The Pitcher Just Hits Home Runs Well [EN]: Chapter 24

“Hey, Suwon. But won’t spinning like that mess with your batting average?”

Two days left until the league starts.

Senior Gyuhyuk, who was subtly adjusting his form following my advice, expressed his doubt.

“Senior, you’ve been practicing so much, isn’t it a bit late to be wondering about that?”

“No, Jinwoo asked for my help earlier today. So, I just stood at the plate and watched the ball, but it felt a bit tight. Like, if it’s a breaking ball or a slider, I’d just swing and miss.”

“Yeah, that’s probably true.”

Indeed, an extreme pull-hitting full swing is a bit weak against nasty breaking balls.

“Aren’t you agreeing with me a little too casually?”

“No, but Senior, why would you even think about hitting those kinds of breaking balls in the first place?”

“Why would I think about hitting them? Well…”

“Of course, a hitter who can hit every ball the pitcher throws? That’s great. But you know it’s realistically impossible.”

A hitter waiting for a fastball hits a changeup?

This isn’t some Japanese baseball manga; it’s absolutely impossible. Of course, I did it once against a pitcher from Pungcheon High not too long ago. But that’s only possible because a top-class major leaguer was facing a high schooler. I wouldn’t be able to do that against a proper major leaguer.

Of course, Greg Maddux, a legendary pitcher from back in the day, said that Tony Gwynn could do that even in the major leagues, but whatever. I’ll concede that it might have been possible in their era.

Back then, Randy Johnson, one of the league’s best fastball pitchers, had a top speed of 102 mph and an average speed of 95-97 mph for the season. But now, in 2025? The league’s average speed is 94.4 mph, and in 2034, when I entered the majors, the league’s average speed was a whopping 95.1 mph.

In this situation, a hitter waiting for a fastball hits a changeup? I guarantee that even Tony Gwynn wouldn’t be able to do it.

“Besides, Senior, you know that just making contact with the ball doesn’t guarantee a hit.”

“That’s true. But that’s why Coach Seo Minwoo emphasizes hitting to the opposite field. To send the ball where there are as few fielders as possible.”

“Of course, if someone can do that, it’s great. But as I’ve said many times, that’s not the only answer. Home runs are also an answer, and hitting the ball so hard that the fielders can’t field it properly is also an answer. Ultimately, it’s important to find what works best for you. In that sense, Senior…”

“Yeah, the balls I hit to right field are a bit weak. That’s why I was thinking of doing wrist strengthening exercises.”

I felt a bit frustrated with Senior Gyuhyuk’s attitude. But I also understood where he was coming from. I know that Senior is going to fail if he keeps focusing on hitting to the opposite field, but from his perspective, that’s not the case.

“Senior, and honestly, let’s be blunt, your goal is to go pro, right?”

“That’s right.”

“Then it doesn’t matter if you can’t hit breaking balls that well. There aren’t as many pitchers in our region who throw breaking balls as you’re worried about.”

“Hey, why do you say there aren’t any? What about Baek Hamin’s slider, and Yang Minwoo and Kang Sejun throw their curves really well.”

“Yes, there are exactly three of them. So, let’s say you strike out against those three a few times, and then you just crush the rest. Besides, with the pitch count limited to 105, they can’t throw all day. And more importantly, it’s not like those guys only throw breaking balls.”

From the start, it’s rare for a hitter to hit a good pitch thrown by a pitcher of similar skill. There’s a reason why a .300 batting average is considered the standard for a successful hitter. If you don’t miss the mistakes, you can at least be called a good hitter.

“Well… that’s true.”

“Alright, alright, let’s stop chatting and start training. We have a game the day after tomorrow, so we should train hard today and rest a bit tomorrow.”

***

Subject-based classrooms.

Well, it’s a good system. Originally, the higher-ups in Korea tend to admire America, and they thought the subject-based classroom system implemented in America was great, so they created this system.

Of course, in reality, it’s just English and math classes divided by skill level.

Anyway, it’s no surprise that I’m in Class C. The lowest level class. Most of our baseball team members, who are usually scattered in different classes, run into each other here. But Jo Yujin, who says she has a lot to learn from the principal’s speeches, is the only one from the baseball team in Class A.

Anyway, today’s fourth period was math based on skill level, and as always, I moved to the next classroom to wait for class.

“Long time no see.”

“Huh?”

Long, straight hair.

A small face with delicate features. Clear skin and a slender body with long limbs. A rare beauty.

“What, don’t you remember? We took classes together last year too. It was English instead of math back then, though.”

“Ah, sorry. I tend to erase things that happened in class from my head pretty quickly.”

“What are you talking about?”

The way she giggled and playfully nudged my arm clearly meant she was interested in me. If I were the real seventeen-year-old Choi Suwon, my face would be red and I wouldn’t know what to do.

But as far as I remember, I didn’t have any sweet moments during my high school years. It was just home, school, and training every day, and it stayed that way until graduation. The only thing that’s changed is my fame.

Of course, I was called a potential first-round draft pick back then, but that was just something that spread among the people around me who knew about baseball. But now, my name is on the public TV news, and scouts from the KBO [Korean Baseball Organization], as well as foreigners, are camped out at school every day, so the level of fame is different.

So, do I feel uncomfortable that this girl approached me because of my fame? Not really.

Of course, some people say they want to meet a partner who loves them for who they are, not for their wealth or abilities, but I don’t know. I think fame, abilities, and wealth are all part of who I am. Just like that girl’s pretty face is part of who she is.

“I’m Park Eun-jin from Class 3.”

Wait a minute. Park Eun-jin? That name sounds familiar.

Ah!!

“An idol trainee?”

“You knew? I thought you weren’t interested in that kind of thing at all.”

“A friend of mine mentioned it a few times recently. By the way, Eun-jin, you’re in Class C too? I don’t think I’ve seen you before?”

“I haven’t been able to come to school much. I’ve been busy with work lately. And your baseball team usually sits together. I think there are a lot of people you don’t know, not just me.”

“That’s true for the unremarkable ones. But I usually remember someone as pretty as you.”

“What. Are you hitting on me right now?”

“Not really. Just stating a fact?”

“Oh, whatever.”

The baseball team members, who would normally flock over and sit near me, hesitated and sat far away. Well, if they had any sense, they wouldn’t interfere in this situation.

The conversation with Park Eun-jin was quite enjoyable. It couldn’t be helped, since a girl as pretty as her was openly interested in me and laughed at everything I said. Unless I was a eunuch, I couldn’t help but feel good.

As we chatted, class time passed by very quickly.

Class content?

Math has always been the same whether you listen to the class or not. I wonder if there’s something wrong with the subject itself from the beginning?

Anyway, that’s that.

***

The importance of the second half of the high school baseball weekend league is very low.

The reason is simple. The qualification for the King of Champions tournament in both the first and second halves is determined solely by the results of the first half of the weekend league.

At first glance, it seems extremely unreasonable. After all, the King of Champions tournament in the second half is held after the league games in the second half are over. However, the seed for the King of Champions tournament in the second half is given to the winning team of the first half, not the winning team of the second half league, and even if you win the King of Champions tournament in the second half, you often can’t participate in the King of Champions tournament in the second half.

“It’s because of college entrance exams.”

“College entrance exams?”

“Yeah, to get into college, you need a certain level of official tournament records. But if there are fierce battles in both the first and second halves, the games will inevitably focus on the main players, so they put the King of Champions tournament in the first half and tell them to take it easy in the second half, using players who weren’t used in the first half. Well, that’s the idea.”

“Then, isn’t it a bit meaningless to come out and scout like this now?”

I asked for someone to be assigned to me because there were many games to watch in Seoul and a lot of work to do, but the front office sent a complete newbie to high school baseball, and my anger boiled from the pit of my stomach.

But Manager Kim is already a six-year veteran in this industry. These days, Z generation employees quit if they’re even slightly unhappy, and even someone as seemingly clueless as this guy is hard to find. Manager Kim carefully managed his rising anger and answered kindly with a smile.

“The records remain. Home run king, ERA [Earned Run Average] king, MVP [Most Valuable Player], best pitcher, things like that. So, the kids who are aiming for the top of the draft, not just the mediocre ones, grit their teeth and run.”

“Ah!! I see. So, Choi Suwon too?”

“Yeah, and more importantly, in the first half of the league, when the King of Champions tournament was at stake, the team had to win at all costs, so they kept giving Choi Suwon walks, but in the second half, there’s no reason to do that.”

The newbie nodded.

“Ah!! There’s Choi Suwon coming out.”

His profile says 190 cm and 85 kg.

But profiles aren’t strictly measured and are based on the information provided by the person, so you can’t just blindly believe them.

The same was true for Choi Suwon. When he was playing in the first half of the league, he seemed to be about 190 cm tall without spikes, but his weight seemed to be far below that.

But now.

Choi Suwon’s body, lightly tapping his helmet at the plate, felt much larger than what was stated in his profile.

-Gulp.

And Manager Kim wasn’t the only one who felt it.

A heavy tension silenced the stadium.

A tight tension and anticipation that was hard to believe for a high school game, even a second-half league game that wasn’t very important.

-Clang!!!

And Choi Suwon, standing at the plate, did not betray people’s expectations.

High school baseball second-half weekend league.

Choi Suwon, a sophomore at Junang High School, 5 games, 17 plate appearances, 7 at-bats, 6 hits (3 home runs, 1 double), 9 walks, 1 sacrifice fly, .857/.938/2.286

Choi Suwon literally exploded the league.

***

“What? His season OPS [On-Base Plus Slugging] is 2.286? Even for a high schooler, that doesn’t make sense.”

“No…”

“Right? You misspoke and meant 1.286, right?”

“It’s not that, his slugging percentage is 2.286, not his OPS.”

A moment of silence.

“Hey, is it possible that our team will be last place this year?”

“If we keep doing what we’ve been doing?”