Genius Pitcher Hides 170Km [EN]: Chapter 173

#172. Weapon Upgrade

“Hey, Walter. How’d it go? What was it like catching that guy’s new pitch?”

The top of the 1st inning ended after the Incheon Rangers’ initial attack.

Walter Smith, who, along with Han Su-hyeok, had struck out the three Incheon batters in a row, took off his catcher’s mask and sighed deeply.

“Coach, honestly, that guy is out of his mind.”

“Why? Was the teamwork off? Is it hard to catch? You’ve caught knuckleballs before, haven’t you?”

“Damn it, I have. After practicing with him a few times, I remembered the feeling… but that crazy guy’s pitch today… damn it, it’s not just a simple knuckleball.”

“…Is it that serious?”

“Yes, and what’s even worse is that he’s not throwing a proper knuckleball right now because he’s worried I’ll miss it. Damn it, I’m holding the pitcher back.”

Walter Smith was the first on the team to learn about Han Su-hyeok’s knuckleball.

Last week, during team training in preparation for the Korean Series, Han Su-hyeok called him aside.

‘Walter, you busy after training today?’

‘No, why?’

‘Good. Let’s go somewhere together.’

‘Where to? Damn it, don’t just drag me along, tell me where we’re going!’

The place Han Su-hyeok led him to was his personal practice room, which Walter had only heard about. A completely empty practice room with Jacob away, where Walter encountered Han Su-hyeok’s knuckleball for the first time.

‘…So you’re saying you’re going to throw this, and you want me to catch it in a real game?’

‘Yes, please wear the mask in the game I’m starting.’

‘Heh heh, heh heh, heh heh heh heh.’

‘Walter?’

‘How much are you planning to surprise the world? When did you practice this crazy knuckleball? This isn’t something you can do with just a day or two of practice, is it?’

‘A long time ago. Quite a long time ago…’

‘A long time ago? So you’ve been practicing knuckleballs since you were a kid?’

Han Su-hyeok didn’t answer.

He avoided answering with a distant expression.

‘Anyway, what do you think, Walter? Is this usable in a real game?’

‘Usable in a real game? Damn it, I used to be in charge of a knuckleball pitcher for a while.’

‘I know. That’s why I’m asking you like this.’

‘Okay. The pitcher I was in charge of had just made the knuckleball his own. Well, he wasn’t great, but he managed to secure a spot as a starter in the big leagues.’

‘Yes.’

‘From that point of view, you’re crazy.’

‘Yes?’

‘How can a pitcher throw a 105 mph fastball and a 75 mph knuckleball at the same time? Are you even human?’

Walter shuddered, recalling the shocking memory.

There are many disadvantages to being a knuckleball pitcher, but the most common and serious is that it is impossible to coexist with a fastball.

In the first place, a pitcher who can throw a fastball has no reason to choose a knuckleball.

Also, the more you throw a knuckleball, the more your speed decreases.

Therefore, it was almost a waste for Han Su-hyeok, who has a 105 mph (169 km/h) fastball, to throw a knuckleball.

Anyway, Walter’s real concern was this:

It’s damn hard to catch.

To not miss a fastball that exceeds 100 mph and a 75 mph knuckleball that flutters unpredictably, you really have to risk your life.

“Damn it…”

“Walter?”

“Coach, promise me one thing.”

“A promise?”

“If I finish the game safely today, I should get a special bonus. Catching that guy’s ball… damn it, I’m already sweating thinking about the next inning.”

“Heh heh, I understand what you mean. Of course, let’s win the game first. Then would an incentive be a problem?”

The faces of the Incheon players heading to the field for the bottom of the 1st inning were grim.

It was the aftereffect of being miserably defeated by Han Su-hyeok’s unexpected knuckleball.

Seeing that, Walter thought.

‘The world is unfair. God has given one human too much talent.’

* * *

Derrick Bell, who had been called a sports prodigy while playing both baseball and American football until college, and eventually challenged the big leagues by choosing baseball, recorded decent results as Incheon’s 3rd starter this season.

And in recognition of his performance, he was selected to start in the first game of the Korean Series against the Warriors today.

12 wins, 5 losses, and an average ERA [Earned Run Average, a measure of pitching performance] of 3.41. That’s the record he set this season.

Actually, it’s a bit disappointing.

If he hadn’t had an unexpected accident in the middle, he could have achieved even better results.

The unexpected accident was none other than the bench-clearing brawl against the Warriors.

Leaving a fatal flaw in Derrick Bell’s life, who had always been the aggressor but had never been on the receiving end.

It was the incident where he threw a beanball [a pitch deliberately aimed at the batter’s head] at a guy named Ahn Chi-wook, who was listed as the Warriors’ 6th batter today, and was beaten to a pulp by a monster named Jang Deok-soo.

Looking back, it was a reckless act.

The Warriors’ monster, who planted him on the mound like planting a sweet potato, turned out to be not just a baseball player.

He saw what that monster, Jang Deok-soo, did at the last WBC [World Baseball Classic].

He watched live as a Cuban pitcher was planted in the ground by the monster, pulled out again, and then punched in the face.

He heard that the UFC [Ultimate Fighting Championship] had sent an invitation to Jang Deok-soo. They said they would give him a lot of money that baseball players can’t touch if he wanted to.

Anyway, Derrick Bell realized that day.

How much of a frog in a well he was, and how reckless it was to act up just because he had American football experience.

The problem was that the Warriors didn’t just have one monster.

Han Su-hyeok.

That guy, who has already reached world-class level in baseball skills, is also a monster.

In a game against Busan a while ago, a big, grumpy mercenary was hit by that guy and his jaw was shattered.

It was a clean and beautiful punch. It was a punch that reminded him of the boxing gym director in his neighborhood who cared for him when he was a child.

‘Life is…’

After experiencing these series of events, Derrick Bell became a new person.

He started meditating. And he began to read philosophical books and think about life again.

He abandoned all of his previous nasty personality and became a person who could always maintain a calm mind like a lake.

But,

‘Gulp.’

He encountered a situation that made even that immovable mind pale.

[5th batter pitcher Han Su-hyeok]

Derrick Bell, who allowed a hit to 3rd batter Jo Sung-oh and a walk to 4th batter Walter Smith in the bottom of the 1st inning.

As the next batter entered with two outs and runners on first and second, Derrick Bell’s heart began to pound without him realizing it.

‘I have to stay calm. I can do it, you can do it, Derrick.’

He tried hard to control his increasingly rapid breathing, but his condition did not improve at all.

The records that the monster has set this season come to mind.

Batting average of 0.432, 61 home runs, 162 RBIs [Runs Batted In], 48 stolen bases.

‘Is he even human?’

He received a call from a friend who works as a sports webzine reporter in his hometown in the United States.

The guy, who could be said to be a typical racist, said this.

Han Su-hyeok’s performance at the WBC was just a coincidence, and that ridiculous record in the KBO [Korean Baseball Organization]? That’s just because the league level is too low.

He shouted at him not to talk nonsense and hung up the phone.

League level difference? Is that record now a record to discuss the league level difference?

In Derrick Bell’s view, Han Su-hyeok was not a human who would be bound by the league’s level.

A monster.

An extraordinary being that can only be expressed as a monster.

That monster is now glaring at him, ready to get a RBI.

‘Thump… thump thump… thump thump thump.’

Derrick Bell knew.

To calm this bursting heart, he had to somehow get that guy off the plate.

‘Eek!’

Derrick Bell, who temporarily regained his mind by clenching his teeth, threw the first ball with all his might.

And,

Thwaaaack!

The moment something white brushed past his face with a tremendous cracking sound, he collapsed on the spot and peed his pants.

“Jesus…”

* * *

– The Warriors’ attack in the bottom of the 1st inning, which had been progressing breathlessly, has finally ended. With two outs and runners on first and third, Ahn Chi-wook’s well-hit ball was sucked into the second baseman’s glove, ending the inning. The Warriors are… um, Commissioner?

– Heh heh, that Derrick Bell player, you know.

– Commissioner, shouldn’t we men keep some things private? [referring to Derrick Bell’s embarrassing moment]

– Hmm… yes, that’s a good idea too. All right. Then let’s skip the part where Derrick Bell peed his pants… um, well, let’s move on and talk about Han Su-hyeok.

– Yes, in the attack in the bottom of the 1st inning that just ended, Han Su-hyeok hit a one-RBI single, putting the Warriors ahead by one point, 1 to 0. Commissioner, what did you think of Derrick Bell’s pitch just now?

Commissioner Go Dong-sik, who was chuckling to himself while watching Derrick Bell pee his pants, cleared his throat and took the announcer’s words.

– Ahem, well, Derrick Bell is a pitcher who mainly uses a fastball close to 160 km/h (99 mph). He seemed to be getting through the 1st inning well when he handled the Warriors’ 1st and 2nd table setters [the first two batters in the lineup, whose job is to get on base], but everything went wrong when he was hit by 3rd batter Jo Sung-oh.

– He missed several games due to an injury at the end of the season, but his hitting sense is still there. Jo Sung-oh has become a really scary hitter.

– That’s right. Anyway, the Warriors are leading by one point thanks to Han Su-hyeok’s timely hit… this will make the Incheon bench’s head complicated. Because the one standing on the mound is none other than Han Su-hyeok.

– First of all, the key is to increase the number of pitches. Considering that Han Su-hyeok’s shoulder is not completely healed.

– That’s right. Looking at the balls Han Su-hyeok threw in the 1st inning, he only used three types of pitches: a fastball around 162 km/h (101 mph), a knuckleball around 120 km/h (75 mph), and a changeup around 130 km/h (81 mph).

– What does that mean?

– It’s like this. First of all, as is known, Han Su-hyeok’s shoulder condition is not 100%, so Han Su-hyeok is only using fastballs, changeups, and knuckleballs that don’t put too much strain on his shoulder today.

– Um, I’m not a baseball expert, but that’s how it’s interpreted. A fastball, and two slow balls with different trajectories. So you only have to aim for one of these three?

– If you think about it simply, that’s right. If you think about it a little more simply, it means that you can respond to some extent by choosing only one of two timings: fastball timing and slow ball timing.

– Ah, then Incheon doesn’t have no hope at all.

– That’s right. Therefore, the Warriors, who have a weak bullpen [relief pitchers], will try to score as many points as possible while Han Su-hyeok is on the mound, and Incheon will do everything they can to get Han Su-hyeok down quickly. Let’s watch from now on whether the Incheon batters can attack Han Su-hyeok’s ball.

* * *

Go Dong-sik’s thought was right.

Incheon, who gave up a point first in the 1st inning, immediately changed their strategy.

Tick

“Foul!”

A strong hitter who can’t be said to represent the league, but can hit nearly 30% of the time and hit about 20 home runs every season.

Lee Han-beom, the Incheon Rangers’ 4th batter, is doing his best to foul off pitches with a short, controlled swing.

Tick

“Foul!”

Today I’m only throwing fastballs, changeups, and knuckleballs.

There are several restrictions on throwing a knuckleball.

First of all, you need a catcher who can catch the ball.

If we didn’t have Walter on our team, I wouldn’t have been able to even attempt this.

It is also difficult to coexist with a fastball.

When you throw a knuckleball, the pitching mechanics are gradually adjusted to it, which eventually affects the speed.

That’s why I’m probably throwing a knuckleball for the first and last time in this series.

Anyway, I’m going to finish the game with just these three pitches.

The problem is that, as Go Dong-sik said, it has become easier to anticipate the timing.

A fastball between 160 and 164 km/h (99-102 mph), and a changeup and knuckleball around 120 to 130 km/h (75-81 mph).

Unlike when I throw various pitches, it’s a ball combination that can make the batter think it’s worth a try.

“Time!”

Walter, who received my signal, came up to the mound.

It seems that the Incheon batters have made up their minds.

Then there’s no choice. I have to take out one more hidden card.

But to put it into practice, Walter’s determination is needed.

“Is it possible, Walter?”

“Don’t tell me you’re going to do *that*?”

“Yes, I can’t help it because they keep fouling everything off.”

“Hoo… damn it, what sin did I commit in my past life?”

“Please suffer a little, Walter. I’ll treat you to something nice after the game.”

“Damn it, do as you please. But don’t blame me if I miss the ball.”

“It’s okay. I’ll adjust it so that there won’t be a passed ball [when the catcher fails to catch a pitch, allowing a runner to advance].”

After sending Walter, who was grumbling until the end, back to his position, I started the pitching motion again.

Swish

Warren Spahn, a legendary pitcher who recorded 363 wins and was named the pitcher with the most wins in left-handed history, said this:

[Batting is timing, and pitching is taking that timing away.]

As time goes by, the types of pitches that pitchers throw continue to increase, and the techniques of batters to respond to them are also constantly developing.

But the basics don’t change.

The most important thing for hitting is to catch the timing, and the pitcher must take the batter’s timing away to avoid it, a very simple truth.

In the end, the basics of all baseball plays start there.

And from now on, I plan to make that timing my own.

Swoosh

Whoosh!

“Swing! Out!”

– Ah! What is this again, Commissioner? Lee Han-beom’s bat flailed helplessly at the 95 km/h (59 mph) slow knuckleball thrown by Han Su-hyeok! The catcher, who barely blocked the ball, is panting and looking at Han Su-hyeok.

– Good heavens…

– What is it? Please explain it so we can understand, Commissioner.

– The knuckleball… the knuckleball was not just one speed. Good heavens, I can’t believe this is possible.

– Not one speed?

– The speed of Han Su-hyeok’s knuckleball thrown in the 1st inning was approximately 118 km/h (73 mph) to 124 km/h (77 mph).

– And?

– Look at the speed of the knuckleball he just threw. It’s 95 km/h (59 mph). The timing is completely different!

– Ah…

– Moreover, the movement is much more severe than the 120 km/h knuckleball. Should I be honest? You could shut down a game just by throwing that knuckleball he just threw.

– My goodness, then…

– That’s right. Now the Incheon batters have to choose between two knuckleballs, 95 km/h and 120 km/h, not to mention the fastball that exceeds 160 km/h and the 130 km/h changeup.

– Oh my, it’s dizzying just thinking about it…

– I’m speechless too. Really, what are the limits of Han Su-hyeok? Surely this isn’t a dream?