Slider Strikeouts
Not satisfied. 'Maybe from now on, he'll be able to handle it well.' Hwang Jae-uk quickly pulled himself together and prepared for the next pitch.
Outside Slider
With control on point, the situation started to resolve quickly. I nodded and fired the pitch.
Whiiiish... The ball shot straight out like a fastball at first. The batter clearly read it as the fastball he'd seen before. But... right near home plate, it suddenly broke diagonally away from him.
...Eek!
A clean slider. Thwack! The batter fell for it completely, his bat slicing through empty air.
"Swing and a miss."
Strike call. Hwang Jae-uk clenched his fist hard once.
'Good. Slider's got control too. And the velocity's up.' He felt confident he could go for it again.
Slider
Slider sign again. I nodded and threw it on the same trajectory.
Whiiiish! The batter reacted this time too. But his bat couldn't catch up.
Thwack! Pop!
"Swing and a miss—strike three, you're out!"
With the umpire's call, my first high school strikeout was sealed. My first out count as well. But strangely, my chest didn't pound with excitement. Even in this moment worth celebrating a little, my heart stayed calm and settled. I didn't force down any emotions or force a cheer. I just looked to the next batter.
Suseok High's cleanup hitter. Core of the lineup again. The good news? Right-handed. Still bases loaded, though—one big hit and the game would be truly out of reach.
Four-Seam Fastball
Hwang Jae-uk called for a four-seam fastball. I hesitated, then shook my head. Not the time for a straight fastball showdown. This was the four-hole. Aggressive swinger likely.
Slider
I nodded to the slider instead. Whiiiish! The batter reacted right away.
Thwack! Swing and a miss. One strike. Slider was working perfectly—I was sure of it.
What next? Maybe take a look?
Slider
Shake. Shake.
Four-Seam Fastball
I nodded to the four-seam fastball. Whiiiip! Pop! The 135 km/h fastball got sucked right into the mitt at the corner.
"Strike!"
Perfect location.
"Whoa... damn..."
Suseok's four-hole froze in the box for a second, muttering under his breath after seeing it. "Coming in just like the slider?"
Not the speed—he was rattled by the precision. Count was heavily in my favor now. Hwang Jae-uk called slider for the finisher. I nodded and unleashed it.
Whiiiish! Pop!
Surprisingly, the batter held off this time. Ball call. 1-2 now.
'Suseok's four-hole, huh?' Catcher Hwang Jae-uk glanced at him.
'Figured out the difference between fastball and slider? Nah, even Suseok's cleanup couldn't read that quick. Just laid off. Good discipline at two strikes.'
Hwang Jae-uk pondered. 'Switch it up or push?'
Quick calculation. 'Slider again.'
Slider
And I nodded. Same thought.
Whish! It looked fastball again, then broke at the end. Batter couldn't hold off.
Thwack! Bat came around, ball sailed underneath. Swing and a miss.
"Swing and a miss—strike three!"
Umpire struck the pose cleanly. Second strikeout.
I didn't pump my fist or yell from the mound. Just waited for the ball's return, fiddling with it. Not over yet—had to stay in the zone.
Next up: Suseok's five-hole. Lefty. I took a breath, lifted my head. Inning not done, bases still juiced. But those two Ks gave a bit of breathing room. No greed on the first pitch.
Four-Seam Fastball
I nodded to Hwang Jae-uk's four-seam call. Low-outside corner of the strike zone, tightest spot. Whiiiip! Pop!
Exactly as planned into the mitt. Strike call.
'Just seeing one?' Hwang Jae-uk gauged the batter's vibe.
He had to watch the hitter closely. This five-hole was 6-for-6 today. Insane contact skills. Time to mix in breaking stuff.
Sinker
Sinker sign, mitt shifted outside where a ball might tail. I nodded and threw.
Whish... Dammit. Bad feeling the instant it left my hand. Sinker still unruly. Least polished pitch—ran wide. Lucky Hwang Jae-uk stood to snag it. Grateful it didn't get away clean.
Haa... fuck... Still not listening...
I gritted my teeth. Sinker wasn't there yet. Hwang Jae-uk's face darkened again. No sinker meant weak against lefties.
Four-Seam Fastball
Back to fastball. Same low-outside corner. Whiiiip!
But batter reacted. Ting! Bat met ball, foul off quick.
'Phew...' Hwang Jae-uk startled but relieved—it pushed foul down the third-base line. Close call. Slight angle change and it'd have dropped deep in the outfield.
Chills down my spine. Fastball alone too risky. Needed something else. Then I recalled a clip I'd watched at home.
Four-Seam Fastball
Hwang Jae-uk hesitated, then fastball again. I shook my head. Not that.
Sinker
Sinker next—nope. Hwang Jae-uk tilted his head.
Slider
Slider—shook it off. Silence hung. Hwang Jae-uk called time and climbed the mound.
"What's up?"
As the vice-captain approached, I whispered low. "Sinker's still wild, and fastball's risky right now. Batter's got the timing."
"Same here. So how we handling him?"
"Slider showdown."
"Slider? Inside?"
Hwang Jae-uk nodded like it made sense.
"Nah. Watching his swing, he'll cut inside stuff. Go different."
"Different how?"
"Yeah. First, fastball a ball or so off the outside, then slider tunneling into the zone."
Hwang Jae-uk's eyes widened. "Backdoor slider?"
Backdoor slider. Starts ball-side but breaks back into the zone.
"Yep. Toss the outside fastball first to sell it. At two strikes, if he chases that, even better."
"Hmm..."
'Fastball insurance first... Not easy, but Jeong-ui's command makes it work?'
Game-like tactic, major-league level. Hwang Jae-uk flustered but trusted this version of me.
"Alright, let's do it."
We returned to positions. Hwang Jae-uk set the mitt a ball off the zone, nudged up for the backdoor. I nodded, fired four-seam there.
Whiiiip! Pop!
Dead on. But sharp eye—he laid off.
'Laid off that too... Good hitter.' Ball call. 2-2.
On the mound, I drew a deep breath. One pitch left. The new finisher. Backdoor slider.
Hwang Jae-uk's mitt shifted—back to low-inside corner.
Hoo... Last pitch. Whiiiish!
Started a ball off the zone but curved smoothly in at the end. Suseok's five-hole tracked it, twitched late.
Pop!
Couldn't react. Perfect break. Now wait for the call.
"Strike three!"
Umpire signaled strikeout. ABS Zone deemed it in. Looking K.
"Nice!"
"Yes!"
Cheers erupted from the dugout. Relief after bracing for a blowup—held 'em to two runs. Plus three straight Ks flipped the vibe.
But I showed nothing, just walked quietly off.
In the end, hits kept falling, walk issued, two runs in. Nothing satisfying about it.