episode_0400

‘Well, it wouldn’t hurt to test how much you’ve grown by now. Sinker. Keep your body low.’

It’s been a while since I heard from Rosby for a location call… Truth be told, I was worried that Rosby might refuse this time too, but it seemed like Rosby was curious about how much I had grown.

Of course, even if a pitcher checks the location, there isn’t a dramatic change. Since Rosby wasn’t really stealing signs to deliver to me. What Rosby is conveying to me is the position of the catcher’s mitt.

The worse a pitcher’s pitching accuracy, the farther away the ball goes from the catcher’s mitt. Moreover, in baseball, even with a good pitcher, the ball doesn’t always go straight into the catcher’s mitt.

When I was young and didn’t know anything, I used to swing a lot of times at empty air and bunt quite a bit when facing pitchers with poor accuracy, thinking about the location Rosby indicated. If someone knew my situation back then, it wouldn’t be surprising to hear them say, ‘Is this guy an idiot? Why can’t he hit even when he knows?’

But things were different now. After playing without location for about a year, even if the location Rosby mentioned differed, I could still make my own judgment. Being able to reduce the decision-making speed in the split-second battle between pitcher and batter was a huge advantage, even without explaining it in words.

Moreover, just by knowing the approximate location, I could understand what the battery was thinking when throwing the ball.

‘Focus.’

‘I’ll watch for now.’

I thought the first pitch could be a changeup, so I went in thinking that way, but I wanted to experience the sinker firsthand.

“Strike!”

And Alcantara’s ball, like a razor blade, licked the edge as it moved inside towards the zone. The speed displayed on the scoreboard was 99.3 miles per hour (159.8 km/h). Fast. It was definitely quick. It was so fast that the changes it underwent while coming in couldn’t be grasped.

However…

‘Hmm, the break isn’t as big as I thought?’

Honestly, while watching the video, I marveled at the fast ball, but it didn’t feel like the movement was that significant when I was at the plate.

Although it went to two strikes, I didn’t feel that bad. It felt like the method to conquer was shimmering right in front of me. On the contrary, while I usually swung at changeups like hitting home runs for breakfast without understanding how to hit them, I felt confident that I could hit the sinker.

‘Again, the sinker. Low on the body side.’

‘Inside the zone?’

‘The mitt is inside the zone.’

If the mitt is inside the zone, it means throwing it to the spot hanging on the edge like before. If there had been room in the ball count, I would have watched, but with two strikes, I had to swing.

Gripping the bat lightly again, I waited for his pitch. His arm whipped like a black whip,

Thwack!

The bat met the ball, disappearing towards the third-base stands.

‘Hmm…’

It felt slightly outside the zone. Plus, the bat missed the ball. It was actually lucky that the swing went foul. If a hit like that had gone into fair territory, it would have been an out for sure.

‘Fastball. High on the body side.’

Alcantara’s fastball had a speed similar to the sinker. In other words, it was a ball close to 100 miles per hour. And considering my swing mechanism, high inside fastball was the weakest point. Like KBA pitchers, if it’s around 140 to the early 150s, I could probably manage to get a hit, but if the speed is close to 160…

‘Should I swing? Or should I watch? It could go outside the zone…’

Altogether, there were many instances where Alcantara threw his high fastball outside the zone. If you missed it, you’d be out. However, considering that Alcantara was an inning-ender, he could immediately switch to throwing inside.

“Damn, I don’t know.”

The pitch from the opponent was a 100-mile fastball. Deciding to stop overthinking, he resolved to just make contact. Alcantara once again took his windup stance. Then, his high fastball defied the laws of physics, rising even higher around the midpoint between home plate and the mound.

Thud!

Feeling pain in his palm as the ball soared high, he instinctively realized something: his bat was slightly low.

“Whoa!”

Was it an infield fly? Outfield fly? It wasn’t the time to ponder such distinctions. Right now, all he needed to do was run towards first base. Even if the odds of being called out were high, he had to bet everything on that slim chance. The familiar sensation of stepping on the base with spikes was felt.

“Out!”

“Dammit!”

But the outcome was an out. Turning his head to see where the hit ball went, he noticed the left fielder, center fielder, and shortstop converging in one spot. And the shortstop smirked, tossing the ball to second base.

…It wasn’t easy, as expected. The Major Leagues where only monsters gathered. And within that Major League, Alcantara held the position of the best pitcher.

“Damn, next time…”

A pop fly to shortstop. It marked the first showdown between him and Alcantara, the 2022 Cy Young Award winner and a strong contender for this season’s award due to his successful comeback.

—

[Sandy Alcantara finishes the inning with just 7 pitches! The ball is caught by the shortstop once again.]

“He’s really good. Although he struggled last season, we anticipated a tough game against Alcantara, who is showing Cy Young-caliber performance again this season. He’s indeed a formidable opponent.”

“Now it’s time for a change of sides. Let’s introduce the Dominican Republic’s offensive lineup. Leading off is Julio Rodriguez, followed by Fernando Tatis Jr., Manny Machado, Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Jose Ramirez, Juan Soto, Wander Franco, Ketel Marte, and Gary Sanchez.”

“Except for catcher Sanchez, all these players confidently hold starting positions in the Major Leagues. Many are MVP contenders or All-Star caliber players.”

“Yes, it looks like it will be a challenging match. Facing them, South Korea’s starting pitcher is Jung Woo-sung, with Lee Yong-ki as the catcher to sync with him. Now, let’s introduce the infielders, starting with first base…”

“Dang, that lineup is so tough.”

┗ “Ugh, of all teams, facing the Dominican Republic…”

“Can they win?”

┗ “Honestly, it seems tough. With Choi Joo-tae, Ji Maeng-ho, and Kim Sang-jun pitching, scoring just one point seems like a big achievement, but the problem lies in the pitching. Frankly, not expecting much from Jung Woo-sung, especially after getting trounced by the Netherlands.”

The common thought that crossed the minds of fans upon hearing the Dominican Republic’s lineup was that they had to face such hitters. For those unfamiliar with baseball, these names might seem passable, but for those with even a slight knowledge of the Major Leagues, the viciousness of this lineup was immediately apparent.

All the hitters in the lineup had been contenders for Rookie of the Year or MVP votes. Even fans who only followed the KBA league had heard of players like Fernando Tatis Jr., Vladimir Guerrero Jr., and Manny Machado, so there was a sense of unease.

In the midst of the public’s anxiety about whether Jung Woo Sung can handle such a lineup, the Dominican Republic’s attack began in the first inning.

[Rodriguez’s first pitch hit! Shortstop Choi Joo-tae catches it. Lightly throws to first base. One out.]

[Well done. The leadoff batter of the inning. It’s significant to stop the leadoff batter in the first inning.]

-Oh, what’s this? Nicely done?

┗Originally, Jung Woo Sung is good at the beginning; the problem arises when his strength diminishes.

[Now, the second batter, Fernando Tatis Jr., steps up to the plate.]

[Among all the batters who need to be cautious, there is one player from the Dominican team who requires extra caution. Fernando Tatis Jr. In 2021, he hit 42 home runs in the National League, becoming the home run king. In 2023, he hit 32 home runs, and this season, he has already hit 27 home runs.]

[He’s also a candidate for the MVP of the National League this season, right?]

[That’s correct. Fernando Tatis Jr. is dangerous.]

The commentator emphasized the danger posed by the batter, Fernando Tatis Jr. This danger was well known to the coaches of South Korea and Jung Woo Sung as well.

[Jung Woo Sung’s first pitch! Ball, watches it. The second pitch… Now we’re heading to a full count.]

Thus, the game progressed with difficulty, even more so.

[Jung Woo Sung throws the seventh pitch! Looking! Strikeout! Jung Woo Sung’s slider hits low inside.]

And just as Tatis Jr., a right-handed batter, prepared to make contact, the ball, which seemed destined to hit him, miraculously changed trajectory towards the strike zone, leaving Tatis Jr. looking bewildered as he smiled and stepped back from the plate. It was Jung Woo Sung’s front-door slider that only appears on special occasions.

-What was that? Is it Jung Woo Sung’s day today?

-Has he arrived?

-I believed in him!!!

Korean baseball fans watching this slider were jubilant. For those who had watched Jung Woo Sung’s games for a long time, they knew that this was Jung Woo Sung’s day, facing the formidable Dominican team at the threshold of the semi-finals.

[As expected, Jung Woo Sung! No batter can hit such a pitch!]

Excitement filled the commentator as well. In a bleak situation where the opposing starting pitcher was the Major League monster Alcantara and the lineup was filled with MVP-caliber players, a ray of hope was shining on South Korea.

[Jung Woo Sung! Strikes out Machado, making two consecutive strikeouts! A clean three-out inning!]

Contrary to the expectations of baseball fans that South Korea would be overwhelmed by the Dominican lineup, a tense pitching battle was unfolding.

*

“It’s starting to show. Is this a ball?”

“Ball.”

At his second plate appearance against Alcantara, perhaps due to closely observing Alcantara’s pitches, the high-speed changeup thrown by Alcantara was starting to become familiar.

“It’s another changeup. Low.”

“Okay. …Is this also a ball…?”

“Ball!”

With Alcantara’s changeup being called as judged, after seeing two consecutive pitches, he could clearly distinguish between a ball and a strike.

“This time it’s a slider. Outside.”

However, he remained calm. Once again, his choice was to wait. Since it was his first encounter with the slider, he didn’t want to make a mistake by swinging at an unfamiliar pitch and creating a foul ball.

“Strike!”

“A slider… Is it like this? Let me confirm for now.”

Was the break similar to the changeup? Although the trajectory was completely different, the angle seemed similar. The speed also seemed comparable. Unlike the changeup that he couldn’t figure out how to hit upon first sight, he felt confident that if the slider came inside again, he could hit it.

“It’s a sinker. Inside.”

“At last….”

And finally, the guy chose the pitch I had been waiting for. While Changeup didn’t have the confidence to produce good results even if thrown honestly, I only practiced looking at the trajectory, but Sinkers were different. Since I thought I could hit it, I practiced hitting it.

“Here we go.”

In a one strike, two ball situation, a pitcher like Alcantara throwing another pitch that drops? It was an impossible story. Even if he threw it, there was no way he would throw a perfectly dropping pitch instead of a hanging one. That guy was currently recording a perfect game with ten consecutive batters out, so he clearly didn’t want to give up a walk.

As his pitch came towards the middle and gradually curved towards me. Towards my body. And at that moment, my bat was already meeting his pitch.

Thud – Crack!

His pitch was solid, but unlike the first at-bat, there was no pain in my palm. I started running as the hit ball flew fast and high. The first hit today that went over the outfielders’ heads. The left fielder ran towards the wall to catch the ball.

Now all that remained was whether this hit would go over the wall or not.

“Please, please.”

Honestly, when I saw Alcantara’s pitch, I didn’t think our batters could hit it. Jung Woo-sung’s pitch was being scraped, but it was uncertain how long it would last. This hit needed to go over the wall and lighten the starting pitcher’s burden.

“Go over!”

Dominican left fielder, Juan Soto, leaped high. The ball was dropping towards the wall.

“Please go over!”