Genius Pitcher Hides 170Km [EN]: Chapter 198

#197. Those Who Follow Him

“Everyone’s gathered here. Did the game start? What inning is it?”

“Ah! Hyung [older brother or male friend], sit over here. It just started at the bottom of the first.”

“Really? The top of the first is already over?”

“Yes, looking at the stats, it seems like Im Jun-yeong did well. One strikeout, one walk, and one double play.”

“He’s amazing as always.”

With the Olympics starting, the KBO [Korean Baseball Organization]’s first and second leagues went on break.

Players in the first league could afford some leisure time, combining team and individual training, but those in the second league weren’t even allowed that.

No, even if someone pushed them to rest, it wasn’t a situation where they could relax.

Every day was precious for those who wanted to improve their skills and experience to get promoted to the first league as soon as possible.

A practice game between the Warriors’ second team and the developmental squad was held early in the morning to avoid the hot summer weather.

Choi Maru, who had temporarily come down from the first team, Park Dong-seok, who had secured the starting catcher position in the second team, Choi Jae-min, who became a developmental player through a tryout, and Yoo In-cheol, who was undergoing intense training in the second team this season, gathered in front of a large TV in the seminar room.

Over the past winter, the Warriors’ organization had completely renovated the second team facilities.

The team dormitories were expanded so that all players could use single rooms, and several shared spaces were created where players could freely gather to watch baseball games and discuss tactics, like this seminar room.

The Warriors’ second team facilities, which had been neglected for nearly 10 years, were instantly transformed into state-of-the-art facilities.

At the Warriors’ second team dorm, the players were scattered around, focusing on something.

Some players were eating in the cafeteria, while others were resting in their rooms.

Although the locations were different, the Warriors’ second team players’ attention was all focused on one place.

Los Angeles, USA, where the first round of the Korea-Mexico game was taking place.

“Um, can I watch here too?”

“Ah! Senior! Yes, of course! Please sit here. This is the best spot.”

“It’s okay, I’ll watch from the back. And take one of these each. They got a new decaf bean that’s pretty good.”

“Thank you!”

Kim Joo-ho, a senior player, suddenly entered the seminar room where Choi Maru, Park Dong-seok, Choi Jae-min, and Yoo In-cheol, who was one year their senior, were gathered.

A brief, awkward silence fell.

The age difference between Choi Maru, Park Dong-seok, Choi Jae-min, and Yoo In-cheol, who were in their first year, was only one year, but Kim Joo-ho was a veteran who had been playing professionally for over 15 years.

Moreover, he was a player who had proven his worth this season, playing as a backup left fielder, first baseman, third baseman, and right-handed pinch hitter in the first team.

He should have been resting during this Olympic break, but he volunteered to come down to the second team and work hard with his younger teammates.

“Mexico’s starter is Rafael Silva.”

“Yes, that’s right. A big league 10-game winner right from the first game.”

To break the awkward silence, Kim Joo-ho spoke first, and Yoo In-cheol seized the opportunity to respond.

“He’s got a fast fastball, but his control isn’t great. I wonder how many wild pitches he’s thrown this season.”

“His average velocity has increased by about 1 mph compared to last year, but it seems like his balance is off because of that, Senior.”

“Hmm… Still, he’s really fast. I wonder if our guys can hit him.”

While Mexico’s starting pitcher was throwing practice pitches on the mound, various comments were exchanged, and the awkward atmosphere naturally dissipated.

In the practice game that morning, Choi Maru formed a battery [pitcher-catcher duo] with Park Dong-seok and recorded a shutout for 5 innings, making the coaching staff smile.

Although he’s being used as a middle reliever and setup man this season due to the team’s circumstances, manager Lee Dae-jun seemed to want to develop Choi Maru as a starting pitcher in the long term.

“Ah, but In-cheol, when I saw you hitting earlier, your swing seemed too big. It was noticeably bigger than in the game two days ago. Did you intend to do that?”

“Yes? Ah, no, ah, so that’s why the coach was giving me those looks earlier. Thank you, Senior. I need to pay more attention.”

“Okay, I’m glad if it helped.”
Yoo In-cheol, who played shortstop for the White team with Choi Maru and Park Dong-seok, focused on developing his power through bulking up while transforming into a switch hitter last winter.

Excessive bulking up should be avoided for a shortstop, but it was a very appropriate decision for Yoo In-cheol, who was so skinny that he was even called a ‘멸치(myeolchi)’ [anchovy, used to describe someone very skinny].

Thanks to that, he was being evaluated as having evolved in both defense and hitting in the Futures League in the first half of this season.

“Ah, and Jae-min. Um… The sign language teacher is eating, right? Uh… So, you’ve·got·real·talent·just·keep·doing·what·you’re·doing.”

“Oh? Senior Joo-ho, you know sign language?”

“No, I learned it very briefly when I did community service a while ago. Honestly, I’m not even sure if this is right.”

Choi Jae-min, who played as the designated hitter for the Blue team in today’s game and had 1 hit and 1 home run in 4 at-bats, bowed his head to his seniors.

He felt like he was dreaming.

He was expected to be the first hearing-impaired player to become a professional baseball player, but the reality was harsh.

His name was not called in the rookie draft, and he failed both the Busan and Daejeon developmental player tryouts that followed.

It was a separate issue from his skills.

In order to have a hearing-impaired player play professionally, there are many troublesome things that follow.

You have to hire an interpreter to be in charge of sign language, and you have to create a separate signal to inform them of the ball count.

And above all, the consideration of the teammates playing together is necessary.

Unfortunately, Choi Jae-min’s talent was not enough to be selected while bearing those various penalties.

But everything was resolved when Han Su-hyeok stepped in.

He had briefly become Choi Jae-min’s mentor during his community service period, and he arranged the Warriors’ developmental tryout.

When Choi Jae-min passed the tryout, the club naturally assigned a sign language interpreter and began to install various convenience facilities for him.

Of course, not everyone had the same opinion.

Within the Warriors, that is, among some players and coaches, voices of dissatisfaction erupted.

There was no need to sign a player with a hearing impairment, such complaints.

No matter how hard Choi Jae-min worked, even if he hit home runs every day at the plate, such complaints and jealousy did not subside.

But that problem was also solved by Han Su-hyeok in one fell swoop.

One day, a message from Han Su-hyeok was delivered through the Warriors’ own broadcast.

‘I don’t think there’s anything more stupid than discriminating against or ostracizing someone because they have a disability or because they’re not as good at baseball as you are. If that’s the case, am I allowed to ignore and discriminate against all the players who are worse at baseball than me?’

It was an arrogant but undeniable statement.

As he said, if discrimination and ostracism were to be suffered simply because one was not good at baseball or because one had a disability and was inconvenient, then Han Su-hyeok meant that he could treat all the players playing in the Warriors and the KBO [Korean Baseball Organization] arbitrarily.

As Han Su-hyeok openly defended Choi Jae-min, all the noise disappeared in an instant.

It was an episode that showed Han Su-hyeok’s status within the Warriors.

In any case, through that process, Choi Jae-min was able to continue training in the developmental squad, and recently, he has been playing in the Futures League as a pinch hitter and designated hitter, achieving meaningful results.

It was expected that he would be able to sign a formal player contract soon if things continued this way.

Choi Jae-min’s gaze turned to Han Su-hyeok in the TV screen.

‘Teacher…….’

Although he was only one year older, Choi Jae-min, who had been in a teacher-student relationship with him even for a short time, thought of Han Su-hyeok as his teacher in his heart.

You don’t have to directly teach skills and train to be a teacher.

The words Han Su-hyeok had said were still firmly embedded in his head.

Those words to become such an overwhelming hitter that no one could say anything even if he was brought up to the first team just to be used as a pinch hitter for a guy with a disability.

He is doing his best every day, recalling those words that may be the first and last goal in Choi Jae-min’s life.

“Su-hyeok looks to be in good condition today.”

“But won’t the pitchers give him good pitches? I think they’ll only throw balls [intentionally walk him].”

“Maybe. But I don’t think so. At least not today.”

“Why, Senior?”

“I just looked it up, and that Rafael Silva guy’s service time ends this year.”

“So?”

“A guy who’s been getting the minimum wage for years needs as many weapons as possible to put on the table when he enters his first salary negotiation. Among them, a pitcher who caught Han Su-hyeok would be a pretty good title. That’s what I think.”

“Ah…….”

“Teams like Korea and Japan have no choice but to play for the team rather than the individual because of the public’s eyes, but even when I talk to foreign players, baseball is just a business to Central and South Americans. Right now, I think that pitcher only has the idea of catching Han Su-hyeok to raise his name value in his head.”

“Oh…….”

Choi Jae-min couldn’t understand exactly what his seniors and peers sitting next to him were saying.

However, judging from their expressions, gestures, and subtle lip movements, he could easily guess that it was a story about Han Su-hyeok.

Choi Jae-min looked at the four people with a slightly amused expression.

Come to think of it, there was one thing in common among the five people gathered here.

Choi Maru, who respects Han Su-hyeok so much that he doesn’t even want to step on his shadow,

Park Dong-seok, who respects him so much that he even talks in his sleep after receiving Han Su-hyeok’s ball in the first team game,

Yoo In-cheol, who is working hard to support his peer Han Su-hyeok,

Kim Joo-ho, a veteran who answered that he wanted to play with Han Su-hyeok when asked why he chose the Warriors after leaving the Busan Titans,

And himself, who thinks of him as his teacher in life and baseball.

That’s right.

These five people had a common denominator: Han Su-hyeok.

Tak

Ttak

[Out!]

“Ah, damn, that’s too bad!”

“Wow! He caught that!”

“Is he the Baltimore starting shortstop?”

“Yes, that’s right. Senior. Wow, his footwork is definitely different.”

“But well… um, to be honest, compared to Su-hyeok hyung [older brother or male friend]…….”

“Hey, that’s a bad comparison. I was just comparing him to general players.”

Perhaps he doesn’t know.

How many baseball players, including his juniors, peers, and even seniors,
are continuing their dreams while watching him.

Choi Jae-min thought.

What does Han Su-hyeok want from him?

Why did he help him?

I don’t know.

But one thing is certain: Han Su-hyeok’s stated goal.

The goal of building the Warriors’ dynasty.

Therefore, the only thing he can do now is to become a player who can give even a small amount of help in achieving that goal,

To become a player who, as Han Su-hyeok said, at least no one can look down on in terms of hitting.

Tak

“Oh! He hit it well. Look at Hyung-joo smiling brightly.”

“Senior Seo Hyung-joo, nice!”

“Then it’s 1 out and 1st base, and it’s Su-hyeok hyung’s at-bat.”

“Is that pitcher really going to compete with Su-hyeok? Senior Joo-ho, do you really think so?”

“Well, we’ll see if we watch. Anyway, I think I’d try to compete if I were him? Hehe.”

“I really hope he does. Whatever the reason, I just hope he doesn’t run away [avoid pitching to him]…….”

He entered the batter’s box, receiving the attention of the four followers gathered in this seminar room and the countless fans watching baseball.

He tilted his head left and right once as he came out of the on-deck circle, put the bat on his right shoulder once, and then lowered it again.

With just that simple movement, the air in Dodger Stadium began to change rapidly.

A huge cheer erupted from the side where the Korean team’s cheering squad was sitting, and the American spectators, who didn’t know the reason, looked around with bewildered expressions.

Choi Jae-min burst into laughter without realizing it.

The most important first game that will determine the direction of this Olympics,

A powerful opponent that is more than one level ahead in terms of objective power,

Nevertheless, I don’t feel like we’re going to lose at all.

I feel like we’ve already won just because Han Su-hyeok has appeared in the batter’s box.

Kkuk

Choi Jae-min clenched his fist without realizing it and jumped up from his seat.

“Oh, Jae-min, where are you going? Aren’t you going to watch the game?”

‘Since·we’re·going·to·win·anyway·I’m·going·out·to·practice·my·swing.’

“Huh? What is he saying?”

The players looked at Choi Jae-min with round eyes.

Except for Kim Joo-ho, who understood his words to some extent.