episode_0308

“Eventually, is this how it ends today?”

In the ninth inning, I was watching Inhyuk’s turn at bat from the on-deck circle, but my mind wasn’t focused. It was clear that even if my turn came up, I would definitely be benched.

The current score is 8:6. Despite the other batters stepping up and contributing three more runs besides the three I scored, our ace Jang Yoon was hit hard, giving up 3 runs in 5.1 innings, and UG’s hitters widened the gap by conquering the bullpen in the 6th and 7th innings. And that score difference had not narrowed as we entered the 9th inning.

Thunk!

The 9th batter, Inhyuk, hit a pitch from UG’s closer, Kim Woojun, sending the ball high above the infield.

“Short!”

“Out!”

With that, two outs. With no runners on base and even if someone stole third, scoring a difficult run would be tough.

“Sorry about that.”

“It happens.”

Inhyuk passed by me, offering an apology, but since I hadn’t set high expectations to begin with, I didn’t feel particularly upset.

“Kim Woojun’s pitches were really good today. His slider was on point.”

“What’s the use in saying that? He’ll probably just walk you again.”

“Well, just in case…”

“Alright then.”

Inhyuk mentioned Kim Woojun’s performance today, but since it didn’t concern me, I listened with one ear and let it pass through the other.

“He’ll probably just walk you again, so what’s the point of going up? Ugh… I guess I’ll have to give Suho senpai the sign from second base.”

But I was also worried about Kim Suho’s condition. He was trying to make a sacrifice hit behind me, making it unlikely for a solid hit.

“But I have no choice…”

With those worries in mind, I stepped into the batter’s box, and after winding up, Kim Woojun threw the first pitch.

“Ball.”

“Just as expected.”

And the second pitch.

“…Ball.”

“Huh?”

There was a slight unease with that pitch, seeming closer to the strike zone than usual.

“Rossbi! Rossbi!”

Feeling that unease, I quickly called out for Rossbi. Rossbi, who had declared he would watch cheerleaders for the rest of the time after my first at-bat today, responded to my call.

“What’s up? You haven’t even reached the base yet.”

“Check the bat position for me!”

“Why? I’m calling two balls as usual?”

“Never mind that, just check the bat position!”

The unease I felt now was the same unease I had been experiencing all day at bat. And with that last pitch, I was certain. And the third pitch was thrown.

“Ball.”

“How was that? Closer than usual, right?”

The unease I felt was that the bat position seemed closer than in literature. The distance felt oddly close today, as if I could reach the end of the bat if I swung it sticking out from home plate.

“Hmm… it does seem that way.”

“Take another look.”

At my request, Rossbi began focusing on Kim Woojun’s fourth pitch.

“Ball four, take your base!”

As the umpire called a walk, I walked to first base, waiting for Rossbi’s judgment.

“It’s not certain, but it does seem closer than in literature.”

“Indeed, it seems that way.”

It wasn’t conclusive yet. To know for sure, we would need to compare the footage directly, but for now, there seemed to be a hint of how this damn plan might be thwarted.

“While it did get a bit closer to the strike zone, hitting a home run off a pitch like that is impossible. You know that too, right?”

“Of course, that’s true.”

Rossbi’s words were indeed correct. Hitting a home run off such a pitch would be impossible even for a Major League home run king. Actually, swinging at such a pitch would disqualify anyone as a batter.

However, hitting a single could create an opportunity to score a run. Even though getting on base with a walk or a hit was the same, in situations with runners in scoring position, it felt different.

“Focus on running now and save the overthinking for later.”

“Got it.”

Lost in various thoughts, before they knew it, Kim Suho had taken his place at the plate. Despite the grim situation, the game wasn’t over yet, so they cleared their mind of distractions and refocused on the match.

“Ball.”

“Ball.”

“Strike.”

After three consecutive fastballs found the catcher’s mitt, a changeup came next, perfectly timed.

“Safe!”

Seizing the opportunity, stealing second base was not a difficult task. While Kim Woojun had a good pickoff move as a left-handed pitcher, he couldn’t stop me. After all, he couldn’t hold me back with his changeup grip.

“What’s the count?”

Kim Suho waited for the changeup, resulting in a one-strike, three-ball count. Then, he locked eyes with Kim Suho standing at the plate.

“What’s the pitch this time?”

“A curveball.”

Upon hearing the pitch type from the coach, I signaled to Kim Suho. Hoping that Kim Suho would call me home, I prayed, but…

“Bases loaded, ball four!”

Kim Suho worked the walk, avoiding the pitch.

“Alright, not bad.”

At the plate stood Kisangju, who had hit a crucial home run in the last game. With a decent performance of 2 hits in 4 at-bats today, there was hope.

“Please, Sangju hyung. Please! Coach Rosby!”

“A slider.”

“Hyung! It’s a slider!”

Kisangju seemed to have seen my sign as his gaze briefly wavered before returning to normal.

-Kisangju! Kisangju! Kisangju!

Chants of Kisangju’s name echoed in Jamsil Stadium. Responding to the fans’ cheers, Kisangju drove Kim Woojun’s slider deep into the outfield.

Crack!

“It’s gone! It’s huge!”

“Ah, damn it!”

The ball soared high, and Kim Woojun’s curse reverberated through the infield as the ball continued towards the wall. However…

“Please, please.”

Despite praying while staring at the ball between second and third base, the ball, which seemed destined for the wall, began to descend.

-Whoa!!!

And just as the ball seemed about to clear the wall, UG’s left fielder leaped, catching the ball against the wall.

“Ah… That didn’t go out.”

Even though it wasn’t a home run, the ball could have hit the wall and bounced off. But true to UG’s reputation for top-notch defense, that didn’t happen.

“Ah, damn it, it didn’t go over. Was the launch angle too high?”

Jamsil was too vast to push it over. If it had gone over, it would have been a walk-off three-run homer, but Jamsil didn’t allow that extra inch.

With UG’s players celebrating joyfully, we headed back to the dugout.

“Today’s game was disappointing. Let’s prepare well for tomorrow’s game.”

“…Sure.”

Despite the players feeling gloomy after the tough loss, I called out to Coach Lee Soohyun, who was about to leave the dugout.

“Coach, do you have a moment after this?”

“Huh? What’s up?”

“I think I’ve discovered something.”

“Oh? Do the others need to hear this too?”

“No, it’s not like that. Could I get the footage of my at-bat from the Korean Series from the performance analysis team?”

“Got it. I’ll let them know.”

“I’ll come find you after showering then.”

After the coach left for the post-game interview, other players approached.

“What’s up? Is it something important?”

“What did you discover now?”

“It’s not that crucial, but I have something I want to discuss with the coach.”

Since I hadn’t confirmed anything by watching the footage yet, I kept it to myself for now.

“Just call the coach for something trivial. I got excited for nothing, thinking there might be a way to win.”

“You never know. It could be important.”

In response to my words, colleagues around me began to react.

“Yeah, well. Today, we’re sorry. We should have scored more points.”

“No, I didn’t pitch well today. Sorry, I should have focused a bit more.”

“No, sir. I should have blocked the base runner.”

Before I knew it, the dugout turned into a post-game evaluation session, and I quickly left the dugout for the showers. After finishing my shower, I headed to the coach’s office where Coach Lee Soo-hyun was waiting for me.

“So, what did you want to see me about? I’ve gathered all your at-bats… I saw them before you arrived, they were all walks?”

“Yes, walks. But something felt off today. Let me check the video of my plate appearances first.”

“I’m not sure what felt off, but you must have some thoughts. Alright, go ahead.”

After reviewing the at-bats with Coach Lee Soo-hyun, I realized that the discomfort I felt in the batter’s box was not just discomfort. It was because the ball seemed closer to me at Jamsil Stadium. While it could be attributed to the pitcher’s control issues, it was different from that.

“Coach, do you see it too? The pitches are thrown further at Munhak Stadium.”

“That’s true, but… with this kind of pitch, wouldn’t hitting a home run be quite difficult anyway? Yes, a home run. So that’s why the pitches were thrown further at Munhak!”

“What? What do you mean?”

“At Munhak, even if you push the ball outside, it could still result in a home run, but it’s impossible here at Jamsil, so the pitches got slightly closer. The battery might not be consciously aware of it, though.”

There was logic in Coach Lee Soo-hyun’s words. At Munhak Stadium, with the right hit, there was a chance the ball would clear the fence. However, Jamsil was different. Jamsil wasn’t a stadium where hitting the ball meant it would go over. In fact, today’s warning track shot was a well-hit ball, but it wasn’t enough to clear Jamsil.

Subconsciously fearing getting out by making contact with the ball, a gap had formed in my pitching at Jamsil, aiming closer to the strike zone.

“But, I’m not sure if this makes any difference. If it’s not a home run…”

“Still, you can make a hit. Especially in crucial scoring positions. If the opportunity arises, I’ll drive in runs then.”

With three consecutive walks in the past games, it was evident that UG fielders’ focus was wavering, increasing the likelihood of hits being made.

“In that case…”

“I’ll step up as the 4th batter in the next game.”

While stepping up as the leadoff hitter did yield an extra point, it seemed more beneficial to execute this strategy with a higher chance of runners on base at the 4th spot.

“…Remember, opportunities come only once, right? If the UG guys realize this too, the distance will surely widen again.”

“Trust me, Coach.”

As Coach Lee Soo-hyun said, opportunities come only once. But I was confident. Hitting a predetermined pitch at a predetermined location was something I had been doing all last year. And if I trained mentally with Rosby…

“I can definitely score at least 2 runs.”

“Alright. I’ll trust you.”

“Thank you, Coach!”

“With 2:2 tied here, I’ll head to Munhak. Even without me, Munhak is capable of scoring plenty!”

With determination firmly set, I left the coach’s office.

…And as expected, the next day in the Korean Series Game 4, an opportunity came knocking at my door.