The Pitcher Just Hits Home Runs Well [EN]: Chapter 63

I subtly loosened my shoulders on the mound.

I knew that putting me on the mound in this crucial situation meant they were determined to win today’s game.

[Choi Su-won!! The batter who already hit two home runs today is now coming to the mound as a pitcher!]

[Some of you might be surprised to see the designated hitter pitching, but he’s a two-way player. He pitched flawlessly in the previous game against Japan, with 2 strikeouts and no runs allowed over 1.2 innings.]

And I was determined to fully live up to those expectations.

Two outs, runners on 1st and 3rd.

The runner on first took a few steps off the bag. He seemed confident in his speed, probably intending to score on an extra-base hit. Or maybe he was trying to steal.

Runners on 1st and 3rd create a different kind of pressure than runners on 2nd and 3rd, especially in a close game like this with only a 1-point difference. With runners on first and third, unless it’s a massive double, you’ll likely only concede one run. But with runners on second and third, even a shallow single would inevitably give up 2 points.

Even so, I didn’t go into the set position [a pitching stance used to control baserunners].

Basically, the set position is inherently less powerful than the windup. Of course, pitching isn’t just about raw speed and power. The set position can be a worthwhile method for control and deception.

But I didn’t have enough time to refine it. I only came back to being seventeen five months ago. It’s been seventeen years since I last pitched seriously. The reason I’ve been successful in these situations is because my fastball is fast and strong. I couldn’t sacrifice my strengths to gain other advantages.

Stealing prevention?

I’d leave it all to Jung Byung-cheol [the catcher]. What I needed to do was overwhelm the opponent with my best stuff.

-Thwack!!

“Strike!!!”

A 156km/h (97 mph) fastball painted the center of the strike zone.

***

Jack Washington, the younger of the Washington brothers, clicked his tongue.

“Wow, did you see that, bro?”

“Yeah.”

Unlike the slightly excited Jack Washington, William Washington’s voice was blunt.

That’s because, unlike his brother Jack, who was leaning towards investing in James Corporation, William was skeptical about the investment itself.

When they left Amazon to start the pitching academy they had dreamed of, the brothers were confident that success was just around the corner. Their model was perfect, and all that was left was fame, fortune, and a mountain of money.

But that was a year and two months ago.

They were confident in their skills and theories, but the baseball world was more conservative than they anticipated. The core strategy departments in each team’s front office were hiring young talents from the Ivy League, but the coaching and instructor positions that directly guided the players still preferred former players, especially in the eastern region.

As a result, the Washington brothers were still coaching insignificant players in the college league, and the huge amount of money they had invested to start the academy remained as debt, slowly strangling them.

“Let’s invest in equity. $500,000 for 49%.”

To be honest, it felt like highway robbery. The equipment they invested in to start the academy alone cost nearly $2 million. In addition, the monthly rent was $20,000. But they were on the verge of bankruptcy if they didn’t secure an investment soon. Moreover, the fact that the potential investor was James Corporation, which recently represented a large number of promising young talents, made the offer even more tempting.

“Bro, we have to accept it.”

“I’d rather liquidate everything and go work at Walmart than accept that. What? 49% for $500,000? Do you think I’ve been through all this just to end up like that? Matthew said he’d give me the vice president position at Walmart Singapore.”

“So, you’re saying we should give up on baseball? Like back then? It was better back then because you quit because your arm was broken. What about now? Quit because we don’t have money? Because of that damn money?”

“That damn money?”

William Washington frowned at his brother Jack’s words.

“Ah, sorry. I got too worked up. But bro, this is a real opportunity. I don’t know about other investments, but James Corporation is a rising agency these days. What does it mean for them to invest in our equity? They’re trying to entrust their players to us.”

“Or maybe they’re trying to swallow our facilities at a cheap price.”

Arguments ensued.

Unlike Jack, who was single, William, who had a 4-year-old daughter to take care of, had no choice but to be more conservative. But even so, there was something about baseball that he couldn’t resist. In the end, the Washington brothers accepted James Corporation’s offer and came all the way to Albany to scout the young players who would become their clients after this tournament.

-Thwack!!

“Strike!! Out!!”

Choi Su-won on the mound finally secured the strikeout with his sixth pitch. I hadn’t expected to see him pitch today, but it was worth the trip.

“He’ll be up to bat in the next inning, right?”

“If the Korean team has any sense, they will.”

I’d need to do a precise analysis to know the details, but just from a quick look, there were a lot of things they could help him with. The good news was that there weren’t any serious flaws that needed to be fixed, unlike the previous Korean pitcher.

The game continued.

***

Alexander McDowell, who had been stranded on third base, returned to the dugout with a disappointed look.

He had walked and advanced to third on a hit. He wanted to score more runs to extend the lead, but the opportunity was wasted.

His gaze turned to Choi Su-won, who was walking off the mound.

Today’s starting pitcher for the Korean team was pretty good.

The moment he felt most challenged wasn’t the previous two at-bats when he gave up home runs, but the last at-bat when he issued a walk. You could call him crazy, but Alexander McDowell liked that kind of pitcher.

Because he was the one who was going to win anyway.

The 7th inning continued.

The third pitcher for the American team, Thomas Burton, took the mound. He was the pitcher who had already given up 1 point in the previous inning and was drafted in the 3rd round, 92nd overall.

Among the American pitchers who had pitched today, his fastball wasn’t the best, but his slider was impressive.

Scouts said that his slider alone was a breaking ball that could produce meaningful results even in AA [Double-A, a level in Minor League Baseball].

And that was the biggest mistake the American team’s coach made today.

If the forkball is the signature changeup of Japanese pitchers, then the slider is the signature changeup of Korean pitchers.

Since the 1980s, the repertoire of Korea’s best pitchers has almost always included a slider. There’s no particular reason, really. Just like there are many forkball pitchers in Japan because many pitchers who threw forkballs during their playing careers became coaches and taught it extensively, Korea also has many pitchers who mainly threw sliders during their careers, so they teach their students sliders well.

Pitchers and batters adapt to each other.

The reason why major league hitters struggle with the forkballs of Japanese pitchers who have advanced to MLB is because it’s an unfamiliar pitch. And in a similar sense, the slider that Thomas Burton threw was very familiar to Jo Gyu-hyeok.

-Clang!!

It was Jo Gyu-hyeok who had successfully bunted in the previous inning.

Overall, the defensive line was playing slightly up. His bat connected powerfully.

The pulled hit zipped between the shortstop and the third baseman.

If Jo Gyu-hyeok had been a little faster, he could have tried for second base.

No outs, runner on 1st.

The next batter was Park Jin-kyung. He was a batter who had been unlucky in many ways in today’s game. And at this point, the American coach made another move.

The fourth of the eight pitchers on the roster.

Andrew Wilson, who had pitched just two days ago, entered the game.

Aim for the first pitch from the new pitcher.

Park Jin-kyung put that old adage into practice.

-Clang!!

A routine fly out to the outfield.

One out, runner on 1st. This time, the goddess of fortune did not smile on him.

[The Korean team’s number 2 hitter, Kang Chang-wook, is at the plate. He’s the batter who had a lucky Texas Leaguer [a bloop hit that falls between the infield and outfield] in the previous at-bat.]

Andrew Wilson delivered the ball.

Unlike Park Jin-kyung, Kang Chang-wook had been quite lucky today. But that luck can only happen when the batter makes contact with the ball.

-Whoosh!!

“Strike!! Out!!”

Andrew Wilson struck him out with a 94.7 mph fastball.

And Choi Su-won stepped up to the plate.

-Thwack!!

-Boo000000

The jeers that echoed through the stadium were no less intense than when Baek Ha-min intentionally walked Alexander McDowell in the previous inning, or perhaps even greater.

The crowd’s jeers when they intentionally walked Alexander McDowell earlier weren’t simply because they were intentionally walking a player from their own country. It’s right to boo a cowardly move that avoids competition.

Jack Washington booed louder than anyone else.

But whether he did or not, the American team’s coach, who had already used four pitchers, had no intention of losing today’s game. I had to admit it. At least in today’s game, Choi Su-won was a monster no less than Alexander McDowell.

Intentional walk.

Jung Byung-cheol walked to the plate.

His face was grim.

It was the first time in his baseball career that he had been intentionally walked to face the next batter, let alone being walked after the lead runner was intentionally walked. And that wasn’t a pleasant feeling.

Rage can make you lose your cool.

-Clang!!!

But it also fills the void where coolness has disappeared with raw power.

Jung Byung-cheol’s hit rocketed off his bat like a clothesline and slammed directly into the right-field fence.

Jo Gyu-hyeok, who was on second base, took off.

The third base coach waved his arms vigorously, urging him home. He rounded third and sprinted towards home plate. At that point, Choi Su-won was already between second and third base. It wasn’t just the difference in speed, but also the difference in starting timing. In the end, it’s the base-running instincts that come from experience.

The third base coach waved his arms like a windmill.

Choi Su-won also rounded third and charged towards home.

2-RBI double.

Jung Byung-cheol finally delivered at the plate.

8:7.

Alexander McDowell, who was standing in the outfield, frowned.

A come-from-behind victory in the top of the 7th. But even so, he didn’t think about losing. It’s only 1 point. A solo home run would tie the game. With a runner on base, it’s a lead that can easily be overturned.

Andrew Wilson struck out the next batter.

Now there are six outs left.

Choi Su-won threw the ball.

Just one person.

If just one person manages to get on base, Alexander McDowell himself will get another chance. And if it’s that guy on the mound now, he’ll never avoid the challenge. No, he can’t avoid it. He must already feel it too, that the main characters of this game are ‘us’. In the end, the reason he went to the mound was to settle this game once and for all.

Three up, three down, including one strikeout in the 8th inning.

And then the 9th inning.

Was there really a god?

George Taylor, the number 9 hitter who had taken the most pitches in today’s game, finally drew a walk from Choi Su-won. Moreover, Choi Su-won struck out Mark Miller, the number 1 hitter.

Two outs, runner on 1st.

The main characters’ head-to-head match with the final 1 point at stake.

It was the perfect moment for the real protagonist to appear.

Alexander McDowell stepped up to the plate and confidently raised his bat. He vividly imagined hitting a two-run home run.

Certainly, the 97 mph fastball that Choi Su-won was throwing was excellent. But he could hit it. At least in this situation, Alexander McDowell felt invincible.

‘Huh?’

-Thwack!!

Only if the pitcher actually pitches to him.

***

Alexander McDowell’s at-bat.

The intentional walk instruction came from the dugout. In fact, even if that wasn’t the case, it was the right move to avoid him unconditionally. It’s not like this is some boy’s manga, so why would you face a batter who has already hit 2 home runs and an extra-base hit in one game? Baek Ha-min was foolish enough already.

-Boo00000

A deafening chorus of boos erupted. Well, I was reminded once again that American kids are really good at booing, but whether they do or not, it’s a clean intentional walk.

Alexander McDowell, who lowered his bat, glanced at me with a somewhat hurt expression and trudged to first base.

Two outs, runners on 1st and 2nd.

-Clang!!

Park Jin-kyung, who caught the weakly hit ball, casually tossed it into Senior Gyu-hyeok’s mitt.

“Out!!!”

8:7

It was a truly clean come-from-behind victory.