Genius Pitcher Hides 170Km [EN]: Chapter 228

#227. The Weight of the Uniform

‘This is strange. How can there be no leads at all?’

In a luxurious apartment in Manhattan, New York, which is Min Tae-hyun’s home and also being used as a temporary base by Han Su-hyeok after he came to the United States, Min Ye-rin was deep in thought.

It was all because of Han Su-hyeok’s request.

At first, she felt lost when she set out to find a woman whose name she didn’t know, whose surname she didn’t know, and all she knew was her age, race, and that she made music.

The detective agency she commissioned had only started working because Min Ye-rin had paid them so much money. Frankly, they could have refused, and she wouldn’t have been able to say anything.

But at some point, the situation changed.

For some reason, Han Su-hyeok remembered her face. And he also found out where she lived.

A woman in her twenties who makes music and lives in Orange County.

The scope of the search was greatly narrowed.

When the composite sketch containing her description was finally completed, Min Ye-rin was certain.

Finding her was only a matter of time.

If they searched all of Orange County, or even LA at large, they would soon find her.

However,

‘There is no one. I found a few similar people, but when I met them, they weren’t her. At least, there is no such woman in LA.’

In the end, the work went back to square one.

The detective who finished the investigation in LA is now wandering all over the United States, just in case she might be making music in another city.

It was an indefinite task. It was an assignment that both the person who made the request and the person carrying out the request couldn’t help but be negative about.

‘We’re also putting in all available manpower… Should we look for smaller cities, just in case?’

It had already been a year and a half, no, almost two years since this investigation began.

Nevertheless, her whereabouts are still a mystery.

Min Ye-rin knew that this mysterious woman was quite important to Han Su-hyeok, although she had never asked directly.

She could tell from Han Su-hyeok’s expression when he talked about the woman, the way he missed something, or the look of fear in his eyes.

It wasn’t a romantic feeling between a man and a woman. She couldn’t say for sure, but that’s how it seemed to Min Ye-rin.

‘Oppa [Korean term for older brother or male friend]…….’

That’s why she wants to find her.

So that something left in Han Su-hyeok’s heart can be cleared up, so that he can live looking to the future, not the past.

She wants to help.

After thinking about something for a long time with her eyes closed, Min Ye-rin picked up the phone and dialed someone’s number.

– Oh, Ye-rin. What’s wrong?

“Sister, are you busy? Do you have time to talk for a moment?”

– Well, I have about 10 minutes. Filming hasn’t started yet.

“Thank you. Sister, it’s not that, but…….”

The person who answered the phone was none other than Kim Eun-byeol, an actress better known in the United States than in Korea, and who also had ties to the Ropel family.

Min Ye-rin asked for help from one of the few people who could solve this problem at this point.

* * *

– It’s a wonderful evening, and it looks like it will be a wonderful game. We are at Yankee Stadium, where the second game of the season between the New York Yankees and the Seattle Mariners is about to begin. Oh! Welcome. Dave, what’s the atmosphere like in the locker room?

– Nice to see you. Let me take a sip of water first, okay. Then we should start by looking at the atmosphere of both teams, right? To put it simply, yes, they were quite nervous. Seattle, which has lost four games in a row recently, as well as the Yankees, who climbed back to second place in the division after winning yesterday’s game, were quite nervous because of the importance of today’s game.

– Good. Let’s hear a little bit about that every time the players appear today, and as I mentioned earlier, Seattle, which was running first in the American League in the first week of the season, has quickly fallen into crisis after losing four games in a row. What do you think is the reason?

– In a word, it’s a lack of experience. That team is still young. The average age of the starting lineup is 26.5 years old. Even with Ty Johnson included, that’s the number. Wow, these guys who are younger than my nephew are getting millions of dollars in salary and playing ball.

– Let’s not talk about money. It only makes us sadder. Lack of experience, um, good point. Certainly, there’s nothing more important than experience in a long race [referring to the long baseball season]. That’s why Seattle gave Ty Johnson that huge amount of money, to solve that problem. Okay. So, are there any other reasons?

– Of course, there are. The balance of offense and defense is not good. As everyone knows, the Mariners are an offensive team. Except for their ace, Ryan Tibo, they don’t have a single reliable starting pitcher. Let’s take a look at the Seattle starting lineup’s performance last season. The second starter had only 9 wins, the third starter 8 wins, and the fourth starter 6 wins… Wow, it’s a relief they didn’t finish last.

– They made up for the lack of pitchers with their offense?

– That’s right. Viewers who have been watching baseball for a while can understand it this way. The Cleveland Indians from the mid-90s to the early 2000s and the current Seattle Mariners are very similar.

– Wow, are you comparing Seattle’s hitters to Albert Belle, Manny Ramirez, Jim Thome, Kenny Lofton, Carlos Baerga, and Sandy Alomar?

– Hehe, of course, if you look at the current record, it’s still a long way off. What I mean is, um, well, yes, after a few years, they will definitely become a young and powerful lineup that can be compared to them. Above all, Ty Johnson, the best hitter at the moment, who is no less than Albert Belle at the time, is with them.

– That’s a huge compliment. Okay, I understand. So, is there anything important missing?

– The main character always appears last. Now, let’s take a closer look at Han Su-hyeok, who smashed the KBO [Korean Baseball Organization] and came to the big league.

– Looking at the record alone, he has played 11 games so far and recorded a batting average of 0.441, an on-base percentage of 0.529, a slugging percentage of 0.955, 6 home runs, and as many as 12 RBIs [Runs Batted In].

– When that player declared his entry into the big league, the shameful baseball experts in this country said this: Even if he hits 30 home runs with a .300 batting average, .400 on-base percentage, and .500 slugging percentage (3/4/5), he will be successful enough. But even though it’s still early in the season, how is it? There is no difference from his KBO career record. Amazing, isn’t it? But what’s even more amazing is that the player just told me.

– What?

– He said he hasn’t finished adjusting his sights yet.

– Wow!

– That’s not all. That player is not just a good hitter. He is the only two-way player in the big league at the moment, whose lineage was cut off after Ohtani [Shohei Ohtani, a famous two-way player]. Shall we look at the results of his first game against the Angels? 6 innings without a run. It was a perfect pace until the third baseman made an error. Wow, it’s really amazing.

– Okay. You seem very excited, but let’s organize it now. What impact will Han Su-hyeok’s recruitment have on Seattle’s future?

– Impact on the future? No, the expression is a bit wrong. Not the future, but right now, it’s reality. Ty Johnson and Han Su-hyeok have joined the powerful but inexperienced lineup. The team’s batting indicators, which have increased significantly compared to last season, prove the effect. The same goes for the pitching side. Except for their ace, Ryan Tibo, they don’t have a reliable starting pitcher? That’s right. That’s why they lost four games until the last game. But!

– But?

– Depending on what kind of pitching Han Su-hyeok shows today, that part will also need to be revised. If he can show the same amazing skills as he did in the last game against the Angels, this team will have two aces. Then, even if the other starting pitchers don’t do well, they can still try to challenge for the World Series. That’s how baseball is.

– That’s a great compliment. Okay, then let’s stop predicting and watch the game directly? Yankees’ ace Tyson Basham is on the mound for the top of the first inning. This is Yankee Stadium.

* * *

‘Damn it, I don’t like it.’

Tyson Basham, who is not the best pitcher in the league, but has still been the Yankees’ number one starter for the past five years, looked at someone with a sullen expression.

Han Su-hyeok, the starting pitcher and second batter for today’s opponent, was leaning on one leg in the on-deck circle, looking somewhere.

Tyson, who grew up in the Yankees’ farm system and eventually made it to this position, like Lucas Anderson, the team’s captain and best hitter, knew better than anyone about the weight and glory of the Yankees’ pinstripe uniform.

When he first heard that Han Su-hyeok was going to the United States, and when his friend and teammate Lucas Anderson insisted that he should bring him in,

He never said it out loud, but he was against Han Su-hyeok’s joining the team.

It wasn’t because of some ridiculous reason like race or anything.

He just thought that in order to wear the Yankees’ pinstripe uniform, you needed something special besides skill.

In short, should I call it legitimacy?

From the moment he first touched a baseball, he dreamed of joining the Yankees, sweated to achieve that goal, and finally had to wear that uniform after a long wait and hardship. He had a thoroughly self-centered and old-fashioned idea.

In that sense, Tyson didn’t like the fact that the Yankees’ president himself went all the way to that country to sign a player who was playing in a league in a country that he still couldn’t figure out where it was.

Unfortunately or fortunately, he eventually chose a team other than the Yankees.

A team that can’t even be compared to the Yankees in terms of history, skill, or recognition, a team that has never even stepped on the threshold of the World Series since its founding.

Honestly, he doesn’t care what he was thinking when he chose the Seattle Mariners.

The problem is that when he actually chose that team, it made him feel bad.

He doesn’t want him to join the Yankees, but he doesn’t like the fact that he rejected the Yankees’ offer and chose such a lousy team even more.

Anyway, he’s annoyed either way.

That’s why Tyson Basham is thinking about only one thing right now.

‘I’ll crush you thoroughly.’

Completely blocking him in today’s game, thereby proving that he was not qualified to wear the Yankees’ uniform in the first place.

“Play!”

Finally, the game start signal sounded and the Seattle’s first batter stepped into the plate.

The Yankees’ number one starter, who had an ERA [Earned Run Average] of 3.12 and a record of 16 wins and 6 losses last season, threw a powerful first pitch to the batter.

Whoosh

Bang!

“Strike!”