The Pitcher Just Hits Home Runs Well [EN]: Chapter 166

Pitcher Who Just Hits Home Runs Well – Episode 166

166. Flawless Inning (4)

-Thwack!!!

“Strike!! Out!!!!”

What is this?

No, I don’t understand?

If I abandon greed and throw with a blank mind, does that somehow make me a natural, and my velocity just increases? After hitting 162.7 km/h with the first pitch in the bottom of the 3rd, it’s fluctuating around 161 again like a ghost.

Of course, it’s not like that 1 km/h difference is a hugely important factor. After all, the purpose of pitching is to prevent the batter from hitting the ball, and velocity is just one of the means to achieve that purpose.

But the magic that this number gives is a bit strange.

Honestly, even the guys playing in the majors aren’t obsessed with 161 for no reason, and they don’t consider 177 the dream number for nothing. 100 mph, 110 mph. What difference would 176 or 177 make, but anyway, 109 mph and 110 mph feel a bit different.

The Dolphins’ number 8 hitter came to the plate.

First pitch.

A curveball that drops sharply.

-Whoosh!!!

“Strike!!!”

Honestly, it was too obvious.

He was swinging his bat so hard to match my fastball that turned the previous batter away in the waiting area. He was probably determined to swing at the fastball timing no matter what the course was.

And such a batter

-Whoosh!!

“Strike!!!”

Doesn’t easily change his mind after seeing one curveball.

The guy stepped away from the plate for a moment and retied his shoelaces. No, but he didn’t really need to retie his shoelaces…

Third.

When we were eating ribs after winning the first game a while ago, Senior Gyu-man said something incomprehensible – that you have to mess with Kong and the Dolphins twice to really enjoy it – and Seo Kyung-jun, who was next to him, added, “Let’s go with a three-peat if possible,” and laughed among themselves with an incomprehensible dad joke.

When I use my quick wits to guess the meaning of that three-peat, it seemed to mean to beat them thoroughly when you beat them. Something like that.

Three-peat.

No, I mean, three consecutive curveballs that drop sharply.

-Whoosh!!!

“Strike!! Out!!!”

The Dolphins’ number 8 hitter, who was only looking at my fastball, stepped down with a hollow look. He probably wondered why I didn’t throw him a fastball.

But what can I do? The desire to not give the batter the ball he wants was greater than the desire to throw a fastball.

Following him, Jang Jin-gyu, number 9.

The Dolphins use a surprisingly good hitter at number 9, even though they don’t use a strong number 2.

[Number 9 hitter Jang Jin-gyu is at the plate. Last year’s slash line was 0.274/0.361/0.354. This year, he is also recording a fairly excellent record of 0.264/0.358/0.361 so far.]

[In fact, Jang Jin-gyu is proof of the Dolphins’ thick batting lineup. If he were on another team, he would definitely be able to take a spot in the table setter.]

Jang Jin-gyu gripped his bat short and stood closest to home plate, staring at me. What should I say? If you look at it from about 10 years ago, he is the most Korean-style hitter, but in fact, now KBO [Korean Baseball Organization] has more leaders who have adopted the MLB-style [Major League Baseball] mindset after the flyball revolution. Moreover, considering that Jang Jin-gyu is only twenty-two years old, he now feels rather unconventional.

A firm determination to get on base even if he gets hit by an inside pitch.

But… Let me say again, the reason why there are so many hitters of that type in the KBO and it is hard to find them in the MLB is not only because of the difference in the players’ salaries, but also because the ball is just hittable.

Ah, it’s because it’s hard to see a ball that you’d really die if you got hit by it.

-Thwack!!!

“Strike!!!”

High inside course.

A 162.1 km/h fastball.

Jang Jin-gyu flinched back without realizing it.

His deeply frowned expression was quite fierce.

He probably finds it hard to admit that he was scared, even with a ball that normally passes through the strike zone. But wow, it’s a natural instinct that anyone should have to flinch when they see a ball that they’d really die if they got hit by it.

Jang Jin-gyu stood in the batter’s box no differently than before.

So I threw the ball no differently than before.

-Whoosh!!!

“Strike!!!”

A swing and a miss.

It was a really meaningless swing that was late on timing and didn’t have much power in the bat. Even if he hit it, it could never leave the infield… Ah, but since we’re the Marines, there might have been a 30% chance of an infield hit.

Ball count 0-2.

I prepared the third ball.

[Choi Su-won!! Following the 2nd inning, the 3rd inning!! Immaculate inning. So, he is one ball away from a flawless inning.]

[Wow, it’s really scary. Even though it’s the bottom of the order, the Dolphins’ lineup can’t do anything at all.]

[Personally, I was impressed by the fact that he was forcing them with 160 km/h fastballs, but I was really impressed by the fact that he got a strikeout with three curveballs to an opponent who was aiming for a fastball. It felt like watching the epitome of an old-school pitcher?]

[Ah, well, when you look at Choi Su-won’s pitching, you can see a bit of a right-handed orthodox old-school romance. A clean form without any frills, a fastball. And even a curveball.]

[Yes, if you add a high-level changeup to that… Ah, this seems like too much hype, so I should stop talking about it.]

[Haha, in fact, everyone will have similar thoughts even if you don’t say anything more about the story.]

Jang Jin-gyu’s eyes were still burning with fighting spirit.

I respect that.

Standing close to the plate, gripping the bat short, and swinging down must have been the best way for Jang Jin-gyu to survive as a professional.

But the reason he can play professionally is that the KBO is a league where players of various levels, from Single A to Major Leaguers, are mixed together.

I know that if AA [Double-A Minor League Baseball] is a place that can be reached with effort, then the place I have to step on is a place that can never be reached with just soft things like effort.

Fierce effort and the talent to respond to that effort.

My 162.4 km/h fastball passed through an area far beyond Jang Jin-gyu’s reaction.

-Whoosh!!!

“Strike!! Out!!!”

6 consecutive strikeouts.

Three innings in a row, three up, three down.

[Choi Su-won!! Choi Su-won finally did it. The first in baseball history!! Two consecutive flawless innings!! 6 consecutive 3-pitch strikeouts!! It’s not the first in the KBO!! It’s the first time in the history of baseball, including MLB and NPB [Nippon Professional Baseball].]

[This is truly a scene in history. He’s a really great player.]

The scoreboard I turned around to look at was full of 0s.

Just like the scene I had imagined alone yesterday.

Of course, 2/3 of the scoreboard was still empty, and this was not Yankee Stadium but Suwon Dolphins Park.

For some reason, my image of wearing the Marines uniform, which I couldn’t imagine at all, and looking at the scoreboard full of 0s began to be drawn faintly.

4th inning.

Lee Joo-hyuk, the 8th hitter, went to the plate.

I had an amazing amount of faith in him. And Lee Joo-hyuk responded very well to my faith.

-Whoosh

“Strike!! Out!!!”

A refreshing swing and a miss.

Great expectations lead to great disappointment. Since I thought he would strike out from the beginning, I wasn’t disappointed at all.

And Jjo Yu, the second hitter I trust, went to the plate.

No, that’s not right.

Second? That’s disrespectful to Jjo Yu. I’ll correct it. Jjo Yu, the hitter I trust the most, went to the plate.

In fact, this inning can be regarded as an offensive inning starting with Lee Jung-hoon with two outs. Then, will the batting order come back to me? If so, it was an opportunity to take down the opposing starter in just 4 innings.

-Clack!!!

Perfectly lowered upper body.

As a result, I want to look at first base with all my might, but it was naturally impossible without turning the bat all the way due to the human body structure, so the force is applied to the bat.

And the sense and physical balance to perform a hit even in such a stupid posture.

The scene where all those things harmonize came into my eyes.

Of course, some people may criticize why he is wasting such talent in such a way. Look at Choi Su-won in the team. How beautiful is his form? Jo Yu-jin should learn that form.

But no matter how sharp a knife is, a knife that cannot be wielded is meaningless. Jjo Yu’s talent is like that. That stupid waste is exactly what Jjo Yu needs now.

The batted ball flew far beyond the infield and fell close to the right foul line in the outfield.

The right fielder, who was playing a little forward, rushed to pick up the ball. If it had been Lee Gyu-man, there would have been a precarious safe or even a ground ball in front of the right fielder. A short time of 7 seconds.

Jjo Yu’s left hand touched second base.

-Thwack!!!

“Safe!!”

Jjo Yu, who was on second base, looked at me.

What should I say about that appearance? It’s like a signpost that appeared in front of a traveler walking on a path where he can’t see the future under the belief that he will arrive someday?

Yes, my nagging was not wrong after all.

He’s basically a guy who can do it if you nag him. At least, unlike the days when he retired without even getting a FA [Free Agent] once and ran a gopchang [Korean grilled tripe] restaurant, he’ll be able to retire after getting a FA once and run a gopchang restaurant.

Top of the 4th inning.

We added 3 points, and Dolphins’ starter Ji Dae-yeol eventually gave up the mound without completing the 4th inning. Moreover, even though the Dolphins and our team had already had a ridiculous hitting battle in the first game, they had consumed a lot of bullpen while going to extra innings. The condition of the bullpens coming up was naturally not very good.

In fact, it was the moment when our victory was confirmed.

Of course, this is only ‘in fact’. And the fact that we are ‘Marines’ was an important factor that could not be ignored.

Above all, ‘our’ victory was virtually certain, but ‘my’ personal goal for this game was still 2/3 remaining.

Of course, it was fortunate that ‘my’ personal goal ultimately led directly to our ‘certain’ victory. In fact, a scoreless no-decision for a starting pitcher is never a special thing for the usual Marines, not like today’s slightly strange Marines.

Top of the 4th inning.

I stood on the mound again.

The second batting order.

Nothing had changed.

-Clack!!!

The third pitch, an outside fastball.

Kang Il-jin’s bat connected with a mis-hit ground ball.

Kang Ra-on ran like a walk and gently caught the ball and threw it to first base.

-Thwack!!!

A perfectly embedded throw in the mitt.

“Out!!!”

A clean one out.

Kang Ra-on, who works hard, is definitely a good shortstop. The mentality of being upset that other people don’t work hard and only doing the average is a bit trashy to be called a professional player, but well, if he’s been playing in the Marines’ environment for several years, I can understand it…

Looking strikeout for the second hitter, Zack Hamilton.

He saw through the curveball, but I guess he didn’t know it would go inside the zone. It’s natural. Honestly, even I who threw it and Jjo Yu who received the ball didn’t know it would go in so perfectly.

And Baek Kang-ho, who had his home run stolen in the previous at-bat, walked into the plate.

From that expression to his gait and even his majestic entrance music.

It was almost as overwhelming as Lee Jung-jae’s appearance scene that circulates as a meme on the internet.

[Baek Kang-ho is at the plate. Baek Kang-ho has 12 home runs so far. He is on pace for 49 home runs this season, far exceeding his career high.]

[49 home runs. That’s a really great pace. If it had been any other year, it would be no exaggeration to say that he would have won the home run title, but surprisingly, Choi Su-won, who is throwing the ball from the mound right now, has 14 home runs, which is 2 more than that. Even until right before today’s game, there was only a 1 home run difference, but he suddenly added a home run in the game he played as a pitcher.]

[That’s right. In this case, Baek Kang-ho would want to add a home run no matter what. Baek Kang-ho, who was unfortunately retired with a fly ball in the first at-bat. I’m looking forward to seeing what he will show in his second at-bat today.]