The Pitcher Just Hits Home Runs Well [EN]: Chapter 172

172. The Legend of the Clock (2)

Jake Bohr, once a promising prospect for the Elitz, failed in MLB but found success in the KBO [Korean Baseball Organization].

There are two primary reasons for this.

First, his pitching style—a variant fastball thrown with speed and kept low in the strike zone, a strategy that was considered textbook about 15 years ago—is now easily countered by major league hitters. However, it remains somewhat effective in the KBO, although its effectiveness is waning.

Second, even among bullpen pitchers who employ that style and still succeed in MLB, their average fastball velocity exceeds 97 mph. Considering that the average velocity difference between the KBO and MLB is approximately 5 mph, Jake Bohr’s cutter, which averages around 91 mph, possesses adequate speed within the KBO context.

In essence, the reasons for Jake Bohr’s success in the KBO are ultimately irrelevant to me.

I would much rather face a pitcher like Lim Gwang-hyung of the Phoenix. While Jake Bohr’s current KBO stats might be marginally better than Lim Gwang-hyung’s, I believe Lim Gwang-hyung would achieve significantly better results if both were to transition to the major leagues right now.

– Clang!!!

The ball, which I connected with powerfully, soared just beyond the expansive outfield of Jamsil Stadium and landed directly in the glove of a spectator in the third row.

My 16th home run of the season.

While it wasn’t the explosive pace I set at the beginning, I wasn’t disappointed. Frankly, the fact that I was still hitting home runs consistently, despite only getting about two genuine opportunities in five at-bats, proved that I was operating at a level far beyond this league. And the major league scouts would undoubtedly recognize that.

1:0.

Following that, Noh Hyung-wook hit a double, and Lee Gyu-man drove in another run with a single that sailed over the right fielder’s head, extending our lead to 2:0 as our attack in the top of the first inning concluded.

***

Jake Bohr, upon returning to the dugout, slammed his glove down. Perhaps because swearing is often the first aspect of a foreign language one learns?

“Shibal!!!” [A common Korean profanity, roughly equivalent to “damn it!”]

Korean profanity escaped his lips with surprising ease.

Fine, Choi Soo-won hitting a home run, I could accept that. The rude bastard’s batting prowess was inversely proportional to his manners.

However, giving up consecutive hits to Noh Hyung-wook and Lee Gyu-man afterward was inexcusable, even in his own estimation.

‘I got flustered…’

I became momentarily distracted by Choi Soo-won’s home run, admiring its trajectory as I walked him.

Consequently, the second pitch to Noh Hyung-wook didn’t sink low enough. As for Lee Gyu-man’s hit, it felt like I executed the pitch well, but I suppose I was simply unlucky.

Diego Rodriguez, the Marines’ second starter, took the mound.

A former teammate from last year. I didn’t particularly care for him. His pitching style resembled mine, but we struggled to communicate effectively, and he made little effort to learn Korean.

Above all, demanding a salary nearly equivalent to my third-year salary during contract negotiations after only his first year was a blatant overreach. Even if the raw stats were comparable, the finer details and innings pitched were clearly in my favor.

– Bang!!

“Strike!!!”

A 150.4 km/h cutter.

While superficially similar to Jake Bohr’s style, there were subtle differences. Jake Bohr’s velocity hovered around 146 km/h, but his location was lower and more varied, spreading to both sides of the plate. Diego Rodriguez’s velocity was closer to 150 km/h, but his command was less precise.

– Clang!!!

[Hit! A fastball finds its way between 2nd and 3rd base! Shortstop Kang Ra-on! Fields it cleanly! Throws to 1st base!!]

“Out!!”

[Out!! He’s out. A remarkable play by Kang Ra-on.]

But the underlying intention of that slightly different pitching approach remained the same.

Inducing ground balls to minimize extra-base hits and home runs.

And actively seeking double plays.

However, all of that hinged on one crucial factor: exceptional infield defense. Kang Ra-on was undoubtedly a skilled shortstop. But the Marines’ infield, with the exception of Kang Ra-on, was a liability, which ultimately led the Elitz to trade Diego Rodriguez to the Marines.

Furthermore, while Kang Ra-on was a ‘good’ shortstop, he certainly wasn’t in the same league as those who could be described as ‘the best,’ and he was light-years away from being considered ‘extraordinary.’

This discrepancy stemmed from the unique characteristics of the KBO. Generally, shortstops, catchers, and center fielders are positions that prioritize defensive prowess, often at the expense of offensive production compared to other positions.

However, in the KBO, even when accounting for a few exceptional players, the average difference in offensive output isn’t as pronounced as in Major League Baseball.

The reason is straightforward. The talent disparity within the league is so vast that it’s as if players from entirely different leagues are competing against each other.

Many talented athletes who could potentially aim for AAA [Triple-A, the highest level of minor league baseball] or MLB choose to play shortstop, center field, or catcher, positions that demand the highest defensive capabilities.

Kang Ra-on of the Marines was one such shortstop. But even so, he couldn’t compare to Oh Hyung-won, the Elitz’s shortstop.

Oh Hyung-won. 33 years old.

He certainly wasn’t a shortstop who warranted the label ‘extraordinary.’

But if you exclude the two ‘extraordinary’ shortstops who transitioned from the KBO to MLB after the 2010s, he was undeniably the shortstop who most deserved the title ‘the best,’ a distinction that no one could dispute.

And considering that the two ‘extraordinary’ shortstops who left the KBO for MLB after the 2010s had essentially proven themselves to be MLB-caliber players, Oh Hyung-won, ‘the best shortstop’ in the KBO, was clearly a player who had surpassed the KBO level.

His initial free agency contract was only worth 4 billion won [approximately $3 million USD] for 4 years.

And as if to compensate for that, he received 11 billion won [approximately $8.2 million USD] for 5 years in a multi-year contract, bypassing a second free agency period altogether.

This year marks the third year of that multi-year contract.

The cheers of the Elitz fans filling Jamsil Stadium grew louder.

***

– Clang!!!

The ball struck by Oh Hyung-won barely cleared the expansive outfield fence of Jamsil Stadium.

It seems like that guy’s performance is peaking. He’s definitely not a hitter who can consistently contend for the league MVP [Most Valuable Player] award. His performance fluctuates too much.

But the fact that he’s considered one of the best hitters in the league despite those inconsistencies also suggests that when he’s in top form, he’s capable of delivering a performance that could easily secure the league MVP title.

His weakness is fastballs.

To clarify, not just exceptionally fast fastballs, but fastballs in general. His contact rate is so poor that he often swings wildly at fastballs that are only around the league average. Consequently, he’s consistently among the league leaders in strikeouts.

But why is he considered one of the best hitters in the league? Because he possesses exceptional plate discipline, laying off pitches outside the strike zone with remarkable consistency, and he strangely excels at hitting breaking balls. Furthermore, he’s physically strong, so when he does make contact, he generates a high percentage of quality hits.

He combines a keen eye with poor contact, a truly rare combination.

However, when he’s in good form, as he is now, his contact also subtly improves, allowing him to pull a 152 km/h cutter and drive it over the fence, as he just demonstrated.

The score is now 2:1.

The pitcher who surrenders a home run often loses composure.

Some argue that stringing together consecutive singles is more advantageous than hitting home runs because the pitcher becomes more rattled with runners on base, but that’s simply not true. Giving up a home run is generally the most detrimental to a pitcher’s mental state.

Diego Rodriguez on the mound sighed deeply and adjusted his cap.

The next hitter for the Elitz is foreign hitter Jacob Wilson.

A twenty-eight-year-old right-handed batter and right fielder.

He’s a typical AAAA [a player who performs well in Triple-A but struggles in MLB] player who gave up on his MLB aspirations relatively quickly, considering his age; he could have pursued them further in the United States.

He used to be teammates with Jake Bohr, and it’s speculated that Jake Bohr’s success and favorable treatment in the KBO influenced his decision to come to the KBO relatively early in his career.

Diego Rodriguez delivered his pitch.

A 152.1 km/h cutter.

The location wasn’t ideal. It was almost directly over the middle of the plate.

– Clang!!!

Bottom of the 1st inning.

Diego Rodriguez surrendered 3 runs as a result.

In reality, Diego Rodriguez’s performance this season hadn’t been particularly poor. But he had been unlucky.

The resolution that had evolved from ‘I won’t lose to the Elitz’ to ‘I won’t lose at the Elitz’s home’ might need to be revised to something along the lines of ‘I won’t lose consecutive games at the Elitz’s home,’ a fleeting thought crossed his mind.

The 2nd inning passed, followed by the 3rd inning.

My second at-bat.

The score remained 2:3.

Diego Rodriguez gave me a rather earnest look.

I wanted to acknowledge that look if possible.

[Ah, the Elitz’s dugout. They’re sending Choi Soo-won out. Automatic intentional walk.]

[Well, they clearly don’t want to face Choi Soo-won with one out and no runners on base. That’s likely the reason. Moreover, the score difference is only 1 point.]

[Well, what a sight this is! The winner of last year’s Choi Dong-won Award [Awarded to the best pitcher in the KBO]. The expansive outfield of Jamsil Stadium. It’s almost intimidating, as if it’s not enough to contain Choi Soo-won.]

But the Elitz’s dugout also knew how to strategize, so they avoided the foolish decision of challenging me.

One out, runner on 1st base.

Kang So-gu’s eyes, as he looked at me, were filled with intensity.

For a fleeting moment, I considered adding fuel to that fire.

– Clang!!

Noh Hyung-wook followed up with another hit, continuing his success from the top of the 1st inning.

The slightly pushed hit landed in an awkward spot in right-center field.

Center fielder Ra Chan-myung sprinted towards the landing point without hesitation, as always. While his sprinting speed wasn’t exceptional, his reaction time was remarkably quick.

One out, runners on 1st and 2nd base.

Diego Rodriguez leaned against the dugout fence, observing us.

And Lee Gyu-man stepped up to the plate.

The man who had previously hit a single over the right fielder’s head stood ready.

First pitch.

A cutter that sank low at 144.7 km/h.

His bat swung.

– Clang!!!

Oh Hyung-won moved.

His movement wasn’t as lightning-fast as Kang Ra-on’s, but it was perfectly timed. He didn’t even glance at me as I ran towards third base. He smoothly secured the ball in his glove and fired it to 2nd base. And that ball back to 1st base.

[The Elitz executes a clean double play. Jake Bohr cleanly induces a double play in a situation with one out and runners on 1st and 2nd base.]

[The score remains 2:3. The Elitz overcomes the crisis.]

And that was the first game against the Elitz.

That was the closest we came to mounting a comeback.

***

[Jamsil Stadium couldn’t contain him either!! Choi Soo-won, 16 home runs in 37 games of the season!! A remarkable record achieved in just 29 game appearances!! On pace for 62 home runs this season!!]

[The Marines’ winning streak comes to an end. An unfortunate 2:3 loss in the first game against the Elitz.]

[The Elitz reclaims 3rd place in the league!! Now only one game behind the 2nd place Dolphins!!]

[Perfect pitcher Choi Soo-won. Aims for his fourth win of the season!!]

An office within the headquarters of the second most popular sports team in New York.

A knock on the door interrupted Eric Kimura, the head of East Asian scouting, as he reviewed his report.

– Knock knock knock

“How did it go?”

“Well… it seems difficult with the Angels. You should speak with Mike Prostad again…”

“Ugh… How much is that guy asking for?”

“8 million dollars.”

“He’s insane…”

“He claims it’s the price for taking the risk of jeopardizing his entire career…”