The Three Keys to Becoming a Great Starter Pitcher
If you had to define the conditions for becoming a great starter pitcher with just three elements, what would they be? First up is control, the absolute foundation of everything for a pitcher. Even if you've got a fastball topping 150 km/h or breaking balls with massive drop that fool anyone, if you can't put them in the zone, they're worthless.
Next is a good fastball. Whether it's a four-seam, two-seam, cutter, or sinker—doesn't matter the fancy classification. But every pitcher needs at least one they can throw with total confidence. Excluding extreme cases, fastballs make up about 40-50% of a starter's pitches.
"So control and fastball are out. You know the third one, right?"
"A good breaking ball?"
"Bingo. Why?"
"Because a good fastball makes the breaking ball look even better, and a good breaking ball makes the fastball feel even faster?"
"Spot on. Looks like you didn't waste these past few months."
"But why bring this up all of a sudden?"
"What's the best breaking ball you can throw right now?"
"I can throw other pitches too, but if we're talking the best, it'd have to be the curve and changeup. Though strictly speaking, changeup's a bit iffy as a true breaking ball."
"So what's the common thread between curve and changeup?"
"Uh? They're slow?"
"If slow is the common point, then your 132 km/h four-seam qualifies too."
"No, even so, that's a bit..."
Tae-woong was at a loss for words after Ace's sharp jab.
"They both drop vertically. Well, changeup has both vertical and horizontal movement, so technically it drops diagonally... Try dropping one on the outside corner."
"Got it."
Tae-woong locked eyes with catcher Choi Ji-hoon. But he didn't even need to call for a sign.
'Does Ji-hoon hyung think the same as Ace?'
A bland changeup might be risky from a lefty to a lefty batter, but not the one he threw. It whistled out.
Thwack!
Kang Baek-ho swung early but stopped midway using his signature wrist strength. It dropped out of the zone, earning a ball call. Count now 2-2.
'He swung that far, so he wasn't completely fooled.'
Considering his fastball and changeup shared the same arm action and trajectory, it meant Baek-ho was anticipating the drop from the start.
"What now? Another changeup?"
"Look at his reaction. He swung and checked. Now a curve dropping outside."
Tae-woong followed the advice again.
Whistle!
A big-breaking curve at 101 km/h, slower than his changeup's 110-115 km/h.
Crack!
Baek-ho timed it better and made contact, but it dropped low and far for a lefty hitter—weak contact. Out of the zone, count still 2-2.
"Now the payoff pitch. High fastball inside."
"...Aren't we dragging this out too slow? Feels like we wasted two pitches for nothing."
"Hey, have some faith. Our little believer's faith is sorely lacking."
"Damn... Fine. Throw and see."
As Tae-woong sped up his tempo for the decisive pitch, pitching coach Song Jun-woo stepped out from the dugout with catcher Choi Ji-hoon, heading to the mound.
"Whoa, hold up, I was about to throw... Why's coach coming up now?"
"Looks like a hook. Hell, I'd trust Jeong A-ram over you too."
But unlike Ace's words, Song Jun-woo held nothing in his hands—no ball. No one else could hear Tae-woong's internal chat, so they figured he was overwhelmed in the tense spot, lost in thought.
"Aw, too bad. Since he's come all this way, a slap to snap you out of it would've been nice."
Song Jun-woo approached with a smile. "Tae-woong-ah, you good? If you're struggling, want me to pull you? Checked the pen—A-ram's all warmed up."
The coach wasn't forcing it; he asked Tae-woong's take. With 1.1 innings left and a slim one-run lead, Baek-ho was the Wiz's only scorer today. Tae-woong hadn't allowed a run since the first, so trust was there—but his pitch count was at 108.
'He might be fading soon.'
As a former pitcher, Song knew: Alone on the mound, firing away, you get hyped without realizing. Fatigue sneaks up inning by inning, then hits hard in crises, revealing your exhaustion.
'Gotta be that...'
Yet oddly, Tae-woong's velocity crept up as his count rose since the last game—like a silent protest of "I'm fine, not tired at all."
Pulling him now gave 7.2 IP, 1 ER—solid. For the Eagles, deploying ace Jeong A-ram early neutralized Baek-ho's threat for sure.
'But if Tae-woong strikes out the guy who scored on him today... that could be the fertilizer for his next growth spurt.'
Song's philosophy: Success teaches nothing; failure reveals all your flaws.
And Tae-woong's reply?
"I'll take it to the eighth. I'll be back in the dugout soon—head down and watch easy, Coach."
Music to Song's ears.
"Kekeke, you rascal. Yeah, a real pitcher's gotta have that mound swagger. Yours might be a tad excessive, but better than none." Song patted Tae-woong's cheek, told Choi Ji-hoon to lead him well, and headed down.
"Phew, almost ruined a sure thing."
"Really a sure thing?"
"Outside low changeup and curve—barely hittable even on contact. Batter's sitting back on breaking stuff now. Picks balls, fouls strikes into singles. Now jam a 30 km/h faster heater right in his grill—what happens?"
"What?"
"Find out with your own left hand."
"Yeah."
Choi Ji-hoon called for an inside curve. But would Baek-ho fall for another after seeing one? Smart for a one-run game at 2-2—steal a ball. Tae-woong shook it off, demanding high inside fastball.
'If I execute, even solid contact's impossible that high.'
Whistle!
'Perfect release.'
The feel hit as it left his hand. Outcome unknown, but spot-on height, his hardest, heaviest offering right now.
Whoosh! Smack!
From the mound, Tae-woong clearly heard the air slice and the 132 km/h four-seam sucked into Choi's mitt. Bat whiffed; Baek-ho dropped his head.
Batter Kang Baek-ho struck out.
Max velocity +0.5 km/h.
Current max velocity: 132.5 km/h.
"Got him!"
Tae-woong strutted to the dugout like a triumphant general after whiffing his best friend on three pitches.
Ninth inning: Wiz and roaring fans' hopes dashed.
Crack!
Blocking Napert's 100th win, Seo Tae-woong notched his fourth straight victory.
"Mission cleared. Nice."
B-Grade Enhancement Tickets x10 obtained.
But no time to use them now. Post-MVP interview, back at the hotel, shower done—fatigue and sleep crashed in.
"Yawn... Decide where to use 'em before next start. Dying of exhaustion here."
"Hey, switch games. This one's boring as hell."
Ace griped from the laptop streaming MLB replay, but Tae-woong was out cold in under three seconds.
"Conan sneak in or what? You really out? Hey! Junkballer!"
[Hana Eagles Win! Tae-woong's 8 IP 1 ER, A-ram's 1 IP Save! Wiz Conquered! Winning Streak Continues, Series Secured]
[League's Top 5th Starter Seo Tae-woong Hits 132 km/h Max, Racks 4 Wins. 4-Game Streak + Better Pitches Post-Injury]
[Dustin Napert's Foreigner-First 100 Wins Pushed to Next Time...]
[Can Seo Tae-woong Be the Next Ryu Hyun-jin?]
[Seo Tae-woong: "I think I'm the best. As a lefty fireballer, I'll always work to eat innings."]
[(On-Site Interview) Seo Tae-woong: "Happy to beat my draft classmate and best bud Kang Baek-ho. I'll win next time too."]
[Eagles Manager Han Young-deok: "I believe in him. I believe in Tae-woong."]