The Pitcher Just Hits Home Runs Well [EN]: Chapter 180

[Full count!! Choi Su-won!! He swings!! A towering fly ball!! Is it going, going… it’s gone!!! Season’s 27th home run!!]

[Wow, that was a perfectly placed pitch on the outside corner, but he just muscled it out. Earlier, he threw a slider to that same spot and got a swing and a miss. He might have been anticipating that pitch. As expected, there’s nothing more to say about Choi Su-won.]

“Ha······, seriously······.”

Of course, I knew Choi Su-won was an extraordinary talent. But to give up another home run like that… it’s just unbelievable, and I’m left speechless.

Cho Chang-hyuk, who isn’t exactly the most respected guy on the team but possesses undeniable skill that’s about to take him to the major leagues, is also fed up with Choi Su-won.

“Hey, that monster? Ugh, if you can, just treat him like a force of nature and move on. Just look at his batting stats. Seriously, if you compare the pitching stats this season, there’s a significant difference between the Marines and other teams’ players. You just got traded at a bad time. Ah, but don’t be too disappointed. In the long run, the Braves will be better than the Marines anyway. Coach Park and the trainers here are really capable.”

Choi Su-won rounded the bases and touched home plate.

Numerous fans in Sajik Stadium showered him with applause and cheers. Amidst that noisy environment, Noh Hyung-wook stepped into the batter’s box.

Two years ago,

he was Choi Min-hyuk’s most reliable run support when he was in the running for Rookie of the Year. Even now, he’s overshadowed by the monster Choi Su-won, but he’s played in 69 out of 71 games this season, recording 15 home runs and ranking 6th in the league.

“Besides Choi Su-won? Well, Hyung-wook hyung [older brother/respected male figure] or Ra-on are pretty good hitters. But the rest can’t really handle fastballs. Oh, right. Basically, we pitchers have to remember to believe our ball is the best. Huh? Don’t be intimidated. Even if you get hit a bit, no matter how great the opposing batter is, puff out your chest and put strength in your eyes. Okay? Just pretend Choi Su-won doesn’t exist.”

Just like Cho Chang-hyuk told me, I puffed out my chest, put strength in my eyes, and focused on Noh Hyung-wook.

Noh Hyung-wook smirked in the batter’s box.

Outside low corner.

The fastest ball I could throw.

Noh Hyung-wook pulled the ball as it came.

‘Ah······.’

For a moment, the image of Choi Su-won’s home run, pulled over the fence, flashed through my mind. My confidence plummeted. I tried hard to calm myself.

‘Puff out your chest and put strength in your eyes.’

The Braves’ center fielder, Kang Ho-chang, ran.

Right to the edge of the warning track.

And one step further.

Noh Hyung-wook’s hit failed to clear the fence.

[Ah, a catch right in front of the wall! The Marines’ attack in the bottom of the 1st inning ends like that.]

[The score is 1:0. A great defensive play by Kang Ho-chang.]

[Come to think of it, Kang Ho-chang was the Marines’ starting center fielder until last year, right?]

[Yes, in fact, many predicted the Marines’ outfield defense would suffer because of that, but foreign player Saul Lopez and Lee Joo-hyuk are doing a great job filling that void.]

“Gyu-man senior, just like Jeong-hoon said, the ball feels really heavy.”

“Right? See? I told you. The ball is really heavy.”

Lee Gyu-man nodded in agreement with Noh Hyung-wook and Lee Jeong-hoon.

“Then the tailing [movement of the ball as it approaches the plate] might be pretty significant.”

“But how did Su-won······.”

“Choi Su-won, that guy is just different. He must have just muscled it with pure strength.”

“No, Hyung-wook senior is stronger than me. If he didn’t hit the sweet spot, it would have been hard to get it over the fence, right? What is it? The tailing movement didn’t seem particularly deceptive······.”

Choi Su-won shook his head.

“Okay, okay, whatever it is, let’s focus on preventing runs for now. We have to take first place today.”

“That’s right. Looking at today’s game, the Dolphins are bound to lose, so we have to capitalize.”

Today in Suwon, the Dolphins’ 5th starter was scheduled to face the Changwon Braves’ 1st starter. If the Dolphins lose there and the Marines win today, they will rise to 1st place in the league.

[Ah, come to think of it, if the Marines win against the Braves today and take the top spot, it will be a record after 15 years.]

[15 years?]

[Yes, it’s the first time since 2012 that the Marines have been in 1st place in June.]

[I see. Well, that can happen. It’s a different story when a team is strong at any point.]

[No, it’s not just about the time of year, but the Marines being in first place alone is the first time in 15 years······.]

[Ah······.]

The game continued.

***

-Clack!!!

Kang Ra-on quickly fielded the ground ball.

Perhaps because he was rushing, the throw wasn’t as perfect as usual, but Gyu-man senior stretched out his arm and safely caught the ball.

“Out!!”

Seeing this, I feel that the team is definitely improving.

Players aren’t machines, so everyone’s performance fluctuates. Successful teams are those that can maintain a consistent level of play even when individual players are going through ups and downs.

Just like when Kang Ra-on’s performance dips a little, Gyu-man senior’s performance rises.

“Seniors, nice defense.”

I went to the dugout entrance and encouraged the seniors returning from the field. Lee Jeong-hoon, who had walked in from the outfield, quickly moved near the portable air conditioner.

“Ugh, I’m dying. I’m dying.”

“The ball didn’t come to Jeong-hoon senior’s side much today, did it?”

“Hey, don’t say things you don’t know. It’s not just hard when a lot of balls come your way. How tiring is it to concentrate in a tense atmosphere? Besides, it’s too hot today. What’s the temperature now?”

“It’s not that high. It’s 27 degrees [Celsius, approximately 81 degrees Fahrenheit].”

“Hey, 27 degrees in the evening in June is high enough. The weather is completely crazy this year. That’s why I hate global warming. I want to go to Seoul and play games soon. Domes are great in the summer. Don’t you think?”

“But senior, as far as I know, your record at Gocheok [a dome stadium in Seoul] is a mess······.”

“Ahem······. Ah, I have to prepare to hit.”

Today, I couldn’t seem to get a good hit.

My bat spun on the slider, resulting in a strikeout, or I made weak contact.

Is the ball really heavy, as people say? But when I hit a home run, I didn’t feel that at all.

“Don’t you have any advice for me?”

“Advice? Well······. All you can do is hit and run like crazy anyway. Just do what you always do.”

“What I always do······. So, I usually nag a lot, but deep down, you acknowledge my skills? My skills as the 4th highest batting average catcher in the KBO League [Korean Baseball Organization]?”

“Hey, if there’s a 7-point difference between 3rd and 4th, you shouldn’t call yourself 4th, okay?”

“Hehehe.”

It’s good that the team chemistry is improving, but it’s not good that Jo Yu-jin’s confidence is growing along with it.

Frankly, a .230 hitter keeps talking nonsense about being the 4th highest batting average, and even this guy’s hitting is all about batting average; his on-base percentage and slugging percentage are all terrible.

[Now, Jo Yu-jin is coming up to bat. He is one of the key players in the Marines’ surprising season.]

[Yes, in fact, Choi Su-won is so dominant that he overshadows everyone, but among Marines fans, Jo Yu-jin is considered a player they’ve been searching for for nearly 15 years.]

[Haha, that evaluation feels a bit exaggerated.]

A catcher who knows how to receive the ball.

Opinions are divided among baseball fans about framing [the art of subtly influencing the umpire’s strike zone calls]. Some reject the idea of classifying deceiving the umpire as a skill. Many of those people advocate for a mechanical umpire and leaving strike zone judgment to machines, but it’s not that simple.

Just like in ice hockey, it’s acceptable for an enforcer to drop his stick and fight with his fists, and it’s acceptable to drop the bat and only use fists without kicking during a bench-clearing brawl, this is also part of the fun of baseball, and that opinion isn’t entirely wrong.

Besides, the potential side effects are unknown. Even things that seem like customs or rules from the outside have their own balance when they have a long history.

For example, after Major League Baseball established new regulations regarding retaliation pitches, the number of hit-by-pitches increased rapidly. This was because pitchers could throw inside without worrying about being hit in retaliation.

Anyway, from the Marines’ perspective, Jo Yu-jin was a valuable catcher who could receive the ball effectively while maintaining a batting average above .200. The thought that they should have picked Jung Byung-chul in the first round instead of Baek Ha-min last year, as in the original timeline, flashed through my mind for a moment, but I shook my head.

Jo Yu-jin waited for Choi Min-hyuk’s pitch in his unique, hunched-over stance.

First pitch.

Fastball.

-Whoosh!!

“Strike!!”

No, it was a slider.

It’s definitely a great pitch.

I think if Choi Min-hyuk develops a third pitch like a changeup and gains experience without getting injured, he might actually be scouted by Major League teams.

Second.

This time, a real fastball.

-Clack!!

Jo Yu-jin’s bat made contact.

It wasn’t a solid hit.

He just barely touched it.

A weakly rolling ball over the foul line.

The count is now 0-2.

Jo Yu-jin briefly raised his hand, stepped out of the batter’s box, and rubbed his palms several times.

Heavy ball······.

Ah, wait a minute.

Could that be it?

Third.

Jo Yu-jin’s bat stopped.

-Thwack!!

Slider.

Ball count 1-2.

In my opinion, he stopped because he anticipated a decoy pitch with the count at 0-2, rather than recognizing the pitch and stopping.

And fourth.

A fastball that was far outside the strike zone.

2-2.

Fifth.

Jo Yu-jin swung his bat.

-Clack!!

At the moment of contact, his head, which instinctively tries to look at first base, pulls his lowered body toward first base. Thus, the transition from an extremely awkward posture to a normal posture was made smoothly. It’s exactly the posture that I’ve ingrained in my body so thoroughly. Of course, compared to the orthodox posture, the loss of power was significant. However, it is inevitable that starting with a strange posture and finishing cleanly is much better in terms of results than starting with a normal posture and ruining the finish.

The weakly hit ball barely passed over the second baseman’s head.

“Safe!!”

Runner on first with no outs.

Jo Yu-jin looked at me and held up four fingers.

It’s not a V, but that’s······. Ah, is he showing off that he’s batting .240 now? No, it can’t be. Yeah, he’s the 4th highest batting average. That’s what he’s talking about.

“I’ll be back.”

Lee Jeong-hoon in the on-deck circle walked to the plate with a serious expression, holding his bat.

That serious appearance was endlessly unsettling.

-Clack!!!

And Lee Jeong-hoon perfectly kept his word.

First pitch hit.

No, in some ways, he did more than he promised.

He didn’t just come back. He brought the guy who got on base with him.

A clean double play.

“Senior?”

“Ahem······. Min-hyuk’s ball is really heavy today. It’s not moving at all.”