Genius Pitcher Hides 170Km [EN]: Chapter 234

#233. The Moment of Choice

[Seattle Mariners Win First Game of Away Series Against Houston, Continuing 3-Game Winning Streak. Starting Pitcher Deemon Anderson Jr. Achieves Winning Pitcher Title Despite 5 Innings and 5 Runs Allowed, Thanks to Help from the Lineup]

[Han Su-hyeok Annihilates Houston’s Mound with 6 Plate Appearances, 4 Hits in 4 At-Bats, 2 Walks, 5 Stolen Bases, and 5 RBIs; A Perfect Day Except for the Lack of Home Runs]

[Houston Catcher Jimmy Johnston, Who Allowed a Home Steal in the 1st Inning, Suffers Humiliation of Being Replaced Mid-Inning After Allowing Another Stolen Base in the 2nd]

[When Asked Why There Hadn’t Been Any Stolen Base Attempts Until Now, Han Su-hyeok Said, “I’m Planning to Refrain from Stealing Bases as Much as Possible in the Future; I Just Felt Like Running Today.”]

[Deemon Anderson Jr., Who Recorded His 2nd Win of the Season, Said, “I’m Grateful for the Hitters’ Dedication. I Think My Win Today Was Especially Thanks to Han Su-hyeok’s Performance.”]

[Houston Astros General Manager Randy McCreary Said, “These Things Happen When You Play a Season.”]

[Houston Fans Who Watched the Team’s 16-5 Defeat Shout in Anger, “If You’re Going to Play Like This, Sell the Team Right Now!”]

“Did you see the news this morning? Your fans seem pretty upset.”

“……”

“Hmm, I thought I could have a conversation since that old-timer was gone yesterday and a young guy was sitting there instead… What, are we not allowed to talk in the dugout now?”

“…Shut up! I’m just as young as you are!”

“Oh? You can talk? Good. Playing baseball with a mannequin wouldn’t be much fun.”

“You son of a bitch.”

“You can even swear. Good, then I’ll say something too. Stop running your mouth and play properly. You goddamn bastards.”

“That’s enough, or you’ll both be ejected.”

“What did I do? All I did was answer him because he started talking to me!”

The rookie, hastily called up from the minors to replace the veteran catcher who was humiliated by me yesterday and benched, protested to the umpire as if he’d been wronged.

That’s ridiculous.

The umpire isn’t a judge. He doesn’t determine right and wrong.

All he wants is to finish today’s game without any trouble.

Knowing that, my response was already decided.

“Understood. I’ll shut my mouth and just play baseball.”

“Hmm.”

In fact, age and experience aren’t unimportant in the major leagues either.

In some ways, it’s even more old-fashioned than the KBO [Korean Baseball Organization].

In the past, if I, a mere rookie in the big leagues, had bothered the umpire like this, I might have suffered considerable disadvantages in strike calls.

But the world has changed, and the umpire’s authority is shrinking.

AI ball-strike system.

That’s why.

Now, it’s not the umpire who calls balls and strikes, but the AI [Artificial Intelligence]. All the umpire does is relay the AI’s decision to the players.

Of course, if you get into the details, you can still get penalties for whether or not a batter checked his swing, or for safe calls at home base…….

That’s what the video review system is for.

To make a long story short, here’s the bottom line.

There’s no need to be enemies with the umpire, but there’s also no need to try to suck up to them.

At least, not for me.

Whoosh.

“Ball.”

A ball call was made on a questionable pitch that would have made the umpire consider whose side to take, mine or the Houston rookie catcher’s.

With the introduction of the AI system, the importance of a pitcher’s control has increased even more.

This is because strikes are called even on pitches that enter the zone and then drop sharply, or that curve and graze the edge of the zone.

Sometimes, pitches that appear to the batter to be far outside the zone and buried in the dirt are called as strikes.

Whoosh.

“Ball.”

But the pitcher on the mound for Houston right now was far from having such precise control.

As two ridiculous balls flew in succession, a quiet curse escaped the rookie catcher’s lips.

“…Fuck!”

“What, are you unhappy with the call? I guess you don’t know since you’ve only played in Single A, but here in the big leagues, there’s something called the AI strike zone system. Isn’t it amazing?”

“Sh, shut up. I know that! And I didn’t swear, I just, damn it…….”

It’s always fun to mess with a clueless rookie.

I couldn’t turn around because I was afraid of being suspected of stealing signs, but I’d bet my entire fortune that the umpire was holding back a laugh.

Ah, wait a minute.

I think I was a little wrong.

My entire fortune has become too much to risk on something like this.

Anyway,

Houston, who suffered a crushing defeat against us in the first game of the three-game series yesterday, was still out of sorts from the start of today’s game.

Usually, when a major league team starts tanking, deliberately aiming for the bottom of the league to collect promising players, that trend lasts for a short period of 3 years, or a long period of 5 years or more.

What that means is that during those years, fans have to tearfully come to the ballpark knowing that their team is playing to lose.

In fact, in the late 2010s, four teams in the American League Central Division—Detroit, Chicago, Kansas City, and Minnesota—simultaneously started tanking, and Cleveland, which did nothing and stood still, ended up winning the division.

Not just one or two teams, but the entire division was completely destroyed.

Then shouldn’t they just stop watching baseball?

That’s right.

In fact, more and more fans are turning away from baseball for that reason.

No matter how loyal baseball fans are to their local sports, if that situation continues, the number of fans will inevitably decrease.

You don’t have to go far to see it; just look at Houston’s home stadium today.

In this wonderful stadium that can accommodate up to 44,000 people, only about 7,000 spectators are sparsely seated, booing their team.

“Hey.”

“What, you so, son of a bitch.”

“Stop swearing like a lowlife. I just called out to you because I don’t know your name, are you upset?”

“My name is Jack…….”

“Ah, never mind. It’s not that I want to know your name… Well, if you’re going to walk me anyway, just request an intentional walk. I’m too lazy to stand here and watch those pathetic balls.”

“It’s not that, my control is just… Damn it, what am I saying.”

He’s so angry that he doesn’t even notice when I glance back at him.

Huh, I feel a little better now.

I’ve cooled down a bit, so it’s time to put aside my anger at these pathetic guys and do my job.

Since two balls have come in a row, there’s a high probability that the next pitch will be a strike.

Unless that spaced-out guy on the mound has a disease that prevents him from throwing strikes.

That’s why I’m aiming for something big.

It’s time to aim for the home run I couldn’t get in yesterday’s game.

Click.

To create a long hit, I adjust my grip and open my left foot to prepare for inside pitches.

The pitcher, having received the catcher’s anger, grits his teeth and goes into his windup.

He may look stupid and pathetic right now, but he’s actually going to be a pretty good pitcher in the not-too-distant future.

Of course, the important thing is that we can no longer know whether that future will come or not.

Anyway, the ball was released from that guy’s fingertips.

And,

Crack!

“Goddamn it! You stupid sons of bitches!”

“Die! Die! Just die already!”

* * *

[Seattle’s Unstoppable Advance, Sweeping the Three-Game Away Series Against Houston, Season Record 11 Wins, 5 Losses, Sole Leader in the American League West Division]

[Super Rookie Han Su-hyeok Adds 2 Home Runs and 8 RBIs in the Three-Game Series Against Houston, Leading the American League in Home Runs (10)]

[1st Derek Fleming, 2nd Han Su-hyeok, 3rd Ty Johnson, 4th Chuck Clark, Seattle’s Nuclear Lineup That Makes Opposing Pitchers Tremble with Fear]

[Ty Johnson, Who Recorded His 22nd RBI of the Season and Emerged as the Sole Leader in This Category, Said, “Han Su-hyeok Gets on Base So Often That I’m Just Focusing on Hitting Lightly and Bringing Him Home. Seattle Is Becoming a Very Good Team.”]

[Seattle Mariners, Expected to Finish 3rd in the Western Division Before the Season Opener, Will They Be Able to Advance to the Postseason Thanks to the Explosive Power of Their Lineup?]

[Lack of Experience in the Roster, the Starting Lineup That Is Still Questionable Except for Ryan Tibo and Han Su-hyeok Is Seattle’s Weakness]

[The Matchup Between the American League West Division 1st Place Seattle and 2nd Place Oakland, the Direction of the Early Season Will Be Determined in the Two Teams’ Three-Game Series Starting Tomorrow]

“What brings you here, Daniel?”

“Ah, Benjamin, the last few games have been great. Amazing.”

“Thanks to the front office for bringing in good players. Look at me, losing my mind. Would you like a cup of coffee?”

“Coffee sounds good. Yes, may I?”

“Okay. Just a moment.”

Daniel and Benjamin sat facing each other in the manager’s office, located in a corner of the visiting team’s locker room.

General Manager Daniel Mitchell came to Oakland in person to meet Manager Benjamin before the away game against the Athletics.

Oakland is the closest city to Seattle in the American League West Division, but the distance between the two cities is still 1,100 km [approximately 684 miles].

“Okay, shall we get down to business? What brings you all the way here?”

They’re going to meet in Seattle anyway after this three-game series, so why did he bother flying all the way here?

Benjamin looked at Daniel with genuine curiosity.

Slurp.

Slurp.

As if he had no intention of answering right away, Daniel took a few sips of coffee and gathered his thoughts.

And soon he spoke.

“Benjamin, I thought it would be better to ask you in person rather than over the phone. I’ll get straight to the point. This season, what do you think? Can we make a serious playoff push?”

Just yesterday, the moment the team swept the three-game series against Houston and rose to first place in the division, the Seattle ownership group made a decision.

They decided to invest additional funds to acquire players.

Seattle’s payroll, which was once the lowest in the division, has now soared to the upper-middle range in the league.

It couldn’t be helped.

The players who were once promising prospects had accumulated years of service and simultaneously filed for salary arbitration, and several veteran players were brought in from outside to fill the team’s shortcomings.

In addition, there were still 7 years left on Ryan Tibo’s 10-year long-term contract, and another mega long-term contract had to be signed to bring in Ty Johnson.

Within the Seattle ownership group, which consists of several people, opinions were divided on this investment trend.

Since we’re spending money anyway, let’s spend a little more and boldly challenge for the championship.

No. Let’s first aim to advance to the playoffs while maintaining this level of payroll. The players still lack the experience to challenge for the championship, and so on.

The conflict of opinions between the two sides, which had been going on for some time, has now been resolved.

After listening to the voices on the ground, if it is deemed possible, they decided to boldly challenge for the championship.

“Daniel, it’s a difficult question, but as a manager, I can only say this.”

“What is it?”

“I believe in our players.”

“Hmm.”

Daniel closed his eyes and pondered upon hearing the manager’s answer.

That was right.

From the moment he brought that man in as manager, he kept saying that.

That he could do it, that he believed in the players.

The one who didn’t believe in those words was himself.

Daniel’s closed eyes flashed open.

If something goes wrong with this decision, his position as general manager may be at risk.

But it doesn’t matter. It’s the general manager’s role to make decisions and take responsibility for the results.

“Benjamin.”

“Yes, Daniel.”

“We will challenge for the championship this season.”

“Great. Then let me ask you something. Has a good prospect become available?”

Daniel nodded.

“That’s right. Two of them.”

“Oh… Who are they?”

“First, Shaquille Leonard of Milwaukee.”

“Oh… Wait, then Milwaukee?”

“Yes, they seem to be going into tanking again.”

“Goodness… After only two years…….”

“Yes, the team’s situation is a bit unfortunate, but anyway, it’s rare for a young ace who is only 27 years old to become available. Even as we speak, the Milwaukee general manager’s phone is ringing off the hook.”

“I see. Okay, I understand. Then who is the other one?”

“Mike Warren of the Dodgers.”

“Hmm.”

“Yes, this one is a bit ambiguous. A 36-year-old pitcher who was on the long-term injury list and came back with a knuckleball and only played for half a season……. But the conditions are good. The base salary itself is not high, and the Dodgers are willing to subsidize the salary to some extent.”

“It seems that they have made a skeptical judgment about Mike. Anyway, good, Daniel. Now I understand what you came here for. Then tell me what you want from me. Do you want me to choose one of the two?”

“That’s right, we need a starting pitcher to support Ryan and Han Su-hyeok, and if we decide that it’s Shaquille Leonard, we’re willing to pay a big price to bring him to our team no matter what.”

“This, haha, suddenly my shoulders are getting heavy.”

“No, I’ll take responsibility for this choice, so you don’t have to feel burdened. Anyway, Benjamin, we have to make a choice. A 27-year-old young ace or a 36-year-old knuckleball pitcher. Which way should we go?”

At the general manager’s words, the manager paused and pondered.

And after a moment, he spoke.

“Daniel.”

“Yes, tell me, Benjamin.”

“When I was playing in Korea.”

“Yes?”

“There was a friend who was incredibly good at predicting the future of players. Regardless of whether they were on the same team or a different team. That player will explode in a few years. Or that player won’t last long, and the funny thing is that most of those predictions came true, and thanks to that, the team that friend was on often made huge profits in the trade market.”

“Really? Oh… There’s a scout like that in Korea? Who is it? Regardless of this matter, let’s bring him to our team first.”

“Haha, he’s not a scout. And I don’t think we need to bring him in.”

“Yes?”

“He’s already on our team.”

“Who is it… Could it be?”

“Yes, let’s invite that friend to this table now. Hey, Gary. Call Han.”