Clutch Changeup and the Game-Turning Homer
Choi Jin-hyung, raising one hand, called for time from the home plate umpire, who granted it. Choi took off his helmet briefly, put it back on, and tightened his glove, which suddenly felt a bit loose.
Fortunately, Seo Tae-woong isn't great with the two-seam fastball, my biggest weakness. He doesn't throw it that often either. And he doesn't throw forkballs or splitters at all.
He glanced at the scoreboard opposite him after the last pitch—it clocked in at 129 km/h.
Looked like it was in the low 140s...
A high fastball coming toward the body, especially the face, feels like the fastest pitch to a batter. If a four-seam fastball straight at the eyes feels the quickest, then the slowest was obvious.
Low and away, dropping far outside—a slow curve. And with his excellent curveball command and big break, it'll feel even slower.
If the count were full at 3-2 or even 2-1 right now, he absolutely wouldn't swing at the next pitch. Not many pitchers had the guts and skill to blatantly throw a changeup just off the zone in a full count. At 2-1, he could've laid off a strike to take it. But Choi Jin-hyung had already missed that chance.
Tae-woong's next pitch after the high fastball was highly likely to be a lure dropping low and away outside the zone—but was it 100% certain? No. So Choi Jin-hyung glared with wide eyes, ready to hold off anything far outside while swinging at anything targeting the zone.
The game resumed after his timeout. Tae-woong, who'd been waiting on the mound, whipped his left arm immediately, releasing the ball.
Schwing!
His fifth pitch of the at-bat formed low and away to right-handed Choi Jin-hyung and flew in.
Choi confirmed it was coming toward the zone. Fastball... drifting a bit inside.
To him, it looked about a ball's width inside the outer edge.
His body reacted automatically in that split second.
Whoosh!
But as it approached, the ball dug even further inside and dropped lower. The changeup trajectory from countless batter meetings with the hitting coach flashed in his mind.
Changeup! Damn it. Should've let it go outside...
Choi Jin-hyung grimaced slightly, snapping his wrists hard to lower the bat angle. But Tae-woong's changeup dropped with even more break than he'd seen before.
Crack!
The uppercut swing met the ball off the end, sending it rolling toward second baseman Jeong Geon-woo. A solid grounder for a mishit. Jeong had positioned himself early, glove ready. It bounced higher than expected, but the KBO's best second baseman stayed cool, stepping back for a smooth backhand.
Jeong scooped it quickly, touched second where shortstop Ha Jun-seok waited, and threw.
The ball hit Ha's glove, and before a second passed, the runner stepped on second. Ha fired cleanly to first baseman Kim Tae-geon at the bag.
Thwack!
Only then did Choi Jin-hyung reach first, overshooting without slowing down. The second- and first-base umps called him out in turn, and cheers erupted from the packed third-base stands full of Eagles fans.
"Waaaaah!"
Meanwhile, Wiz fans in the home-team first-base cheering section sighed and slumped into their seats.
The fifth ended with Choi's double play. Tae-woong wiped sweat from his brow and left the mound.
"Phew, that was close. The changeup was kinda flat, but he bailed me out. Luck this time."
As they chatted internally, one of the fielders coming in after Tae-woong suddenly rushed up coughing, like he'd choked.
"Cough, cough, cough, hack."
Tae-woong had allowed just one run through five innings. In a league where most teams' fifth starters posted nuclear-test-level ERAs, a high school rookie's performance couldn't get much better.
Eagles fans especially trusted him after two straight gems since his trade.
Plus, low pitch counts, aggressive approach—keeps defensive innings short, saves energy for the bats too.
But baseball was relative. Score 20, lose 21. Shutout nine innings? Lose if they do it first.
Tae-woong's five innings, one run were solid, but Dustin Napert had been spotless through four with heat and breaking stuff.
As the fifth ended—the potential turning point—anxiety he'd forgotten started creeping back.
Now the Eagles' turn at bat. From the dugout, Tae-woong watched leadoff hitter Lee Young-gyu whiff at an outside changeup. Napert's got power. And only 68 pitches through 4.1. He usually goes 110...
Age kept him from more, and Tae-woong's own 72 pitches through five was a relief.
No way we don't score even two, right?
Then the leading Wiz stumbled. Righty Napert, facing righty Jeong Geon-woo (who hit him well), grazed his elbow guard for an HBP. After a seven-pitch battle at 2-2.
Next, against Song Kang-min, his second slider slid outside; catcher Lee Hae-chan couldn't snag it—a wild pitch. Jeong advanced to second.
Napert, rattled, threw two fastballs.
Schwing! Thwack!
"Ball!"
The second was called wide. He went slider away again.
Schwing! Crack!
The liner screamed past second; third baseman Park Kyung-seo dove, snagged it. He popped up, threw to first for the out, but too deep to hold Jeong at third.
Two outs, runner on third. Up stepped Eagles' five-tool star Hoy—elite hitter, fielder, runner, arm.
Napert opened with a four-seam inside; it didn't take long to regret it.
Crack!
Hoy yanked the body fastball high and deep to right, over the wall.
Hoy's game-changing two-run homer.
"Waaaaah!"
Fans and dugout players screamed. Eagles led 2-1 on the blast.
Tae-woong, watching from behind, clenched his fist. Yes! Keep it shutout on this momentum!
His impatience vanished, eyes blazing.
After Napert's fifth-inning two-run bomb, the 2-1 balance held. Post-homer, his breaking-ball command tanked; from the sixth, he walked guys, piling up pitches.
Tae-woong, facing Wiz bats desperate to yank his curve out, mixed four-seams and changeups for grounders, keeping zeros.
Napert hit 117 pitches grabbing the seventh's last out... command slipping, probably done after seven. B-rank enhancers secured!
Tae-woong, fiddling with the ball on the mound lost in thought, snapped to at Ace's urging. He locked eyes with catcher Choi Ji-hoon for the sign.
Crack!
"And right as you say that—bottom eighth, Seo Tae-woong still on the mound throws a dropping off-speed first pitch. Choi Jin-hyung hunts it but mistimes. Shortstop fields and retires him. One out to start the frame!"
With one out in the bottom eighth, up was righty Oh Seon-jun—.348 vs. righties but sub-.200 vs. lefties. Lately struggling against both, batting ninth. Easy matchup for Tae-woong.
Plus, weak to changeups and curves—perfect mismatch.
"Righty weak to changeups and curves? Not bad. Dinner for me right now."