Mop-up Pitcher (2)
The 10th place Wolverz. And the 3rd place Crocodiles.
As their records indicated, the second game between the two teams also flowed one-sidedly.
‘My head hurts.’
Chief Coach Kim Young-seung furrowed his brow.
Since they play as many as 144 games in a single season, the pennant race is often compared to a marathon.
Therefore, from the standpoint of a manager leading the team, it's natural to always establish a long-term strategy.
However, whenever a strategy was established, a situation arose that tore it down, and when a new strategy was set up, the cycle of having to tear it down again repeated itself.
Furthermore, the Wolverz were currently on a five-game losing streak.
Since the starting pitcher had collapsed, giving up this game was unavoidable, but thinking of the next game, they had to lose with as little damage as possible.
Only then could they break this losing streak in tomorrow's game.
‘It's rotted too much.’
It was daunting to even know where to start.
The previous manager was very clumsy at running the team. It was a wonder how he maintained the manager position for over 10 years.
The decent pitchers were overworked and all disappeared from the major league stage. The batters were terrible at defense, stuck in bad batting habits, and had lost their fighting spirit.
A pitching coach who applied pressure unknowingly, extreme fans who cursed at the slightest mistake, and even a few players who ruined the team atmosphere.
These were the reasons Chief Coach Kim Young-seung couldn't help but have a headache.
‘For now, let's focus on today's game.’
Winning is difficult, but losing well is also very difficult.
Especially in a situation where the starting pitcher was forced out early on and the bullpen was overloaded, it was bound to be even more difficult.
‘I hope Han Min-woo can eat up some innings for us.’
No matter how much of a mop-up pitcher he is, if he gives up too many runs, he has to be pulled. If things go wrong, they could be beaten by public opinion.
"Pitching coach. Call Han Min-woo."
"I'll tell him."
As Kim Young-seung took on the role of acting manager, the pitching coach took over the duties of the chief coach.
The pitching coach who called Han Min-woo spoke in a cold voice.
"Han Min-woo. You're going up the mound right now. Pitch with the mindset of taking responsibility for as many innings as possible."
Normally, he should be given time to warm up in the bullpen.
A pitcher is like a precision machine; they need to reach a certain level of heat. Otherwise, their velocity won't come out, and their control will be erratic.
But this was a special situation. The starting pitcher, who should have been buying time for the relief pitcher to warm up, was coming off the mound due to an injury.
It was to the point that he couldn't even be given time to warm up his body, let alone throw practice pitches.
‘He's a card we're throwing away anyway, isn't he? Is there a need to care for him?’
But the pitching coach thought comfortably. He had no pangs of conscience.
Sometimes, demanding the sacrifice of certain players for the team was natural.
"Understood."
At the pitching coach's words, Han Min-woo nodded. Then, calmly grabbing his glove, he stepped out of the dugout.
At that sight, Chief Coach Kim Young-seung's eyebrows twitched.
‘He's not shaking.’
To be honest, he hadn't even imagined such a reaction. It was the guy's first time on the major league stage in a very long time.
No matter how bold a player is, their face would inevitably turn pale when told to go up the mound. That was how massive the gap between the minor and major league stages was.
Although it's the stage every player dreams of, the gazes of tens of thousands of people pierce down, countless cheers and curses echo, and right before their eyes, the fearsome batters who are the best in the country are glaring.
It could be called a situation where a human would instinctively feel fear.
Moreover, this was a special situation.
The starting pitcher came down suddenly due to an injury, so he had to take the mound abruptly without any mental preparation. On top of that, the atmosphere in the dugout was very chaotic due to the starting pitcher's injury.
Nevertheless, Han Min-woo was extremely calm.
‘His mentality isn't bad. If it weren't for that line drive, he would have become an amazing pitcher...’
Chief Coach Kim Young-seung pictured Han Min-woo before he was hit by the line drive in his mind.
A pitch around a top velocity of 158 kilometers shakes the catcher's mitt.
Thanks to his outstanding mentality, he doesn't waver even in a bottom-of-the-9th no-out bases-loaded situation.
And considering a durable shoulder that can easily throw 100 pitches...
‘What a shame.’
If he were a card he possessed in the current situation, he would have been a tremendously great strength. At least he would have pulled up the Seoul Wolverz's ranking by a few steps.
The pitching coach also felt a similar sentiment to Chief Coach Kim Young-seung.
But the sentiment he felt afterward was different.
‘So what? He's already broken.’
To him, Han Min-woo was just in a state where they were only looking at the date of when to discard him.
Eventually, he would embrace the bomb today and disappear.
‘Park Jun-seo and Song Seok-woo sent some good liquor this time... I should tell the minor league manager to send up the usable one of the two.’
The pitching coach pondered over which player to put on the major league roster. His thoughts about Han Min-woo were already completely erased from his mind.
He let out a long breath as he headed toward the mound.
‘Stay calm. I need to stay calm.’
Contrary to his nonchalant expression, Han Min-woo was in a highly tense state.
He didn't particularly need time to warm up.
It was rather fortunate that Jason Cross got injured not long after the game started. The fire he had built up in his body before the game hadn't gone out yet.
However, the problem was his mind, not his body.
His mind went blank.
The memories of that day kept surfacing repeatedly. It felt like a ball would fly at his head at any moment.
‘Phew.’
Han Min-woo gulped down dry saliva. Cold sweat was already running down his back.
"Is he the next pitcher?"
"Who is that? Never seen that face before?"
As he took a few steps toward the mound, countless gazes flew in from the opposing team's dugout.
As he calmly moved his steps and arrived at the mound, the gazes of tens of thousands of people focused on him.
‘Fuck...’
His heart pounded as if it would explode. An inexplicable anxiety rushed to the top of his head. Goosebumps broke out all over his body.
“- --- -- ----!”
“-- - - --- - --!”
On the mound, the battery coach and today's starting catcher, Pi Ki-jeong, were shouting something.
What are they saying?
The battery coach patted Han Min-woo's shoulder and went down the mound with Pi Ki-jeong. Amidst the buzzing noise, he could barely make out their last words.
"You got it? We're counting on you!"
‘Phew...’
Everyone left, and the only one left on the mound was Han Min-woo. At that moment, the emotion that dwelled in his heart was one.
‘Let's not recall it.’
Fear.
He was terrified. Standing alone on the mound was so frightening.
Nevertheless, Han Min-woo stepped on the pitching rubber with a familiar motion. Because the actions he had repeated tens of thousands of times like a pro player were ingrained in his body.
Ding!
['Han Min-woo' takes the mound!]
[Since you have taken the mound as a pitcher in an official game where baseball rules apply,
At that moment, Han Min-woo flinched.
"What the..."
In an instant, his surroundings grew quiet. The memories of that day that kept surfacing were abruptly cut off, and the burdens that had bound him melted away like snow.
And in the place where they disappeared, other things filled in.
The sound of the batter scraping the dirt floor at home plate. The catcher's long exhale as he got into position to receive the pitch. The movements of the infielders behind him.
All of it was felt vividly.
‘Is this... the power of a special ability.’
Han Min-woo opened his mouth without realizing it.
Can I really succeed as a baseball player? What if I get hit in the head by a baseball again? If I get hit wrong, I could really die.
Should I quit baseball? What if the sweat I shed was all for nothing? Should I look for another path quickly, even now?
‘It's comfortable.’
It felt like being liberated from the countless burdens that had unknowingly been suffocating him.
‘I've really been struggling in pain for a long time.’
It wasn't that stepping on the mound was always this agonizing for Han Min-woo from the start.
The baseball classes he attended in elementary school, the baseball life he led during his school days. Until then, it was fun. No, even up to the early days of joining a pro team, baseball was fun.
He loved baseball.
It felt like returning to those happy days.
‘What pitch for the first ball?’
As he bent his waist and stared toward home plate, the catcher sent a sign through his crotch.
‘A full fastball inside.’
‘Okay.’
Han Min-woo, receiving the catcher's sign, took his stance and threw the ball.
-Starting pitcher Jason Cross has given up 10 hits and seven runs, and finally hands the mound over to the next pitcher.
-To explain again for those who missed it before the commercial break, it was a situation where the Crocodiles were leading with Kwon Ji-hoon's two-run homer in the top of the 3rd inning. And he was in a matchup against the 5th batter, Han Jae-min, when he suddenly grabbed his shoulder and complained of pain.
-The player coming up now is... Han Min-woo.
-He is a prospect who was nominated as the 1st round pick for the Busan Dolphins in 2026. He was traded to the Seoul Wolverz this time.
-Let's see... he's taking the mound in the major league for the first time in 812 days. He has played in 72 games, with 0 wins, 8 losses, 13 holds, and an ERA of 13.14.
The foreign mercenary pitcher Jason Cross went down the mound, and a new pitcher came up.
The fans at the baseball stadium buzzed.
"Who is he? A rookie drafted last year?"
"It's that guy. The one we got from the Dolphins in exchange for Yoo Sung-jong."
"That... Han Min-woo? Didn't they say his ERA is over 10? It's only the 3rd inning, are they already giving up the game?"
"I took a half-day off after so long, is this a joke! Do you think I spent money and time to come here to watch this kind of game?"
"Take him out! Take out the trash-ball pitcher!"
The spectators poured out colorful criticism toward Han Min-woo and the Wolverz dugout. Sometimes there were people cursing so severely it made one frown.
But that was natural.
Fans invested precious money and time to come here. And to those people, a pitcher who visibly looks like a mop-up pitcher comes up? Curses were bound to come out.
Because it was an act of complete disrespect to the precious fans who visited the baseball stadium.
Although they support the last-place team, the fans always crave victory. Even if they lose, they expect them to play with fighting spirit, tenaciously biting down, and desperately. Because that was the reason they cheered for the team called the Wolverz.
-Han Min-woo's windup. The first pitch is a strike.
-The velocity is clocked at 136 kilometers. It's 8 kilometers slower than the league average of 144.2 kilometers.
-At the moment I'm speaking, Han Jae-min hit it! A base hit over the second baseman's head!
"Fuck, take him out! Is that what they call a pro and put him up?"
"As expected. They said this year would be different, but they're still in wild dog mode, tsk tsk."
"If I cheer for this team again, I'll change my surname! I'll change my surname!"
-Yes, he hit it again. Baek Jae-joon's hit! It dropped in front of the left fielder. Han Min-woo faces a crisis with no outs and runners on first and second right after taking the mound.
-Baek Jae-joon pushed it well. It was a low outside pitch, but he cleanly made it into a hit with his wrist control.
-It seems like it's too much for Han Min-woo after all. It continues to the bottom of the batting order, but it won't be easy.
-Yoon Je-hyun, who was traded to the Wolverz together, hasn't had any notable performance either. If this continues, it looks like the Dolphins will have the last laugh in this trade.
Both the commentator and the spectators were of one mind, having no expectations for Han Min-woo.
The Wolverz fans started leaving the baseball stadium one by one, and the remaining fans, instead of focusing on the baseball, enjoyed the unwonted leisure of a weekday evening by nibbling on chicken.
That was when the upset occurred.
-Ah, Seo Seung-joon strikes out! He gets a swinging strikeout on the changeup!
-That last pitch was really good. He got a favorable ball count with the four-seam fastball and slider, and then stole the timing with a changeup at the end. He caught the batter really smartly.
The 7th batter swung and missed at the changeup, striking out.
And the 8th batter check-swung at a high inside four-seam fastball for a strikeout.
Finally, the 9th batter went down looking at a curveball for a strikeout.
"Huh?"
The fans who were about to leave the baseball stadium stopped in their tracks.