The Pitcher Just Hits Home Runs Well [EN]: Chapter 234

The Pitcher Just Hits Home Runs Well – Episode 234 (234/404)

234. After the Championship (7)

Burden.

Tension.

Though slightly different in nature, the pressure felt by the Phoenix and Marines players in today’s game was immense. Usually, these kinds of emotions stiffen people, preventing them from performing to their usual ability.

Later, Mr. A, one of the players who contributed to the chaotic nature of today’s game, recalled that day like this:

“Of course, I sometimes made mistakes even on normal days, but it wasn’t to that extent. That day… how can I describe it? It was like the atmosphere pervading the entire stadium? It was as if I was under a spell.”

***

Bottom of the 8th inning.

The Marines’ attack started with the third batter, Noh Hyung-wook. If Choi Soo-won were to get another at-bat, at least two runners had to get on base by the bottom of the 9th.

Therefore, Noh Hyung-wook felt a significant sense of responsibility. Excluding Choi Soo-won, Noh Hyung-wook was arguably the best hitter on the Marines.

It was very common for Marines players for great pressure to lead to failure. No, in fact, it wasn’t just a Marines thing. It was very common for many elite athletes, even those who left significant marks in the league, to perform below their usual level due to pressure.

But today, Noh Hyung-wook was different.

-Clang!!

The well-struck hit barely cleared the second baseman’s head, and Noh Hyung-wook safely landed on first base.

“Hey, take it easy. Whether we win or lose, we’re already in first place anyway. It would be nice to have a comfortable postseason together.”

“Senior, five years ago, you were sprinkling red pepper flakes [a symbolic gesture of protest or encouragement] at the end of a game and said that we should always do our best for the fans and not be too disappointed.”

“Ahem… Did I say that?”

“Yes.”

“Ah, I remember. You were a Dragons player, right? But the Dragons were a team that often made it to the postseason anyway. And I was young back then, so I was full of energy. I didn’t know much.”

“Senior, you were thirty-seven back then…”

Chae Gwang-min subtly avoided eye contact.

Meanwhile, the fourth batter, Lee Gyu-man, stepped up to the plate.

A bizarre home game befitting the Chickollasico rivalry [a portmanteau of “chicken” and “clasico,” referring to a heated rivalry between teams, often with a humorous or self-deprecating tone].

Choi Soo-won’s home run record.

A match that would determine Phoenix’s 3rd and 4th place.

Thanks to so many names involved, many people had temporarily forgotten.

[Unless there are any special variables, this will be Lee Gyu-man’s last at-bat of the regular season.]

It wasn’t just about the 2027 season.

This at-bat was the last game and the last at-bat of the regular season for Lee Gyu-man, who had been playing for 23 seasons in the KBO [Korean Baseball Organization] alone.

He had already toured other teams’ stadiums as part of a retirement tour, receiving various commemorative events and souvenirs.

But at this moment, the fans who came to Sajik Stadium gave him the most magnificent gift he had never received at any other stadium.

It started with the cheering squad leader.

A very old Lee Gyu-man’s cheering song that is no longer used. And in the midst of it, the cheering squad leader took off his hat and bowed deeply to Lee Gyu-man. It was reminiscent of Lee Gyu-man in his prime, unsure how to react to the cheers pouring out for him, walking back onto the field and bowing to the fans.

It was a surprise gift from the cheering team to Lee Gyu-man, who had been with the Marines for a long time. And that was the beginning.

He probably could have gone to Japan.

Or he could have advanced to MLB [Major League Baseball].

At the very least, he could have gone to another team that gave him more money than the Marines as a free agent, and even if that wasn’t the case, he could have gone to a team that could win with a similar amount of money.

But even so, he stayed with the Marines.

He apologized every year for not winning the championship and said he would show a better performance next year. He was cursed the most for hitting into double plays, and he was cursed again for having a narrow defensive range due to his slow feet.

That’s how 23 years passed.

It’s a really long time. If you think about 23 years ago, it was before the smartphone that everyone has in their hands now was even born, and the TVs in the living room were not the sleek shape they are now, but the cathode-ray tubes with fat backs were the trend.

A long time for a college graduate to join a company, get promoted, finally become a manager, and even aim for an executive position.

Yes, for that long time, the numerous fans gathered at Sajik Stadium bowed their heads along with their cheering squad leader, took off their hats, and some gave generous applause to that old star who had been wearing the same uniform and swinging his bat in the same position.

And in that hot send-off, Lee Gyu-man prepared for his at-bat.

In the same posture he had maintained for 23 years.

The pitcher on the mound was Seo Gyu-tak.

He was 21 years old this year and was a left-handed fastball pitcher who competed for the overall 1st and 2nd picks two years ago with Choi Gyu-hyuk, who was traded from the Marines to the Braves. His highest speed this season is 149km/h. It’s still fast, although it’s decreased by about 2km/h compared to his high school days.

When walking out from the waiting batter’s box, Lee Gyu-man was clearly a 23-year veteran, an old batter who was 42 years old this year. He was still big, but he couldn’t find the same elasticity and solidity as before, and compared to Chae Gwang-min, who was still performing well this year, he was a woefully inadequate batter, and considering the decline in his skills, it was only natural to retire.

Yes, it certainly would have been.

Someone who loved romance called it a miracle. That a 42-year-old batter had returned to being the best hitter of all time, which no one in his prime could deny, for that one moment.

Also, someone who liked rationality said that it was because the pitcher was overwhelmed by the atmosphere and made a mistake by putting the ball right in the middle.

And a certain man who was experiencing a real miracle understood it like this.

That’s what stardom is.

The regular season ending his 23-year career, his last at-bat.

And the many fans who loved him showed him generous respect. How much pressure he must have felt, and how much tension it must have brought.

-Clang!!!

Lee Gyu-man’s bat slammed into Seo Gyu-tak’s first pitch.

Simply and beautifully.

The high-flying ball soared quickly.

One arm falling off the bat first, a follow-through quite different from Choi Soo-won’s. Lee Gyu-man threw the bat in a cool manner.

The ball continued to stretch out.

Yes, as if free from gravity.

Noh Hyung-wook, who was running quickly towards second base, slowed down. There was no need to run fast. Second base and third base. And finally, Noh Hyung-wook, who arrived at home, clapped his hands like many fans in the stadium.

Lee Gyu-man slowly circled the ground.

Perhaps the place where he had spent the most time in his life, Sajik’s first base.

Second base, which now felt so far away.

Third base, where he had once worn a glove, but could never reach with a hit.

And home.

Many players ran out to congratulate him.

Bottom of the 8th inning of the Chickollasico.

It was very late, as the score of 13:11 suggests. Applause poured out from the stadium and from the many people outside the stadium who were still sitting without going home.

It was the most perfect last at-bat.

“Sigh… But wait a minute. Isn’t this screwed up?”

“What?”

“No, we just came from behind.”

“What kind of nonsense is that? It’s a two-run home run, so of course we came from behind.”

“No, I mean. The game ends in the top of the 9th now.”

“Ah…”

The game continued.

Out, out, and walk.

Bottom of the 8th, two outs, runner on first.

The eighth batter, Lee Joo-hyuk, stood at the plate with a very heavy burden.

The score is 13:11.

If he gets out here… and Phoenix fails to score any additional points in the top of the 9th, Choi Soo-won’s last chance will disappear.

‘Why does it have to be my turn…’

In the previous at-bat.

Lee Jung-hoon, who had drawn a walk, was annoyingly hateful.

‘No. Lee Joo-hyuk!! You can do it.’

He shook his head a few times and focused on the plate.

The ball left the pitcher’s hand and flew.

Overwhelming concentration. A desperate desire not to end the attack here.

Lee Joo-hyuk’s bat moved.

-Clang!!!

[First pitch!! He hit it!!! To the right-center!! A high-flying ball!! Lee Joo-hyuk!!]

It was a very big hit.

So big that the center fielder in the right position had to step back about ten more steps.

“Ah, Lee Joo-hyuk, really!! The pitcher is shaking right now, and he just swings at the first pitch?”

A clean fly out.

Phoenix’s ninth offensive chance came.

“What should we do?”

“…”

It was a difficult choice.

Should we do our best to win here? Or should we give Phoenix a chance? No, why did Gyu-man hit a home run there… Of course, Soo-won has already set a record that is more than enough to be called a great record. But there is a clear difference in weight between a tie record and a new record.

“What do you mean what to do? We have to put Jae-hyuk up. He rested yesterday.”

“Yes.”

You get cursed no matter what you choose here. Then it’s right to take the game.

‘Criticism is momentary, but records are eternal.’

It’s even more so when you think about the evaluation that a certain famous manager who left this famous saying is receiving now.

[Ah, Park Jae-hyuk is on the mound. Park Jae-hyuk is coming up. He’s a closer who recorded the second-best ERA [Earned Run Average, a measure of pitching performance] in the league this season with an ERA of 1.90.]

[Manager Kim Dae-cheol is showing a strong will to end the game like this.]

The atmosphere in the stadium was strange.

Park Jae-hyuk, who came to the mound, also felt it.

The last inning of the last game of the season. It’s even a home game in a situation where the team is winning. Moreover, it was a situation where they were finishing this season as the regular season champions for the first time in the club’s history.

‘Ah… This is driving me crazy.’

What the fans watching the game wanted was clear.

Giving up a run.

Even the cheering from the cheering squad leader and cheerleaders is not very enthusiastic. Yes, they are also people, so they want to see the 74th home run. It’s a natural thing. Even he himself came up here calculating how much his ERA would increase if he gave up 2 points here.

‘No, but no matter what, suddenly going to 2.14 here is a bit much…’

He couldn’t raise his ERA, which he had barely kept in the 1-point range by throwing hard for a total of 66.1 innings this season, to the 2-point range. Moreover, he is a free agent at the end of this year. It was absolutely impossible.

First pitch.

A 148.7km/h cutter [a type of fastball that breaks slightly].

-Clang!!!

The batter attacked the first pitch.

The saying that you should attack the first pitch of a changed pitcher was like a kind of maxim, but unfortunately, it didn’t fit in the current situation.

A clean ground ball out.

-Ah…

It was hard to specify who it was. A sigh full of the regret of so many people that it was hard to count echoed in the stadium.

“It’s okay. It’s okay. The attack starts from the top of the order now.”

Someone wearing a Marines uniform muttered.

Yes, there is a world of difference between the Phoenix’s top and bottom of the order’s offensive power. Surely the top of the order would…

-Clang!!!

Infield fly out.

Two outs with just two balls.

At that moment, he shouted loudly at the batter without realizing it.

“Hey!!! Can’t you get your mind right?”

“That’s right!! Huh? Why are all the batters just swinging at the first pitch?”