The Pitcher Just Hits Home Runs Well [EN]: Chapter 187

187. Leading (10)

“……”

Choi Soo-won didn’t answer.

Of course, his expression wasn’t great either. It was understandable. Even if it were Baek Ha-min himself, he wouldn’t want to talk about the current situation.

Of course, Choi Soo-won leaving the mound didn’t mean he was completely out of the game like other pitchers.

[Choi Soo-won is moving to first base. It looks like Lee Gyu-man is coming out. Considering the number of innings left, it’s a bit much to have him in the outfield… Oh, wait a minute. Lee Gyu-man is moving to third base. Surely Noh Hyung-wook won’t be taken out. Ah, Noh Hyung-wook is moving to shortstop, Kang Ra-on is going to second base, and Jung Ji-woon, the second baseman, is returning to the dugout.]

[The Mariners’ defensive positions are changing quite dynamically. What do you think, commentator Park Dong-sik?]

[Well, in Lee Gyu-man’s case, he’s been playing mainly as a first baseman or designated hitter recently, but in his prime, he mainly played as a third baseman. Noh Hyung-wook also alternated between shortstop and third base before settling as a third baseman recently. And Kang Ra-on, the shortstop, can naturally play second base skillfully.]

[So, there won’t be any problems?]

[Well, it’s hard to say there won’t be any problems. There’s a reason why someone moves from third to first, or from shortstop to third. And there would have been adaptation issues afterward. But it’s not an entirely incomprehensible arrangement. That’s about it.]

Not an entirely incomprehensible arrangement.

Yeah, that was it.

Park Dong-sik didn’t bother to mention that this situation was ultimately a side effect of Choi Soo-won’s usage.

The disappearance of the designated hitter.

The moment Choi Soo-won, who was pitching and hitting from the start of the game, stepped into the batter’s box, the Mariners’ designated hitter disappeared. In the KBO [Korean Baseball Organization], without the Ohtani rule [allowing a player to both pitch and bat without penalty to the DH], it was impossible for Choi Soo-won to step down from the starting position while maintaining the designated hitter position. In the end, Baek Ha-min, who was replacing the starter, also had to take his turn at bat.

Until now, it hadn’t been a big problem.

Choi Soo-won pitched at least 5.1 innings, averaging nearly 6.1 innings per game. The remaining one or two pitcher at-bats could be handled with a pinch hitter. But not now. Baek Ha-min wasn’t a starting card you could use to cover such short innings.

Moreover, the players’ reaction to this change didn’t seem unexpected at all. It meant they had some experience practicing it.

‘Maybe this is Coach Kim Dae-cheol’s plan in case Choi Soo-won falters in the postseason…’

It was definitely the best option in terms of offensive power.

But what about defense?

The game continued.

***

I was annoyed.

I mean, it’s not like I’m new to baseball. A starter can give up some runs. It’s not like we’ve been overtaken in the game yet, but to be taken out after only 2.1 innings?

Managing a starter like that, in such a haphazard way, is not the way to do it. You have to give them a chance to prove themselves. I strongly appealed that I could pitch more when I went up to the mound, but they didn’t listen.

Honestly, considering I had 6 wins and 1 loss with a 2.55 ERA [Earned Run Average] in 14 games up to the last game, isn’t this too much for a top-notch starter? Even if I gave up runs today, my ERA would probably still be under 3.

Hamin-hyung [older brother or respected male figure], who looked a bit apologetic when he received the ball from me on the mound, stared sharply at the batter.

Come to think of it, hyung didn’t really have anything to be sorry about. If anything, he, who should be starting the next game, was coming up as my replacement, so he couldn’t be in a good mood. Besides, he had to take his turn at bat in today’s game.

Again, the root of all this trouble is that bully.

If that bastard hadn’t intentionally walked me earlier, we would have scored more runs, and I wouldn’t have been taken out after giving up only 4 runs.

“You’re dead in the next at-bat.”

The stamina I had saved up, expecting at least 7 innings, maybe even a complete game.

I’m going to show that unburned energy properly in today’s at-bat.

Bottom of the 3rd inning.

I made that decision at first base, wearing a mitt instead of a glove.

-Thwack!!!

And in the meantime, the 7th pitch was a walk.

Baek Ha-min sent the batter to first base.

“You’re down early today?”

“Yeah.”

Myeong Jin-soo, the Braves’ number 5 hitter, who had walked to first base, started talking trash.

He’s 37 years old this year, an end-of-career hitter who, according to history, will have his first baseman position taken by Hong-joon hyung next year, his designated hitter position taken, and then retire.

I was already in a bad mood from being taken out, and this was like adding insult to injury.

“Is the Mariners scared of my bat these days? Seeing them take you off the mound right when it’s my turn?”

“Surely not? I was just a bit shaky, so I got taken out.”

“What, you little…”

“No, it’s true. Honestly, if I’m in good condition, I throw two fastballs and a slow curve, and it’s three strikeouts.”

“Wow, listen to this guy’s attitude? Yeah, say something more.”

“Of course, you might hit it sometimes. But you’ve never sent my pitches to the outfield. So, considering your speed, it’s either a ground ball to the infield, or if there’s a runner on first, a double play.”

Myeong Jin-soo’s face turned a bit red.

But honestly, this isn’t enough.

“But congratulations on one thing.”

“What?”

“You’ve never been number one in anything while playing baseball, right? But this year, when Gyu-man sunbae [senior] retires, you’ll be number one in the KBO for being slow.”

“What did you say?”

-Thwack!!!

“Out!!!”

Perfect timing.

Hamin-hyung’s economical pitch landed perfectly in my mitt.

Why did a slow guy like him take three steps out? Tsk tsk. He didn’t even check the pitcher’s movements properly because he was chatting with the first baseman.

He, who had thrown himself towards first base, got up.

“Oh, sunbaenim [respected senior]. I’m sorry if I was too rude. The dugout ordered me to provoke you by trying to pick you off. I’m not usually so disrespectful. Sorry.”

“…… Yeah. But take it easy. The rumors about you aren’t good these days. I’m telling you this because I care about you. You’ll be playing baseball for a while.”

“Yes. I’ll keep that in mind.”

“……”

He returned to the dugout without even thinking of brushing the dirt off his uniform.

Thanks to the successful pickoff, it was two outs with a runner on second.

Was it thanks to the pickoff?

Or was it just that he wasn’t fully warmed up because he came out in a hurry?

Hamin-hyung struck out the next batter, ending the inning.

[The score is 4:4. The Braves catch up to the Mariners, and the Braves’ attack in the top of the 3rd inning ends.]

[Now, the Mariners’ attack in the bottom of the 3rd inning. The leadoff hitter is Choi Soo-won. It’s Choi Soo-won.]

[He reached base in the previous at-bat with an intentional walk. He came home on Noh Hyung-wook’s grand slam. But considering his performance on the mound today, he doesn’t seem to be in good condition. Is this the first time Choi Soo-won has been taken out in the 3rd inning since his debut? I wonder if the Braves’ dugout will be willing to compete against Choi Soo-won, who is not in good condition.]

I grabbed my bat and walked towards the batter’s box.

‘Compete with me. Please compete with me.’

4:4.

I wasn’t great on the mound today, and there are no runners on base.

And the Braves’ ace pitcher, bully Jo Chang-hyuk, is on the mound right now. Besides, didn’t he intentionally walk me in the previous at-bat, and then Hyung-wook sunbae hit a grand slam? Honestly, this is a situation worth competing in.

[Ah!! The Braves’ dugout sends the automatic intentional walk signal without hesitation.]

[I think it’s a wise choice. There’s no reason for the Braves to take a risk here. This is a hitter with a OBP/SLG/ISO of 0.443/0.657/1.191 [On-Base Percentage/Slugging Percentage/Isolated Power]. In simple Korean, it means it’s more beneficial to consistently walk this player than to compete with him.]

[I get confused when I look at Choi Soo-won’s stats sometimes. How can his slugging percentage be 1.191? Even if his OPS [On-Base Plus Slugging] is only 1.191, he’s an MVP-level hitter. Isn’t that right?]

[That’s right. We usually talk about slugging percentage as a fraction, but the slugging percentage can actually exceed 1. Of course, it can happen briefly in the short term, but it’s rare for a player to maintain that for more than 50 games… But Choi Soo-won is not ordinary in many ways.]

But a clean intentional walk without any hesitation.

I took a three-step lead from first base.

The most important thing in stealing bases is not the size of the lead.

It’s whether to run or not.

The slight difference in where the body weight is leaning is much more important than half a step of the lead.

-Thwack!!!

Jo Chang-hyuk threw the ball to first base very quickly.

“Safe!!”

And my return was a little faster than that.

Jo Chang-hyuk glared at me.

He had a fierce look that made me think he must have beaten up kids a lot back in school.

Of course, that look wasn’t scary.

What was scary was that smooth motion that led to the pickoff. He had a very good quick motion for a guy with such high velocity.

Well, the KBO has traditionally paid a lot of attention to quick motions.

Three steps.

-Thwack!!

“Safe!!”

[Ah, Jo Chang-hyuk. It’s his second pickoff attempt. It seems he’s wary of Choi Soo-won’s speed today.]

[Well, didn’t Choi Soo-won show us how he can successfully steal bases in succession in the last game? From the pitcher’s point of view, he has no choice but to be wary. A runner who gets on base with an intentional walk steals second and then comes home on a single? That’s usually not a pleasant experience for the pitcher.]

If this were the major leagues, the pickoff attempts would end here.

He couldn’t throw any more.

-Thwack!!

“Safe!!”

But this was the KBO.

A league with no limit on pickoff attempts.

Wow, it’s like he’s showing me the horror of unlimited pickoff attempts.

I brushed the dirt off my uniform and took three steps again. Let’s see who wins.

-Whoosh!!

“Strike!!”

Ah…….

But I couldn’t run.

Jo Chang-hyuk’s smirking face was very annoying.

No, his motion is really good.

I don’t want to praise him, but I have to.

“Did he just practice pickoff throws all day? How can his motion be so good?”

“That’s right. Chang-hyuk only practiced pickoff throws all day.”

“Huh?”

“He’s going to the majors next year. Stealing bases is a big thing in the majors these days. So, he only practiced pickoff throws all winter. That stubborn bastard. You’re going to the majors anyway, so watch and learn. None of the guys who went to the majors from our team didn’t practice like that.”

I had nothing to say.

Yeah. That bully was unlikeable, but the fact that he survived as a starter in the majors for several years meant that, regardless of his personality, it was possible because of his efforts.

Okay. Good.

I’ll observe that pickoff throw he practiced all day from the first-class seat.

-Thwack!!

“Safe!!”

No, but isn’t it too much to throw a pitch and then throw another pickoff throw?

The boos echoing loudly in Sajik Stadium.