Genius Pitcher Hides 170Km [EN]: Chapter 266

#265. Equity Acquisition

Just a few years ago, if you asked who the best pitcher in Major League Baseball was, almost everyone would have mentioned Alex Davis.

A veteran leading the Boston Red Sox, a true behemoth of a team, Alex Davis had won the Cy Young Award five times but remained an uncrowned king, never having won a World Series.

Now, with age having diminished his former glory, several pitchers are fiercely competing to claim the vacant throne.

Among them are Devin McPherson of Oakland, who is battling us for the top two spots in the division, Tyson Barsham of the New York Yankees, and Seattle’s own ace, Ryan Thibodeau.

In the National League, Larry Armstrong of Philadelphia and Joshua Kalou of the Dodgers are also considered candidates for the title of best pitcher.

So many pitchers are vying for the crown, but if you had to choose just one, if you were asked who would be the best pitcher of the 2030s, most people would pick Andrew Davis.

“Let’s get them back! Hang in there, Cardinals!”

“Don’t hang your head, Andrew! You’re the best pitcher in the world!”

I’m talking about Andrew Davis, whose face was flushed after giving up a leadoff home run to me.

“Play!”

And unless something unexpected happens, people’s expectations will likely be met.

Even I can see that he’s going to be a very good pitcher, just like I was before my regression, if he continues on his current trajectory.

But it will be hard for him to be called the best of the best, like he used to be.

Because I’m back in the big leagues.

Whoosh

Crack

“Strike!”

The guy, momentarily shaken after giving up the home run, quickly regained his composure and struck out Ty Johnson.

The pillars of the St. Louis team that had been so strong until last season were now meeting as rivals.

Before today’s game, Andrew Davis came to our dugout.

He said he came to greet Ty Johnson, but I think his real purpose was to declare war.

‘I’m not going to give up a single run in today’s game. Sorry, Ty. I can’t help it, even if it’s you.’

Of course, that declaration of war was broken by my leadoff home run.

Hmm,

Come to think of it, that guy must be incredibly embarrassed right now.

Anyway,

Whoosh

Crack

“Ball.”

Two consecutive hard sinkers, approaching 100 mph, came whizzing in.

The last pitch was called a ball, but it was a borderline call that could easily have been a strike.

Before my regression, I tried to hit Andrew Davis’s pitches as a batter, and I constantly challenged him to take his place as a pitcher.

To put it simply, I didn’t perform very well against him at the plate.

And the gap in our careers as pitchers widened to the point where comparisons became difficult. It was unavoidable, as I was frequently sidelined due to recurring injuries.

Whoosh

Swoosh

“Swing!”

102 mph fastball, cutter, slider, changeup…

Andrew Davis boasts several top-tier pitches in the major leagues, but it’s the hard sinker he just threw that earned him a $45 million per year contract.

A hard sinker that moves erratically and dives sharply at a top speed of 100 mph.

In fact, the reason I’m increasing my usage of hard sinkers since coming to the big leagues might be because of that guy’s influence.

The hard sinker he threw before my regression gave me a lot of inspiration as a pitcher.

Whoosh

Crack

“Ball.”

Ty Johnson, who recognized the close ball, shook his head and reset his batting stance.

The power of his hard sinker lies in the fact that it’s nearly impossible to distinguish it from his fastball.

The fact that pitches with only a 2 mph difference in maximum speed follow such different trajectories is a nightmare for any batter.

Whoosh

Crack

“Ball.”

When the at-bat drags on, it’s the batter who ends up cornered.

Ty Johnson, now in a full count, bit his lip tightly and adjusted his stance.

And Andrew Davis’s game-winning pitch came flying in.

Whoosh

Swoosh

“Swing! Out!”

A 100 mph hard sinker that came in close to the body and then spun back towards the center of the plate.

Ty Johnson’s bat swung through the air, missing the ball completely.

We scored the first run, but today’s game doesn’t look like it will be easy.

It looks like we’re going to have to pitch with the determination to not give up a single point.

* * *

– A ground ball to the infield takes an irregular bounce, and a stolen base is allowed due to a throwing error by the catcher. Han Su-hyeok is now in a 2-out, runner on second situation.

– Ah, that’s really unfortunate. The mis-hit ball causing an irregular bounce couldn’t be helped, but the stolen base just now is inexcusable. No matter how well the pitcher manages the timing, there’s no solution if the catcher throws so poorly.

– Bruce Matthews, the starting catcher, will be back from the next game, so it should improve a little, right?

– Yes, that’s true, but… no matter how I look at it, Seattle’s backup resources are weak. You can’t just blame Leonard Jones. He’s only in his first year in the big leagues. He should be sent down to the minors to gain more experience, but he’s being forced to play because there’s no backup catcher.

– Hmm, if Seattle is to achieve its dream of advancing to its first World Series, it seems that reinforcing its roster is essential. Anyway, in the bottom of the 7th inning, with Seattle leading 1-0, Jeilen Thompson, the 7th batter, steps up to the plate. Jeilen is hitless today.

– The St. Louis lineup is definitely persistent. They continue to challenge Han Su-hyeok, who has recorded 8 wins and 0 losses in 8 appearances until today’s game, without giving up.

– Andrew Davis, the opposing starter, should also be commended, right? He gave up a leadoff home run to Han Su-hyeok in the first inning but hasn’t allowed a single run since and continues to pitch well.

– Yes, this is my first time seeing him at the stadium, and he definitely deserves to be called the next generation’s ace.

– As I’m speaking, Jeilen Thompson hits the first pitch thrown by Han Su-hyeok. An ordinary ground ball rolling in front of the shortstop, the shortstop easily fields it and throws to 1st… Ah! What is this! A throwing error! The runner on 2nd rounds third and heads home, home, safe! The batter reaches 2nd base! Oh my god! Another error at a crucial moment!

– I’m going to take all those damn kids and beat them with a bat…

– Commissioner?

– Haa, no. I was so frustrated that I couldn’t help myself. Han Su-hyeok ended up allowing the tying run due to an irregular bounce and two errors. How can you be so unlucky?

– Yes, in the end, the pitching coach comes to the mound. In the top of the 7th inning, Seattle allows the tying run, and the game is tied. This is T-Mobile Park, the home stadium of the Seattle Mariners.

* * *

“Han, you skipped your day off after your last start, and you’ve thrown a lot of pitches today. Should we take you out here?”

“I’ll finish this inning.”

“Hmm, this inning… Okay, good. Then let’s do that. Finish it quickly and come back.”

As always, life never goes as planned.

My hunch that I shouldn’t give up a single point today was right.

Our hitters couldn’t get a good hit against Andrew Davis, who was gritting his teeth and throwing with everything he had.

He kept throwing only decoy pitches to me and Ty, and instead struck out other hitters with overwhelming power.

As a result, the precarious lead of 1-0 continued until the top of the 7th inning, when they gave up the tying run due to an irregular bounce and a series of errors.

My stomach is churning, but that’s just the way baseball is sometimes.

Keep your heart hot and your head cool.

You need to think long-term to play 162 games in a season.

As the coach said, I haven’t had a day off since pitching in the third game against the Cubs, and I’ve thrown more than 90 pitches through the 7th inning today.

Jacob’s nagging seems to be ringing in my ears.

It looks like my outing is over here today.

Whoosh

Thwack

“Out!”

I came down from the mound after recording 12 strikeouts and allowing 1 unearned run in 7 innings.

* * *

[Han Su-hyeok, 8 wins, 0 ERA vs. Andrew Davis, 6 wins, 1.25 ERA, the match-up ultimately ends without a winner]

[Han Su-hyeok 7 innings, 1 run (unearned), Andrew Davis 7 innings, 1 run, fierce pitching battle… victory goes to the St. Louis Cardinals, who showed their strength at the end]

[Grant Dixon’s three-run home run in the top of the 9th inning, and Trevor Nixon’s perfect finish]

[Seattle Mariners, who lost that day, widened the gap with the Oakland Athletics, the first-place team in the division, to 1 and a half games]

[Han Su-hyeok, who hit a leadoff home run as a batter and showed perfect pitching as a pitcher, failed to add to his win total, saying, “That’s just the way baseball is sometimes. It’s my fault for not striking out every batter.”]

[Benjamin Reynolds, manager: “Han Su-hyeok was perfect. I couldn’t give him a day off because we were fighting for first place, so I took him off the mound a little early today. We will continue to do our best to take care of his body in the future.”]

[Andrew Davis, ace of the Old Bird Corps: “I’m happy that the team won, even though I failed to add to my win total. The match with Ty Johnson, whom I respect, was also very meaningful to me. I want to meet Seattle in the World Series.”]

Up until this point, the Seattle fans’ anger wasn’t that great.

Although the gap with first-place Oakland had widened once again, there was still a lot of season left, and there was hope that the starting players who had been out due to injuries would return.

However, we ended up losing the next two games against the Cardinals.

Bruce Matthews, the starting catcher who had been out due to injury, and Jim Brown, the left fielder, returned to the lineup, and in their place, the second baseman and shortstop, who had been exhausted from the continued forced march, took turns resting.

The game flow itself wasn’t bad.

Dimon Anderson Jr., who started in the second game, did his part with 2 runs allowed in 5 innings, and Mike Warren, who started in the third game, also recorded a quality start with 3 runs allowed in 6 innings.

The hitters, who had been struggling in the first game, regained their hitting rhythm and started getting hits again, and I also added a two-run home run in the third game, increasing my season home run total to 26.

The problem occurred in the middle relief.

The relief pitchers, who had been overworked from continuous appearances, faltered and allowed a lot of runs.

Seattle, which was swept by the Cardinals, now had a season record of 32 wins and 23 losses, a winning percentage of 0.582, and the gap with first-place Oakland widened to 3 games. To make matters worse, the third-place LA Angels were chasing closely behind, only 1 and a half games back.

The Seattle fanbase, which had been forcibly suppressing its anger, exploded in an instant.

└Is it illegal to sell magazines that can load more than 10 bullets? Tell them to eat shit! I’m going to turn T-Mobile Park into a beehive!

└Let’s go together, friend. I have enough magazines prepared. I’m even thinking of getting a bomb if I need it.

└Damn it, damn Mariners, I knew this would happen. They’re repeating what they’ve been doing for the past two years. These guys have the intelligence of chimpanzees. Why are they doing such stupid things?

└If you brought Ty Johnson with that much money, you have to go to the World Series no matter what, right? Why aren’t you bringing in backup players?

└You may not believe it, but I’m a Seattle fan who runs an investment advisory firm. And I recently heard some very shitty news related to Seattle.

└Tell me first. Be prepared to die if it’s nonsense.

└Believe it or not, it’s up to you. Anyway, the information I heard is this: one of our team owners is having serious financial problems, so they tried to sell their stake within the team owner group, but it didn’t work out, so they’re looking for outside investors.

└What do you mean? In short, our team doesn’t have any money right now?

└That’s right.

└Oh my god, they sell tickets so damn expensive, and they don’t have any money?

└That’s not related. The team owner’s other business had problems, and that’s why they’re trying to sell their stake.

└Anyway, let’s say that’s the case. So, it means that it will continue to be like this until the problem is resolved?

└I guess so. Until the stake sale is handled cleanly, you should expect that any additional budget execution, other than fixed expenditures, will be frozen.

└Oh my god… So, we have to keep watching that terrible sight?

└Probably until the problem is resolved?

Seattle’s initial effort to sell Todd Henry’s 15% stake, which was causing the problem, or to take out a loan using it as collateral, failed.

The Major League Baseball Secretariat [governing body of MLB] put the brakes on the deal, judging that there was a concern that the borrowed money would be used to resolve Todd Henry’s personal debts.

There have been a few similar cases in the past.

In a situation where the baseball team itself is making a profit, the team owner takes out a loan for another business, and the baseball team ends up on the verge of bankruptcy – such a ridiculous situation.

“Damn it, there’s no solution. Is there no solution? Todd, can’t we get in touch with that guy yet?”

“It seems he’s left everything to his agent and disappeared.”

“Damn it, he ran away.”

The Seattle team owner group was urgently convened.

They were brainstorming for a solution in a situation where the management rights of the Seattle team itself were threatened.

Knock knock

“Oh! You’re here! This way.”

“Everyone’s gathered. That’s good. Everyone’s busy, so let’s get straight to the point.”

“Of course! That’s what we want. Then the work is…”

“We will acquire 35% of the stake. However, slowly, one at a time.”

“Oh! Oh! Oh!”

The person who appeared at the meeting and resolved the Seattle team owner group’s concerns at once was Min Tae-hyun, Min Ye-rin’s father, vice president of Goldman Sachs, and Han Su-hyeok’s agent.