The Pitcher Just Hits Home Runs Well [EN]: Chapter 61

61. When Frustrated? (3)

When I first left the KBO [Korean Baseball Organization] and set foot in the Major League, the most shocking thing wasn’t the ridiculous pitches thrown by pitchers competing for the Cy Young Award [award given annually to the best pitchers in Major League Baseball]. I was already prepared for their pitches to be absurd. So, the thing that shocked me the most was the pitches thrown by the lower-tier pitchers.

When my batting cycle dipped, and I went hitless with one walk in five consecutive games against the opposing team’s 4th and 5th starters, it was truly mind-boggling. Back in Korea, if my batting cycle started to decline, I could always beat up on the lower-tier pitchers to regain my form, but that wasn’t possible here.

Eventually, I solved it by hiring a personal hitting coach and adopting the latest technology, but it was still a culture shock.

At the time, my personal hitting coach, Jackson, said:

“That’s only natural. The so-called top-tier pitchers in the KBO are just guys who played mop-up in the Majors. They gave up because they didn’t see any possibility of moving up. Frankly, there isn’t anyone in the Majors who is worse than them.”

So, the real fear I felt in the Big Leagues wasn’t the few top players, but the fact that even the guys at the bottom were KBO All-Star level or better. It was the despair of not having anyone I could beat up on when I wasn’t in good condition.

In that sense, Baek Ha-min might be experiencing a similar shock right now.

Today, he was getting hammered not by the top-order draft first-rounders.

1st, 2nd, and 3rd innings.

6 runs allowed in a total of 3 innings.

And the Korean team gave up 4 runs in the 2nd inning alone.

In fact, his pitches were a bit complacent, but not that bad. Of course, they weren’t as sharp as the ones he threw to me in the Wangjungwangjeon finals [High School Baseball Championship], or even the first pitch he threw to Alexander McDowell in today’s game.

But still, if he had thrown like that in Korea, even against the strongest team in the nation, Gyeonghago, they would have mostly swung and missed. A fastball around 150 km/h [approximately 93 mph] is rare in Korea, and even if the control was a bit off or a mistake pitch came, it would have been effective enough.

But the American team was different.

In the bottom of the 2nd, the 7th, 8th, and 9th hitters.

Baek Ha-min allowed a sudden double, a timely hit on a slightly misplaced first pitch, and a walk after showing eight pitches to the three hitters who generally swing the bat the worst on the team.

“It’s really mind-numbing to get beaten up by the bottom of the order.”

“Even if they’re the bottom of the order, they’re still 3rd and 2nd rounders. And sandwich picks between the 2nd and 3rd rounds.”

“Yeah, I know. It means about a hundred of these guys are pouring out this year alone.”

“Hey, it’s probably not that many? There are more guys coming out of American drafts after finishing their sophomore year of college, so maybe thirty to forty?”

“Forty… That doesn’t make me feel any better.”

-Bang!!

“Strike!! Out!!”

It seemed like the American team was determined to win today no matter what. Well, they could pour all their energy into today’s game since their game tomorrow was against Australia. On the other hand, our opponent tomorrow was Cuba. The country that has won the most U-18 championships so far.

Baek Ha-min stood up with his glove.

“Now that it’s come to this, let’s make sure we win today’s game.”

“Well, of course. I was always planning to win.”

“You’re not cute at all for a younger brother. You never give in.”

“Ha-min hyung [older brother], fighting!!”

“Too late. It’s not cute at all even if you do that now.”

The American team’s batting order in the bottom of the 4th started with the 9th hitter.

George Taylor, who had been walked after throwing eight pitches earlier, stepped up to the plate.

***

A starting pitcher who has to lead a long inning can’t always throw with full power. That’s why controlling the pace is one of the most important abilities for a starter. So, if you ask if Baek Ha-min was controlling the pace against the American team’s bottom of the order today, the answer is obvious.

‘Of course not…’

Of course, if you ask if it was as good as when he faced Choi Soo-won in the semifinals of the previous national tournament, or when he threw against Alexander McDowell today, it wasn’t. That was closer to Baek Ha-min accidentally doing that.

George Taylor picked out Baek Ha-min’s pitch.

He was drafted this year in the CBB (Competitive Balance Round B) [a portion of the MLB draft designed to give smaller-market teams a better chance to acquire talent], the 71st pick in the sandwich pick between the 2nd and 3rd rounds. He was a typical OPS hitter [On-Base Plus Slugging, a common baseball statistic]. He had good plate discipline, and he also had the gap power to turn mistakes into extra-base hits.

-Clang!!

Just like now.

It wasn’t a bad pitch this time either. Low and outside. George Taylor pulled a fastball that was controlled quite well.

A hit that barely got through the infield.

[George Taylor is showing a very good performance against the Korean pitcher today.]

[But this is actually quite disappointing from the pitcher’s point of view. He should have been able to get that one.]

[Haha, that’s the fun of student games. You can’t expect the same level of fielding as the big leaguers.]

[Actually, the Korean team’s pitcher was really good today. He has 6 runs allowed and 4 earned runs, but I personally think he could have given up no more than 3 runs if there hadn’t been any errors? Well, that’s what I think. Especially Jo over there at first base? His fielding was disappointing.]

[Mr. Smith, the commentator, seems to really like that Korean pitcher today?]

[Yes, if I were a scout for a team, I would want to bring him in right away with an international prospect contract. He’s a bit small, but he has a great feel.]

It was just a slightly disappointing play, not an error.

Baek Ha-min gritted his teeth.

He threw as many as six pitches this time. It was a bad result.

[Now, Mark Miller, the 1st batter, is coming to the plate. It’s already his third at-bat in the 4th inning. He had a ground ball in his first at-bat and a fly ball to the outfield that advanced the runner from 2nd to 3rd in his second at-bat. What will he be able to show in his third at-bat?]

The third at-bat, where the batter’s performance improves significantly.

Through his previous two at-bats, Mark Miller had figured out Baek Ha-min to some extent. Fastball and slider. And high-speed slider.

-Whoosh!!

“Strike!!!”

[A slider that breaks out of the zone. Mark Miller is having a lot of trouble with that slider today.]

[The movement of the slider is very good. In addition, the combination of a slider with a large break at around 80 mph, a slider with a smaller break at around 86 mph, and a 92 mph fastball is quite good. If that pitcher could just add one off-speed pitch, he could show a really good performance.]

-Clang

Mark Miller hit Baek Ha-min’s second pitch.

It was a high-speed slider that broke sharply to the outside.

And as a result, a weak hit didn’t leave the infield.

[Ah, a completely jammed hit. The shortstop gets it and throws to second, and second throws to first. 6-4-3 double play.]

Baek Ha-min wiped the sweat from his forehead that had already formed.

If what had come before was a formidable opponent that couldn’t be taken lightly, now it was the turn of a strong opponent that shouldn’t be too nervous about.

Hit in the bottom of the 1st in his first at-bat.

And Alexander McDowell, the best prospect in the United States, who hit a three-run home run in his second at-bat in the bottom of the 2nd, stepped up to the plate.

There was no tension on his face.

No, maybe Baek Ha-min himself wasn’t even in his mind. Even in the on-deck circle a little while ago, his gaze was directed at Choi Soo-won, who was sitting in the dugout.

Baek Ha-min’s thought was correct.

He no longer existed in Alexander McDowell’s mind.

‘1 home run and 1 hit. Hmm… mine was a single, but I’m also playing defense, and I stole a base… No. It’s just ugly if I include all those trivial things. I have to win purely with hitting to be real.’

Baek Ha-min gripped the ball.

He was one of the best pitchers among his peers.

That’s why there were times like that. No, maybe it wasn’t just sometimes. Times when he cared more about the starting pitcher he was ‘facing off’ against than the batters he was facing.

“Ha-min, you’re going to be starting against Jo Gyu-chan in the finals the day after tomorrow. Can you say something about your determination?”

“I’ll do my best.”

Ha-min, when he gave interviews like that, definitely didn’t have the Gyeonghago batters in mind. That’s why he couldn’t criticize Alexander McDowell now.

He was just… just frustrated.

‘Look at me!!’

The opponent of a starting pitcher is not the opposing team’s starting pitcher.

The opponent of a batter is not the opposing team’s batter.

Baek Ha-min put his heart into the ball.

As always.

With the best pitch he could throw.

-Crack!!!!

Alexander McDowell swung and lifted the ball cleanly. The high-flying ball went far away. Directly hitting the scoreboard in center field.

[Alexander McDowell!! He pulls the first pitch and sends it over the fence!!!]

[Ha, it’s a swing that can only be admired. I keep saying this, but the Korean pitcher is definitely not bad. If he came out in the draft, maybe the 2nd round? If he’s lucky, he could even aim for CBA (Competitive Balance Round A) [another portion of the MLB draft designed to give smaller-market teams a better chance to acquire talent]. It’s just that Alexander McDowell’s bat is absurd.]

[Indeed, Alexander McDowell!! It’s not for nothing that the expected value when he fails is an MVP contender.]

***

Alexander McDowell circled the ground. And when he stepped on third base, he made eye contact with me. His smug expression made me feel strangely bad. What should I say? He had 2 home runs and 1 hit, and I had 1 home run and 1 hit, so he was winning. That’s the kind of expression it was.

But what was more impressive than that expression was Alexander McDowell’s back.

It was Baek Ha-min’s face as he looked at the back of Alexander McDowell’s head, who was making that strange expression towards me. His usually unnecessarily moist eyes were now so wet that tears would flow down if you touched them. Actually, even if a pretty girl looked at you with those eyes, it would be a bit annoying, but it’s usually annoying when a pretty guy has those eyes on the mound.

The manager was talking to the coach in a small voice.

“Young-joo?”

“He’s ready.”

“Tell him to be ready to be put in at any time.”

“You’re not bringing him up now?”

“The pitch wasn’t bad. Let’s watch him for one more at-bat.”

I could understand the manager’s heart.

Who on the Korean team could pitch better than Baek Ha-min today? Only Jo Gyu-chan, Han Min-joon, or me on a good day come to mind. So, this is just a difference in level. The difference between the United States, where the fastball revolution has been going on for over 15 years, and Korea, which has just begun to accept it.

The ace on the mound induced an infield pop fly against the American team’s 3rd batter.

Inning over.

Juan Martinez came up to the mound.

And at the plate.

Gyu-hyeok senior, who had 2 at-bats with no hits and one error in the field today, gripped his bat.