The Pitcher Just Hits Home Runs Well [EN]: Chapter 245

245. Korean Series (10)

Decisions are difficult. They come with responsibility. And when the future of not just oneself but countless others depends on that decision, it becomes even more difficult.

This was the current situation for Director Park Yu-seong.

Should he pull him, or leave him in?

If it were the regular season, there’d be no question. He’d definitely keep him in. In fact, rationally, he should still keep him in now. But what if he gives up a run? He could be seen as an idiot who doesn’t understand the nature of short-term games.

His stomach churned.

The KBO’s [Korean Baseball Organization] postseason, especially the Korean Series, is absolutely advantageous for the regular season’s top team. The near absence of series upsets proves this. There’s bound to be a difference in strength between a team that has battled through tournament matches up to at least the playoffs, or even the semi-playoffs or wild card game, and a team that has rested for three weeks.

The Braves were the same.

Thanks to Jo Chang-hyeok’s great pitching in Game 1, the bullpen got a bit of breathing room, but now it’s already the bottom of the 6th with one out, and he’s already activating the bullpen? And the must-win relievers at that? Is that really okay?

“Let’s take a breather.”

The easiest choice in such times is always to postpone the decision.

He took the Chinese interpreter, who had recently joined the team, and headed to the mound.

“It’s okay. Two consecutive surprise bunts were unexpected, but…”

Jang Yao-xun’s expression was calm.

He didn’t seem shaken. That’s a relief.

He even went beyond calmness and made this suggestion to Director Park Yu-seong.

“The next batter, Kang Ra-on, is a bit tricky… I think it would be better to pitch to him as aggressively as possible, even if it means giving up a walk. And if the bases are loaded, try to induce a double play from Lee Jeong-hun. Personally, I find it hard to imagine that guy hitting the ball to the outfield after those sinkers.”

Of course, that’s not to say that Lee Jeong-hun has no power at all. He occasionally hits doubles and produces three or four home runs in a season. But he’s statistically less likely to hit a home run than Kang Ra-on, who hits about ten home runs in a season. In today’s game, he also grounded into a double play and a ground ball in his previous at-bats.

Director Park Yu-seong nodded.

On the way back to the dugout.

“Director, will that be okay? Isn’t it too risky of a gamble…?”

“Coach Jo, the dynamic between the strong and the weak is always like that. The strong just need to steadily follow the safe, orthodox path. If they don’t make mistakes, they’ll naturally win. But what if such a strong team even succeeds with a surprise strategy? Hmph… From the weak’s perspective, there’s no answer. So the weak have to take risks. There’s nothing worse than losing without trying anything and just being mediocre.”

Director Park complimented himself, thinking it was quite a cool thing to say.

‘Hmm… That doesn’t sound quite right…’

Of course, the coach who followed him tilted his head, but that wasn’t a very important matter.

Kang Ra-on came to the plate.

It wasn’t an automatic intentional walk.

Very tricky pitches.

Kang Ra-on took some pitches, swung at others, and took some more.

With a count of 3-1, the fifth pitch was a little too far out of the zone.

Of course, the intention was to throw it on the borderline, but perhaps because he was thinking that it would be better to miss outside than to enter the zone in the worst case, it missed more than he initially intended.

-Bang!!

Of course, the umpire’s hand did not go up.

Bases loaded.

Lee Jeong-hun came to the plate.

Oh Gyu-hwan and his friend, who were holding Alexander McDowell’s signed balls in both hands, began to complain about Lee Jeong-hun in a bases-loaded situation with one out.

“Ah, it’s Lee Jeong-hun again here.”

“I know, Kang Ra-on should have done something at that timing.”

“No, they succeeded with surprise bunts twice in a row. He’s going to hit into a double play on the first pitch again.”

“Wouldn’t Kim Dae-cheol consider using a pinch hitter if he had any sense? It’s bases loaded with one out.”

“Who’s the pinch hitter? Kwon Hyeok-ju? Kim Hoon? Jeong Ji-un? Han Gyo-cheol? Hey. They’re all hopeless. The world knows that the Marines’ depth is thin, so who are they going to use as a pinch hitter? Lee Jeong-hun is better.”

“No, Kwon Hyeok-ju has a little more power, doesn’t he?”

“He does? Bullshit. Just pray that Lee Jeong-hun doesn’t hit into a double play… Hey, wait a minute.”

“Why? What is it?”

Through the previous two at-bats, Jang Yao-xun was convinced.

Lee Jeong-hun is a tricky hitter, but if you throw him a pitch he can hit, he swings the bat aggressively. And that bat doesn’t have the precision to properly hit Jang Yao-xun’s sinker, nor does it have the power to drive it out.

First pitch.

A sinker that wiggled blatantly over the middle of the plate. It was the pitch that had led to ground balls in both previous at-bats, resulting in a double play and a ground ball out.

There’s a saying.

Be careful of the third at-bat. In fact, hitters’ batting records increase dramatically from the third at-bat. It’s no coincidence that being a starter is a difficult position.

But to throw the same pitch to a hitter like Lee Jeong-hun for three consecutive at-bats?

Lee Jeong-hun gripped the bat tightly.

The conversation he had with Choi Su-won after grounding out in the previous at-bat flashed through his mind.

“Hey, Su-won. That sinker is really hopeless, isn’t it?”

“Senior, I’m the starting pitcher today.”

“Hey, you’re not the type to be sensitive or anything anyway. We’ve always talked like this, so why are you acting so new?”

“Well… I guess so.”

“Anyway, isn’t there a way? I mean, it’s definitely a hittable pitch, but strangely, the results aren’t good.”

“If it’s a hittable pitch but the results aren’t good, isn’t the answer obvious?”

“What is it?”

“That’s obviously…”

-Bang!!

“Strike!!!”

[First pitch, a fast sinker of 145.4km/h that curves slightly to the outside!! Lee Jeong-hun takes the pitch for a strike.]

“It pretends to be a hittable pitch, but it’s actually not a hittable pitch…”

Ball count 0-1.

Just standing still and watching a pitch, his posture was truly dignified, as if he had accomplished something great.

“Yeah!! You punk!! Huh? You can watch a pitch or two? Huh? But if you just take another strike like that, ah, Lee Jeong-hun, that bastard is really frustrating.”

“Dae-cheol!! Please do well. I’d rather bring a stone than have you. Are you comfortable just doing nothing and playing baseball of faith while taking that money?”

Of course, apart from that dignity, the reaction from the stands was not very good. Naturally, Lee Jeong-hun didn’t care about that reaction at all. In the first place, even if you hit a come-from-behind home run yesterday, you’ll get cursed at today if you ground into a double play. 11 years of experience is enough to not care about such things.

Second pitch.

The ball came flying.

After observing closely at the plate, the tailing action was definitely crazy. It has a different feel than what I saw in the video footage or in the on-deck circle.

Of course, the fact that he observed it means that of course…

-Bang!!

“Strike!!”

It means he didn’t swing the bat.

Ball count 0-2.

The angry spectators at Sajik Baseball Stadium poured out criticism towards Lee Jeong-hun, who had taken two strikes while standing blankly. This included resentment for grounding into a first-pitch double play and a first-pitch ground ball out in the previous at-bats.

However, Oh Gyu-hwan and his friend, who had been complaining as soon as Lee Jeong-hun came up, rather…

“Hey, Gyu-hwan. This could really be like you said?”

“That’s right. If Lee Jeong-hun just gets a clean strikeout here with a grand vision!!”

-Whoosh!!

“Strike!! Out!!”

[Ah, Lee Jeong-hun!! A swing and a miss here!!]

[Jang Yao-xun!! He gets through a crisis with a strikeout with runners on bases and one out.]

[Lee Jeong-hun doesn’t seem to be in good hitting condition today.]

[Well, but this has brought a really exciting situation for the Marines fans. In other words, it’s a really unpleasant scene for the Braves fans. Bottom of the 6th. 0:0 situation!! Two outs, bases loaded. Choi Su-won comes to the plate.]

[Choi Su-won, who has been playing as the starting pitcher today and has been scoreless for 6 innings so far. He had been walked intentionally in both of the previous two at-bats!! Finally, he has a chance to swing the bat.]

[Well, I don’t think there’s no chance that an automatic intentional walk will come out at this timing.]

[What? A bases-loaded intentional walk in the bottom of the 6th of the Korean Series with the score 0:0?]

[No, why are you so surprised? Honestly, if you just look at the probabilities, it might be cheaper to just stop it with 1 point here. Isn’t he a 74-home run hitter? He also hit a home run that virtually decided the game in the previous Game 1. At this point, you should honestly see him as out of the ordinary.]

The Braves’ dugout became a little noisy.

“Ah…”

Director Park Yu-seong, frowning at the throbbing stomach pain, let out a sigh from deep within his lungs without realizing it.

‘No, that’s why I said it was too risky of a gamble… If Lee Jeong-hun just doesn’t swing the bat, it’s two outs and bases loaded in Choi Su-won’s at-bat.’

Coach Jo, who had foreseen the future in his own way, suppressed his grumbling and whispered to Director Park Yu-seong.

“Director, what should we do?”

“What do you mean, what should we do!!”

“Then, just go with the original plan and walk him intentionally?”

“Coach Jo. Are you crazy? If you give up a run with an automatic intentional walk with bases loaded in the bottom of the 6th in the Korean Series with the score 0:0. Huh? How are you going to handle the aftermath? Send the ball mix according to the data that the analysis team analyzed for Choi Su-won.”

“Then, should we just keep Jang Yao-xun as the pitcher?”

“…”

Director Park Yu-seong frowned.

People are inherently designed to move in a direction that minimizes the use of their brains when they use their brains too much or are in extreme stress situations.

Director Park Yu-seong was the same now. What remained in his mind was the wonderful story he had told Coach Jo when he returned from visiting the mound a little while ago. Yes, the weak must take risks.

“Yes, the weak must take risks.”

Director Park Yu-seong nodded.

Bottom of the 6th.

Two outs, bases loaded.

Now it was Su-won’s turn.

“Hey, I gave it up with a grand decision.”

Anyway, he lightly ignored Lee Jeong-hun’s nonsense that Choi Su-won not hitting into a double play and striking out was a concession, and walked to the plate.

Automatic intentional walk?

Or a showdown?

In fact, it didn’t matter what it was.

The former was impactful enough, and Choi Su-won was confident that the latter would show something beyond that overflowing impact.

Jang Yao-xun on the mound bit his lower lip.

‘That old man is having a hard time in his later years.’

Before going back in time. In the original history, when he was playing on the same team as Choi Su-won, he still wore a KBO championship ring at the end and made quite a bit of money before retiring. But this time, you never know what will happen.

‘Well, if there are people who have been successful because I came back to this time, there must be people who are twisted a little, right? I can’t do everything for them one by one.’

[Ah, the sign from the dugout is not coming out!! Bottom of the 6th. 0:0. Two outs, bases loaded!! The Braves have decided to face Choi Su-won.]

The scent of Baseball wafted from Choi Su-won, who was at the plate.

‘Fucking hell…’

It was a scene that Jang Yao-xun really wanted to avoid.

But…

Jang Yao-xun gripped the baseball.

A ball that is slightly different from the CPBL’s [Chinese Professional Baseball League] official ball.

Yes, life is originally about facing the things you want to avoid the most.

First pitch.

The best sinker of 146.1km/h that curves into the body. It was a pitch thrown with gritted teeth.

-Clang!!

A huge foul ball narrowly brushed past the foul pole.