Peaceful Bullpen Life [EN]: Chapter 43

Slider… Slider…….

Whether I’d lost my feel for the slider, or whether it was being fried, boiled, or steamed, the league didn’t care.

Even while I was still hung up on the slider, the league continued, and our team continued its smooth sailing after the KP Stars game.

I’m going crazy.

The difference between having a pitch and not having one is significant. Whether that pitch is A-grade or trash, just the fact that it exists can create one more thing for the batter to think about.

Become nothing.

People casually order the simplest yet most difficult thing in the world.

In fact, even if the slider is gone, it doesn’t have a huge impact on me.

Because, besides the fastball that should naturally be there and this damn slider, I still have four more.

Do what works if something doesn’t.

A half-joking, half-serious saying from a comedian gave me great strength.

After insisting on the slider in the KP game and getting hit with consecutive hits, the decision on what to do with the slider was made quite simply.

Seal it.

I’m a middle reliever anyway. I could even throw away the ‘splitter’ from my current pitching mix.

Still, that’s four pitches. I’m only keeping the splitter because of my stubbornness.

From the next game, I didn’t throw the slider at all. Nevertheless, my performance didn’t go up or down. It just stayed the same.

Even so, I couldn’t let go of my attachment to the slider.

Obsession with six pitches?

No, it just feels like giving something and then taking it away.

Every pitcher must have some kind of romantic idea about a certain pitch.

A swing and a miss strikeout with a powerful fastball!

A looking strikeout with a slow but sharp curveball!

A swing and a miss strikeout on a bouncing forkball!

A swing and a miss strikeout on a changeup that steals timing!

Escaping a crisis by creating a double play with a sharply sinking sinker!

The slider was the same.

A swing and a miss strikeout with a razor-sharp slider!

If this is my greed and obsession, I’ll have to admit it.

But I’m a professional, so I have to produce results. I couldn’t produce results with the slider. I’m just temporarily sealing it until satisfactory results come out.

I only threw the slider during catch practice, bullpen pitching, and practice throws in the game.

“Why isn’t it breaking?”

But it doesn’t break. This is what drives people crazy.

Later on, I even started hallucinating that the slider was breaking to the right instead of the left.

I feel like I’m going insane.

“Hanwool, you’re up in the 7th.”

“…Yes.”

The order to prepare for deployment came when I was sitting in the dugout, just holding a ball.

Even while I was obsessed with the slider, the team was doing relatively well. It had been a long time since we surpassed KP, the team one step above us when we were 7th in the league.

Now we are ranked 공동 [gongdong – tied for] 5th with the Sungwoon Hawks.

“Seullaida! [Slider!]”

I threw the slider with Gunyoung’s loud shout. It still didn’t break.

Shit.

“Fastball!”

Let’s throw it away. Let’s become nothing.

I tried to empty my mind and threw a fastball. I threw a curveball. I threw a sinker, a changeup, and a splitter.

“Ah, nice ball!”

Damn it.

* * *

Some stability has returned to the bullpen, which was shattered from the beginning of the league.

The number of people who can be evaluated as doing at least one person’s job is three: me, senior Shin Kyungseok, and senior Choi Eungu. The rest… well…….

Just as we can’t pitch in every game, our team can’t win every game either. So we only need to pitch in games we can win.

Thanks to this logic, we were able to manage with just three people doing one person’s job.

Hitting can’t be trusted. As long as there are ups and downs, hitting can never be trusted.

Out!

Strike!!

Swing, swing!!

How did this happen?

While the starting lineup is still solid and the bullpen has stabilized, the number of points scored has decreased sharply.

One point, two points.

But even that becomes meaningless if we can’t score.

“F*ck!”

Sunghyun, who struck out and came into the dugout, slammed his bat into the bat rack as if he was throwing it down, shouting coolly. It felt like the people who heard it felt even cooler.

Hitting깡패 [Hitting Kkangpae – Hitting Gangster] Kang Sunghyun. .313/.401/.519. 9 home runs, 32 RBIs.

“No, why are they calling that a strike, are their eyes gone?”

Cutie Nam Giseong. .284/.421/.476 8 home runs, 38 RBIs.

“I’m going crazy.”

Our Jinhyeong쨔응 [Jinhyeong-jjang – Jinhyeong, the best]. .331/.397/.467 7 home runs, 35 RBIs.

“Did those bastards bet on Toto [Korean sports lottery] as a group? Are they crazy?”

Mouthy clutch hitter Seungju. .276/.353/.478 7 home runs, 44 RBIs.

Our team’s main hitters’ season records as of mid-June.

If you put the filter of the season in front of the word record, it’s not a bad record.

However, if we combine the records of these four people as of mid-June, the batting average is only .194. The on-base percentage is in the late 20s, and the slugging percentage is similar.

We can’t score. Even if the pitching staff blocks well, the batting line can’t score.

So games that can be won easily are won with difficulty, and games that can be won simply are lost.

Heh…….

“Hanwool, just warm up.”

“Yes.”

Deployment order.

I picked up my glove and headed to the bullpen. When I saw the scoreboard in the corner of my vision, my eyes naturally went to it. Bottom of the 8th, defending. Losing 1 to 0.

Hyung [older brother/senior] Gyujin is still pitching and is doing well with 3 hits and 2 walks.

Our batting line… is…….

“…Who got our hit earlier?”

“Senior Jeon Sungmoon hit it earlier?”

“Is that all?”

“Yes… well…….”

1 hit.

He hit a cool double as the lead batter in the 3rd inning, but there’s nothing else.

I’m trying not to show it, but I’m definitely not thinking that way, but wouldn’t some of the pitchers have some dissatisfaction in their hearts?

Well, they’re human.

Let’s do what I can do.

“Hi, fastball!”

I took my eyes off the scoreboard and stepped on the plate in the bullpen. I threw the ball a few times to get a feel for it. Not bad.

I warmed up to just before the point of pitching, and then I threw slowly while watching the situation on the ground.

In a situation where we are losing 1 to 0, if we don’t score in the top of the 9th, there’s no need to go up in the bottom of the 9th.

Hmm.

Gyuhak appeared as the lead batter in the top of the 9th. He seemed to have a plan, and his bat went out from the first pitch of the opponent’s closer.

Ground ball to third.

“…….”

Hooni’s turn.

He seems to be wary of rushing in like Gyuhak earlier and getting out quickly.

He watched the 1st and 2nd pitches carefully, and then on the 3rd pitch, his bat finally went out.

Swing and a miss strikeout.

“…Ah.”

Perhaps to change the mood, Myungjin was replaced and Juho entered the plate.

I watched the match, hoping that Juho could change the atmosphere with one big hit.

First pitch, 148km fastball. Second pitch, 146km fastball.

He received one strike and one ball call each, making the count 1-1.

There, Juho took a step back and took a deep breath. It felt like I could hear him going hoo… hoo… all the way to the bullpen far away.

Whether his mind was organized or not, he took a batting stance again, and on the 3rd pitch,

Crack―!!

“Oh, oh, oh oh!!”

A properly hit ball that I haven’t seen in a while!

Out―!

The ball was caught by the center fielder jumping in front of the fence. Three outs, game over. A 1-0 shutout loss.

It was a game that further solidified the imbalance between pitching and hitting, which was even more novel because I couldn’t even appear.

* * *

When one thing is solved, another thing causes trouble, and when that is solved, the previous problem causes trouble again.

And when these two things are solved at once, problems arise in two other things.

It’s like a famous saying in the baseball world. I couldn’t help but feel sad that this could be applied to our team as well.

Yabal [야구의 밭 – Yagu-ui Bat – Baseball Field].

A weekend 3-game series against the Sungwoon Hawks. I went to work at 3:00 PM and checked the atmosphere in the dugout.

The team’s recent record is 6 wins and 4 losses. Compared to this record, the atmosphere in the dugout was not as good as I thought. In particular, I was concerned that hitting coach Yang Taekgyun was speaking less.

When I returned from injury, he ran to me as soon as he saw me and hugged me tightly.

You can define this person’s personality with this one word. He is more kind than anyone else and more affectionate than anyone else.

The three elements of players, coaching staff, and front office must be in perfect harmony for the club’s performance to soar, but very naturally, it is the players who ultimately play.

No matter how many good players the club buys, and no matter how passionately the coaching staff teaches, all of this becomes meaningless if the players can’t do it.

The coach approached each player and passed on his know-how. As the amount of time spent on one player increased, it became difficult to see other players on time.

So the coach moved up his work hours and pushed back his quitting time. Of course, the players responded by matching him.

It was the first time I saw Sunghyun gritting his teeth and swinging his bat like that.

It had been a long time since I saw the gentle Giseong swearing.

Jinhyeong, who was always quiet, swung his bat while screaming strangely.

Ah, Seungju was a little quieter for a while, so that was good.

Thanks to that?

Crack―!

“Go, go!!”

Sunghyun finally broke his unlucky streak and achieved double-digit home runs.

“Good, keep going, keep going!!”

A solo home run in the bottom of the 9th, losing 3 to 1.

Tick―

“Hey, it’s falling! Run, run!”

Giseong’s lucky hit.

Clang―

“Turn, turn!!”

Jinhyeong’s gap hitting.

Crack―

“…X벌 [Ssibal – F*ck]. He went again.”

Seungju’s finish.

“Yaaaaaaaaak!!”

Holding a bottle of beverage in each hand, I ran to Seungju. As soon as he stepped on home, I poured the beverage bottles on him and kicked his butt with all my might, rejoicing.

Not only us, but also the home fans did not leave their seats and rejoiced, singing Seungju’s cheer song at the top of their lungs.

Ah, are we coming back to life like this?

“Suwaaaak!”

No way.

Another shutout loss the very next day.

It was an even bigger disappointment because Taeung, who usually gives up a lot of runs, pitched well for 6 innings and 1 run, and Jiho blocked well for 3 innings without giving up any runs.

Ah, just when I was about to give up, thinking it wasn’t going to work, again,

Crack―!!

“He went!!”

“Kang Sunghyun!! Kang Sunghyun!!”

“Sunghyun hyung [older brother/senior], take me!”

Sunghyun’s grand slam in the top of the 8th, down by two points.

After that,

Clang―!

“He went! He went again!!”

Giseong’s back-to-back. The two-point deficit was instantly reversed with a three-point lead.

What rhythm should I match?

“Hanwool, standby!!”

“Yes, yes.”

As soon as we took a three-point lead, the pitching coach urgently called me. Was he momentarily stunned by the rare hitting?

But how much짬 [Jjam – seniority/experience] do I have, I already got up from my seat knowing that.

2 outs. I probably won’t be able to warm up much.

“Gunyoung, let’s throw right away.”

“Yes.”

I skipped stretching and picked up the ball. I started throwing the ball quickly, with a fast tempo. After about 10 catches and 2 pitches,

“Let’s go up.”

I was dispatched earlier than I thought.

Ah, my shoulder is a little stiff.

Ding―!

[Emergency Situation!]

– Block the inning without giving up any runs in a situation where your body is not properly warmed up. (0/1)

– Reward ― Curve +2

As I walked to the mound, waving my shoulder, a quest window popped up after a long time.

“Curve…….”

The curve, the reward for this quest, caught my eye. What’s my curve stat right now?

Control ― Top

Power ― Medium

Stamina ― Medium

Four-seam ― 58

Curve ― 49

Slider ― 35

Splitter ― 41

Changeup ― 46

Sinker ― 44

Traits

Acceptance ― I’m okay with any ball or situation.

Discomfort ― Makes the opposing batter uncomfortable when they look at the pitcher in the batter’s box.

49. The best after the fastball. Good, I’m going to get the curve to 50 this time.

I increased the proportion of the curve a little during practice throws. Since my shoulder isn’t fully warmed up, the fastball, which is already slow, will be even slower.

I’ll show you what slow is.

The lead batter is the 2nd batter, Kim Sunghoon. It’s unusual to see him wearing glasses.

The first pitch is a fastball. It’s okay if it’s a ball. No, a ball is better.

I tried throwing it to the outside, filling it up.

“Haik!”

Fortunately, he called it a strike. After receiving the ball, the next sign is a changeup that sinks to the body.

“Ball.”

He flinched, but the bat didn’t come out.

Should I throw it around this time?

I chose the curve sign while choosing the signs here and there and nodded.

“Saik, two!”

I wondered if it came out at 100km, so I glanced back and saw that it came out at 102km. It was faster than I thought. I took a deep breath again and waited for the sign. Another curve. Good.

Tick!

The curve that falls slightly lower than the outside rolled to third base very nicely. Really, just the speed and bounce of when you’re hitting fungo [a light, short-handled bat used by baseball coaches].

Hyung [older brother/senior] Sunghoon, who caught it without any burden, threw it to 1st base and got 1 out.

3rd batter, Kim! Tae! Hoon!

I have to concentrate a little from here. Kim Taehoon and Oh Youngbin are both pretty good hitters.

“Out!”

But a little futilely, Kim Taehoon touched the curve from the first pitch and got out in exactly the same way as Kim Sunghoon earlier.

And the 4th batter, Oh Youngbin, who I will face.

Pinch hitter, Choi!! Woo!! Seok!!

…Isn’t it?

A self-proclaimed and publicly recognized national team’s 1st batter. 5-tool player. And my friend.

Perhaps it has become an annual event, he smiled again as he entered the plate.

I can’t help but smile at that sight. Even if I try to erase the smile, it doesn’t erase. So I just left it alone.

I waited for the sign as it was. Another curve.

“Saik!”

I was worried that someone like Wooseok would notice and hit it, but fortunately, he just watched the curve falling in the low center.

On the way back to the mound after receiving the half-ball, I glanced at the scoreboard and saw 109km. Just right.

Clang―

“Foul!”

Next is a 137km fastball. Perhaps because my body wasn’t fully warmed up, the speed didn’t come out as much as I thought, even though I threw it relatively hard.

Still, there’s a difference of 30km. He couldn’t easily match the timing and it became a foul that went backwards.

Next ball, next ball, next ball, what should I throw?

I filtered out the outside fastball one more time, the high fastball, and the inside fastball three times in a row.

While shaking my head, I came up with an interesting design and showed my index finger and pinky finger. When Gyuhak nodded, I went into the windup.

“Ball!”

“Baall!”

He picked out both the bouncing splitter and the changeup that fell low to the outside in succession.

But there was no regret. This is all design, I’m saying.

I waited until the curve sign came out again. The inside curve sign came out, but sorry Gyuhak. I have no intention of throwing it there.

The curve flew slowly, whoosh―.

The curve, which was low on the inside and ambiguously went, went much higher than I thought, embarrassing Gyuhak, who was thinking of framing the ball nicely and getting a strikeout.

Wooseok was just staring blankly at the ball falling vertically from a high place.

The ball was caught in front of Wonha’s mark printed on the catcher’s protector. Considering the drop of the curve, it was an incredibly high ball.

But definitely, it passed through the top of the zone.

“Swaiik, out!”