Genius Pitcher Hides 170Km [EN]: Chapter 255

#254. Bastard

– Commissioner Go.

– Yes, please speak.

– It’s truly awful. It’s almost pitiful to watch. Tanaka is staring blankly into space after allowing consecutive home runs to Han Su-hyeok.

– Yes, as a former pitcher, I know that feeling very well. To give up such massive home runs to one batter, especially consecutively… how should I put it? It’s truly… despairing. Anyway, Tanaka-san, you’ve worked hard today as well. You’re a player who gives Han Su-hyeok a lot of strength.

– Ahem, excessive criticism or mockery of the opposing player is… um, more than that, Commissioner, from the last WBC [World Baseball Classic] to the Olympics, and even today’s game, Tanaka Yamato is showing a terribly weak side against Han Su-hyeok.

– Yes, there’s no need to look up the records; whenever they meet, extra-base hits are guaranteed. Frankly, it’s amazing he’s still holding on. If I were getting hit like that by one player, I’d rather take some diarrhea medicine before the game and just… well, you know.

– Excuse me, Commissioner.

– Ah, I apologize. People in Korea are probably preparing breakfast, and here I am with such crude talk… I’m sorry. Anyway, the fact that Han Su-hyeok is showing such strength against a pitcher representing Japan is a welcome thing in many ways.

– Why is that?

– The Asian Games in Qatar are coming up right after this season, right? Han Su-hyeok has expressed his intention to participate. Since Japan’s ace is like a mouse in front of a cat when facing Han Su-hyeok, we can essentially count on winning the game against Japan.

– I can’t argue with that.

– Yes, and most importantly, if you look at the history of sports competition between Korea and Japan, the results often depend on which side has an overwhelming player, in addition to the overall team strength. When Son Heung-min was active, Japanese soccer couldn’t even breathe in front of us, and when Ohtani was around, our baseball team was terribly defeated.

– Hmm.

– Ha! Thinking about that makes me angry again. Han Su-hyeok, it’s not over yet. We need to pay them back for what we’ve suffered. First, let’s completely crush that Tanaka Yamato in front of us…

– It’s Tanaka Yamato, not Yamata. Anyway, I understand what you mean. Viewers, we’ll be back after the commercial break. This is T-Mobile Park, where the game between the Seattle Mariners and the Chicago Cubs is taking place.

* * *

“Great home runs, Han.”

“Thanks, Bruce. By the way, Sean Tucker seemed to be acting strange earlier. What was that about?”

“It was nothing. That jerk was just trying to pick a fight, so I told him to shut up and play baseball.”

“Picking a fight?”

“We never got along, even when he was on our team. Anyway, don’t worry about it. He’s always like that.”

“Hmm, if you think you’re going to get into a fight, come to me. I’ll smash his jaw.”

“Hehe, yes, Mom. I’ll be home early, so stop nagging.”

Bruce chuckled, probably thinking I was joking, and walked onto the field.

The Cubs’ at-bat in the top of the 4th inning began.

Seattle was leading 3-0 thanks to my two home runs.

Although we were winning, the expressions on our team’s faces were still full of tension.

The pressure of the losing streak was weighing heavily on their bodies and minds.

As someone who has been playing baseball for a long time, I’ve naturally come to realize that there are two main ways to break a losing streak.

One is for an overwhelming ace to step up and forcibly end the losing streak, and the other is for the entire team to boost the atmosphere and escape the losing streak without relying on any one player.

Actually, it’s hard to call these methods; it’s more of a result-oriented thing.

Anyway, personally, I think the latter is a much more desirable direction.

If you keep relying on one player, it can become a habit.

Wait,

Why am I even worrying about this?

“Play!”

The Cubs’ at-bat in the top of the 4th inning continued with the 4th, 5th, and 6th batters.

Ryan Thibodeau powerfully threw the ball towards the Cubs’ fourth batter.

He had been one of the league’s leading pitchers for several years, and he is still considered one of the league’s leading pitchers.

One of the league’s leading pitchers, that is, one of several players with similar skills.

I’m not trying to praise him.

I want to point out that this guy, who should have been the top contender for the Cy Young Award [award given annually to the best pitchers in Major League Baseball] according to the original timeline, has been stagnant for years.

I don’t know.

Whether the fact that he’s showing a slightly worse performance than in the original timeline is due to other factors,

Or whether the emergence of me and Ty Johnson, who were not in his original destiny, has caused him to relinquish the responsibility of being an ace, and that has become the reason for hindering his skill development,

That’s how sensitive baseball players are.

I realize once again that they are unstable beings whose overall completeness is greatly influenced by psychological factors that are difficult to define simply by physical and technical skills.

“Ball.”

I heard an interesting story from the manager yesterday.

Ryan went to the manager and said this:

He would give up his ace position.

He said he would hand over the first starter position to me, who was performing better than him, for the team’s victory.

Mission complete! 3 cookies have been awarded.

Try it now!

I had somewhat expected this, as I had been on an undefeated streak with no runs allowed.

Because I had heard a story related to this from him before regression.

A story about his dream, which was very common but could never be ridiculed, that his goal since childhood was to become the ace of this team and lead the team to victory.

Ryan is willing to give up even his pride as an ace for Seattle’s victory.

Whoosh

Crack!

“Foul!”

As I pondered those words, I suddenly had a thought.

Since regressing, I have been working hard without a single day of rest.

Acquiring the Warriors, making them a championship team, laying the foundation for maintaining the top position for a long time,

And coming to the major league to see how far I can go.

I can confidently say that there are few people in this world who have worked harder than me.

From a general point of view, I am someone who sets goals and achieves them.

But,

If someone asks me if I still have goals now?

Whoosh

Tick

“Foul!”

No.

I want to compete with the best players and become the best among them,

I want to put the Seattle team, with whom I have a second connection, at the top,

But those are just things I want to do.

They are far from being called goals.

So, I think about it again.

Such a goal that I have to bet my life on and work hard for my whole life,

Can I have such a thing?

Crack!

“Third!”

Thwack

Whoosh

“Out!”

“Nice! You’re the best!”

After catching the batted ball flowing along the third base line and mechanically throwing it to first base, I am showered with tremendous cheers.

A sudden question about my life.

“Hoo……”

I let it fly into the air with a deep sigh.

Someday I will have to go out and find the answer to that, but what is important now is to win the game in front of me.

I gathered my mind and turned my gaze to the ground.

The Cubs’ fifth batter, Sean Tucker, was entering the batter’s box.

* * *

‘He’s a strange guy.’

In Korea, catchers are sometimes called the ‘Anbang Madam’ [literally, the lady of the house; figuratively, the one who takes care of everything].

This is because, unlike other field players who only need to do their job well, they have to take care of various aspects of the team meticulously.

In that respect, Seattle’s catcher, Bruce Matthews, was a decent ‘Anbang Madam.’

It’s hard to call him league-leading in terms of hitting or defense, but he was very skilled at checking the condition of his teammates, taking care of anything they missed, and acting as a bridge between the dugout and the players.

In other words, he was a very meticulous and thorough housekeeper.

Thanks to that, Bruce Matthews, who was loved by his teammates, fans, and coaching staff alike, looked at third base with a strange expression.

Han Su-hyeok usually exudes a slightly different atmosphere from other players, but today it was especially severe.

What should I say, it felt like he was playing on the same ground, but he was alone in a different world? An atmosphere as if he had mastered baseball, no, the world, was emanating from him.

Thinking that he couldn’t believe that guy was twenty-three years old no matter how much he thought about it, Bruce took a catching stance.

Two outs, no runners, and Sean Tucker, the fifth batter, who was unlucky but definitely skilled, was at the plate.

Knowing that he was aiming for a big hit in this situation, Bruce called for a low fastball on the outside.

Nod

The ball was launched from Ryan’s fingertips. And it came right where Bruce had guided it.

Whoosh

Bang!

“Strike!”

“Fuck!”

I’ve felt it before, but he has a terribly rough mouth, and because of that, he keeps making the people around him uncomfortable.

Does he know? That every time he speaks, a terrible stench comes out of his mouth?

Whoosh

Boom

Bang!

“Swing!”

“Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!”

Unable to contain his anger, he spewed out curses and rough actions.

Suppressing the desire to tell him to shut his mouth, Bruce continued the battle.

Whoosh

Pow

“Ball.”

It’s already been several years since Win Now was declared and a large number of rookies waiting in the minors were called up, and one of the reasons why Seattle recorded results far below initial expectations was the factional infighting within the team that continued until last season.

In a situation where there were no veterans to hold the center of the team,

The Seattle team was divided into three groups: a faction of pitchers centered around Ryan Thibodeau, a faction of fielders centered around Bruce Matthews, and a faction centered around Sean Tucker and some transfers.

As time passed, Ryan became the captain, and naturally the pitcher faction and the fielder faction became one, but the faction of transfers centered around Sean Tucker rarely mingled with them.

Perhaps it was natural.

The club focused more on the young prospects who grew up in the farm [minor league system], that is, the rookies led by Ryan and Bruce, and the dissatisfaction of the transfer group who gathered to see the money only grew.

In conclusion, Seattle’s club management was a bit immature.

It was a mistake to think that the empty seats in the team filled with prospects could simply be filled with money. They should have looked further into the future and organized the team.

Of course, the former general manager took responsibility for that and stepped down, and the new general manager took office, and Han Su-hyeok and Ty Johnson joined, turning the situation around.

Whoosh

Pow

“Ball.”

Anyway, Sean Tucker’s three years in Seattle remain a bad memory for him and the Seattle players.

Especially for Bruce, who stood up against Sean Tucker to protect the rookies.

Whoosh

Pow

“Ball.”

Nevertheless, it was undeniable that Sean Tucker was a very good player, regardless of his personality.

A batting average that hovers around 30% every year and the power to hit nearly twenty home runs.

And as a defender, he is an A-class third baseman with defensive skills above the league average.

When he heard that he was going to be traded, he was a little worried.

When he heard that a rookie who had destroyed the KBO [Korean Baseball Organization] would be in charge of third base, that worry grew even bigger.

Of course, now that I think about it, it was all unnecessary worry.

Whoosh

Tick

“Foul!”

Two outs, full count.

Now is the time to decide the game.

Watching him cling on more stubbornly than usual, as if his animosity towards Seattle had increased his fighting power, Bruce sent the final sign.

‘Low changeup on the outside.’

A bold ball combination to induce a swing and a miss.

If he endures it, he might give up a walk, but Bruce erased that thought from his mind.

Because if he could have endured it here, Seattle would not have traded him, no matter how bad his personality was.

Bruce, who was sure it would be a strikeout, smiled faintly and took a catching stance.

Whoosh

The ball left the pitcher’s fingertips.

Bruce brought his mitt, confirming that the ball was coming perfectly as he had requested.

The moment he thought everything was over as the batter’s bat cut through the air and the ball entered the mitt.

Boom

Crash!

With a tremendous sound, the end of the bat swung by Sean Tucker struck Bruce’s helmet.

And Bruce collapsed to the floor.