Pitcher’S End, Batter’S Start [EN]: Chapter 186

Pitcher Done, Batter Up – 185

Just because a fastball exceeds 100 miles per hour doesn’t automatically make it unhittable. There are other pitches besides the four-seamer, and no starting pitcher throws every ball with maximum effort. That was true for Kyle Callaway as well. But at least in this game, he seemed to reign like an impregnable fortress.

[Kyle was throwing with full power in the first inning, but he’s mixing it up in the second.]

[Yes, given the Braves’ powerful lineup, it seems Kyle used full power in the first inning as a show of force.]

Unlike the quickly passing first inning, from the second inning onward, he varied his pace and timing against the Braves’ lineup. However, the Braves hesitated to call his pitching ‘pace control.’ It wouldn’t make sense if that were the case.

“Is that pace control?”

“How can his pace control be faster than other pitchers’ full-power pitches?”

Even his ‘pace control’ was ridiculously fast.

His top speed was impressive, but his average speed was also a monstrous 99 mph. Even his ‘stamina-saving’ pitches weren’t much different from the full-power pitches of most fireballers.

In addition to the fastballs he threw in the first inning, Kyle Callaway easily handled the Braves’ hitters by adding his signature high-speed slider, which could be considered a strikeout pitch, and the occasional unexpected changeup.

Among them, the pitch that made the hitters curse under their breath was, surprisingly, the high-speed slider that Lee Jung-woo thought he could handle the most.

“Ah, that slider is really frustrating!”

“The trajectory is weird, and why is it so fast?”

“He throws the ball like garbage.”

You could tell just by looking at the hitters who struck out and grumbled. Returning to the bench, they hurled the best (questionable) compliments they could give to an opponent towards the pitcher they couldn’t even hear.

While the Braves’ hitters were being shut down by Kyle Callaway, the Athletics also struggled to score, albeit in a slightly different way.

“If they’re playing defense, we just need to play defense too and drag it out. No matter how well that guy’s pitching, he can’t keep throwing like that forever,” Derek encouraged them.

They decided to play a game of attrition [a prolonged battle wearing down the opponent].

Since the starting pitcher was so strong and hard to break through right now, they would tenaciously play solid defense against the Athletics’ lineup until he got tired. That was the choice the Braves made. Although their starter, Stuart, was severely outmatched in a direct comparison, he was still good enough to keep the Athletics from running away with the game.

The lack of offensive firepower…

[Derek! He got it! Straight to first base – out! It’s an out!]

[It was a well-hit ball, but Derek Hunt is showing why he won the Gold Glove today.]

The Gold Glove second baseman…

‘Third base side, it’s close. It’s too fast for Poppin to catch, I’ll get it.’

“Throw it now!”

“Out! It’s an out!”

“I was faster!”

“No, the throw came first.”

[You can’t talk about the Braves’ defense without mentioning this player. Jung-woo Lee is showing off his flashy plays on defense today.]

[If the cover had been late, the third base side could have been breached, and if it had gone to the outfield, it would have been quite deep, but he cut it off perfectly.]

[Poppin must feel like there’s no better teammate than this player. Even if he can’t catch it, he appears from behind.]

The Gold Glove-caliber shortstop was able to fill in. As if putting into practice the words of playing solid defense and looking for opportunities, Lee Jung-woo and Derek forced the pitcher into ‘ace mode’ as usual, effectively shutting down the opponent’s scoring ability. They were clearly getting hit hard, but the number of hits was low. Even if they barely managed to create an opportunity, the Athletics couldn’t overcome the final wall.

But Lee Jung-woo, Derek, and the other players knew.

It was okay for now, but there was a clear limit.

‘The flight distance will get farther and farther as the hitters get used to it. They’re originally focused on extra-base hits anyway.’

The Athletics, who had built their lineup mainly around extra-base hits, didn’t have overwhelming home run hitters like Choi or Lee Jung-woo, but they had plenty of hitters who were good at hitting the ball into the outfield, flirting with the fence.

As Stuart’s pitches began to be deciphered little by little, the batted balls that were initially handled inside the infield gradually moved back, with outfielders catching them, or Lee Jung-woo or Derek, with their wide range of defense, encroaching on their positions.

‘We need to get the first run first…’

That’s why Lee Jung-woo and the hitters wanted to score as much as possible before the opponent’s offense exploded, but Kyle Callaway’s wall was high.

The combination of appropriate pace control, occasional full-power fastballs, high-speed breaking balls, and sudden changes of pace was perfect for driving the opponent crazy. Even Lee Jung-woo, who was looking for an opportunity, was defeated by the opponent’s thorough ‘tailored attack.’

####

‘Just one slider is enough. That’s all I need. Pitcher-friendly stadium or whatever, I don’t care.’

After experiencing the futility of the fastball in his first at-bat, Lee Jung-woo entered his second at-bat, desperately wanting a slider. Looking down at Lee Jung-woo, the announcer casually asked the commentator. He was the hitter most likely to break the 0-0 tie that had been precariously maintained so far.

He was the hitter who had hit the most home runs combined from both teams.

[Jung-woo Lee and Kyle Callaway, this is their second match in this game. What do you think?]

[For now, their matchup isn’t favorable for Lee. Lee Jung-woo is strong against pitches with vertical movement and fastballs in the high 90s. The former is due to the nature of the pitch, and the latter is due to his bat speed. But today, that’s going to be difficult.]

The commentator’s definitive statement momentarily confused the announcer.

He would have understood if he had said he didn’t know or that he had to wait and see, but he clearly took one side. And that was against the hottest player in many ways. Momentarily taken aback, the announcer calmly asked for the reason.

[Ah… is it because Lee’s bat speed can’t keep up with Kyle Callaway’s pitches?]

[No, Lee’s bat speed is among the best in the Big League, so he should be able to keep up. But right now, it’s just a matter of experience.]

[Experience?]

[All fastballs are ultimately a battle of timing, and while innate genius or talent plays a big role in that timing, most of it comes from experience. For example, if you’ve often faced 96 mph pitches, you can anticipate the timing of 97 mph pitches. You can make a rough guess based on experience.]

The commentator looked at Lee Jung-woo at the plate with a sharp gaze. He was a top-class hitter in the league and one of the best players, but he was still an ‘inexperienced’ hitter. He didn’t have much experience, not even minor league experience. Nevertheless, he had crushed everything with his innate talent that went beyond the norm. But this time, the opponent was also a player who had surpassed the norm in some ways.

[In short, it will be difficult to make that guess in this match. Lee has barely faced pitches in the 100 mph range, and now he’s facing pitches that are more than 3 mph faster than those few times. Maybe if the match goes on longer and he gets used to it… but Kyle Callaway isn’t the kind of pitcher who will wait until then.]

The commentator’s words were sharp, and that was one of the reasons why Lee Jung-woo wanted a slider. He knew it too. He had gotten a rough feel for it in his first at-bat, but it was hard to hit with just that.

That’s why Lee Jung-woo stood deep in the batter’s box, hoping that the pitcher would mix in a slider to induce a strikeout, just like he did against other hitters.

“…”

Perhaps he hadn’t forgotten what the umpire had stopped him from doing, unlike the first time, Lee Jung-woo didn’t say anything even when he entered the plate and the catcher just glanced at him. Lee Jung-woo maintained a poker face and desperately hoped.

‘Slider, please throw just one. You’ve struck out a few with it so far, right? Throw one at me thinking you’ll do the same.’

Lee Jung-woo stared straight into his eyes and desperately wished, as if casting a spell, but nothing was conveyed to the emotionless eyes.

[103 mph! Overwhelming speed. Is he just going to throw full power against Lee?]

[That’s probably the case.]

A clean strike.

Lee Jung-woo honestly wanted to close his eyes at the speed shown on the scoreboard. There was still a chance left, so he didn’t know until the end. But in his gut, he felt like the pitcher wouldn’t give him what he wanted.

And the second pitch. This time it was a two-seamer, but the speed was still tremendous. 101 mph. It seemed like the control was slightly off, but when the umpire called a strike, Lee Jung-woo almost glared at the umpire but barely managed to hold back.

‘Hoo, let’s think positively. He’s only shown me fastballs so far. So it’s time for a breaking ball. Slider, no, even a changeup is fine.’

Lee Jung-woo tried to think positively, but the pitcher mercilessly threw the ball. If the previous pitch had a slight control miss, this time it was a perfectly located fastball. Lee Jung-woo greeted the four-seam that was high and tight on the inside with another swing and a miss. Another strikeout.

‘Does he really intend to only face me with fastballs?’

Lee Jung-woo, who struck out in his second at-bat, tapped his helmet with the end of his bat and pondered.

A pitcher whose intentions could not be grasped. Lee Jung-woo could feel the frustration of the pitchers who faced him.

Just making eye contact made his head spin.

‘Does he know? No, there shouldn’t be any data in the first place? Other than the mini-game in Single A…’

Honestly, he was taken aback.

He mixes in other pitches against other hitters, but why is he only using fastballs, and even full-power ones, against me? Returning to the dugout and thinking about the reason, Lee Jung-woo chuckled.

He was overthinking it.

‘It’s frustrating to be too good.’

Kyle Callaway’s most confident pitch was definitely the fastball. The slider was also good enough to be used as a strikeout pitch, but in the end, the fastball was his best weapon. So, it was natural to throw it with full power. Like other pitchers who were wary of him, Kyle Callaway was also wary of Lee Jung-woo and considered him dangerous, so he was throwing his most confident pitch.

‘Then I can’t just stand by and do nothing. To force him to take out a second-best option, I have to make him think that the best option alone isn’t enough. Tsk, fastball… I have to hit one somehow. Enough to make him feel even a little bit of crisis.’

It was hard to even make contact, but he had no choice. He didn’t want to end up frustrated like this. Watching the pitcher walk off after easily finishing the inning, Lee Jung-woo nodded.

####

The Athletics were the first to break the scoreless streak that had continued. As feared, the increasing flight distance caused a problem.

[He jumps, but the center fielder couldn’t catch it! The ball rolls to the fence, the runner on second scores, the runner on first goes to third. A two-run double that breaks the tie! In the bottom of the 5th, the Athletics finally take the lead as the 0s come to an end!]

A clutch two-run double. No matter how wide the range of defense was, he couldn’t cover that much ground in the outfield, so Lee Jung-woo, who was watching with his hands on his hips, felt his mouth go dry at the numbers on the scoreboard.

‘I hope it ends with this…’

Lee Jung-woo glanced at Stuart. He didn’t look happy. He was trying to act nonchalant, but it was clear that he was starting to falter. As feared, he soon allowed another home run.

‘A three-point difference, a score that would normally be enough to catch up…’

Scratching the back of his head, Lee Jung-woo thought. He was originally aiming for a home run, but it became even more necessary from the moment the runs went up.

‘He threw a lot of full-power pitches. He must be exhausted. He’s maintaining it with mental strength and willpower. If a home run comes out at that moment…’

His stamina will plummet. That was what Lee Jung-woo had to do today. At the right time, with a big home run, he had to clearly show the pitcher who was pitching so well:

You’re a little more tired than you think you are.

And the moment he succeeds.

A spiderweb-like crack will begin to appear in the impregnable fortress.