Chapter 525 – Episode 517. Friend. (1)

This season, when Silla and our team both had a game in Seoul, I asked Wonho why we don’t go to the club together these days. Last year or the year before, we used to go to the club together sometimes, but this season, Wonho kept refusing, so he asked that question out of curiosity.

What did Wonho say then? He couldn’t remember for sure, but he probably spoke with this nuance.

-“Hey, if I want to keep up with you, I have to focus on exercising now. “It’s strange that you get good grades while having fun.”

Well, I don’t remember exactly, but it seemed like it was like that. How I felt when I heard those words from Wonho,

… Honestly, it was good. Wonho was the school’s ace since high school and was always someone I envied.

The pitcher throws 150. This kind of talent could only be considered a blessing from the God of Baseball. If I could have thrown 150, wouldn’t I have quit being a hitter and become a pitcher?

Of course, if I had that talent now, I would have used dual-wielding like Otani rather than quitting typing.

Anyway, it was natural for me to feel good when a friend who stimulated my inferiority complex in high school and who I felt was a wall told me with a nuance that he was jealous of me.

But, why am I thinking like this now?

Bang!

“Strike!”

‘… It’s heavy. Did you really exercise hard?’

“Time!”

This was because Wonho’s ball was heavier than expected. A ball that enters the zone as if floating… Of course, there was no such thing as a rising fastball as the name suggests. Unless a baseball player is a god, he cannot defy the laws of physics and throw a rising ball.

However, there was definitely a ball that gave the batter the feeling of a rising fastball. The ball is bound to fall under the influence of gravity. However, if the falling angle was small, the ball did not come normally but felt like it was floating.

And now Wonho’s ball was like that.

It felt heavy last year too, but the pitch wasn’t this much…

Currently, the fastest pitchers in the league are Jang Woo-joo and Tinie. Both guys were fast at the ball, but if you asked me if their pitch was special, I could definitely answer no. Wonho’s position is like that of the players he met in the league… Go Young-hwan?

Yes, it was similar to the memory of dealing with the fastball of Ko Young-hwan, Korea’s best closer.

I don’t remember the details of his performance these days, but Ko Young-hwan also went to the major league last year and was recording an ERA in the 2-point range, so if we only look at the current pitch, Wonho’s pitch is probably a ball that works in the majors.

However, if you expand your memory to international competitions, there were pitchers in the WBC or Olympics who threw heavier balls than Wonho or threw similar balls.

‘In other words, it’s not a ball you can’t hit.’

It’s not a ball you can’t hit. I was just a little surprised that Wonho threw a ball like this. He hit home runs against pitchers who threw heavier balls than Wonho.

However, I was happy that my close friend had reached this level. Surprise, joy, and even the excitement of having a proper match for the first time in a long time. Complex emotions rush in.

‘Yes, he refused to ask me to play, but I should throw him a ball like this. Jang Woo-joo, it would have been more fun if this guy had worked out just like Won-ho.’

“The time is long?”

“I feel like my gloves are loose. But I guess Wonho worked out a little hard? “Are you screwed?”

“Last year, I failed Junple and did a lot of Wonho exercise. I heard you two are close. “Didn’t you know?”

“I remember crying. “I made fun of him a little bit about that.”

“Why didn’t you tease me enough? “Are you tired of the ball?”

“Jirigi… Try throwing it again. “This time it’s outside the fence.”

After speaking appropriately with the catcher, he returns to the plate and waits for Rossby.

‘Splitter.’

Is it also a splitton? A combination of a fastball with a rising pitch and a splitter that falls midway between the mound and the batter’s box so that the batter cannot distinguish it. It was a simple but most effective combination.

‘Let’s wait and see.’

My choice is to wait and see. Because the fastball could have been a bit distracting, it was not a good idea for the bat to go out immediately after entering the zone. And since it was our first match this season, I had to get used to the angle of his splitter.

“Ball.”

A splitter from a guy that falls about one ball out of the zone. It definitely felt worse than last year, probably because I came in after the fastball.

‘Sseu-eup, 139? It must be a bit difficult for other hitters today, right?’

The first inning quickly ended in a three-way tie, and as expected, there was a high probability that today’s game would be a one-point fight. Fortunately, the pitcher on our team’s starting mound is Crongs.

‘If I do this, will I go out with a walk? ?’

Rather than aiming for a home run, the easiest way to score one run is to get a walk, steal second base, steal third base, and come home on a sacrifice hit. When I made up my mind, I made eye contact with Wonho on the mound.

-“Run away?”

… Wonho’s eyes seem to be saying this. Of course, you might not really be thinking that way. But, for some reason, it felt that way.

‘Yeah, fuck. When are you going to hit a ball like this again? I should just hit it.’

Getting a walk didn’t mean running away, but getting a walk against Wonho, who had worked so hard to deal with me, was the same as running away. Moreover, the gap with second place is almost 10 games. It was as if we had already won the championship, and this game was not as important as the postseason.

‘Well, given how much I’ve done for the team so far, I guess I can be a little greedy.’

Do you just want to compete with your friends for the first time in a while, aside from your team’s victory?

‘But it’ll be okay, right? Mr. Rossby?’

‘Huh? Why are you asking me that? ‘You bastard.’

Seeing as Mr. Rossby said it was okay, I thought it was okay to be greedy at this level.

‘It’s a slider.’

‘Okay.’

There was no need to wait because the slider was a ball I had seen a lot since high school. Although his speed was faster than before, when he was carrying the kettle on the baseball team, he imagined hitting the guy’s ball over the fence so many times that it was like a ball he could hit with his eyes closed.

“Ball.”

However, he didn’t seem to have any intention of throwing the ball into the zone, so it curved outward and became a ball.

With this, two balls, one strike. If you are a pitcher, this is the time when you want to count the most.

‘Two-seam.’

‘It’s finally come out.’

In that situation, Wonho chose two-seam. I heard that he learned it from Seonghyun at last year’s Olympics. Although he doesn’t throw it often, it is a pitch that many hitters have trouble with because of its unusual speed and bending angle. In addition, the frequency of throwing was not high, so the timing of the throwing was good enough that when a four-seamer and a splitter were thrown alternately, batters would often hit a ground ball when a two-seamer was thrown.

‘Well, that’s true if you don’t know, but…’

I waited for a few seconds, thinking about his two-seamer trajectory. The guy did a big windup and swung his arms.

‘Body side!’

Ta – Aak!

My body reacted to the trajectory bending toward my body, and the batted ball made a cool sound and curved toward his wall. However, it was bent so much that it narrowly missed the outside of the pole, and the third base umpire called a foul.

“You’re lucky. “If it’s just a little crowded, you can just move on.”

“What is luck? Wonho worked hard.”

“Considering that, Wonho’s expression looks quite surprised, right?”

“What are you talking about? “There is no kid with a poker face as good as Wonho.”

“Really?”

They say the catcher has a poker face, but I could tell after spending four years with Wonho. That expression is the expression you make when you’re scared.

‘This kid doesn’t seem to know. Seeing that I’m a little scared, I think I’ll take it out this time…’

And as I expected, Wonho started shaking his head repeatedly, as if the opinions of the catcher and pitcher were very different. Even after a few seconds, the difference of opinion was not resolved, and eventually Wonho started making signs by moving his hands himself.

‘Fastball.’

‘Fastball? I was afraid to throw it into the zone, so I thought I would throw a breaking ball, but if it was a fastball here…’

Throwing a fastball in a scary situation means only one thing. It was scary to throw another ball and get hit, so I would try to win with the ball I was most confident in. And what it means to compete…

‘Well, it’s Wonho. Here, it must be inside the zone, right?’

A choice worthy of my friend Wonho. For Wonho, who is the type to attack head-on the more fearful he is, the ball he would throw here was bound to be inside the zone. If so, the most likely location is probably the high ball. There was a high probability that a high fastball, which I thought was a weakness in my swing mechanism, would fly. Although it is not significant in reality, the batting average for the higher pitch is also the lowest on record.

‘Thanks. Wonho.’

Once again, Wonho’s legs rose high and his arms swung. And at the last moment, the ball that was thrown from his hand headed towards a high place outside,

‘Now!’

I was measuring the timing and immediately swung the bat.

Perfect!

Unlike before, it feels good in the hand! My hand made a jingling sound, and it was a little painful, but I felt like I had pushed it down with force and sent it away. After a few seconds of enjoying the feeling in my hand and appreciating the batted ball, the batted ball slowly disappeared out of the fence at a slow speed.

-Wow!!!!

‘Well, it was a good attempt.’

I throw the ball I am most confident in into the high zone, which I think is my weak point. The attempt was okay. But unfortunately for him, in the past few days, the only pitcher in the rotation who could compete properly was Wonho, and I was continuously practicing batting against Wonho’s pitches.

‘If the ball had been a little faster, it would have been dangerous.’

No matter how good I was, if a ball over 160 came in, it would have been difficult to touch it due to the swing mechanism, but fortunately, the ball that Wonho throws with all his might is in the mid 150s. It was quite powerful, but not to the point where it couldn’t make contact.

And considering my strength, it was natural that the ball coming into the high zone would go over the fence just by touching it,

“Hey, there was 156 on the electronic sign, but I passed it up.”

“It’s no big deal. I also pass on my senior. “I guess he’s mentally gone right now?”

“Huh? Kim Won-ho lost his mentality?”

“That bastard’s expression is fine. He’s probably having a hard time right now, right? “I’ve been watching you for four years.”

Moreover, it was unfortunate for him that I knew him well. The Wonho I knew was a guy who wouldn’t run away from here. If it had been a guy who didn’t know much, he would have been confused whether he would be in the zone or not and could have made a bad hit.

“Okay, this time I trust you and just swing.”

I gave advice to Jincheol, who greeted me at home plate, and entered the dugout. Of course, the dugout was in a festive mood.

” Haha, of course it’s Ji. Today again, you are spoon-feeding me victory.]”

“[Yes, keep one point well. You can protect it, right?]”

“[Of course. You are the only batsman in this country who can take away points from me.]”

In particular, seeing Crongs, today’s starting pitcher, so happy, it seemed like he was also worried today. Normally, he would be happy if I scored a point every day he pitched, but would he be especially happy today?

Ta-ah!

While I was thinking that, a clear hitting sound was heard from the ground again.

‘Back to back?’

However, contrary to my expectations, the ball hit the fence with one bounce and fell. As I said, it seemed like Wonho, who had a little mental breakdown, was driven to the center, and senior Jincheol did not miss the opportunity and succeeded in hitting a double.

However,

“Strike! Out!”

“Strike! Out!”

“Strike! Out!”

There were no further additions. Wonho must have come to his senses after being hit by a double from senior Jincheol, because he struck out the next three batters.

‘Good. If you take it easy, it won’t be fun. Because it’s Crongs… ‘Can I just pay two more points?’

There are 7 innings remaining. Is there enough at-bats to deal with Wonho, about two at-bats? I was looking forward to the remaining match against Wonho.