Ch 162
5.
Coors Field.
One description of this place, the home stadium of the Colorado Rockies, is enough.
Pitchers’ Grave!
Naturally, there were several reasons why Coors Field had such a notorious reputation.
First of all, in Coors Field, a ball that would not be a home run in any other ballpark became a home run.
To put it simply, it was similar to what was taught as the correct answer in school was treated as an incorrect answer in the SAT.
There’s no way to do it.
just going crazy
Moreover, as I said earlier, this was only one of the reasons for its notoriety.
– Coors Field expedition with catnip at Dodger Stadium, there is no hell.
– But why are you so afraid of Coors Field? A lot of home runs?
B A lot of home runs might not be a big deal. The really scary thing is that breathing isn’t easy.
Another reason Coors Field is the graveyard of pitchers is none other than breathing.
Coors Field, located in the highlands, was naturally more difficult to breathe than when it was in the lowlands.
Naturally, Coors Field consumed faster stamina than other stadiums, and on the contrary, recovery was slower.
What more explanation is needed, since we have to decide the order to use oxygen ventilators, which we don’t even care about at other stadiums, at Coors Field?
– And the fastball gets flat.
b yes because the rotation speed is reduced.
Also, in Coors Field, as the number of rotations of the fastball, which is the beginning and basic of pitchers, decreased, the position and movement weakened.
Does the ball get weaker as the batter’s distance increases?
It’s like a nightmare.
It didn’t even end here.
– And Coors Field has a very wide outfield. It’s not because Coors Field is scary, it’s because there are a lot of homers. In Coors Field, it pours regardless of double or triple.
With these characteristics of Coors Field in mind, the outfield was widened from the time it was designed, and Coors Field became one of the most difficult baseball fields to defend the outfield.
The stamina and concentration that are consumed quickly due to its location on the high ground, the batted ball that flies more than other fields, and the wide outfield.
At Coors Field, where a proper outfielder’s performance could not be expected, home runs, as well as doubles and triples, were inevitable.
– It is not for nothing that starting pitchers calculate the Rockies away date first when they receive a season schedule.
– When Rockies pitchers receive a season schedule, the first thing they do is count how many away games they play.
It is truly a place where the expression “tomb of pitchers” is appropriate.
– I’m sure I’ll come back to this hell.
At the end of the first episode, Jinyong Lee stood on the tomb.
6.
– I’m sure I’ll come back to this hell.
Jin-ho Kim’s voice was heard through Jin-yong Lee’s ears on the mound.
– There is no hell like this, especially for pitchers who use them as fast ball weapons. Is it a living hell? Of course, that’s not to say that slow pitchers have an advantage. Guys who throw 160 kilometer balls get hit, there’s no way the kids who throw 140’s will be safe, right?
The repeated voice of Jinho Kim was speaking.
– It’s not a graveyard for pitchers for nothing. All right, it’s a grave. A graveyard where even a home run should be hit as a courtesy.
just ask for one
– ah! I want to see a home run!
Please one.
– Jinyong-ah, I miss you so much.
In front of Kim Jin-ho’s earnest prayer, Jin-yong Lee spit out a stern word with a fishy smile.
“zone.”
With those words, Jinyong Lee’s eyes narrowed.
Through those narrowed eyes, Jinyong Lee drew the batter now at the plate and looked at the catcher and the referee.
In Lee Jin-yong’s eyes, there was more intense anticipation than ever before.
‘What the hell would it look like?’
From now on, I am looking forward to the new world I will see.
“Playball!”
At that time, the referee’s voice rang in Lee Jin-yong’s ears.
[Quality Start is being applied.]
I also heard a notification from the baseball manager.
Now it’s time to start the game.
‘uh?’
– yes?
However, there was no change in the world Lee Jin-yong saw.
“zone? zone? zone!”
Despite Lee Jin-yong’s repeated low cries, there was no change in the world Lee Jin-yong saw.
At that fact, Jinho Kim shouted, raising both hands.
– It’s a bug! Bug! Yes, this day is finally here! Whoa! Thank God! Oh, but which god listened to? Allah? F * UCK? Who is it? how are you
“Uh, this isn’t it…”
Lee Jin-yong, who was bewildered, gave him a sign to pitch now, and in the end, Jin-yong Lee bit his lip and took a pitching stance.
So the game started.
7.
At Coors Field, pitchers who use fast fastballs as their primary weapon don’t work as well.
In other words, it means that, rather than a fast fastball, pitching with sophisticated control, quick control, and various changing balls is quite effective.
Naturally, Jinyong Lee prepared pitching using his right hand as his main weapon on the Coors Field stage.
The boundary of the batter’s strike zone was not just a boundary, but only a corner enough to make the batter think that it was malicious, and at such a pitching by Lee Jin-yong, the Rockies hitters had no choice but to give out an out with a ground ball.
“out!”
[You have acquired 455 points.]
[You finished the inning with a triple strike. Bonus points are paid.]
[Currently, he is scoreless in 2 innings.]
– lee! He finishes the inning with a triplets at the end of the 2nd inning! With this, I succeeded in batting six batters in a row!
– It’s amazing, it’s really great control that I can’t even describe myself as an artist.
The Rockies hitters stuck their tongues out at the sight of Jinyong Lee coming down the mound without allowing a single person to get on base until the second inning.
“I’m totally determined and I’m just pitching to catch a ground ball.”
“Control is no joke. He’s only poking very well on difficult courses.”
“I’m two-seam, and I’m using a perfect mix of changeup and splitter. To the extent that the ball combination is unpredictable.”
Of course, there was no sign of fear in the eyes of the Rockies batters.
“Well, that’s okay, if it takes just one, it’s over.”
“right. Because being hit by a bat is hell.”
On the contrary, for the Rockies hitters, the current situation was the same as everyday life.
Pitchers coming to Coors Field usually made similar choices as a way of surviving pitchers’ graveyards.
Pitching that strikes out, or pitching that induces a ground ball.
Somehow, he pitched to suppress the floating ball as much as possible, and, of course, the Rockies hitters knew better than any other club how to score points and win victories against such pitchers.
‘Once you get the ball, it’s over.’
‘Lee’s speed today is in the late 80’s. no need to hit Even a moderate hit is a home run.’
Therefore, the Rockies hitters waited for the time when they could definitely hunt without rushing.
‘It’s a good pitch, but the Rockies batting line is not a batting line that can be caught with such a pitching.’
‘If I could get away with just one pitching style, Coors Field wouldn’t have been called a pitcher’s graveyard.’
The Mets knew that too.
And Jinyong Lee knew it too.
“Lee’s expression is not good.”
“Is that Coors Field?”
“Well, it would be strange to laugh at Coors Field.”
Therefore, no one raised a big question about Lee Jin-yong coming to the dugout with a different expression than usual.
No matter how much Jinyong Lee is, in Coors Field, he has no choice but to pour out everything and focus on everything.
Because you will have no choice but to agonize every moment.
In fact, Jinyong Lee was in agony.
‘Is this a real bug?’
In that agony, Jinyong Lee activated his status window.
[Lee Jin-yong (Pitcher)]
– Max HP: 129
– Maximum restraint: 148
– Owned pitches: Four-seam fastball (S), two-seam fastball (S), split-finger fastball (S), cut fastball (B), changeup (S), slider (S), curve (A).
-Owned Skills: Planting Day (C), Daily Special (C), Rising Fastball (A), Magical One Inning, Iron Arm (B), Revolver, Control Master (S), Iron Man, Ace, Iron Horse (A), Power helmet, harness (E), switching (B), guardian spirit
The zone skill that Jinyong Lee newly acquired was nowhere to be seen in the activated skill.
– No matter how many times I see it, it’s the same. It’s a bug, it’s a bug. Is it like that when you play the game? It took some bugs, and then the account was suspended…
Jin-ho Kim was terrified of Lee Jin-yong’s feelings.
However, Jin-yong Lee could not even be annoyed at Jin-ho Kim, and just stared at the ability window without saying a word.
In fact, Jinyong Lee’s current situation was quite serious.
The fact that the skills acquired through roulette are not activated means that there will be nothing strange if something like this happens again in the future.
Furthermore, if this really happened due to a bug or other problem, there was a possibility that other skills could not be used.
– Jin Yong-ah.
Kim Jin-ho also did not stimulate Lee Jin-yong any more by Lee Jin-yong’s expression.
– Don’t worry too much. huh? It won’t be a problem. trust me.
Rather, he began to comfort Lee Jin-yong.
He spoke out of it.
– Maybe it’s a typing skill? huh? is not it? Well, it might not be.
At that, Jin-yong Lee looked at Jin-ho Kim with a surprised expression on his face.
At the same time, Jinyong Lee changed the status window in front of him.
“lee! what are you doing? Get ready to hit!”
And immediately I heard the batting coach’s voice announcing the start of the third inning.
However, that voice was not heard in Jinyong’s ears.
[Lee Jin-yong (type)]
– Physical : 34
– Balance: 58
– Sun Guan: 78
-Owned Skills: Hawk Eye (A), Pinch Heater, Clutch Heater, Last Chance (F), Zone
“Oh, my John.”
Only skills that clearly exist in their status window are visible.
8.
The Mets’ attack in the early 3rd inning started from the 8th batting order.
Naturally, ninth batter Lee Jin-yong watched the game from the waiting bat rather than the dugout at the beginning of the third inning.
There was nothing special.
“Swing, strike out!”
The 8th batter, who came out as the lead hitter, dedicated a strikeout with a wasted swing after aiming for a big shot.
As I said before, it was nothing special.
In the National League, where pitchers are hitters, it was very common sense for the 8th batter with a pitcher behind him to aim for a big shot.
In the case of Coors Field, the 8th batter with some slugging power could have made enough home runs.
“The swing was good. I just need to get the timing right.”
As a result, the Mets bench also encouraged the batter to strike out.
At the same time, the tension that had prevailed in Coors Field began to dissipate.
This too was nothing special.
“I got the lead hitter, so that’s it.”
“If we catch Howman, 2 outs … 3 times will be easy.”
It must be strange if there is tension in the situation where the ninth batter who comes up from a one-hit situation is a pitcher.
Moreover, although it is true that Jinyong Lee has a talent for hitting, he literally only had talent.
Because the MLB wasn’t a low-level place to the point where I was afraid of hitters who had only talent but didn’t have accumulated results.
There was no reason for the Lokis to fear Lee Jin-yong, who had no slugging power.
Therefore, the battery of the Lokis did not exchange any special autographs in front of Jinyong Lee.
He waited for Jinyong Lee to stand at the plate, and the referee also confirmed that his ball pocket was full of balls and kept his seat.
And so Jin-yong Lee took a step towards the place where the catcher and the referee gathered.
A sight nothing special.
[Zone skill is activated.]
“Wow······.”
– Wow······.
However, the moment Lee Jin-yong stood at the plate, a new world unfolded before his eyes.
9.
One shot situation in the 3rd inning.
“Strike, ow!”
In that situation, Jinyong Lee’s report card at the plate was a looking strikeout.
The pitcher pitched 5 pitches.
It wasn’t strange.
Not a single MLB fan would ever question the fact that the ninth pitcher struck out a fastball that went up to 94 mph.
– Hey, what are you doing?
However, it was different from Kim Jin-ho’s point of view.
– Why are you just staring at the ball with a blank look?
Because Jin-yong Lee he knew was a bat-wielding hitter to roll the ball into the infield in some way.
Because Kim Jin-ho himself, no one else, taught me to do it.
Therefore, Jin-yong Lee, whom Kim Jin-ho knew, was a hitter who did not strike out looking even if he was struck out in a swing.
– Can you see John?
Even the scenery that Jin-yong Lee saw a while ago was a scenery that lacked the expression of a new world.
The strike zone, the world that made baseball exist, was confirmed with the naked eye.
To be honest, even Kim Jin-ho was trembling at the sight, to the extent that he didn’t even notice Lee Jin-yong’s ball count as well as Lee Jin-yong’s looking strikeout.
It was only after hearing the referee’s strikeout out call that he realized that Jinyong Lee had struck out.
Jin-yong Lee answered Kim Jin-ho’s question.
“I couldn’t help it.”
– You couldn’t help it?
“Is that so? Have you ever seen a person who won the lottery go to the bank with the lottery right away?”
– What are you talking about? Of course, if you win the lottery, you have to go to the bank to collect the winnings, what do you do?
“What are you doing, first of all, you have to check if this lottery is really winning.”
Jinyong Lee, who was speaking softly, turned his head and looked at the plate he was at a moment ago.
‘Confirmation is over. What I’ve seen… is real.’
Then, the faint smile that had hung on the corner of Jinyong’s lips began to spread widely.
Just like the Joker in the Batman movie.
A smile that radiates more than joy and even madness.
Between those smiles, Jinyong Lee said.
“I guess I should be prepared.”
– What preparations?
“I’m ready for an interview.”
End