The Pitcher Just Hits Home Runs Well [EN]: Chapter 223

The Pitcher Just Hits Home Runs Well – Episode 223

223. A Great Record Beyond (6)

The hottest topic in Korean sports recently was, without a doubt, Choi Su-won’s home run record. In fact, this was a huge topic that went beyond just Korean sports and permeated all aspects of current affairs in Korea.

However, another topic was just as prominent: Choi Su-won’s potential move to the United States. And if he did go, which team would he join?

“He’s definitely going to the majors.”

“Eh, I’m not so sure. Do you think the Marlins will let him go?”

“Well, in this situation, if Choi Su-won wins the championship for the team and then expresses his desire to go to the U.S., it’ll be hard to refuse, right?”

“Public opinion is fleeting, but records are forever. Honestly, if they have Choi Su-won, they’re going to win the championship as long as he’s there. Do you think they’ll let him go then?”

“Maybe?”

Opinions were divided on whether the Marlins would release him.

“What do you mean, ‘maybe’? The posting [system for transferring players to foreign leagues] regulations changed at the end of the year before last. Choi Su-won was initially going to go to the majors, but he changed his mind and came to the KBO [Korean Baseball Organization]. So, logically, wouldn’t they have included something in the contract like, ‘The club will actively assist the player in advancing to the major leagues if he wishes to’?”

“They might have, but would they really help him leave after just one year?”

“I don’t know. But can’t you tell by the way the American teams are acting? I heard it’s crazy over there right now.”

Many believed that the activity in the United States was unusual. And that curiosity was shared among the players. Considering they might have to face that monster again next year, Choi Su-won’s move to the United States might be a more pressing issue for them than the home run record.

“Su-won said it’s not confirmed. Fifty-fifty?”

“Fifty-fifty? So there’s a 50% chance he’ll go? Are the Marlins really going to let him go?”

“Honestly, the Marlins haven’t really lost anything. They used the first overall pick in the first round and won the championship once, so they’re coming out ahead. And they’ll be able to recoup all the money they paid in signing bonuses with the posting fee, right?”

“But isn’t it not much because he’s an international prospect or something?”

“Even so, it’ll be about 10 billion won [approximately $7.5 million USD] with the signing bonus, right?”

“The scale is definitely different in the U.S.”

Su-won smiled as he watched the two people talking to each other, remaining silent.

“You should aim for that different scale too, senior.”

“Me? Nah, I didn’t even think I’d be able to go pro in the first place. Just being on the first team is more than enough for me. I don’t need such unrealistic goals. I’m going to aim to be a first-team regular.”

“You can definitely do it.”

“Then I’m already a first-team starter, so the majors!!”

Cho Yu-jin subtly changed his words when he saw Su-won’s brow furrow.

“I’m not aiming for it. I’m aiming to be able to play consistently in the first team…”

“Why? It’s good to have big dreams. Su-won-ah, what do you think of Jjo Yu’s chances of making it to the majors?”

“Well… more likely than the Marlins’ future or the Marlins’ new hope. More likely than winning Rookie of the Year this season.”

“Hey, Choi Su-won, why are you holding back again?”

“I’m not holding back, I just think it’s objectively a little more likely that you’ll go to the majors. Didn’t I tell you once? To study English. And if possible, study some Spanish too. Even if you don’t go to the U.S., most of the pitchers who come to Korea as foreign players can communicate easily if they only know those two languages.”

“Jjo Yu, Su-won seems to think highly of you?”

“No, but it’s not going to happen anyway. That guy hasn’t studied English or Spanish at all.”

“That’s because it’s too hard and busy with training during the season.”

“So you’re going to start studying right after the season ends?”

“I will!! I really will! Huh? Don’t be surprised later.”

Everyone meets on the pro first-team stage and plays games.

A slight bickering that takes place in a different atmosphere than in school days.

For Jo Gyu-hyeok, this moment feels like a dream.

***

“Is this a dream?”

“Unfortunately, it’s reality.”

“No, why is that crazy bastard doing this to me? We used to rest every other day.”

“That’s because it’s almost the end of the season…”

“No, I know it’s almost the end of the season, but he set a new record yesterday. So shouldn’t we start taking it easy now? Are we going to play baseball for just a day or two? And we still have the Korean Series left.”

“I guess so… Ah!! That’s right. But the Dolphins lost yesterday, so if they win today, they’ll clinch the championship, so maybe that’s why? It wouldn’t look good to miss a game that decides the regular season championship…”

“No, but it would look better if they did it at home.”

The oldest member of the Blaze.

The living history of the Blaze, who has been playing for the Blaze since 2012. 36 years old this year. Kim Seung-jin, who had to catch his pitches today, constantly soothed Lee Jin-myung’s constant grumbling.

“Seung-jin-ah, aren’t you close to Choi Su-won? Go tell him to take it easy today and do it properly at home tomorrow. It would look good to clinch the championship at home.”

“Ugh, I’m not close to him. Didn’t you see him throw a 162 km/h [approximately 100 mph] fastball at me yesterday? And even if we win today, if the Dolphins lose, they’ll just win the championship.”

“Ah, why do you have to say the right thing to annoy me!! Ugh, I don’t know. I’m completely screwed today, so you take care of it. If I get knocked out in the first inning after getting hit by two home runs, it’s all your fault.”

Kim Seung-jin mentally engraved the word “patience” several more times.

Yeah, this is nothing compared to the nagging of his girlfriend, who is eight years younger than him and who he recently started dating. And this senior is only like this on the days he pitches; he’s usually good to me.

Be patient, be patient.

The game started.

***

Top of the 1st inning.

His body was definitely heavy.

How much of a difference would it make to pitch 0.1 innings more or less? But he was starting to think that he should have only pitched 6 innings yesterday and stopped. Especially the stiffness in his right shoulder was considerable. No, how did Shohei Ohtani play games in this condition? He even had a tighter pitching schedule than me.

-Whoosh!!

“Strike!! Out!!!”

[5th pitch!! Lee Jin-myung’s exquisite changeup draws out Lee Jeong-hoon’s bat.]

“Why is that senior like that today? His condition is very good? It’s like he’s forgotten his age.”

“I know. His arm angle is quite high today?”

Lee Jeong-hoon was struck out.

He was trying to get on base somehow as the batter in front of me, trying to show off his unique cutting ability, but he was completely fooled by the changeup.

In Lee Jin-myung’s case, he threw the ball somewhere between three-quarters and sidearm, and his changeup is especially excellent. Excluding Phoenix’s Im Gwang-hyung, there is no pitcher in the entire league who can definitively say that his changeup is better than Lee Jin-myung’s.

Just now, it came in almost like a fastball, but it sank like magic, and Lee Jeong-hoon was bound to swing and miss.

“Hey, why did you come out again today? You set a new home run record yesterday, so you should take care of your body. If you push yourself so hard just because you’re young, you’ll get sick later.”

“Thank you for your concern. But everyone around me is telling me to strike while the iron is hot [take advantage of a favorable situation]. So I came to row a little [contribute].”

“Strike while the iron is hot? Our Jin-myung senior is in top form today. Did you see? His ball was really good. Anyway, since you came out like this, just get a strikeout and get replaced so you can rest for the rest of the game. I’m telling you this because I care about your body.”

“Senior’s consideration. I’m so touched. In that sense, please give me a fastball right down the middle. So I can hit it quickly and go rest.”

“Okay, watch carefully. A fastball right down the middle is coming?”

Lee Jin-myung on the mound wound up.

A fairly compact form.

It can be seen as a different type of sidearm from Seo Nam-hoon, who I faced yesterday.

The ball that left his hand flew to the outside low course.

A short time of 0.01 seconds.

It wasn’t a thought.

It was a judgment based on long experience.

It was slow.

Probably a changeup.

He stopped the moving bat.

-Bang!!!

“Strike!!”

[Outside low course!! A perfectly placed fastball!! Lee Jin-myung gets a first-pitch strike against Choi Su-won.]

“You too, I told you it was a fastball, but you didn’t believe me.”

“Is that the middle for you, senior?”

“Ah, sorry, sorry. I guess I didn’t tell you in advance that Senior Jin-myung has set his zero point here, so this is exactly the middle.”

“So, is there another fastball coming right down the middle?”

“Hey, one service is enough. How can you be so greedy and ask for two in a row?”

I wonder who’s being shameless.

The pitcher on the mound, like many pitchers, had a poker face. The iron mask created by long experience completely hides even his eyes, so I can’t read his mind at all.

I could feel an unknown charisma in his heavy gaze.

Anyway, I thought it was definitely a changeup, but it was a fastball.

Well, Lee Jin-myung’s speed has been gradually decreasing as he gets older, like other pitchers, and the speed that used to be around 140 km/h is now barely 135 km/h. His changeup comes out at around 128 km/h at its highest, so the difference is really small.

I engraved the timing from just now in my mind.

Second.

Exactly the same form as before. It’s the form that I engraved instead of the speed that dropped by nearly 10 km/h. That was the best that the pitcher Lee Jin-myung could show right now.

Low course.

A slightly different movement.

Considering Lee Jin-myung’s repertoire, which is virtually a two-pitch repertoire, it would be most likely to think of it as a changeup.

But I trusted Lee Jin-myung.

The reason why he can barely play as a 4th starter in the first team with a ball of about 135 km/h at that age is because his fastball and changeup are still good enough to completely fool the batters.

So this is definitely not a changeup.

I don’t know if it’s a two-seam, a sinker, or a slider. Anyway, this ball is not a ball that drops sharply, but rather a ball that drops less than that. And it was definitely a ball to deceive me by pretending to be a changeup to get a count.

The ball was so slow that I had plenty of time to think.

I swung the bat a beat late.

-Thwack!!!

I felt a tingling sensation in my hand.

The strongly pulled hit flew quickly towards the left fence.

‘It’s shallow.’

A little disappointment.

I guessed everything right, but the direction of the ball was a little lower than I thought. The spin on the ball was very low, so it didn’t seem to get the buoyancy properly.

I ran past first base and towards second base, consoling myself for not adding to the home run record. My body was heavy. And at that very moment.

-Waaaaaaaaah!!!

A tremendous roar erupted.

‘Huh?’

Season 63.

It was a very small, miniature home run that barely crossed the outfield fence, which was full of incomprehensible magical power that I didn’t even expect, and fell into the first row of the stands.