Genius Pitcher Hides 170Km [EN]: Chapter 224

#223. National Star

Passion for baseball isn’t measured by the radar gun. – Tom Glavine

What makes a pitcher great isn’t the arm, but what’s between the ears. – Greg Maddux

Batting is timing, and pitching is upsetting that timing. – Warren Spahn

Throw strikes. The home plate doesn’t move. – Satchel Paige

He throws three speeds: slow, slower, and slowest. – Milt Pappas

These are famous quotes emphasizing that what matters to a pitcher isn’t velocity, but control or brains.

They’re not wrong.

Clearly, a smart pitcher with pinpoint control is better than a brainless pitcher who only throws hard.

Like Chun Sang-jin of the Seoul Warriors, for example.

But,

Whoosh

Crack!

“Strike!”

“Fuck!”

What if a player has both velocity and control?

A fastball that consistently clocks 105 to 107 mph, painting the corners of the strike zone.

Whoosh

Thwack!

“Out!”

A two-seamer and cutter that dart inside and outside, inducing ground balls.

Swoosh

Whirr

“Swing! Out!”

A changeup and splitter that generate swings and misses in crucial moments.

“Holy shit……”

The Angels’ hitters were completely overwhelmed by the unbelievable display of fastballs and breaking balls coming from Han Su-hyeok’s hand.

Watching helplessly as 107 mph fastballs zoomed into the corners, they swung desperately, only to produce weak grounders or strikeouts.

What plunged the hitters into even deeper despair was Han Su-hyeok’s unconventional pitching tempo.

At first, he seemed to follow the catcher’s lead, but at some point, Han Su-hyeok began to dictate the game.

After that, all the catcher had to do was relay the pitcher’s signs to the fielders through the PitchCom [a device allowing catchers to communicate pitch selections electronically].

“Huff, huff……”

It wasn’t just the catcher. The Seattle fielders were going crazy trying to keep up with Han Su-hyeok’s tempo.

Just as a pitcher needs time before throwing the ball, fielders need time to think and prepare for their defensive plays.

But Han Su-hyeok seemed uninterested in such things, throwing pitches at an impossible pace.

The fielders, who had been adjusting their positions according to the PitchCom’s guidance for each pitch, were the first to tire.

They wished the bench would call a timeout to control the game’s flow, but even that was hard to expect.

Whoosh

Whirr

“Swing! Out!”

The reason was simple.

Han Su-hyeok hadn’t allowed a single batter to reach first base through the sixth inning.

This insane guy wasn’t just breaking the world record for the fastest pitch in his first major league start; he was also pitching a perfect game through six innings.

No one in the stadium dared to disrupt such a pitcher’s rhythm.

“Hey, maybe……”

“Shhh!”

The Seattle second baseman was stopped by Ty Johnson as he tried to say something to Han Su-hyeok.

Only then did the second baseman realize the situation, awkwardly stepping back.

Some of the players, coaching staff, and home fans who had been skeptical of Han Su-hyeok before the game now watched him with reverence.

Everyone now knew.

Who Han Su-hyeok was, and that his achievements in the KBO [Korean Baseball Organization] and international competitions were real.

“Alright! Let’s keep it going! Let’s crush those Angels!”

“Go! Go! Go!”

In a situation where a perfect game might be achieved in his major league debut,

The Seattle fielders shouted and ran onto the field.

But,

Thwack

“Aaaagh!”

“Damn it! First! First!”

* * *

[Seattle Mariners’ rookie Han Su-hyeok throws 107 mph in his major league debut, becoming the fastest pitcher in the world!]

[Han Su-hyeok breaks the world record for the highest velocity in 20 years: “I was just focusing on control, not really paying attention to velocity.” Does this mean he can throw even faster?]

[Han Su-hyeok perfectly shuts down 19 batters, including 14 strikeouts, until the 7th inning with one out. Regarding the perfect game being broken by a third baseman’s error, he says, “I’ve already had a few perfect games in the KBO. I don’t really care.”]

[Seattle manager Benjamin Reynolds immediately replaces the pitcher after the perfect game is broken: “There’s no reason to push him after the record is broken. He’s our team’s key hitter and full-time starting pitcher this season.”]

[Backup player Ronnie Montalic, who committed the critical error while playing third base: “I feel like biting my tongue and killing myself. But Han Su-hyeok told me not to think useless thoughts and to go grab dinner with him. He’s one of the leaders of this team, regardless of age.”]

[Mariners defeat Angels 5-1 thanks to Han Su-hyeok’s scoreless pitching, sweeping the series and maintaining their lead in the division with a 5-1 record.]

[Seattle Mariners fans who visited the stadium: “He’s not just a two-way player; he’s a player who can be a home run king and a wins leader. We sincerely thank the team for bringing in such an amazing player.”]

[The game, broadcast nationwide on ESPN, drew reactions from baseball fans: “Who is this pitcher throwing that ridiculous ball? What? He’s a hitter? He pitches and hits?”]

[The Seattle Mariners advance relentlessly; their next opponent is their division rival, the Texas Rangers.]

Knock knock.

The Seattle Mariners’ president, who had been looking at articles about the team with a satisfied expression, responded to the knock.

“Come in.”

The door opened, and someone entered the office.

It was the team’s general manager, Daniel Mitchell, who had rushed over after being called.

“You were looking for me?”

“Yes, you’re just getting here?”

“Yes, the meeting ran a bit long… More importantly, what’s up?”

“Good, you must be busy, so I’ll get straight to the point. Have the ESPN guys been saying anything?”

“What do you mean?”

Daniel asked, looking puzzled.

The president continued immediately.

“The fact that Han Su-hyeok’s last start was suddenly changed to a national ESPN broadcast… I was informed that they’re also handling his next start, right?”

“Yes, that’s correct. Unless there are any issues.”

“Doesn’t something seem off?”

There were several reasons why baseball, America’s national sport, had fallen behind other professional sports like football, basketball, and ice hockey in popularity.

First, the static atmosphere of the game and the increasingly long game times were problems. Another factor was that, unlike other sports, one outstanding player couldn’t dominate the game.

This issue of game dominance eventually led to the absence of a superstar who could represent the entire United States.

Simply put, it had become difficult to find a major league player among the sports stars known to every American. Even Ty Johnson, currently the biggest star in the major leagues, might not be in the top ten most recognizable professional athletes in the United States.

Issues like the game’s atmosphere and shortening the game time were being improved to some extent through rule changes or the introduction of new systems, but the second problem—the absence of a superstar—wasn’t so simple.

Unlike sports like football, basketball, ice hockey, and soccer, where two teams constantly exchange attacks and defenses throughout the game, baseball has static characteristics where the game is temporarily interrupted with each pitch thrown by the pitcher.

In simple terms, it’s like a turn-based game.

One characteristic of such a turn-based game is that the influence a single player can have on the game is extremely limited.

It means it’s impossible for a player who grabs a defensive rebound, like in basketball, to single-handedly weave through the opposing team and score a game-winning dunk.

Meanwhile, the issues related to game broadcasts also contributed to the difficulty of creating superstars in baseball.

Unlike other sports, baseball games, which are played almost every day throughout the season, are mainly broadcast locally within their respective regions.

Given the reluctance of Americans to actively search for and study things, it was an environment where they were bound to become ignorant about players from other teams or leagues outside of their own.

This also contributes to the absence of a superstar who can represent the entire United States.

Of course, sports channels like ESPN broadcast some games nationwide.

The problem is that the number of such games isn’t high, and because the broadcasting stations and the league office make the decisions arbitrarily, there’s little room for each team to intervene.

From the perspective of a broadcasting station that lives off viewership ratings, they naturally have to prioritize national broadcasts of games with high attention, so team equity isn’t an important consideration at all.

What the Seattle president was questioning was the fact that those arrogant broadcasting station guys had suddenly broadcast Han Su-hyeok’s start nationwide.

To make matters worse, they had offered to broadcast his next start as well.

This clearly meant they were going to push Han Su-hyeok.

Unable to contain his curiosity, the president had no choice but to call Daniel.

Reading the president’s expression, Daniel smiled and replied.

“We should welcome it unconditionally, shouldn’t we?”

“Of course. I’m just curious about the reason.”

“Well.”

“Could it be… Just wondering, but could this be related to what happened at Han Su-hyeok’s introductory press conference?”

At the president’s question, Daniel nodded his head up and down.

“I can’t be sure, but yes, I suspect so too.”

“I see.”

The president nodded without realizing it.

A family that suddenly visited the stadium during Han Su-hyeok’s introductory press conference, putting all Seattle officials, including the team owner, on edge.

The Ropells family, the rulers of America, who visited the ballpark for the first time for their son who liked Han Su-hyeok.

It seemed their influence had reached them.

As if confirming the president’s thoughts, Daniel added.

“I discreetly found out that Han Su-hyeok received a message from that person.”

“That person?”

“Yes, the next head of the Ropells family.”

“Ah, that young master. But what was the message?”

“He said he got scolded by his mom for skipping history class to watch *hyung’s* [Korean honorific for ‘older brother’ or a respected older male] game broadcast. But he still wants to watch it again next time.”

“Oh……”

“The broadcasting stations and the league office must have been quick to bow down.”

“Hmm……”

All his questions were now resolved.

The influence of the Ropells family—that alone explained everything.

Suddenly feeling better, the president said to Daniel.

“Daniel.”

“Yes, Mr. President.”

“I’ll tell the team owner first, so let’s start with a complete remodel of the VIP skybox. We don’t know when they might visit the stadium.”

“That’s a great idea. I’ll take care of it right away.”

“Good, and about Han Su-hyeok… Now that things have turned out this way, let’s push him properly. Who knows? A national star representing Major League Baseball might come out of our team.”

“I think that’s a very good decision as well.”

“Good, then get going. He’s doing well now, but manage Han Su-hyeok even more thoroughly.”

“Needless to say.”

Daniel finished his conversation with the president and left the office.

It was something he would have done even without the president’s instructions.

The face of someone came to his mind.

Derek Jeter, the New York Emperor or the New York Lover, who was the last national star in Major League Baseball.

A sports star who represented the United States in terms of both skill and recognition.

The thought of creating a superstar to follow in that player’s footsteps filled his head.

‘I need to significantly increase the public relations and marketing budget. Now that he’s said this much, he’ll have to approve it if he has any conscience.’

He was convinced that Han Su-hyeok had the skills to dominate the game, no, the league.

So now all that remained was to make Han Su-hyeok’s existence known throughout the United States and turn him into a true world star.

‘How long will it take? Will we be able to keep him until then?’

Daniel knew Han Su-hyeok’s free-spirited personality well, though not as much as manager Benjamin, who had spent three years with him in the KBO.

He wasn’t someone who would be swayed by money, popularity, fame, or power.

He was working hard now to achieve something in the major leagues, but no one could guess when he might say he was going back to Korea.

That’s why Daniel, who had loved this team since before he started working in Seattle, and who was a true Mariners fan before being a general manager, had only one goal.

To somehow bring the World Series trophy while Han Su-hyeok was on this team.

And to use that championship as an opportunity to turn Seattle into a prestigious club.

‘Hmm, I have a lot to do.’

Daniel’s face, as he returned to his office, was filled with pleasant excitement and anticipation.