Chasers (8)
Thanks to Han Min-woo's stellar pitching, the 6th and 7th innings ended scoreless.
The score was 5 to 6, with the Stings still leading by one run.
The twist came in the 8th inning.
The cleanup trio of 3rd batter Cho Woo-chan, 4th batter Victor, and 5th batter Kang Sung-han all got hits to load the bases with no outs, and 6th batter Kwon Jun-seo hit a bases-clearing double, overturning the score to 8-6.
'Runs scored in the 8th? Really?'
Just like yesterday, Han Min-woo, who was watching the game via TV broadcast in the rehab room, took a deep breath.
The thought of 'Could it be?' wouldn't leave his mind.
"Now, now. Release it slowly. If you let go abruptly, it'll strain your muscles."
"Urrrggh."
"Huh? They took the lead? Hey, Min-woo. If it stays like this, you'll be the winning pitcher, right? You rascal. No wonder I couldn't take my eyes off the TV."
The conditioning coach laughed heartily and patted Han Min-woo's left shoulder firmly.
Winning pitcher.
Pitchers are the only ones in team sports who can carve the word "win" into their individual records.
If the Wolves won here, Han Min-woo would clinch the first win of his career in the first team.
'Don't get ahead of myself. I might not even get the win.'
But it wasn't over yet. If they gave up a tie or a lead in the bottom of the 8th or 9th, the win would go to another pitcher.
He had no choice but to hope that the pitchers coming after him would finish the job well.
'This feels like crap.'
Han Min-woo, watching TV with his heart in his throat, chuckled softly.
Having to leave his win in someone else's hands.
He hated that he had no choice but to pray like this. This situation where he couldn't protect what was his own was incredibly frustrating.
'Someday, I will definitely...'
As a pitcher, there is only one way to protect your win.
That is for a starting pitcher to pitch until the game is over.
'I will definitely become a starting pitcher. Definitely.'
Han Min-woo burned with determination.
Someday, he would definitely become a starting pitcher and finish the game with his own hands.
"Focus! Pull the band further back!"
"Urrrggh!"
In the bottom of the 8th, it was the Wolves' setup man, Myung Sang-woo, who took the mound to stop the Stings' offense.
-As expected, they brought in the sure-win squad. Myung Sang-woo takes the mound to handle the bottom of the 8th for the Wolves.
-He has pitched in 35 games this season, throwing 34.1 innings with a 2.20 ERA, and currently recording 13 holds and 2 saves.
-Unlike Han Min-woo, who pitches precisely with delicate control, he's the type to overwhelm opposing batters with power. Yet, he's only given up three home runs so far.
-He's been overshadowed by Kim Deok-min, but he has outstanding stuff, enough to be a closer on any team. He's probably one of the few pitchers in the Wolves' bullpen right now that acting manager Kim Young-seung can trust.
Myung Sang-woo's greatest weapon is a two-seam fastball approaching a top speed of 151 km/h. The movement is so good that its sharp late break is notoriously nasty.
From a batter's perspective, it's a pitch that's hard to square up even if you hit it.
'Sang-woo sunbae's two-seamer is A-grade.'
Having thrown an A-grade pitch himself, Han Min-woo knew exactly how powerful it was.
Moreover, the Stings' batting order was currently heading into the lower lineup.
Not a single batter who came up in the bottom of the 8th could figure out Myung Sang-woo's pitches.
5th batter Park Sang-woo, ground out to shortstop.
6th batter Choi Shin-hyuk, ground out to second base.
7th batter Yeon Min-soo, ground out to the pitcher.
The bottom of the 8th ended without allowing a single runner.
"Nice ball!"
"Great job, Sang-woo hyung."
"Aahda. Our team's pitchers are the best today, simply the best!"
Han Min-woo high-fived the imposing Myung Sang-woo as he walked in, admiring him.
'I want to throw a two-seamer like that too.'
The two-seam fastball is a pitch optimized for inducing ground balls.
It flies like a four-seamer but drops in front of the batter, showing just enough drop to avoid solid contact, rather than making them swing and miss completely.
A pitch that's hard to hit even when you know it's coming. For a pitcher, there was no weapon more attractive than that.
'Now we just need to get through the bottom of the 9th safely.'
Han Min-woo moved to the bullpen through the corridor behind the dugout.
The score difference was two runs.
In this situation, there was only one pitcher warming up in the bullpen.
Pop! Pop! Pop!
'It's seriously terrifying.'
A booming sound echoed across the corridor. It sounded like a cannonball exploding.
Entering the bullpen, he saw a pitcher throwing to the bullpen catcher. What was unique was that he had a small, frail frame that didn't match the loud pop of the mitt.
'How does a build like that throw such a terrifying pitch?'
Kim Deok-min.
The Wolves' closer.
Han Min-woo still couldn't understand it. Is this guy really a closer? He was the kind of player who naturally made you ask that question.
"Uh... M-Min-woo, you're here? Good job pitching the 6th and 7th."
A timid voice. Shoulders that seemed slightly intimidated. A downward gaze.
There wasn't a trace of confidence in him. A team's closer shouldn't be like that.
The sense of responsibility to block the back door no matter what. You need that kind of grit to shoulder the heavy burden of being a team's closer.
Nevertheless, there was a reason Kim Deok-min held the position of closer.
"Yes, sunbae-nim. Please take care of the 9th."
"Yeah..."
Kim Deok-min nodded microscopically. Seeing this, the bullpen coach smiled bitterly and patted his shoulder.
"Let's go, Deok-min. They're switching sides."
"Yees."
The top of the 9th ended without any runs scored. Kim Deok-min left the bullpen with a cautious demeanor (?).
He was still a mystery. He was a uniquely strange person in a different way from Cho Woo-chan, who looked like a gangster but was a goofball, or Pi Ki-jung, who frequently committed blunt truth assaults.
Kim Deok-min, arriving at the mound, roared loudly.
"Aaaaaaaah! I'll kill you all!"
At that sight, Han Min-woo and the bullpen coach burst into hollow laughs simultaneously.
'Split personality...?'
The bullpen coach watching beside him seemed to have a similar thought. His expression wasn't much different from Han Min-woo's.
Kim Deok-min.
This timid and frail man turned into a beast the moment he stepped on the mound.
"Alright! Let's do this!"
At Kim Deok-min's booming shout, the infielders smiled awkwardly.
"R-right."
"Okay, Sir."
└Ah, as expected, a closer needs that kind of audacity.
└Kim Deok-min seems to have the most fighting spirit in the Wolves.
└His personality must be fiery usually? Whenever Kim Deok-min comes out, the other fielders seem to struggle.
└He looks so gentle, such a plot twist LMAO Absolute fav LMAO
└Honestly, the Wolves fucking suck at baseball, but their setup man and closer seem better than other teams'. If they're leading past the 8th, it's so chill~
└It's basically a waterbed fr
└26 games played, 28.2 innings, 1.79 ERA, insane ㄷㄷㄷㄷㄷㄷ Only 2 blown saves;
Crush (壓殺).
Literally, Kim Deok-min crushed the Stings' batters to death.
None of the Stings' batters could figure out Kim Deok-min's pitches.
'Just how many A-grade pitches does he have?'
This was exactly why Myung Sang-woo, who had an A-grade two-seamer, remained a setup man.
Kim Deok-min's main weapon was one. The fastball.
Nevertheless, the reason the Stings' batters couldn't hit his pitches was that Kim Deok-min didn't just throw one type of fastball.
'Four-seamer, two-seamer, and even a cutter. From the batters' perspective, their heads must be splitting.'
They were even A-grade or close to it.
Even just a four-seam fastball alone is hard to hit, but this meant batters had to distinguish whether it was a four-seamer, a two-seamer, or a cutter.
Otherwise, if they swung rashly, they could ground out or even break their bat. In the worst case, they could hit into a double play.
-1st batter Yoon Kang-min's bat breaks. Oh! Park Jun-young fumbles the ball! He picks it up and throws! Is he out? Is it safe? Oh, he's out! Yoon Kang-min takes off his helmet in disappointment.
-2nd batter Jin Sang-heon hits the ball. Second baseman Ha Yoon-min fields it and throws to first! Ouuuut!
-Game set! With a score of 8 to 6, the Wolves take Game 3 and record a winning series!
The white ball entered first baseman Kang Sung-han's glove. The players who had been leaning against the dugout fence cheering ran out onto the field with cheers.
Han Min-woo, left alone on the bench, let out a long sigh.
'Phew.'
We won.
The game was over.
Han Min-woo looked down at his palms.
It really... took a long time.
The time it took to get this one win was a whopping five years.
It wasn't a win as a starter, but a relief win he got out of luck, but Han Min-woo didn't care at all.
Because today's win was the fruit of his refusal to give up until the end.
'I never imagined a moment like this would come...'
They were times filled with despair.
People sent the super prospect with broken wings contempt and mockery mixed with pity.
Reality was even harsher.
An ERA of 13.14. The nickname "Defeat Contractor" given by fans. All the curses that flew every time he took the mound.
All those moments became thorns embedded in Han Min-woo's heart.
To the point where even thinking about it now, a part of his chest tingled.
"Han Min-woo. Congratulations on your first win."
At that moment, bench coach Kim Young-seung approached and handed him a ball.
Han Min-woo took the ball as if possessed. It was a baseball with a little dirt on it.
"This is the ball that caught the final out of today's game. It's a ball that gained meaning because you safely protected those 2 innings."
"Ah..."
"You worked hard today."
Bench Coach Kim Young-seung, patting his left shoulder and walking out to the baseball field.
Han Min-woo quickly stood up and bowed his head.
'Thank you.'
He threw the ball viciously every time an opportunity came. Thanks to that, he was able to secure the win.
But the one who gave him that invaluable opportunity was, without a doubt, Bench Coach Kim Young-seung right in front of him.
"You rascal. This is your first win? Congratulations!"
"Hahaha. Congratulations on your first win."
"Sunbae-nim, I sincerely congratulate you. I should have caught the ground ball in a game like today..."
"M-Min-woo. Congratulations... I p-protected your first win."
His teammates also came and congratulated him. Cho Woo-chan messed up Han Min-woo's hair, and Ha Yoon-min poured water over his head.
The cold sensation felt incredibly good.
However, it wasn't just his teammates who congratulated Han Min-woo on his career first win.
Ding!
[You have achieved your career first win. As a bonus, you have acquired 1,000 points!]
[We sincerely congratulate you!]
[-From all of us at BnB-]
'A bonus? They're giving me a thousand points?'
In many ways, it was the best day.