Genius Pitcher Hides 170Km [EN]: Chapter 237

#236. LA Dodgers

There’s nothing quite like learning from a senior player you admire, using them as a role model to fuel your own growth as an athlete.

The problem was that Mike Warren, the last knuckleball pitcher in the major leagues, had no way to find such a role model.

But today, Mike had that opportunity for the first time.

‘What the heck is that… Oh my god, that’s…’

5 innings, 1 hit, 1 walk, 0 earned runs.

Mike couldn’t close his gaping mouth as he watched Han Su-hyeok mow down Toronto’s batters with nothing but a knuckleball through the 5th inning.

Once a right-handed orthodox pitcher, the hardest part of his transformation into a knuckleballer over two years after a shoulder injury was overhauling his pitching mechanics.

Basically, pitching involves gripping the ball tightly with your fingers and snapping it to generate as much spin as possible. That’s what determines the ball’s speed, power, and the angle of breaking balls.

But only one pitch, the knuckleball, is an exception.

To throw a knuckleball properly, you have to push the ball instead of snapping it. The less spin, the more effective the pitch becomes.

That’s why practicing the knuckleball naturally changes your pitching mechanics.

The speed and power of the four-seam fastball, the most basic of pitches, gradually decrease, while the spin of the ball decreases, increasing the power of the knuckleball.

In other words, you become a different pitcher, even though you’re still the same person.

‘How is that even possible?’

Mike Warren, who had been studying the knuckleball for the past few years to make a comeback, knew that fact well.

No matter how great a pitcher is, it’s impossible to throw a 107 mph fastball and a 70 mph knuckleball together.

At least, that’s what Mike Warren had always thought.

But today, that common sense was shattered.

Han Su-hyeok, who had been throwing 107 mph fastballs until his last appearance, was crushing Toronto’s batters with a knuckleball that barely reached 60 to 75 mph.

What really surprised Mike Warren wasn’t the result of 5 innings without a run.

‘Perfect…’

The most ideal pitch he had dreamed of while practicing the knuckleball, that pitch was now being realized from Han Su-hyeok’s fingertips.

“Play!”

In the top of the 6th inning, with Seattle leading 3-0 thanks to Ty Johnson’s home run, Toronto’s offense began again.

Han Su-hyeok, with a nonchalant expression, took the mound.

And he began to dominate the opposing batters with another knuckleball.

Whoosh

Boom

“Swing!”

Whoosh

Whack

“Strike! Out!”

“Wow!”

“I don’t know what it is, but it’s amazing! Damn, that’s great pitching!”

“Yeah, who cares about the ball speed? All that matters is getting outs! Han Su-hyeok! You’re the best!”

The Toronto batter couldn’t even swing properly at the knuckleball that seemed to dance in the air and was struck out.

In that moment, Mike Warren noticed something he had never seen before.

The instructor who taught him the knuckleball had said this:

While it’s most important for regular pitchers who have to throw multiple pitches to maintain a consistent release point, knuckleball pitchers should focus on something else.

The opponent knows you’re just going to throw knuckleballs all day long, and even if you throw it the same way, the pitcher can’t control where the ball will go, so ignore everything else and focus all your attention on pushing the ball properly.

That wasn’t wrong.

To put it extremely, even if you throw one ball standing up and one ball lying down, the batter will know that they’re both knuckleballs, so there’s no need to deceive the batter using the release point.

Mike Warren thought so too, and that’s how he had been training.

He overlooked the fact that the pitching form or release point was a little different for each ball.

Instead, he focused all his attention on minimizing the ball’s spin and getting it into the strike zone.

But,

Whoosh

Boom

“Swing! Out!”

“Fucking! Great! Yeah! You’re the ace! Han Su-hyeok! You’re the best!”

“Kill those Canadian hicks! Kill them!”

Han Su-hyeok was different.

He kept throwing the ball from the same form, a consistent release point, like a knuckleball-throwing machine.

The ball that left his fingertips danced and fluttered into the strike zone.

In Mike Warren’s eyes, there wasn’t much difference in the number of rotations and the amount of change between the knuckleballs that Han Su-hyeok and he threw.

However, there was one difference between him and himself.

A mechanically accurate pitching form, a consistent release point as if measured with a ruler, and,

Whoosh

Thwack

“Out!”

“Wow!”

“Already 6 innings without a run! With just a knuckleball!”

“I don’t know why he doesn’t throw a fastball, but damn it, I don’t care! Kill them all!”

A belief that his ball would never be hit, and conviction.

Han Su-hyeok, raising his hand to the crowd, came down from the mound with a pleasant smile.

As Han Su-hyeok entered the dugout, his eyes met Mike’s in the air.

In that moment, what came to Mike’s mind was awe, amazement, and the desire to go up to the mound and throw a knuckleball right now.

The painful memory of giving up 7 runs in 5 innings was long gone.

Instead, he was filled with the desire to throw like Han Su-hyeok.

* * *

Thwack!

“Oh! Oh! Oh! It’s going!”

“It’s gone! It’s gone! Hahaha! He smashed the Canadian bastards’ heads!”

In the bottom of the 7th inning, Han Su-hyeok hit a home run over the fence off a Toronto pitcher who was half out of his mind after allowing three consecutive batters to get on base.

As the score quickly widened to 9-0, manager Benjamin immediately ordered Han Su-hyeok to ice his shoulder and prepared a bullpen pitcher.

Although he still had plenty of pitches left, it was a measure to manage Han Su-hyeok’s condition, who had moved from the 6th starter to the 2nd starter.

7 innings without a run as a pitcher, and 1 home run and 4 RBIs [Runs Batted In] as a batter.

That was what Han Su-hyeok had achieved today.

Han Su-hyeok, with ice on his shoulder, sat at the far right of the bench and looked at the field.

Even though he should be used to it by now, even his teammates couldn’t easily approach him, overwhelmed by Han Su-hyeok’s force, who single-handedly controlled the game.

Even though Han Su-hyeok had achieved the great record of a cycle hit and a perfect game at the same time in the last game against the Yankees, the Seattle players still thought that the best pitcher in the team was Ryan Tibo and the best hitter was Ty Johnson.

That was respect for their long careers.

But now, a slightly different thought began to emerge in the players’ minds.

That young player sitting on the bench with a nonchalant expression, looking at the field, might be the best player in the team, or even in America.

The fact that no one could approach Han Su-hyeok, who was sitting still after pitching, was proof of that.

It was like seeing someone living in a different world from them.

But there was one person who wanted to run to Han Su-hyeok right away.

An older pitcher who wanted to ask about the amazing pitching he had just seen and who wanted to ask him for help.

Mike Warren, he swallowed hard and approached Han Su-hyeok.

“Hey, Han.”

“Yes, Mike.”

Han Su-hyeok answered his call as if he had been waiting for it. But Mike, who was very excited, didn’t notice that fact.

“Can I ask you just one thing, or a few things?”

“I still have some time before I have to go to the plate, so yes, sure. Anything.”

“Thank you. It’s not that, but…”

Mike’s mouth closed as he tried to organize the jumbled questions in his head into one.

After a very brief silence, his mouth finally opened.

“How can you throw that kind of ball? Is it important to maintain a consistent release point even when throwing a knuckleball? No, why did you throw a knuckleball today in the first place? You’re not originally a knuckleball pitcher.”

“I wish you would ask me one question at a time.”

“Ah, damn it. Sorry. I’m too excited. Okay, so what I mean is…”

“Mike.”

“Um?”

“First of all, the release point, yes, it’s important, especially when you and I mix two speeds of knuckleballs. The most important thing is to throw a proper knuckleball in the first place. You shouldn’t confuse that. To do that, of course, you have to practice like crazy until the feeling of throwing a fast ball is completely gone. And if you ask me why I threw a knuckleball… well, just because I wanted to?”

Mike listened to Han Su-hyeok’s words without closing his mouth.

He hadn’t been on this team for long, but as someone who knew how taciturn the young Asian player in front of him was, he wondered why he was being so kind to him.

But Han Su-hyeok’s words didn’t seem to be over yet.

“After all, that’s what a knuckleball is all about. Even I can’t guess where the ball that leaves my hand will go. You already know the answers to the technical parts. So Mike, I don’t think that’s what you’re lacking.”

“What I’m lacking? What, what is it?”

“Belief. I’m not wrong. Belief that the path I’ve chosen is right, and the effort that can make that belief even stronger.”

“Ah…”

“It’s too obvious, right? But that’s what I think. Mike, believe in yourself. You’re right. You’re not wrong. Just keep going as you are.”

There was one more thing that should have been added after that.

*That’s what the future you taught me, that you’ll become a great knuckleball pitcher and survive here for a long time.*

Han Su-hyeok swallowed those words that he could never say out loud and bowed his head to Mike.

“Once again, Mike, thank you. Sincerely.”

Mike still couldn’t understand what Han Su-hyeok’s words meant.

The only thing Mike could do was nod his head diligently and thank him for his kindness.

* * *

[7 innings, 12 strikeouts, no runs allowed, winning pitcher, 2 hits and 4 RBIs including 1 home run, Seattle Mariners crush Toronto Blue Jays 12-3 thanks to Han Su-hyeok’s outstanding performance, maintain sole lead in the league]

[Pitcher record 3 wins, 0 losses, ERA [Earned Run Average] 0, hitter record .400, 11 home runs, 25 RBIs, Han Su-hyeok likely to win Player of the Month award “My aim is not properly set yet. It’s not my condition yet” Baseball fans shocked]

[Seattle fans “I’m sure of it after today’s game. He is the best player in the American League, no, the Big League. I sincerely express my respect to the board for bringing in such a player]

[Han Su-hyeok’s starting game, which was broadcast live again across the United States via ESPN [Entertainment and Sports Programming Network], baseball fans “He’s an amazing player. I’m just so sorry he’s not our player.”]

└Damn, is there anyone who can lend me a pistol?

└What are you going to do with a pistol?

└When the manager went to Korea to sign an unknown Korean player, I protested in front of the stadium

└What protest?

└Don’t worry about useless things and properly sign a FA [Free Agent] contract with our team’s shortstop

└Which team are you?

└Mets

└Jesus… I think you really need a pistol

└Damn it, what is that guy? Is that even a possible record? I thought it would be a flash in the pan, but he’s still over .400? What’s with 22 innings without a run? Even if you throw 107 miles, does that make sense?

└You didn’t see the last game, friend. Take a look at this?

└???? What is this? Why are the Toronto idiots swinging at a 70-mile ball?

└That’s called a knuckleball

└Knuckleball? He’s a fastball pitcher, what’s with the knuckleball

└Damn it, that’s not important. Anyway, one thing is for sure. The winner of the last stove league [off-season trading period] is Seattle.

└By the way, that guy looks pretty young, how old is he?

└Twenty-three

└Oh my god… what was I doing when I was twenty-three?

└Maybe you were lying on the sofa, watching a pathetic Mets game and eating ice cream

The interest in Han Su-hyeok, which started mainly among Seattle fans, began to spread throughout the league in earnest.

Even fans of teams that had never faced Seattle knew about Han Su-hyeok and were shocked by his amazing achievements.

Meanwhile, Seattle’s journey continued.

Seattle, who won two consecutive games with 3rd starter Dimon Anderson Jr.’s good pitching of 6 innings and 2 runs in the second game against Toronto, was now preparing to meet their next opponent.

The opponent in this 3-game series, in which 4th starter Dalvin Schwartz, 5th starter Mike Warren, and 1st starter Ryan Tibo will be playing, is none other than the LA Dodgers, the team that released Mike as if he was being kicked out.