Genius Pitcher Hides 170Km [EN]: Chapter 268

I can’t help but flinch whenever I notice a difference between how I remember something and how it is now.

I’m talking about James Taylor, who’s taking a bizarre batting stance at the plate right now.

The reason he was able to become the best hitter in the Big Leagues was because he had both excellent plate discipline and contact skills.

In other words, he was a player who picked good pitches to hit and produced high-quality batted balls…

Whoosh

Boom

“Strike!”

A ridiculous swing and miss at a ball that bounced so far into the ground the catcher could barely catch it.

Whoosh

Boom

“Strike!”

This time, a swing and miss as the bat followed a ball that was spinning backward on the outside corner.

Hmm,

I thought something was strange when I watched his batting videos before this series…

‘Why is he doing that?’

‘Who knows?’

I muttered without realizing it when I made eye contact with Ty, who was watching the first base defense from afar, and he shrugged his shoulders as if he understood me.

That’s strange.

Why is he swinging like that?

Whoosh

Tick

“Foul!”

This time, he barely got the bat on a high outside pitch, resulting in a foul ball.

Even a rookie who just came up from the minors wouldn’t touch that pitch.

Whoosh

Boom

“Strike! Out!”

“Alright!”

Dalvin Schwartz, who had been struggling with his control since the first inning, struck out a tough opponent and shouted with joy.

Hmm, why is he doing that?

* * *

“Looks like he’s trying to imitate you?”

“Me?”

“Hehe, he’s an interesting guy anyway.”

Before my regression [return to an earlier state or time], when he and I were competing for the title of best hitter in the American League, the media compared us like this:

James Taylor is like a textbook hitter, a typical standard-type player who will follow in the footsteps of Ty Johnson, while Han Su-hyeok is like Vladimir Guerrero of the past, a player who has reached the pinnacle of being a bad-ball hitter who hits every ball he sees.

If I see a ball, I just hit it.

That’s been my batting style even after the regression. Especially during my Warriors days, I barely got any good pitches, so I had to swing at anything that looked similar.

Things have changed a bit since I came to the Major League and Ty Johnson is behind me, but I still stand in the batter’s box with the mindset that I’ll hit any ball I can, without being bound by any specific batting mechanics.

But he’s trying to imitate me?

Well, putting aside how ironic the situation is,

It’s not going to be easy?

“Play!”

I don’t know what effect abandoning his strengths and imitating someone else will have on his growth.

Anyway, the fact that he’s still batting .361 this season, ranking second in the American League, despite going through these trials and errors, shows that he’s something special.

Of course, it’s quite a difference from my .429, which is in first place.

If he were on our team, I would have told him this:

Right now, I’m sacrificing my batting average to increase my home run count, so don’t do anything unnecessary and just do what you can do.

Well, he’s an enemy right now, so there’s no need to give him that advice.

I decided to put my thoughts about him aside for now and turned my attention to the battle between the pitcher and the batter.

Whoosh

Bang

“Strike!”

Luca Hernandez, who defected from Cuba two years ago and is wearing the Tampa Bay Rays uniform, got a first-pitch strike against Derek.

He’s a wild horse who threw 105 miles per hour in his last start, challenging my world record of 107 miles per hour.

Whoosh

Bang

“Ball.”

The problem is that his control is terrible compared to his fastball, but he’s still good enough to be used, as he’s recorded 3 wins this season and is playing a key role in the Tampa Bay starting rotation.

Tampa Bay is known for their ability to discover talented players and develop them into immediate assets.

What’s interesting is that this small-market team, which was founded in 1998 and has only a 32-year history, with half the budget of other teams, has reached the World Series stage twice, in 2008 and 2020.

Seattle, which was founded 53 years ago and spends a lot of money, has never been to that stage even once.

Whoosh

Bang

“Ball.”

There are many reasons, but I think 90% of Tampa Bay’s success is due to their current president, Chase Edmunds.

A genius of team management who has risen through the ranks from general manager to vice president to president.

If I become the majority shareholder of the Seattle Mariners, the first thing I’ll do is scout that president for our team…

Hmm,

I started this stock acquisition because I thought the team was getting noisy over a few bucks, but it feels like things are getting too big.

I’ll think about this problem later,

Whoosh

Crack!

“Nice! Derek!”

“Looks like he’s completely regained his feel now?”

Derek Fleming, who has successfully regained his batting sense after returning from suspension, hit a clean hit that went through the 3-游間 [shortstop-third base gap] and went to first base.

He’s definitely strong against fastballs. The problem is that he’s a bit impatient, so he keeps getting caught by pitchers who only throw breaking balls.

Anyway,

[2nd batter, designated hitter, Han Su-hyeok]

Finally, it’s my turn.

* * *

Batting average .429, on-base percentage .518, slugging percentage 1.011, OPS [On-Base Plus Slugging] 1.529, 26 home runs, 64 RBIs.

These are my batting stats as of the current 55 games of the season.

The industry’s general perception is that a hitter who moves from the KBO [Korean Baseball Organization] to the MLB [Major League Baseball] sees their OPS drop by about 0.235.

To be more specific, it is said that 0.110 is subtracted when moving from the KBO to the NPB [Nippon Professional Baseball], and 0.125 is subtracted again when moving from the NPB to the MLB.

This is based on the performance of players who have played in all three leagues, so it is somewhat credible.

However, with the exception of a slight drop in on-base percentage, I am maintaining almost the same performance as in my KBO days.

In the end, being freed from intentional walks by having Ty Johnson behind me has brought about these positive results.

“Play!”

I don’t know how long Seattle’s batting order will be effective, where Derek gets on base in front of me, and Ty and I sweep up RBIs, and then the batters behind us take care of the remaining runners.

The worst-case scenario is that Ty suddenly falls into a slump, pitchers throw balls to me like crazy, and the young hitters on this team, who have lost their center of gravity, fall into a batting slump.

In that respect, Ty’s role is very important.

Some people dismiss it as a foolish act to give a 35-year-old hitter a contract worth an average of $40 million per year, but

Whoosh

“Strike!”

Well, in my opinion, Ty Johnson is the best fit for that position among the current major league hitters.

He is definitely a hitter who deserves to be respected.

Whoosh

“Ball.”

A four-seam fastball with a dirty finish that reaches 104 miles per hour.

I hesitated whether to swing or not, but I just let it go and it was called a ball.

Perhaps interpreting it a little differently, the Rays’ catcher spoke to me with a sneer.

“How is it? It’s too fast to even touch, right? Someday, that guy will break your top speed record.”

“I shouldn’t be the one to say this, but.”

“Hmm?”

“Just because you have a fast ball doesn’t make you a pitcher.”

I feel sorry for the guy who risked his life to defect to the United States for wealth and fame, but I think that’s the limit for him.

The major league is too rough and brutal to rely only on a fastball.

Whoosh

Crack!

“Wow!”

“Nice! Home! Home!”

“Han Su-hyeok! You son of a bitch! You’re the best!”

“Crush those guys!”

A clean RBI double.

Nice, a refreshing start.

* * *

After my double, Ty Johnson’s additional timely hit made the score 2-0.

With a two-run lead, Seattle’s top of the 2nd inning defense began.

Whoosh

Bang

“Ball.”

On days like today when I’m playing as a designated hitter, I can sit on the bench and rest during the defensive innings.

Of course, continuing to play defense is much more helpful in maintaining my game sense, but I think these short breaks are necessary for me, who is a two-way player.

Whoosh

Bang

“Ball.”

Today’s starter, Dalvin Schwartz, is a left-handed pitcher who started the season as the 3rd starter and has now been pushed back to the 5th starter.

He recorded 5 wins last season, going back and forth between middle relief and starting pitcher, and his main weapon is a fastball. Recently, he has been feeling anxious that he might be dropped from the starting rotation.

“Hey, Champ.”

“Yes, Manager.”

“If you get a chance, can you tell that guy that his chin keeps lifting whenever he throws a fastball?”

“Hmm, yes. If I get the chance.”

“Good. Are you feeling uncomfortable anywhere? If you find even the slightest abnormality, I’ll cut you a week-long vacation ticket. So if you’re going to hide it, hide it well.”

That’s what the manager wants.

Sometimes, what a player who is recording the best performance in the league says can be more impactful than what the coaching staff says.

As his starting order is pushed back, he becomes more and more impatient, and as a result, his pitching form is shaken because he thinks he needs to throw faster.

I can give a word of advice to a teammate who is feeling anxious, but it’s up to him to accept it.

Ryan, the team’s captain, might be different, but I still don’t have enough big league career to give advice to anyone.

Wait, why did he ask me to do it?

Whoosh

Crack!

“Damn it, it’s okay. Delvin! Heads up!”

Dalvin, who gave up a hit to the lead-off hitter, kicked the mound with an angry face.

Including Carlton Bell, who came over from the Marlins this time, there is a line of pitchers waiting to take Dalvin’s place as the 5th starter.

From the perspective of the team as a whole, this competitive structure is the driving force behind maintaining their performance, but for individual players, every day is like a battlefield.

How well will Dalvin be able to overcome this pressure?

* * *

“Fuck!”

“Hey, Dalvin, calm down. Let’s ice it first.”

In the end, Dalvin couldn’t overcome the crisis.

In the top of the 2nd inning, after giving up a hit to the lead-off hitter, he allowed a two-run home run to the next hitter.

Fortunately, he got the next two hitters out, but after two outs, he allowed another home run to the 8th hitter, eventually giving up the lead.

Seattle’s bottom of the 2nd inning ended without a score.

And then, the Tampa Bay’s attack in the top of the 3rd inning began,

When Dalvin gave up another hit to the lead-off hitter, the manager immediately took action.

He replaced the starting pitcher who had only pitched for 2 innings.

It seems that the manager judged that the gap with the first-place Oakland should not widen any further. He also seems to want to test the newly acquired pitcher.

Anyway, it’s a huge humiliation for a starting pitcher to be taken out after only 2 innings.

While Dalvin, unable to contain his anger, disappeared into the locker room, the team’s second pitcher, Carlton Bell, took the mound.

“Play!”

In a situation with no outs and a runner on first base, he was facing James Taylor, one of the best hitters in the American League, but Carlton Bell entered his pitching motion with an expression that he didn’t care about any of that.

Personally, I think that pitcher has the highest value among the three players they brought over from the Marlins this time.

Putting aside my memories from before the regression, he will be a good veteran who can add experience to Seattle’s pitching staff, which is made up of young pitchers.

Whoosh

Crack!

“Second!”

“Out!”

“Nice!”

“Good job blocking it! Carlton!”

As expected of a veteran, Carlton calmly pitched well and got out of the crisis by handling James Taylor with a double play.

That being said,

James, that guy’s batting balance is really messed up?

At this rate, he’s going to strike out even if you throw three balls into the ground.

For a pillar of the team to show such a 모습 [Korean word for appearance or figure], I feel sorry for Tampa Bay.