Peaceful Bullpen Life [EN]: Chapter 27

27. One Win

6 points.

From the very first inning, they aggressively targeted KP.

A walk, another walk, a fly ball, an intentional walk, followed by a home run—a grand slam.

Afterward, with the bases cleared, the sixth batter struck out, seemingly indicating it was just a temporary crisis. However, a hit, a walk, and then a triple from the ninth batter shattered the pitcher’s composure in an instant.

The pitcher, whose greatest asset was his composure, was now mentally broken, and the aftermath was predictable. He had no time to recover his shattered mindset as he had to watch his team’s at-bat, hoping they would concede no more than 6 points.

“Here is the fielding lineup for Wonha Challengers: Left fielder Yoo Hoon, center fielder Park Jin-hyung, right fielder Kang Seong-hyun in the outfield; first baseman Nam Gi-seong, second baseman Jeon Seong-moon, third baseman Lee Seong-hoon, shortstop Lee Myung-jin, and catcher Moon Gyu-hak will be receiving pitches from pitcher Hwang Hyuk-joon.”

“I’m not sure if I should use this expression, but watching Wonha’s defense is just so tight.”

“That’s an interesting way to put it. What do you mean?”

“You could say it’s airtight. It seems like it’s going to slip through, but they catch it; it seems like it’s going to flow, but they block it. Moreover, today’s pitcher is Hwang Hyuk-joon, right? He’s going to throw some pretty fastballs, and he’s had plenty of rest. Personally, I’m interested to see how Hwang Hyuk-joon manages the game.”

“Here is the batting order for KP Stars: 1st batter, first baseman Ahn Byung-guk; 2nd batter, shortstop Ryu Seung-hoon; 3rd batter, second baseman Kim Gi-yoon; 4th batter, designated hitter Kim Seong-soo; 5th batter, catcher Hwang Ha-kyun; 6th batter, right fielder Lee Chang-hyun; 7th batter, center fielder Shin Yong-hee; 8th batter, left fielder Lee Kyung-moo; 9th batter, third baseman Ha Eun-min.”

“They are the only team in the league this season with a team batting average over .300. They did it in the 2016 season, and in the 2015 season as well. No matter how fast and good Hwang Hyuk-joon’s pitches are, no matter how solid Wonha’s defense is, this lineup has the power to break through.”

.312.

That was the team batting average for KP Stars in the 2017 season. Like the symbolic meaning of a .300 hitter [a batter who averages 0.3 hits per at-bat], the meaning of a .300 average is very significant.

But a team hitting .300? For three consecutive years?

The implication of that one statement was enormous.

“Here’s pitcher Hwang Hyuk-joon. In the 2017 season, he started in all 28 games, pitching 180 and 1/3 innings with an ERA [Earned Run Average, a measure of pitching performance] of 3.14. He has a record of 14 wins and 9 losses, and he led the league with 212 strikeouts. He has 119 walks and a season WHIP [Walks plus Hits per Inning Pitched, a measure of a pitcher’s ability to prevent runners from getting on base] of 1.21.”

“It’s a cliché at this point, but he’s a left-handed fireballer you’d bring in from hell. He throws sharp sliders and occasionally curves and changeups, but you could essentially call him a two-pitch pitcher. However, he has good inning-eating ability [ability to pitch many innings] and great velocity, making him a tough pitcher.”

“What was his highest speed this season?”

“Wasn’t it 158 km/h?”

“Haha, back when I was playing, you were called a fireballer if you threw just 145 km/h.”

“What was your highest speed when you were playing, commentator Kim Soo-chan?”

“Are you dissing me right now?”

“Hahahaha!”

While the three middle-aged men engaged in playful banter, preparations for the bottom of the 1st inning were completed, and Ahn Byung-guk stepped up to the plate.

“First pitch, a fastball inside! 152 km/h, strike.”

“Swinging at a slider that drops, two strikes.”

“Swinging and missing at a high fastball, strikeout! Hwang Hyuk-joon finishes off the leadoff hitter cleanly with three pitches.”

Second batter, Ryu Seung-hoon.

“Now, a slow curveball right from the first pitch? 109 km/h, called strike.”

“A fastball that catches the outside corner, strike.”

“Inside! Called strike, strikeout!”

Third batter, Kim Gi-yoon.

“Another slow curveball on the first pitch. An absurd swing and miss at a 111 km/h slow curve results in a first-pitch strike.”

“He touched an inside fastball, but it’s a foul ball that goes outside the third base line.”

“Once again, a high fastball! Hwang Hyuk-joon finishes the bottom of the 1st cleanly with 11 pitches and three strikeouts!”

The team that scored 6 runs after a full cycle of batters, and the team where all three batters struck out.

Both teams had only used one of their nine opportunities, but as time passed, the gap felt by both sides was gradually widening.

A solo home run appeared out of nowhere, closing the gap by one point, but the next defense saw them give up three additional points.

The score after the top of the 9th inning for Wonha’s offense was 9 to 1. After the commercial break, Hwang Hyuk-joon was still on the mound.

“Is Hwang Hyuk-joon going to finish the game today?”

“His pitch count was 98 through the 8th inning, right? Isn’t it a bit risky to bring him up for the 9th?”

“No, there isn’t another pitcher to bring up besides Hwang Hyuk-joon.”

Unlike commentators Kwon Myung-hoon and Lee Young-jin, commentator Kim Soo-chan firmly insisted that Hwang Hyuk-joon pitching in the 9th was the right decision.

“The score difference is 8 points right now, so realistically speaking, the probability of Wonha winning is very high, isn’t it, this game?”

Even though it was the very late stages of the game, rashly declaring the outcome could be criticized.

However, because he was known for his bluntness and everything he said turned out to be correct, people just listened without much thought. The fact that the viewers also shared the same thoughts as commentator Kim Soo-chan also played a part.

“But either way, the game ends when you finish the 9th inning. What Wonha needs right now isn’t anything else. It doesn’t need more points, and it doesn’t need to end the opponent’s batting order with 3 strikeouts on 9 pitches. It just needs to finish the game. By ending the game like that, they need to continue the ‘momentum’.”

The screen shows the field, and Hwang Hyuk-joon is practicing his pitches.

“Bring up another pitcher because there’s a score difference? If the bullpen is strong, fine, but if the weak bullpen comes up and gives up points? They might not give up many points, but the significance lies in the fact that they gave up points. For tomorrow’s game.”

“In reality, the only player in Wonha’s bullpen who stands out right now is Kim Han-wool.”

“That’s right. Bringing up Lee Hyo-jae wouldn’t be a bad choice either, but you have to save him if you can. Hwang Hyuk-joon’s appearance right now takes these two things into consideration.”

True to his reputation for having an iron physique, Hwang Hyuk-joon wasn’t even sweating.

A sharp slider, spearheaded by a fastball exceeding 155 km/h, was not an easy pitch to handle, even for the team with the highest batting average.

“It’s the bottom of the 9th, the last attack in the regular inning for KP Stars. Today, Hwang Hyuk-joon has only allowed two hits and one walk in 8 innings, effectively shutting down the KP Stars’ lineup.”

“His pitch count was also very good at 98 through the 8th inning.”

“He’s also struck out 11 batters so far, but his pitch count is very low compared to the number of strikeouts.”

“Pitchers who mainly rely on strikeouts usually have high pitch counts. That’s generally true. Because strikeouts usually require at least three pitches, or one pitch if you catch the count on the first pitch, or so they say. But that’s an extreme case.”

“First pitch, a slider that drops low, swing and a miss. Please continue.”

“Yes. Even if you can quickly get outs with ground balls or fly balls, that’s just for that moment. Looking at the entire game, it’s difficult to get every batter out like that, right?”

“Right? Not every batter will swing at the first pitch. The second pitch is a fastball that misses high.”

“But if you have a pitcher with overwhelming stuff, you can definitively get one strike with three pitches.”

“Ah, if you change your perspective, you can think of it that way.”

“Of course, this requires strong velocity and good control. It’s not just about having a fast ball.”

“In that sense, what surprised me a bit today is that Hwang Hyuk-joon isn’t usually one of the top pitchers in the league when it comes to control, is he? But today, Hwang Hyuk-joon’s control is like watching Kim Han-wool’s control, who’s on the same team.”

Commentator Lee Young-jin, who had been listening to the two men’s conversation, also chimed in.

“It’s interesting now that I hear commentator Kim Soo-chan’s words. When I asked about Kim Han-wool’s recent surge this season, he said that he referenced Hwang Hyuk-joon a lot in terms of his form, or something like that?”

“What part did he reference? The 4th pitch is a fastball on the outside that he watches go by, passing through the strike zone.”

“He said that he moved his release point forward, and that he referenced Hwang Hyuk-joon’s form in that aspect. But that’s easier said than done. It’s difficult to take someone else’s form and apply it to yourself, and it’s not like you can just pull your release point forward whenever you want.”

“Wouldn’t that be something you’d want to keep as a trade secret?”

“Maybe so, hahaha!”

“This time, he hit a high fastball that came into the zone, but it weakly floats high and flies towards the left fielder. Left fielder Yoo Hoon has already positioned himself and can easily catch the ball. 1 out.”

Next up was third batter Kim Gi-yoon.

“Next up is third batter, second baseman Kim Gi-yoon. He struck out twice in the previous three at-bats, but he recorded a solo home run that went over the left fielder in the previous at-bat. The first pitch is a fastball on the outside, and it’s 157 km/h.”

“Fast, huh.”

“Commentator Kim Soo-chan mentioned aggressive pitching earlier. Should we view KP Stars’ starting pitcher today, Im Jae-hyuk, as a similar type of pitcher?”

“That’s right. However, the difference is that Im Jae-hyuk had relatively less experience than Hwang Hyuk-joon, and it seemed like there was no one to support him when things went wrong.”

“The second pitch is also a 157 km/h fastball on the outside. Unlike the previous pitch, it misses greatly, and the count becomes 1-1. Commentator Lee Young-jin, have you ever faced Hwang Hyuk-joon during your playing days?”

“I think I faced him about three times.”

“Do you remember the results?”

“I think I struck out all three times, but did you have to bring that up?”

“Hahaha, what does it feel like to experience Hwang Hyuk-joon’s pitches?”

“Many people just see that Hwang Hyuk-joon’s pitches are fast and think that’s amazing. But there’s more to it than that.”

“A 155 km/h fastball that’s thrown inside. What else is there?”

“It’s the deception.”

“When you say deception, you’re talking about hidden movements, right?”

“That’s right. When you look at Hwang Hyuk-joon’s pitching form on screen, you don’t really get the feeling that it’s particularly unique or strange.”

“That’s right. A 156 km/h fastball that’s thrown right down the middle becomes a foul ball that goes behind the catcher.”

“But strangely, it’s hard to see the ball coming out of his hand at the plate. A 155 km/h fastball feels like it’s actually 165 km/h.”

“Commentator Kim Soo-chan, what do you think about what commentator Lee Young-jin said?”

“It’s definitely possible.”

“Once again, he throws a fastball, and it’s another foul ball that goes behind the catcher. 156 km/h!”

“Even if it’s unintentional, hiding it behind your head, having a faster arm speed than average, or hiding it in your body. These things can naturally occur in your movements without you even intending to do them.”

“The 6th pitch, inside!! 159 km/h!!”

“Wow……”

“It feels about twice as fast as when I was playing? Hahaha.”

Kim Gi-yoon tried to appeal to the umpire that the pitch was a bit too inside, but he returned to the dugout without any success.

The rounded ball from the infield was returned to Hwang Hyuk-joon. He stepped back onto the mound with his left foot, waiting for the sign.

“2017 KBO 準Playoff Game 1 [2017 Korean Baseball Organization Semi-Playoff Game 1], only one out remains before Wonha’s victory. Fourth batter Kim Seong-soo enters the plate. In the previous three at-bats, he had a strikeout, a walk, and a ground ball to the third baseman.”

“Because of what commentator Kim Soo-chan said earlier, KP shouldn’t easily let Hwang Hyuk-joon off the hook, even though it’s the bottom of the 9th with two outs and a significant score difference.”

“The first pitch is a ball that bounces low. He doesn’t react.”

“That’s right. They don’t need a home run. In fact, they don’t really need a hit at this point. A walk doesn’t mean much, but a well-hit ball, that’s all they need.”

“Ah, it’s a bit surprising that you say a hit or a walk doesn’t mean much.”

“The score difference is 8 points, and there’s only one out left. It’s realistically very difficult to score at least 8 points with one out, right? If they can turn the game around like that, of course, it would be even better for KP.”

In the screen, Hwang Hyuk-joon was turning his hands back and forth, asking for a new ball.

“But because that’s very difficult, you have to consider what KP can realistically gain.”

“The 2nd pitch is a breaking ball that slightly misses high, but it’s called a strike. So, what benefit would it bring to KP if Kim Seong-soo creates a good hit, as you mentioned?”

“KP, who leads the league in hitting, was completely shut down by Hwang Hyuk-joon today and couldn’t show anything properly. But tomorrow will be different. They need to give the impression that ‘let’s see what happens tomorrow’.”

“Are you talking about Wonha? A slider that breaks inside, swing and a miss. The count is 2-1.”

“No. I’m talking to their own team, KP.”

“You’re talking about team morale. 4th pitch, ah, he hit it! As you said, the ball is well-hit and heading out!!”

A well-hit ball. The ball that was stretching out quickly flew towards the right-center field, but Kang Seong-hyun was already in the air there.

“Right fielder! Kang Seong-hyun chases it to the end and catches it with a dive! Like this, 2017 KBO 準Playoff Game 1! Wonha Challengers takes the first win and will challenge again for tomorrow!”

2017 KBO 準Playoff Game 1.

Wonha Challengers easily secured the victory, backed by Hwang Hyuk-joon’s complete game win and Yoon Seung-joo’s 2 home runs, including a grand slam, and 6 RBIs [Runs Batted In, a statistic measuring the number of runs a batter is responsible for scoring].

Series score 1 to 0. The rebellion of the lowest-ranked team in the post-season was beginning.