Prologue
Pitcher. In English, Pitcher.
In baseball, the player who stands on the mound at the center of the infield and throws the ball toward the catcher for the opposing batter to hit.
In the sport of baseball, if the pitcher never throws the ball, the batters, the fielders, and even the umpires might as well be dead. Only the instant the ball leaves the pitcher’s fingertips does the game truly draw breath. In that sense, it may not be an overstatement to call the pitcher the most important position in the game.
And befitting that crucial role, a pitcher is required to possess a wide range of abilities.
Velocity, stuff, and command top the list. Beyond those come game management, mental fortitude, pickoff skill, and more. To become a true pitcher—a real Pitcher—there is not a single one of those abilities that does not matter.
But at some point the atmosphere shifted completely.
The so-called velocity revolution arrived. It became an era in which anyone who received proper training could casually clock 150 km/h.
Of course a fast ball is always a good thing. The problem was that people went mad for it and started chasing velocity alone. Guys who had no idea how to put the ball where they wanted it poured out in droves, convinced that raw speed would solve everything.
People call those types “pitcher-wannabe bastards,” or “wannabes” for short, but I prefer the term “thrower.”
Guys who just mimic a pitcher with no technique, no strategy, and no thought whatsoever.
Guys who aren’t even worth treating as pitchers—as real Pitchers.
Blockhead Throwers.
……But then,
I became one of those blockhead throwers?