The Pitcher Just Hits Home Runs Well [EN]: Chapter 140

140. Fastball (2)

“Se-hee, isn’t this place a bit too expensive?”

“Oh, come on, sis. I got it for free from an uncle I know, anyway.”

“Still, isn’t this the VIP box or something?”

“It is, but that uncle said tickets are cheap in Korea anyway. Besides, we’re getting recognized more now, so it’s better than being too exposed.”

The Skybox, a VIP suite in Gocheok Sky Dome, was indeed spacious.

It was too big for just the two of them. It was actually a space designed for nine people.

“By the way, is that your classmate, sis? That *oppa* [term used by younger women to refer to older men they are close to] is so handsome! He’s got the looks.”

“Se-hee, you were on a show with Go Chang-young yesterday. You’re saying he’s handsome after being with the most handsome guy in Korea?”

“Nah, Chang-young *oppa* is too handsome; it’s overwhelming. Plus, he’s got full makeup and a stylist. But that *oppa* has a bare face. And his physique is better. I thought baseball players were bigger and fatter, but he’s so lean.”

“No, Se-hee, you’re seeing him from far away. He’s really thick up close.”

“Okay, okay, sis. I get it. I’m not stealing your boyfriend, so don’t get like that.”

“He’s not my boyfriend!!”

“Oh, right. My bad, my bad. Just a classmate? Just a classmate. Who checks the news every day.”

“Hey!!!”

***

Jo Chang-hyuk’s face twisted in annoyance.

*Damn it…*

What was most irritating was that cocky way he was jogging around the bases after hitting a home run. Seriously, a rookie acting like he’s a 20-year veteran. If you hit a home run, you should quickly round the bases.

*What’s this? He’s even waving to the away team’s cheering section near third base.* I heard he was crazy, but this is beyond imagination. Daring to provoke a pitcher who throws 160 km/h. Isn’t he afraid of getting his head cracked…?

‘Wait a minute. That bastard. He’s the starting pitcher today.’

And he throws over 160 km/h…

*Is the only answer to just screw him over with connections?* Jo Chang-hyuk pondered which seniors or juniors in the Marines he could get to bully him. And in the meantime, Noh Hyung-wook stepped up to the plate.

The most fearsome hitter in the Marines last year.

This season, he’s been somewhat overshadowed by Choi Soo-won, and while he wasn’t hitting quite as well as last year, when he boasted a batting average close to .300, he was still recording .279/.341/.499.

First pitch, a slider.

Noh Hyung-wook tends to swing aggressively, so it was a pitch that worked well last year.

-Whack!!

But for some reason, he didn’t swing.

Ball count 1-0

Holding back?

Then one more.

-Whack!!

And the ball count is 2-0.

It was okay.

A pitcher who runs away has nothing to do in this situation, but Jo Chang-hyuk wasn’t that kind of pitcher.

He had a fastball that reached 160 km/h.

An outside, full count.

Starting point similar to the slider from before.

A 156.4 km/h fastball left his hand.

Of course, a pitcher’s throw doesn’t always go where he aims, even if he’s aiming for an outside, full count. This time was no different. It was a bit inside. But that speed of 156.4 km/h usually solves that. Yes, usually.

-Crack!!

Noh Hyung-wook’s bat hammered the ball.

Similar timing to when Choi Soo-won’s bat came out in the previous at-bat.

The high fly ball stretched out.

Choi Soo-won’s angle was quite high. But Noh Hyung-wook’s was a bit lower. Of course, it wasn’t nearly enough to hit the ceiling. But just because it’s Gocheok Dome doesn’t mean a ball has to get stuck in the ceiling to be a home run.

A home run that barely cleared the outfield fence.

[Home run!! It’s a home run!! Marines back-to-back home runs!!]

[In the top of the first, the Marines take 2 points from Jo Chang-hyuk with back-to-back home runs in a two-out situation.]

[Noh Hyung-wook’s second home run of the season.]

[Actually, 2 home runs in 12 games isn’t that different from Noh Hyung-wook’s usual pace, and only six players in the league have hit more home runs than him. But there’s one unbelievable player on the team, so it seems small.]

[The score is 2:0. Lee Gyu-man steps up to the plate.]

Back-to-back home runs.

For Jo Chang-hyuk, who had an agreement with the team to advance to the US via posting [system where a KBO team allows a player to negotiate with MLB teams], at the end of this year, back-to-back in the first inning was a nightmare. How many MLB scouts are gathered in Gocheok right now?

The only good thing was that the next batter was Lee Gyu-man.

Fastballs going back and forth at 157 km/h came in one after another.

-Whoosh!!

-Whoosh!!!

And the final slider.

-Whoosh!!!

“Strike!! Out!!”

If it were when he had just debuted, maybe, but now that Lee Gyu-man’s teeth are all pulled out [meaning he’s past his prime], he’s too easy for a fastball pitcher like Jo Chang-hyuk.

Change of offense and defense.

Choi Soo-won went up to the mound.

***

“Hmm…”

Kim Jin-gyu, a Korean scout for the Mets, scratched his chin.

In fact, the player he came to see today was Jo Chang-hyuk. In his estimation, Jo Chang-hyuk was solid enough to be a third starter in the majors. The expected amount is $30 million over 4 years. Considering the average player salary in the league, using a starter who can consistently throw over 180 innings with a maximum of 99 miles and an average of 95.7 miles per season for $30 million is definitely a profitable deal.

Back-to-back home runs.

Honestly, he had watched Jo Chang-hyuk for too long to have his mind swayed by just one result. Besides, who are the hitters who just hit those home runs?

Choi Soo-won.

In Korea, he’s some kind of monster rookie. Even though people are saying he’s unexpected, even with the 2 billion [referring to his signing bonus], that’s not true at all. Anyone in this business expected it to some extent. Of course, he’s doing a bit better than expected. If it were any other pitcher, it wouldn’t matter, but Lim Gwang-hyung was the real deal.

But Alexander McDowell of the Mets keeps saying he’s his rival. Considering his personality, there’s no way he’d call someone worse than him his rival, so he must be better than Alexander McDowell.

He debuted a year earlier than Choi Soo-won and tore up Single-A and Double-A last year, and was called up to the big leagues in September as an expanded roster and got crushed. But no one within the Mets doubted his success.

And this season.

He’s living up to those expectations, recording a whopping 3 home runs in just 14 games, making him the hottest hitter on the team. Of course, I don’t think he’ll maintain this performance throughout the season, but if he could, it would be a great start to put him in the running for Rookie of the Year and even MVP.

And Choi Soo-won is the same age as Alexander McDowell.

Choi Soo-won, 19, can’t tear up the AA-level league that Alexander McDowell, 18, tore up?

No way.

The key is the pitching.

Yes, how much growth will he show as a pitcher?

What’s especially important isn’t ‘current skill’.

It’s ‘growth’.

Personally, Kim Jin-gyu hoped he wouldn’t do too well as a pitcher. Even now, just considering his value, it’s at least 150 million. Yes, at least 150 million. Of course, given the current atmosphere, it’s certain that he’ll advance to the US within the international prospect contract period. That’s why it’s more of a problem.

Being able to buy a player worth at least 150 million for just 6 million?

It’s like a lottery with a massive amount of money that would take at least 3 weeks of Powerball rollovers to accumulate. What if the pitcher is also major league level? What if he’s at least at the level to play in the starting rotation?

What conditions would you have to offer to bring such a player to the Mets?

Friendship with Alexander McDowell? The advantage of being in a big city like New York?

Hmm…

-Whack!!!

“Strike!! Out!!”

Choi Soo-won on the mound struck out the lead batter.

157.8 km/h.

Just about 1 mile slower than the fastest ball Jo Dong-hyuk threw to Choi Soo-won in the first inning.

But more important than that was that while the ball Jo Dong-hyuk threw seemed like he had squeezed everything out of it, the one Choi Soo-won just threw was smooth and flawless.

‘There’s no impatience at all.’

Kim Jin-gyu, a scout for the New York Mets.

His mind, which had originally come to Gocheok to see Jo Dong-hyuk, was now filled with thoughts about Choi Soo-won.

Most importantly, Kim Jin-gyu wasn’t the only major league scout in Gocheok experiencing that.

***

2:0.

I’ve felt it before, but I definitely find it much easier to pitch when there’s a bit of a lead than in a tight 0:0 situation.

If we’re losing, I can’t get excited because I feel like it’s a game we’ll lose no matter how well I pitch.

Braves’ second batter, Chan-min *hyung* [term used by younger men to refer to older men they are close to], stepped up to the plate. He’s a twenty-nine-year-old shortstop and the highest-paid hitter on the Braves, the only team in the league with a strong second batter.

In short, he’s not good enough to go to the US via posting, but the Braves can’t afford to let him go, so they’re giving him the highest salary this year right before he becomes a free agent. The intention is to get a good compensation when they lose him as a FA later.

Before I went back in time, he was a senior who helped me a lot when I was a rookie on the Braves. He had a lot of money, so he bought me a lot of meals.

I heard that he was also highly anticipated since he was a rookie, like me. The Braves sent the players they used as starting shortstops to the big leagues twice in a row, and even succeeded, so it’s only natural.

In fact, those seniors who went to the majors taught Chan-min *hyung* a lot. Later, when I went to the big leagues, he laughed, saying he was glad that those know-hows were passed on to me instead of not being used, and I remember feeling a bit touched.

But those memories are memories, and we’re enemies now.

The pitch he found most difficult was the changeup. Well, what hitter doesn’t find the changeup difficult, but he was especially bad at it. This was one of the side effects of setting his goals too high and trying to adapt to the US when he was doing well. The speed at which he puts down his leg kick is very fast.

It’s not that it’s bad to plant your feet and hit. It’s very good. But that’s only when your back leg is strong enough to hold up even when a slow ball comes in. He was able to do that in his early 20s, but he broke down a bit after a hamstring injury.

-Whack!!!

First pitch, a 158.8 km/h fastball.

It was a bit close.

“Strike!!!”

Jo Yu-jin, who was wearing a mask, subtly raised her thumb. Okay, I admit you’re helpful as long as you don’t hold a bat.

Second.

High count.

-Crack!!!

He forcibly hammered a ball that was completely out of the count.

Of course, it’s a foul that falls into the infield stands.

If he was a little weaker, an infield fly ball would have been possible, but he’s not easy to deal with, as a shortstop who hits 20 home runs a year.

But it’s as intended.

He’s perfectly timed to my fast ball.

Third.

Circle changeup.

Speed is 139.4 km/h

To be honest, my circle changeup isn’t very useful. The speed is close to the average KBO [Korean Baseball Organization] fastball, and the tailing of the ball isn’t very good either. It means it’s a good ball to watch and hit.

But what if the hitter hits fastballs well, and Chan-min *hyung*, who still swings at my fastball?

-Whoosh!!!

“Strike!! Out!!!”

Chan-min *hyung*’s bat, which was timed to my fastball, beautifully cut through the air. He seemed to be trying to delay the timing of putting his foot down as much as possible, but thanks to that, his balance was disrupted.

A clean three-pitch strikeout.

And a strikeout with five balls with a curve that drops sharply to the next hitter.

KKK.

Gocheok Dome, where it feels like there are almost twice as many Marines fans, boiled over once again.