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Chapter 69: Clap! Changeup Reinforcement - I Larned Baseball Through Games | NovelDex

Ch. 69 / 239: Clap! Changeup Reinforcement

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Clap! Changeup Reinforcement

Clap! As Ace clapped his hands, the information Seo Tae-woong had been hoping for appeared before his eyes.

⚡ REINFORCEMENT INVENTORY ⚡

D-Grade Reinforcement Ticket: 3

Success Rate: 11% / Value: +1

C-Grade Reinforcement Ticket: 4

Success Rate: 10% / Value: +1

B-Grade Reinforcement Ticket: 1

Success Rate: 9% / Value: +2

*Note: Velocity enhancement unavailable.

"Phew, eight sheets... Still, with this many, I should pull off at least one success, right?"

He hadn't saved up much, but whether it was luck or something else, he had way more reinforcement tickets than he'd expected.

— Ace

Whoa, you're lucky. That's a ton.

So, where you gonna use 'em? Think carefully. No take-backs, you know that.

"Hmm. Haven't really thought about it, but whatever it is, I'm going all-in on one stat. With success rates that low, how many can I even expect to land?"

— Ace

Smart thinking.

"Got any recommendations?"

The game system was just like the one from that godforsaken game Real Baseball Ace, but adapted to reality, it differed a bit from what he remembered.

Even a game reflecting real life can't match actual baseball ‍‍‌‌⁠⁠‌‍‍‌⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠‌‌‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠100%.

That's why he consulted Ace—a part of the system and the top pitcher in Real Baseball Ace. At least when it came to baseball, Ace was undeniably better than him.

— Ace

Hmm... If I were you, I'd do this.

Clap. As Ace clapped again, options popped up in front of Seo Tae-woong's eyes.

1. Control

2. Curve

3. A pitch to complement the curve

4. A pitch to compensate for legendary shitballer Seo Tae-woong's slow velocity

Seo Tae-woong scanned the options and asked, "Four choices? What's the reasoning?"

— Ace

First, control—no need to explain much. It'll cut down on your wild pitches even more and let you throw those low, corner-biting balls you want.

"And the curve?"

— Ace

Better to sharpen your best weapon against hitters right now than boost some mediocre pitch. Plus, curve works great regardless of lefty or righty.

"What's the third? A pitch that complements the curve?"

— Ace

More precisely, the pitch that's most effective right after a curve. The one hitters fall for hardest.

"Obviously a four-seam fastball, right?"

— Ace

Wrong! Most folks think that, but the answer's changeup.

"Why?"

— Ace

Think about it. What's the fastest pitch a pitcher can throw, and the slowest?

"Fastest is four-seam fastball, slowest is curve."

— Ace

Right. So even a Double-A bust like you who flopped in MLB and KBO knows this basic fact—think hitters don't?

"Damn... You hit me right in the bones at a timing I never saw coming. Of course they do. Curve after fastball or fastball after curve is textbook pitching theory."

— Ace

Exactly. Even shitballers like you know it, pitchers know it, hitters know it—even kids in their parents' arms know it.

"Hey, it's not that obvious..."

— Ace

Shut up and listen. Hitters already know your out pitch is the curve. They know you can't crack 130 km/h with your shitball. So after getting duped by a curve, what'll they hunt next?

"Four-seam fastball."

— Ace

Bingo. Can't just get owned by what they're sitting on. And with your cheaty Pitching Balance skill, same motion, but a changeup drops 15 km/h slower than their fastball target and plummets?

"They'll bite hard."

— Ace

Correct. And this ain't armchair BS—it's from years of MLB stats research. No need to yap more.

"Got it. Then the last one, for legendary shitballer Seo Tae-woong's... damn. Slow velocity—what pitch compensates?"

— Ace

What do you need to overcome slow velocity?

"Control... and variety?"

— Ace

That's right, but better answer: movement.

"Oh, yeah!"

— Ace

And there's a pitch with fastball-like entry but killer movement.

"Two-seam fastball and changeup?"

— Ace

Nailed it. Finally using that brain. Thought it was stuck.

"Talk sense. Oh, but my current two-seam and changeup levels..."

Two-seam (25)

Changeup (25)

*25: Minor Leaguer, Backup on Injury / KBO 4th Starter

— Ace

Lucky they're both ‍‍‌‌⁠⁠‌‍‍‌⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠‌‌‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠rock bottom—no tough choices.

"Hey, rock bottom's right here listening!"

— Ace

Oops. My bad. Sorry.

"Yeah, you sound real sorry. Feels great, you bastard."

— Ace

Good you felt it. So, decision?

Seo Tae-woong stared at the four floating options, lost in thought. After 15 minutes of silence, Ace, watching from the side, prodded him.

— Ace

Ugh, so frustrating. Dude, it's not guaranteed to hit 100. It's reinforcement tickets. Folks'd think they always succeed.

"Two-seam first... put it off for later."

— Ace

Wise. Still got room compared to the rest.

‍‍‌‌⁠⁠‌‍‍‌⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠‌‌‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

"Left with control, curve, changeup..."

— Ace

And?

"Changeup it is."

— Ace

Great choice.

Ace grinned, clearly pleased. "Like you said, changeup complements the curve and covers my slow velocity. Most efficient bang for the buck."

— Ace

Target set—time to roll.

"Yeah, a man's word is his bond. All-in, one shot!"

Seo Tae-woong dumped every reinforcement ‍‍‌‌⁠⁠‌‍‍‌⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠‌‌‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠ticket into changeup. This time, to check the results, he squeezed his eyes shut and plugged his ears with his fingers.

— Ace

Woooah!

Through his closed eyelids, he saw flashes of light. Then, a faint sound effect mixed with Ace's voice barely reached his plugged ears.

What? Screaming in joy over a failure? Figures for a guy whose happiness is my misery...

Seo Tae-woong unplugged his ears and slowly opened his eyes. What he saw was...

⚡ REINFORCEMENT LOG ⚡

Enhancing pitch 'Changeup'.

Using D-Grade Reinforcement Ticket.

Failure!

Using D-Grade Reinforcement Ticket.

Success! +1!

Using D-Grade Reinforcement Ticket.

Success! +1!

Using C-Grade Reinforcement Ticket.

Success! +1!

Using C-Grade Reinforcement Ticket.

Success! +1!

Using C-Grade Reinforcement Ticket.

Failure!

Using C-Grade Reinforcement Ticket.

Failure!

Using B-Grade Reinforcement Ticket.

Success! +2!

Pitch: Changeup (31)

*30: Spring Training Invite, Weak Bullpen / KBO 3rd Starter

"Jackpot! Insane, lit, let it rip!"

— Ace

What kinda bullshit luck is this again!

Their reactions split—Seo Tae-woong ecstatic, Ace pissed at the results.

"Five out of eight successes! Including the B-grade!"

Just minutes ago at 25, changeup now hit 31. He'd unlocked the next tier.

— Ace

Figure you dumped all your luck before you die, shitballer.

Ace hurled every insult in the book, but Seo Tae-woong's head was too full of joy to hear.

"At this level... more drop than before, right?"

— Ace

Obviously. Grip's the same, so no throwing issues. Test it in a game with a hitter to see exact changes.

But judging from past upgrades to curve and others, he could guess.

More fastball-like, sharper drop.

His changeup so far passed muster: same arm action as fastball, same trajectory to the plate, just slower. But weak drop meant batters with strong wrists and control could foul it off or wait for mistakes.

Velocity gap keeps them from squaring it up, but they foul and hunt errors, so I can't spam it.

Not perfect yet. But with more drop...

It'd induce not just grounders but whiffs too.

"Sweet. Starting tomorrow, dial back curve usage, ramp up changeup..."

— Ace

Hey, too hyped? You're barely a three-pitch guy now. Stable starters need at least four solid ones.

"Obviously. But with pinpoint accuracy, three's plenty here. This ain't MLB."

— Ace

Whoa, big talk after three wins? "Plenty doable"?

"...Too far?"

— Ace

Talk after 150 innings. Not too soon.

"150 innings? Dude, that's a ton. I've already missed a month in the first-team rotation."

— Ace

Nah, not much.

"Why 150?"

— Ace

Assuming no injuries and you stick to rotation. How many starts in a full season?

"Uh... around 20?"

— Ace

Yeah, 6+ innings each barely hits 150. And going 6-7 innings means no blowups by then.

"True."

— Ace

Not using wins like 10 or 15—wins ain't up to you. You can crap the bed for 5 innings 10 runs and still get the W if relievers bail you out, or go 9 innings 1 run and take the L if offense sleeps.

"I know."

— Ace

Your freak luck today worries me—saying it early.

"Got it. Season goal: 150 innings?"

— Ace

Yeah. Won't happen, but hit it and I'll reward you.

Seo Tae-woong didn't buy it outright. "Just words? Come on, you know better."

— Ace

What then?

"Make it a mission, Ace. Nothing clearer between us."

— Ace

Greedy bastard... Fine, here!

Clap! With a fed-up look, Ace clapped, and the long-awaited mission appeared before Seo Tae-woong's eyes.

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