Genius Pitcher Hides 170Km [EN]: Chapter 242

#241. The Heart of Boston

As of 2030, the highest-paid player in Major League Baseball was Andrew Davis, the ace of the St. Louis Cardinals, who had just signed a contract worth an average of $45 million per year.

Following him was Ty Johnson, who signed with Seattle for an average of $40 million per year. Other players in the top 10 included the Yankees’ franchise star Lucas Anderson, Philadelphia Phillies’ ace Larry Armstrong, and Ryan Tibo, who signed a 10-year contract with Seattle.

However, MLB fans and experts were cautiously speculating that this player, whose contract was ending this season, might surpass Andrew Davis and become the highest-paid player in Major League Baseball.

And that player was not a pitcher, but a position player.

His name was Jerry Wagner, the 33-year-old starting catcher, captain, and cornerstone of the batting lineup for the Boston Red Sox, and was known as the best catcher of this era.

“Hey, nice to meet you.”

“Yeah.”

“Okay, so you’re the quiet type? It’s a shame I didn’t get to know you better during the WBC [World Baseball Classic] or Olympics if I had played. Oh, if that had happened, maybe you would have come to our team? Am I not good enough to protect your back?”

“Maybe.”

“Well, I can’t argue with Ty Johnson. If you had gone to the Yankees, I would never have understood you.”

In an era where stadium cameras and AI analyze players’ plays in real-time, and systems like PitchCom [a device allowing catchers to digitally signal pitch types to the pitcher] are implemented, the concept of a catcher’s lead is fading away.

Jerry Wagner was uniquely able to control the game as he wished, read the flow of the game, and stabilize the pitcher.

His reputation wasn’t solely based on his defensive skills.

Despite being a catcher, he consistently maintained a slash line of .300/.400/.500 [batting average, on-base percentage, and slugging percentage] and hit over thirty home runs every year, making him a complete player in both offense and defense.

The heart and engine of the Boston Red Sox.

Rumors circulated throughout the league that Boston was preparing an enormous contract worth an average of $50 million per year for Jerry Wagner.

Opinions clashed over whether such a huge contract was justified for a catcher who wasn’t a starting pitcher, but the Boston front office and fans didn’t object to him becoming the highest-paid player.

What if they lost Jerry Wagner because of a few bucks?

The Yankees, who had been eyeing him since his rookie days, would undoubtedly approach Jerry Wagner’s agent with a bag of money.

Their worst rival, who didn’t care about luxury taxes and filled every position with S-class players, but had been feeling a lack in the catcher position for years.

“Anyway, friend, welcome to the big leagues. I look forward to working with you.”

“Yeah.”

Jerry Wagner, who looked more like a friendly ranch owner than a baseball player, smiled at me.

It’s not written in any textbook or taught by coaches, but the role of a catcher in Major League Baseball includes trash-talking to confuse the opposing batter.

Catchers trash-talking is common in other leagues, but the intensity and level of the talk in Major League Baseball is incomparable to that of Korea or Japan.

In Korea, where everyone is connected by school ties and seniority is strict, the most a senior catcher would do is scold a junior batter. But in Major League Baseball, where everyone is a stranger, they talk about everything from curses and taunts to, in severe cases, family matters.

“Still not saying a word. Okay, quiet super rookie. I’m ready. Let’s start the game.”

If you were to ask how I dealt with such trash talk in my past life…

Well…

I would try to subdue them with words first, and if that didn’t work, I’d throw a punch…

It was a vicious cycle.

Perhaps the reason I’m reacting so sharply to big league catchers is because of those past experiences and lessons.

But Jerry Wagner is an exception.

It’s better not to talk to this guy at all.

His duplicity of smiling and guiding the ball towards the batter’s head, his meticulousness in calculating the next pitch while arguing with the batter.

The more I talk to a guy like him, the more I lose. But he’s too cunning to give me a chance to punch him.

So, shut up…

“Oh, by the way, friend. Now that I think about it, I’m curious… How does it feel to be a two-way player? Isn’t it too hard to bat second and pitch?”

Well,

Seeing him after a long time, I realize anew.

He’s really annoyingly talkative.

I feel something welling up inside me,

But I have to be patient.

The umpire is listening, too. If I hit him in the head with a bat just because he’s a bit talkative, I might get a long-term suspension.

Come to think of it, I’ve been quite lucky.

When I blew that Desmond King’s jaw off in the opening game, and when I broke that… T, yeah, Teague, that Teague Burkhead’s ribs for picking on Mike, I was prepared for a long-term suspension.

I don’t know.

I don’t know why the disciplinary action was so light, but it went in my favor, so there’s no need to argue.

“Play!”

The pitcher, who had called a brief timeout after striking out the leadoff hitter Derek, finally returned to the mound.

The umpire signaled the start of the game.

It’s time to forget about this chatterbox catcher and focus on the game.

The pitcher on the mound is Andy Dickson.

He played for the Miami Marlins until last season and was traded to Boston during the stove league period [MLB off-season] to take on the role of the fifth starter.

The Miami Marlins, who have been rumored to be on the verge of bankruptcy for years, have been notorious for not making good trades since their days as the Florida Marlins.

In short, the players they acquire end up failing and retiring, while the players they release explode and become league-leading players.

The same goes for Andy Dickson, who is standing on the mound with a nervous expression.

To release a player who could play the role of a team’s second or third starter in the next few years for such a small amount of money.

They keep doing things like that, so no matter how much the owner pours money into the team, they can’t avoid bankruptcy rumors every year.

Well, that’s why Derek Jeter gave up and left.

Whoosh

Whack

“Ball.”

“How about that, friend? The fastball is pretty good, right? The speed is a bit slow, though.”

“That’s a two-seamer [a type of fastball].”

“No, it’s a fastball, it’s just a bit dirty at the end. I’ll throw another one, want to see?”

I shouldn’t have answered.

Anyway, that’s a story for the future, and from the current point of view, he’s a pitcher who can barely make the fifth starter spot, and his upper swing is quite compatible, making it good for aiming for a home run.

Scratch

I aim for the fastball that drops slightly.

But the ball I’m waiting for doesn’t come.

Whoosh

Whack

“Ball.”

“Damn, that was a waste of a pitch. Right, friend?”

As two balls came in a row, I remembered what Ty Johnson said before today’s game.

It’s nothing special, but he said he doesn’t have good chemistry with that pitcher.

He said that he only had a batting average of .100 against that Andy Dickson pitcher until last season.

That means…

Whoosh

Whack

“Ball.”

Whoosh

Whack

“Ball.”

“Ah, this ball was really, really a waste. Anyway, you won this battle. Congratulations. I hope you get to first base safely.”

I suppressed the desire to split his head with a bat and walked to first base.

One out, runner on first.

Ty Johnson, looking uncharacteristically nervous, stepped into the batter’s box,

Whoosh

Crack!

“To second!”

“Out!”

The moment his hit turned into a 4-6-3 double play [shortstop to second baseman to first baseman], I had a feeling that today’s game would not be easy.

* * *

With Seattle’s attack ending futilely with Ty Johnson’s double play in the top of the first, Boston’s attack began in the bottom of the first.

Jerry Wagner, who was squatting in the on-deck circle and watching the game, turned his gaze to the pitcher on the mound.

Han Su-hyeok.

Seattle’s second batter and starting pitcher.

The strongest pitcher in the league at this point, having recorded an undefeated record in five starts this season without giving up a single run.

Jerry Wagner, the starting catcher and field commander of Boston, who believed that every pitcher in the world must have some weaknesses, watched Han Su-hyeok’s pitching countless times over the past month, trying to find weaknesses.

And he was shocked.

There was none.

He had no weaknesses or habits.

A fastball with a maximum speed of 107 mph, a slightly slower two-seamer and cutter, a splitter, a sinker-like changeup, an occasional curve and changeup, and even a knuckleball that he had only shown to the world once.

Regardless of the power of those pitches, what was really scary about Han Su-hyeok was that he seemed like a machine throwing the ball. A high-precision pitching machine that spits out the ball without an inch of error.

‘How is this even possible?’

According to the Boston Red Sox’s scouting team’s data analyzing his KBO [Korean Baseball Organization] days, the only weakness was that his weight was only 205 pounds despite his 6.3-foot height due to adjusting his weight for two-way play, so various problems could occur when playing in a long-term league.

But after advancing to the big leagues, he immediately gained weight and completely eliminated the only remaining weakness.

A 107 mph fastball spewing out from a height of 6.3 feet and a physique of 253 pounds.

That alone is terrible enough, but what’s really scary is something else.

Jerry Wagner, who had checked all the games Han Su-hyeok had started in the KBO, not to mention the past five starts, could not help but fall into despair beyond surprise.

He was skilled.

He was eerily skilled.

A pitcher who is only in his fourth year as a professional dominates the game like a veteran on the verge of retirement.

He intimidates the batter, breaks the batting rhythm, and even draws out 100% of his team’s fielders’ abilities.

Even if everything else is true, that’s really impossible.

Even if that guy had been playing baseball since he was in his mother’s womb, he couldn’t have such experience.

‘Damn it.’

But no matter how much I complain and worry, the answer is only one in the end.

It’s still hard to believe, but Han Su-hyeok was an absurd pitcher with the fresh shoulders of a 20-year-old and the experience of a 40-year-old veteran.

It was the real deal that only the players who were stepping on the ground together could feel, which could not be explained by the numbers listed by the scouts.

Nevertheless, Jerry Wagner could never give up today’s game.

Considering the current situation in the early season, where rival Yankees are rushing out with a crazy momentum, not a single game can be neglected.

Crack

“Out!”

“Fuck!”

With Boston’s first and second batters both weakly retreating with ground balls, Jerry Wagner, the third batter, stepped into the batter’s box.

I have no idea how to hit that Han Su-hyeok guy’s ball, but one thing is for sure, I should never show such weakness.

Because I am the heart and engine of this Red Sox.

Jerry Wagner, who had renewed his determination once again, smiled and spoke to Seattle’s catcher.

“Hey, Bruce. Long time no see. How have you been? It’s a really good day for baseball today. Don’t you think so?”