The Pitcher Just Hits Home Runs Well [EN]: Chapter 124

124. A Pitcher with Six Tools (5)

The Jaguars’ setup man, Ma Seung-bin, was a pitcher with excellent stuff. His fastball reached 154 km/h (approximately 96 mph), and he could locate it inside and outside the strike zone. Moreover, his slider, averaging 142 km/h (approximately 88 mph), could also be thrown for both strikes and balls.

Many people said that his stuff alone was good enough for a closer role, and Choi Soo-won’s assessment wasn’t much different.

However, he had one critical weakness.

He choked under pressure. (colloquially known as “chicken heart”)

Not all pitchers are mentally tough. God gave him the talent to be the best pitcher, but at the same time, gave him a temperament truly unsuited for a pitcher.

He swallowed hard.

He could have finished it cleanly with a three-up, three-down [retiring three batters in a row]… What if he allowed consecutive hits here? All the hateful comments that would flood in if they lost the game. The curses and jeers he’d hear on the way to the bus. Even the face of his friend who said his son became a Jaguars fan because of Ma Seung-bin himself. All sorts of negative thoughts swirled in his head.

‘Ugh, that bastard’s digging a hole again,’ thought Kang Seung-ryong, the Jaguars’ catcher, as he walked to the mound. He was used to seeing this.

“Seung-bin, it’s two outs. Two outs. Your stuff is really good today. That hit Joo-hyuk got? It was just pure luck. Besides, the guy who came up as a pinch hitter just graduated high school.”

“But, senior. That’s him. The super rookie with a 2 billion won [approximately $1.5 million USD] signing bonus who hit two home runs in the opening game.”

“And he didn’t hit any home runs in the second and third games. And that was Sajik Stadium [known to be hitter-friendly]. This is Jamsil Stadium [known to be pitcher-friendly]. If you bring that ball here, it’s just a flyout. Don’t worry and go for it. Huh? Besides, the umpire is calling a wide zone left and right today. Seriously, even if Baek Gang-ho challenged your pitches for 10 consecutive at-bats, he wouldn’t be able to hit a single home run.”

“Still, Senior Seung-ryong… How about just an intentional walk since first base is open?”

In the last 3 years.

Based on KBO [Korean Baseball Organization] data, the expected run value in a 2-out, runner on second situation is 0.321. The expected run value in a runner on first and second situation is 0.537, which is more than 1.5 times higher. Even narrowing the calculation to the probability of scoring just 1 point, there’s a significant difference of 18.1% and 23.9%.

More than anything, behind Choi Soo-won.

The man smiling slyly in the on-deck circle right now is Lee Jung-hoon.

His skill was obvious. The very fact that he was able to stick around in the pro league despite being famous for his bad behavior proved his skill.

“Seung-bin, have I ever asked you to do something impossible? Just trust me and go for it. Huh? Your stuff is killer today.”

“Senior, you said something similar last year, and I almost died from internet hate comments after I blew the save, remember?”

“Yeah, so I said I’d take all the blame, and I remember going out to the media and saying that was the right choice, right? If something goes wrong this time, I’ll cover for you, so just trust me and throw like you always do. Okay?”

Seung-ryong patted Ma Seung-bin’s shoulder a couple of times as Seung-bin nodded, and then returned to home plate.

Choi Soo-won stood at the plate, lightly gripping his bat.

“First time seeing you.”

“Yes, it’s my first year. I look forward to seeing you often in the future.”

“Well, that depends on you.”

“No, I think it’s the opposite.”

Seung-ryong’s eyebrows twitched.

He had heard stories about him being rude, but this was beyond imagination.

But still, he was a rookie after all. The very act of having this conversation was to shake up the batter. And the fact that he reacted so defensively meant he was already a little shaken. In the end, no matter what, the batter loses out as the conversation continues.

“As expected of a guy who blew up a senior’s car in retaliation, you’ve got quite the temper.”

“Hey, if you thought about your juniors, you shouldn’t have blown up a junior’s car for hitting a home run and showboating to the crowd. Isn’t that right? Sen.ior?”

“You little punk, I’ve heard a lot about you being rude, but you’re really something else?”

“Well, I hear that often.”

“I’ve also heard that this industry is small, right?”

“That’s true, but I prefer the saying that if you get good enough, you’re an exception.”

“Wow, this guy. He really doesn’t give an inch until the end.”

Yeah, the batter definitely loses out.

But why did he feel like he was losing out as the conversation continued?

Ma Seung-bin on the mound quickly threw the ball from the set position.

The call was for a full outside course. But the ball was a little further out than that.

-Thwack!!

Ma Seung-bin caught the ball, trying to keep his mitt within the strike zone as much as possible. It was a bit risky since it was almost catching the ball on his fingertips. But still, sometimes when he caught the ball like this…

“Strike!!!”

Yeah, sometimes the umpire would call it a strike.

Ball count 0-1.

The young punk at the plate tried to act calm, but it was no use. A sense of absurdity was seeping through his expressionless face.

How about that, kid? This is the taste of the pros.

***

It was absurd.

No, okay, granting that the umpire was calling a wide zone today, it was consistent for both teams, so let’s just say that’s how it is. In fact, our team had benefited from it quite a bit, maintaining a scoreless game.

But still, this was a bit much. It wasn’t even close to grazing home plate; it was closer to the batter’s box line for a left-handed hitter.

Even with a zone as wide as the Pacific Ocean, he’s giving the call for the catcher’s clumsy mitt work? Could it be that the old guys are trying to haze me because I didn’t receive any penalty for throwing a beanball [a pitch thrown intentionally at the batter’s head]? Of course, you could ask if that even makes sense. But that nonsense is possible in this industry.

From the beginning, there are hardly any umpires in the KBO who come from a general background. Most of them are retired professional players. In the end, if you dig into it, those guys are all our seniors and juniors.

I briefly raised my hand, stepped away from the plate, and tightened my batting gloves.

Huh…

I took a light breath and stepped back into the batter’s box.

Well, still, this is pretty mild. In the U.S., they gave me even more messed up calls to break in the rookie, even though I had already played for 7 years in Korea.

Second.

The pitcher threw the ball again from the set position.

The course was naturally outside. There’s no reason to challenge the inside when they’re calling that kind of pitch a strike.

I stopped my bat from slightly turning.

-Thwack!!!

A breaking ball. It was a slider.

No matter how bad the umpire is, he can’t call that a strike. If he calls a strike on a ball that passed through the middle of the left-handed batter’s box, the manager would have to run out and grab the umpire by the collar.

Ball count 1-1.

“Hey, junior. What are you trying to do, standing so close? What if you get hit by a pitch? You won’t even be able to stand on the mound in our series.”

“Hey, is this the only series? There are 11 more games left after the series, so we’ll meet again sometime. Isn’t that right? Senior? Oh, right. But then I’ll be confused about who to throw the ball to. I wish you were there, senior.”

Besides, it was honestly annoying that some nobody was constantly talking to me.

I’m the guy who endured subtle racist remarks in the U.S. And I have no reason to put up with guys who act like seniors and talk nonsense like other kids.

Because if I get big, that’s it.

Ah, of course, ‘getting big’ here doesn’t mean being an exception when you get big, but literally getting MVP [Most Valuable Player] twice and leaving Korea is all I need.

‘No. We might win the championship this year.’

Third.

The pitcher threw another ball that slightly missed the outside. Considering the previous case, there was a possibility that he would call it a strike again, so I had to swing the bat. But even if I hit it, it would be difficult to put power into it, and there was little chance of getting a good hit. Besides, who knows? Maybe the umpire will suddenly come to his senses and call the zone properly?

-Thwack!!!

“Strike!!!”

So, the home plate umpire’s name today is Heo Dong-jung.

I clearly remembered that name. I’ll see him next time I pitch. Ah, of course, I’m not saying I’m going to give the umpire a headshot. That would be a really big problem. I’m just saying I’ll be watching how he calls the strike zone then.

Ball count 1-2.

Fourth.

I hesitated for a moment.

Since he’s calling almost anything a strike, if I take a called strikeout, it would be an honorable death with the excuse that the umpire was terrible. But if I swing and get a flyout, it would be a stupid death for swinging at a bad ball.

So, the answer was simple.

I originally liked doing stupid things more than honor.

-Clang!!!

I hit the ball, which was now openly out of the zone, expecting a strike call. The ball stretched out very far. It was a powerful foul that went far beyond the first base foul line and hit the second floor of the exciting zone [premium seating area close to the field].

And fifth.

A slider that misses outside.

2-2.

Sixth.

Another slider that misses outside.

3-2.

Today, the umpire was making beautiful calls, giving strike calls even when the ball was thrown almost near the left batter’s box. So, if I were the pitcher, I would relentlessly throw the ball there. But to throw two completely missing outside sliders at a 1-2 count? Even though I’m perfectly picking out the sliders like this?

“Is the pitcher scared? I’m going to walk for free.”

“What, you sayin’?”

“No, I’m just talking to myself.”

“Ha, is that so?”

Of course, it wasn’t just talking to myself.

It’s a common taunt. Of course, I wasn’t saying it for the pitcher on the mound to hear, but for the catcher to hear.

The pitcher throwing the ball was scared.

But the catcher was pissed.

Originally, the catcher is the position that needs to take care of the pitcher. It’s their job to comfort the pitchers who are like glass cannons. The pitcher wants to run away? Then it’s usually the right answer to just let him run away. Because when you force a pitcher who wants to run away to compete.

-Clang!!!

That’s exactly what’s likely to happen.

[Choi Soo-won!! He hit it!! The ball is very big!! Big!! Will it go over!! Will it go over!! It went over…!! Choi Soo-won, who made a full count by picking out two balls in a row from 1-2!! He eventually hit Ma Seung-bin’s seventh ball and made a home run. It’s his third home run of the season and his first away home run in Jamsil.]

[What a great match. He really picked out the sliders like a ghost and hit the slightly inside fastball.]

[Top of the 8th inning, the score is now 2:0. With this, the Marines are leading by 2 points.]

It was a bit close at the end. Especially when center fielder Jung Chang-soo jumped while holding onto the fence, my heart dropped, but the ball was slightly high. If the angle was a little lower or the power was a little weaker, it would have been caught. Jamsil is definitely wide. There are stadiums in the major leagues that are wider than Jamsil, but still, the outfield there is straight, but Jamsil is round. Jamsil seems deeper when viewed from the left-center field.

Well, anyway, it was a home run that slightly went over the fence, but a home run is a home run.

I turned around the ground and lightly stepped on home plate. It was nice to see the Jaguars’ catcher with a shit-eating expression today.

[Choi Soo-won hits the winning wedge in the 8th inning!! His 3rd home run of the season!!]

[Choi Soo-won and Baek Gang-ho have 3 home runs each in the season’s four games!! Is the home run king competition already starting?]

[Baek Ha-min’s flower boy looks that snipe at women’s hearts are still the same!!]