The Pitcher Just Hits Home Runs Well [EN]: Chapter 199

199. Crisis (5)

“Is it the heat?”

“Yes, it seems like it’s time for him to rest a bit physically. He says he’s fine, but he’s already lost nearly 2kg [4.4 pounds].”

“Did you say he grew another 1cm [0.4 inches] taller?”

“Yes, his body size has also increased a bit. Plus, he’s playing almost every day, so no matter how much he eats…”

Originally, Suwon didn’t gain weight easily. Moreover, the schedule Suwon is currently handling is practically impossible. It’s tough for a batter to play every day, but it’s physically possible. It’s tough for a pitcher to play every five days, but it’s still possible.

But doing both at the same time is a different story.

In baseball, the pitcher position is special. The physical exertion is quite different from other positions, comparable to other ball sports played in real-time, unlike the turn-based nature of baseball. An enormous amount of kinetic energy is explosively released through the shoulder and arm, so the load on the arm and shoulder is considerable, and the recovery time required is also very long.

“We should have given him a longer break sooner…”

Suwon has played in 73 out of 96 games so far. He was given a day off after each game he pitched, but otherwise, he played in almost every other game.

“We had no choice; we’re only two games ahead of second place. We may be Busan’s heroes now, but if we slip up even a little, we’ll become traitors.”

It was the first time in 15 years that they had reached first place in the middle of the season. The insanely heated atmosphere was indescribable. Currently, Manager Kim Dae-cheol gets freebies at every restaurant and always gets a madeleine with his coffee, practically a hero of Busan.

“Give him a few days off after today’s game. Light training, just stretching. Hitting can’t be helped, but let’s skip one pitching appearance if possible. And Yang Coach, please keep an eye on his diet.”

“Then, about the things the club’s front office has been asking for this opportunity…”

“Shh, didn’t you hear me? Give him a rest. Taking pictures and stuff is tiring. Just feed him good food and let him rest in a cool place. That’s the best for the heat.”

“But will Suwon listen? He’s already making headlines with all sorts of new records, and if we bench him that much…”

It was unusual for a coach to worry about whether a mere rookie would follow the manager’s instructions. But if that rookie is a monster breaking all sorts of KBO [Korean Baseball Organization] records, it’s not that strange.

-Clang!!!

[He hit it!! Kim Na-min’s timely hit!! Bottom of the 5th, two outs!! The Griffins are closing the gap by one point, now the score is 5:2.]

[That was a regrettable pitch. If you look at it, it came right down the middle. Of course, even though it was a mistake, Kim Na-min hit it very well, considering it was a fastball with a speed of 157.1km/h [97.6 mph].]

[Is he getting tired?]

[It’s definitely the kind of weather that makes you feel drained today. Plus, Choi Suwon has been running non-stop since the opening. It’s a tough schedule for a rookie, or even a veteran. In fact, if you look at Shohei Ohtani’s records during his NPB [Nippon Professional Baseball] days, he played almost full-time as a pitcher, but only about 70 to 80 games as a hitter, around 200 at-bats. Compared to that, Choi Suwon’s schedule is too hard.]

[But for the Marines, who are in a heated battle for first place, it’s difficult to play a game without one of their key starting pitchers and strongest hitters.]

Someone nodded at the commentator’s words.

“That’s right, it’s too tight. He’s only nineteen. He needs to rest for a few games.”

“Nineteen, so what? Yeom Seulla pitched 35 games and 204.2 innings at nineteen. He started in 22 games and completed 13 of them. He even came out as a reliever when needed. An MVP-level player should do that much.”

“You crazy bastard. Did you forget that Yeom Seulla’s arm was completely wrecked after pitching like that for a year? Why? Are you saying we should push Suwon like that for a year to win the championship and then ruin him? The Marines have many good traditions, but do we really need to bring such shitty traditions?”

“No, who said we should push him that hard? I’m saying he’s done enough for now. And Ohtani didn’t get many at-bats in his NPB days because his hitting stats weren’t that good. After his hitting exploded in 2016, Nippon Ham put him in the lineup a lot. What about Suwon’s various records?”

“Most of his records are ratio stats anyway because he hasn’t played enough games. He can still break all the new records if he just fills the required at-bats, even if he rests a bit.”

“What about home runs? You know Suwon has 34 home runs right now? Of course, that’s a pace for 51 home runs this season, but looking at the number of home runs he’s been hitting recently, he’s really on a roll. He’s on a pace to break the home run record. And when he’s on a roll like this, the other teams feel pressured and can’t give him intentional walks. They don’t want to hear stories about how the home run record was broken with an intentional walk.”

Choi Suwon on the mound took a deep breath.

To calm his irritated mind.

He felt unusually edgy today. It must be because the sticky heat was raising his discomfort index.

‘Let’s take a cool shower after this. And gulp down a banana-flavored protein shake.’

His gaze went to Jo Yu-jin’s mitt.

Was it because his head was hot from the heat? He couldn’t be bothered to think about anything. He threw the ball that Jo Yu-jin was asking for.

High course.

Fastball.

-Clang!!

The batter’s bat followed.

But the ball didn’t go far. The ball bounced hard once and went straight into Saul Lopez’s glove at second base.

-Thwack!!

“Out!!”

Force out.

Choi Suwon went down to the dugout without any special performance.

The game continued.

***

“Good job.”

“Yes?”

When he finished pitching and came down from the mound, all he could think about was finishing the game quickly, going home, showering, and resting in a cool place.

But hearing that he should stop now changed his mind. No, he had only pitched 5 innings, and they were telling him to stop?

“Coach, is it because I gave up a run? Of course, I gave up a run, but my pitches are still good, and I can pitch more.”

“Yes, Suwon, you can pitch more. But it’s better to rest now.”

He thought about protesting again but held back.

He probably would have refused again if he were on the mound. But now he was in the dugout with all the players. Unlike Choi Suwon, a 17-year league legend, Choi Suwon, a nineteen-year-old rookie, was too young to protest again here. The fact that he could even protest like this once, and that the coach was talking to him so pleadingly, was thanks to the results he had built up over the past few months.

“Okay. Then where do I go? First base? Or right field?”

“No, you’re done for today. You can go shower first.”

“Yes?”

5:2

Three-point difference.

Yes, they were winning. But looking back at the past games of the season, a mere three points at the start of the 6th inning was not a completely safe score. Of course, the bullpen had become a bit more stable since Park Jae-hyuk, Go Seol-min, and Tae Ji-wan joined, but still…

“Yes, Suwon. Good job today. You’re all sweaty, so go shower first and ice yourself.”

Gyu-man added a word to the coach’s words.

“Yeah, man. There’s no old fart here who’s going to look at you unfavorably for showering first, so go wash up quickly. Or why? Are you worried even though we’re ahead by three points?”

“No. The only things I’m worried about are Jung-hoon’s double plays and errors.”

“What, you punk?”

He couldn’t resist when his seniors said this much.

He went back to the locker room, gathered a few things, and went into the shower room. He washed his body with moderately cool water. It felt like the strangely irritating emotions were being washed away with the sticky dirt and hot heat.

And thanks to that, he realized.

Ah… I’m a bit tired now.

“I kept telling you. You need to rest more vigorously. Your training volume is also a bit excessive. Now is the time to just do conditioning and rest.”

“No, but I definitely felt like my condition was improving after the All-Star Game.”

“That’s because you played so crazily at the All-Star Game, you were high on that feeling, and your mind was deceiving your body. Still, the manager put the brakes on at the right time.”

The coach wrapped ice on his shoulder and elbow and lectured him once again on how hard his schedule was.

“Still, it’s amazing for a rookie to do this much. Not just the results, but also the condition management is really… In some ways, you’re not a rookie, but almost a 10-year veteran.”

“Ahaha… Thank you.”

Honestly, he was embarrassed.

Eight years in the KBO. Nine years in the majors.

He was proud of being the greatest hitter of all time, beyond just being top-notch. But to not manage his physical condition properly during the season.

Of course, there were many excuses.

When he was playing in the big leagues, a personally hired trainer meticulously managed these details. He just had to exercise as the trainers told him to. Plus, he was doing both pitching and hitting for the first time, and this damn team was so frustrating that he had to play even if it meant pushing himself.

But as he said before, they were all excuses.

Maybe if he had a little more experience, he would have resisted to the end when he was told to come down from the mound in that situation. Even then, the manager or coach would have eventually given in at least once.

“Okay, all done.”

“Thank you.”

“No thanks needed, hurry up and go to the dugout. Even if you’re not playing, the atmosphere is a bit different with you in the dugout. Oh, and come get a massage first after the game.”

The empty hallway on the way to the dugout.

A noisy sound could be heard from the door in the distance.

How would the score of 5:2 have changed?

They wouldn’t have been reversed, right?

No, that’s not right.

If you expect that from this team, they’ll 멋지게 [meotjige – stylishly, coolly] reverse it as if to show off. Of course, not expecting it doesn’t mean they won’t be reversed. But at least there’s the advantage of not being disappointed if you don’t expect it.

As soon as he stepped out of the hallway and into the dugout, he felt the stuffy humidity.

Even though they had three elephant air conditioners on and it was past 8 PM, the temperature and humidity were still terrible.

“You’re here?”

“Yeah.”

Jo Yu-jin’s expression was strangely bright as he greeted him. But well, this guy is always bright even when he’s hitting .100…

His gaze naturally went to the scoreboard first.

Top of the 7th.

The score was 8:3.

Two outs with runners on 2nd and 3rd.

And Kim Hoon as the pinch hitter.

What on earth is going on?

He gave Jo Yu-jin a look that said, ‘Explain.’ And the guy interpreted his look very much to his own liking.

“Hey, why are you looking at me with such respectful eyes? Yes, that’s right. It’s me. The All-Star catcher of this season who hit a three-run game in a two-out situation.”

“Huh? A three-run home run? You? Is that physically possible?”

Jo Yu-jin hit a three-run home run?

What? Did he come to another world through dimensional travel while passing through that dugout door?

Last day of July.

We won the game 8:3.