Chapter 40

Poker Face -2-

#

A pitcher's power isn't determined by simple factors. Throwing 160km/h fastballs for nine innings doesn't make you the best pitcher, and being able to throw a curveball that drops like a stone doesn't guarantee you'll be an ace. A comprehensive perspective is needed.

Among these, the ability to throw strikes is extremely important. Personally, I think this isn't just about control.

The ability to throw strikes without easily giving up hits.

The control to throw to the desired location.

The nerve to choose a high-risk course even if it means giving up more hits.

Pitching is a combination of velocity and movement. In that sense, National Sung's pitching wasn't really outstanding.

His nerve was almost reckless. He almost gave up a bullet-like line drive from a changeup in the first inning, but in the next at-bat, he threw the same pitch to the same location.

The result?

Another line drive with a similar speed. Of course, I caught it. National Sung didn't even flinch this time; he just nodded.

After watching the game, the strength of this pitcher was...

"Wow, Meteoros really can't hit."

...not No Kyungwoo's cheap comment, but his pitching form.

My batting form is designed to minimize the strain on different parts of the body. It's designed to hit the ball far without overexertion.

Creating a form is important, but if you can't maintain it, all the effort to perfect your stance is wasted.

What I'm talking about is National Sung's consistent pitching form and release point.

Whether it's a four-seam fastball, a changeup, or an occasional cutter, there's no difference in his pitching form.

Of course, that doesn't mean he doesn't give up hits.

Crack!

The Meteoros designated hitter hit a solo home run. In fact, even if you hit the edge of the strike zone, if the batter can predict it, it's inevitable.

After all, he was almost exclusively throwing to the low outside corner, about 80% of the time.

Still, the encouraging part is that he didn't lose his composure even after giving up a hit.

Crack!

He pitches as he thinks, regardless of giving up home runs or hits.

Snap!

Even after a home run and a hit, he doesn't waver.

Snap!

The only thing you can do for a pitcher who doesn't waver is...

Hit!

To catch a hard-hit ball that bounces knee-high with a backhand and throw it to second base, where No Kyungwoo, who runs in with his mouth open, is in a good position and speed to catch it.

"Out!"

And at first base too.

"Out!"

After the crisis, I checked National Sung's face.

How about it?

A round of applause, at least...

"..."

Amid the cheers of the fans, National Sung tapped his right shoulder with his glove and started walking towards the dugout.

"This is the national pitcher! National! Sung! I, Park Byunghyun, am amazed by your precise control! Erase the home run from your mind!"

Clearly, National Sung wasn't shaken. He just pitched as he wanted, even though the batters were targeting that spot.

This is much better than I expected.

He might be the one I think has the best talent as a pitcher.

"Hey, how was that throw just now? Wasn't it awesome? At this point, I'm at the top level of second base defense, right?"

"No."

"Damn, you're so decisive."

"Hey."

"Why?"

"Go practice your swing against the wall."

"...Don't you think you're unusually cold to me?"

"I'm the only one you help."

"..."

Isn't it more helpful to tell you what you really need than just clapping for a good job?

Still, I need to think about how to tell him that he would be really good if he learned a two-seam fastball.

#

"Yuri."

"Yes."

"Meteoros' pitcher is doing well."

"Song Taewoong? He's good."

While National Sung is performing well in his debut for Oceans, Song Taewoong is also doing a great job in his debut on the Meteoros mound.

A mid-140s four-seam fastball, a sharp slider, a good-breaking curveball, and an occasional changeup.

"Is he better than Geonwoo?"

Imira's question made Jeong Yuri laugh. Although she's still a college student, she's considering a career in baseball and has been analyzing the game since she was young, so she knows a lot about baseball.

"No, that's not it. If the pitch is just a little off from what he expects, he'll hit it. He walked in the first at-bat, remember?"

"That's right."

"He threw a changeup for a foul ball on a 0-2 count and then threw four curveballs."

"Right, they all hit the ground."

"He was scared. Everyone thought it was a home run when it was a foul ball."

"I thought it went over too."

"Looking at Song Taewoong's minor league record, he kept walking the same batter after giving up a home run."

"Then Geonwoo will keep getting walks?"

"He won't miss an opportunity when a mistake pitch comes in. Our Geonwoo is not the type to miss a good chance."

"That's true. Our son never misses a good opportunity."

While they were having this conversation, Oh Sohee was waving a flag vigorously and leading the cheering with other fans.

"Son of Busan! Strong! Geon! Woo!"

Yuri asked.

"Isn't Geonwoo from Busan?"

"He's not, but I can't tell him that."

"Next time, just tell him to say he's the son of Oceans."

"That's true, he is Imira's son."

They laughed heartily. Meanwhile, a quite drunk Kang Hyunjae was shouting in response to the cheer.

"What? Son of Busan? Lady! Geonwoo is my son!"

#

The reason it's hard to have a .400 hitter is largely due to intense scrutiny and analysis. Moreover, the level of professional baseball has become more standardized compared to the past. Additionally, there are physical issues.

Not only is it hard to maintain a .400 batting average, but the home run pace also decreases for similar reasons. Baseball is a sport of records. When a batter is on a hot streak, the opposing pitcher will never give him a good pitch.

The moment you waver, your good hitting streak can disappear instantly. Even if you know you can get a hit or a home run, you'll be desperate to hit a bad pitch, and if you swing at a bad pitch, your good hitting streak will vanish without a trace.

"Ball!"

A slider that you don't want to hit at all.

The current situation is two outs, runner on second. On second is Hwang Seokgyu, who successfully stole.

It might be worth hitting a slightly bad pitch, but the last one was too bad to hit.

A single would score a run. If it comes close to the strike zone, I'll hit it.

"Go! Geon! Woo!"

The coach flinches every time this cheer is heard. It's all his fault for giving me this strange nickname.

I casually asked Park Byunghyun about National Sung, and he replied that he's a man with a passionate heart. When I asked how he knew, he said he just knows by looking.

I didn't get any useful information.

Second pitch.

"Ball!"

Getting a walk isn't bad either. Senior Yang Daegun is waiting.

The next batter is a bit of a lottery.

I took a deep breath and stood close to the strike zone. My on-base percentage is 0.545.

I get a lot of unintentional walks, but I'm not the type who likes walks. I try to hit whenever possible.

Honestly, if I want to stack walks, I can narrow the strike zone and set my hitting point a bit back.

It's just a matter of personal preference.

The pitcher checked the runner at second. A 'Ma!' sound echoed through Sajik Stadium as if an earthquake had hit.

The fans believe that this shout can shake the opposing pitcher's mental state.

This is a matter of results. And perhaps, if the pitcher wavers after the cheer, it might make the fans even more excited.

I, we, put pressure on the opposing pitcher to help the team I support. That's what my father said.

I don't know if it's true, but the pitcher took a deep breath and shook his head.

Come to think of it, the hitting coach said before the game,

"Didn't you do well against Song Taewoong in high school?"

I don't remember every pitcher I did well against in high school, but I can tell that the pitcher is having trouble with me.

Sometimes mistakes come from very ordinary actions. A pitcher is a creature that can be affected by even the slightest movement.

The pitch came in low and outside, on the borderline of the strike zone.

Crack!

It was a bit lower than expected. But I managed to hit it hard and send it to the outfield.

I thought it would be a single, but the right fielder slipped and fell while running to catch it.

I ran to second. Seeing the center fielder sprinting, I rounded second and headed to third.

The center fielder's throw was cut by the second baseman, who then threw to third...

"Wow!"

...and the throw was missed. The third baseman jumped but couldn't catch it, and I scored.

"Strong! Geon! Woo! Geonwoo!"

"Go! Geon! Woo!"

The pitcher looked up at the sky in disbelief. Our fans were ecstatic, and the Meteoros catcher looked at me with a troubled expression.

"Good job."

Daegun said briefly, patting my shoulder.

"The pitcher seems to be losing it."

"...I know. We had a similar experience last year."

"..."

"...That day, the pitchers and fielders had a confrontation in the locker room... No, I'm talking nonsense."

Daegun, swinging his bat, hit a home run off a first-pitch mistake.

The stadium turned into a party, and I subtly sat next to National Sung.

"..."

"..."

It's more comfortable to have a type like Park Byunghyun.

#

National Sung was thinking about his next pitch, ignoring the fact that Geonwoo had sat next to him.

'Meteoros' atmosphere has dropped.'

It's his debut too, and Song Taewoong is a 20-year-old rookie. After the fielders' errors led to runs, he's clearly shaken, and the batters' approach might change.

Some players have a fixation on their batting order.

'The next batter is third...'

In the first at-bat, he swung quite aggressively. He took a bigger swing at a changeup that was inside the strike zone.

'To make up for the score, he might be more aggressive.'

If he's cautious, he'll be a tough opponent, but if he swings aggressively, it will be a relief.

"Practicing your forkball grip?"

He was simulating how to handle the batter, but his thoughts were interrupted. It wasn't unpleasant; it was just a bit unfamiliar to have someone talk to him.

"Forkball. Yes."

It was Geonwoo who spoke to him. National Sung thought,

'A type I never want to face. Excellent bat control, can turn a pitch outside the strike zone into a hit. Psychological warfare of moving the ball in and out doesn't work...'

The hit he just got was like that. The swing was inside the strike zone, but the trajectory was suddenly adjusted, and the ball went to the outfield with force.

"Sorry, I interrupted your concentration."

"No, it's fine. Really."

To be honest, he was a bit happy, though it didn't show.

"But you don't throw a forkball, right?"

"Yeah."

"Still practicing, I see."

"It's not going well."

"You've thrown 41 four-seam fastballs, 5 changeups, and 4 cut fastballs, right?"

"Accurate."

He was genuinely surprised. How did he count all that?

He had the most shocked expression in the past few months, but Geonwoo was still trying to figure out how to talk to this expressionless pitcher.

Crack!

Meanwhile, the Wolfpack hit back-to-back home runs. The stadium erupted again, and National Sung thought,

'Current score 4-1. Definitely more comfortable now.'

He often gets lost in his own world, but Geonwoo, clapping, casually said,

"It would be good if we score more."

But National Sung was thinking something else.

'The forkball doesn't fit my hand.'

National Sung has relatively small hands. The forkball is thrown by placing the ball between the index and middle fingers, and the ball's ends must be held by the middle of the fingers, so it's a pitch that varies greatly depending on physical conditions.

Still, National Sung was practicing the forkball grip because of the pitching coach.

"I don't want to learn the forkball."

His inner thoughts slipped out without him realizing. Geonwoo then said,

"How about another pitch?"

"Another pitch?"

"Like a two-seam fastball... something like that."

"I need a breaking ball."

National Sung, who rarely talks, continued.

"The slider is hard to control, and the curveball doesn't fit me."

He said it with a serious, thoughtful expression, but Geonwoo couldn't read it.

Then, Sajik Stadium erupted again.

Crack!

"Lee Siwook! Lee Siwook! Lee Siwook!"

Starting with a fielder's error, back-to-back-to-back home runs.

National Sung finally nodded.

"Can I try a forkball once?"

#

He's a person whose thoughts are hard to read and with whom it's difficult to have a conversation.

And he actually threw the forkball he was practicing.

But because it didn't fit his physical condition, he gave up a double right away.

"It's okay."

I've never seen him talk on the mound before. He seemed to be talking to me.

Runner on second, no outs.

Pitchers often waver in such situations.

A single can lead to a run.

But the batters seemed to be trying to help National Sung, swinging wildly.

Snap!

"Out!"

Snap!

"Out!"

Two consecutive infield groundouts, but Meteoros scored a run. Bok Hyunsung advanced on the first hit and scored on a head-first slide.

"..."

National Sung was completely unfazed.

He's an interesting pitcher and seems to be exactly what we need.

In the next inning, he gave up a long hit after a walk, allowing another run, but today's game was 7 innings, 3 runs.

The fans, who had been grumbling about the starting pitcher throwing bad balls, now chanted National Sung's name in surprise at his good performance. National Sung, still expressionless, waved to the fans.

While Oceans tend to weaken after the starter is pulled,

The same goes for Meteoros.

Since the bullpens are similar, it's a good match. It would be great if other teams were at this level.

Anyway, today's game.

Oceans won 9-5.