Genius Pitcher Hides 170Km [EN]: Chapter 15

#14. The Umbrella Effect

One of the things a team expects when investing a lot of money in a key hitter is the umbrella effect.

If the team’s best hitter is batting third, the pitcher has no choice but to challenge the first and second hitters directly to prevent runners from getting on base ahead of him.

In addition, the umbrella effect can also mean a pitcher’s confidence is shattered by a big hit from the third batter, leading to consecutive hits by the fourth and fifth batters.

The key is that to provide an umbrella for the hitters in front of and behind you, you must have the power to deliver a game-changing hit that demoralizes the opposing pitcher.

That’s how you earn money and fame.

The reason I aimed for home runs at all costs when I played in the Major League was precisely that.

In that sense, I am now providing an umbrella for Ahn Chi-wook.

*Thwack*

Oh, is the reward for sticking by him and guiding him starting to show?

Ahn Chi-wook connected with the ball using his natural, clean swing.

However, perhaps it was too well-hit, as it went directly to the second baseman for a line drive out.

Ahn Chi-wook, looking dejected, returned to the dugout.

“Good job. That’s good enough… just keep doing that.”

“…Really?”

Hmm. He looks like a big dog abandoned by its owner in the countryside…

* * *

Lee Man-shik, who was hit by Han Su-hyeok but barely managed to retire the next batter, Ahn Chi-wook, shook his head and returned to the dugout.

“Good job, Ace.”

“Forget about the home run. It’s just a practice game.”

“Pay him back in the next at-bat.”

The coaches, all with blonde hair and blue eyes, surrounded him and began a barrage of English.

The interpreter in the middle, his face red, pointed to each of the coaches and conveyed their words.

To be honest, with all the coaches changed at once and all of them being foreigners, it’s hard to tell who is who.

Of course, I definitely remember the pitching coach’s face.

Pitching coach Jackson Sullivan, who had played a season in the Major League during his active career, approached Lee Man-shik and spoke to him.

“Hey, Ace, how was it? What do you think of facing a rookie?”

“He’s a monster.”

“Isn’t he?”

He was hit by a home run and even got a bat flip from a rookie who had just joined the team.

However, what came out of Lee Man-shik’s mouth was not a curse, complaint, or jealousy, but sincere admiration.

He had been a Warrior’s pitcher for a long time, going through middle relief to starting pitcher, and then to ace.

Of course, his old fastball velocity had disappeared as he aged a few years ago, but the experience he had accumulated was still ingrained in his body.

Because they were making so much noise inside and outside the team about him being a monster, he put a little extra into his first few pitches.

It was the kind of pitch perfect for disrupting the batter’s balance, the kind that would be difficult to handle unless you were a veteran hitter.

But that super rookie didn’t flinch at all at such a pitch, and then he launched the ball he threw for a showdown into the upper part of the outfield stands.

Lee Man-shik had been playing baseball for over 20 years, including his school days, but he had never seen such an explosive swing or such an incredible trajectory of a hit.

He clearly saw that the cocky rookie didn’t seem to realize the significance of it, but he also saw him hitting a home run and throwing his bat with flair.

It was a huge and flashy bat flip that was infuriating from the receiving end.

But he wasn’t angry.

The team had been systematically ruined over the past few years.

Even excluding internal politics, the team’s roster itself is so weak that it cannot be compared to the past.

Lim Jun-yeong, who he thought would be the team’s ace after him, moved to Incheon for nothing.

In fact, the biggest problem was Lee Man-shik himself.

He is no longer an ace.

No, to be honest, the reality is that even playing as the third starter to support the two foreign pitchers is difficult.

And the Warriors have become a definitively weak team.

But today, he seems to have discovered new hope.

Like some of the prodigies who have supported this team in the past, no, a rookie with much greater potential has appeared.

That rookie is playfully arguing with his equally large classmate and running to his defensive position.

A smile unknowingly appeared on Lee Man-shik’s face.

‘He said his goal was to win the championship, right?’

He remembers that fearless rookie talking about winning the championship at the draft.

Of course, even if that guy is great, he thought it was too much.

Lee Man-shik has been playing baseball for too long to believe in the extremely shonen manga [Japanese comics aimed at a young male audience]-like story of one genius leading a team to win the championship.

Nevertheless, Lee Man-shik wanted to help that rookie’s ambition even a little bit.

The desire he had forgotten for a while is stirring in his heart.

“Coach.”

“Yes, Ace.”

“I’ll learn that sinker [a type of pitch that drops sharply] you told me about last time.”

“Oh! Really? Good, I’ll teach you properly.”

Maybe it’s already too late.

But Lee Man-shik, the former ace who is heading towards his mid-thirties, decided to dream again, if only for a moment.

* * *

The foreign pitcher Ryan Stark, who started for our team, was a better pitcher than I thought.

Team owner Seong-hoon wanted to sign a guaranteed ace even if it cost a little more, but general manager Park Jae-cheol, who was a pitcher himself, insisted on re-signing with this guy and pushed it through.

And I think it was a good choice.

It’s still before the season, so his condition hasn’t fully recovered, but he has a fastball that reaches 150km/h [approximately 93 mph], a curveball with a fairly large drop, and a slider that breaks vertically.

It’s hard to believe that this pitcher, who has the textbook form of an orthodox right-handed pitcher, only won 7 games last season.

I haven’t looked up all the stats yet, but I can roughly guess what happened when I saw him flinch every time the ball went to the infield.

Because the infield defense of this team last season was a mess, that’s it.

Senior catcher Jang Deok-soo called for a fastball that filled the outside corner of the left-handed batter. Ryan nodded and started his windup.

I don’t know yet what type of player the new foreign player Max Walker is who is currently at bat.

But I don’t need to say what the first at-bat means to a new hitter who has crossed over to a league in another country.

He’ll want to show something. He’ll try to hit any ball in any location.

He will want to leave a strong first impression.

That’s how I was when I first debuted in the Major League.

The battery [pitcher and catcher] confirmed the sign. A fastball heading to the outside of the left-handed batter.

Then there is a high probability that the ball will come towards me.

“Get ready, Ahn Chi-wook. Don’t just freeze, be ready to move at any time.”

Wait, what about this guy’s defense in a real game?

*Ttaaaak!*

It was as expected. Max Walker connected well with the fastball on the outside corner.

A ball that would pierce through the shortstop and third baseman like a bullet if left alone. Of course, Ahn Chi-wook, who was playing third base, couldn’t even react.

I feel sorry for that foreign player who wants to show something in his first at-bat, but I have no intention of just letting this ball go to the outfield.

I had taken a step back towards the outfield slightly before the pitcher threw the ball, and I started running towards that bullet-like ball.

As soon as I receive the brain’s command, my rejuvenated body moves without any delay and explodes off the ground.

Instead of the creaky knees that ached every time I made a sudden movement, my resilient knees supported my body and helped me move forward.

After running to a distance where I thought it was enough, I slid forward lightly, and then extended my glove forward.

“Wow!”

“He caught that? Is he crazy?”

Then he lightly got up and threw a bullet-like throw to first base.

“Out!”

Hmm, did I put too much power into it? The first baseman who received my throw frowned as if his palm hurt.

Anyway, one out easily, and when I glanced to the side, Ahn Chi-wook was taking strange steps with a blank expression.

What? Is he copying my footwork just now?

Hmm, this isn’t something that can be easily done just by copying.

﹂ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ What am I watching right now. This isn’t a Major League highlight reel, is it?

﹂Even an Asian can make such a play… This is crazy

﹂I’m crazy for thinking that Song Ki-tae’s experience is a priority even if he’s batting trash

﹂Wasn’t that a hit that would definitely be a hit the moment it was hit?

﹂Han Su-hyeok had taken a few steps back before the pitch. That’s why he caught it

﹂His judgment of the ball is no joke… I’m going crazy. Song Ki-tae would have just stood there and watched the ball go by.

﹂It’s not just about catching it, but look at that throw… I can’t see because of the tears ㅠㅠ

﹂The Warriors recorder is my cousin, and he said that Han Su-hyeok threw 165 [likely refers to km/h, or about 102 mph] in practice pitching

﹂What? 165 while still in spring training?

﹂Yeah, so everyone is making a fuss again about why he doesn’t want to be a pitcher

﹂Crazy… He threw to first base with a 165 throwing arm? What a waste of talent

﹂For now, Han Su-hyeok is confirmed as the shortstop

﹂You’re not the manager, so what’s confirmed lol

﹂If Lee Dae-jun uses Song Ki-tae as a shortstop after seeing that, he’s crazy

﹂That’s 인정 [Korean slang for ” 인정합니다” which means “I acknowledge that” or “I agree”]

“Su-hyeok, nice.”

“Good job.”

“Great defense, champion.”

When I returned to the dugout after finishing the defense, praise mixed with Korean and English filled my ears.

I’ve been using English for 15 years, and I feel like my thought process is getting tangled, so I can roughly guess what other players are like.

Should I get an automatic translator for each player for player welfare?

Anyway, my body is lighter than I thought.

I couldn’t have imagined that the combination of 15 years of Major League experience and a 20-year-old’s rejuvenated body would be so powerful.

Well, who else in the world besides me would have 15 years of big league experience and a 20-year-old’s resilient body at the same time?

Anyway, if it’s really this good, I might be able to lead this team to the championship.

“Drink this.”

“Ah, thank you. Senior.”

Lee Chang-mo, the second baseman who hadn’t had much conversation with me other than simple greetings since joining this team, handed me a drink and spoke to me while I was sitting on the bench as the offense and defense were switched.

A veteran second baseman who is thirty-two years old and played as a starter last season.

I know a little bit about this player, even if I don’t know about other players.

Because he was a player who played in the Big League for only 2 years.

He was known as a hitter and runner who recorded a .300 batting average, double-digit home runs, and stolen bases every season for 7 years as the starting second baseman for the Incheon Rangers.

Based on that career, he sought to advance to the Major League instead of becoming a free agent [FA], and signed a contract with Baltimore, which did not have a suitable second baseman, and went straight to the Major League.

But the challenge of the Major League was much greater than he thought, and he was eventually released after 2 years.

The problem was the emotional wounds he suffered in the process of returning to the domestic league.

A new second baseman prospect had already taken his place in his former team, the Incheon Rangers.

The world of professionals is cold. Incheon did not even offer Lee Chang-mo a contract, and other clubs that judged that his skills had declined did not actively pursue him.

However, the Seoul Warriors, who were uniformly incompetent in all positions, offered a cheap contract, and Lee Chang-mo became a member of this team.

“You’re good at defense.”

“Thank you. You’re still the same, senior.”

“What, I’m all washed up since I hurt my knee.”

Before he knew it, he was in his third year of playing for the Warriors.

And the second baseman, who once represented the league, had lost all his enthusiasm and was just playing baseball to make a living.

“No, I watched and learned a lot from senior’s defensive videos when I was in high school.”

“Really? Thanks.”

Even to my words, Lee Chang-mo just gave a bitter smile.

As with all sports, it is possible to overcome physical problems to some extent with effort, but it is difficult for a player whose spirit is broken to recover.

From the Warriors’ point of view, who are short of players in every position, there is nothing more to ask for if Lee Chang-mo is revived.

If he regains his prime skills and becomes a keystone combo [the shortstop and second baseman, who work together closely on defense] with me, it will be quite promising.

“Then I’m going to prepare for batting.”

“Yes, senior.”

Lee Chang-mo, who was not starting today and was on standby, walked to the on-deck circle to take his turn as a pinch hitter at the manager’s direction.

If I can just get that senior to cheer up a little, I think he’ll find his place soon.

* * *