The Pitcher Just Hits Home Runs Well [EN]: Chapter 246

The Pitcher Is Just Good at Hitting Home Runs – Episode 246

246. Korean Series (11)

Watching that massive foul homerun, Manager Park Yu-seong was startled as if he had been splashed with cold water.

‘What on earth was I thinking?’

Risk?

Taking a risk means meticulously calculating what you stand to lose if you fail and what you stand to gain if you succeed before jumping in. Blindly shouting ‘Let’s go!’ isn’t risk-taking; it’s gambling.

And Manager Park Yu-seong realized that what he was about to do was exactly that, ‘gambling.’ And he could see that the result of that gamble would lead to a truly terrible destruction.

Let’s think about it logically.

Pitcher Choi Su-won versus batter Choi Su-won.

Which one is scarier?

Avoiding a showdown with batter Choi Su-won with the bases loaded and giving up 2 runs to pitcher Choi Su-won, versus facing batter Choi Su-won head-on with the bases loaded and giving up 1 run to pitcher Choi Su-won. Which one is more difficult? The answer was obvious.

If Choi Su-won’s batting sense is at its peak, it’s the time to unconditionally call for an intentional walk, bases loaded or not.

Why? Didn’t someone say it before?

Brent Mayne, the next batter after Barry Bonds, is a good player, but he’s not Bonds or Jeff Kent. The same goes. Noh Hyeong-wook was a good player, but he’s not Choi Su-won or Lee Gyu-man in his prime. Yeah, that’s all there is to it.

However, the sticking point is that today’s game is the Korean Series.

Even worse, it’s the bottom of the 6th inning with the score 0:0.

An automatic intentional walk is too much of a burden.

‘Yao-xun, sorry, but let’s share the load a bit.’

Somewhat complex signals went back and forth. Among the fake signals, which one was the real signal, and more fake signals. And the real signal, and more fake signals.

Jang Yao-xun sighed quietly.

‘That bastard of a manager. He finally came to his senses.’

Honestly, it would be better to just give an automatic intentional walk… But, well, the feeling fans get from trying to compete as tough as possible with the bases loaded before giving an intentional walk is different from giving up the match altogether. The pressure on the dugout will definitely be less. Of course, in return, the fans’ evaluation of Jang Yao-xun himself will be a bit harsh, but it’s better for him to receive hate comments since he can’t even read Korean anyway.

‘Manager, you’ll have to use your influence when it’s time to renew my contract.’

Second pitch.

Jang Yao-xun threw the ball.

***

There’s such a thing as a premonition.

It’s something like a feeling that can’t be explained by logic, not just a simple delusion, but something instinctive that a person who has done something for a long time derives from the big data accumulated in their body over a long period of time before reasoning, so the accuracy rate is quite high.

Ah, of course, considering that it’s already missed several times in today’s game alone, it’s because this Marines team harbors a huge ‘abyss’ that can’t be fathomed with just 30 years of baseball experience.

Anyway, based on that premonition, that guy over there has given up on the match. I can already feel the different resolve. If he had a desperate resolve to live or die when he threw the first pitch, now it feels like he’s relieved?

-Whoosh!!

A ball far out of the zone.

Of course, the umpire’s hand didn’t go up.

Ball count 1-1.

There were no boos from the audience. It seems they thought the previous ball was an attempt to compete, so they just thought this one missed.

But that was only because it ‘hadn’t’ come out yet.

-Whoosh!!

Second pitch.

This time, the ball also went quite far out.

Seeing that they’re not letting me out with an automatic intentional walk, it seems like they’re trying to save face by pretending to compete, but the fact that the ball is being thrown so far out is probably because I once connected a ball that was just outside the zone into a long hit?

-Wooooooo

Two consecutive balls out of the zone.

And quite far out. Naturally, boos echoed throughout Sajik Stadium.

But regardless.

Third pitch.

And the fourth.

I thought about swinging the bat to make a show of force, but I held back. Anyway, today is the Korean Series, and there was no reason to stop them from giving me a free point in a 0:0 situation.

[Ah, Jang Yao-xun’s walk pushes in a run!! The tight 0:0 game is broken here!! The score is 0:1!! The Marines take a 1-point lead.]

[Four consecutive balls outside the zone… This is, well, practically an intentional walk. Whether it was the dugout’s instruction or the pitcher’s will. It seems like they initially intended to compete, but their mind changed after seeing the foul homerun that almost hit the foul pole.]

[Certainly, facing Choi Su-won with the bases loaded is difficult.]

[Now, we need to keep an eye on Noh Hyeong-wook.]

Hyeong-wook’s expression as he followed me was peaceful.

When was it? Probably sometime shortly after the All-Star game, Hyeong-wook said something like this.

“I don’t even get angry anymore.”

“Pardon?”

“No, about you sending me out on a walk with the bases loaded. At first, I was like, how much are they looking down on me? Huh? Even if it’s me, Noh Hyeong-wook. They’re giving up a free point with the bases loaded just to face me instead of Choi Su-won? That’s what it felt like.”

Honestly, I wanted to tell him that it wasn’t disregard but just a cold, objective assessment, but as a proud young man of the Land of Eastern Etiquette [Korea], I couldn’t bring myself to be rude to someone over a decade older than me.

“You don’t have to make that face. I know you’re not looking down on me, but that you’re amazing. You probably want to say something like that, and your mouth is just itching to say it. Anyway, you need to go to the majors and learn the word ‘humility.’ Anyway, since you’re swinging the bat like a madman, I can kind of see why they might do that.”

“Haha…”

Even if I went to the majors, there wouldn’t be a pitcher who could teach me humility, but I just laughed awkwardly for now.

“I’m really curious. Honestly, when I look at you, I see the force of Gyu-man in his prime. As a true fan of batter Lee Gyu-man, I’m so curious about what would have happened if Gyu-man in his prime hadn’t stayed with the Marines and just went to the majors. I think seeing you might answer that question a little.”

Honestly, saying that he felt a similar force from me and Gyu-man was nonsense, but I understood it, thinking that fan sentiment is outside the realm of reason.

“Ah, of course, just because I’m not angry doesn’t mean I’ll just let it slide in those situations. Choi Geo-noh needs to come out often so you’ll have more chances to swing the bat.”

Hyeong-wook stepped up to the plate.

Would he be able to show Choi Geo-noh?

Jang Yao-xun on the mound wound up greatly.

A fastball.

Hyeong-wook swung the bat. The timing wasn’t bad. He must have erased the changeup from his mind and was only thinking about the sinker and slider.

-Clang!!!

But unfortunately, the timing was the only good thing.

A low launch angle.

I immediately ran to second base. The launch angle was low, but the speed of the hit was very fast, so there was a good chance it could break through the infield….

[Between 2nd and 3rd base!! A very fast hit!! Jang Chan-min!!!!!! Jang Chan-min’s great diving catch!! Jang Chan-min catches Noh Hyeong-wook’s hit, ending the Marines’ attack in the bottom of the 6th inning!! Commissioner Park Dong-sik, how did you see this inning?]

[The two surprise bunts were excellent attacks that caught everyone off guard. We have to praise the Marines’ dugout for this. However, even though it was a crisis situation where a large number of runs could have been scored, Jang Yao-xun did a great job of giving up only 1 run and overcoming the crisis. Honestly, it would have been difficult to make the decision to give up a point in a 0:0 situation, but he avoided Choi Su-won by even choosing a walk that pushed in a run, right? In conclusion, he finished the inning well without giving up any additional runs. As a result, ‘The Marines’ attack was threatening but not fatal, and the Braves avoided a fatal blow but still suffered some damage.’ That’s how I would evaluate it.]

[Yes, it has become slightly more advantageous for the Marines, but the game has not been decided. The Braves can still come back at any time. That’s how it’s interpreted.]

[As I’ve mentioned several times, pitcher Choi Su-won is not as overwhelming as batter Choi Su-won.]

Hyeong-wook’s hit not becoming a hit was just bad luck. Chan-min was still a good hitter even after his hamstring injury, but he was definitely not a good shortstop. The fact that Chan-min succeeded in a play that he would fail nine times out of ten could only be described as luck.

1:0.

I returned to the dugout, took off my helmet, and put on my cap.

My body was warm, probably because I had been running at full speed just now.

Top of the 7th inning.

The manager made eye contact with me.

He seemed encouraged by the two successful surprise bunts a little while ago, and he had a proud expression. And with a face full of that pride, he sent me a strong message with eyes that made him look like the greatest commander in the universe.

‘Su-won, I trust you.’

I grabbed my glove and walked to the mound.

According to the theories I’ve looked up, even if you strictly adhere to a 5-day rest routine during the season, a pitcher’s body doesn’t fully recover.

So, if you say that the maximum stamina at the beginning of the season is 100, that maximum gradually decreases over the course of the season, so that by the end of the season, you have a maximum stamina of about 85. So how can you restore this back to 100? The answer is simple.

Sufficient rest for the tissue to regenerate completely, that is, sufficient rest for more than two weeks.

The past 3 weeks.

Of course, it wasn’t a complete rest like in the off-season. If I rested like that, my body would stiffen instead of recovering. Proper conditioning was essential. So, strictly speaking, it’s hard to say that I’ve recovered all 100.

In numbers, maybe around 94?

The lead batter is Jang Chan-min, the lucky guy who just succeeded in a play that he would barely succeed in once out of ten attempts.

Chan-min stepped up to the plate with a firm determination to make the saying “Good offense follows good defense” a reality.

My body was still warm.

I didn’t need to pitch all 9 innings today. That’s what I was thinking when I threw balls over 160 [kilometers per hour] from the 1st inning.

So, just this inning.

With the feeling of pouring out all the remaining stamina.

-Whoosh!!!!

“Strike!!”

[First pitch!! Swinging strike!! The speed is 161.9!! 161.9 is recorded!!]

[Wow, that’s really amazing. No, he threw 100 miles from the top of the 1st inning, and he’s still throwing 100 miles now in the 7th inning. Even in a situation where he’s playing as a batter in today’s game. I really never thought I would see a player like this come out of Korea in my life!! And even see him playing for the Marines.]

[Since the number of pitches is still quite low at 82 even in the top of the 7th inning, it seems like he has some stamina left!!]

Chan-min smiled in disbelief after seeing the numbers on the scoreboard.

Second pitch.

-Clang!!!

A faster ball at 162.4 km/h.

Surprisingly, Chan-min’s bat followed it. Of course, it was pushed back. A foul ball falling into the infield stands.

Ball count 0-2.

I, who was throwing the ball, and Chan-min himself, who was preparing to hit, knew that Chan-min’s weakness was a changeup thrown by a pitcher who throws balls over 95 miles [approximately 153 kilometers per hour]. So Chan-min was probably keeping the changeup in mind.

Third pitch.

-Whoosh!!!

“Strike!! Out!!!”

[A fast… no, a slow changeup at 141km/h!! Swinging strikeout!! Choi Su-won’s three-pitch strikeout!!]

But originally, a weakness is a weakness because you can’t do anything about it, whether you keep it in mind or not. In the first place, a guy who is weak against balls over 95 miles is struggling to match his gears to a 100-mile ball, so there’s no way he can hit an 87-mile [140 kilometer per hour] changeup in that situation.

He struck out the strongest hitter on the Braves with three pitches and burned down the mound in the top of the 7th inning with the feeling of squeezing out all the remaining strength.

[Choi Su-won!! 7 innings, 2 hits, no runs allowed!!]

[‘Are the Braves afraid of the homerun king?’ Choi Su-won!! A walk that pushed in a run in the bottom of the 6th inning in a 0:0 situation!!]

[A winning streak!! The Marines’ great 2-game winning streak!!]

[A two-way player with both offense and defense. Choi Su-won playing baseball alone? The Marines’ somewhat unsettling 1:0 victory amidst Choi Su-won’s overwhelming performance.]

[Braves Manager Park Yu-seong ‘Choi Su-won is a difficult batter. I couldn’t order a bold match even with the bases loaded.’]