Mop-Up Pitcher (5)
Seoul Wolves' dugout.
Chief Coach Kim Young-seung asked the pitching coach.
"Pitching Coach. Is there a pitcher warming up in the bullpen? I think we should slowly change to another pitcher."
A mop-up pitcher. A player who takes the mound to handle the remaining innings in a game where the outcome has already tilted.
In principle, regardless of how many runs are scored or what situation arises, as long as the pitch limit is not reached, it is normal not to care.
However, in Chief Coach Kim Young-seung's view, Han Min-woo was too good of a player to be used as a mop-up pitcher.
'He's pitching much better than expected.'
The part the coaching staff initially worried about was precisely his mentality. Han Min-woo had a problem where his control faltered and his breaking pitches became bland just by standing on the first-team stage.
But the figure shown on the mound right now was in a state that could absolutely not be considered as having a weak mentality.
A player with a weak mentality wouldn't be able to smile at the fielders' errors or boldly pierce the strike zone in a 3-ball count.
No, he was a player with more strengths than anticipated.
'It's different from the pitch sequencing Ki-jung usually calls. Han Min-woo must be leading it.'
His location is outstanding, beyond what he thought.
Furthermore, against Hwang Sung-ho and Kwon Ji-hoon, who could be called the league's best hitters, Han Min-woo jammed them with fastballs inside. It was a pitch sequence absolutely impossible for a player with a weak mentality.
'It's too much of a waste to consume him on something like a mop-up pitcher.'
At the very least, a reliever in a chase situation. If he does well, a pitcher who could even be used as a setup man. That was Han Min-woo's value as seen by Chief Coach Kim Young-seung right now.
In other words, it meant they needed to care for Han Min-woo's mentality starting from now.
However, the pitching coach shook his head and expressed his opinion that there were no pitchers preparing.
"He's a mop-up pitcher, why waste precious bullpen arms? Just leave it to Han Min-woo."
In a way, it was an unthinkable sight. It was tantamount to the pitching coach disobeying the chief coach acting as the manager.
But a power game between the pitching coach backed by high-ranking club officials and the acting manager whose life was as fragile as a fly's was no match from the start.
Chief Coach Kim Young-seung let out a sigh.
"Then tell Ki-jung to go up to the mound and give him some encouragement instead."
The pitching coach pondered.
'What should I do? Should I mess with him one more time here? Or not?'
He inwardly disliked Chief Coach Kim Young-seung. Unlike other people, he wasn't bowing his head to him.
Even the former manager accepted his opinions as a top priority, but Chief Coach Kim Young-seung was obstructing his plans at every turn.
"Honestly, I don't know why you keep caring about a guy like Han Min-woo."
"I've judged that Han Min-woo is more useful than what we discussed in the meeting. We're short on pitchers anyway, so it's better to save him."
"Well... the mental part we were worried about does seem to have improved a lot."
"Especially types like Han Min-woo who know how to face batters even with slow velocity are rare. I think he's competitive enough."
The pitching coach nodded at Chief Coach Kim Young-seung's words. However, that didn't mean he prepared another pitcher in the bullpen.
"I agree too. But I think it's right to keep going with Han Min-woo right now."
"Why is that?"
"Honestly, we can't revise the guy's value just because he did well this one time. The records so far showing his poor mentality are also clear facts, aren't they?"
"......"
"I think this is a situation where certainty is needed. And one out, bases loaded is also a perfect situation to test him."
Chief Coach Kim Young-seung nodded at the pitching coach's words.
He's right. It's baseball; if you promote him based only on today's appearance, he could get shelled in the next game when his mentality crumbles.
Since that possibility couldn't be ruled out, it was clearly true that some degree of certainty was needed.
But it was inevitable that this current situation felt frustrating.
'Being the acting manager isn't easy either.'
Would it have been different if he were the official manager?
No, there's a high probability it wouldn't be. That man would definitely have clashed over everything so things would go his way.
Chief Coach Kim Young-seung looked at the mound and sighed.
"Then tell Ki-jung to go up once and pat him on the back."
One out, bases loaded. The most agonizing situation for a pitcher.
First of all, the pitcher is surrounded on all sides by the opposing team's batters.
Not only the batter in front, but from the left, from behind, and from the right, they are glaring at the pitcher. That situation inevitably brought more pressure than one could imagine.
'Will he be alright?'
Previously, Pi Ki-jung had asked Gu Dong-woo, a pitcher on the same team, what it was like in a bases-loaded situation. The answer was simple.
-It's awful, duh. With people glaring at you from all sides like they want to kill you, I was scared to death.
Han Min-woo would feel even worse. It was a situation created not by his own will, but by errors. And twice at that.
Moreover, both times were opportunities to end the inning against the terrifying heart of the Crocodiles' batting order. That was why he had no choice but to ask in an even more cautious voice.
"Are you okay?"
Whether he's a junior or senior doesn't matter.
His role is to lead the pitcher and somehow face the batter. He has to gently coax him and help him calm down.
"Ah, Senior."
Pi Ki-jung, who approached Han Min-woo, flinched for a moment. Contrary to his expectations, Han Min-woo was smiling.
'What's with this guy?'
He's smiling in this situation? When there have been two consecutive errors?
But he was already on the mound. Pi Ki-jung spoke to him with a reluctant expression.
"You handled the count well even with junk pitches. Hwang Sung-ho and Senior Ji-hoon couldn't even touch them, right?"
"It's thanks to you leading me well, Senior."
"I'm the one who's sorry. When we go in after the inning, I'm going to yell at Jae-hyun and Victor to focus. I'm sorry."
Then, Han Min-woo actually comforted Pi Ki-jung.
"You must be having a harder time, Senior. It's really hot, right? I saw before that the catcher's gear is really heavy."
"Huh? Uh..."
"Let's finish the inning quickly and go in to rest. Please take good care of the remaining two outs too."
"Y-yeah. I'll do my best too."
Pi Ki-jung came down the mound with a strange expression.
'What the? They said he had a weak mentality.'
He was bewildered. A catcher being comforted by a pitcher was absurd. He had worn the catcher's mask for quite a long time, but he hadn't seen this type often.
In his 12-year professional career, he had only seen a mentality like Han Min-woo's exactly twice.
Shin Seung-min, the closer for the Daegu Gladiators who was recording the most saves.
And Choi Myung-hoon, the ace starting pitcher for the Daejeon Griffins, called a monster.
Pi Ki-jung, who took his position behind home plate, saw Han Min-woo in a new light.
'If only he could keep showing this side.'
Somehow, it felt like an incredible guy had been traded from the Dolphins.
'Phew. Calm down.'
Meanwhile, Han Min-woo, unlike his calm words to Pi Ki-jung, had to take a deep breath to steady his mind.
Because he was so happy.
It was a matchup where he had mobilized every weapon he had. And as a result, it was his victory. He had realized that his pitches worked in the pros.
Moreover, a surprise event had popped up. A quest where he could earn a whopping 500 points. It was only natural that a hearty smile spread across Han Min-woo's lips.
'Being happy ends here.'
Han Min-woo returned to his usual dry demeanor.
One out, bases loaded. He had to overcome this crisis to receive those points. It wouldn't be too late to be happy after finishing the inning.
'The opponents I need to be wary of have all passed.'
The Crocodiles' 5th to 9th batters were relatively manageable. If the batting lineup consisted entirely of guys like Park Seo-joon or Hwang Sung-ho, the championship would be the Crocodiles' every year.
However, the Crocodiles' record over the past 4 years was in the mid-to-upper tier of the league. As the 1st through 4th batters were made up of monsters, the level of the lower batting order tended to be below the league average.
'Shall I tighten up again?'
Han Min-woo, leaning his upper body forward, exchanged signs with Pi Ki-jung.
└Wow what's this? They said the pitcher who came up couldn't pitch, but he's doing great? Is it someone with the same name by any chance?
└lolololol Two consecutive errors, for real? I'm dumbfounded lololol
└Welcome, is this your first time experiencing the Wolves' defense?
└(A cicada crying when in danger) Ciiicadaaaa cicadaaaaaaa cicadaaaaa!!!!
└But what's even funnier is that his facial expression didn't change even with two errors lololololololololol
└It's one out, bases loaded lol I bet my left wrist that Han Min-woo gets lit up and comes down crying here. It's my girlfriend, by the way.
└When Yoon Jae-hyun made the error, I really wanted to smash his head, but thanks to Han Min-woo, I've recovered. Phew..
└Still, this trade was a success oo. Giving up Yoo Sung-jong for a shortstop and a usable pitcher isn't bad heh. We need to see a bit more of the shortstop though.
└The comments are so funny lolololol Look at them evaluating him when they haven't even watched one full game lolololol When Han Min-woo gets lit up and pulled soon, the comments will be fun to read lolololololololololololol
└Yeah, it's a scheduled bloodbath. They're using Han Min-woo because they have no one else to trust? lololol Let's just laugh and move on.
└If you're a Wolves fan, let's all cheer for player Han Min-woo! Han Min-woo fighting ♥ㅡ♥
└Let's not forget. Han Min-woo (25) Career stats: 73 games, 60.2 innings pitched, 0 wins, 8 losses, 13 holds, ERA 12.96 hehe^^
A precarious matchup unfolded, enough to make the viewers sweat.
The pitch types Han Min-woo possessed were four: D-grade four-seam fastball and slider, and E-grade changeup and curve.
Hearing the grades alone, it seemed like he would easily get shelled.
However, Han Min-woo had quite a few weapons to compensate for his low-grade pitches.
Breaking balls that curved after traveling the same course as the four-seam fastball. He deceived the opponents' eyes with that and pierced the strike zone with the deciding pitch, facing the batters this way.
Pitching in that fashion naturally increased the pitch count.
An 8-pitch battle with the 5th batter. And a 7-pitch battle with the 6th batter.
The result was...
-Runner going! The batted ball rolls toward second base.
-Second baseman Ha Yoon-min catches it and throws to first... Out! Bases left loaded!
-Han Min-woo, who struck out the 5th batter, even handled the 6th batter with a groundout, safely finishing the inning!
-That's truly amazing, Han Min-woo. With two consecutive errors, it went to one out, bases loaded, but he eventually overcame the crisis on his own. Is this player really the Han Min-woo we knew?
-It's too early to judge based on just one game, but if he maintains this form until the end of the season, it's going to hurt the Dolphins quite a bit. They're just as short on pitchers over there.
The long, long top of the 4th inning ended.
Ding!
['Han Min-woo' is coming off the mound.]
[
'Phew.'
Han Min-woo came down the mound and let out a sigh.
Sweat poured down. He had only pitched 2 innings, but it felt like he had thrown 5.
'I... did it.'
One out, bases loaded. In a situation where every pitch was crucial, he threw without trembling. And in the end, he retired both batters and came down without allowing a run. He successfully decorated his return to the first-team stage after a long time.
The Wolves players in the dugout came out and welcomed Han Min-woo.
"Nice pitching!"
"Good work!"
It was an exceptional situation.
Usually, teammates coming out to welcome a player like this happened when they finished an inning in a close game, or in an important game like the postseason.
Han Min-woo was only able to enter the dugout after giving high-fives to each and every Wolves player.
The pitching coach approached and asked Han Min-woo.
"Can you pitch more? You've already thrown 54 pitches."
54 pitches in 2 innings. A very inefficient pitch count. Han Min-woo's pitch limit was around 80, so he only had about 26 pitches left.
However, Han Min-woo shook his head and expressed his intention to keep pitching.
"No, I will keep pitching."
"Right. You don't know when you'll get to pitch again, so of course you have to go up and throw. Even if you have to tear your arm off."
The pitching coach sneered. Han Min-woo didn't react to those malicious words.
It was true he felt fatigue. But he wanted to pitch. He wanted to face more batters.
Baseball was just too much fun.
[You have recorded one out. You have gained 50 points.]
[You are in a 2-inning scoreless state. You have gained 100 points as a bonus.]
[You have successfully completed
[Currently held points: 1,590 P]
'What will come out this time?'
An excitement he hadn't felt in a really long time.
Han Min-woo clicked the random draw on the side of the status window.