The Pitcher Just Hits Home Runs Well [EN]: Chapter 213

213. New Record (9)

A young man, surrounded by a sea of bug nets, gripped a baseball and let out a triumphant roar.

[Choi Soo-won hits his 55th home run of the season!! A towering shot that clears the fence with ease!!]

[Wow, this player defies description. He’s simply incredible. The word ‘amazing’ doesn’t even begin to do him justice.]

[Bottom of the 4th, the score is now 0-2. Still one out, no runners on base. The Marines are leading by two points.]

[Jake Bauer is pitching exceptionally well today, but it’s still a challenge.]

The game pressed on.

Did that second home run have an effect?

Jake Bauer seemed to lose his composure.

-Clang!!!

Noh Hyung-wook smacked a double.

Followed by a walk from Lee Gyu-man.

One out, runners on first and second.

Saul Lopez strode to the plate. So far this season, he’s batting .263/.317/.411, a far cry from the performance typically expected of a foreign hitter. Some Marines fans have even started calling for his immediate replacement.

However, within the team, Saul Lopez was highly valued. His ability to play both infield and outfield positions at an average or above-average level made him a valuable utility player for the Marines. Nevertheless, Saul Lopez felt uneasy.

His contract renewal was looming.

Fan sentiment, of course, doesn’t dictate contract renewals. But considering the Marines’ needs after Choi Soo-won, the “monster,” departs next year, it’s clear whether they’ll prioritize offense or defense.

Should he return to the States and try to break into the majors again?

This season, Saul Lopez’s salary is $300,000.

Plus an apartment and living expenses. He had a brief stint in the majors, but it’s difficult to earn this much unless you’re a regular player.

Three years.

Yeah, if he could save the money he’s already accumulated and play here for three more years, he could save enough to buy a decent farm back home, right?

The $1.7 million pitcher on the mound glanced at him.

He was a tricky pitcher, but not unbeatable.

Jake Bauer was a typical minor league standout, posting impressive numbers in the lower leagues but underperforming in the majors.

On the other hand, Saul Lopez himself was a major league-caliber hitter, albeit limited by circumstances. He had exhausted his minor league options and been designated for assignment [DFA’d, removed from the 40-man roster] twice, but based on his current skills alone, he could still be a fringe 40-man roster player, hoping for a major league call-up depending on the team’s needs.

Above all, Jake Bauer was visibly rattled after giving up two consecutive home runs to Choi Soo-won.

Saul Lopez glared at Jake Bauer on the mound.

He was determined to capitalize on this opportunity and extend his time here.

Yeah, what couldn’t he hit?

Even comparing their major league careers, Saul Lopez’s was far more accomplished. The only advantages Jake Bauer had were his slightly older age and the fact that he had come to Korea earlier because of it.

Jake Bauer frowned at the intense look.

Saul Lopez was pleased to see that. Jake Bauer was already shaken. There was no harm in adding to his emotional distress.

First pitch.

A 91-mile fastball.

Not particularly fast, but the location was perfect. Right on the outside corner.

-Thwack!!

“Strike!”

Had the guy who was just shaken suddenly regained his composure? No way…

Second pitch.

Similar location.

But definitely more inside.

-Clang!!!

Saul Lopez connected with the ball.

It was a two-seamer [a type of fastball with slight horizontal movement].

Almost no difference in speed.

But it dropped a little more and cut in a little more sharply. The full force of the swing wasn’t transferred to the ball. A ground ball to the first base side.

Fortunately, the direction of the hit wasn’t terrible.

Maybe either the batter-runner or the first base runner could reach base safely and avoid a double play. Yeah, if only the first base runner wasn’t Lee Gyu-man, the slowest runner in the league.

In a typical situation, the first baseman who fields the ball would throw to second, and the second baseman would relay the throw to the pitcher covering first, attempting a double play.

But today, Elitz did something different.

[The first baseman fields the ball and throws directly to the pitcher!! Jake Bauer makes a great play covering first!! Jake Bauer throws to second!!]

[Lee Gyu-man!! Tries to retreat to first, but it’s too late.]

“Out!!”

[Double play!! The inning is over.]

[It’s rare to see the batter-runner forced out before the lead runner.]

[That’s right. Let me briefly explain this for those who might not know. In baseball, you have to yield to the runner behind you. So in this case, Lee Gyu-man was forced to advance to second. If the ball arrives at second before he does, he’s out even without being tagged. And if they throw to first again, the batter is out without being tagged. But if they force out at first, as they did just now, they have to tag the runner at second. Besides, the runner advancing to second is naturally much faster than the batter running to first.]

[But Elitz’s decision was excellent. Considering Saul Lopez’s speed and Lee Gyu-man’s lack thereof, a 3-4-1 double play [first baseman to second baseman to pitcher] might have been possible, but I think 3-1-4 [first baseman to pitcher to second baseman] was the safer play in this situation.]

Jake Bauer spat on the ground.

“Saul, was it? When in Rome, do as the Romans do. You need to learn some respect for your seniors now that you’re in Korea.”

“What?”

“And learn Korean quickly. It’s been half a year, and you still can’t understand this much. Tsk.”

A truly bizarre scene: two Americans meeting, with one American speaking to the other in Korean that he couldn’t understand.

Even the content was absurd.

When in Rome, do as the Romans do.

Could there be another place in the world where this saying is used as forcefully as in Korea?

Jake Bauer, too, had used it as a simple saying to respect cultural diversity when he was in the States. But in Korea, the meaning and usage of this phrase were completely different.

And Jake Bauer genuinely liked this saying. Yeah, when in Rome, do as the Romans do. When in Korea, follow Korean customs.

Bottom of the 4th.

The score is 0-2.

Jake Bauer, 34 years old.

The arrogant gaze that Saul Lopez, three years his junior, had given him had reinvigorated him after giving up two home runs.

This was truly delightful for Choi Soo-won.

***

93 pitches.

That was the number of pitches Diego Rodriguez had thrown when he finished the top of the 5th.

He had been a bullpen pitcher until two years ago.

Last year was the first time he played a full season as a starter.

And with two or three more chances to start, he’s already pitched more innings than last year.

“What should we do, Manager?”

“What do you mean, what should we do? Just tell the bullpen to warm up.”

The Marines’ bullpen had become very strong thanks to the trade with the Braves at the beginning of the season. But that was only true for their high-leverage relievers [the most reliable relievers used in critical game situations].

Clearly, the Marines’ bullpen ERA [Earned Run Average, a measure of pitching performance] was 3.43, second in the league. But if you exclude the must-win group of Park Jae-hyuk, Go Seol-min, and Tae Ji-wan, the ERA skyrockets to 5.17. It was an undeniable, overwhelming last place in the league.

‘If only they had given up 1, 2, or even 3, 4 more points…’

Even though they were winning 0-2, he couldn’t relax. Even though their opponent was Elitz, who hadn’t been performing well recently due to a losing streak.

But he couldn’t use the high-leverage relievers because they were visibly tired from their recent consecutive appearances.

Jake Bauer on the mound continued his strong pitching.

Elitz’s at-bats were lengthy, while the Marines’ at-bats ended quickly.

-Clang!!

First pitch, infield fly out.

‘Is Seo Kyung-joon thirty-five now? His bat speed definitely can’t keep up…’

And then Lee Joo-hyuk’s at-bat.

He was a player who competed with Jo Yu-jin for the top one or two spots on the team in terms of athleticism.

However, while Jo Yu-jin’s unorthodox batting stance made you wonder, ‘How does he get hits and even home runs with that form?’, Lee Joo-hyuk’s powerful stance gave you the expectation that he could be a big hitter if he ever broke out.

Of course, the problem was that it always remained just an expectation.

His defense was still shaky, but sometimes he got lucky with a hit, but his offense always promised something that never seemed to materialize.

And that was the case again today.

Two powerful swings and a miss.

And

-Thwack!!

“Strike!! Out!!”

A clean called strikeout.

“Ugh, he swings at every bad pitch and just watches the good pitches go by. Does he not see the ball at all, whether he’s fielding or batting?”

“That’s… plausible?”

Bottom of the 5th.

Only four pitches and two outs.

And Jo Yu-jin came to the plate.

His unique form of sticking out his upper body was truly comical.

But the Marines fans watching the game knew. That guy has the potential to hit it over the fence with that form.

He’s only nineteen years old.

He’s overshadowed by the monster Choi Soo-won, but he’s a monster in his own right.

And

-Clang!!

A routine ground ball to the shortstop.

However, Jo Yu-jin demonstrated his excellent speed by being thrown out by only a step.

With only 49 pitches thrown at the end of the 5th.

It was the epitome of efficiency.

A shutout wasn’t out of the question.

Marines manager Kim Dae-cheol swallowed his disappointment.

‘No, if he had played on our team, he would never have been able to pitch like that. And his ERA would probably have gone up by at least one point, right?’

6th inning.

Saul Lopez, who had finally surpassed 100 pitches, finally gave up a home run.

-Clang!!!

Elitz’s leadoff hitter Kang So-gu hit a towering home run.

It was his second home run of the season.

Fortunately, it was a solo home run.

One out, no runners on base.

The score is now 1-2.

“Let’s bring Jae-young in now.”

“Yes.”

It was Kwak Jae-young, whose last start had been very successful.

But that didn’t mean they could have a six-man rotation in the KBO [Korean Baseball Organization], which plays six games a week. Kwak Jae-young, who had started pitching in relief, showed significant inconsistency, which was understandable considering his age and below-average velocity.

Diego Rodriguez, who was taken off the mound after pitching 5.1 innings and allowing only one run, didn’t look pleased.

‘Damn…’

Should I have pitched more efficiently?

But if I had, I might have given up more runs.

-Clang!!!

Yeah, like that…

It wasn’t an error.

But Noh Hyung-wook’s glove failed to secure the ball.

A double.

Followed by a walk.

One out, runners on first and second.

Jake Bauer in the Elitz dugout looked excited.

‘Please!! Let’s win just once. Huh?’

Was it because his prayer was answered?

Or was it because of Kwak Jae-young’s inexperience?

No, it was more likely because the ball was hit to Kang Ra-on, who was the Marines’ best defensive player, and Choi Soo-won’s fielding at first base today was much better than Lee Gyu-man’s.

Double play.

Inning ended without any further runs.

With the score at 1-2, and with second starter Diego Rodriguez, who had been effectively shutting down Elitz’s lineup, off the mound, the $1.7 million pitcher took the mound to pitch the sixth inning, hoping they might be able to mount a comeback today.

And bottom of the 6th.

The Marines’ lineup started with the number one hitter, and Choi Soo-won was the Marines’ number three hitter.