Genius Pitcher Hides 170Km [EN]: Chapter 88

#87. Call Me Smith

If someone asked me what I wanted most, I would unhesitatingly choose the health of everyone around me, including myself. It might be trauma from losing my mother and Sung-hoon hyung [older brother or close male friend], but that’s how it is.

And if I were asked to say just one more thing, I would ask that good or bad things please not happen all at once.

But as always, bad things tend to come all at once.

Having received an urgent meeting request from Sung-hoon hyung, I am now in the office with him, racking our brains to come up with countermeasures for the misfortunes that have come all at once.

“Soo-hyuk, this is a big problem. No matter how I look at it, there are no suitable players. At best, they’re guys who played in Taiwan, but I don’t know if they can be replacements.”

“What about the backup catcher, leaving aside the foreign players?”

“It’s the same there. I saw the final list that Director Park Jae-cheol brought, and frankly, I don’t know if they’re any better than Yong Ji-hoon in our team. There are hardly any available players because the first half of the season isn’t over yet.”

“This is driving me crazy…….”

“Leaving aside the catcher, the most urgent thing is the foreign players. Actually, there is one. There’s a guy who hit twenty-five home runs in Japan last year, but he’s openly asking for kickbacks.”

“Who? That Carlos guy?”

“Yeah.”

“Forget it, get rid of him. Expensive is secondary, but he was famous for only caring about money even in Japan, right? A guy like that is bad for teamwork…….”

Um, saying that makes me feel like I’m spitting on my own face.

My mood, which had suddenly cooled during the three-game series against Daejeon, gradually returned to normal after the housewarming party prepared by Sung-hoon hyung and Min Ye-rin.

Now that I think about it, I don’t know why I got so worked up.

What does it matter to me what those Daejeon guys do in baseball?

Anyway, the season continued.

We won 2-1 in the following game against Gwangju, lost 1-2 in the three-game series against Changwon, but then won 2-1 again in the game against the Magicians. Our team was cruising along until we encountered a huge obstacle in the first game against the first-place team, Incheon.

And not just one, but two obstacles.

“Haa… what did you say before? The home run king drives a Ford something…….”

“The home run king drives a Cadillac, and the batting king drives a Ford?”

“Yeah, that’s it. The world really doesn’t change. That saying first came out in the 1950s, right? Nearly 80 years have passed, and home run hitters are still expensive.”

In fact, that story was told by pitcher Fritz Ostermueller when he saw Ralph Kiner, a home run hitter of the time, practicing hitting to the opposite field to improve his batting average.

The exact original quote was, ‘A hitter who hits singles to the opposite field drives a Ford. Conversely, a hitter who pulls the ball for home runs drives a Cadillac.’ It meant, don’t bother practicing hitting singles, just hit more home runs.

Perhaps I am the most ardent believer in that story.

In the early days of my Big League career, I aimed like crazy for only the big hits to increase my value and reputation.

But that story was now coming back as a dagger aimed at our team.

In the first game against Incheon on the third Friday of June, we lost two of our starting hitters.

The first problem occurred with foreign player Max Walker.

Feeling pain in his side during his first at-bat, he was immediately replaced and sent to the hospital.

As a result of a thorough examination, two areas of his side muscle were found to be torn, approximately 4cm and 2cm each.

Apparently, there was something wrong from the start, but this foolish guy hid it and continued to play.

According to the doctor in charge, it would take at least a month to fully recover.

He didn’t have enough home runs for a foreign player, but he was doing a good job of getting RBIs [Runs Batted In] in the 6th spot, and he was so pointlessly removed from the lineup.

That day, Max’s desolate eyes as he was replaced in the game and headed to the hospital are still vivid in my memory.

The problem didn’t end there.

After the bottom of the 4th inning, Senior [term of respect for someone older or more experienced] Jang Deok-soo, feeling discomfort in his shoulder and knee, went to the manager.

Manager Lee Dae-joon’s face hardened coldly because he was not one to bat an eye over minor issues.

One game wasn’t important right now. Jang Deok-soo’s importance in the team was truly enormous.

That’s how the second player was removed from the lineup.

Fortunately, unlike Max, who needed a month to recover, Senior Jang Deok-soo’s doctor said that he could adjust the number of games he played as a catcher after a few days of rest.

In the end, Senior Kim Soo-hak took Max Walker’s place in right field, and Senior Kang Jin-seok was re-inserted into the designated hitter position.

The starting catcher was Senior Yong Ji-hoon, a first baseman in a catcher’s mask.

And we lost all three games against Incheon.

The ample win margin was greatly reduced.

Our season record was 35 wins, 3 draws, and 30 losses. We even lost third place to the Magicians and dropped to fourth place.

A gloomy atmosphere began to circulate throughout the team.

This is why I’m racking my brains like this right now.

“So, hyung, your idea is to replace the foreign hitter and bring in a backup catcher no matter the cost, right?”

“Yeah. I feel a little sorry for Max, but since it’s our choice anyway, his remaining salary will be paid in full. I heard his parents are sick too, right? Maybe this could be a blessing in disguise.”

I don’t know.

Considering my personal relationship with him, I want to give him a little more of a chance, but with July approaching, a month-long absence of a foreign hitter is too critical.

Yeah, it’s right to follow Sung-hoon hyung and Director Park Jae-cheol’s intentions now.

“Okay, then what about the backup catcher?”

“Incheon said they could give us their third catcher, but crazy… they’re asking for Chun Sang-jin.”

“Tell them to get lost, what about other teams?”

“Busan is offering catcher Goo Jae-hyun…….”

“Senior Goo Jae-hyun? They’re offering that guy? Really?”

He may seem more suited to sitting on a bench in front of a neighborhood supermarket than being a baseball player, but he is a veteran of veterans who has worn a catcher’s mask for over 10 years. They’re offering such a player?

“Who are they asking for in return?”

“Seo Hyung-joo, or Ahn Chi-wook and Choi Jung-soo.”

“Kekeke [onomatopoeia for laughter]. Are they kidding me?”

Suddenly, anger surges. Let’s punish those guys next time we meet.

We need an alternative. An alternative… a foreign player, and a backup catcher.

I looked at the list of foreign players who could be signed immediately on the table.

The largest number were players playing in the Taiwanese league.

Unlike Korea and Japan, where annual contracts are common, monthly contracts are common in Taiwanese professional baseball. Therefore, even if a player is currently playing in Taiwan, they can be brought in immediately if the salary is right.

The problem is that their skills are only at the Taiwanese league level. Just about the level of players who played in Japan or Korea and were pushed out.

Of course, there are sometimes players with decent skills, but the Taiwanese aren’t stupid either. Those players are already tied to annual contracts.

“Forget about the Taiwanese side… we need to look at the guys who played in the minors.”

“Director Park said that side isn’t great either. Of course, I don’t know if that guy knows all the players.”

He played in the Big Leagues for over 15 years and moved to seven teams. He may be the person with the widest network and information in the United States among current Korean baseball players.

If that’s the result of combining information from the contracted American agency and Director Park Jae-cheol’s personal information, there is likely no further reversal.

Swish, swish.

I think it’s a waste of resources to print out all this data in this day and age, but I’m more used to this than a tablet.

He can’t because his position is first base…….

This friend looks good, but his price is ridiculously high…….

Um, why couldn’t he find a new team with these stats? Aha, there’s a problem with his personality…….

Just in case, I rummage through the list of about fifty people one by one.

It’s data that all the front office staff, including Director Park Jae-cheol, have already checked, but just in case.

Maybe there’s a name I know…….

Rummage, rummage.

There’s no way. It’s not the Major League, but players who move around the Minor League. And I haven’t been very interested in other players.

As I was rummaging through the data with a half-abandoned mind, I had to stop my hand when I was almost at the end of the document.

Walter Smith, 30 years old, played for the Seattle Triple-A team until last season and was released, right-handed batter and thrower, main position was catcher but converted to outfielder due to injury.

Why is this guy…….

* * *

After being swept by Incheon, we recorded a losing series with 1 win and 2 losses in the following three-game series against the Fighters, and met the Changwon Raptors as the last schedule in June.

Fortunately or unfortunately, the first and second games were canceled due to rain.

Back when I was a fan watching baseball in middle and high school, rain cancellations were quite frequent.

It wasn’t the dome stadium that was the problem, but the drainage facilities in the baseball field itself were so bad that the ground would become a puddle even with a little rain.

Of course, that’s a thing of the past now. Under the leadership of the KBO [Korea Baseball Organization], a major drainage facility construction project was carried out, and game cancellations due to rain have disappeared unless there is an absurd amount of rainfall like this time.

Anyway, the third game was held after two games were canceled due to rain.

We had eaten up quite a bit of the wins we had earned, so we were in a situation where a few losing streaks would threaten a 50% win rate.

But my heart is not so heavy right now.

Because of Walter Smith, our team’s new foreign player, who is standing in front of the team with a serious expression.

“Hey, Ahn Chi-wook. I think I’ve seen that guy somewhere.”

“Seo Hyung-joo, are you stupid? There are so many American people who look like that. They always appear in movies.”

“Is that so? But who just called who stupid…….”

“Shhh, the manager is looking at us.”

Half-bald head, a bushy beard that contrasts with it, a solemn expression and eyes that seem to reject jokes.

He looks the same as I remembered. He’s five years younger than he was then, but how can he look so similar?

He looks more like a school principal than a baseball player, and he used to nag me.

Don’t just trust your ball, trust your other teammates, the only thing that can help a pitcher on the mound is his teammates, don’t underestimate the hitter, he’s also a player playing in the Big League.

Walter, who was the third or fourth option among all the catchers in Seattle at the time, was a player who was sometimes, very rarely, called up to the Big League only when the starting catcher’s stamina was exhausted or injured, and was practically closer to the Minor League.

He often hit home runs, but he had serious weaknesses in changeups and curves, and he had knee problems due to his long career as a catcher. Sometimes he was a catcher, and sometimes he filled the gaps in the lineup as an outfielder.

But he was always confident and serious regardless of his position.

I still remember what he said when I had my first no-hitter. He, who wore a mask instead of the starting catcher, said with a expressionless face.

‘Kid, no matter how great you are, you can’t always pitch like this. When that happens, you’ll understand what I’m saying. The only thing that can help you is your teammates.’

I couldn’t curse at the catcher who made the no-hitter with me, but I didn’t say anything to him.

It’s not that I ignored him because he was a minor league player. From the beginning, I looked down on all players except myself.

I just didn’t like his eyes and tone that treated me like a naive younger brother.

But as time passed and I had to quit pitching due to a shoulder injury, I often remembered what Walter had said.

The saying that you can only become a real pitcher if you can trust your teammates and throw.

Anyway.

I don’t know why Walter, who should be going back and forth between the Seattle Minor League and the Big League at this time, is a free agent with his contract terminated.

The knee injury that he had since he was young was still there, and his position was almost fixed as an outfielder. The hitting mechanism that smelled like a bluff was still there. It was Walter as I knew him.

Perhaps my regression and stay in Korea, and the change in the Seattle team composition may have had some influence.

The important thing is not that.

The important thing was that Walter, who was five years younger than I knew him, was standing in front of me.

As a savior who will solve the problem of the foreign hitter’s position that has become vacant due to Max’s departure, and the backup catcher problem that has been bothering our team since the beginning of the season.

“Okay, everyone, pay attention. This is the player who will be playing with us from today. His name is Walter Smith. His main position is outfielder, and he used to play as a catcher. First, Walter, say hello.”

“Nice to meet you. I’m Walter Smith. I heard that the team is having difficulties. Fortunately, the work visa issue was resolved quickly, so I’m happy to join the team without being too late. I will do what I can. I hope you can do the same. Baseball is not a solo game.”

It’s a greeting full of꼰대-ness [kkondae-ness: a Korean slang term referring to older people who are condescending and bossy] from the first word.

Knowing his personality well, I burst into laughter, and the players who heard the story through the interpreter were slightly bewildered by his attitude, which was unlike a foreign player.

A very brief silence flowed.

The moment Senior Jo Sung-oh was about to step forward, unable to bear the silence.

I took a step forward and shook hands with him.

“Nice to meet you, Walter. Welcome to this team.”

“Call me Smith.”

Hehe, he’s still the same. This guy.