensive time.

Eating chicken?

Looking at their phones?

Drinking beer?

Waaaaaah!!

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

You only live once, waaaah! Folding [giving up] is aaaaart!

All of that is impossible. It’s sacrilege. It’s unforgivable.

Reverently, raising their hands above their heads and shaking them back and forth, closing their eyes tightly,

“Ugh!”

Kim Han-wool on the mound will solve all these hardships.

Boom-!

If everyone doesn’t lose faith like that,

“…Ball!”

The ball comes out, and the count becomes 1-2.

“Huh?”

Aw, man.

I thought it would definitely go in, so I didn’t even look back and stepped behind the plate.

Gyu-hak even thought he caught it and was ready to round to first base.

Even Ki-sung came out slightly to receive the throw.

Feeling a little awkward, I subtly appealed to the referee and received a gesture that it was a bit off to the side. The referee, understanding my awkwardness, added a gesture that it was just a tiiny, tiiny bit off.

“Hey, give me a break.”

Of course, it’s impossible to call it a strike just because it’s a tiiny bit off.

It’s a natural thing, but I stepped back on the plate, fueled by the awkwardness that arose because I didn’t take that natural thing for granted.

Even if I feel awkward,

“Ugh!”

Whoosh-!

“Swing, out!!”

Ninth batter, Min!! Jong!! Hyun!!

The opposing dugout, the opposing batter, and even the opposing home announcer did not hesitate.

Why?

It’s understandable that I, our catcher, and our dugout don’t hesitate.

Because we’re confident.

“Ugh!”

Whoosh-!

Receiving the ball that Gyuhak returned, the curiosity did not subside.

Why aren’t the batter, the Sangsoo Tigers dugout, and the cheering section over there hesitating?

“Hmm….”

Of course, it’s because they think that’s what they have to do.

They step into the plate to hit my ball, send him out to the plate believing he’ll hit it, and cheer believing he’ll hit it.

“Ugh!”

Bang-!

“Strike!”

But I think they’re greatly mistaken.

The job of Min Jong-hyun, who is facing me, is not to dare to hit a hit or choose a walk and get on base.

He just needs to stand there silently and watch my ball.

“Hup!”

Boom-!

“Strike, out!!”

Getting the third out of this inning like that and ending the bottom of the 8th. That’s what Min Jong-hyun, and no one else, has to do.

“Nice!”

“Nice ball!”

“Good job!!”

The teammates passed by me, who had cleanly blocked the 8th inning, and returned to the dugout.

“Hmm….”

Why am I so dissatisfied?

“Hey, Sung-hyun.”

“Huh?”

“I’m going up in the 9th too.”

I know they’re good and hardworking kids, but…….

Looking at our kids’ eyes, I got the impression that something was heavily concentrated.

Ah, we got through without giving up any runs for now.

Ah, we got over a big hurdle.

Ah, but what about the next attack?

“…Why, hyung?”

“Why do you think? Think about it.”

“…….”

Sung-hyun, who is appointed as the second batter in the top of the 9th, stared at me silently with complicated eyes.

Seeing him standing still like this when he should be quickly putting on his gear and going out to the next circle,

“…Okay.”

It seems like he now feels what he has to do.

But I feel like it’s not enough to just talk to Sung-hyun like this.

Something… something more appealing is needed.

“Gun-young!”

“Yes!!”

As soon as I opened the creaking bullpen door, I called Gun-young.

“Just catch for me one more time. I think my shoulder will cool down.”

“Yes. Yes?”

What kind of speech is that, answering yes and then asking if you know?

“Prepare slowly.”

“Uh… yes!”

While Gun-young was reorganizing the catcher’s helmet and mask that he had loosened, I checked the status of our at-bat.

Taking advantage of the fact that the opposing pitcher was still practicing his pitches, Sung-hyun approached Myung-jin and said something.

“…What’s he trying to say again.”

Probably, knowing his personality, he’s saying something like let’s try to attack it somehow.

Myung-jin, who has been a close friend of Sung-hyun since high school, will definitely understand what Sung-hyun is saying,

Ttak-!

And I believed that he would carry it out properly,

Waaaaah-!!

Myung-jin, nice!

Second… no, stop at 1st base!

I was rewarded for that belief.

Second batter, right fielder Kang Sung-hyun

Immediately following, the person who understands the current situation most deeply appeared at the plate.

Sung-hyun looked at the bullpen where I was once, the opposing pitcher once, Myung-jin on first base once, and Ki-sung in the next circle once, and then completed his batting preparation.

Looking at me means he understands my will.

Looking at the opposing pitcher means he’ll somehow hit it.

Looking at Myung-jin means he’ll send him forward no matter what.

Ttak-!

“It’s go…!”

“No… no. It’s not going.”

He definitely hit it properly. And he hit it well too.

But I don’t know if I should say he hit it too well, or if he’s a little short on power.

Ttak―

“Out-”

The left fielder saw the left fielder catching the ball deep in front of the fence, and the left line judge raised his fist above his head.

If it had flown just 3m more, just a little bit more, it could have been a two-run home run.

“Hey, second!!”

“What!”

…That’s not what we should be thinking.

Just trusting Sung-hyun, and trusting Myung-jin.

Chwaak-!

Myung-jin also perfectly understood what he had to do.

“Safe, safe!!”

Towards the next base, somehow, desperately clinging on.

“Ah, good, Myung-jin’s concentration is good!!”

It’s hard to believe that the crazy bastard who’s making crazy noises after the ball went towards Min Jong-hyun, who has a weak shoulder, and relieved that it was just a fly ball, managed to retouch [advance after the catch] from 1st to 2nd base while they were casually returning the ball to the infield, has the second best base-running sense in our team after Ki-bum.

Clap clap clap―

“Namgi Namgi! Don’t leave anything behind, sweep them all away!”

Third batter, first baseman Nam Ki-sung

Another batter who is the same age as Myung-jin and Sung-hyun doesn’t care what kind of nonsense the runner on second base is saying and heads to the plate.

If you get to know him, this guy is also a crazy bastard no less than Myung-jin, and he’s definitely suppressing all sorts of nonsense inside, twitching his shoulder blades.

He swings the bat like a golf putting motion, sticks his butt out, and puts the bat on his left shoulder to complete his batting preparation.

Each of the places Sung-hyun briefly stared at earlier had their own stories.

Then what about the last place, what did Ki-sung look at it for?

Ttak―

“Foul!”

Without needing to think too deeply, isn’t it just to ask him to solve it in the following at-bat?

After the first pitch, which he pushed well, fell next to the left line judge, Ki-sung briefly called time and requested a tar stick [pine tar rag] from Jin-hyung.

Ki-sung, who received the stick that Jin-hyung threw, scraped it on the bat grip, and re-entered the plate without hesitation, as if he liked the newly renewed stickiness.

Ki-sung preparing his batting stance, the pitcher preparing his pitching stance, and the catcher preparing his catching stance are all quiet.

Actually, that’s obvious. Because they are the three who need to concentrate more than anyone else in the current situation.

But,

“Ki-sungaaaaa, call the hero bastard!”

I don’t understand why everyone else besides those three is quiet.

Clap clap clap―

“Show us one, Ki-sung!”

“Be careful of Myung-jin’s liner!”

“One out, one out! No pressure, no pressure!!”

Whether it was the nonsense shouted at the top of their lungs that became the trigger, the 3rd base dugout members also started to make their own voices.

Ki-sung, who was facing us head-on, glanced at our dugout after hearing these voices.

And the way he smiled was like…….

“You bastard.”

Ttak-!

“It’s gone.”

“Huh, huh? Huh?!”

“Is it going! Is it going!”

“Don’t raise the flag, you crazy bastard!”

It floated a little high, so it was ambiguous whether it would go over or not,

Waaaaaaah-!!

Nam Ki-sung! Nam Ki-sung! Nam Ki-sung!!

It definitely went over.

In the top of the 9th, Ki-sung’s preemptive two-run home run perfectly breaks the 0 to 0 balance.

“Nice!!”

“Yaaaak!!”

“Namgi Namgiyaak!!”

The atmosphere heats up in an instant.

The dugout, which was calling Ki-sung’s name at the top of their lungs, the spectators’ seats, which were also shouting Ki-sung, and Gun-young, who had to catch my ball.

Even though the partner who had to match up with me so that my shoulder wouldn’t cool down was doing something else, I left him alone.

Because I fully understand that heart, that atmosphere.

Just standing still,

Tang- Tang- Tang―

“Nice, nice! Ki-sung, nice!”

“Namgi, nice!”

“Myung-jin, come in too, come in quickly!”

I watched the teammates welcome the two runners who scored.

Well done. Our team.

“Gun-young, let’s throw.”

I understand Gun-young’s heart, wanting to enjoy this atmosphere without limit,

“Yeeeeeeee!!”

But I have to do what I have to do.

After asking Gun-young for his understanding, I stepped on the bullpen’s pitcher’s plate again.

“Hoo… ugh!”

Boom-!

While the opposing pitcher, who had completely lost his will, threw two balls, I threw one ball and roughly matched the interval.

Because the purpose is not to warm up, but to just maintain the once heated body so that it doesn’t cool down.

“Hoo….”

Will to fight.

Ttak-!

We scored a precious first point. The last defense that will follow will be thrown by none other than Kim Han-wool.

Will to fight.

Ttak-!

In this important situation, they allowed the first point. But I heard that Kim Han-wool will throw again in the next attack.

Putting the two completely conflicting positions in the same situation, the person who created those positions quietly watched the ground flow.

It’s a mess.

Ttak-!

Of course, on that side.

“Han-wool, we scored some points, so what do you want to do? I don’t think you need to go up in the 9th. It’s better to prepare for Game 6 or Game 7.”

“Uh….”

Thanks to creating a big inning in the top of the 9th, we have plenty of leeway.

It’s a score that our team’s pitchers can easily block even if I don’t go up, and it’s a score that the opposing batters can roughly hit and end even if I don’t go up.

Ttak-!

“Hmm….”

Watching Ki-bum create another hit, I said to the manager.

“I think there’s still something left to do.”

“What is it?”

“What is it?”

Do you not know?

“Crushing them in Game 6.”