Peaceful Bullpen Life [EN]: Chapter 53

53. Misalignment

8 runs in 7 innings.

Should I praise him for lasting 7 innings, or criticize him for giving up 8 runs?

Amidst the increasingly fierce battle for 3rd or 4th place, this was Hyuk-joon’s report card for the first game against the bottom three teams before the All-Star break.

Having spent his 1st and 2nd years as a promising prospect, his fastball suddenly exploded in his 3rd year, and his performance skyrocketed. In a good way.

But this game was unlike Hyuk-joon.

You can definitely feel that his control has improved. Despite giving up so many runs, he only walked two batters.

But couldn’t that be seen in a worse light? Since that means the rest were all hits.

As soon as Hyuk-joon came off the mound, the batting lineup showed its strength and scored 3 runs all at once. Thanks to that, Hyuk-joon’s loss was erased, and at the same time, our team’s victory was within reach.

Despite his loss being erased, and despite the team’s victory cry ringing out, Hyuk-joon, who had allowed the most runs since his debut, couldn’t smile.

His demeanor returning to the dugout wasn’t like the usual guy I knew. Seeing him seething and cursing, unable to contain his anger, I was secretly pleased.

He’s got the spirit.

Even if I say this and that, he’s still quite young. This frustration will be good fuel for him.

Knowing that, I couldn’t stay still. No, I shouldn’t stay still. First of all, I’m the leader of the pitching staff.

“Hyuk-joon.”

“Yes.”

I sat next to Hyuk-joon, who was sitting with a towel over his head. My body knew I shouldn’t stay still, but my mouth didn’t cooperate.

Is it presumptuous to give advice to a guy who throws better than me? Especially since he’s a guy who will do well on his own without my input?

No.

“…Do you know what’s behind your head if there’s tofu [a traditional Korean saying, often used humorously when someone gets angry or frustrated, implying they’re about to lose their mind]?”

“Pardon?”

“It’s the occipital lobe [the part of the brain at the back of the head].”

“……”

Lee Myung-jin, you son of a bitch.

“If it’s next to your head, it’s the temporal lobe [the part of the brain on the sides of the head].”

“……”

I’m sorry. I’m a bad older brother.

* * *

The next day, Hyuk-joon appeared with the same smile as always, as if he had washed away the previous day’s emotions.

His shouting, “Hyung!” and approaching me was the Hyuk-joon I knew. I hoped my talk about the occipital and temporal lobes had some effect.

And then Hyuk-joon was followed by Hyu-jin hyung [older brother/senior]. I went to where Gyu-hak was playing catch because I thought he might be bored and talked to him.

Ah, because *I* might be bored.

My gaze was naturally focused on the flying ball.

Thwack!

As long as they have the title of professional, they are people who far exceed the average, whether they are throwing or receiving.

Because they throw properly and catch well.

Thwack!

Is it just my imagination? Or is Gyu-hak the problem?

“Hyung.”

“What.”

“…Ah, never mind.”

The difference between the sound of the catch and what I remember is getting bigger and bigger. I can’t explain it exactly. Is it just easier to dismiss it as my imagination?

Thwack!

Even in the midst of that, I kept my mouth shut at the continued sound of the catch. The feeling of not being able to say what I wanted to say was quite uncomfortable.

Crack—

Wowwww—!!

But now everyone was uncomfortable.

Gyu-jin hyung’s expression as he watched the ball go over the fence didn’t change much.

Well, it could happen. I was relieved that he seemed unfazed. Moreover, the batter was Woo-seok. If it’s Woo-seok, it could happen.

However, if someone who used to throw in the early 150s [kilometers per hour] is now throwing in the mid-140s, it’s natural to get hit. And it wasn’t just Woo-seok, but also the next batter, and the batter after that.

The pitcher, who should have struck out 5 in 4 innings, gave up 5 runs.

That day, the league’s strikeout leader was taken down after not striking out even once in 4 innings.

* * *

Early in the league season, the two external recruits, who had generated at least small expectations if not big ones, brought great disappointment.

It was just one of the Wonha Challengers’ common losses, but in fact, looking at the surface, they were criticized for being external recruits [players brought in from outside the team].

Between the early and mid-league seasons, the two external recruits began to find stability. The starting lineup was solid, and the front and back of the lineup became a little more solid, centered around me.

They didn’t give up points that could have been prevented. However, the slump in the batting lineup that overlapped with that led to the unfortunate event of not scoring runs that could have been scored.

Mid-season, currently. Our batting lineup, which is commonly described with terms such as cohesiveness and solidarity, has changed. They’re hitting hard. Even a graze is fatal.

Ji-ho joined the Wonha Challengers’ bullpen trio and added some minor contributions.

But another problem arose.

Crack—!!

It went over again!!

Nice bat!!

“Hey, it’s unblocked! [a Korean expression used when someone is hitting very well, as if something that was blocked is now open]”

“Get acupuncture. It’s good.”

Ah, for reference, the home run just now was fortunately Sung-hyun’s home run, not the opposing team’s. A three-run homer following a grand slam in the second at-bat, back-to-back.

He scored a whopping 7 RBIs [runs batted in] by himself. Ki-sung sent another two-run shot, and Jin-hyung added a minor 1 RBI.

These three alone scored 10 points. If it’s 10 points at the point when the top of the 7th inning hasn’t ended, they should have solidified their victory, but they had only just overtaken by one point again.

Starting pitcher Jun-hyuk gave up 7 runs in 3 innings, and then the remaining bullpens gave up 2 runs in 4 innings.

In fact, no matter what our bullpen does, I think I’ve seen it all now. Beyond imagination, because I’ve seen it. There’s no particular problem here.

The problem is the starters. The starting lineup began to collapse.

Early in the league, Jun-hyuk, who had the only ERA [earned run average] in the 1-point range in the league with many hits and few runs, slipped once and rose to the mid-2-point range, but he still maintained it.

But today’s game was like a pitching performance that put a jump gear on it to jump to the late 3-point range.

In the bottom of the 7th inning, senior Choi Eun-gu came to the mound and allowed 1 run, tying the score again, but in the top of the 8th inning, Seung-ju, who was the only one among the main hitters without an RBI, blasted a 2-RBI double, creating a two-point lead again.

That’s how I stood on the mound in the bottom of the 8th inning.

Ding—!

[Alumni Association]

– Get outs against Choi Woo-seok and Kwak Myung-gyu. (0/2)

– Reward ― Four-seam fastball +1

A four-seam stat after a long time. As if acknowledging that I’ve grown to some extent, they didn’t give out 2, 3, or 5 like before.

Even recently, there were no cases where a fastball appeared as a reward. It could be said to be just 1, but it was a quest that made me smile.

As I read the text floating above the catcher’s head and smiled, Woo-seok, who was at bat, smiled.

Not you, you son of a bitch.

I said something like this recently.

I used to endure my professional life by making fun of you, but these days, it’s so fun and enjoyable to face you. These days, I’m reawakening my nature as a baseball player because of you.

To blather out a line that makes you say “Ugh!” even when you’re sober with a tongue marinated in soju [Korean distilled beverage] is just being a drunk.

“Strike!”

When I think about it, it might just be self-justification.

“Strike, two!”

That day, the day I first encountered this stat. From the day I struck out Woo-seok, he hasn’t gotten a single hit against me.

“Strike three!”

Outside fastball.

Woo-seok, who frowned as he looked at the spot where Gyu-hak’s mitt was, quietly went into the dugout.

Ding—!

[Alumni Association]

– Get outs against Choi Woo-seok and Kwak Myung-gyu. (1/2)

– Reward ― Four-seam fastball +1

One down for now.

The battle with the next batter, Kim Seong-hoon, the number 2 hitter, was a bit disappointing. I had a good 2 strikes with a full breaking ball and a fastball, but the splitter I threw didn’t come out of my hand.

It seems that the number 2 hitter these days doesn’t miss a slow fastball that’s pushed into the dead center.

I watched Kim Seong-hoon, who was calling for time after stepping on second base, and turned my head. Just as I was about to throw the rosin bag in my hand on the ground in a somewhat nervous manner, the umpire’s play call came out.

I have to concentrate all my attention on the catcher’s fingers, but strangely, I couldn’t take my eyes off the batter.

…Meong.

Meong-gu.

It’s true that it’s partly because of the name Myung-gyu, but it’s a nickname that was attached to us because of his somewhat foolish-looking face.

No, if it explodes here, I’m definitely confirmed as a crazy bastard. Calm down, heart, calm down, head, there’s an occipital lobe behind you and a temporal lobe next to you!

“Aaaargh!!”

Lee Myung-jin, you son of a bitch!

The batter, as well as our team and the opposing dugout, and even the umpires, were surprised when the pitcher, who was choosing a sign, suddenly screamed.

I was elevated from a crazy bastard who smiles at the batter’s face to just a crazy bastard, but it’s okay. Thanks to that, I was able to fully concentrate on the sign.

Little finger, index and middle finger, and five fingers.

I nodded as if to show it, and gathered both hands. I made eye contact with the runner on second base who was glaring at me. In that state, the center of my body leaned to the left.

“Ball!”

The splitter isn’t coming out today. I have to take it out. The balance is also subtly off. Let’s just focus on the batter.

Index and middle finger, middle and ring finger and little finger, thumb.

This time, I only tied the runner with my eyes and looked at the catcher when I threw. The spot where Woo-seok struck out earlier, there.

“Strike!”

It seems a bit wide there today, but I have to throw it because they’re calling it a strike.

The pitcher has that kind of mind, so the batter should show on his face that they’re calling that a strike? But because Myung-gyu is so foolish, he doesn’t seem to have any thoughts.

As I put my ring and little fingers on my shoulder, it was reborn into a complex sign again through the catcher.

I wonder if you can be so foolish with this ball too.

The ball left my fingertips and flew in the same trajectory as the previous ball.

Tick!

And at the end, it slightly ran away and hit the end of the bat and went to the third base line. If it’s Myung-gyu’s legs, and Seong-hoon hyung’s defense, I can definitely catch it at first base.

But if that happens, the runner on second base will land on third base.

“Foul, foul!”

The third base umpire’s foul call that exploded when I was having all sorts of thoughts. I wonder who this foul is a loss for.

Thwack!

Is it me?

“Swing!”

Myung-gyu swung and missed at the changeup and returned to the dugout with that expression. The best out count in a runner on second base situation.

[Alumni Association]

– Get outs against Choi Woo-seok and Kwak Myung-gyu. (2/2)

– Reward ― Four-seam fastball +1

Control ― Top

Power ― Medium

Stamina ― Medium

Four-seam fastball ― 58+1=59

Curve ― 51

Slider ― 35

Splitter ― 41

Changeup ― 46

Sinker ― 46

Traits

Detachment ― I’m okay with any batted ball or situation.

Uncomfortable ― Makes the opposing batter feel uncomfortable when they look at the pitcher on the plate.

Comfortable ― Those who look at me feel comfortable.

For now, I took a breath by striking out the recently hot hitter with one out and a runner on second base. But did I take it too much?

Crack—!

“…Wamma [an exclamation of surprise or shock].”

Oh Young-bin swung his bat from the first pitch. The batted ball flew as if it would split the sky, but if it flies outside the foul pole, the pitcher’s heart sinks once.

I have to come to my senses. It’s not over.

It seems like the changeup is good today. I got the count with the first pitch inside fastball, so let’s forget about the foul ball itself. Let’s just think about the count.

I don’t know what he thought of my ball, but it was fast at 141km [kilometers per hour]. If the timing is generally fast, the changeup is the standard.

I think I can communicate with Gyu-hak with just eye contact now. As soon as I thought about the changeup, the changeup sign came out.

“Swing—”

Ah, that should have been caught.

A swing and a miss isn’t bad, but I was thinking of a ground ball to first or second base instead of a swing and a miss, so I’m unnecessarily disappointed.

No, let’s think positively. It’s a 0-2 count. Let’s look at the sign.

The catcher’s fingers flickered, flickered, flickered, crossed three times. I don’t like it. I took my foot off to organize the timing and looked at the sign again.

“…Ah.”

Why, there are days like that. There are times when the pitcher doesn’t like it so much that he doesn’t want to throw it, but the catcher keeps asking for it.

If the same sign came out twice in a row, I couldn’t help but nod, thinking that it might not be Gyu-hak’s sign but the bench’s sign.

There was some anxiety attached to the sigh, not a deep breath.

“Hoo……”

As I secretly turned the ball in my glove, the ball naturally became wedged between my two fingers. If I just slam it down as if I’m throwing a fastball like this!

Thwack—!!

“…X발 [a Korean curse word, similar to “fuck”].”

It goes over the fence.

“No……”

Initiating activated.

I watched the batter, who hit a tying two-run home run and was happy, step on home with a pitiful look.

I needlessly chewed on the red flesh in my mouth and received the ball from the umpire. I rubbed it and continued what I had to do.

The buff from Initiating was pretty good.

“Strike threeee!”

I got the next batter out with four balls and trudged to the dugout. I felt Gyu-hak’s presence following me with an awkward expression, but I didn’t bother to get into a fight.

What if the splitter from earlier was Gyu-hak’s sign, and what if it was the bench’s sign?

I plopped down and watched our team’s attack. When I turned my head to the left, I saw senior Shin Kyung-seok warming up.

A manifestation of the will to win no matter what.

Hoon, let’s goooo!!

You, Hoon! You, Hoon!

Hoon’s bat, who was waiting for the battery’s [pitcher and catcher] sign exchange while waving his bat in a frivolous manner, began to move.

Thwack—

“Ah, let’s go!!”

As soon as I saw it go over the shortstop’s head, I immediately grabbed the railing of the dugout and shouted.

Atmosphere!

One of the few advantages that our Wonha can boast. Let’s show off this much as much as we want.

Even when Myung-jin succeeded in a sacrifice bunt, and even when Seong-woon sent Seong-hyun to first base with an intentional walk from the bench, the loud noise did not stop.

Let’s goooo!

Thwack—!

Ki-sung’s unique pushing hit.

While it was touching the left line and rolling into the deep, Hoon and Seong-hyun had already entered home.

“Senior, let’s go in coollyyy!!”

Bottom of the 9th inning, after easily making a comeback.

The fact that he forced the warm-up even though the pitching conditions were not clear eventually became a divine move.

Let’s go in coolly!

As I watched the red lights being accumulated one by one while spewing out roughly plausible words, a sinister smile came out.

The game that ended after repeated comebacks and reversals came to an end.

The first start of the hellish 9 games, which will be an important turning point of this season, was not bad.