Ch 155
One.
Nationals Park.
As the home stadium of the Washington Nationals, of course, Nationals Park was located in Washington.
But it wasn’t a very good combination.
It is not easy to find a point of contact between Washington and baseball, which can be said to be the center of world politics and diplomacy, as well as the United States.
Just look at the stuff that’s filling up around Nationals Park right now.
Where in the world is there a baseball field where the roof of the US Capitol can be seen over the baseball field, and the US Supreme Court or the White House can be found on a map near the baseball field?
That’s why MLB players say it when they visit Nationals Park.
“I think there is something heavy here that you can’t feel in other stadiums.”
“It’s sympathetic. Somehow, I don’t think it’s okay to cross a certain line.”
“Should I say solemn? I feel reverent. Perhaps because of that, my performance seems to be lower than usual.”
There is solemnity in Nationals Park.
Of course, that was the story of ordinary players to the end.
– It’s definitely fresh.
Kim Jin-ho, who had never visited Nationals Park in his lifetime, expressed the atmosphere flowing through Nationals Park as freshness rather than solemnity.
“Are you fresh?”
– yes. Just by looking at it, not only the baseball field but also the spectators feel like a fresh young chick who doesn’t know much about baseball, right?
There was a faint smile on the corner of Kim Jin-ho’s mouth as he spoke, and that smile was proving that what Kim Jin-ho was saying was sincere, not frivolous or pretentious.
– Well, it’s barely 10 years old, and it’s got to be fresh, and it must be weird if it smells like Wrigley Field.
In addition, those words could be said because it was Kim Jin-ho.
This can only be said because he is a great pitcher who dominated the Major Leagues and not anyone else.
– In any case, it’s a stage that’s just right for a rookie pitcher.
1 horse.
Jinyong Lee, who had already climbed the mound that the owner of this place had passed, had no confidence to say such a thing.
“Yes, it is.”
Therefore, Jin-yong Lee gladly accepted Jin-ho Kim’s words.
notified at the same time.
“But it will be different after nine innings.”
Kim Jin-ho said with a smile at the notification.
– Try it, you bastard.
With the horse, Jin-yong Lee removed the glove that covered his mouth, and immediately changed his hat.
[The starting pitcher bonus is applied. The amount of points earned is increased by 15%.]
[The amount of points earned increases by 10% by the quality start effect.]
Through Jinyong Lee’s ears, he heard the baseball manager’s announcement announcing the start of the game.
After that sound, Jinyong Lee exhaled briefly.
“downpour.”
The game started.
2.
The first match of the season between the Nationals and the Mets.
Naturally, everyone predicted the Nationals’ victory in this matchup.
It wasn’t a vague feeling.
– The Nationals and the Mets, who will win? Are you calling this a question? Are you new to MLB?
– Simply put, the Mets pitching team can never stop the Nationals from hitting the line!
The basis for that conviction was the three batters currently responsible for scoring for the Nationals.
– Harper, Zimmerman and Murphy. How many pitchers can stand in front of these three? there will be But not in the Mets.
Bryce Harper, Ryan Zimmerman and Daniel Murphy.
This trio, placed in order from 2 to 4, was a batting line that could score against any pitcher in the major leagues.
The fact that the trio had an average OPS of over 0.950 for the 2017 season was proof of that.
The fact that three batters with an OPS of 0.950 are lined up in a row, all of those hitters have the power to hit 30 home runs in a season, and the batting average below 30 has the sophistication of not even hitting a batting average is a pitcher. To the field, it was like passing a cage of lions, wolves, and tigers one after another, covered in blood.
Of course, at this point I say
Why would it be better to place such a strong batting line from the first, but then the second?
What kind of batter stands as number 1 in front of such a batting line?
Understanding and attacking the Nationals’ hitting line started right there.
In fact, today’s Major League Baseball was passing the age of on-base percentage and entering the age of home runs.
In the era of extremely serious two hitters, batters decided that it was better to score points through home runs rather than scoring with multiple hits, and set their batting form and batting direction accordingly.
Because of this, it was now an era where placing a home run hitter at number one and giving the home run hitter a chance to stand on more plates has become a way to try rather than a bizarre thing.
From that point of view, it was by no means unusual for the Nationals to place Bryce Harper, who possesses great sophistication and power, at the top of the list.
However, Bryce Harper played in number two for most of the season.
The reason was to receive immediate data about the pitcher he is facing today through the #1 hitter.
‘Lee Jinyong, you throw with your right hand against me.’
In other words, Pat Rice’s role now at bat wasn’t about hitting hits.
‘I’ll extract as much information as possible.’
Getting the starting pitcher to throw as many balls as possible.
With him, the three terrifying hitters behind him get the hottest news about the pitcher on the mound.
Pat Rice was going to stick to the role.
In fact, he studied Lee Jin-yong as much as possible in order to be faithful to the role.
He knew that he was a two-handed pitcher and that he was a smart pitcher, and he knew that the right hand he now had towards him had incredible control.
So he didn’t hesitate.
‘I see Chogu unconditionally.’
Without hesitation, I wanted to watch what Jin-yong Lee throws with the first ball.
Jinyong Lee threw the first ball at him.
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pop!
His pitch is a four-seam fastball.
The course is in the middle of the strike zone.
The speed was 128 kilometers and 80 miles.
“strike!”
The moment the referee called for a strike on the ball, the atmosphere in Nationals Park became chaotic.
“80 miles?”
“Why is that ball coming out?”
“What, why are you just watching that ball?”
Because in the major leagues, an 80 mph fastball was harder to see than a 100 mph fastball.
“Rice, what are you doing? Even if it was out, I should have hit it!”
“It’s crazy, why are you looking at a ball like that with your eyes open?”
There were shouts of blaming Fat Rice from all sides.
‘Damn it.’
And Pat Rice himself grinded his teeth inside.
‘shit!’
Lee Jin-yong expected that he would watch the first ball, and had in mind that he would throw a four-seam fastball that just entered the strike zone.
But is that ball supposed to be an 80-mile four-seam fastball?
‘You must be that crazy!’
It’s not anywhere else, it’s the MLB stage.
On a stage like that, on a stage full of monsters, on a stage where even a 100-mile four-seam fastball makes a home run, deliberately throwing an 80-mile four-seam fastball?
something you can’t do without it.
‘It is a correction.’
So Pat Rice modified the strategy.
‘You can’t think of him as a regular pitcher. Then they do nothing and get eaten.’
I will stop trying to see the ball as much as possible, and actively hit the ball that I think can hit.
‘And if it were him, he had the guts to throw a similar ball in the second pitch. No, if it’s his pattern in the meantime, there’s a high chance he’ll throw a staggering ball in the second pitch against a pitcher who sees the first pitch. Then they aim.’
Jinyong Lee threw the second pitch towards him.
‘come!’
The ball was very similar to the one thrown earlier.
The ball rushed towards the center of the strike zone.
The restraints were also the same as before.
80 miles level.
Naturally, Pat Rice’s bat, ready to hit the ball, reacted and moved immediately.
Whoo!
He moved with the momentum to hit the ball.
At that moment, the ball with the bat in front of it disappeared.
‘uh?’
Pat Rice danced to the splitter, the magic ball.
“Swing, strike!”
At that moment, Pat Rice’s expression distorted.
‘shit!’
The fact that he read his head and rather caught himself, and the fact that the tool used for that fishing was not an ordinary tool.
Those two facts began to put a strain on Pat Rice’s face.
‘The splitter falls far more than I expected.’
Among the dogs, what made Fat Rice nervous was the trajectory shown by Jinyong Lee’s splitter.
‘Much more than I thought….’
The moment he saw the splitter, Lee Jin-yong reflected in Pat Rice’s eyes, and he was no longer a small pitcher who could throw a ball in the 80s.
gulp!
A little monster that can eat itself at any time.
So, after two novoles and two strikes, Pat Rice was pushed to the edge of the cliff and had no choice but to choose.
‘Anta gives up. Instead, hold out as much as possible.’
Seeing the strike zone as wide as possible, kicking off as many balls as possible, and letting Jinyong Lee throw more balls.
Jinyong Lee threw the third pitch at Pat Rice.
An 87-mile four-seam fastball that aims high in the strike zone.
A ball that Pat Rice would not have touched if it had been a first ball.
However, from the standpoint of Pat Rice, who has a high strike zone, the ball has no choice but to be touched.
Finally, there was only one thing Fat Rice could do in front of that rising fastball, which sinks less than a normal fastball.
Whoo!
dancing once again.
“Swing Strike Out!”
So Jin-yong Lee struck out Pat Rice, the first batter.
“downpour!”
The first torrential rains hit Nationals Park.
3.
“downpour!”
The moment Jin-Yong Lee strikes out Fat Rice and shouts cheers, the atmosphere in Nationals Park begins to create a solemn atmosphere that can drown Jin-Yong Lee at any moment.
‘Cause nobody just kept quiet watching crazy dogs running rampant on their home ground
But it was there.
The Nationals’ fans only let the atmosphere go, and didn’t raise their voices or boos.
Instead, they cried.
“Harper!”
Bryce Harper, his name.
That was enough.
“Harper!”
Bryce Harper, he’s the perfect hitter to judge a pitcher who’s done something that’s not even funny in Nationals Park right now.
And that was a very reasonable expectation.
– Hey, look at that little number.
Bryce Harper had the number 491 floating above his head.
It was the highest number Lee Jin-yong had ever seen.
It was a number that made my spine shiver.
– Yeah, I can finally see Jinyong pee on the mound after he gets hit by a baby homer.
As Kim Jin-ho said, it was the clearest proof that that batter was an impregnable hitter who would be able to make any ball that Jin-yong Lee throws with a home run.
‘Honestly, he’s a huge hitter. To the extent that it wouldn’t be strange to kill me at any time.’
To be more honest, Jinyong Lee couldn’t be sure of a victory he dared to win against Bryce Harper.
He couldn’t even be sure of a win against the 2015 MVP, the best hitter in the monstrous MLB.
“Rising fastball.”
That was the reason.
“revolver.”
Jinyong Lee, facing Bryce Harper, covered his mouth with a glove and began to memorize a spell.
“harness.”
He vomited out everything he could memorize.
“The day before planting.”
Jinyong Lee, who vomited everything in that way, threw the first ball at Bryce Harper without a single hesitation.
into the strike zone.
He threw the fastball with all his might.
It was a win.
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power versus power.
Or skill versus skill.
Obviously, it wasn’t like a head-scratching fight.
either hit or not.
‘OK.’
Naturally, Bryce Harper swung his bat for the ball that went into the strike zone.
with power.
without any hesitation.
And without the slightest doubt that he was going to hit a home run.
The moment the ball and the bat, which did not stop, were about to collide, the ball thrown by Jinyong Lee just before that started to deviate from the path.
The ball that looked like a fastball, the straight ball, started moving towards Bryce Harper’s body.
Cut Fastball!
It was strengthened through the rising fastball, and the trajectory manipulated through the harness began to work magic.
Bryce Harper’s body reacted in an instant to that fact.
He changed the angle of his swing as if Bryce Harper was pulling the bat towards him.
Whoa!
Soon, the ball flew high with a sound like the cracking of lightning.
At the same time, one person immediately raised his hand high.
“downpour!”
Jinyong Lee, it was the moment when he became the winner in the first fight against Harper.
4.
Nationals v Mets.
It was the moment when Jin-yong Lee finished the first inning with a triplets that began to change the mood everyone was expecting the Nationals to win.
– Uh, look at this bastard?
– Hey, you’re not kidding than I thought, right?
– Aren’t you a great pitcher than you think?
– Doesn’t it look like he’s not a chunky pitcher?
Everyone who watched the game was surprised that Jinyong Lee finished the first inning so easily, in a situation where most people would have been willing to bet $100 on the fact that Jinyong Lee would be hit in the first inning.
Furthermore, at the end of the second inning, Jin-yong Lee, who was on the mound again, gave up a hit against Daniel Murphy, the lead hitter, but the moment the inning ended without a run, including a shot and killed, those watching the game could feel the fact more clearly.
“downpour!”
And the moment Lee Jin-yong finished cleanly even at the end of the 3rd inning with a triplets, I had no choice but to admit it.
– Whoa, this bastard isn’t an ordinary guy.
– He was kind of a monster.
– Pitching is a complete art. It’s in the 80’s, and the control and ball mix are perfect.
That right-handed pitcher Jinyong Lee’s skills are not lacking enough to stand out on the major league stage.
Some even mentioned him.
– I think Greg Maddox is back.
– Yeah, it’s like Master.
– Seeing that he uses two-seam well, he is similar to a master.
Greg Maddox.
One of the greatest pitchers in MLB history, his name was mentioned.
Of course, the story didn’t last long.
– Comparing Greg Maddox to a pitcher who pitched only three innings is absurd.
– It’s only three innings. Now, the other ship has only turned one lap.
Comparing a pitcher with only three innings to the greatest pitcher in major league history was unacceptable for the pride of a major league fan.
– right. Now, the Nationals hitters must have become familiar with Howman’s ball.
– It’s real from now on.
– Baseball is played for nine innings. I still have 6 innings left.
Furthermore, as all batters saw Lee Jin-yong’s ball, I thought that a full-fledged attack would start from the 4th inning.
Indeed it was.
There was no sense of impatience or fear in the Nationals batters preparing for the bottom of the fourth inning after spending three innings without scoring or performing at all.
Even the Nationals hitters prepared.
“From the fourth inning, I will take out my left hand. Let’s prepare for that.”
“OK.”
When Jinyong Lee takes out his left hand instead of his right to protect the mound, prepare to knock him down.
“Oh, wait.”
“what?”
“Did you change that little glove?”
“What?”
To such Nationals hitters, Lee Jin-yong used a glove to express his will.
Jinyong Lee appeared wearing new gloves.
“Wait, was it a two-handed pitcher glove that you wore up to the 3rd inning? But did you change the glove?”
“Then what kind of glove are you now?”
“Is that… is it like a right-handed pitcher glove?”
A glove for a right-handed pitcher, not a glove for a two-handed pitcher.
Through him, Jinyong Lee conveyed his will to the Nationals hitters more clearly than any other words.
I have no intention of using my left hand against you guys.
“what?”
“You’re only dealing with us with your right hand?”
To be more precise, I don’t think it’s necessary to even use your left hand against you guys.
‘Are you underestimating us now?’
‘Is this bastard?’
That fact changed the eyes of the Nationals’ hitters.
Those eyes that seem to kill Lee Jin-yong at any moment.
Never before had they seen the calm hunter they showed.
There are only beasts that have fallen for provocation.
Kim Jin-ho, who checked the eyes, said to Lee Jin-yong, who looked at those eyes and split the thread.
– What the hell does it take to come up with a provocation like this? huh?
To that, Jinyong Lee replied.
“I told you, all I have in my head is faith, hope and courage.”
Along with the horse, Jin-yong Lee jingledly waved his right hand at the Nationals dugout batters who were staring at him.
That’s how the 4th episode started.
End