The Pitcher Just Hits Home Runs Well [EN]: Chapter 221

“Gyu-hyeok hyung!! Long time no see? I couldn’t reach you lately, but you finally made it up here.”

“Yeah, I got lucky. But hey, the reason you couldn’t reach me is because you’ve been busy. Don’t try to subtly blame me. You’re hard to get in touch with for almost everyone, not just me.”

“Haha, I’ve been a bit swamped lately.”

“Yeah, you even missed Byeong-yeong’s treat. Jin-woo was really disappointed.”

“I heard about it from Jjoyu. I heard Byeong-yeong hyung finally got drafted.”

“Yeah, that guy is something else… Oh, right. Su-won, are you uncomfortable with Ahn Byeong-yeong at all?”

“No. I mean, I don’t have any reason to be anymore. If anything, Byeong-yeong hyung might be the one who feels uncomfortable around me.”

“Well, things are very different now. No, rather than different, it’s more like you were being considerate back then.”

In the real world, it’s not easy for the bullied to succeed more than the bully. Especially bullying in school, which is often about establishing dominance, and it’s not just about physical strength. No matter how strong you are, you can’t ignore factors like academic ability or parental wealth.

But sports and arts are a bit different. Hierarchy is usually clearly divided by age, and it’s not easy to overturn that. So, there’s a bit of a custom of excluding those who rise above, but strictly speaking, what Ahn Byeong-yeong did to me ignored that custom. I was unnecessarily nice and accommodated him. Honestly, nothing has changed, but the fact that the team dynamics shifted in an instant just by changing my mindset proves it.

“Anyway, Byeong-yeong hyung must have suffered a lot for the past two years. There aren’t even ten people who got early entry into university this time, right?”

“Yeah, Byeong-yeong is ranked about third among them.”

“6th round? Right?”

“Yeah. Griffins.”

“I heard their team culture is undergoing a major overhaul, focusing on senior-junior relationships. I don’t know if Byeong-yeong hyung will be able to adapt well.”

“Byeong-yeong has changed a lot too. Honestly, he was too young back then. It’s not enough to brush it off with that excuse, but people do change when they go through hardship.”

“Oh, man, Gyu-hyeok hyung. We’ve been talking about Byeong-yeong hyung for so long, time flew by. How about grabbing a bite to eat after the game?”

“I’d love to. But are you sure you’re okay with that? Honestly, I feel bad talking like this before your start today.”

“Hey, it’s nothing like that. Besides, it’s you and me, hyung. The pride of Joongang High. World Series runner-up members.”

It’s amazing how much two guys can talk about.

It was fun catching up with Gyu-hyeok hyung after so long.

“Yeah, that happened too. Anyway, let’s see each other after the game. Oh, you know today is my debut game in the first team, right? Please go easy on me. Huh?”

“We’ll see.”

***

[Blades vs. Marines. Marines vs. Blades. The final two-game series of the season. Marines with a magic number of 3 (the number of wins they need to secure a playoff spot). And the Blaze’s head-to-head match, where even if they win all the remaining games, they can’t advance to the fall baseball season on their own.]

[And one more thing. Choi Su-won’s challenge for 61 home runs is also a very important attraction. The most home runs in Asia, already tied with the 60 set by Vladimir Balentien in 2013. I’m curious to see if Choi Su-won will break that record in today’s game.]

[Commissioner Park Dong-shik, how do you predict the possibility?]

[Well, Choi Su-won’s batting hasn’t been very good in the recent games he’s started. It’s probably difficult to focus on both. But still, it’s Choi Su-won. I think we can fully expect it from the Marines’ attack in the top of the first inning.]

Standing in the on-deck circle, I briefly recalled my conversation with William Washington.

“There’s nothing wrong with the ball, right? I was worried that there might be something wrong with the reason I got a grand slam in the last game, but I’m glad.”

“You were worried about that? Swan, what do you think is the reason for getting a grand slam?”

“Well, my control was a bit off that day. Wasn’t there a problem with my mindset too? Kang-ho hyung’s been in good shape lately, so the tough competition turned into a walk, which was a bit much. It might have been better to throw it head-on. And after Kang-ho hyung got on base like that, the next batter was Ju-won hyung… And when I think about it, I was really unlucky. The opponent happened to be the Dolphins on that day. That senior is a bit weak against high fastballs, but he still managed to hit it over.”

“Wait, wait. Let’s change the question. You don’t hit a home run in every at-bat. So what’s the reason for that?”

“Ah…”

Perhaps because my expression alone was enough to answer the question?

William smiled.

“Yeah, that’s it.”

Why don’t I hit a home run in every at-bat?

From the beginning, that question was wrong. There’s no such reason in the world. It would be strange if I hit a home run in every at-bat.

So, the reason I got a grand slam is also the wrong question.

What pitcher in the world doesn’t give up a grand slam? A legendary pitcher even gave up two grand slams against one batter in one inning.

I was thinking about an answer to a question that had no answer, so it was inevitable that no answer would come out.

– Thwack!!!

Huh?

Leadoff hitter Lee Jung-hoon cleanly pulled the ball.

The ball is even stretching out. A fly ball that flew almost to the fence on the left field.

Lee Jung-hoon safely reached second base.

Today’s starter for the Blaze is Ki Hee-cheol.

He is the most promising local starter for the Blaze, recording an ERA [Earned Run Average, a measure of pitching performance] of 3.47 this season. It’s like Han Myung-hoon, our team’s most winning local pitcher last season, but he feels a little better.

“Hey, no, why is a pitcher pulling the batting order like that? You need to focus on pitching. Huh? Your recent performance has been a bit shaky. Isn’t your ERA now in the 3s?”

Kim Seung-jin, who is particularly talkative among the catchers, like he was during the All-Star game, spoke first.

“It’s still 2.88. I’m going to drop it back to 2.7 today.”

“I guess it’s because you’re still young? You have ambitious dreams.”

“Shouldn’t you have big dreams from the start?”

Ki Hee-cheol on the mound prepared to pitch.

A ball that runs far outside.

But even so, it wasn’t just trying to run away, but a ball in the range that could be argued to have been trying to have a difficult match.

– Wham!!

The referee’s hand did not go up.

Was it thanks to the Marines fans who came all the way to the away game?

Instead, boos from the stands rang out loudly.

“If you’re going to walk me because first base is empty, just do an intentional walk. It’ll be boring for the people watching.”

“With the current atmosphere, what kind of terrorism would I be subjected to if I intentionally walked you?”

“Don’t you get terrorized even if it’s not an intentional walk, but just a walk?”

“I don’t know. I heard that Korean baseball culture has matured a lot. I heard that a walk is okay?”

Second.

Similarly, a ball that runs away to the outside.

– Wham!!

Of course, the referee’s hand did not go up this time either.

The boos in the stands grew louder.

And this was not just because of the Marines fans.

Ki Hee-cheol’s expression on the mound was greatly distorted. It’s natural. There aren’t many pitchers who can tolerate being booed at home.

“I’ll throw a fastball as the first pitch in hyung’s at-bat, so let’s have a cool match. How about it? Deal?”

“Hey, how can that be a deal? We’re already having a hard time because of our performance these days, so you guys who have some leeway should give in a little.”

“We still have to beat Japan, right? We have to write a new Asian home run record.”

“That’s a Dutch person? And no matter how I think about it, it’s a bit much to be the subject of a new record? If possible, I hope you’ll bear with it today. I hope you’ll write it in the next series?”

“Well, even if I bear with it today, why the next series? There’s also tomorrow.”

Third.

It came.

Perhaps he was aiming for a ball that would fall to the outside.

But was it because his mentality was shaken by the huge boos? No, maybe it was just a simple mistake. There can’t be a pitcher who throws every ball exactly as he aims. Pitching is originally about trying to throw inside, but it sometimes goes outside.

Anyway, a pretty full course on the outside.

But rather than 걸쳤다 [geolchyeotda, meaning ‘on the border line’ or ‘grazed’] on the border line, it was a little more inside than that.

It was a good ball.

– Thwack!!

A good ball to hit.

The spinning ball stretched out. It was the same with Lee Jung-hoon’s batted ball earlier, but the ball that Ki Hee-cheol threw today feels like it stretches out when you hit it.

[He hit it!! A huge hit!! Keep going!! Keep stretching out!!]

[Wow, this is really big, isn’t it?]

I knew it the moment I hit it.

A ball that will definitely go over.

Ki Hee-cheol stared blankly at the batted ball.

[A ball that goes over the fence!! More!! It stretches out a little more!!]

[Home run number 61!! Home run number 61, breaking the Asian record!!]

The top of the outfield.

Colorful butterfly nets moved frantically.

Number 61.

Yeah, well, it’s a home run ball that has its own meaning as it breaks the Asian record. I don’t know who will pick it up, but I should sign it after the game.

Slowly turning first base to second base.

In the meantime, Lee Jung-hoon had already entered home.

‘Huh?’

The commotion in the outfield did not subside easily.

No, it feels like it’s getting a little more noisy. Could there be a fight over the home run ball?

[Oh my gosh!! The ball went over the stadium!! It went over the stadium!!]

[Choi Su-won’s 61st home run fell outside the stadium!! An outside-the-park home run!! It’s an outside-the-park home run!!]

[Wow, Choi Su-won. I always feel this, but should I say he was born with it? He always shows a figure that far exceeds expectations at every important moment. To be honest, I didn’t expect much from his batting because he was playing as a starter today, but it’s amazing that he broke his 61st home run out of the blue. It’s really special that he recorded this meaningful home run as an outside-the-park home run. It’s really special, just like when he broke the Korean record.]

[Some spectators are now running out of the stadium to catch the home run ball. Oh, that could get too chaotic and dangerous. It seems that proper control by the staff is needed.]

Past third base to home.

This time, the Marines players rushed out.

Yeah, 61st home run.

It’s meaningful.

Because it’s breaking the Asian record.

“I’m starting today [referring to his pitching debut].”

But the celebration was enough at the 57th home run.

The teammates who had rushed out in excitement stopped reaching out their hands at my words that I was starting today. And in the meantime, Kim Seung-jin subtly stuck to me and said a word.

“Hey, you promised to throw a fastball as the first pitch later, right?”

“······.”

The game continued.

***

[An outside-the-park two-run home run at the plate. And 2 innings without runs on the mound. Last year, a rookie would have made such a performance. I think I would have been treated like a crazy person if I said that, but I am sometimes surprised that this is so trivial now.]

[Haha, me too. Wow, I wonder how there can be such a player in the world.]

[The current score is 3:0. Bottom of the 3rd inning. Choi Su-won is on the mound.]