Entering the Fray (9)
The first game of the midweek three-game series against the Griffins ended in a Wolves victory.
Myung Sang-woo and Kim Deok-min, who came in after Han Min-woo, cleanly erased the innings.
'Not bad.'
Chief Coach Kim Young-seung nodded his head.
As the first half of the season draws to a close, managers become extremely sensitive. It's because they formulate their second-half strategies based on the first-half report card.
In that sense, today's victory was a very valuable win.
Because with this one win, the rankings between the Wolves and the Wolverines flipped today.
'We must defend 7th place in the first half.'
When he first took over as acting manager, he had inwardly given up on this season. But the situation changed.
Crawling up from the edge of the cliff, they miraculously reclaimed 7th place in the first half.
If only they could protect this 7th place, Chief Coach Kim Young-seung could confidently participate in the second-half autumn baseball battle.
It meant gaining the confidence to go all-out in the second half instead of tanking.
'Not that the general manager has been pressuring me to tank lately, which was a difficult situation.'
However, the situation did not flow according to Chief Coach Kim Young-seung's wishes.
—Strikeout! The Griffins' Choi Gyu-sung strikes out Kang Sung-han, recording 3 scoreless innings!
—He hit it! A ground ball rolling to the shortstop. Shortstop grabs it, throws to second, second baseman to first! They're both out! Double play! Ernante is proving today that he is the Wolves' ace!
—It's a rare masterful pitcher's duel. The batters of both teams can't do a thing.
It was a continuous suffocating battle. When Ernante came down after annihilating the opposing batters, Choi Gyu-sung came up and crushed the Wolves' batters.
And so, up to the 5th inning, the score was 0 to 0.
Afterward, Chief Coach Kim Young-seung pulled Ernante, who had exceeded 100 pitches, and took out his must-win relief card.
The Griffins' bullpen situation was no different. They pulled Choi Gyu-sung and countered with their own must-win cards of Jung Ha-joon, Kwon Min-chul, and Yoon Chang-seok.
—The Wolves' pitcher who came up after Ernante is Yoo Jae-hyuk. Appearing in 38 games, pitching 43 and 1/3 innings, he currently records 4 wins, 2 losses, 15 holds, and a 3.32 ERA.
—He's a player supporting one axis of the Wolves' mound.
—Ah... The leadoff batter Maeng Sun-woo ends up walking. This isn't a good situation for the Wolves, is it?
—He'll naturally bunt here, right? Yes, Kim Ye-chan. He's taking a bunt stance. He bunted. The 1st base runner is safe. Kim Ye-chan is out at 1st.
—The 3rd batter, Wang Ho-yeol, steps into the batter's box.
—Yoo Jae-hyuk, is his control suddenly off? Two consecutive balls. Walking Wang Ho-yeol here isn't good. The 4th and 5th batters are waiting behind him.
—3 balls, no strikes count. He hit it! A hit splitting right-center field! The 2nd base runner comes home. Finally, reaching the top of the 6th, the Griffins take the lead 1 to 0!
The game was decided by the must-win relief cards.
Yoo Jae-hyuk, who came up in the top of the 6th, gave up 1 run. And Song Jun-yeol, who came up in the top of the 7th, gave up an additional run.
Meanwhile, the Wolves' batters failed to capitalize on their chances, ending up scoreless.
They were dragged along by the Griffins' 2-run lead.
Eventually, the game ended with a score of 1 to 2, a Wolves defeat. Although Kang Sung-han hit a solo home run in the bottom of the 9th, it wasn't enough to turn the game around.
For Chief Coach Kim Young-seung, who had even brought out the must-win cards, it was inevitably heartbreaking.
'Should I have sent Han Min-woo out instead?'
Chief Coach Kim Young-seung pressed hard on his temples.
If he had sent Han Min-woo out, the result would have been different. Even with a high batting average allowed, he wouldn't have given up any runs.
That kid pitches smartly.
He wouldn't have walked the fast-footed Maeng Sun-woo. He would have thrown the ball in the zone, practically telling him to hit it. Because the probability of a batter getting a hit is at most 30%.
And against Wang Ho-yeol in a 3-ball count, he surely would have boldly given him a walk.
Whether giving up a hit to the 3rd batter or the 4th batter, giving up a run is the same. Facing the 4th batter, where there's a chance for a double play, would have been a higher probability than challenging a contact hitter.
'If only Yoo Jae-hyuk had held them off...'
If the 6th inning had ended scoreless, he was thinking of sending out Myung Sang-woo and Kim Deok-min. Because those two didn't pitch as often as Han Min-woo.
With the All-Star break ahead of them, it meant it was a situation where they could squeeze them enough.
But it was already a thing of the past.
Chief Coach Kim Young-seung put aside his lingering regrets and thought about what lay ahead.
'I'll have to pay attention to managing Han Min-woo from now on.'
No matter how much they have the ultimate setup man and closer, it's useless if they can't connect up to them.
It meant the role of the middle relievers, acting as the bridge, was crucial.
Ultimately, the direction of the Wolves in the second half seemed to depend on how far Han Min-woo could hold out.
The third game continued the next day.
Today, the goddess of fortune also turned her back on the Wolves. Because the starting pitcher Jin Sung-soo's fingernail cracked, they had to urgently start the bullpen.
However, Kim Jun-gyu, who took the mound in place of Jin Sung-soo, failed to stop the Griffins' lineup that came rushing in gritting their teeth.
By the bottom of the 3rd inning, the score was already 5 to 1.
"Ah, are we losing again today? Why is it always like this only on the days I come? They said it was 4 consecutive winning series, so I thought we'd win today."
"Still, the Wolverines lost, so we kept 7th place. Let's have a drink."
"Right, right. What can you do when Jin Sung-soo got pulled early of all times?"
Even the fans who came to watch the game predicted a Griffins victory.
Having seen yesterday's 1-run tight game, they judged that a 4-run deficit couldn't be overturned.
But from then on, Acting Manager Kim Young-seung's abilities shone.
—Yoon Jae-hyun, surprise bunt! Third baseman Chae Gun-wook runs in and grabs it, but ultimately can't throw to first. Infield hit!
—The batter stepping up is the 1st batter Ha Yun-min. Uh-oh! Two consecutive surprise bunts! Fortunately, the pitcher grabbed it directly this time. Ha Yun-min is out at 1st! 1st base runner Yoon Jae-hyun is safe at 2nd. The situation is 1 out, runner on 2nd.
—Oh, that's unexpected. Jo Woo-chan takes a bunt motion here. It's a situation where you can trust him enough... Uh-oh! Buster! It goes over the third baseman's head! The 2nd base runner rounds 3rd and heads home! Home in! The Wolves make a chasing run here!
The Wolves, who started executing tactics from the 4th inning, began squeezing out runs.
Bottom of the 4th, 5 to 2.
Bottom of the 5th, 5 to 3.
Finally, in the bottom of the 6th, the score became 6 to 4, catching up to a 2-run deficit. From then on, the fans slowly started expecting a comeback, cheering at the top of their lungs.
In that situation, the card Chief Coach Kim Young-seung pulled out in the top of the 7th was none other than Han Min-woo.
'I'm counting on you.'
—The current score is 6 to 4. With the Griffins leading by 2 runs, Han Min-woo comes to the mound.
—He's a player who has played the role of the loyal son for Acting Manager Kim Young-seung this season. He takes the mound in necessary situations and necessary moments, producing very good results.
—He's a player who came to wear the Wolves uniform in a 2-for-1 trade from the Dolphins. His velocity is slow, but he has an incredibly large arsenal of weapons. The Wolves probably thought they hit the jackpot.
Han Min-woo, who took the mound, started throwing the ball with his characteristic nonchalant expression.
It's a really strange thing.
He's slower than Yoo Jae-hyuk or Song Jun-yeol, who took the mound yesterday, and he doesn't have a flashy breaking ball. Nevertheless, Han Min-woo always produced results.
Today's game was no different.
The batter who stepped up was the 1st batter Maeng Sun-woo. He was exactly the batter Chief Coach Kim Young-seung regretted yesterday. If they hadn't given that batter a walk, it was an inning that could have easily ended scoreless.
Han Min-woo caught such a batter so easily.
A high fastball on the first pitch, and then he induced an infield ground ball with a subsequent curve.
'So easy.'
Truly easy. That kid made facing batters look incredibly easy.
Of course, it didn't mean it was actually easy. Han Min-woo's batting average against was quite high. The number of pitches he threw per batter was also more than average.
Nevertheless, the reason it felt easy was because Han Min-woo never showed any signs of tension in any situation.
Should I say he has a true steel mentality?
'Usually, this type of player runs long.'
Types who overpower with their stuff see their ERA rise as time goes by. It's because their stuff weakens as they age.
Types who tighten the noose on their opponents with control have a hard time being consistent. Depending on their condition, the condition of their shoulder or fingernails, and the weather, the senses of their body can change, making it difficult to find their control.
But Han Min-woo falls under neither side.
He has quite good stuff, but he's not the type to overpower with it, and he has quite good control, but he's not the type to tighten the noose with it.
Because of that, he was the perfect player to send out and trust at any time.
—Out! Han Min-woo cleanly finishes the top of the 7th given to him!
—He proves it himself today too. It was nerve-wracking until he gave up consecutive hits to Wang Ho-yeol and Beto-ri, right? But he eventually ends it scoreless. Truly amazing.
The top of the 7th ended.
Now, only two defensive innings remained for Chief Coach Kim Young-seung.
But who would go out for those two innings had already been decided.
As it was the last game of the first half, he planned to play Myung Sang-woo and Kim Deok-min regardless of the score difference.
In other words, from now on, the only thing Chief Coach Kim Young-seung had to worry about was how to score runs in the remaining 3 innings.
'Intentionally giving up the bottom of the 7th.'
The Wolves' batting order started with the 6th batter Kang Sung-han.
If Kang Sung-han got out and even Pi Ki-jeong failed to get on base, Chief Coach Kim Young-seung was thinking of going all-in in the 8th.
Only then could they concentrate their firepower with the batting order of Yoon Jae-hyun, Ha Yun-min, Myung Seok-hun, and Jo Woo-chan in the bottom of the 8th.
As expected, the 6th batter Kang Sung-han struck out. Even the 7th batter Pi Ki-jeong retreated with a groundout to the second baseman.
Chief Coach Kim Young-seung instructed the 8th batter Moon Chul-woo to watch the ball as much as possible.
But Moon Chul-woo didn't follow that instruction.
Pretending he didn't hear the sign, he swung the bat right from the first pitch and produced a hit that slipped through the hole between third and short.
'Phew...'
Chief Coach Kim Young-seung let out a long sigh.
He was a guy who didn't know the concept of team batting from the start. On top of that, he was lazy, disrespectful, and selfish. He still didn't hesitate to act in ways that harmed teamwork along with Park Jun-young.
From Chief Coach Kim Young-seung's perspective, he couldn't help but feel like the biggest variable when coming up with tactics.
Moreover, the following situation was even more spectacular.
Moon Chul-woo, who was flirting with the Griffins' first baseman Wang Ho-yeol at first base, was picked off.
'Rather, it worked out well.'
Chief Coach Kim Young-seung crossed his arms and ignored Moon Chul-woo coming in with an embarrassed smile.
After that, it flowed as expected.
Myung Sang-woo, who came up in the top of the 8th, finished the inning with a three-up, three-down.
And the much-anticipated bottom of the 8th.
Crack!
—He hit it! A hit falling in front of the right fielder! The leadoff batter Yoon Jae-hyun successfully gets on base!
Pop!
"Base on balls."
—Ah, Griffins. This isn't good. They're sending the 1st batter Ha Yun-min on a walk. Now the situation is no outs, runners on 1st and 2nd!
Crack!
"Out!"
—Wow, that was dangerous. The ball hit by Myung Seok-hun went deep into 3rd base and almost became an infield hit. Fortunately, Myung Seok-hun was put out, but in the meantime, both the 1st and 2nd base runners advance a base each.
A situation with 1 out and runners on 2nd and 3rd.
The Wolves' captain and problem solver, Jo Woo-chan, stepped into the batter's box.
For reference, his nickname was Woo-chan Three-Run. It was a nickname given to him because he hit so many three-run home runs.
A situation where the Wolves fans gathered at Jamsil Baseball Stadium couldn't help but have expectations.
Crack!
—A pulled hit! Behind the right fielder! Behind the right fielder! Back! Back! It goes over the wall! Jo Woo-chan hits a three-run home run in today's game!
Seeing that, Chief Coach Kim Young-seung clenched his fist.
'Alright.'
That home run was the moment that decorated the last game of the first half with a victory, and also the signal flare announcing that the Wolves had officially entered the fray for the second-half autumn baseball battle.