Clash of the Ace Pitchers
Our winning streak stopped at five, but we kept pulling good results after that.
The Raiders, though, who had been right on our heels, seemed to wake up and put together a six-game streak of their own. They kept taking winning series after that, and the gap opened back up to two games.
From third place on down below us, the gaps were pretty sizable. At this point it was essentially a race for first between our team and the Raiders.
And roughly four teams below that were pouring everything they had into snatching third.
Before we knew it, it was already late August. With less than two months left in the regular season.
"You understand?"
"Yes. Of course."
"Good. Keep that in mind and prepare properly."
"Understood."
Normally I should have started the Sunday away game, but Manager Park wanted me to take the mound for the home game next Tuesday.
The reason was simple: the midweek three-game series next week was against a team we absolutely could not afford to lose to.
The three-game set against the Raiders.
Manager Park adjusted the rotation so I could start Tuesday, Michael Len Wednesday, and Marte Thursday.
In my place, the Sunday start went to Hyeon-bin.
Hyeon-bin showed some pretty gutsy pitching.
Even when he faced the heart of the order, he went right at them head-on, refusing to back down, and Ko Mandeok's solid game-calling backed him up the whole way.
The result: 5.2 innings, two runs allowed.
He led the team to a 6-3 win and earned the victory himself.
After the game we headed straight up to Seoul for rest. After spending Monday completely recovering, the next day arrived.
Preparing for my start, Ko Mandeok and I cooked up one secret plan for today's game.
"It'll be okay, right?"
"Why? What are you worried about?"
"No, it's not really worry..."
"Heh. I know what you're fretting over, but don't. It'll be fine."
"Yeah..."
I don't need to worry, right? It should be fine...
Even though it was a Tuesday game, the stadium was already packed.
As an extremely important matchup, not only our fans but a ton of Raiders fans had shown up too.
The game hadn't even started yet, but the cheers exploding from both sides of the stands were already deafening.
I wasn't in the lineup today. It wasn't Manager Park excluding me... it was my choice.
Near the end of last Sunday's game, Manager Park had asked me if I wanted to hit as well on Tuesday.
After a brief think, I said I'd focus on pitching, and Manager Park accepted my opinion.
Honestly there was no real reason to sit out hitting... but the opponent was the opponent.
If it was just facing the Raiders, it wouldn't have mattered... but today's Raiders starter was Kwon Jong-jin.
In other words, a matchup between the two of us, rated as the best pitchers in the country this season.
From yesterday through today, our duel had become quite the issue.
The matchup itself would have been exciting enough... but someone poured gasoline on the fire.
Some internet broadcaster had declared, as if it were fact, that the winner of this game would be Kang Hajin. He was pretty famous for baseball-related streams, with a solid viewer count.
Hearing that, Raiders fans and a lot of people who thought Kwon Jong-jin was Korea's best pitcher rose up in arms. Kang Hajin isn't ready yet, or something?
Our team fans who found out about the situation late jumped in and went head-to-head... and thanks to that, yesterday and today, baseball-related internet sites were a complete mess.
What about me? Well... I honestly found it entertaining. Watching a fight is always fun.
There were even people calling this season's performance a fluke and dragging up names of players who'd had one flashy year in the past to put me down.
Honestly, I'd been taking this kind of criticism all season, so it didn't faze me at all.
When the dating rumors with Han Song-yi broke and the confirmation articles came out, I'd even thought baseball fans might actually kill me... compared to that, this was nothing.
Anyway, for that reason. Today I only pitch. So from the first inning, I planned to throw with full power.
Raiders leadoff hitter Jo Sang-won stepped into the box.
He went through his usual preparatory routine, then settled into the batter's box with his shoulders dropped low, waiting for the first pitch.
First pitch, a light fastball.
"Stri~ke!"
Felt good.
Right from the first pitch it went almost exactly where I'd wanted it, nearly perfect command.
Jo Sang-won shook his head and reset his stance.
Second pitch, a changeup fading away outside. Jo Sang-won's bat cut through empty air, and the count went to two strikes.
"...Already?"
Ko Mandeok was already flashing the sign to start the secret plan we'd talked about beforehand—after only three pitches.
I wondered if we shouldn't save it a little longer... but then again, they say if you hoard something too long it just turns to crap.
Crack.
"...... Y-you're fine. You're fine."
Fucking hell.
This was exactly what I'd been worried about before the game.
Ko Mandeok had found out later that I'd thrown a cutter on a slider sign. He'd given me some grief about it, then decided we ought to start using it properly, and today was the day.
The thing is, cutters tend to produce a lot of weakly hit balls... and our infield defense wasn't exactly elite.
Especially shortstop Choi Min-gi, who would play well and then suddenly pull some brain-dead move every now and then, and third baseman Kim Tae-seong... honestly, the guy belonged at first base or DH.
That was why I'd fretted before the game, and Ko Mandeok had told me not to worry...
Facing the leadoff hitter in the top of the first, and the problem had already shown up.
"Haa... this is driving me crazy."
I'd just told Choi Min-gi he was fine, but the second I turned around a sigh burst out of me.
Ko Mandeok, standing in front of home plate with his mask lifted, staring blankly, looked a little rattled himself.
Even that guy probably hadn't expected an error on the very first ball in play.
"Ah, whatever... nothing we can do... huh? What the hell is this?"
I turned back around to tell Choi Min-gi and the rest of the defense it was okay again, and my eyes caught the scoreboard.
In the hits column on the board, the number 1 was lit up.
They'd scored that ball as a hit...
"You've got to be kidding me..."
It was a ball the shortstop should have fielded and thrown for an easy out, and they'd given it a hit. Just like that, the perfect game and no-hitter were both gone.
"Ha... fucking hell, this is some serious bullshit."
I always say I don't care much about perfect games or no-hitters. Hell, if anything, the expectation of them just makes me feel pressured...
But that doesn't mean I want them broken like this.
I'd even shattered the bat and handled it perfectly...
I was pretty damn pissed.
"Aaaap!!"
Whap!
"Hwaaap!"
"Wajaaak!"
"Hureeeek!"
"Kkeuaap!"
I kept throwing with a yell on every pitch. Every single one a four-seamer.
Tucked it in on the hands, pulled it a little off the plate outside, went low once, then back up at the batter's chest height.
Finally, at 2-2, he swung through a high one and I got the second batter.
Yelling a bit seemed to burn off some of the irritation.
I'd thrown like I was daring the runner to go, completely ignoring the guy at first, and he never took off.
I hadn't even glanced over for a pickoff, so a fast guy like Jo Sang-won could have easily taken a shot... maybe the velocity made him give up on it?
Feeling a lot lighter, I faced the next batter. Number three, Evan Kawit. A guy who could mash over twenty homers and still hit for average.
But he couldn't square up the 155 km/h cutter he'd never seen before.
Crack.
The bat didn't break this time, but the sound was dull. Anyone listening could tell it was a mis-hit.
"Please..."
A tougher play than the first bobbled one. Not a grounder that rolled, but a ball hopping at about knee height.
And of course that ball headed straight for Choi Min-gi, the one who'd just committed the error.
I was stunned. Seriously. I never expected him to handle it that cleanly.
He charged in, and instead of fielding it square, he deliberately took it on the backhand like he was already thinking double play.
Then immediately fired to second.
"Nice! Real good!"
The "nice" just came out of me on its own.