Genius Pitcher Hides 170Km [EN]: Chapter 167

#166. Put Me In

Depending on the measurement method, there may be some differences, but it takes about 0.43 seconds for a baseball thrown at 150 km/h (approximately 93 mph) to reach the catcher’s mitt.

Then, what about a ball at 135 km/h (approximately 84 mph)?

Surprisingly, it takes about 0.47 seconds. There is only a difference of 0.04 seconds.

However, the difference in value between a pitcher who can throw 150 km/h and a pitcher whose limit is 135 km/h is incomparably large.

In fact, except for a few special cases, it is nearly impossible for the latter to play in the first team [the main roster].

So, can we evaluate a pitcher based solely on speed?

Of course, that’s not the case. In addition to speed, control, pitch types, and game management skills are required.

But let’s assume this.

If two pitchers with similar control and pitch repertoire have maximum speeds of 150 km/h and 135 km/h, respectively?

Then, could the value of these two pitchers be similar?

Anyone who says yes to this question clearly knows nothing about baseball.

The former would be a pitcher who could become an ace representing the league, at least in the KBO [Korean Baseball Organization], while the latter would be a pitcher who would struggle to even set foot on the first team stage.

However, at least today,

at the Incheon Stadium where the third game between the Warriors and the Rangers is taking place, it was an exception.

Thwack!

“Eek!”

Bottom of the 5th, Incheon’s attack.

With two outs and no runners on base, Min Joo-hyun, the number 5 hitter, perfectly connected with Lee Man-sik’s changeup.

The ball, hit so well that it seemed like a home run the moment it left the bat, flew towards the center field fence.

“Wooaaah!”

“Go! Go! Please!”

The entire stadium was shaken by the shouts of the Incheon fans, and then,

Thud.

“Agh! What!”

“That’s insane!”

“Hey! Give it back! Give back the home run!”

Seo Hyung-joo, the Warriors’ center fielder, stepped on the center field fence with one foot and jumped up, catching the ball as it went over.

“Out!”

“Wooaaah!”

The Warriors fans, who had been watching the scene with bated breath, finally seemed relieved and shouted Seo Hyung-joo’s name in a tremendous voice.

“Seo Hyung-joo! You’re the best center fielder in the country!”

“Seo Hyung-joo! Damn! Awesome! So awesome!”

As always, Seo Hyung-joo, who enjoyed the fans’ cheers directed at him more than anything else in the world, closed his eyes tightly and savored the moment.

The back-and-forth battle between the two teams, with no room to breathe, continued until the bottom of the 5th inning.

The score was 0 to 0.

Lee Man-sik, the veteran who postponed his surgery and devoted himself to the team until the very end, surprisingly shut out Incheon’s powerful lineup until the bottom of the 5th inning.

Of course, the process was almost miraculous.

While Incheon’s ace, Lim Joon-young, thoroughly avoided Han Soo-hyuk and kept the Warriors’ lineup scoreless, Lee Man-sik faced a crisis every inning but miraculously overcame it.

The defense was a big help.

The Warriors’ defense, which was considered the worst in the league at the beginning of the season, had now risen to the level of competing with Incheon and Suwon for the best in the league.

Those fielders gritted their teeth and supported Lee Man-sik.

Han Soo-hyuk and Lee Chang-mo blocked as many as four hits, and Seo Hyung-joo had just turned a potential home run into a center field fly.

“Wow, thanks. Our youngsters! Huh? Chang-mo, thank you too.”

“Don’t mention it. That ball would have been a simple center field fly in Jamsil [a stadium known for being hitter-friendly] anyway, *hyungnim* [term of respect for an older brother or senior].”

“Still, how many outfielders can handle that ball like you? Wow, I’m really getting some help from the fielders in my twilight years. Thanks. I’ll try harder too.”

Lee Man-sik, who had thrown 78 pitches through the 5th inning, forced a smile and stroked Seo Hyung-joo’s head.

The reason why he had thrown fewer pitches than expected was not because his pitches were powerful.

Rather, it was because he was easy to hit. The number of pitches was low only because the Incheon hitters were actively swinging.

Manager Lee Dae-jun approached him directly and asked.

“Man-sik, should I replace you now?”

“Manager.”

“Yeah?”

“I think my condition is the best it’s been in any game I’ve pitched this season.”

“What?”

It was nonsense.

The speed, which had reached 136 km/h (approximately 84.5 mph) only once in the first inning, had dropped to 134 km/h (approximately 83 mph) in the 5th inning.

The sinker angle was decent, but the other breaking balls were far from good enough to be used as a game-winning pitch.

The only reason Lee Man-sik was holding on scoreless on the mound right now was thanks to his strong mentality and will, and the help of his teammates who responded to it.

‘But that’s what baseball is all about.’

Manager Lee Dae-jun also knows.

That’s what baseball is all about.

If throwing fast and accurate balls was the top priority for a pitcher, would a pitching machine that can throw up to 180 km/h (approximately 112 mph) become the best pitcher if it was placed on the mound?

No, that’s not it.

Baseball is a team sport, and the most important thing in a team sport is communication, cooperation, and the desire to win.

Lee Man-sik is holding on like that on the mound right now thanks to his teammates, and the reason why the Warriors are fighting evenly against the Rangers is because Lee Man-sik’s fighting spirit has inspired the team members.

‘Okay, just a little more… just a little…….’

Maybe today’s game could be Lee Man-sik’s last game of the season.

No, although no one is saying it out loud, if the surgery and rehabilitation fail, he may never return to the mound.

That’s why Lee Dae-jun couldn’t take him off the mound rashly.

He wanted to entrust this veteran with at least today’s game.

Even if it meant missing out on the sweet fruit of winning the regular season title.

“Man-sik, I’m going to take you down right away if anything seems wrong. Do you understand what I’m saying?”

At the manager’s words, a satisfied smile finally appeared on Lee Man-sik’s face.

* * *

[You can learn little from victory. You can learn everything from defeat.]

These are the words left by Christy Mathewson, a legendary pitcher in the early days of Major League Baseball and one of the first five players inducted into the Hall of Fame.

He was the New York Giants’ franchise star for 17 years since his debut. When World War I broke out, he volunteered as a chemical soldier even though he was not subject to conscription.

That was his end. While performing a mission to clear contaminated areas, he inhaled chemical gas and eventually returned to his hometown, where he suffered from the aftereffects and died young.

Lee Man-sik, who watched a documentary about him in high school, quickly fell in love with the man named Christy Mathewson.

And he lived his life taking his words as his motto.

Mulling over the words, “You can learn little from victory. But you can learn everything from defeat,”

And recalling his last words, “I was never cowardly in baseball or in life,”

Whenever his career was difficult, he endured and endured, recalling those words.

But at this moment, perhaps the most important game of his life, Lee Man-sik was denying those words, which were like his creed.

Yes, you may be able to learn everything from defeat. In fact, Lee Man-sik has learned a lot from the numerous defeats he has experienced since the Warriors became a weak team.

But he didn’t want to let those admirable juniors, the juniors who would go on to win rather than lose, experience the pain of such a defeat.

That’s why he gritted his teeth and threw.

Lee Man-sik, who had thrown 109 pitches through the bottom of the 6th inning, was already beyond his limit.

Lee Dae-jun tried to take him down several times, but he couldn’t rashly pull the veteran off the mound, who was still holding on without giving up a single point.

“If you force me to come down here, I’ll resent you for the rest of my life, Manager.”

“Man-sik, you son of a……”

To Lee Man-sik, who had been with this team for over a decade, more than anyone else, had the right to decide his final position.

It’ll be okay. No, please be okay.

I hope nothing happens to that veteran, and that he can come down from the mound safely, receiving the fans’ applause.

All Lee Dae-jun could do was pray to the baseball god, wherever he might be.

That’s how the bottom of the 7th inning began.

Still 0 to 0, Lee Man-sik took the mound again.

A face that looked clearly exhausted at a glance, sweat constantly flowing down his forehead.

The eyes of the spectators who watched the scene filled with tears.

The fans who remembered Lee Man-sik’s debut shouted his name, without exception.

Lee Man-sik, who was energized once again by the fans’ support, threw the first pitch to lead-off hitter Kang Woo-chan, when,

Thud.

“Ugh!”

“Man-sik!”

“Hyung [term of respect for an older brother or senior]!”

“Aghhhh!”

A strange sound, which he had never heard before, was heard, and tremendous pain was transmitted from his elbow.

Han Soo-hyuk, who was closest to him, hugged the fallen Lee Man-sik and shouted.

“Ambulance! Quick, an ambulance!”

Everyone could guess the situation without having to say it.

Something had happened to Lee Man-sik’s elbow, which had been a problem all along.

“Move! Move!”

The ambulance entered the ground, and the game was temporarily stopped as Lee Man-sik was carried out.

The players retreated to the dugout for a while to prepare the ground.

The eyes of the players, coaches, and managers were all filled with worry and despair.

The last game to determine the regular season championship.

But right now, all they had in their minds was concern for Lee Man-sik, not the outcome of this game.

“…Who should we put in next, Boss? Should I get Kim ready?”

“Just a moment, just a moment.”

Lee Dae-jun, who put Lee Man-sik on the mound today and couldn’t take him down until the 7th inning, trembled with guilt.

At that moment, one of the trainers who had followed Lee Man-sik returned to the dugout.

“How’s Man-sik? Has Man-sik left for the hospital?”

“Yes, he went straight to our designated hospital. Trainer Choi accompanied him.”

“What’s his condition, what’s his condition like?”

“I won’t know the details until I get to the hospital, but the pain has subsided a little. Oh, he asked me to tell the manager something……”

“Man-sik did?”

“Yes, Lee Man-sik said that everything was his choice, and that he hoped that today’s game would not end in defeat if possible… That’s what he told me to tell you.”

“…That bastard.”

Lee Dae-jun, speechless, clenched his fist and looked at one wall of the dugout.

The lineup that said starting pitcher Lee Man-sik, the lineup that he had chosen and written just a few hours ago.

In a situation where his career might be in danger, all he’s doing is worrying about him and encouraging his juniors.

Should I have dragged him out by force, even if it meant being resented by Lee Man-sik for the rest of my life?

Was I wrong?

And the game? Who should I put in instead?

Who should I put up against the opposing team’s ace, Lim Joon-young, who is continuing to pitch perfectly?

Kim Doo-young? Or closer Yang Ki-cheol?

7th, 8th, and 9th innings, and if the game is not decided, 10th, 11th, and 12th innings.

Can we last that long with two pitchers?

My head was buzzing and I could hear tinnitus in my ears from concentrating so hard.

There is no way. Unfortunately, the Warriors don’t have a way to solve this situation right now.

Stupidly, I didn’t prepare a card to prepare for this situation.

Lee Dae-jun was trembling all over again with guilt, despair, and shame, when,

“I’ll pitch, Manager.”

A voice was heard.

In a situation where everyone was excited and desperate, it was a calm voice, as if he was the only one in a different world, but it was a voice that felt firm.

Not only Lee Dae-jun, but everyone’s eyes moved towards the owner of that voice.

“I can pitch enough for 3 innings. No, I have to pitch. Please let me go out.”

“Soo-hyuk……”

He, who had brought the team this far in just one year, and who had participated in the WBC [World Baseball Classic] while the other players were resting, making Korea the world baseball champion, said in a firm voice.

“I’ll stop them for 3 innings no matter what. Please.”

The expression Han Soo-hyuk had on his face during the last consultation was still vivid.

Lee Dae-jun remembers the small feeling of fear that appeared on his face when he found out that something was wrong with his body, even though he thought he was a guy who didn’t know what fear was.

And now, that guy is looking at him with the most confident expression in the world.

“Don’t worry. I’m not that weak. I know my body well. I can stop them for 3 innings. And I can get good treatment while resting. So please let me go out, Manager. Please.”

Lee Dae-jun couldn’t bear to look at Han Soo-hyuk’s face.