Genius Pitcher Hides 170Km [EN]: Chapter 134

I never believed the heavens were on my side.

If a god truly existed, they wouldn’t have taken away my only family, nor would they have taken Hyung Seong-hoon like that.

And that’s not all.

Even while playing baseball, which was my last remaining hope, fate always seemed to obstruct my path.

Whenever I prayed for something, it felt like God forced me in the opposite direction.

But,

at this moment, I am grateful to the heavens.

For granting me this final at-bat.

Our hitters, who had been stifled by the United States throughout the game, managed to load the bases for me in the bottom of the ninth inning, during our last chance to score.

Now, the United States can’t intentionally walk me [intentionally giving a batter first base]. They have to pitch to me.

“Time!”

The game is temporarily halted as the American team’s pitching coach, wearing a tense expression, approaches the mound.

Jimmy McCown, who allowed three consecutive hitters to reach base, exits the mound looking pale.

It was the worst performance by any of the American pitchers today, but can he be entirely blamed?

I don’t think so.

It’s simply that our team’s hitters displayed greater focus and determination in this inning, surpassing his abilities. Plus, we had a little luck.

Thud

The new pitcher who comes to the mound begins his warm-up pitches.

Trevor Nixon, the closer for St. Louis, the National League’s top team.

The strongest weapon in the American bullpen, usually reserved for a tiebreaker situation, now stands in my way.

A powerful fastball and two-seamer reaching 103 miles per hour, a cut fastball, and a changeup. And on top of that, a steely mentality honed from years of experience as a closer.

The worst possible opponent in this situation.

But in my heart, joy, not despair, is blossoming.

It’s exhilarating. It’s even spine-tingling.

When you think about it, isn’t this kind of excitement the reason we started playing baseball in the first place?

Throwing fastballs and hitting those balls as far as possible.

Isn’t that how we ended up here, chasing that joy?

“Play!”

A smile appears on my face without me realizing it. But it seems that my expression has irritated the catcher, Fred Avery.

“Laughing? Do you find this situation funny, you little punk?”

“Fred.”

“Since when did we get so familiar, you son of a bitch?”

“How’s Kerry doing?”

“What?”

“Is she watching you from somewhere in the stands right now, maybe?”

“Son of a bi…”

“Shut up. If you say one more word, I’ll crack your skull, regardless of the finals.”

“…….”

Fred’s ridiculous provocation ends there.

Perhaps his head is now filled with curiosity and anxiety about how I know his girlfriend’s name.

It’s already a problem that a guy with a wife and child brings his girlfriend to every away game.

This guy will eventually go through a pretty messy divorce a few years later, and he’ll lose most of the money he made playing baseball.

Damn it… now that I think about it, why do I remember all this useless stuff but not that woman’s name…

“Hey, both of you calm down and maintain your dignity as players. We’re in the WBC [World Baseball Classic] finals right now.”

“Understood. I have no objections.”

“…….”

While I answer the umpire immediately, Fred chooses to simply shut his mouth.

Nod

After declining the signs several times, Trevor Nixon finally nods in agreement.

A pitcher who throws three types of breaking fastballs and disrupts the hitter’s timing with a changeup.

A tense atmosphere on the verge of a walk-off loss [a loss at the end of the game].

But even in that situation, Trevor Nixon, a veteran who trusts his abilities, throws his first pitch to me.

Whoosh

Thwack

“Strike!”

A cut fastball that tails away, a pitch designed to induce a double play.

Try to get a double play from me here?

Suddenly, I let out a burst of hollow laughter.

“Hey, womanizer.”

“Fucking Kore…”

“It’s really good weather for baseball. Don’t you think?”

“God dam I…”

“It would be too pathetic if such a great game ended with just a ground ball or a sacrifice fly. Don’t you think?”

“…….”

“Let’s end it more spectacularly, so those spectators don’t feel like they wasted their money on tickets.”

I spoke to the catcher again without realizing it.

Some kind of curse-filled profanity came back, but I had already lost interest in him a long time ago.

It was quite a fun and exciting game. Now it’s time to end this long game.

The infielders are waiting with their eyes burning, eager to turn a double play, and the pitcher is putting all his strength into each ball to induce a ground ball.

It’s time to give those guys a comfortable rest now.

Clench

I powerfully grip the bat again.

With the intention of hitting the ball before it breaks, I shift my hitting point slightly forward and time my swing for a 100-mile fastball.

The movements that I have repeated countless times since my past life are executed with machine-like precision.

Squeeze

The preparation is complete. And the ball leaves the pitcher’s fingertips.

Crack!

“No!”

“Damn it, goddamn it, you stupid bastards!”

“Die! No, kill him! Kill that bastard!”

The faint hope that American fans held onto is shattered.

Everything ends the moment a resounding crack echoes through the stadium.

The moment the batted ball soars blackly into the distant sky, a bizarre mix of screams and curses erupts from the American stands.

The ball, launched at a 45-degree angle, continues to fly, cutting through the left-center field of Progressive Field.

Far, very far,

The ball continues its flight and directly strikes the large electronic display installed at the top of the left-field wall.

Crash!

“Wooaaaaa!”

At that moment, the Korean spectators, who had been covering their mouths and watching the batted ball, erupt in cheers.

Some wave the 태극기 [Taegeukgi, South Korean flag] while shedding tears, and others hug the person next to them.

Still others begin climbing the safety net.

“Move, move, please move!”

“Wooaa! I’m going too!”

“So this is what it feels like to climb this!”

It wasn’t just one or two people. This time, it wasn’t just Min Ye-rin alone. The excited Korean cheering squad was clinging to the safety net and attempting to invade the field.

I quietly place the bat that had just hit the home run next to home plate.

“Please keep it safe until I come back. It might be displayed in a museum someday.”

“…….”

The catcher, his face flushed red, is unable to respond to my words.

I slowly take a step towards first base.

And then to second base, then to third base again, and finally to home.

“Kkeuaaaaa! You’re the best! Han Su-hyeok, you’re the best!”

“Su-hyeok-ah!”

“Heoeoeong, Han Su-hyeok, you crazy bastard!”

The teammates who had reached home before me, along with the coaches and manager who were in the dugout, all rush out and wait for me.

Cooong

The moment my foot finally touches home plate.

Boom!

The fireworks installed on the outskirts of the stadium are all launched into the air at once.

And countless drones begin to fly towards the sky above the stadium.

The drones emit sparkling light and repeatedly scatter and gather.

How much time has passed?

A phrase created by the drones is brilliantly etched in the sky above Progressive Field.

2027 World Baseball Classic CHAMPION

Republic of Korea

* * *

“Congratulations. Sincerely, and I hope to see you again in the United States next time.”

That was what the Major League Baseball commissioner, who had been surprisingly humble at the opening ceremony, said as he placed a medal around Han Su-hyeok’s neck. Thick beads of sweat dripped from his forehead.

The WBC schedule, which felt both short and long, was finally over.

Victory for South Korea, runner-up for the United States, 3rd place for Venezuela, 4th place for Japan.

That was the final result of this tournament.

[South Korean national baseball team, first WBC victory in history, Han Su-hyeok ends the game with a grand slam]

[9 innings no-hitter, plus a walk-off home run… The final stage prepared for Han Su-hyeok]

[Manager Jung Yun-seok and the South Korean national team, “We didn’t do anything. It’s all Su-hyeok’s credit”]

[Han Su-hyeok, who recorded 7 games, 10 home runs, 1 win, and 1 save, is the undisputed perfect MVP]

[A great record that will never be seen again as long as there is a limit on the number of pitches: WBC Finals No-Hitter]

[U.S. national team coach Robert Wilson, “I thought I had done everything I could as a coach. But the moment I saw Han Su-hyeok, I wanted to return to active duty”]

[Major League Baseball’s best hitter, Ty Johnson, “I want to compete with him one more time. It’s been a long time since I felt this way”]

[Trevor Nixon, who allowed the walk-off home run, “The moment I threw the first ball to him, I realized that my picture would be on the front page of tomorrow’s newspaper.”]

[Japan’s Hoshino coach, who faced Han Su-hyeok in the semi-finals, “Tell me the truth. Is he really twenty years old?”]

[Japan’s star pitcher, Tanaka Yamato, “I think I’ll have to give up my Big League life. What am I when such a player is playing in Korea…” trailed off]

[China national team ace Wang Lei, “From today, my goal is Han Su-hyeok. Of course, I can’t catch up with him, but…” Chinese fans bombard Wang Lei’s SNS]

└Damn it, lol, hahaha, you crazy…

└What are you doing

└Is this really happening? 7 games, 10 home runs? WBC Finals No-Hitter? Is this real?

└I’m saying, why is that kind of guy playing in Korea?

└What are you talking about? Anyway, you were 터졌 [destroyed] by Han Su-hyeok all throughout the first half.

└No, at least he didn’t pitch back then. Does this make sense? Shortstop, home run hitter, and now he’s going to be a starter?

└It was short but fun… Now I have to meet that 좆같은 [fucking] guy as an enemy.

└ㅋㅋㅋ Can our 식충이들 [useless eaters] even touch the ball that Ty Johnson couldn’t hit?

└We need to re-establish our strategy. On the days that 무친놈 [crazy bastard] comes out as a starter, just put all the hitters on the bench and put up a temporary starter. Just as a rest day concept.

└Damn it, then the teams that played a lot of games against the Warriors in the first half are 존나 유리한 [fucking advantageous].

└Did Daejeon and Suwon have a lot of games? 존나 부럽네 [fucking jealous]

While the Korean media and internet bulletin boards were 떠들썩한 [buzzing] with the emotion of the first WBC victory in history and the fear of the second half of the schedule, our national team was leaving the stadium for the victory celebration.

But something was strange.

The attitude of the Major League Baseball commissioner, who had been strangely obsequious at the awards ceremony, and the attitude of the tournament staff towards our team were strangely polite.

Is it just courtesy for the winning team? Well, they’re not usually those kinds of guys.

That question lingered even after leaving the stadium.

Instead of the large bus that had been carrying us throughout this tournament, dozens of top-class limousines were waiting for us.

The players who got into those limousines cheered and rejoiced.

Saying that the scale of 천조국 [Cheonjo-guk, a slang term for America referring to its vast wealth] is different, and so on.

Um, it seems like this is beyond that scope in my opinion.

“We will depart.”

The limousines, assigned one for each player or two, slid smoothly and headed somewhere.

And after a while, they arrived somewhere.

It wasn’t the small hotel where the celebration was originally scheduled.

Dozens of limousines stopped in a row in front of the largest and most magnificent hotel located in the middle of New York Manhattan, a mega-sized hotel with the name Lopels.

“What the heck is this…….”

“Why did we come here? Coach, do you know anything?”

“No, I don’t know either… I think I should ask the team leader.”

The hotel staff guided the slightly dazed players to the banquet hall one by one.

The huge hotel banquet hall, which could accommodate at least a thousand people, was already perfectly prepared for the party.

It wasn’t just the players who were invited. The cheering squad, who had shouted for South Korea until their throats were sore throughout today’s game, had taken their seats in advance.

“Isn’t this… going to get us 욕 먹는 [criticized]? What kind of money is being used for this hotel?”

“Is KBO [Korea Baseball Organization] crazy? The 양반들 [noblemen] who put us on economy flights because they didn’t have money.”

“Ah, that’s right. The Major League Baseball Secretariat must have done this.”

“Aha, yeah, that makes sense.”

The KBO staff, who should have been able to answer the questions, were just shaking their heads with expressions that they didn’t know either.

That’s how the victory celebration began.

A victory celebration cake that was almost twice the height of a person was brought out, champagne 터지고 [popped] everywhere, and artists representing the United States came on stage and performed a congratulatory performance for the Korean team.

In the middle of the banquet, a man who identified himself as Joe Wilson quietly approached me and spoke to me.

Only then did I learn how this party was prepared.

“Our young master is a passionate fan of the Korean team, no, Han Su-hyeok. Please enjoy yourself comfortably. Ah, we will prepare a private plane when you leave the country.”

Well, I decided not to 크게 따지지 [make a big deal out of it].

What’s important now isn’t that.

“Should I give you a few signed balls or something?”

“Ah, then our young master will be really happy.”

So I signed a few balls in my bag and handed them over, and he disappeared somewhere with a bright expression.

The event commemorating the first WBC victory in history was heading towards its end.

And at that moment when people were slowly preparing for the end.

Slide

The curtains on the closed stage opened, and someone walked out from inside.

-There’s a hero…….

Lyrics that are so familiar to everyone, and a voice that is even more familiar than that.

It was Min Ye-rin. She, who had changed into a white dress at some point, began to sing Mariah Carey’s “Hero.”