Genius Pitcher Hides 170Km [EN]: Chapter 247

#246. Dome Stadium

In the top of the first inning, with a runner on second and no outs, Han Su-hyeok drove an outside pitch for an RBI single. Then, leading off the top of the third, he walked, reaching base again.

Immediately, he stole second on the first pitch.

Since moving to the U.S., he had rarely attempted to steal, but this season, he was five for five, proving his base-running instincts were still sharp.

Han Su-hyeok’s performance didn’t stop there.

With a runner on second and no outs, Tai Johnson ripped a line drive that landed just in front of the right fielder.

Cleveland’s right fielder, not known for his hitting but possessing one of the strongest arms in the Major Leagues, caught the ball and immediately fired it home without hesitation.

It was a close play at the plate.

However, Han Su-hyeok, displaying incredible speed for a man of 6’4″ (193cm) and 253 lbs (115kg), sprinted towards home and, with a clever slide, avoided the catcher’s tag, scoring the team’s second run.

In the KBC [Korean Broadcasting Corporation] broadcast booth, located on the second floor of Progressive Field, commentator Go Dong-sik’s excited voice boomed.

“Wow! That’s amazing! Han Su-hyeok scores with his legs this time!”

“Incredible! Just amazing. Commissioner, wasn’t that a bit late? But he made it!”

“That’s right. In fact, the third base coach signaled him to stop. But Han Su-hyeok must have seen an opening. He’s a genius. I have no other words but genius!”

“Genius… Yes, it’s a bit of a cliché, but I can’t express it any other way.”

“I said something similar on my personal broadcast recently: a player like Han Su-hyeok won’t appear again in our lifetime, so enjoy this moment.”

“Hmm, it’s a bit extreme, but I agree to some extent.”

“I didn’t just say it. There’s a basis for it.”

“Could you tell me what that basis is?”

“Of course. What I mean is this: what are the odds of a genius like Han Su-hyeok appearing in a sport like baseball?”

“Is it possible to estimate or measure that numerically?”

“It’s difficult. But there’s a place that attempted that difficult and reckless thing, although in a different sport. I’m talking about Arsenal, from the English Premier League.”

“Ah, that… um, sorry. You mean Arsenal. What kind of research did they do?”

Park Cheol-min, a novice announcer who didn’t know much about baseball but was a huge fan of European soccer, stared at Commissioner Go Dong-sik with wide eyes.

“It’s simple. Everyone knows Lionel Messi, right? He’s the GOAT [Greatest Of All Time] of soccer who dominated modern soccer from the 2000s to the 2020s.”

“Of course, I know him.”

“Good. In 2014, Arsenal conducted research on this: what are the odds of a genius like Lionel Messi being born? After a long study, they concluded that about 1 in 200,000 children are born with the talent of Lionel Messi.”

“1 in 200,000… Hmm, that’s a higher probability than I thought?”

“That’s right, it seems that way just looking at the numbers, right? But after my explanation, you’ll realize how slim the odds are. Based on Messi’s example, let’s say the probability of a baseball talent like Han Su-hyeok being born is 1 in 200,000. The number of births in Korea last year……”

“I looked it up, Commissioner, and it’s about 200,000.”

“Thank you. By the way, the number of births in a year is 200,000… Hmm, it’s a bit depressing, but that’s not important right now, so let’s move on. Anyway, the simple calculation is very clear, right? About one child with the baseball talent of Han Su-hyeok is born in Korea every year.”

“Oh, isn’t that quite hopeful?”

“No. Now, there are several prerequisites. First of all, what are the odds that a child born that way will become an athlete?”

“Well? Since the child has outstanding talent, wouldn’t they be interested in sports even if left alone?”

“The problem is that they may or may not. A child with the baseball talent of Han Su-hyeok, who is born only once a year, must be interested in sports by the time they enter middle school at the latest. If they become interested in studying, or if they get into soccer or basketball even if they do sports, it’s over. It has to be baseball.”

“Hmm.”

“And the parents have to allow it, and to be a bit realistic, they also need to have some kind of foundation to support them while they’re active as a baseball player. Baseball is a very expensive sport.”

“Ah…….”

“Let’s say the child becomes a baseball player, breaking through those odds. But in order for this child to grow properly through middle school and high school, they need to meet a good coach. Here, a good coach means a real mentor who can protect them mentally and physically, in addition to teaching them skills.”

“That’s not easy.”

“That’s right. Teaching the child skills is a given, and they also need to be well-managed. Do you know how many students quit baseball every year because of shoulder injuries? Oh, and of course, it’s the coach’s job to guide the child on the right path so they don’t stray. There are so many talented children who don’t put in the effort and waste their talent.”

“Hoo… It’s dizzying just thinking about it.”

“Yes, only by properly developing through all these assumptions can they become a player like Han Su-hyeok. It’s not really important that a child with the talent of Han Su-hyeok is born every year. If you only calculate with simple numbers and probabilities, shouldn’t dozens of Messi-level soccer players come out of countries like China or India every year? But what’s the reality?”

“Oh… Sorry. I understand better after hearing the explanation.”

“Anyway, my conclusion is this: the probability of a baseball star like Han Su-hyeok appearing in Korea again in at least the next hundred years is almost zero. Yes, unfortunately, it’s zero. So, we have to enjoy the present. Watch Han Su-hyeok’s games a little more, and stay up all night cheering!”

“Thank you for your insightful words. We’ll be back after a short commercial break. This is Progressive Field in the United States, where the game between Seattle and Cleveland is taking place.”

* * *

[Seattle Mariners vs. Cleveland Guardians Season Opener, Seattle Mariners win big 10-3]

[Veteran Mike Warren records 7 innings, 3 runs allowed, Han Su-hyeok records 5 hits, 4 RBIs in 5 at-bats, MVP for both pitching and hitting]

[In a post-game interview, Han Su-hyeok said, “Tanking [deliberately losing games to secure a better draft pick] is eating away at baseball. Leonard Jones was the only Cleveland player who played baseball properly.”]

[Leonard Jones expresses his feelings about this on SNS [Social Networking Service], “I’m frustrated. I’m even more frustrated that I couldn’t do anything even after hearing those words. I’ll make sure we win tomorrow.”]

[Korean broadcast team commentator’s ‘1 in 200,000 rule’ becomes a hot topic on SNS. Is Han Su-hyeok a player who appears once every hundred years?]

[Han Su-hyeok, after hearing about the 1 in 200,000 rule, said, “That’s an excessive compliment. I’m not a genius, I just want to be a hard worker who’s good at baseball.” Baseball fans, dumbfounded]

[Can Cleveland strike back in the second game with Seattle’s ace Ryan Thibeault on the mound?]

“What’s up at this hour, hyung [older brother or close male friend]?”

– I have good news. It’s morning there now, right?

“Yeah. It must be midnight in Seoul now.”

– Right. Oh, and by the way, construction on our home stadium is starting now.

“Already?”

– Yeah, demolition work will start right away tomorrow. Securing the subway passage detour there went better than expected, so the schedule has been moved up a bit.

“Oh… What’s going on?”

– What you said in the interview with KBC was a big deal. You said you hoped Korea would have a proper dome stadium as soon as possible. Hey, the attitude of the public officials towards us changed drastically after that interview.

“Hehe, should I do a few more interviews then?”

– No, you have to use that sparingly to get the effect. Not just you, but Min Ye-rin and others keep bringing up the dome stadium, so public opinion is good… And like Koshien Stadium [famous baseball stadium in Japan], it will be open to amateur games when there are no professional games, so they’re also helping out. Anyway, if things continue like this, our new home will be built faster than expected.

“That’s a relief. I have to end my cohabitation with the Magicians. I’m tired of living there.”

– Right. And you don’t have anything special going on, right? Hey, by the way, why was yesterday’s game so brutal? You like Cleveland, right? But you were determined to destroy them?

“The more I like them, the more I have to destroy them to help them grow.”

– Stop saying things that make me shudder, and I’ll send you the bird’s-eye view as soon as it comes out. Check it out.

“Okay. And one more time, don’t save money. Pour it in and make it big and fancy. You got it?”

– Yeah, I got it. Don’t worry, I’ll spend the money. Then play well today.

The completion of the Warriors’ dome stadium, originally scheduled for 2035, is now expected to be moved up by about a year.

I didn’t understand all the explanations from the American construction company in charge of the project, but that was the gist of it.

The goal is to complete a multi-purpose retractable dome stadium that can accommodate up to 45,000 people by 2034.

All that was needed was one thing: a lot of money, and I had enough wealth to satisfy that.

The dividends paid quarterly piled up, and to put it a little exaggeratedly, my account was about to explode.

So, I was thinking of investing in other places, but Min Tae-hyun vehemently opposed it and stopped me, so I diversified into a few stable areas and left it as it is.

Well, I don’t think any more money would really make a difference.

Money has become just a number to me. The salary I receive from the club feels like pocket money for kids.

Anyway, after defeating Seattle in yesterday’s game, we entered the second game with Ryan Thibeault starting for them again.

Ryan, who was already one of the best pitchers in the American League, was becoming an even better player than I knew.

It seems that my overwhelming performance as a second-year starter has stimulated his competitive spirit.

Once again, my regression is affecting other people’s lives, but I feel relieved that it’s having a positive effect.

“Play ball!”

Seattle’s first inning attack with the same lineup as yesterday.

With leadoff hitter Derek grounding out to third base, I stepped up to the plate.

I spoke to the catcher, who was quietly keeping his mouth shut, probably bothered by the interview yesterday.

“Hey.”

“Yeah?”

“Damn, why are you so quiet when you were so talkative until yesterday? Did the veterans get to you? Is there anyone left in Cleveland with any guts?”

“It’s nothing like that, so stop it and let’s play baseball.”

“Hmm, good. You seem angry. Yeah, baseball is best played when you’re angry. So, is it my turn to have a ball fly at my head?”

“…No.”

“You seemed to flinch for a second? What, were you really going to do that?”

“Damn it, that’s why I told you not to speak so carelessly… Why did you say there wasn’t a single player who played baseball properly?”

“Aha, that’s why. So, you want to try it?”

“No, there were a few guys who said they should hit you, but the manager stopped them. I don’t know why I’m telling you this, but I want you to know one thing: we’re doing our best too.”

“That’s good to hear. Okay, I’ll keep that in mind.”

“Okay, anyway, what we want is a clean game. So, let’s play baseball.”

“Okay, friend.”

“Okay, now that the peace treaty is over, let’s start the game. Play ball!”

With the umpire’s call, the pitcher began his pitching motion.

He was right.

These guys are doing their best in their own way. It’s just that their best doesn’t meet my standards.

To be honest, I was prepared to be hit in the butt, if not the head, because of yesterday’s interview.

But if they’re so gentlemanly and just want to play baseball, I can’t help but soften my heart.

Whoosh

Thwack!

“Ball!”

Wait a minute…….

“Weren’t we supposed to just play baseball? That last one looked like it was aimed at my head?”

“No, then I would have thrown a fastball. The ball just slipped out of my hand.”

“Hmm.”

“I’m serious? Uh oh, put the bat down first, let’s talk, friend. Yeah, hoo, calm down. I apologize again. It was really a mistake. It was a mistake, right? It was a mistake, I tell you!”