Genius Pitcher Hides 170Km [EN]: Chapter 211

210. Enlightenment

While Korean teams have held spring training camps in the United States and played exhibition games with Major League teams, this marked the first time they had gathered in one location for joint training.

It was understandable that the Mariners players initially looked down on the Warriors players.

However, in the first practice game between the two teams, Han Su-hyeok humbled Seattle’s arrogant young players.

The Mariners’ starting hitters were helpless against Han Su-hyeok’s pitches, striking out repeatedly. The pitchers, who boasted of being potential ten-game winners in the Major Leagues, were rocked by Han Su-hyeok’s home runs and left in disarray.

And so, another practice game was held.

Unlike the somewhat relaxed atmosphere of the first game, the Seattle players came out with a fierce determination, but the result remained the same.

Ryan Thibeau, along with other key pitchers expected to anchor Seattle’s pitching rotation that season, were battered by Han Su-hyeok.

It wasn’t just Han Su-hyeok who shone.

His teammates, spurred on by their exceptionally talented classmate, had also reached their peak in their third year.

Seo Hyeong-joo and Ahn Chi-wook combined their efforts to dismantle the Seattle pitching staff.

The situation was similar for the hitters.

Lim Jun-yeong, who had narrowly missed achieving 20 wins for three consecutive years but maintained an impressive ERA [Earned Run Average] of 1.78, and Cheon Sang-jin, Yang Gi-cheol, and Lim Du-yeong, who had matured significantly with experience, all contributed.

The Warriors’ pitching staff, with these players at its core, effectively shut down the Seattle lineup, whose players had not yet fully recovered their peak condition.

Only then did the Mariners players realize that the Warriors players were indeed qualified to participate in the joint training camp.

As time passed, the atmosphere of the joint camp inevitably intensified.

Thwack!

“Oh……!”

Meanwhile, the players who benefited the most from this camp were the rookie trio: Choi Ma-ru and Park Dong-seok, who were in their second year, and Choi Jae-min, who had been promoted from a developmental player to a formal player at the end of the previous season.

Choi Ma-ru had firmly established himself as the team’s setup man alongside Kim Du-yeong. Park Dong-seok was poised to take on the role of primary backup catcher for the first team that season. And Choi Jae-min had overcome his hearing impairment to achieve his dream of becoming a professional baseball player.

Being able to observe the training of Major League players up close was a tremendous motivator for these young athletes.

“Wow, they’re really amazing. Their physiques are definitely on another level.”

“They are. I caught some of their pitches, and your ball feels like a feather in comparison.”

“I’m not done growing yet…….”

“The coach told you the same thing. You need to bulk up more.”

“He did. And he told you to lose some weight.”

“Sigh…….”

“Hoo…….”

Choi Jae-min, who was watching Choi Ma-ru and Park Dong-seok playfully bickering, and who had grown close enough to understand their general meaning just by reading their lips, signed.

‘B-u-t a-f-t-e-r a-l-l, I d-o-n’t s-e-e a-n-y p-l-a-y-e-r a-s g-o-o-d a-s S-u-h-y-e-o-k h-y-u-n-g [older brother/respected senior].’

Choi Ma-ru, who received the message through an interpreter, replied.

“Of course. They’re just some good baseball players, but Su-hyeok hyung is the god of baseball.”

* * *

Thwack!

Whoosh

Thwack!

Whoosh

Thwack!

“Good, Tony. Should we do a few more rounds? You look like you’ve really built up your body this year.”

“Yes, boss.”

A Mariners hitter, not particularly tall but with a muscular build, was practicing live batting.

Choi Jae-min, who had been watching the scene with a blank expression in front of the dugout, checked the player’s profile on the tablet beside him.

Antonio Garcia, a player from the Dominican Republic, was commonly known as Tony within the team.

‘187㎝? Well, not much different from me. But his weight is 105㎏… wow…….’

In high school, Choi Jae-min had maintained a physique of 186㎝ and 82㎏.

Even considering that he was still growing, he was quite slender.

Back then, Choi Jae-min had been hesitant to bulk up through weight training.

His goal was to play shortstop and impress professional scouts with his all-around abilities in offense, defense, and running.

However, after meeting Han Su-hyeok, passing the Warriors’ developmental player tryout, and realizing that his strength lay in hitting, he began to focus on building his body.

It wasn’t easy.

He naturally had a body type that didn’t gain muscle easily, and he still felt some reluctance to simply bulk up without a specific purpose.

But seeing that player now made him reconsider.

That player, who was playing as a designated hitter for the Seattle Mariners, had recorded a batting average of 0.198 this season.

That alone was a shockingly low statistic. It’s difficult to survive in the Major Leagues as a pinch hitter, let alone a starter.

Yet, Antonio Garcia had consistently held Seattle’s designated hitter position for four years.

The secret lay in other offensive statistics, not batting average.

Despite his low batting average of 0.198, his on-base percentage and slugging percentage were 0.365 and 0.571, respectively, resulting in an OPS [On-Base Plus Slugging] of 0.936.

A hitter who had recorded 55 home runs and 105 RBIs despite a batting average below .200.

Antonio Garcia was an extreme OPS hitter.

‘How on earth does he achieve those kinds of numbers?’

Thwack!

Whoosh

Thwack!

When Daniel Mitchell first proposed the idea, Warriors general manager Park Jae-cheol was most enthusiastic about this joint spring training.

Having gone to the United States straight after graduating from high school, he was convinced that the team’s rookies could develop significantly simply by training alongside Major League players.

Of course, the Warriors had several players that the rookies could emulate.

On the pitching side, there were players like Lim Jun-yeong and Cheon Sang-jin, and on the hitting side, there were excellent veterans like Jo Seong-oh, Lee Chang-mo, and Jang Deok-soo.

However, not everyone plays the same style of baseball.

No matter how much you want to be like Lim Jun-yeong, it’s impossible without a fastball, and not everyone can hit home runs like Jang Deok-soo just because they want to.

In that regard, the Seattle Mariners players participating in this joint spring training were like living textbooks for the rookie-level players.

Textbooks that had evolved in various ways to survive in the demanding environment of the Major Leagues.

Thwack!

Thwack!

Antonio Garcia, who was currently hitting long balls in live batting practice, was a prime example.

A player who had secured a starting position in the Major Leagues by recording 50 home runs and 100 RBIs despite a batting average below .200.

It was only natural that Choi Jae-min, who was considered to have excellent power but somewhat lacking in contact after playing in the Futures League [KBO’s minor league] for a year, was captivated by him.

But no matter how closely he observed the training, he couldn’t figure out the secret.

‘Should I ask the sign language interpreter? No, that person will probably use English, right?’

More importantly, would he even answer the questions of a second-string player, not even on the KBO League’s first team?

Choi Jae-min was unknowingly biting his nails and worrying when,

Tuk

Someone’s hand touched his shoulder.

“Can I help you?”

A bright smile appeared on Choi Jae-min’s face.

It was Han Su-hyeok.

His benefactor, his idol, and a player respected by all the Warriors players.

“Teacher, could I ask you to help with some sign language for a moment?”

“Yes, of course, Han Su-hyeok player.”

Before he could even explain, Han Su-hyeok already understood what Choi Jae-min needed.

Han Su-hyeok, after calling over a sign language interpreter, strode towards the batting cage.

Antonio Garcia, who had just finished training, was standing there.

“Hey, can you spare some time?”

“Hmm? Me?”

Although he had never spoken to him directly, Antonio held Han Su-hyeok in high regard.

He was convinced that Han Su-hyeok would perform at an MVP level if he ever played in the Major Leagues.

He nodded instinctively at the request from such a player.

“Yeah, if you have some time, I was wondering if you could answer some questions from our youngest player.”

“The youngest… I guess that’s that friend over there. Yeah, I heard. There’s a player with a hearing impairment. Well, my brother also has a disability in his leg, so he’s received help from many people. Okay, I have plenty of time. What are you curious about?”

“Jae-min, come over here.”

‘Yes? Ah, yes!’

At Han Su-hyeok’s gesture, Choi Jae-min mentally shouted his response and hurried over.

Thus, with the sign language interpreter and Han Su-hyeok acting as intermediaries, the conversation between the two began.

A 50-home run hitter playing as a starter in the Major Leagues and a young rookie only on the KBO’s second team.

The gap between them was immense, but Antonio answered his questions with the same sincerity he would show his own younger brother.

“Garcia-ssi [Mr. Garcia], this question might be a bit rude, but looking at your scouting report, I can roughly understand why you’ve achieved these results. I also know that you rarely swing at pitches outside of your preferred zone. Did you develop this hitting style intentionally?”

“Just call me Tony. And did I choose it myself? No, when I first debuted, everyone evaluated me as a player with a good balance of contact, power, and plate discipline. But after playing for one season, that evaluation changed drastically. I was seen as a player who was mediocre in everything, a player who couldn’t find a competitive edge in the Major Leagues.”

“Oh dear… so what did you do?”

“I changed my thinking. I decided that my greatest strength was plate discipline. In other words, I was confident in my ability to judge whether a pitch was in my preferred zone or not. The problem was my inability to handle pitches outside of that zone and my lack of power. So, I made a decision.”

“What?”

“I decided to focus solely on hitting the pitches that came into my preferred zone with everything I had. I figured I could make a living just by doing that.”

“Ah…….”

“The result is what you see. I still don’t swing at pitches outside of my preferred zone. Because of that, I strike out looking a lot. My batting average has also plummeted. But my on-base percentage is somewhat guaranteed, and most importantly…….”

Antonio Garcia pointed to his massive arms and said.

“I’ve become able to turn pitches in my preferred zone into home runs almost every time. Hehe, to be honest, not all of them, but one out of three, or one out of two? Anyway, that’s how I’ve been able to survive in the Major Leagues.”

“I understand. Thank you so much, Garcia, no, Tony.”

“Good, I hope you achieve great success in your future.”

Choi Jae-min, having finished the conversation, fell into deep thought.

Han Su-hyeok, seeing this, took the sign language interpreter and left.

“What’s he doing over there… Hey! Choi Jae…….”

“Shh, don’t bother him. Good, that’s good. Dong-seok, go stand next to Jae-min over there and wait a bit, so other people can’t talk to him.”

“Yes?”

There are moments like that.

The moment when the answer to a problem that has been puzzling you for a long time suddenly becomes clear.

Han Su-hyeok had also wanted to give Choi Jae-min a lot of advice, but he had been holding back until now.

He knew that the enlightenment gained through one’s own efforts is much more impactful and lasting than advice from others.

He believed he had made the right decision to wait.

Choi Jae-min’s face, with his eyes closed and a satisfied expression, said it all.

Thus, the first-ever joint spring training between a Major League club and a KBO club concluded, leaving some with confidence, others with experience, and still others with a strange sense of regret.

And the 2029 season began.

It was the third season after Han Su-hyeok’s regression.