Genius Pitcher Hides 170Km [EN]: Chapter 193

#192. First National Team

[At first, I thought of him as my rival. That’s right. I definitely thought I could compete with him until high school. But it wasn’t like that. It’s a bit frustrating to say, but… Soo-hyuk Han is the best. I’m just a dime-a-dozen center fielder.]

[Looking at Seo Hyung-joo’s record from last season, it’s hard to see you as just a dime-a-dozen center fielder.]

[No, I’m far from it. I failed to achieve my goal of a .300 batting average, and even as a leadoff hitter, I had fewer stolen bases than a guy who juggles pitching and batting. There’s no excuse. It’s my complete defeat. So, I changed my mind. Now, instead of trying to beat him, I’m going to try to last as long as possible. Baseball is a sport of records. I may not be able to beat that monster with short-term results, but I’ll try to make sure that at least when I retire, there will be a different evaluation.]

[I see. Thank you for your honest answer. Soo-hyuk Han’s impact is so great that baseball fans are very curious about what players living in the same era think. I think today’s answer will help resolve those questions.]

[Yes, thank you for finding me as the first interview partner, Commissioner.]

[Now, let’s go back to the story about the Olympics. You’ve been included in the preliminary roster for the 2028 LA Olympics baseball team, and I think you’ll be on the plane to the United States in July unless there’s a major issue. What do you think? Can we expect good results in this Olympics, where Major League players will be making their full appearance?]

[Commissioner.]

[Yes?]

[Soo-hyuk Han, if that guy is playing… if we don’t get good results, the other players, including me, will get a lot of flak, right?]

[Well… that’s true.]

[I’m going to work my ass off to make sure that doesn’t happen, and more than anything, as long as Soo-hyuk Han, that guy… I’m sorry. As long as that player is there, we will definitely get good results.]

“As long as Han Soo-hyuk is there, we will get good results… Wow… I’m so embarrassed.”

“…If you play that one more time, I’m going to smash your smartphone, Ahn Chi-wook.”

“I’m going to try to last as long as possible, I’m going to try to last as long as possible… Wow, amazing… Were you drunk when you did that interview?”

“Ahn Chi-wook, you little punk!”

“Aaaah! It hurts! It hurts! I’m starting today! If I get injured, it’ll be a big loss to the team! Let go! Aaaah! Seo Hyung-joo! Hey! Don’t bite! Don’t be cheap and bite!”

“Die!”

The Warriors, who had won 2 wins and 1 loss in Suwon, were now back in Jamsil preparing for a weekend 3-game series against Daejeon.

The Warriors’ locker room, which had recently been remodeled, was now a bit more spacious.

Seo Hyung-joo’s furious teeth were buried in Ahn Chi-wook’s forearm.

Squeeze

“Aaaah!”

“Hey! Hyung-joo, and Chi-wook. Stop it, you’re going to get hurt.”

“Aaaah! I want to, but this guy, aaaah! I got it, I got it, I won’t play it. I won’t play it!”

“Die!”

The beginning was a special broadcast about the 2028 LA Olympics baseball team that aired a while ago.

Commissioner Go Dong-shik visited the players on the preliminary list one by one for interviews, and the words Seo Hyung-joo spat out were broadcast without filtering.

Of course, it was done with Seo Hyung-joo’s permission, but…….

‘Damn, did I know it would be this embarrassing.’

When Ahn Chi-wook played the video in the locker room, Seo Hyung-joo was horrified and tried to stop him, which eventually led to this physical fight.

“Okay, stop it.”

“Ouch, it hurts. It hurts. Are you really a dog?”

“Hoo… I’ll get you later.”

Only after Jang Deok-soo stepped in and grabbed the two by the scruff of their necks and pulled them apart did the locker room finally quiet down.

Actually, it’s not a very embarrassing story.

Everyone in the world knows that Han Soo-hyuk is good, and it’s not something to be made fun of to try to catch up with such a player.

It’s just that Seo Hyung-joo was embarrassed to have his true feelings revealed unexpectedly.

The true feelings of trusting and relying on Han Soo-hyuk.

But Han Soo-hyuk didn’t seem to be interested in Seo Hyung-joo’s remarks at all.

“Senior Joo-hyun, is your wrist okay?”

“Well, at this point, it’s not perfect, but there’s nothing wrong with my batting. Well, are they always like that?”

“Yes, you can just think of them as two idiots playing around and ignore them. If it’s too loud, you can go and smack them each on the back of the head and they’ll be quiet. Should I go and quiet them down?”

“No, it’s not that bad… it seems lively, well, it’s bearable.”

Min Joo-hyun, who joined the Warriors as a free agent, was having a hard time adjusting to the team’s atmosphere.

Whether it was because of the manager’s tendency, or because they only gathered such players,

The atmosphere was completely different from the always calm and neat Incheon Rangers dugout.

The most difficult thing to get used to was those two guys that Han Soo-hyuk called the idiot duo.

The guys who create new issues almost every day and make the locker room noisy.

In Incheon, the two second-year rookies, who wouldn’t even be able to breathe because they were so conscious of their seniors, are leading the atmosphere in the locker room.

Nevertheless, the reason why Min Joo-hyun has no choice but to stay still is because the old-timers of this team, including captain Jo Sung-oh, as well as middle-tier players like Lee Chang-mo and Jang Deok-soo, are staying still.

No, beyond staying still, they look at the two guys with eyes as if they were looking at cute younger brothers.

‘Well, maybe this is the secret to the Warriors’ success?’

As a person who has been called a scholar of the ground, or more precisely, a *kkondae* [a Korean term for an older person who is condescending or preachy], since his days in Incheon, he can’t adapt to the atmosphere at all…….

“Seo Hyung-joo, Ahn Chi-wook, stop doing useless things and look at the opposing pitcher’s data one more time. You guys didn’t get a single hit in yesterday’s game, so how can you be joking around now?”

“…Bad guy.”

“Han Soo-hyuk, that guy is really bad. Don’t you think so?”

“A guy who thinks he’s the only one who’s good in this world…….”

What’s interesting is that it’s not the seniors, but Han Soo-hyuk, a player who is only in his second year of debut, is playing the role of the locker room’s disciplinarian.

No, that’s not just like a disciplinarian.

He’s a leader.

A leader who maintains the team’s atmosphere by going back and forth between seniors and juniors.

Han Soo-hyuk, who silenced his two classmates with just one word, went around checking the condition of each of the players who were expected to play today.

Whether the injured area from yesterday is okay, where the pitcher they will face today is weak, or whether his elbow has looked uncomfortable recently and whether he has any unspoken pain, etc.

‘Oh my god…….’

A green rookie who can’t even take care of his own future is playing the role of a leader who takes care of the entire dugout.

Captain Jo Sung-oh is looking at Han Soo-hyuk’s actions with a happy expression.

Min Joo-hyun thought.

If Jo Sung-oh steps down from his position as captain, Han Soo-hyuk may become the next captain.

* * *

‘Ryan, this may be your last big chance.’

‘Well…….’

‘Hiroshima is a weak team, but that’s why you shouldn’t miss this opportunity. Your first year’s salary is $1.7 million, but once you establish yourself as an ace…….’

‘Damn it, forget it. How much did the Warriors offer?’

‘1.5 million, considering the options, it’s a $300,000 difference from Hiroshima’s offer.’

‘Okay, then I’ll just re-sign with the Warriors.’

‘Ryan!’

‘If you say one more word, I’m going to change my agent.’

‘…….’

Brooks Parker, one of the two foreign pitchers who played for the Warriors last season, moved to Japan.

Of course, Ryan, who had a pretty good record, also received an offer from a Japanese team.

Although it is a perennial bottom team, the conditions are much better than in Korea.

However, Ryan, who had skimmed through a few game videos of the Hiroshima Toyo Carp, chose to stay with the Warriors.

‘Damn it, Japanese baseball is supposed to have a strong defense? What is this team?’

Unlike his strong-looking impression, Ryan was actually a very sensitive pitcher.

Especially, he can’t throw the ball properly if the infield is unstable.

Because of this characteristic, he did not perform as well as he had expected in his first year of contract with the Warriors.

The 1st and 2nd base defended by Jo Sung-oh and Lee Chang-mo were fine as always, but the shortstop side, where Song Ki-tae was located, was almost defenseless.

In the midst of all this, Ryan, who somehow recorded an ERA [Earned Run Average, a measure of pitching performance] in the 3-point range, tried to advance to Japan, but the conditions were not right, so he eventually decided to wear the Warriors uniform for another year.

And a big change happened.

The team was completely turned upside down and the defenders who were standing behind him were replaced with new faces.

A shortstop with unbelievable defensive power that turns what is clearly a hit into a ground ball.

And a first baseman and second baseman whose skills suddenly improved, perhaps stimulated by him.

The 3rd base defended by Ahn Chi-wook was a bit unstable, but the club recruited Min Joo-hyun, who is said to be the best 3rd baseman in the KBO League [Korean Baseball Organization League], as a free agent, and even that weakness disappeared.

In this situation, Ryan didn’t want to take a risk for an extra 2 or 300,000 dollars.

When he saw the Hiroshima Toyo Carp’s infield defense, his old nightmare came back to him.

It feels like his reflux esophagitis, which he had barely finished treating, is about to recur.

“Ryan, are you going to focus on inside pitches again today?”

“That’s right, friend.”

“Okay, copy that. Send it as much as you want. I’ll catch them all.”

Han Soo-hyuk, the core of the infield, who understands his intentions without having to say much.

Ryan Stark once again praised his choice.

Unless an offer comes from the Major League, where else would he go with such a shortstop?

The pitchers who tasted Han Soo-hyuk’s defensive power were unknowingly addicted to him.

“Play!”

As soon as the umpire’s game start signal rang, Ryan threw the first pitch at the batter.

Whoosh

Bang!

The batter hit the ball that was close to his body, and the moment the ball headed towards the shortstop, as he intended,

‘Aaaah, it’s thrilling.’

Ryan thought.

He made the right choice not to exchange this comfort and thrill for just a few bucks.

* * *

“Congratulations on becoming national team members, everyone.”

“Thank you, General Manager.”

“Um… to be honest, I wondered if it was right to send seven players from one team to the national team, but… now that you’re going, I hope you’ll bring back a gold medal. Come to think of it, except for Lim Joon-young, Jang Deok-soo, and Han Soo-hyuk, the rest of you are on the adult national team for the first time, right? Okay, now that this is happening, I’ll tell you about when I played on the national team. It seems like my words will be a little long, so let’s have a cup of tea first… Oh, come to think of it, I have some good tea. I went out and bought it separately during spring camp, and the scent is… what should I say, it feels like you can feel the spirit of a bison running across the vast American continent? So, I looked up some data, and…….”

It seems like only yesterday that the season started, but already two months have passed.

By the end of May, each team had played about 50 games, and the Warriors were in first place with a record of 34 wins, 1 draw, and 15 losses, a winning percentage of 0.693, 3 games ahead of the Magicians.

Experts who are still more favorable to the Magicians were arguing that the Magicians, who have a much thicker player base, would take the lead in the second half, but in any case, the strongest team at the moment was the Warriors.

Meanwhile, Han Soo-hyuk recorded an unbelievable record of 9 wins, 110 strikeouts, and an ERA of 0.125, pitching 72 innings in a total of 10 starts.

It was such an overwhelming pace that it was amazing that he allowed any runs.

Han Soo-hyuk, who had been continuing his scoreless streak from the beginning of the season, surpassed the existing world record of 64.1 innings and extended the record to 85 innings.

Han Soo-hyuk’s scoreless streak ended in a game against Suwon.

Jung Dae-han’s swing, who had given up everything and just closed his eyes and swung wildly, luckily caught the ball, and Han Soo-hyuk’s first home run and run allowed in his professional debut was recorded.

It was such an absurd home run that the batter who hit it was even more dumbfounded.

Anyway, after ending his scoreless streak, Han Soo-hyuk achieved his second perfect game since his debut in the next start against Busan, as if he was venting his anger.

It was a perfect game that even manager Lee Dae-jun, who is thoroughly managing Han Soo-hyuk’s pitch count this season, could not intervene in.

Like pitcher Han Soo-hyuk, batter Han Soo-hyuk continued his overwhelming pace.

25 home runs in just 50 games, and 69 RBIs [Runs Batted In, a statistic measuring a batter’s ability to drive in runs], far more than the number of games.

In response to reporters’ questions, Han Soo-hyuk replied:

‘I have tried to make up for the shortcomings of last season as much as possible during the winter. I’m not completely satisfied yet, but… at least I’m confident that I’ll record better results than last year.’

A batting average of over .400, 25 home runs, and 69 RBIs are not satisfactory?

The pitchers of the 9 clubs had a fit when they saw the article, but regardless, Han Soo-hyuk bombarded the league every day as a batter and as a pitcher.

As such, May passed and the day finally came.

Announcement of the final roster for the 2028 LA Olympics team.

All seven Warriors players, who had no special injuries or slumps, were included in the final roster.

Seo Hyung-joo, Ahn Chi-wook, Lim Joon-young, Jang Deok-soo, Yang Ki-cheol, Kim Doo-young, and Han Soo-hyuk.

Of these, 5, excluding Lim Joon-young and Jang Deok-soo, have not completed their military service.

They tried to maximize their power as much as possible, but since it was the Olympics, they couldn’t help but think about military service.

As a result, many people who had not completed their military service were included, and as a result, the team’s power was inevitably weaker than it was during the last WBC [World Baseball Classic].

But no one was worried about the future of this Olympic team.

Because Han Soo-hyuk, of all people, said this.

‘I think the Americans will be bossy because it’s their home… well, to be honest, I’ve never lost to an opponent I’ve beaten once. I’ll bring back good results.’

Some Han Soo-hyuk anti-fans were making useless stories that being excited is a sure way to lose, but no one cared.

Han Soo-hyuk was already a player who had proven his existence with results.

“…For that reason, when I played on the national team for the last time, well… Ahn Chi-wook? Are you dozing off? Ah, it’s okay. If you didn’t hear it because you were dozing off, I can tell you again from that part. Where did I leave off? Ah, LA, that’s right. Is that right? What? Lim Joon-young? You have an appointment? Oh dear… that’s too bad. Well, I guess anything more than this would be nagging for a veteran. Okay. Only Lim Joon-young can leave first, and the other players will listen to me a little more…….”

The warm sunlight that came in through the window shone on the place where the players were sitting.

Ahn Chi-wook, who had been dozing off, using General Manager Park Jae-cheol’s nagging as a lullaby, wiped the *chim* [Korean word for saliva] from his mouth and gave an awkward smile, and Lim Joon-young, who suddenly remembered an important appointment, jumped up from his seat and left.

Before they knew it, spring had passed and early summer was approaching.

The 2028 LA Olympics were just around the corner.