The Pitcher Just Hits Home Runs Well [EN]: Chapter 179

179. Leading Position (2)

Minhyuk vividly remembered the moment he signed the contract for 1.05 billion won [approximately $800,000 USD, a significant sum for a rookie in Korean baseball].

At the time, some criticized the Marines for offering him such a large sum, but regardless, 1.05 billion won was 1.05 billion won.

The highest rookie contract ever.

Of course, the pressure that came with the highest contract was significant. But he also felt immense pride. That’s why he gave it his all. No, he worked harder than just giving it his all.

And he got injured.

But he wasn’t too worried. Over sixty years had passed since the first Tommy John surgery [a common elbow ligament reconstruction procedure for baseball players]. The prognosis for this surgery, which replaces torn ligaments with strong tendons, was excellent. With proper rehabilitation for about 18 months, he would not only recover but often become even better than before.

No, he *should* have worried. He was too naive.

The general manager who had given him the 1.05 billion won contract was replaced. Soon after, a pitcher with the overall first pick, worth 850 million won, joined the team.

And then came 2 billion.

A monster of a player with an extraordinary physique and a 2 billion won contract [over $1.5 million USD] was added.

Choi Minhyuk gritted his teeth and focused on his rehabilitation.

As a result, he returned in 15 months and earned a spot in the starting lineup.

But all of that was meaningless, and now he was wearing the Braves uniform instead of the Marines.

All of his friends congratulated him.

And they said:

“Honestly, aren’t the Braves a hundred times better than the Marines?”

That’s right.

A systematic organization and strong support for promising players. And even the possibility of advancing to the major leagues. The Braves were a much better team than the Marines.

But why? Nevertheless, he sometimes thought of the cheers that filled Sajik Stadium [the home stadium of the Lotte Giants, a popular baseball team in Busan, South Korea] and the admiring gazes of the fans.

Yes, just like now.

He briefly tipped his hat to the spectators filling the stands. He knew very well that those gathered here today weren’t here to support him.

Second place in the league.

Only one game behind first place.

It was a moment that many Marines fans had dreamed of for a long time.

Choi Minhyuk was the same.

He had often imagined standing on the mound in such a game. And at the end of that imagination, he was always raising both arms and receiving cheers from the many spectators. But that was now an impossible dream.

He turned his back on the few fans who applauded him and faced Lee Jung-hoon.

A good hitter.

Honestly, he was a greatly underrated hitter compared to his skills.

Fastball.

A monster throwing 160 km/h [approximately 99 mph] fastballs had appeared in the league, making others seem less impressive. But Choi Minhyuk had received a contract of 1.05 billion won thanks to his solid right arm that could throw up to 157 km/h [approximately 98 mph].

197cm [approximately 6’5″] and 110kg [approximately 242 lbs].

A man like an iron tower swung his right arm.

-Whoosh

“Strike!!”

156.4km/h [approximately 97 mph].

Bottom of the 1st inning. It was a surprising speed for the first pitch. But maybe it was because everyone had seen 160 km/h too often these days? The spectators at the stadium weren’t very surprised.

Lee Jung-hoon briefly raised his hand and stepped out of the batter’s box.

Light breathing.

In fact, the number on the scoreboard wasn’t very important from the perspective of hitting the ball.

The important thing was whether this was a hittable ball or not.

‘It’s a cliché that’s not even used in cartoons these days, the idea that a loser becomes awakened when he becomes an enemy. He’s actually using it.’

Post-Marines effect.

Lee Jung-hoon returned to the plate.

Still, seeing the numbers on the scoreboard was a bit of a comfort. Compared to Choi Soo-won’s 162km/h [approximately 101 mph] fastball, it was 6km/h slower. Just like 150 and 144 are completely different, 162 and 156 would be completely different.

Second pitch.

Right down the middle.

It was a mistake. This was a location you couldn’t openly throw to, no matter how good the ball was.

-Clang!!

And the moment Lee Jung-hoon hit that ball, he felt it.

‘Ah, this is a bit screwed up?’

It was heavy.

In fact, this heavy feeling that Lee Jung-hoon felt had been a controversial topic for a long time.

In the past, they tried to explain it with initial velocity or final velocity, and after it was revealed that there was no such thing, they tried to explain it with the number of rotations of the ball. Of course, a proper explanation was still impossible.

Anyway, Lee Jung-hoon felt ‘heaviness’ in the ball that Choi Minhyuk threw just now.

He threw down his bat and ran towards first base with all his might.

But it was meaningless.

The high foul fly did not escape the glove of the third baseman.

One out.

Lee Jung-hoon clicked his tongue lightly and walked to the dugout.

***

“The ball is heavy.”

“That’s right. You couldn’t hit the fastball in the middle…”

“No, not as an excuse, but really. And it’s fast.”

“Yes, it’s fast. It’s 156km/h. At that level, it’s almost the fastest level except for me and Senior Changhyuk.”

“No, not just that level. I’ve done a live BP [batting practice] a few times because I was curious about your ball. It feels almost as fast as that time.”

“Ah, yes. Well, Minhyuk hyung’s [older brother or senior] ball was always good.”

“No, it’s a bit different from when he was on our team. It’s almost as different as Iron Man Mk. 1 and Mk. 85.”

“Ah, yes. Yes. I don’t know what that is, but it’s probably another classic cartoon story. Anyway, I’m going to focus.”

Lee Jung-hoon’s mouth twitched as if he wanted to give a lecture on how great Iron Man is. But he wasn’t crazy enough to do that even during the game, so he gave up and returned to the dugout.

Anyway, the uncles born in the 90s are always eager to put Captain America and Iron Man stories in their stories.

Kang Raon carefully took a stance at the plate.

First ball.

Fastball slightly missing the outside corner.

-Whoosh!!

“Strike!!”

I was fooled.

Certainly, his control was still not very good. But he didn’t seem to have any pressure when throwing the ball. Is it the effect of changing teams? Or is the result of Tommy John starting to take effect properly?

In fact, it doesn’t make sense for the ball to become stronger than before just by having Tommy John surgery. The surgery was only about replacing torn ligaments with healthy tendons. But it is also true that many players who have had surgery throw better balls.

‘Because I can throw without pain, I can throw the ball with all my strength.’

‘I was a little intimidated because it hurt, but my posture started to stabilize.’

These are the stories that pitchers who threw better balls after Tommy John usually tell.

In addition, among the players who worked hard on rehabilitation, there are often cases where their bodies become better than before surgery.

In Choi Minhyuk’s case, he returned 15 months after receiving Tommy John, and that was in February, so it’s been exactly 19 months now. The time when they usually give a full recovery diagnosis is around 18 months, so things are falling into place in many ways.

But in fact, putting aside all these complicated stories…

‘Post-Marines effect.’

This one word explains the whole situation.

In the original timeline, Choi Minhyuk would be showing this much force not next year but the year after. So it coincided exactly with the time when I was first awakened as a hitter and started flying around. It’s hard to explain that he pulled it forward by almost two years other than the post-Marines effect.

-Whoosh!!

“Strike!! Out!!”

Swinging strikeout on a slider.

According to the data from the power analysis team that I received before the game, the slider itself had not changed much from before, but the strikeout rate had increased dramatically as the power of the fastball improved.

Two outs, no runners.

Recently, there have been many cases where at least one of Kang Raon or Lee Jung-hoon succeeded in getting on base, but nevertheless, it was a situation that was strangely familiar and affectionate.

[Now, Choi Soo-won is at the plate. Choi Soo-won is coming up.]

[0.441/0.656/1.189. And 26 home runs. It goes without saying that he is the best in the league. No, he is showing the best hitting in league history.]

[227 at-bats, 127 hits. No, I’m saying it and it’s really absurd. However, recently, perhaps because of the intensive walks, his hitting feel has dropped considerably…]

[Yes, his hitting feel has dropped considerably, so he has only hit one home run for four games. I’ll tell you in advance, but hitting an average of one home run for four games would make him the home run king based on last year.]

[It’s really a ridiculous record. Well, I’m looking forward to seeing what Choi Minhyuk can show against such a Choi Soo-won. This player’s performance suddenly exploded right after the trade.]

[Yes, that’s right. Looking at Choi Minhyuk’s recent five-game record, it’s really no joke. Especially against right-handed hitters, OBA [on-base average]. So, his batting average is only 0.087.]

Holding the bat, he fixed his helmet with his left hand as usual, tapped his head twice. And he gripped the bat strongly twice with his right hand, tapped the home plate once, and then straightened his posture.

[The dugout is not instructing an intentional walk.]

[Yes, it seems that Choi Soo-won’s hitting pace has been a little sluggish recently, and Choi Minhyuk’s condition is so good.]

First ball.

He stopped his bat mid-swing.

-Whoosh!!!

Fastball going out of the zone.

It was definitely a ball that made me understand Lee Jung-hoon’s story that it felt as fast as my ball.

I am also a tall man of 190cm [approximately 6’3″], but Choi Minhyuk is 7cm taller than me.

Of course, in my case, my arms are a bit long compared to my height, so the wingspan is not much different, but instead, Choi Minhyuk feels like he is pulling the ball out from a considerable distance further now. Thanks to this, the perceived speed has increased considerably as he releases the ball later. No matter how fast the speed is, it cannot be compared to the speed at which a person swings his arm. If the release point is lengthened by about 1cm, it is said that the speed increases by about 0.1 miles from the hitter’s point of view.

It seems that there is definitely a post-Marines effect.

The Braves had more excellent resources in fostering promising players than the Marines, as befitting a team that sells promising players.

Second pitch.

Similarly, a fastball that slightly misses the zone.

Ball count 2-0

Third pitch.

It was a ball that straddled the edge of the zone.

He put down his slightly raised leg and swung the bat as it was.

Or, at least, halfway.

And at that moment, I realized.

‘Ah, is this a slider?’

I stopped my body.

The moving bat tried to move forward according to inertia, but it stopped firmly.

-Whoosh!!

“Strike!!!”

But the first base umpire judged that my bat had turned.

Ball count 2-1.

Could it be that they are not just trying to get me out with a walk instead of an intentional walk by covering their eyes and saying ‘Aung’ [a Korean expression similar to ‘covering your ears and pretending not to hear’], but they are really trying to catch me?

Come to think of it, there were more strikeouts than home runs in the games this week.

Because I struck out a whopping two times in four games.

Fourth pitch.

A ball that barely straddles the zone.

-Whoosh!!!

“Strike!!!”

It was a slider again.

Certainly, if you prepare to hit in time with the fastball, the slider will inevitably work well if the power of the fastball increases. Moreover, the slider is a pitch that has never given up the top spot in pitch value since measurements began in 2002.

It is truly the strongest pitch against a same-handed hitter.

Thus, the ball count is 2-2.

Choi Minhyuk threw the fifth ball.

-Whoosh!!

Full count.

This time it was also a slider.

But I wasn’t fooled.

It was because it came too openly into the zone, unlike the fourth time when it barely straddled the zone.

Sixth pitch.

Outside, a precarious course.

It was similar to the ball that tricked me the fourth time.

But I didn’t hesitate.

-Clang!!!

If I couldn’t swing the bat in this situation because I was afraid of striking out, I might be able to become a good hitter, but I couldn’t become a great hitter.

For reference, I was already the man who had taken the title of the greatest hitter since Ted Williams [a legendary baseball player known for his hitting prowess].