The Pitcher Just Hits Home Runs Well [EN]: Chapter 57

57. The Monster Rookie (3)

Sato Hiroshi visibly faltered after Choi Su-won’s solo home run.

That much was clear.

His pitches, which had been relentlessly targeting the outside corner, started coming right down the middle. The problem was, he was a left-handed pitcher capable of throwing up to 154 km/h. The scoreboard read 153 km/h.

-Thwack!!

Jeong Byeong-cheol, the team’s cleanup hitter, mistimed his swing, resulting in a high fly ball that didn’t escape the shortstop’s glove.

Out.

And Jo Gyu-chan took to the mound.

The best left-handed pitcher in Korean high school baseball.

Although he seemed a bit lacking compared to the opposing team’s starter, a lefty who could throw up to 154 km/h today, it was hard to deny he was a good pitcher.

-Thwack!!

Since the mid-2010s, Japanese baseball had embraced the fastball revolution from Major League Baseball. The league’s average speed, which was around 141 km/h in the 2010s, had increased to 148 km/h by 2025, proving the trend.

So, what about the hitters? By now, batting theories had also adopted those of Major League Baseball. But surprisingly, this happened later than in Korea.

It was because of Suzuki Ichiro, the second player in history to win both Rookie of the Year and MVP simultaneously.

He was a once-in-a-lifetime genius, but also a man who stood in stark opposition to modern baseball theory.

In the early 21st century, while American baseball was developing and Korean hitters were following suit, Japanese batting was filled with people who emulated Suzuki Ichiro.

Of course, Japan had also accepted the theory that breaking through shifts required faster and harder hits, not just precise bat control, but it takes a long time for a technique to be accepted and refined by a group.

Just as Korea belatedly embraced the fastball revolution and still hasn’t reached the same speeds as the United States or Japan, Japanese hitters still hadn’t completely shaken off the remnants of Suzuki Ichiro’s legacy, even after a considerable amount of time.

The batter’s contact wasn’t bad.

But he lacked power. Baseball isn’t a sport that ends just by hitting the ball with a bat. The probability of a ball hit by a bat becoming a hit is, on average, only about 30%. Although it varies depending on the quality of the hit, ground balls have only about a 20% chance of becoming a hit.

The hits the batters produced couldn’t break through the infield.

“He’s not as good as Hiroshi, but he’s a pretty tricky pitcher. His pitches have a lot of movement.”

Infield hit, double play, infield groundout – three up, three down.

And the leadoff hitter for the Korean team in the top of the 2nd inning was Jo Gyu-hyeok, the 5th batter.

He had recorded 1 hit in 4 at-bats in the previous game against Australia. Considering that the Korean team scored 13 runs in 7 innings in that game, it was a poor batting performance for a cleanup hitter.

Rumors were already circulating among the team members.

That he was only picked because he was friends with Choi Su-won after having one good tournament, or that even that one good tournament was thanks to Choi Su-won. Things like that.

Those were stories that he couldn’t help but hear. Even Park Jin-gyeong, who shared a room with him, didn’t even talk to him properly.

So, Jo Gyu-hyeok just gripped his bat.

Sato Hiroshi on the mound threw the ball.

-Bang!!

“Strike!”

Having regained his composure after being shaken by Choi Su-won’s home run, he threw a 153 km/h pitch just off the outside corner.

Jo Gyu-hyeok’s eyes widened. It was a pitch hard to believe came from a high schooler.

The second pitch.

Almost the same location.

This time, Jo Gyu-hyeok’s bat followed the incoming ball.

-Thwack!!

A tingling pain went through his glove and into his palm. He ran towards first base with all his might. But it was too late. The third baseman easily caught the ball that came straight to him and threw it to first base.

“Out!!”

It was a two-seamer.

How stupid. Su-won told me to watch out for the two-seamer. Jo Gyu-hyeok frowned as he returned to the dugout.

The guys who were gathered in small groups glanced at him. They didn’t say anything special. But their eyes criticized him.

The game continued.

***

Jo Gyu-chan was a good pitcher.

Thinking back to the things that happened before my regression, it was hard to see his ceiling as major league level, but if he had played baseball in the United States, he would have definitely been able to set foot in the majors.

But the Japanese national team had also carefully selected their players.

Considering their unique tradition of not sending proper players to the U-18 tournament because they were participating in Koshien [National High School Baseball Championship], this Japanese national team, with the starters from the spring Koshien winning team and the semi-finalist team, was arguably the best ever.

After safely getting through one round of at-bats, the second time around.

The frequency of Jo Gyu-chan’s pitches being connected for hits gradually increased.

And in the 6th inning.

-Crack!!

The hit flew past the center fielder’s head and landed on the warning track in front of the fence. Kim Tae-yun quickly ran and threw the ball, but in the meantime, both the runner on second base and the runner on third base safely made it home.

“Su-won.”

“Yes.”

Fifteen pitches in the bullpen.

It still felt a little lacking, but I walked onto the mound.

I noticed people in the stands whispering.

“Isn’t that the designated hitter who hit a home run a little while ago?”

“No way. All Asians look the same, so you must be confused.”

“No, his body is different. He’s the only tall guy on that team.”

“I’m telling you, it’s not him.”

Well, everyone in Korea knows that I’m a two-way player, but it must have been an unexpected sight for the people who came to watch the game in this town.

Is it because it’s an international competition?

The stadium announcer gave a brief introduction about me. When he said that I was the hitter who had hit two home runs in the previous at-bats, the murmuring in the stands grew even louder. It was a rare sight to see a designated hitter who had hit two home runs in the at-bats going to the mound as a relief pitcher, so it was only natural.

It wasn’t as hot as in Korea, but it was still August. The temperature was already over 32 degrees Celsius. My body was warmed up enough. The Japanese team’s batter came up to the plate. A dark face with a buzz cut. Just an ordinary high school student.

One out, runners on 1st and 3rd.

I made a big windup.

And the runner on first base, not missing that timing, quickly ran towards second base.

I wasn’t flustered. I had already prepared for that possibility when winding up with a runner on base.

The ball flew from my fingertips. A fastball with all my strength.

The batter at the plate swung his bat.

-Whoosh!!

-Bang!!!

Jeong Byeong-cheol’s right hand quickly pulled out the ball. And as he slammed his right knee onto the ground, he quickly threw the ball towards second base. It was the same knee shot that caught Jo Yu-jin in the semi-final game.

-Bang!!!

“Out!!!”

From one out, runners on 1st and 3rd, to two outs, runner on 3rd in an instant.

To be honest, Jo Yu-jin was more comfortable when it came to catching or blocking, but seeing this, I thought that Jeong Byeong-cheol was the No. 1 catcher for a reason. I gave Jeong Byeong-cheol a thumbs up. He smiled awkwardly.

The second fastball.

I had been trying hard to revive the feeling from the day I pitched a no-hitter, but it wasn’t easy. But it’s okay. A fastball is a powerful weapon in itself.

It’s just a high school level international competition. A pitcher who throws 156 km/h is good enough if he can just put the ball in the strike zone.

-Thwack!!

The jammed hit weakly went straight to the second baseman.

A clean force out at first base.

On the way back to the dugout.

Jeong Byeong-cheol tapped my butt with his mitt.

“Nice ball.”

“Nice stolen base attempt.”

Was he in a good mood because of my answer? Jeong Byeong-cheol grinned. Well, he wasn’t a bad person, whether it was when we were playing on the national team or when we were playing professionally. The line between his people and those who weren’t was a bit clear, but at least he always considered the people on the same team as his people. Honestly, that’s a very good personality for a professional athlete.

“The ball was just good. I always thought Gyu-chan’s ball was fast, but it definitely feels different.”

“Hey, it’s only a 4 or 5 km difference.”

“No, the number on the scoreboard is about that much, but it feels much faster. I was wondering if it was just from the batter’s box, but after catching your ball today, I’m sure of it. Honestly, if it was Gyu-chan’s ball just now, it would have been hard to stop the stolen base.”

“Is that so?”

“That’s right. Oh, right. But this story is a secret from everyone else. Gyu-chan is a bit sensitive, so he’ll get discouraged if he hears this kind of story. He’s already feeling down after giving up a run and coming down from the mound.”

When I was playing as a hitter in the majors, I honestly didn’t understand when our starting pitcher would get upset after pitching 5.1 innings and allowing 2 runs. Of course, if the team was losing, I could understand. But why would he be upset if the hitters scored more runs but he gave up a few runs? I don’t think I was like that when I was pitching in high school.

Wrong thought, memory error. I understand now that I’m pitching again. Regardless of the team’s victory, I feel very bad about giving up a run, or even just allowing a hit.

A hitter succeeds if he gets on base 3 out of 10 times. That’s why hitters have no choice but to get used to losing. But pitchers are different. It’s too hard to think, ‘If I get hit 3 times or less out of 10 pitches, it’s not bad’ when I go up to the mound. Every time I go up, I always think, ‘Perfect game today? If that’s broken, then a no-hitter? If that’s broken, then a shutout? Well, I should at least have a quality start plus?’

So, even though the score on the scoreboard was 7:2, I could fully understand Jo Gyu-chan’s feelings.

“You have to prepare without even resting. Are you going to be okay?”

“Yes, well, I haven’t even thrown that many yet.”

Standing in the on-deck circle, I looked at the pitcher on the mound.

Of course, the pitcher on the mound now wasn’t Sato Hiroshi. He had maintained his composure and led the game very calmly despite allowing me a solo home run in the 1st inning. But it was impossible to maintain that composure after allowing another two-run home run in the 3rd inning.

-Crack!!

Kang Chang-wook, the 2nd batter, hit a long hit against the Japanese team’s second pitcher, Kimura Ren. An easy two-run hit.

The Japanese dugout moved.

And a pitcher named Nakamura Saburo went up to the mound. Yeah, it’s Nakamura after all. It would be disappointing if there wasn’t a Nakamura on a team representing Japan.

A left-handed pitcher who throws up to 158 km/h.

He was a kind of protagonist who often appears in Japanese manga, leading a weak team to Koshien. As you can see, he didn’t go every year. He went to Koshien last year when he was a sophomore, but I heard he failed this year.

He should have been the starting pitcher tomorrow or the day after, but it seemed like Japan was in a hurry. That’s because it’s 7:2 in the top of the 7th inning. No outs, runner on 2nd base. If they give up 5 more points, it’s a cold game [mercy rule], and being cold-gamed in a Korea-Japan match is probably the scenario they want to avoid the most.

The pitcher on the mound moved.

Set position.

A fastball came flying.

It was faster than Sato Hiroshi’s pitch, even though he threw it from a set position. Maybe around 154? And the course was a low inside course. It was a good pitch. It was probably a pitch that could work even at the professional level, so it was almost invincible at the high school level.

-Thwack!!

The only problem was that I really like low inside pitches.

A clean two-run home run that directly hit the upper part of Albany Stadium’s outfield.

Unfortunately, the distance was still not enough to fly to Andromeda. But it was okay. Although my hit didn’t go to Andromeda, the mentality of the Japanese national team that my home run shattered would have visited Andromeda instead.

9:2

And the 8th inning didn’t come.