Ch 102
4.
A place with canned coffee in front of you, not ramen.
On the spot, Lee Jin-yong said to Lee Ho-chan.
“Senior, I know I sound very crazy.”
Ho-chan Lee nodded at that.
‘It sounds crazy to say that we should eat ramen this night.’
Ho-chan Lee thought that Jin-yong Lee said that as an apology for what he said earlier.
Of course, Lee Ho-chan’s prediction was wrong.
“Sunbaenim, I would like to pitch to strikeout in the future.”
“yes?”
Because the standard for Lee Jin-yong’s insane sound was far different from the standard Lee Ho-chan thinks.
“From now on, I really want to pitch with only strikeouts.”
At those words, Ho-Chan Lee, with a confused expression on his face, did not answer and just looked at Jin-Yong Lee.
‘Are you really talking crazy?’
Now, Ho-Chan Lee could not read Jin-Yong Lee’s intentions.
‘Strikeout, what do you mean?’
First of all, Lee Jin-yong is already a top-tier strikeout pitcher in the league.
‘Have you ever been a pitcher striking out?’
Isn’t he the new record holder for strikeouts in a row right now? A monster who struck out 11 batters in a row.
Even after that, Jinyong Lee showed an average of more than 10 strikeouts in every match he played.
Do you want a pitcher like this to strike out?
So what you’ve caught so far isn’t pitching that strikes out?
‘More than that, why do you have to say this to me…’
Moreover, most of Lee Jin-yong’s ball combinations were decided by Lee Jin-yong himself.
Even when prior agreement was reached, Ho-Chan Lee rarely expressed an opinion. When Jinyong Lee writes a screenplay, Hochan Lee’s only role is to sign and help him so that he can shoot the scenario well.
‘What do you say to me?’
That was it.
helper.
Ho-Chan Lee had no desire to tame Jin-Yong Lee, he had no desire to fight for rank, and decidedly did not want to have room to create problems with Jin-Yong Lee.
Having a problem with a pitcher’s baseball with 69 scoreless innings pitching, no-hitters, and perfect games is similar to having a problem by accidentally touching one of the exhibits at the Louvre.
Just imagining it is terrible.
‘No, what are you going to do if you strike out more than that? You mean two strikeouts in one inning?’
But at the same time, I was curious.
It is true that Jinyong Lee behaves like a man with a bit of a screwdriver, but on the mound he is a monster that no one can get along with.
Another pitcher will only strike out on the mound from now on! Then he hears his voice, but when Lee Jin-yong makes such a noise on the mound, no one treats him like a fool.
Just nervous, looking forward, and afraid.
If he said that he would strike out in earnest now, it would not be a lie.
I mean, you’re really going to do that.
So what will happen if Lee Jin-yong strikes out more than he does now?
There’s no reason not to be curious.
“So what exactly do you want from me?”
So I asked a question.
“Senior, I need your help.”
“My help?”
“Please actively intervene in ball mixing.”
At that, Ho-chan Lee said, disgusted.
“You’re good on your own, but if I give you my opinion, it’s just noise. I’m no help.”
“Hey, senior, you’re amazing.”
At Lee Jin-yong’s encouragement, Lee Ho-chan laughed.
“Hey, how do you know that you’ve never been right with me?”
Naturally, Ho-Chan Lee knew that Jin-Yong Lee’s words were empty.
It’s not that Jin-yong Lee is bad, it’s that Ho-chan Lee knew his situation better than anyone else.
He’s just a catcher who catches the ball.
“Uh, that’s…”
At Lee Ho-chan’s words, Lee Jin-yong looked slightly embarrassed, and Lee Ho-chan said to Lee Jin-yong to show that he was not angry.
“Jinyong-ah, you are a really cool guy. He’s so awesome that he doesn’t need anyone’s help. Even now, it’s already perfect, that’s it. Is that enough now? I’ll get my grades, I’m still young, and I have the manager of the operation team behind me, so what’s the problem?”
status quo.
That was the most important thing to Lee Jin-yong in the eyes of Ho-chan Lee now.
There is no place to climb already, and to spend a longer time like this.
But Jinyong Lee was different.
Rather, he thought that the status quo was the worst.
“As it is now, winning the Angels is a long way off.”
Championship.
Keeping the status quo as it is now meant that the Angels couldn’t win.
Ho-chan Lee, who was fluent in the two words “winning” that came out of Jin-yong Lee’s mouth, shut his mouth.
“It can’t be like this now. Everyone needs to show this ideal. It’s the same for me too. And if you want to show something, you have to show me first.”
At Lee Jin-yong’s words, Lee Ho-chan stood up.
“Let’s talk after the game tomorrow. As you know, my head is complicated with just the game tomorrow. It’s a ground series sweep until tomorrow’s game. sorry. As a senior, I had to help, but I avoided my seat like this.”
With those words, Ho-chan Lee left the place.
And Jinyong Lee said quietly while sitting still.
“Kim Jin-ho, don’t put your face between a person’s crotch and pout like a goldfish.”
– Aren’t you freaking out?
“Then what did you do?”
– Whoa!
“Aww…”
At Kim Jin-ho’s answer, Jin-yong Lee got up from his seat with an expression that he couldn’t see either.
Jinho Kim also stood up.
The two talked as they returned to their dorms.
“Will it be any better than that?”
– It should be fine. I told you yesterday how important a catcher is.
“Yeah, you said so much that my eardrums exploded.”
With that conversation, Jinyong Lee recalled a conversation with Jinho Kim.
5.
Jin-ho Kim, he said, that Jin-yong Lee needs the active help of the catcher in order to grow to a higher level.
At the same time, Kim Jin-ho explained the value of a catcher.
– Actually, basically, I know the psychology of the batter that the catcher is dealing with much more than the pitcher. To be more honest, if there are 100 pitchers in the league, it’s better for the catcher to do it than the top 10 who use their brains and the other 90 people mix the balls. actually do that
The catcher is smarter than the pitcher.
It wasn’t wrong.
– If you calculate simply, the starting pitcher has to throw an average of 100 pitches in 30 games to throw 3,000 pitches a year, but the main catcher plays 130 games and runs into the pool. Assuming that you receive an average of 150 balls per game, you will receive close to 20,000 balls. The speed at which experience points are accumulated is different.
Basically, the catcher plays against a variety of pitchers and at the same time, against a variety of batters, and a lot of those pitchers and batters.
If there are two people with the same abilities, but one of them has an overwhelming amount of experience, there is no need to consider which one has the better capability.
Of course, in the case of a pitcher, you can choose and focus, and in the case of a catcher, you should consider that there may be a lack of depth because it takes in too much data.
Anyway, what is clear is that the catcher’s ability to fight against the batter is not lacking compared to the pitcher.
– But catchers don’t demand or force the pitcher the number they put out. In many cases, they do not actively express their opinions. If the pitcher wants to throw this ball, he tells him to just throw it, even if it doesn’t seem like a good idea to him.
However, it is rare among such catchers that they actively take the ball.
There are several reasons.
– In terms of dealing with more than ten pitchers, it’s easier to just lose than to take care of each pitcher, and to be honest, the fact that a pitcher says he’ll throw with confidence is also a reason for that. But in fact, that’s the biggest reason.
But there was one absolute reason.
– Even if you can catch an out by throwing a fastball on a low course near your body, there are only a handful of pitchers who can do it properly.
Even if you order it, it doesn’t come out as ordered.
Literally.
– I ordered a pepperoni pizza, but who’s crazy about the pancake house? is not it?
Very few pitchers were able to throw the ball the catcher asked for.
Few pitchers have that kind of control, and even if they have that kind of control, there are fewer pitchers with the heart to use that control 100 percent of the time when it matters.
The reality is that there are a lot of pitchers who can’t put the ball in even when the catcher tells them to just put the ball into the strike zone.
In such a reality, the catcher does not dare to cast excessive spells.
A fastball or a change ball?
Is it inside or outside the strike zone?
If that doesn’t work, just throw whatever you want to throw!
Ho-Chan Lee was like that.
He focused on catching whatever ball the pitcher threw, rather than placing excessive orders on the pitcher.
In other words, if you have the leeway to consider the ball mix, you want to use that surplus for your blocking ability, catching ability, and stealing bases.
In fact, Ho-Chan Lee’s blocking and stealing ability were raised to the point that he was ranked in the top three in the league.
That was also the reason why Ho-Chan Lee reigned as the Angel’s hostess for a long time.
If he didn’t do anything and had no skills, wouldn’t it be impossible to survive in the fierce professional world?
But Kim Jin-ho knew.
– Obviously, Ho-Chan Lee is not an ordinary catcher.
Ho-chan Lee’s abilities, talents, and qualities are not normal.
It wasn’t a vague feeling.
– How do you know that? Because a guy named Lee Ho-Chan never once raised doubts about Lee Jin-Yong and your ball combination.
Jin-ho Kim, who is always with Jin-yong Lee, saw and heard all the conversations that Jin-yong Lee had with Ho-chan Lee, and I could tell clearly through him.
– There was something like that because I didn’t want to go out, but in other words, there was no reason to go out. Jinyong, the answer you gave and Hochan Lee’s answer must have been similar.
That Ho-chan Lee’s fighting ability is not lacking compared to Jin-yong Lee.
When he heard that, Jinyong Lee wanted to get help from Hochan Lee somehow.
No, I was bored.
If Jinyong Lee himself could observe the batter in the presence of Ho-chan Lee, where he could even hear the breath of the batter, he would be able to attack the batter more perfectly!
That was the reason Jinyong Lee moved.
“Will it be okay?”
And that was the reason why Jin-yong Lee, who has returned to the present, has eyes mixed with concern.
“Will Ho-chan-senpai move?”
If Ho-Chan Lee doesn’t move, Jin-Yong Lee will just have to go through the season in a hurry.
Jin-ho Kim said at Lee Jin-yong’s words.
– Absolutely moving
“Unconditional?”
– In the meantime, I’ve only been riding the bus, but someone lends me a bright red supercar and tells me to step on it as much as I want. So what do you think?
“Crazy.”
– Yeah, I can’t help but go crazy.
Kim Jin-ho’s smile deepened as he spoke.
– And those who go crazy with it become pros.
5.
The last match between Cheetahs and the Angels in a three-game match at Masan Stadium.
– Game over! Final score 3 to 1! Cheetahs take the whole series against the Angels!
– Cheetahs are strong, very strong.
The winner of the match was Cheetahs.
“The game was won in the 8th.”
“The big thing was that the Angels couldn’t stop Na Beom-seok in the 8th.”
It was at the end of the 8th inning that the watershed between victory and defeat broke out.
The situation of runners 1 and 2 at the end of the 8th inning, 1 out, 1 and 2, in a one-to-one breathtaking score situation.
In that situation, Cheetahs’ third batter, Beom-seok Na, who stood on the bat, hit a two-run time hit against Lee Ki-seong of the Angels, who became a setup man.
“It’s unfortunate for the Angels. I liked Lee Ki Sung’s position.”
“It’s because most of the fastball speeds were over 148. There was nothing bad about it.”
“Rather than that, if self-righteousness breaks down, the setup man shakes, isn’t this actually a bigger problem?”
“right.”
“This loss will be quite painful.”
“The good news is that the chances of losing 4 in a row are low?”
“Well, tomorrow is the winning ace card.”
It was a sad and painful defeat for the Angels in many ways.
Because it was a defeat that caused the team to lose 3 in a row due to a series sweep.
Because of this, everyone in the Angels’ dugout looked more tired than ever.
‘ah······.’
Ho-chan Lee’s expression was more serious among them.
‘You shouldn’t have thrown the curve there.’
Because he knew better than anyone.
‘I should have thrown a fastball.’
At that important moment, in the 8th inning, if he had thrown a fastball rather than a curve, he would have been able to catch an out and a slaughter blow against Na Beom-seok in the 8th inning, one-run runner, first, second base, two-ball, two-strike situation.
It wasn’t a vague feeling.
‘Clearly he was aiming for a curve.’
At the plate, Na Beom-seok was showing little signs that he didn’t want to hit the fastball.
‘Other than that, I can’t afford to have that much free time in the batter box…’
First of all, the appearance in the batter box was different from usual.
Angels setup man Ki-seong Lee, who came up to stop the horse in the 8th.
He was a fast-throwing pitcher with a fastball maximum speed of 151 kilometers.
I’m just in the setup man because I couldn’t throw that ball more than 30.
In any case, batters who face a pitcher who throws such a powerful fastball want to compete with that pitcher even one step further.
Try to stick to the back of the batter box as closely as possible.
But Na Bum-seok didn’t.
He stood behind the batter box, but didn’t bother to bother the catcher.
Naturally, Ho-Chan Lee, who caught the fact, demanded a fastball from Ki-Sung Lee as the deciding ball in a two-ball, two-strike situation.
‘That’s the problem with a ready-made guy.’
And there, Lee Ki-sung shook his head. Instead of a fastball, he wanted another ball, a curve.
‘I’m too small to leave that good ball behind.’
The reason is lack of confidence.
Lee Ki-seong has a fast ball, but he wasn’t the type to have good control of the ball.
And he wasn’t a very hard-hearted pitcher either.
On the other hand, Na Beom-seok was a very good hitter with a batting average on the fast enough to be called a fastball killer.
In such a situation, Lee Ki-seong was not confident to throw a fastball against Na Beom-seok, so he chose a curve.
The curve itself wasn’t actually a ball to catch an out.
Two balls, two strikes, it was a ball thrown in hopes that Na Beom-seok would make a wasted swing while there was still one ball left.
‘Since my breasts are small, I can’t get enough of it…’
The problem is that the curve went into the zone flat.
And as I said before, Beom-seok Na was aiming for a curve.
‘At first, Na Beom-seok was aiming for Ki-sung to catch two strikes and not be able to throw a fast ball against him.’
Going further, the reason Na Beom-seok aimed for a curve was also because he understood Lee Ki-seong’s style.
Confidence in the fact that you will never throw a fast ball at yourself in a two-strike situation, and will pitch a run away pitch!
that was the loser
‘Sheesh.’
A defeat caused by not choosing an answer even though the answer is fixed.
It was more than a bittersweet defeat.
‘I’d rather be forced to ask for a fastball…’
Of course, that doesn’t mean you’ve won by throwing a fastball there.
Because there is no if in baseball.
As I said before, Beom-seok Na was a strong hitter with a fastball.
If Lee Ki-sung’s fastball had been thrown into the middle of the strike zone, it could have been a three-run home run rather than a just-time hit.
‘That no one knows.’
Therefore, the more I thought about this problem, the more frustrated I became, and the more I couldn’t get anything else.
Therefore, until now, Ho-Chan Lee had not been concerned about this.
Even though he was seen, he turned away.
He called himself a blind man.
This was Posted in koreanmtl.online
pretended not to know
But today, the frustration could not be easily turned away as usual or pretended not to know.
‘Am I really wrong? Or is it right?’
The cause.
‘If it’s Jinyong…’
The fact that the most perfect being to solve this frustration, a difficult problem that he thought he would never be able to solve for the rest of his life, shook his heart.
In the end, he succumbed to the shaking.
So, the Angels headed back to Seoul for the third weekend match against the Rangers.
6.
Jamsil Stadium, where baseball games are held on Fridays.
Those conditions alone are not enough to become a million-dollar audience.
“There are so many people.”
“There has to be a lot. It’s a starting game for Jinyong Lee.”
The moment Lee Jin-yong was added, Jamsil Stadium became a stage where even tickets were difficult to obtain.
However, there were those who could participate without a ticket on the stage.
“I am happy to be a journalist. You can watch games like this without worrying about buying tickets.”
officials.
Among them, reporter Hwang Seon-woo and his junior reporters were able to occupy a seat at Jamsil Stadium with ease.
“That’s how I became a journalist.”
“Senior too?”
“yes. And after being told that if I became a reporter, I could go to the major league stadiums and the clubhouses as I wanted, I went to the United States with my seniors at the time and went through a lot of hardship.”
“ah······.”
“When I drive a car for 10 hours and move from field to field, I get really nervous.”
In addition, some of those involved were new.
“I see a lot of foreigners.”
Foreigners seeing for the first time.
“Are they supposed to be scouts too?”
“I am not a pure baseball fan who suddenly fell in love with Lee Jin-yong.”
Major league scouts, those who had never seen Lee Jin-yong before, were present in large numbers.
“As you said, as soon as I hit 140, the major league scouts come.”
That was the proof that Lee Jin-yong has changed now.
Evidence that he has the minimum qualifications to compete in the major leagues.
“By the way, Jinyong Lee needs to play at least seven seasons to go to the major leagues, so should he be interested now?”
Of course, he only had minimal evidence, but there were many obstacles that Jinyong Lee had to overcome from now on.
However, Hwang Seon-woo did not attach much significance to that fact.
“Major League scouts know Cuban players as well.”
“Cuba?”
“Yeah, just in case someone you want to sign from Cuba risk their life to cross the sea and set foot on the Americas.”
“ah······.”
Because there were a lot of players in the major leagues who went through really ridiculous difficulties and stood on the stage.
“Compared to that, watching a pitcher in Korea is nothing.”
What was important was not the period or the years.
“And Jinyong Lee, it’s not something you need to worry about. You just have to show them your baseball.”
What can Jinyong Lee show?
“Then what more must Lee Jin-yong have to show to go to the major leagues?”
“What?”
Hwang Seon-woo made a face that seemed to be absurd at the question of a junior reporter.
The younger reporter was confused by the expression on his face and said.
“So, what more must Jinyong Lee show in the major leagues?”
“Hey, what more do you think you can show with that grade now?”
At those words, the junior reporter made a blank expression for a moment, and then let out an awkward laugh.
“haha······.”
Hwang Seon-woo laughed at the junior’s laugh.
As the laughter flowed out, war spirits began to drift over the mound.
And soon a pitcher started going up the mound.
Then Jamsil Stadium started screaming.
“Whoa!”
“Whoa!”
“Uhhh!”
Truly an unbelievable cry.
In the midst of those tears, Hwang Seon-woo muttered to himself in a low voice.
“You don’t know baseball to expect a starting pitcher with a zero ERA to show more.”
The game started.
End