The Pitcher Just Hits Home Runs Well [EN]: Chapter 377

377. The Batter Just Throws Well (3)

“What are you guys talking about?”

“Oh, just briefly discussing today’s pitching repertoire.”

Anthony approached cautiously, likely because of his earlier error.

“Gutiérrez made the ground a bit dirty, didn’t he?”

“Huh? Yeah… I didn’t expect the ball to bounce like that there. But now I know, so trust me from now on!”

“Oh, don’t worry. I trust you completely and will send the ball your way like a storm.”

I was a little annoyed, but I tried my best to hide it and act like it didn’t bother me. Of course, he probably knew I was annoyed anyway. But the important thing at this point was that I tried to hide it despite that. Most starting pitchers are crazy, so this alone makes me a saint. And Anthony knew that very well.

“Here. This.”

“Oh, thanks.”

He handed me a pitcher’s jacket.

Ah, I was assigned the 9th batting order today. It was the manager’s intention to minimize the burden on my hitting since I was starting. Trout went in as the 2nd batter instead of me, Dennis Martinez as 4th, and Aaron Judge as 5th.

[Now, David Steele is on the mound for the Dodgers. David Steele is up.]

[He only had three days of rest, but pitching after three days of rest in a big game like the World Series is something a super ace like David Steele has to handle. Especially when the team is in a slightly unfavorable situation with a series score of 2:1 like now.]

[Yes, that’s right. Moreover, David Steele. In the first game, he gave up a whopping 8 runs in 4.1 innings and came down from the mound early. He didn’t have that many pitches.]

[That’s right. David Steele personally wants to make up for it. And in my opinion, putting Steele as the starter in this fourth game means they’re planning to use Steele again if it goes to the seventh game. On the other hand, the Yankees are giving their players a full four days of rest. Especially Gerrit Cole, who will be pitching in the sixth game in this order, will be coming up after five days of rest.]

[The team with more leeway wants to win for sure without variables. On the other hand, the team that’s chasing has no choice but to squeeze everything they can.]

[So, will that squeezed-out strategy be the right answer? David Steele is getting ready to pitch.]

-Whoosh!!!

David Steele’s splitter drew a swing and a miss from Dennis Martinez.

Following fastball. And another fastball. Last changeup.

“Strike! Out!”

A clean strikeout.

Dennis stepped away from the plate with a slightly rough demeanor.

“Damn it.”

“Is he a bit tricky?”

“Very. The fastball timing is too dirty. But if you focus too much on that, the changeup comes in dirty too.”

I had a brief conversation with Dennis, who returned to the dugout.

I knew he was in good condition today, as he struck out two and forced a ground out against Anthony, Mike, and Tyler in the top of the first, but Dennis’s reaction made it seem even better than I thought.

-Whoosh!!!

“Strike! Out!!!”

Aaron Judge strikes out swinging.

This is getting difficult; the first game was relatively easy.

But isn’t it normal for the Dodgers’ super ace to falter in the World Series? Clayton Kershaw did, and I remember David Steele always collapsing in the World Series in the original timeline…

-Thwack!!!

Austin Battle touched the ball. Yes, he didn’t hit it, he just touched it. The high fly ball didn’t leave the infield.

Three up, three down, following the top of the first.

I had barely caught my breath when it was my turn again. I felt a little frustrated. Why can’t they hit that? It’s a bit tricky, but it doesn’t seem like they can’t hit it at all. I guess they’re a bit suppressed by the momentum because of yesterday’s defeat.

Well, that’s fine.

First, I’ll block this inning well, and if I can open a path in the next inning, we can ride the momentum and come back to life.

Bottom of the 2nd inning.

I went back to the mound.

***

-Hoo…

Three large Asian men watching the game simultaneously took a deep breath they had been holding in.

“Wow… this is crazy, isn’t it?”

“Yeah… Gyu-man, are you close to him?”

“No, I only saw him briefly during spring training. And since I’m a coach in the minors now, I don’t really have any acquaintance with him. But why?”

“No, I just thought if you were close, I’d like to take a picture with him later. Wow… a pitcher who won the NL Cy Young [National League Cy Young Award, given to the best pitcher in the National League] is different. Hey, Jjo-yu. What do you think?”

“Well, one or two out of ten?”

“Don’t talk nonsense. What do you mean two when a guy hits .200 in the KBO [Korean Baseball Organization]? But how did the Yankees players score 8 runs in 4.1 innings in the first game? Even if Su-won came out as the 2nd batter and shook things up a bit, this doesn’t make sense.”

“I don’t know. I didn’t watch the first game in person. But David doesn’t always pitch like that. It seems like today is a day when he’s really on.”

“It looks like it won’t be easy for Su-won today.”

A super ace aiming for two consecutive Cy Young Awards is really on today.

The way David Steele is pitching shows exactly that. You can see why the starting pitcher is important in a short-term series without having to say it.

[Now, Diego Vegas is at the plate. Diego Vegas is up.]

“Wow, he’s really big, isn’t he? He looks almost bigger than Gyu-man?”

“Yeah, he’s almost 2 meters tall and weighs about 130 kilograms [approx. 287 lbs].”

“He only weighs that much? He looks bigger than Gyu-man?”

“That’s his weight on the profile. He probably weighs more than that. Anyway, I personally think he’s the scariest hitter on the Dodgers right now.”

“More than Mookie Betts or Ohtani?”

“Yeah, he’s big, but his body is flexible. He doesn’t try to hit home runs, but it feels like he just taps it and it goes over. That’s why the Dodgers are stubbornly bringing him as a first baseman even though he can’t play defense well. I heard there was even talk internally about making Ohtani play some outfield defense and giving Vegas the designated hitter slot.”

“Huh? Wait a minute. The way you’re describing him, it sounds like you, Gyu-man?”

“Hey, I’m different. I was originally a third baseman. There were few players who could play first base as well as I did.”

“No, not the defense, the hitting mechanism.”

“Ah, well, if it’s that, there’s a similar feeling. But his wrist strength is much better than mine. He takes a more concise swing. Anyway, watch carefully. Your styles are completely different, but you can learn from it.”

Lee Gyu-man was a legendary hitter in the KBO. Yes, at least in terms of hitting, he’s one of the best in KBO history. That’s the hitting that such a player praises.

Jo Yu-jin and Lee Jeong-hoon both focused on the game. The broadcasting camera was also capturing the reactions of Jo Yu-jin and Lee Jeong-hoon.

-Whoosh!!!

“Strike!!!”

A high fastball inside on the first pitch.

Diego Vegas swung and missed at the 101.5 mph pitch.

“Su-won’s location was really good.”

And the second.

A changeup that goes far outside.

-Poof!!!

Diego Vegas’s bat didn’t move.

“Did it slip out of his hand a bit?”

“No, I think he engraved in the hitter’s mind that I have a changeup.”

“But why pull it out so far?”

“Yes, the ball itself lacks power, so it’s a bit dangerous to put it in the zone.”

The third.

Again, a high course digging into the body.

-Whoosh!!!

“Strike!!!”

It was a curveball.

1-2 count.

“Wow, that’s really good? Even compared to David Steele’s ball…”

“No, even so, that’s a bit much.”

“Really? Am I too biased?”

The fourth.

A low course inside.

A fast ball coming in below the knee.

-Thwack!!!

The ball went over the infield stands net.

“Wow, he’s really strong like you said, *sunbae* [senior/mentor].”

“His body is also very flexible, right?”

“Yes, but it seems like it would have been a ball if he had just left it alone. Is his eye a bit lacking?”

“No, the umpire is being generous with low balls today. He was confident he could get it out.”

And the fifth.

Just a fastball.

-Thwack!!

No, a very fast ball.

The ball floated very high.

Choi Su-won, who threw the ball, took three steps back.

And a clean catch.

Infield fly out.

The number 103.7 was engraved on the scoreboard.

“……”

“……”

“……”

A moment of silence.

The camera director thought, capturing that silence very vividly. Maybe this is the most interesting scene of today’s game.

“*Sunbae*, you said he’s a very good hitter.”

“It’s 103.7. But wait a minute. What is 103.7 in kilometers? I suddenly can’t calculate it.”

“If 103.7 is multiplied by 1.61. So… 167…”

167km/h

“Crazy… Hey, what was Su-won’s highest speed originally?”

“Twice in the middle of the season? He threw up to 166.”

“Ah, really? Then it’s about 1km/h renewal? Wow, I suddenly felt dizzy when I heard 167. If it was originally 166, then what…”

“No, but it’s only the top of the 2nd inning in November.”

Whether Diego Vegas was a good hitter or not was far from their interest.

167km/h

Of course, speed is not everything for a pitcher.

But overwhelming speed sometimes overwhelms everything. And the speed of 103.7 mph was enough to be included in the category of ‘overwhelming’.

“Hey, isn’t 103.7 miles an Asian record?”

“That’s right? Sasaki Roki was probably 103.4 miles…”

“Ha, crazy. Crazy.”

Choi Su-won looked at the number 103.7 he had created for a moment. And then, as if nothing had happened, he prepared for the next batter.

The ball that started from the catcher went around the infield and back into Su-won’s glove.

And why?

Something bubbly rose in Jo Yu-jin’s chest. Yes, it was a similar feeling to when the Marines’ fall baseball elimination was decided two months ago.

“*Sunbae*, you have to be really good at baseball to come to the majors, right?”

“Of course. Why? Do you want to come to the majors too, Jjo-yu?”

“No, just. Well…”

“Yes, there’s no reason why you can’t come, Jjo-yu. But to do that, you have to break the .210 wall next year. If you break it by .001 every year, it’ll be .280 by the time you’re a free agent. You can aim for it then.”

“……”

Jo Yu-jin closed her mouth.

And Choi Su-won blocked the Dodgers’ attack in the bottom of the 2nd inning with three up, three down.

The game continued.