Chapter 481 – Episode 473. Is This a Pitcher?

“He said I was coming today?”

“Oh, are you going to play baseball because you’re scared of this?”

Before the game started, our locker room was quite heated with talk about the Volcanoes’ starting pitcher coming out today. The player who became a hot topic today is Tinie, a starting pitcher ambitiously recruited by the Hwasan Falcons. He was a player who has become a hot topic in many ways these days as the exhibition games are almost over.

He appeared in 3 exhibition games and was defeated in the first game, allowing 3 runs with 3 Ks and 5 walks in 1.1 innings. In the second game, he showed his potential by showing powerful pitching of 9 Ks in 3 innings. And in his third game, which was his previous appearance on the mound, he showed off his unpredictable pitching, allowing 3 runs while allowing 2K, 4 walks, and 4 walks in 0.2 innings.

What was even scarier was that among the walks he gave, 4 of the balls hit the body. And that too with balls in the late 150s. In particular, one person who was hit by the ball broke the back of his hand and was out for about 5 to 6 weeks, so there was an atmosphere of concern in the locker room.

“Ugh, I still have to meet him once before the season starts.”

“Where did the volcano kids get that guy from?”

“Not only the volcano kids, but all the mercenaries who came this time are in bad shape.”

Perhaps the coach was aware of this situation, and he removed all the veterans who had poor recovery skills from today’s game. If you get hurt in an exhibition game, you are the only one who loses, so this atmosphere cannot be seen as bad.

However,

“Hey, seniors. Don’t worry. “If you throw a fucking ball, I’ll give you a damn.”

I didn’t want those memories to affect the regular season, so I said something to the whining seniors. The seniors’ eyes change at my words. I can change the mood of the players with a single word. After all, I am a natural leader… !

“Hey, someone tells the coach to take that kid out of the lineup.”

“Hey! Do you want to be suspended again?”

“Meng Hao, please don’t get in trouble this year and let’s come to the game. “Why are you shaking your fist so much that you can’t play 30 games in a season?”

… Isn’t it?

“… So this year, my goal is to attend all games.”

The seniors’ concerns were also correct. The first season was 115 games, the second season was 109 games. It was a big blow to not be able to play about 30 games in the KBA league, which has 144 games. So my personal goal for this season is to play in all games.

Because of the Korean Series, I was planning on teaching pitchers etiquette this season to avoid getting suspended as much as possible, but it seemed like my seniors were worried about me.

“You can’t play in the entire game.”

At that time, shocking words that shattered my ambition came out of Sangju senior’s mouth.

“Yes? “Why?”

“You have one game left in your suspension.”

… ? The entire game is canceled before it even starts? When I thought about it, it was true. The suspension I received in the Korean Series was 3 games. And since the Korean Series ended in the next two games, there was still one game left on the suspension. … Fuck.

That too in the important opening game. In particular, this opening match was scheduled as a home game, so a full crowd was expected. Moreover, the opponent is the Volcanic Falcons, who caused a sensation last season. I was planning on making sure to follow the lead before the opening…

“Wow, I guess he really didn’t know?”

“Meng Hao, you really didn’t know?”

“… So I told you how many games to lose!”

If I had lost just one or two games back then, I could have come out this season and I could have won the Korean Series MVP… !

“This guy is starting again.”

“But Meng Hao, this opening match starts on Friday, so you can come out on the weekend.”

Only senior Gwanhyeong seemed to understand how I felt and patted my shoulder to comfort me, but the sad feeling did not go away.

‘Taina? What is Tai? This bastard was really behind today.’

I felt like I had to beat up the starting pitcher today to relieve this feeling.

*

[There are about two exhibition games left, but the rankings are really fun, right?]

[You’re right. The Charlotte Blue Mariners improved their momentum by finishing 5th in the previous season and advancing to the fall baseball season, right? This season, it seems like they are maintaining that momentum in exhibition games as well. They are showing that they are capable of challenging for the presidency by taking first place in this season’s exhibition games.]

[On the other hand, the two teams that are likely to win this season, the Hwasan Falcons and the AT Thunders, do not seem to be off to a very good start as they remain in the mid-tier…]

[In fact, there are very few clubs that give their all in exhibition games, right? It is not an incomprehensible ranking because both teams used several players and did not appear in the best condition.]

[But it would be a lie to say that the two teams that are favorites for the championship are not conscious of each other. You don’t want to lose, even in an exhibition game. In addition, the two teams will face each other in the opening game, so I think they will want to win this game, which is the last match in the exhibition game. What do you think, committee member?]

[Well, looking at the lineup, the Volcanic Falcons seem to have greater will. The Hwasan Falcons brought their best lineup against starting pitcher Jun-Hyung Park, and the AT Thunders brought a lineup of mixed candidates against Tinie. Last year’s main players such as Choi Jin-cheol and Jeong Yun-cheol are missing from the lineup.]

[Okay. Now, let’s begin the final exhibition match between the two teams aiming for the championship. This is the attack from the away team, AT Thunders, in the top of the first inning. The lineup is No. 1 hitter Kim Su-ho, No. 2 hitter Ji Maeng-ho…. The defensive lineup of the Hwasan Falcons against him is a battery of foreign pitcher Tinie and Lee Yong-gi….]

*

“Base on balls!”

‘Wow, the ball is brutal.’

The feeling I felt when I saw Tinier’s ball against the number one hitter, Kim Su-ho, was that it was bloody.

‘Are you scared?’

‘How can you not be scared when you see something like that?’

Rossby asked me if I was scared, but I had no choice but to tell the truth that I was scared. The ball’s position? That wasn’t the problem. His highest speed today is 157 km/h. Although he was fast, it wasn’t a problem for me as I had met many balls faster than him.

The pitchers I met at the Olympics or the WBC had a few balls that were faster than him, and even the balls in space were sometimes faster than him.

However, his control was truly brutal. The fastball pitchers I’ve met so far were guys who had some control over their pitches. Onatina and Gerrit Cole were like that, and the fastball pitchers I met at the Olympics were like that too. However, his pitch was at a level where I didn’t even want to stand at bat.

He hit a low ball on the first pitch against senior Suho, and after that, he hit 4 balls in a row. It wasn’t just a ball that was off, it was a ball that was off the mark. It was so bad that in the end, Suho sunbaenim fell to the outside of the batter’s box.

His control was literally brutal.

“Hello. Yonggi, are you sure he’s okay?”

As soon as I entered the batter’s box, I said hello and spoke to Lee Yong-gi, who was wearing a catcher’s mask. Regardless of the opposing team, were you worried about whether you could last a year as a pitcher like that?

“I don’t know, dude.”

Lee Yong-gi, who was moving up, down, left and right to catch the ball, seemed to be quite tired after only one batter since the game started.

“Please don’t throw it towards your body. Please.”

“I don’t even know where that ball will come from. “I’m just holding it in the middle.”

… Where did the Hwasan scouts bring such a bastard? ? What on earth was the idea of ​​bringing a guy like that to the position of a mercenary pitcher who controls the performance of the year?

‘The first pitch is a fastball.’

‘Okay.’

The pitches he threw in the exhibition game were a fastball and a slider. The average speed of the fastball was around 154-5, and the slider was a high-speed slider of around 144-6, so the high-speed slider was more controllable than the fastball.

‘Let’s skip the fastball for now.’

Anyway, his slider is good enough to put the ball in the zone. Since it was foolish to aim for a fastball that didn’t know where it would hit, I decided to watch the first pitch. And then the guy’s setup position.

His ball seemed to have a trajectory that seemed to deviate significantly outward, so I stood still and greeted his ball.

“Ball.”

“… “Didn’t you come in?”

“It didn’t come in.”

Lee Yong-gi carefully checked whether he entered the zone, but the referee was cold. The strike zone has expanded, but even taking that into account, he missed a lot of balls.

“Hyung, if you were a left-handed hitter, it would have been a ball that hit your body.”

“…”

There was no answer from Lee Yong-gi. Probably, he didn’t ask with the intention of getting a real strike. I guess I asked this with the hope that John would expand a little. Lee Yong-gi was serious enough to use such a trick, even though he was on the other side.

‘It’s a fastball.’

‘Yes.’

Tinier’s next pitch is a fastball. After seeing a ball that would have hit my body if I was a left-handed hitter, I prepared to dodge and waited for his pitch. And the second ball thrown.

“Fuck!”

The guy’s ball flew towards my side and I quickly dodged. Lee Yong-gi could not catch the ball and senior Su-ho, who was a runner on first base, advanced to second base. The guy, who showed a variety of control in just two pitches, spit on the mound and looked dissatisfied.

‘Hehe, but it’s not running. Are you putting up with it because of discipline?’

‘Oh, you know Mr. Rossby. I just feel like a guy with no control.’

Rossby subtly said that he wanted to clear the bench, but I didn’t even think of that. A batter would usually be able to tell whether the pitcher intentionally hit the ball or not. It was easy to tell the difference between the guys who had the intention of fitting in from the beginning because their eyes were directed towards the body.

But it wasn’t me that the guy’s eyes were focused on, it was a ball that I didn’t even think about running to the mound.

‘The more I think about it, the more fascinating it gets. What were these bastards thinking when they brought in a guy like that? I don’t think he’s a pitcher…’

It’s a thrower, not a feature. It felt like he was just throwing the ball and not a pitcher.

I heard from Soyoung and Jia that they brought in a lot of people like that to catch me, but I didn’t think it would work for me.

‘Well, you’ll find out once the season starts.’

Anyway, I didn’t want to get hit by the ball during an exhibition game, so I kept my distance from home plate and prepared to hit.

‘Fastball.’

Fastball again this time.

“Strike!”

“… Did this come in?”

“You are far away.”

Is it because it is far away from home plate? The ball that seemed far away came in. However, what was surprising to me was the fact that he put the ball in the zone.

“Strike!”

And the guy seems to have mastered the ball and puts the ball in with perfect control.

“What?”

“Our side. Are you embarrassed?”

“Fuck you. Don’t call me blind. Really.”

Now two strikes, two balls. I couldn’t just watch anymore, so I went back to normal and waited for the guy’s ball.

‘Fastball.’

‘Again?’

It’s a situation where it’s easy to throw a slider, but in this situation, it’s a fastball. Well, I guess they brought in a pitcher who can throw a fastball even in this situation to catch me. After being satisfied with the ball combination, I waited for his ball. And the guy’s fifth ball was thrown.

‘… In the middle!’

His ball flies at a perfect trajectory for hitting.

Ta – Aak!

And without any time to think, the bat was swung and made a sound that sounded like it was going to split the guy’s ball. What can I say about the ball that the guy hit for the first time…

“Oh, it’s pretty heavy, isn’t it? Well, it’s not so much that I can’t overcome it.”

It was a little heavy, but not so much that it couldn’t hit the ball in the middle. The speed recorded on the electronic display board was 156.4 km/h. If I hadn’t come to the center, I probably would have hit the fence and fallen.

“Ugh, fuck. “What were the scouts thinking when they brought in a kid like that?”

Yonggi swore softly as he watched the ball go over the fence, but since it wasn’t my team’s problem, I smiled once and ran slowly toward first base.

‘It’s going to take a while to make that guy a pitcher.’

Well, it seems like it would be useful if you can catch it, but is it really possible to catch something you haven’t caught in your entire life in one year?