Genius Pitcher Hides 170Km [EN]: Chapter 208

207. V8

In the early days of Major League Baseball, with dozens of teams spread across the country and no interleague play, players often knew little about those in other leagues.

In 1963, Yogi Berra’s Yankees, featuring arguably the greatest catcher in MLB history, faced the LA Dodgers in the World Series.

Upon hearing that a rookie left-handed pitcher he’d never seen before had a 25-5 record, Yogi Berra quipped:

‘How could that kid win 25 games? Are all the hitters in the National League fools?’

In Game 1 of that World Series, the rookie left-hander struck out 15 Yankees hitters over nine innings, pitching a complete game and allowing only two runs.

Before the game, Yogi Berra, who had dismissed the pitcher, said:

‘Okay, I see how he won 25 games. But why did he lose five?’

That pitcher, who had earned Yogi Berra’s respect, started again in Game 4, pitching another complete game with only one run allowed, leading the Dodgers to a World Series title.

This is the story of Sandy Koufax, who became the first multiple Cy Young Award winner in MLB history in 1963, 1965, and 1966.

[Han Su-hyeok, Key Player in Olympic Baseball Gold Medal, Attracts Attention from American Baseball Experts and Fans]

[American Experts Reconsider Han Su-hyeok’s Asian Home Run Record: “We Need to Seriously Consider Signing Him. He’s Worth It.”]

After the Olympics, the attitude of American experts and baseball fans toward Han Su-hyeok completely changed.

Those who had dismissed his incredible performance last season, questioning the KBO’s [Korean Baseball Organization] level of competition, now wondered why he only hit 61 home runs after watching him dominate American players in the Olympics.

Han Su-hyeok’s performance was that shocking.

As global baseball fans focused on Han Su-hyeok, the second half of the 2028 KBO League season resumed.

[Taegeuk Warriors Return with Olympic Gold, Ready to Challenge the Second Half Race]

[Warriors in 1st, Magicians in 2nd, Rangers in 3rd: A Battle for a Direct Ticket to the Korean Series]

[Han Su-hyeok Achieves Overwhelming Stats in the First Half: .438 Batting Average, 45 Home Runs, 98 RBIs, 0.16 ERA in 110 Innings, 180 Strikeouts, and 13 Wins. Baseball Fans Focus on Whether He Will Break Various Records in the Second Half]

[American Media, with Interest in Han Su-hyeok at Its Peak Through WBC [World Baseball Classic] and Olympics, Reports on Him Daily and Explores the Possibility of Him Entering the Big Leagues]

[Han Su-hyeok on Entering the Big Leagues Through Posting [system where KBO players can be bid on by MLB teams]: “I Have No Intention of Doing So Yet.” Experts Say, “We Need to Pay Attention to the Expression ‘Not Yet.'”]

The national baseball team, having won the WBC and the Olympics, was invited to the Blue House [the South Korean president’s official residence] the day after their arrival for another meal with the President.

The routine greetings and bland food remained the same.

As Han Su-hyeok endured the tedious time with a nonchalant expression, the President finally asked the question he had been waiting for.

‘It’s good to see you again with the championship trophy for the second year in a row. I heard your performance was outstanding again, Han Su-hyeok.’

‘Thank you.’

‘Haha, just like during the WBC, I want to do something for the baseball community. Is there anything you need?’

‘As I said before, we need a new baseball stadium in Seoul. I heard they’re converting that useless design in Dongdaemun [a district in Seoul] for other purposes, Mr. President.’

‘Hmm, and?’

As a specific answer came out to the routine question, the Chief of Staff standing next to him stiffened.

But Han Su-hyeok didn’t stop.

‘If you lease us the land there, our team wants to build a dome stadium there. No, they want to build it. Our owner does. Since we’ll only be playing baseball there for 90 days a year anyway, we can use the empty days as a cultural and recreational space for the citizens of Seoul. If you really want to help the baseball community, please consider it positively.’

‘…Hmm, okay. This isn’t something I can give you an immediate answer on, but I’ll pass it on to the relevant ministry and have them review it. By the way, did you enjoy the meal?’

‘Yes, it’s delicious.’

Han Su-hyeok, who had conveyed his plan to the President, shook the President’s hand with a satisfied expression.

The second half of the 2028 season began.

The biggest interest was which team, Warriors, Magicians, or Rangers, would win the regular season and secure a direct ticket to the Korean Series.

Would it be the Warriors, the defending champions who filled their gaps by signing Im Jun-yeong and Min Ju-hyeon during the stove league [off-season trading period], or the Magicians, who were supported by the entire group for the championship, or the traditional powerhouse Rangers?

While those three teams were engaged in a fierce battle, overseas fans’ interest in Han Su-hyeok did not wane.

An unbelievable batting average of over .430 for the second consecutive year, and an OPS [On-Base Plus Slugging] exceeding 1.5.

In addition, Han Su-hyeok was leading almost every game he started to victory, maintaining an ERA [Earned Run Average] in the 0s.

Thwack!

The moment Han Su-hyeok hit a ball that went over the fence in the last game of the regular season.

Fans overseas who were watching the game online, as well as in Korea, cheered loudly.

Although slightly short of the 73 home runs recorded by a drug user, he surpassed the 70 recorded by another drug user, hitting 71 home runs in the season.

Baseball fans wanted Han Su-hyeok to break the drug-tainted records that remained as blemishes in the glorious history of Major League Baseball, and he met their expectations by hitting 71 home runs, even though he was two short.

71 home runs in 144 games.

All baseball fans were shocked that there was a hitter who could hit a home run every two games.

Thus, the 2028 regular season ended, and the Warriors secured a direct ticket to the Korean Series for the second consecutive year.

Towards the end of the season, Seo Hyeong-ju’s one-month ankle injury, Lee Chang-mo’s side injury, and Yang Gi-cheol’s elbow injury overlapped, causing a brief slump, but now the Warriors were not a weak team that would collapse due to the injury of one or two players.

In defense, Kim Su-hak filled Seo Hyeong-ju’s spot, and Choi Min-seok played his role faithfully as the leadoff hitter.

Yu In-cheol, who was urgently called up from the Futures League [KBO’s minor league], filled Lee Chang-mo’s spot.

Once timid and suppressed by his talented peers, he was called up to the first team again after performing like an MVP in the Futures League, and he filled Lee Chang-mo’s spot admirably, though not perfectly.

Choi Ma-ru, a rookie, filled the spot left by Yang Gi-cheol.

The daring rookie, who started as a mop-up pitcher and rose to become a setup man, secured the closer position for the team for about 20 days while Yang Gi-cheol was out, and jumped to the top of the Rookie of the Year rankings, despite recording two blown saves.

His classmate, Park Dong-seok, also played a big role.

During September, when Jang Deok-su’s defensive burden increased due to Walter Smith’s injury, Park Dong-seok played as a backup catcher and led the team to a 7-game winning streak.

The boy, who had fulfilled his dream of playing baseball just by receiving Han Su-hyeok’s pitches, was now moving beyond that dream towards a new goal of becoming the starting catcher.

[Second-Year Duo Successfully Challenge .300 Batting Average, Leading Warriors to Regular Season Championship.]

Veteran players such as Jo Seong-oh and Lee Chang-mo, middle-tier players such as Jang Deok-su, Kim Su-hak, and Choi Min-seok, and Kim Du-yeong and Yang Gi-cheol, who received military service benefits through the Olympic victory, proved that their performance last season was not a fluke and firmly supported the team.

While the team’s veterans supported the team, Seo Hyeong-ju and Ahn Chi-wook, two classmates and friends, led from the front.

Seo Hyeong-ju achieved his goal of a .300 batting average, .400 on-base percentage, and 50 stolen bases, and Ahn Chi-wook similarly recorded a .300 batting average, 15 home runs, and 80 RBIs.

Of course, Han Su-hyeok played the biggest role.

A hitter with an unbelievable slash line [batting average/on-base percentage/slugging percentage] of .435 / .556 / 1.197, 71 home runs, the second-most in history including drug users, and 169 RBIs.

And at the same time, an ace who recorded an ERA of 0.35, 368 strikeouts, and 25 wins in 30 starts.

In this way, the Warriors achieved the regular season championship, surpassing the Magicians, whose total payroll was more than double, with all players, including Han Su-hyeok, achieving perfect harmony.

[2028 KBO Korean Series: Seoul Warriors vs. Seoul Magicians]

[Jamsil Rivals Meet in Korean Series for the First Time, Baseball Fans in a Frenzy]

[Seoul Warriors Challenge for Second Consecutive Championship, and Magicians Aim for the Top for the First Time in 24 Years]

The two teams, which had been fiercely competing for the top spot, maintaining a 3-game difference until the end of the season, clashed in the Korean Series.

Warriors fans were excited to challenge for the championship again following last year, and Magicians fans were extremely excited to see their team aim for their first Korean Series championship since 1994.

The team strength and fan support were so evenly matched that it was impossible to pick a winner.

The two teams faced off in that heated atmosphere, and the series, which was initially expected to be tight, progressed with the Warriors dominating.

The first game, between Han Su-hyeok and foreign pitcher Jonathan Hicks, ended in a 2-0 victory for the Warriors.

The second game, between Im Jun-yeong and Choi Gyeong-jae, also ended in a 5-2 victory for the Warriors.

In the third game, between foreign pitchers Eric Thompson and Jimenez, Han Su-hyeok hit three home runs, leading to a 10-3 victory.

In other words, the Warriors were crushing the Magicians, recording three consecutive wins.

Magicians fans, who believed they had a chance of winning except when Han Su-hyeok was pitching, had no choice but to be frustrated by the cold reality.

While the Magicians players were intoxicated with their strength in the league like frogs in a well, the Warriors players, who had an absolute player named Han Su-hyeok as a teammate, had no choice but to push themselves to the limit, and the result was clearly revealed in the short-term game.

The fourth game between the Magicians, who had completely lost their will to fight, and the Warriors, who now had the composure of champions, began.

Cheon Sang-jin started the game with the Warriors’ V8 [a reference to their potential 8th championship] on the line.

The hard-working pitcher, who recorded an ERA in the 3s and double-digit wins for the second consecutive season, did his best against the Magicians hitters.

Cheon Sang-jin, who never took his tablet out of his hand to memorize information about the opposing hitters, recorded 2 runs in 6 innings against the Magicians’ strong hitters, fulfilling his role.

The fans gave generous applause to Cheon Sang-jin, who had recorded 10 wins for the second consecutive year but always called himself the most lacking pitcher in the league.

‘Huh? What is it?’

‘Why Yang Gi-cheol?’

When closer Yang Gi-cheol came on in the bottom of the 7th inning after Cheon Sang-jin, question marks popped up in the heads of baseball fans.

Are they already bringing in the closer? Could it be that Han Su-hyeok, who started in the first game, is going to be the closer?

The Warriors fans, who had been wondering, couldn’t help but shed tears when they saw the pitcher who came up to the mound in the bottom of the 9th inning.

‘Man-sik! Hey! Man-sik!’

‘Lee Man-sik! Wow… Lee Man-sik!’

‘He’s here! He’s back!’

The oldest pitcher who risked his elbow in the last game of last season to secure the team’s direct ticket to the Korean Series.

Lee Man-sik, a pitcher who had experienced the Warriors’ difficult history, bowed to the fans.

When he was included in the Korean Series roster after elbow surgery and a year of rehabilitation, everyone thought so.

He’ll come on in a comfortable situation and face one hitter, a gesture to let him enjoy the moment of victory that he couldn’t share last season.

But it wasn’t.

Coach Lee Dae-jun boldly put Lee Man-sik on the mound as the closer in the bottom of the 9th inning of the final game of the Korean Series, with the team’s championship on the line, with a score of 5-3, only a 2-point difference.

Of course, Han Su-hyeok was behind him.

‘Coach, you missed the timing to put Man-sik on, didn’t you?’

‘Um… well, that’s true.’

‘You can put him on in the 9th inning. If it looks like we’re going to give up a run, I’ll come up right away.’

‘Huh?’

That’s how Lee Man-sik came up as the closer.

A glimmer of hope appeared on the faces of the Magicians hitters and fans for a brief moment.

But.

‘Don’t worry and throw! Senior! I’ll take responsibility for anything that happens!’

The moment Han Su-hyeok shouted that from the shortstop position, everything was over.

The faces of the Magicians hitters turned white as they realized what his words meant.

The thought that no matter how hard they struggled, it wouldn’t work, and that a monster would come up to the mound if anything happened, drained the strength from their hands and feet.

The PTSD that had plagued them all season long by Han Su-hyeok dominated them.

Was it because of that?

The Magicians hitters couldn’t properly attack Lee Man-sik’s pitches, which were far from his normal condition.

Thwack!

‘Out!’

Whoosh

‘Out!’

With only one out count left until the Warriors’ second consecutive championship,

Everyone in the stadium and watching the game on TV saw it clearly.

The tremendous fighting spirit emanating from Han Su-hyeok’s body in the shortstop position.

Everything was over in front of that fighting spirit that froze the hitter at the plate.

Whoosh

‘Swing! Out!’

‘Wow!’

‘We won! We won!’

‘Lee Man-sik! Man-sik! Heo-eong!’

‘Man-sik hyung [Korean term for older brother or senior]!’

‘Hyungnim [honorific term for older brother or senior]!’

‘Su-hyeok!’

Once again, the safety net at Jamsil Baseball Stadium collapsed, and Warriors fans, led by Min Ye-rin, poured onto the field.

It was their second championship in a row, but the joy did not diminish at all.

Jo Seong-oh, who had been saddened by the absence of his younger brother and colleague who had been with him on this team for a long time, burst into tears as he hugged Lee Man-sik.

Seo Hyeong-ju, who properly played the role of the assault captain in this series, and Ahn Chi-wook, who hit two home runs as a designated hitter, Jang Deok-su and Walter, who took turns wearing catcher’s masks and guarding the home plate.

The rookie duo of Park Dong-seok and Choi Ma-ru, who helped the pitchers maintain their condition in the bullpen, even though they never played once.

Cheon Sang-jin, who continued to analyze the hitters without taking his eyes off them even after coming down from the mound.

And Im Jun-yeong, who tasted the joy of winning again at his returned team.

The cameras and microphones were focused on Han Su-hyeok, who was covered in champagne.

When asked about his thoughts on winning, Han Su-hyeok replied:

‘I feel ten times, no, a hundred times better than when we won last season. I’m so happy to be able to be with everyone. I don’t want to have this joy taken away from anyone else in the future.’

It was a statement that brought joy to the Warriors fans and despair to the fans of the other nine teams.

But there wasn’t only despair.

Han Su-hyeok’s remarks that he stayed in Korea to win the Warriors championship.

Looking at it from a different perspective, now that he has won twice, it’s time for him to go to America.

‘Start right now. Bring him in no matter what.’

Of course, the first ones to think that were the Big League clubs.

The Yankees, the best prestigious club in the United States, and their eternal rival, the Red Sox, moved at the same time.

Due to the posting regulations between the United States and Korea, and the contract regulations for international prospects under the age of 25, the amount of money that could be officially given to Han Su-hyeok was limited, but…….

‘You guys are like rice worms [worthless people], do I have to explain that in words one by one? Find a way, whether it’s a partnership agreement or something. The only story I want to hear is this. Han Su-hyeok will be wearing a striped uniform. That’s it!’

If you look for it, there will definitely be a way.

The Big League clubs, who wouldn’t be pushed back by anyone in terms of financial power, launched an all-out operation to sign Han Su-hyeok, but no one could change Han Su-hyeok’s mind.

‘I still have no intention of going to America at all.’

Everything was contained in that one word.

Even in the face of the enormous amount of money that could be given to him through unofficial routes, Han Su-hyeok just snorted.

Of course.

The money coming in from dividends was enough to cover the Warriors’ annual operating expenses and continued to accumulate in his account.

It wasn’t money that could move him.

Something else was needed.

And here, in Seattle, a port city located on the northwestern coast of the United States, far away from other Big League clubs, there was someone who understood Han Su-hyeok’s mind the best.