The Pitcher Just Hits Home Runs Well [EN]: Chapter 116

116. Debut Game? (3)

Jake Bauer glared at the batter’s box. Standing there was the rookie who had hit a home run in the first inning. A rather irritating guy.

Baseball is fundamentally a gentleman’s sport. Of course, the new generation of the 21st century—guys like [Fernando] Tatis [Jr.] or [Bryce] Harper—sometimes deny tradition, and in leagues with such short histories, efficiency and entertainment are often prioritized over the spirit of baseball.

But even so, baseball was, and should continue to be, a gentleman’s sport. Therefore, a rookie in his first year should learn to respect his opponents before showing off.

Especially pitchers. The baseball a pitcher throws has no eyes.

1-0, runner on first.

The batter in the on-deck circle was Lee Gyu-man.

When he first came to the KBO [Korean Baseball Organization], Lee Gyu-man was already past his prime. But even so, he was a formidable hitter. Just the previous year, he had recorded .301/.438/.471 [batting average/on-base percentage/slugging percentage].

But one year,

and another year,

and yet another year.

Last year, Lee Gyu-man’s stats were only .222/.296/.418. Nevertheless, Jake Bauer didn’t underestimate Lee Gyu-man. Even with such a drop in performance, his ISO [Isolated Power, a measure of raw power] was still .194, not significantly lower than his prime. Considering that Lee Gyu-man is a hitter who practically can’t hit doubles or triples, that ISO almost entirely comes from home runs.

Besides, it was just one time.

To throw a beanball [a pitch intentionally aimed at the batter’s head] just because a rookie made an arrogant celebration? The KBO is fundamentally very sensitive to beanballs. If something goes wrong and it heads towards the head, the opening day ace could be ejected in the fourth inning. Teaching a rookie respect is important, but losing the game is not an option.

Give it everything to strike him out, or end it with a double play.

Jake Bauer went into a big windup.

Back then, he was more young than youthful. He used to throw pitches up to 103 mph. And last year, the fastest pitch he threw was only 93 mph.

Many people say that Jake Bauer has completely lost his peak velocity. But that’s not true. He just realized that a combination of a 93 mph fastball and two-seamer with pinpoint control is more effective than a 103 mph fastball down the middle.

Of course, throwing a 103 mph pitch is impossible. But if he squeezed every last drop of strength?

95 mph. No, 96 mph. In the KBO, that’s only about three or four people. It even surpasses the MLB [Major League Baseball] average.

The ace pitcher who dominated the KBO twisted and strained his joints and ligaments to their limits, unleashing a single pitch.

Early April. Despite the chilly season where it’s hard to say the body is fully warmed up, a fastball of 151.6 km/h [kilometers per hour], surpassing his official record of 150 from last year.

It was even a two-seamer. Although the location and movement weren’t as satisfactory as he wanted, it was still the best among the pitches he had thrown in practice…

And at that moment, Choi Soo-won’s body turned beautifully.

– Clang!!!

***

Lee Jung-hoon’s body took three steps and then another half of a half step. Considering his feet, the lead-off distance itself wasn’t that great. But what was more important in base running wasn’t that half of a half step. It was his state of mind, and the balance of his body that followed that mind.

“Jung-hoon, aren’t you working too hard today? Not like you.”

“Only two years left, so I need to start working hard again. Shouldn’t I try to hit it big this time too?”

“Oh, your determination is quite something?”

Choi Soo-won was an undeniable slugger.

In the dugout, they told him to hit another home run, but frankly, that was never going to be easy. Especially considering who the pitcher was today.

Jake Bauer.

Last year’s Choi Dong-won Award winner [award given to the best pitcher in the KBO]. Of course, many might disagree if you ask whether he was the best pitcher in the KBO last year. But he was definitely the best pitcher over the past three years, and no one would deny that the records he set were worthy of the Choi Dong-won Award.

But back-to-back home runs against such a guy?

Just a double that gets past the infield. Preferably a deep shot into the left-center gap. Ellitz’s left fielder is famous for his weak arm. If it’s Lee Jung-hoon’s legs, it’s not impossible to score from second on a double.

– Clang!!

It was a fast, big hit towards left-center, just as he had hoped. He sensed it the moment he hit it. He had already grasped the positions of the left fielder and center fielder. Only an outfielder like Kevin Kiermaier in his prime could catch that.

Lee Jung-hoon’s body exploded forward.

Clearly, Choi Soo-won’s legs aren’t slow either.

But before he even stepped on first base, Lee Jung-hoon was already past second base, closer to third.

And a moment of silence. The stadium was quiet.

Even the base coach, who should have been waving his arm at third, was staring blankly at the outfield. Lee Jung-hoon wasn’t stupid. His feet, which had been running fast, gradually slowed down.

The annoying whistle of the cheering squad leader wasn’t heard. The amp sound was still blasting, but that only made this strange silence even more eerie.

His gaze turned to the outfield.

Left-center.

Jo Jin-kyung, the left fielder for Ellitz, was standing with his hands on his hips, looking dejectedly beyond the outfield fence.

– Wooooooaaaaahhhhhh!!!!!

The explosive roar that erupted as if the moment of silence had been a lie.

It went over.

“Wow… crazy. Really.”

Lee Jung-hoon laughed in disbelief without realizing it.

Two consecutive home runs against last year’s Choi Dong-won Award winner in the opening game.

And today was even the guy’s debut.

“This is definitely going to be on the news.”

***

He was definitely still a young pitcher.

Sometimes, when you listen to commentators, they say things like American guys are macho and enjoy head-to-head matchups, or that the majors are all about power baseball, but that’s all nonsense. Those guys are real sly foxes.

Especially pitchers who are still aces or second starters even when they’re old. There are two types of them. Either they’re guys who used to throw 105 mph and still throw over 100 mph because they take good care of their bodies, or they’ve become baseball masters who only throw really nasty pitches.

Jake Bauer was closer to the latter.

If his overall average velocity was just 5-6 mph faster, he might have been a solid MLB third starter.

But that’s only if he maintained his current ‘command.’ Besides, the reason Jake Bauer’s pitches are powerful isn’t just because his two fastballs are confusing. Of course, that alone is very powerful against AA [Double-A] or AAA [Triple-A] level hitters. But the reason he can be a strong pitcher even against the top KBO hitters is because of his ‘changeup.’

Among the pitchers I hated the most when I was playing in the big leagues… (omitted) …so if it were that guy, he would have taken even more power off and used a 70 mph changeup more aggressively instead of awkwardly throwing 94, 95 mph fastballs by squeezing out every last drop of strength.

Anyway, the moment that stubborn Jake Bauer got upset at my little celebration and threw a poorly located fastball, the match was as good as decided.

Just like when Lee Gyu-man hit a home run, I stretched out my arm towards the fans in Sajik Stadium, who were all fired up. The people cheered even louder in the direction my fingertips were pointing. Without realizing it, I swung my fingertips, which had been pointing at the first base infield, around to cover the outfield and even the third base infield, in the joy I was feeling for the first time in two years.

Exclamations mixed with curses.

Screams of joy.

The ear-splitting sound of the amps, and the cheering squad leader’s whistle that clearly asserted its presence amidst it all.

It was the noisy flavor of Sajik Stadium that I didn’t used to like in my past life. And perhaps the pitcher on the mound was feeling the same emotions I had felt?

Jake Bauer’s face twisted greatly.

***

Dugout.

The Ellitz players thought it was a very strange sight.

“!#$^@$#%^[email protected]#$%!#@$%”

It was clearly a string of words that they couldn’t understand at all, since they had always slept through English classes in school. But perhaps because those intense emotions were universal? They strangely felt like they understood the meaning.

Yeah, that’s a curse.

A very intense curse.

3-0.

And the top of the 5th inning, Ellitz’s offensive inning.

Ellitz’s ace, who usually had a bit of a *kkondae* [꼰대, a Korean term for an older person who is condescending or preachy] side but was still close to a gentleman, was vehemently expressing his anger, forgetting to even put on his pitching jacket.

Even though he had just struck out three batters in a row.

[Jake Bauer is really strong. Lee Gyu-man, Noh Hyung-wook, and even Kwon Hyuk-joo. He struck out all three Mariners batters. His velocity is already at 152.3 km/h.]

[Actually, Jake Bauer is a great pitcher, but he didn’t feel like a fastball pitcher. Averaging around 147 to 148? In fact, last year, when he was at his peak in July, he only hit 150.1 km/h. But now, in early April, even though it’s still the opening game, 152.3 km/h means he’s really worked hard on his body during the winter.]

[In fact, he’s only allowed three runners on base in four innings today. But the problem is that two of those three were home runs. And to a rookie who’s making his debut today.]

[All I can say is that this rookie, Choi Soo-won, is really amazing. No, multi-home runs from his debut game’s first at-bat. Has there ever been such a record in the KBO?]

[Of course not. Not only multi-home runs, but only 20 rookies in KBO history have hit a home run in their debut at-bat. And five of them were foreign hitters, and even more, only one high school graduate has ever recorded it. The Dolphins’ Baek Kang-ho is the only one. It’s truly an unprecedented record.]

[Truly worthy of the highest contract in KBO history, this is really the birth of an amazing rookie.]

[What surprises me most is that the player is so relaxed. Look at this. The composure he shows after hitting a home run. Actually, it’s the opening game, his debut game, and even the highest contract in history. He can’t help but be nervous. But there’s no sign of that at all. A monster, really all I can say is a monster. Yes, a monster has entered the KBO.]

A weakly hit ball towards first base.

Choi Soo-won strode forward and easily caught the ball.

Soo-won lightly tossed the ball to Dillon Doyle, who quickly covered first base.

“Out!!”

Dillon Doyle smiled brightly at Soo-won.

There’s no reason not to like a batter who has given him a whopping 3 points of run support and is playing flawless defense.

“Swan, I’ll treat you to dinner after the game today.”

“Dinner?”

“Yeah, to celebrate your first win.”

Top of the 5th.

The Mariners once again shut out Ellitz.

Following the bottom of the 5th and the top of the 6th.

– Clang!!!

In a one-out situation, Dillon Doyle allowed two consecutive hits. One out, runners on first and third. Finally, a chance to score.

The Ellitz fans watching the game clasped their hands together.

“Myung-hoon, are you ready?”

“Yes.”

The Mariners’ most winning domestic pitcher from last season.

Han Myung-hoon, shining with 6 wins and 11 losses, went up to the mound in the bullpen.

And Han Myung-hoon, with his body perfectly warmed up after throwing 30 pitches in the bullpen, managed to prevent the one-out, runners on first and third crisis with only 1 run allowed.

Bottom of the 6th, 3-1 situation.

So far, Ellitz’s ace Jake Bauer has only thrown 74 pitches.

Standing on the mound, he threw his 75th pitch.