Rematch Against the Bears
When Seo Tae-woong had been with the Wiz instead of the Eagles, he'd faced off against the Daesung Bears before.
'It was a starters' duel against Senior Woo Hee-gang. Back then... ahem, I took a hit to a pretty unfortunate spot.'
He'd been pulled from the game in the late innings after an unintentional injury from a liner straight back at him, but it was still true that he'd pitched well against the Bears and secured the win.
"Make today just like that time. I've gotta clear the inning-eater mission too, so help me last at least seven innings."
One of those balls should've burst one back then. Might've knocked some of that cockiness out of you...
"Shut up. How can you say something so horrifying so casually? Huh? Try taking one to the nuts yourself, and you wouldn't talk like that. And it won't happen again anyway. I've got this."
Tap, tap. Tae-woong patted the athletic cup he'd put on just in case.
"Wore it all the time in the minors because it was team rules, and it's coming in handy now. Doesn't get in the way at all."
He'd never worn one in the KBO, so he'd hesitated, worried it might mess with his Pitching Balance. But thanks to that experience, it didn't bother him at all during his delivery or fielding afterward.
Of course, even if he did get hit, it wouldn't block all the pain. Something that thick and sturdy still caused a slight discomfort in his mechanics—even with his hidden skill Pitching Balance giving him a near-perfect form tailored just for him, he couldn't completely overcome that subtle interference from the motion.
"Guess I should head out in about five minutes."
Today's game was at home in Hana Eagles Stadium, so as the home starter, he'd take the mound first. As that moment drew near, a faint tension crept in—the loneliness of standing there facing hitters alone—mingled with excitement at the thought of batters facing his strengthened changeup once more.
'Focus. Empty your mind, stare down just the one hitter I'm facing, and concentrate on every single pitch.'
Tae-woong stayed alone in the lounge, slipping into his mental routine. It wasn't anything dramatic like a high school senior or exam cram student chanting "em-cee-square." Just reviewing footage of today's Bears starters one last time and listening to his favorite tunes.
Of course, bantering with Ace was part of it. They might bicker all the time, but when it came to baseball, no one knew him better or gave better advice.
This is your second time against the Bears, right?
"Yeah."
Ready for it?
"Ready for what?"
Heh, you don't think they're the same guys from last time just 'cause it's round two, do ya? That'd be trouble.
Pitchers learn more about hitters they've faced before. They remember which pitch they threw, where, and when—and how the hitter reacted.
Hitters learn about pitchers the same way. Pitches like four-seam fastballs, sliders, curves, changeups—every pitcher has a finite arsenal. But the pitches might be the same; no two pitchers are identical when you factor in build, delivery, style, velocity, command, and how they attack weak spots.
And the more matchups you have, the advantage naturally shifts to the hitters. They adapt bit by bit to each pitcher's unique traits and time up the pitches.
"At least it's been over 50 days since we last faced them. Small mercies?"
Yeah, keep telling yourself those little white lies. Feels good, don't it?
If there was a silver lining, it was that Tae-woong's last start against the Bears had been late March, and now it was May 22—over a month had passed. Plenty of time.
But Tae-woong wasn't banking solely on the layoff. His velocity was up thanks to rewards and the skill Go All the Way. And his arsenal wasn't just curveballs anymore.
"Don't worry. I'm not the same guy from back then. I've got a great product to introduce to you all. Behold—this changeup!"
Tae-woong suddenly channeled a Line 2 street vendor.
Hey, street hawker! Pipe down and get your ass to the mound.
Whish! Whoom! Thwack!
-The third pitch dives low! Eagles starter Seo Tae-woong strikes out the leadoff hitter on three pitches. Swinging three!
-Seo Tae-woong started with two curves to get ahead 0-2, then induced the whiff with a changeup. He's showing real confidence in his off-speed command.
-His curve's been sharp all along, but lately he's got that same trust in the changeup, right? Usage rate's way up. Chairman Cha, as a former ace, your take?
-Haha, I'm no ace, but... anyway, from my playing days, pitchers usually have three or four pitches. Then one day, bam—this pitch feels right, y'know?
-Out of nowhere?
-Not exactly. It's vague, but that 'aha' hits after tweaking your mechanics or grip by a millimeter, over and over. Comes from grit and persistence. Can't say for sure without asking, but Seo Tae-woong probably grinded through something similar to make that changeup drop better.
-Can't wait to see how that changeup fares against the Bears' powerhouse lineup today! No. 2 hitter Heo Kyung-man steps in.
-Heo Kyung-man struggles against lefties, but no lineup shuffle. Means he's got confidence he can hit Seo Tae-woong.
Go All the Way
For this game only: Max velocity +0.5 km/h per strikeout.
Batter Choi Jun-hwan struck out.
Max velocity +0.5 km/h.
Current max velocity: 127.5 km/h
Top of the first: The baseball left Tae-woong's left hand, the bat swung, and it thunked into the catcher's mitt. Bears leadoff Choi Jun-hwan went down swinging on three pitches.
First pitch: a low-breaking lure curve, whiff. Second: inside curve, foul down the left-field line. Third: changeup whiff. And that final changeup? Even though Choi had been sitting on it, the ball didn't even graze the bat.
Tae-woong took the ball from the catcher, glanced at that last changeup, and grinned in satisfaction.
"So this is the feeling?"
Every pitch he threw carried that certainty: this ball beats any hitter.
'Just like now.'
He knew his feel for the ball wasn't elite. No need for long explanations—his pre-regression stats said it all. He'd even resented his parents for his raw talent once. But not anymore.
'One more!'
Whish! Thwack!
-First pitch, changeup fading away! Heo Kyung-man puts weak contact on Seo Tae-woong's first pitch. Second baseman fields it. Two out!
'Chow down and head back to the dugout!'
Whish! Thwack!
-No. 3 hitter Park Geon-woong, fourth pitch—changeup tailing away again! Grounder to short. Easy play to first. Out!
"Let's see how far this goes."
Tae-woong strode off the mound without a backward glance.
Ugh, goosebumps. What is this, middle school edgelord phase?!
Ace hollered, but Tae-woong didn't turn, just quickened his pace to the dugout.
Said it out loud and got embarrassed, huh?
-Breaking ball slips away—he swings big and misses! Bears ace Lindbrall allows a single to Song Kang-min with two out, but strikes out cleanup hitter Hoi on five pitches to end the first.
-Lindbrall averages 145 km/h on his fastball, solid command, varied arsenal. Textbook ace starter.
-Especially against righties, his four-seam, cutter, slider combo holds them to .222. That cutter's the anchor—velocity close to the four-seam, tails off righties' barrels. Eats lefties and righties alike.
Damn, that guy's stuff looks nasty. Tough to square up—hitters must wanna lose their minds.
I see the strengths. So what's the weakness?
Changeup's kinda flat—gets dicey against lefties once he's behind in the count. Threw two already to these lefties; they just missed 'em, but it didn't drop much.
Good thing we've got five lefties in the lineup then.
We’ll see? With that four-seam and cutter humming like that, he might not even bother with the changeup.
Nah. I believe. I believe in our lefties.
But contrary to Tae-woong's faith, the Eagles' lefties didn't reach base against Lindbrall through a full circuit of the lineup.
Tae-woong, this what you call lefty hitters?
One more time. Just one more. They've seen him once around now—they'll get him next time.
If the hitters could score three—or at least two—a pitcher's mind eases. Even the best pitchers get dingers from guys with single-digit career homers. That's baseball.
Whether Tae-woong's belief reached them or not, the response came quick.
Thwack!
Top of the third, Eagles table-setters Lee Young-gyu and Jeong Geon-woo grounded out for two away. Then lefty Hoi yanked a flat-away changeup from Lindbrall into right-center for a triple—a perfect blend of power, bat control, and smarts.
Plus that dummy right fielder fumbling the ball didn't hurt.
With two out, no deep grounder or fly would let speedy Hoi score from third, but it was still the kind of play that cracks a pitcher's mentality.
Lindbrall, true to his ace billing, didn't flinch at the key hitter's triple.
Whish! Thwack!
"STRIKE THREE!"
Full count to No. 5 Kim Tae-geon. Lindbrall's 141 km/h cutter inside burrowed right into catcher Yang Ui-jin's knee-high glove. Undeniable strike. Kim Tae-geon trudged off without protest.
Lindbrall escaped with a looking K and ended the third.