Taking the Mound (3)
‘Days like this feel like a bonus.’
Han Min-woo, heading from the bullpen to the mound, smiled faintly.
First game against the Wolverines.
Bottom of the 7th inning, the score is 11 to 9.
The batting order Min-woo had to face started with the 6th batter, Kim Do-hyung.
It was an uneasy situation with only a 2-run lead, but Min-woo's steps were very light.
Compared to players like Park Seo-joon or Yoon Kang-min he faced last week, he was a batter with relatively few points to be cautious or wary of.
Ding!
['Han Min-woo' takes the mound!]
[Since you took the mound as a pitcher in an official game where baseball rules apply,
[Since you took the mound as a pitcher in an official game where baseball rules apply,
Min-woo, standing on the mound, stared expressionlessly at the batter in the batter's box.
Kim Do-hyung.
'2nd year this year. He became a fixed starter when Bok Ki-chul transferred to the Gladiators.'
This season, he's recording a batting average of .230, on-base percentage of .293, slugging percentage of .386, and an OPS of barely .679.
Even considering he's a shortstop, it's a performance far below expectations.
Nevertheless, the reason he could be the Wolverines' fixed starter was because the team's play style and his defensive skills were a match.
'Typical defensive baseball.'
Instead of scoring few runs, they don't give runs to the opposing team either. That is the Wolverines' play style.
It's a way of stacking wins with a formidable pitching staff.
Because of that, they had no choice but to utilize players with more emphasis on their fielding abilities than their batting abilities.
'It must be killing the batters, but for a pitcher, it's thank you very much.'
Min-woo, who exchanged signs with Pi Ki-jung, threw the first pitch.
Pop!
"Swing, strike!"
Kim Do-hyung swung and missed at a high inside four-seamer.
He immediately updated new information in his head.
'He can't get a feel for the four-seamer timing at all.'
Min-woo, having grasped the batter's condition, immediately threw the 2nd pitch.
Again, a four-seam fastball. The course was a ball breaking away to the outside.
Thwack!
"Foul!"
The baseball hit the upper part of the bat and fell into the back stands. Kim Do-hyung, looking at the batted ball, shook his head.
The ball count was 0-2.
A ball count absolutely favorable to the pitcher. Furthermore, the batter had lost his will to fight after just managing to touch his pitch.
'Shall I start by lightly taking down one batter?'
Ding!
['Han Min-woo' has fulfilled a specific condition.]
[Since it's a 2-strike count,
Kim Do-hyung's bat swung in vain at Min-woo's 3rd pitch.
"Swing, strike! Batter out!"
Kim Do-hyung looked back and forth between the catcher's mitt and his bat with a hollow expression.
—Swing and miss, strikeout! Min-woo Han, who took the mound in relief in the 7th inning, strikes out Do-hyung Kim on three pitches!
—Ah, truly amazing. He threw four-seam fastballs for all three pitches, right? Yet Do-hyung Kim couldn't do a thing. He's showing a better performance today than when he faced the batters last time.
—Are you saying he's improving every game?
—That's right. Ah, the replay is up. Can you see that? Do-hyung Kim swung under the ball on both the first and third pitches.
—Yes, that's correct.
—These days we call it a four-seam fastball, but until recently, many people called it a straight ball. Because of that, there's a part many people misunderstand: a straight ball doesn't fly in a straight line. The moment it leaves the pitcher's hand, it flies drawing a slight downward parabola.
—This is a lecture you gave before, Mr. Commentator. I think you did it when Seung-min Shin of the Gladiators was pitching?
—That's right. I think I did it before. Saying that depending on the spin rate, the ball sinks less. As I get older, my memory, haha. When players commonly talk, they say things like "the ball has a good tail," or "it's a heavy fastball," right? That's all influenced by the ball's spin rate.
—Yes, I see. So to summarize, the spin rate of Min-woo Han's four-seam fastball was tremendous, and because of that, it sank less, causing the batters to swing and miss? Min-woo Han has a slow velocity, but he really has a lot of weapons.
—It's inevitable if you want to survive in the professional world. It's a very ruthless world.
Next to step into the batter's box was the 7th batter, Ye Byung-ho. Like Kim Do-hyung, he's a starter because of his good defensive skills. Position: catcher.
Just like he did with Kim Do-hyung, Min-woo pushed Ye Byung-ho by attacking the outside of the zone.
Ting!
The batted ball hit by Ye Byung-ho rolled weakly toward the shortstop. He was fooled by the slider and hit the ball with the handle of the bat.
"Agh!"
Sensing the out, Ye Byung-ho threw his bat and trotted toward first base.
That was when it happened.
"Ohhh... uhhhh!"
"Run! Run! He missed the ball!"
The Wolverines' dugout was in an uproar, and the Wolves fielders on defense had dazed expressions.
The shortstop failed to catch that ordinary ground ball.
Min-woo laughed in disbelief.
'This is absurd.'
He was dumbfounded.
It was a ball he could have caught by just taking a couple of steps. But that idiot Park Jun-young failed to catch it and let it drop behind him.
No matter how narrow his defensive range and how weak his defensive skills were, Park Jun-young could have easily caught it.
Missing it so clearly meant he wasn't focused on the game.
Even more spectacular was Park Jun-young's reaction that followed.
"Sorry, sorry~."
Park Jun-young grinned sheepishly and briefly raised his gloved hand.
At that sight, Min-woo's insides boiled with anger.
It was clearly a mistake of a different nature from the errors made by Yoon Jae-hyun or Victor before.
What they made were mistakes.
On the other hand, what Park Jun-young showed was passive play brought about by a neglectful mind.
Moreover, seeing it recorded as a hit instead of an error on the scoreboard, Min-woo gritted his teeth.
He wanted to throw his glove right then and there and pour out a bucket of curses.
'Calm down. It's just a thing of the past.'
Getting excited would only be his loss.
The inning wasn't over yet, and the batter who stepped into the box and the runner on first base were glaring at him as if they would devour him.
First and foremost, he needed to clean up this situation.
[
Fortunately, the moment he stepped on the pitching rubber, his anger melted away like snow.
Instead, information about the next batter he had to face popped up in his mind.
'Recently, the 8th batter Ahn Joo-hong's condition is the worst. His batting form collapsed due to a chronic knee injury, and his stamina is significantly drained because of the scorching heat.'
Min-woo's condition today was the best. He slept well, and his shoulder was lively. There wasn't even a slight pain anywhere in his body.
Conversely, the batter was at his worst. Failing to catch, he let two of the pitcher's thrown balls drop behind him, and sweat was streaming down his forehead.
Thanks to that, the matchup was one-sided.
Ting!
The highly popped-up batted ball flew toward the center fielder.
It was such an ordinary fly ball that no one expected anything—not the batter who hit it with the bat, not the pitcher who threw it, not the dugouts of both teams, nor the spectators.
It was a common, ordinary fly ball that the center fielder could catch by just reaching out his hand from his position.
But this time too, that trust betrayed Min-woo.
—The ball popped up on the 2nd pitch. It's flying toward center field.
—The bat was pushed back because of the pitch quality. It looks like it'll be handled as an ordinary center field fly...
—Uhhhhh! Cheol-woo Moon's movement is weird! Did he lose sight of the ball?
—Back! Back! The ball is dropping behind the center fielder! Ah, he missed it again.
—Woo-chan Jo, who ran in quickly, throws toward second base. But in the meantime, the first base runner Byung-ho Ye goes to third. The batter-runner settles at first base.
—Why are they like this today, Wolves? They've been doing well these past few days. They're leading well in today's game too, but disappointing plays are coming out here.
The first batter was a strikeout. He induced a ground ball to the shortstop from the second batter, and created the result of a center field fly ball from the third batter.
Yet the result was 1 out, runners on 1st and 3rd.
Two runners were looking at Min-woo from either side.
Min-woo gripped his glove tightly.
'Right. This was originally this kind of team.'
He had forgotten for a moment.
Acting Manager Kim Young-seung, who was far superior in every aspect compared to the former manager.
The veteran players who approached even their much younger juniors without reserve.
Up to the captain with the leadership to lead the team as one.
Hidden by them, he hadn't been able to objectively grasp the team called the Wolves. Just like the far side of the moon, which is never visible from Earth.
'I had forgotten.'
The team with the most errors in the league. The team with the most all-time losses. The perpetual last-place team. The team with the highest team ERA. The team with the most double plays.
All are words that describe the Wolves.
And Min-woo was a pitcher who threw balls belonging to such a team.
'I was trying to go too easily.'
Min-woo shook his head.
What should he do to achieve good results like that?
It's not difficult.
He just needs to catch the batters directly without the fielders' help.
Fortunately among misfortunes, the Wolves' catcher has quite excellent skills. He won't drop his pitches behind him.
Min-woo gathered his mind again.
He windmilled toward the 9th batter Jeon Jae-cheol, who stepped into the left batter's box.
Pop!
"Swing, strike!"
—Swing and miss! Ah, Jae-cheol Jeon. He came out aiming for the first pitch, but got fooled by the dropping changeup.
Jae-cheol has a decent on-base percentage even within the Suwon Wolverines. Nevertheless, the reason he is in the 9th batter's spot was to somewhat alleviate the declining scoring power.
The Strong 9th Theory.
Devised by former Cardinals manager Tony La Russa in 2008, this tactic employs the 9th batter, who connects with the top of the lineup, as a leadoff hitter, starting the table setters from the 9th spot.
Doing so creates many chances for the 3rd batter, allowing them to create scoring chances even one batting order earlier.
Ting!
"Foul!"
—2nd pitch hit! The ball flies backward. Foul! The bat was completely pushed back by the pitch quality.
'Shall I let them taste the slider today.'
The ball count was 0-2. Thanks to that, Doctor K was activated.
Due to Full Power Pitching, the slider was upgraded to C rank, and thanks to
Min-woo, who exchanged signs with Pi Ki-jung, threw the ball toward the low outside course.
Pop!
"Strike! Batter out!"
—Looking strikeout! The umpire calls a strike. Jae-cheol Jeon strongly expresses his dissatisfaction. It looks like he's gesturing that it was a bit outside, right?
—The slider's break is tremendous. It's not easy for batters to make contact with a ball that breaks in from that far away. But Jae-cheol Jeon, you need to stay calm. Showing this kind of behavior isn't good for the player himself either.
—Anyway, the strike call is made by ABS.
The 9th batter, Jeon Jae-cheol, retired on three pitches.
And the 1st batter, Sung-joon Chae, who stepped into the box next, was no different.
It was a full 6-pitch battle, but he ultimately caught the strike with a four-seam fastball and struck him out with a slider as the out pitch.
Min-woo, walking toward the dugout, looked at Jun-young Park and Cheol-woo Moon, who were coming in giggling.
'If we don't plug those holes, there's no answer.'
The Wolves are a team with many strengths.
But the weaknesses are also very big. Enough to cover up all those many strengths. Unless those weaknesses are removed, they won't be able to rise.
Especially unlike the batters, Min-woo, as a pitcher, had much more to lose. In the end, because of those two, Min-woo's ERA would go up.
Min-woo turned his head and looked at Jae-hyun Yoon.
'It would be nice if Jae-hyun took that position instead.'