Genius Pitcher Hides 170Km [EN]: Chapter 138

#137. Dominator of the Field

Warriors General Manager Park Jae-cheol thought,

‘What am I even watching right now?’

The value of pitcher Han Su-hyeok, proven by his no-hitter game against the USA.

He fully realized it.

This young pitcher, barely twenty years old, was already a monster capable of standing shoulder to shoulder with the aces of the Big League. Even if his prime self returned, he would be no match for this overwhelmingly dominant pitcher.

That alone was enough to make him fall back in shock, but today, against the Magicians, he was shocked once again.

Pace control.

Incredibly, this rookie, making his first start on the domestic stage, was controlling his pace in front of 25,000 spectators, against their Seoul rival team.

The number of pitches thrown through the 5th inning was only 59, facing 15 batters with 10 strikeouts, 3 ground balls, and 2 outfield flies.

Park Jae-cheol turned his gaze to the record he was writing.

All three ground balls went to second base. And of the only two outfield flies, one was handled by center fielder Seo Hyeong-ju, and the other by left fielder Choi Min-seok.

Could this really be a coincidence?

Avoiding the space between shortstop and third base, which was obviously vulnerable with Han Su-hyeok out and Yoo In-cheol in, all three ground balls went to second baseman Lee Chang-mo.

And not a single ball went to the right fielder, the weakest of the three outfielders in terms of defense.

‘Could it be…?’

Could it really be that this monster, Han Su-hyeok, can even control the direction of the batted balls?

He’s pitching with reduced power against the Magicians hitters, who are among the league’s best in terms of offensive power, and to top it off, he’s controlling the direction of the batted balls at will?

“Heh…”

While Park Jae-cheol was chuckling in disbelief, Han Su-hyeok struck out the Magicians’ 7th and 8th batters again.

Then, the 9th batter came up and was retired with a fly ball to center field on the first pitch, ending the Magicians’ top of the 6th inning anticlimactically.

6 innings, 12 strikeouts, no runs allowed. Han Su-hyeok’s dominant pitching was crushing the Magicians.

With this, there’s a need to change the team’s long-term plans.

For example, the trade plans that will take place after the end of this season.

Park Jae-cheol tapped his smartphone a few times with his finger, then pressed someone’s contact information as if he had made up his mind.

“Oh, General Manager. Yes, it’s me, Park Jae-cheol. Ah, that’s ancient history, why are you still bringing that up? More importantly, the deal you were discussing with Incheon hasn’t been finalized, right? See, I knew it. Didn’t I tell you before? Originally, a trade needs to have some kind of rapport between the people in charge… Hmm, speaking of rapport, there’s an anecdote that comes to mind. Let’s meet up first. I have something important to tell you. You’re in Seoul? That’s great, I’ll head over there right away. Yes, I’ll treat you to something fancy. Of course.”

* * *

– …There’s no other way to describe it but overwhelming. It’s truly amazing. Amazing itself.

– I mentioned this on my personal broadcast last night.

– What is it, Commissioner?

– There are some people who are saying things like this. They acknowledge that Han Su-hyeok’s pitches are fast. But they say that the no-hitter game against the USA was the result of many coincidences. No matter how great that team’s members were, we already thoroughly beat the American team with Derek Jeter, Ken Griffey Jr., Alex Rodriguez, and Chipper Jones at the 2006 WBC [World Baseball Classic]. It’s a common occurrence in international competitions, they say.

– Such mi… Hmm, I’m sorry. There are people who are saying such ridiculous things?

– Yes, surprisingly, there are. I don’t know. I really don’t know if they’re even Korean, or if they’re people from other countries pretending to be Korean. Anyway, I want to show them this game right now.

– I agree. No matter what nationality you are, or even if you support a different team, you have to acknowledge what needs to be acknowledged. Leaving aside team affiliations, how long has it been since we’ve had a real ace like this? And a pitcher who is only twenty years old, who will be the ace of South Korea for at least 10 years or more.

– Oh, the announcer is finally opening his eyes to baseball.

– Yes, well, this might sound a bit funny, but after only doing domestic league broadcasts, going out to the world stage really opened my eyes. Seeing monsters casually throwing 160 km/h pitches and hitting mis-hit balls over the fence made me realize how much we were frogs in a well.

– Good, everyone starts that way and ends up licking Han Su-hyeok… Um, anyway, this is really going to be a headache for the Magicians. They even adjusted their rotation to bring up their number 2 starter, and they’re even using their closer in the 5th inning as a desperate measure… And Han Su-hyeok’s pitch count is only 68.

– As we speak, Warriors’ number 2, Choi Min-seok, is stepping up to the plate. He hasn’t had a hit in his two previous at-bats and is now facing his third at-bat.

– Considering Lee Ha-yeong’s usual pitch limit, this bottom of the 6th inning is likely to be his last. The Magicians will try to hold out until Han Su-hyeok comes down, and the Warriors, on the other hand, need to score while Han Su-hyeok is holding down the mound. It’s a nail-biting fight.

* * *

Among the hitters who made the starting lineup today, the one who knew the Magicians, especially Lee Ha-yeong, the best was none other than Choi Min-seok.

Having played for the Magicians for many years, he naturally became familiar with Lee Ha-yeong’s various habits. And things like the familiar trajectory of his pitches.

Of course, Lee Ha-yeong, who is still considered one of the best closers in the country, was not a pitcher who could be easily targeted simply by knowing such information.

The long hair reminiscent of a wild horse’s mane, the hair that has become a symbol of the pitcher Lee Ha-yeong, fluttered as the first ball came flying in.

Whoosh

Crack!

“Strike!”

A powerful fastball coming in right on the outer edge of the plate.

Choi Min-seok, unconsciously clicking his tongue once, carefully glared at the pitcher.

‘That hyung [older brother/male friend] is quite fired up too.’

Lee Ha-yeong’s usual personality, that is, his ego, which is strong even among pitchers with strong egos, is burning fiercely today.

It must be because of Han Su-hyeok.

Having played with such an absurd monster on the national team, and then meeting him as an enemy in the league, there’s no way Lee Ha-yeong’s personality would allow him to just let it go.

“Ball.”

“Strike!”

A changeup that drops sharply after coming inside, followed by a slider that curves sharply outward after coming towards the center.

Unable to do anything against the ball combination that showed off his experience and guts, the count quickly became one ball and two strikes.

Choi Min-seok’s head became complicated.

Will he take one off here? Even so, it’s 0 to 0, the lead-off hitter in the bottom of the 6th, shouldn’t he approach it more cautiously?

Whoosh

“Strike! Out!”

“Haa……”

But Lee Ha-yeong was more fired up than he thought. Choi Min-seok, unable to even react to the 155 km/h fastball coming right down the middle as if telling him to hit it if he could, sighed deeply and stepped away from the plate.

“Seong-oh hyung [older brother/male friend], Ha-yeong hyung [older brother/male friend] is no joke today. I think it would be better to go for the win a little faster.”

Jo Seong-oh, who was in the on-deck circle, nodded with a serious expression.

* * *

“Swing! Out!”

Lee Ha-yeong, who struck out number 2 Choi Min-seok and number 3 Jo Seong-oh in succession, glared at me with an expression as if he had been waiting for this.

Just because you live together in the same space doesn’t mean you’ll become close.

Among the players from other teams I met at the last WBC national team, there weren’t many players I could describe as being close to me.

Lim Jun-yeong and Jeong Dae-han, who I already knew, were the only ones I could talk to comfortably, and Ryu Han-gyeol, Choi Gyeong-jae, and Kim Seong-soo, who strangely showed interest in me, were all the players I could say I became close to.

It’s hard to say that I became particularly close to the rest of the players. It seems like I’ve become even more awkward with Kim Se-jun from Daejeon, with whom I had a conflict during a league game.

Ah, come to think of it, it seems like my relationship with Min Ju-hyeon, the old-fashioned third baseman from Incheon, has improved a bit.

I remember him saying that we should definitely have a meal together when I return to Korea. It seems like he still feels bad about ruining my perfect game with an error in the 9th inning.

I really didn’t care at all.

Anyway, Lee Ha-yeong, who is standing on the mound right now, was one of those people with whom I had no real change in relationship, whether before or after the WBC national team call-up.

Because it’s not easy to become close to someone who is a veteran on the national team and likes to be quiet, someone who practices guitar alone in his room even during breaks.

Anyway, that Lee Ha-yeong is glaring at me with sparks in his eyes.

Does he want to compete?

To be honest, I don’t have much expectation since I’ve been getting on base with consecutive walks in the previous two at-bats.

But Lee Ha-yeong’s eyes were definitely not those of a pitcher preparing for a walk.

The desire at the plate, which had been fading, is starting to come back to life little by little.

Good. It’s an opportunity that may be the first and last in this game today.

Whoosh

I swing the bat once while standing at the plate.

I can feel Park Su-gil, who is sitting behind home plate, flinching.

I get a feeling again.

It’s a showdown.

Right now, Lee Ha-yeong wants a showdown with me.

“Time!”

At that moment, time was requested from the Magicians’ dugout.

The pitching coach, Lee Ha-yeong, and Park Su-gil, who went up to the mound, had a serious conversation, and before long, the game resumed.

[Player substitution, Magicians’ right fielder Ahn Cheol-yong out, Jung Gi-ho in]

And the Magicians’ right fielder was replaced.

Jung Gi-ho, the Warriors’ troublemaker who was traded to the Magicians during the exhibition game.

He set foot on the first team stage for the first time this season.

Regardless of that terrible personality, he is, first of all, a former starting center fielder for the Warriors.

Jung Gi-ho entering as a right fielder means that they are strengthening the outfield defense in preparation for a showdown with me.

Whoosh

I swing the bat once again.

What kind of ball will he throw? Fastball? Slider? Changeup?

Well, one thing is for sure, Lee Ha-yeong will never throw a ball that avoids the fight.

The ball he is most confident in, the most powerful ball that has made the name Lee Ha-yeong known in KBO [Korean Baseball Organization] history.

Swoosh

After exchanging signs for a long time, Lee Ha-yeong finally started his windup.

The dynamic overhand pitching form that has been maintained upright despite his age.

Finally, a white ball was fired from that destructive and dynamic pitching form.

At the same time, I started my swing.

The main weapon of closer Lee Ha-yeong, who brought the Magicians to second place last season.

The 155 km/h fastball of the left-handed pitcher and my swing met at one point.

Crack!

The moment the ball hit, I unconsciously threw the bat back with all my might.

The bat, spinning around, rotated several times in the air and then fell as if it were being hammered into the ground.

I watched the batted ball in that state.

A slightly lower launch angle than usual, the ball, launched like a rocket, disappeared into the lights.

And after a while, the ball, which reappeared, hit the very top of the left outfield of Jamsil Baseball Stadium as it was.

Thud!

“Waaaaa!”

“Su-hyeok oppa [term of endearment used by females for older brothers or male friends]!”

“Han Su-hyeok! Han Su-hyeok! Han Su-hyeok!”

A huge roar erupted from the home stands.

And from the away team stands on the opposite side, the voices of the spectators, mixed with boos and screams, echoed.

“Damn it, why are you fighting there? Are you crazy?”

“Is the manager crazy? Huh? Joo-seok too! Hey, you bastard!”

“Lee Ha-yeong… Why are you there… Haa……”

Perhaps having heard the fans’ voices.

Lee Ha-yeong, who allowed the home run, stood still in that spot with his head bowed.

Watching Lee Ha-yeong, I slowly started towards first base.

Turning first base, to second base, to third base, and then to home.

Thud

The moment I stepped on home plate, the number 1 was clearly engraved in one corner of the scoreboard, where the row of 0s had been continuing.

At that moment, I was convinced.

That this one point is enough for today.