Genius Pitcher Hides 170Km [EN]: Chapter 111

#110. I’m Not Confident. Confident of Losing

There are times when communication transcends language, relying solely on facial expressions or gestures.

This is commonly known as body language.

Liam Collins, the cleanup hitter for the Chinese national team, a lifelong English speaker with no interest in Asian languages even after becoming a naturalized citizen, was now experiencing the power of body language firsthand.

“Don’t even think about pulling any cheap shots. It was a mistake. If you’re here to play baseball, just play baseball.”

“Kkeueueueuk……!”

“S, stop it, let him go! Leave my teammate alone!”

“Alright, alright. I’m letting go.”

“Heeok, heeok, heeok, heeok…….”

“Alright, everyone saw that, right? Settle down and get back to your positions!”

With the Korean national team leading 25-0, it was the bottom of the 5th inning, China’s last chance to score.

Goo Cheol-joong, who had completely dominated the Chinese lineup, throwing only 45 pitches through the bottom of the 4th, had easily dispatched China’s number 2 and 3 hitters with just 4 pitches in the bottom of the 5th.

Then Liam Collins stepped up to the plate. A former big leaguer who played as a fourth outfielder for the Chicago White Sox before deciding to naturalize in China for the lucrative financial benefits.

Goo Cheol-joong’s first pitch slipped, nearly hitting him in the back.

Liam, already frustrated by Goo Cheol-joong’s dominance and in a foul mood, threw down his bat and started toward the mound when—

Thud

“Keuheok!”

It felt like a crane had seized the back of his neck with incredible force.

He was completely immobilized. His Chinese teammates, anticipating a bench-clearing brawl and ready to rush onto the field, stared at him, their faces pale.

Only then did he recognize the source of the immense pressure on his neck.

“Where do you think you’re going?”

“Kkeueueuk…….”

“Don’t even think about pulling any cheap shots. It was a mistake. If you’re here to play baseball, just play baseball.”

“Kkeoheok…….”

It was the catcher for the Korean national team, who had been substituted in during the 3rd inning.

Jang Deok-soo, wasn’t it?

He was a big guy, but Liam hadn’t paid him much attention. It was only after being grabbed by the back of the neck by this guy that he understood.

This guy was an absolute monster.

Only after the umpire practically begged him to let go did the crushing grip on his neck release.

He was too shocked to even argue.

Besides, he was the one who had tried to charge the mound, and this guy had simply restrained him.

Perhaps that’s why the umpire didn’t seem inclined to give the monster a warning or anything.

He considered it a relief.

What if a warning or ejection had made that monster angry?

The law might be distant, but a fist is near. And right now, he was closest to that monster.

Geulgeok

Liam swallowed hard and said to the umpire.

“It’s nothing, let’s just play baseball.”

“Um, is that so?”

The two nodded at each other, and the game resumed.

* * *

[Korean National Baseball Team Wins 25-0 against China in 5th Inning by Knockout]

[Han Soo-hyuk Records 2 Home Runs and 6 RBIs in Two At-Bats, Goo Cheol-joong Shuts Down Chinese Lineup with 55 Pitches, Joint MVPs]

[Chinese Team Ace Wang Lei: “I Don’t Understand What Happened At All”]

[Jang Deok-soo, Who Quickly Subdued China’s Attempt at Shaolin Baseball [referring to an over-the-top, martial arts-inspired play] in the Bottom of the 5th: “He Was Nothing”]

[Chinese Media, Who Had Been Saying That Small Countries Should Not Oppose Large Countries, Silent About the Results of This Game]

[Min Ye-rin, Who Led the Team’s Cheering: “Yankee Stadium Safety Net Elasticity is the Best, Domestic Introduction Should Be Hastened” What Does She Mean?]

[Korean National Team, Which Won a Big Victory in the First Game of Round 1, Will Face Australia Tomorrow]

I, along with most of the fielders who had hit consecutive home runs in the first and second at-bats, were replaced in the 3rd inning. The reason was simple: there was no need to waste stamina in a game that was already decided.

Ahn Tae-gyu from Suwon came in to replace me, and Senior Jang Deok-soo took over the catcher’s mask from Jung Dae-han.

Goo Cheol-joong was a truly excellent pitcher, even if he was getting a bit older.

He shut out the Chinese lineup without even reaching the 65-pitch limit for the first round.

I was a little nervous when Senior Jang Deok-soo showed signs of planting sweet potatoes again [a Korean idiom for causing trouble or creating a mess] in the last defense of the 5th inning, but fortunately, the Chinese hitter quickly understood the situation, and the matter was resolved without any bloodshed.

After the game, as I was leaving the stadium, Chinese reporters annoyingly followed me.

Their eyes were bloodshot, as if they had been crying, and they held out their microphones with genuine resentment.

“There is a rumor that you have Chinese ancestors, that you might naturalize to China. Is that true? Do you really want to become Chinese?”

“I wouldn’t live in China even if you gave me a billion dollars. My respiratory system is weak.”

“…….”

What nonsense. Next.

“The Chinese professional league has made a lot of progress, but I admit it’s still a bit lacking. What are your thoughts on facing them!”

“Ah, were the players I just faced professional players? I heard they were from the industrial league.”

“…….”

I’m glad we only have one game against China. They’re usually not this extreme.

Surely they won’t make it past the first round of the finals and end up playing us again.

Having won our first game against China, we immediately faced Australia in the second game the next day.

Korea, with one win against China, and Australia, riding high after defeating Taiwan on the same day.

Australia, once considered a baseball backwater, has invested heavily in its professional league, and its overall level has improved significantly.

Furthermore, with more and more players making it to the major leagues, the national team’s strength is considered to be similar to or even greater than ours.

In fact, while there isn’t a single current major leaguer on this Korean national team, the Australian national team boasts four.

In the 2023 tournament, we stumbled against Australia and were eliminated in the first round.

Therefore, not only baseball fans but also the players themselves were determined to win against Australia.

“Everyone, give it your all today, and if anything feels off during the game, tell me right away. A little tension is good, but don’t overdo it. Do you all understand?”

“Yes! Manager!”

“Good, here’s today’s lineup.”

After spending a few days with Manager Jung Yoon-seok, I can clearly see that Manager Lee Dae-joon’s baseball philosophy originated from his mentor.

Maybe if Manager Lee Dae-joon gets older, he might resemble him.

Today’s starting lineup for the Korean national team was almost identical to yesterday’s.

1st batter, center fielder Lee Chan-ho (Seoul Fighters)

2nd batter, shortstop Han Soo-hyuk (Seoul Warriors)

3rd batter, 1st baseman Lee Soo-young (Daegu Buffaloes)

4th batter, designated hitter Go Cheol-hwan (Seoul Magicians)

5th batter, left fielder Kim Seong-soo (Seoul Magicians)

6th batter, right fielder Kang Woo-chan (Incheon Rangers)

7th batter, 2nd baseman Lee Tae-woong (Daegu Buffaloes)

8th batter, catcher Jung Dae-han (Suwon Commanders)

9th batter, 3rd baseman Kim Se-joon (Daejeon Falcons)

Starting pitcher Lim Joon-young (Incheon Rangers)

Kim Se-joon, the third baseman from Daejeon, who was the only one to go hitless while the team’s lineup exploded, was moved to number 9, and Lee Tae-woong, the second baseman, moved up to number 7 instead.

To be honest, Kim Se-joon’s condition didn’t seem very good.

Was he uncomfortable defending next to me, considering we hadn’t even reconciled after the collision during the game?

There were subtle issues with the third baseman in yesterday’s game as well, but I didn’t bother to mention it. Manager Jung Yoon-seok seemed to be aware of it already.

More than that, I’m a little more concerned about Lee Tae-woong, who is playing second base instead of his usual shortstop position.

Since there aren’t any particularly outstanding players at the second base position, Lee Tae-woong, who played second base early in his career, was selected as the starting second baseman for the national team.

Perhaps because he isn’t a natural second baseman, or because he hasn’t had much time to practice with them, he seems less comfortable compared to when he was playing with Senior Lee Chang-mo.

“Soo-hyuk, how many home runs are you going to hit today?”

“Um… I was planning to take it easy today.”

“Hehe, I’ll call Sung-oh hyung [older brother/male friend] and Mansik hyung and treat you to Korean beef when I go to Seoul.”

“Yes, then I’ll try my best, senior.”

“Good. I’m counting on you.”

Senior Lim Joon-young is starting today’s game against Australia.

Manager Jung Yoon-seok seemed to have decided on Lim Joon-young for the game against Australia and Ryu Han-gyeol for the game against Japan after much deliberation. Choi Kyung-jae will probably start in the final game against Taiwan.

The Australian national team has one pitcher and three hitters from the big leagues.

Not only the starting pitcher, Senior Lim Joon-young, but the entire team is feeling the pressure.

It won’t be as easy as the last game against China.

Still, if they have 4 big leaguers on their side…….

Our team has two potential big leaguers like Ryu Han-gyeol and Lim Joon-young, two former big leaguers, Goo Cheol-joong and Kim Seong-soo.

And then there’s me, who was once at the top of the major leagues.

Today’s game is going to be quite interesting.

* * *

– The last game against China was really amazing, wasn’t it?

– It was amazing. Especially when Jang Deok-soo perfectly shut down the Chinese guy’s attempt at Shaolin baseball in the last inning…….

– …Commissioner.

– Ah! I’m sorry. It wasn’t a Chinese guy, it was an American guy who naturalized to China. Haha.

– It’s okay. I don’t think this is the time to argue about that. The Korean national team, which had a good knockout victory in the first game, will now play its second game against Australia.

– Yes, today’s game will be held at Citi Field, the home stadium of the Mets [New York Mets]. Like Yankee Stadium, it was built in 2009, and its biggest feature is that it’s a stadium where home runs are relatively rare.

– I see. It will be interesting to see which team, Australia or our team, will benefit from the characteristics of the stadium. Commissioner, overall, how do you predict today’s game against Australia?

– Well, as I mentioned during the commentary on the game against China, Australia used to be seen as a weak team. In fact, the Australian professional league is still somewhat less developed than the KBO [Korean Baseball Organization].

– Ah, yes. Please continue.

– However, the number of Australian players playing in the big leagues continues to increase, and in the case of the WBC [World Baseball Classic], teams can be selected based on bloodline in addition to nationality. Jamie Watt, who is starting for the Australian team today, and Oscar Walker, who is playing third base, are such cases.

– Yes, they are players who are registered in the big leagues this season as well. They are a team that you can’t underestimate.

– That’s right. In the last 2023 WBC, the Korean national team was eliminated, um… the reason they were eliminated in the first round was because of their loss to Australia. The moment to avenge that has finally arrived.

– If we lose today’s game… we will have to win all the remaining games against Japan and Taiwan to advance to the second round. As the commissioner said, it is a game that we must win.

– Of course. But people, I don’t think you have to worry. I met Han Soo-hyuk before today’s game and interviewed him.

– Oh, what did you talk about?

– Well, we talked about this and that, but the most important thing was this. I asked him about today’s game. I asked him if he was confident.

– What did Han Soo-hyuk say?

– He said he wasn’t confident?

– What?

– He said he wasn’t confident that he could lose. Haha, well, people. Rest assured and order some chicken… Ah, it’s morning in Korea right now. Well, so what? Order some morning chicken and watch the game with a relaxed mind.