The Pitcher Just Hits Home Runs Well [EN]: Chapter 212

212. New Record (8)

2027.

It’s been 27 years since the dawn of the 21st century, but Korea is still full of people clinging to outdated Confucian traditions. Some might even call them ‘Confucian Taliban’ for their rigid adherence.

The United States isn’t much different, perhaps even worse in some respects. It’s been over 160 years since the Confederate States of America collapsed after the Civil War, but some Southerners still stubbornly cling to old ways.

And here was a man who embodied both of those traditions.

Jake Bohr.

From Texas. A true Southerner, raised by a father who exemplified the term “redneck.” He’d also spent about four years absorbing Korea’s hierarchical and often rigid “*kkondae*” culture [꼰대 refers to an older person who is condescending and insists on outdated ways], becoming the complete package of stubbornness and tradition.

‘Does that punk really have no respect for his elders?’

Admiring your home run is considered acceptable for players with 7+ years in MLB, or 9+ years in the KBO [Korean Baseball Organization]. So, because it takes two more years to get free agency (FA) in the KBO, admiring your home run should obviously take two more years, right? That’s the logic, anyway.

We really need to drill him with a beanball, but the problem is that he’s a pitcher. And he’s throwing 100 mph fastballs. When I threw one at him at the beginning of the season, Kang So-gu on our team got hit with a retaliatory pitch and was out for almost a month.

And what about the bench clearing?

Bench clearing in Korea, the land of Confucian values, should be different from the violent and barbaric United States. It’s resolved through dialogue based on hierarchy and respect, not violence. Isn’t a Korean bench clearing more about deciding where to go for dinner together afterwards and then returning to the dugout?

‘Because of that ignorant bastard…’

Dilton Dooley.

A monster from America.

It’s not just his baseball skills that are monstrous. He’s like a bench-clearing specialist, throwing people around. I even used my few American connections to find out what he used to do. Apparently, he was a junior wrestling champion?

Slowly.

He circled the field at an infuriating pace. The colorful dragonfly nets filling the outfield seats were annoying. This is definitely our home ground, but it’s more irritating than an away game.

But even so, Jake Bohr was last year’s Choi Dong-won Award winner [Award given to the best pitcher in the KBO] and the most dominant starter in the KBO.

Next up, Noh Hyung-wook.

Against a batter who has hit 27 home runs so far this season and is almost certain to break his career high, Jake Bohr gets a pop-out on the second pitch.

Jake Bohr finished the inning with one run allowed.

“It’s the same pattern every time. Seriously, do they not know how to play baseball without Choi Su-won?”

“Hey, don’t be like that. It just seems that way because Su-won is hitting home runs so easily. Jake Bohr’s ERA this season is in the low 2s. It just looks like that because Su-won is doing so well against ace-level pitchers. With foreign aces, Im Kwang-hyung, and Jo Chang-hyuk, Choi Su-won probably raised their ERAs by 0.3 points each.”

“Come on, that doesn’t make sense… Oh, it does. Choi Su-won raised Im Kwang-hyung’s ERA by 0.43 with home runs…”

“Didn’t everyone stop talking about this season being pitcher-heavy? I read an analysis column that said that’s all because of the Choi Su-won effect. So, the aces face Choi Su-won head-on, so Choi Su-won is flying high, and the lower-tier starters avoid Su-won, so the other teammates benefit? That analysis seemed pretty plausible.”

The game continued at a fast pace.

In today’s game, Diego Rodriguez made the Elitz players feel the same way the Marlins felt about him last year.

‘How the hell are we supposed to attack that?’

The ace pitcher was in great condition and had a different level of determination.

It was truly overwhelming.

And Jake Bohr, facing him, perfectly paid back the slap in the face he received at the Han River in Jongno. Three up, three down in the 2nd inning. And three up, three down in the 3rd inning as well.

Of course, the content of the game was a little different. Diego Rodriguez struck out five in three innings, while Jake Bohr only struck out two.

[Jake Bohr continues to pitch very efficiently today. Only 26 pitches at the end of the 3rd inning. His average speed is decreasing slightly, but he feels like he’s becoming more and more of a baseball master.]

[On the other hand, Diego Rodriguez has thrown 51 pitches so far. Considering that the average is about 15 pitches per inning, that’s a bit high.]

But the part that the commentators didn’t mention was the defense of both teams. The Marlins were the strongest team in both hitting and pitching this season, but their defense still had big holes.

The only player who could be called an All-Star-level defender was shortstop Kang Ra-on. The second base, which three players take turns covering, was barely functional except for Saul Lopez, and there was talk that Noh Hyung-wook at third base should move to first base after Lee Gyu-man retires.

And although the outfield had improved a lot, only Lee Jung-hoon was decent. Lee Joo-hyuk’s lottery-like play was still a source of anxiety for the pitchers, and Seo Kyung-joon in right field was also a bit lacking to be called decent.

-Wham!!

“Strike!! Out!!”

[Diego Rodriguez!! His sixth strikeout of the game!! He aggressively threw the ball inside on a 3-2 full count.]

As a result, the Marlins’ pitchers had a very strong tendency to solve things themselves. However, there were some differences in how they solved things.

Choi Su-won didn’t have particularly good command, but he had the control to put the ball in the zone. So, when the count got tight, he just put the ball in the middle with the mindset of, ‘At the KBO level, they usually can’t hit 160 km/h,’ and it worked pretty well.

However, in Diego Rodriguez’s case, he only had a 70-80% chance of putting the ball in the zone when throwing with full power. As a result, when the count got tight, the ball he threw with full power would either go completely down the middle or miss outside, resulting in walks.

-Wham!!!

[Ah, the umpire’s hand doesn’t go up. His third walk of the game!! Top of the 4th, two outs. Diego Rodriguez has finally allowed a runner into scoring position.]

Diego Rodriguez turned around and strongly gripped the rosin bag behind him.

‘Damn it.’

And at that timing, Jo Yu-jin went up to the mound.

“Diego. *Calmate*. [Calm down] Your ball. *El mejor*. [The best] Me. *El mejor*. [The best] Marlins every field player. *El mejor*. [The best] Create. Okay?”

It was Spanish that was impossible to understand, even though it was short words. Even broken English was mixed in. But surprisingly, the meaning was clearly conveyed.

‘Yeah, my ball is the best. The catcher catching my ball right now is pretty good too. Well, the Marlins defenders… Anyway, let’s believe in my ball and throw it.’

The game against the Elitz.

The determination to be the winning pitcher in every game was broken with a no-decision in the first game.

Instead, the determination to not lose in every game was broken in the second game.

Now, the third game, where I’m afraid to make any resolutions.

Top of the 4th. Two outs.

Diego Rodriguez threw his 71st pitch of the game.

-Clang!!!

A high fly ball.

Oh Hyung-won frowned, threw down his bat, and ran.

Since it was a two-out situation anyway, the runners on first and second also started running.

Diego Rodriguez turned his head.

Out of the infield and into the outfield.

It was an ordinary fly ball. But he already knew.

No, anyone who watches baseball in Korea knew. There is no such thing as an ordinary fly ball for the Marlins.

Tense anticipation.

And in that tension, Diego Rodriguez saw someone running lightly.

It was a relief.

The direction of the hit was left field. And today’s left fielder was Lee Jung-hoon.

A valuable talent who can turn an ordinary outfield fly ball into a truly ordinary outfield fly ball.

There was no chewy taste like Lee Joo-hyuk, who makes impossible defenses possible and possible defenses impossible. He just did what an outfielder should do in the place where an outfielder should be.

[Lee Jung-hoon catches it easily, and the Elitz’s attack in the top of the 4th comes to an end.]

And bottom of the 4th.

The Marlins attack again.

The leadoff hitter is Kang Ra-on.

The fact that he’s the second-best hitter after Noh Hyung-wook, despite being a shortstop with the biggest defensive burden, shows how great a player he is.

But even such a great player couldn’t help but think that Choi Su-won, who was in the on-deck circle, was just an *out-of-gyuk-gyeok* [規格, 규격 means out of standard] monster.

‘Yeah, I’m an idiot for asking him anything.’

Last inning.

I asked Choi Su-won if he had any tips.

Of course, the answer that came back was absurd.

“Ah, a secret? I don’t really have one… Honestly, it’s a little difficult to distinguish between a two-seamer and a four-seamer. But in my opinion, the ball itself is a bit slow, so it’s not too late to watch and swing. If it were Hyung-wook or Gyu-man, they could send it flying with their power even if they hit it a little off…”

No, he says you can just watch and hit it.

It’s impossible in the first place. The trajectories of the two-seamer and four-seamer are different. Those two subtle trajectories get tangled in your head and create confusion. And what about the changeups that are mixed in from time to time? He says the ball itself is slow? It’s a ball that’s close to 150 km/h.

It was truly unhelpful advice.

So I just did what I had been doing.

Narrowed the zone.

And aimed only for balls that I could hit.

-Wham!!!

“Strike!! Out!!!”

And the four-seamer that came in perfectly on the border line led to a strike.

Damn it.

Isn’t it cheating for a 146 km/h ball to be controlled so perfectly?

Kang Ra-on grumbled and retreated to the dugout.

And that guy in the on-deck circle moved.

The stadium is boiling.

The colorful dragonfly nets filling the outfield are waving.

Yeah, it’s cheating for a 146 km/h ball to be controlled so perfectly. But the guy going to the plate right now was an even more serious cheat.

Choi Su-won stood at the plate.

[Now, Choi Su-won, who hit a solo home run in the previous at-bat, is at the plate for his second at-bat.]

[Only three more home runs until he breaks the KBO home run record. Well, there are still nineteen games left. Even if we assume the same 133 games as the previous record, there are still eight games left, so breaking the record is a given, but what the crowd filling the stadium is expecting is not that.]

“Su-won has had three home run games twice this season. He’s done it twice, so why can’t he do it three times? Just doing that would tie the KBO record, right? But Su-won always delivers when things get itchy, right? I think he’s going to set a record for 4 home runs in one game today and break the KBO record.”

“Ah, I don’t know about that. But the atmosphere is really worth the trouble of coming up to Seoul. Even if he doesn’t hit it today, he’ll break it in this series against the Elitz, right?”

Only three home runs away from a new record.

Jake Bohr on the mound threw the ball.

High inside course.

It was a little deep.

-Wham!!!

Choi Su-won took a big step back.

“Sorry.”

Jake Bohr on the mound took off his hat and apologized with a face that wasn’t sorry at all. It was a matter of course. Where is this? Isn’t this the Land of Eastern Etiquette? A senior can’t just do whatever he wants just because a junior is a little disrespectful.

Choi Su-won also nodded his head, saying it was okay with a face that wasn’t okay at all.

It wasn’t a lie.

It wasn’t okay yet, but it was about to be okay.

So like this.

-Clang!!!

The dragonfly nets in the outfield were busy again.