Genius Pitcher Hides 170Km [EN]: Chapter 272

#271. The Ace’s Will

After finishing their 3-game series against Tampa Bay, Seattle recorded 3 wins and 1 loss in their 4-game series against the Minnesota Twins, marking their first games in June.

Thanks to this, and as the gap with Oakland in 2nd place widened, Manager Benjamin took a calculated risk, skipping Han Su-hyeok’s scheduled appearance in the subsequent 3-game series against the Kansas City Royals.

[Kansas City Royals’ first game starting pitcher changed from Han Su-hyeok to Jake Howard. Manager Benjamin: “Two-thirds of the entire schedule remains. This is a measure for Han Su-hyeok’s physical management.”]

Looking at the results alone, the gamble seemed to have backfired.

In the 3-game series against Kansas City, Seattle recorded 1 win and 2 losses, resulting in a losing series.

However, Han Su-hyeok’s stamina was fully recovered. In conclusion, Manager Benjamin’s intention was spot on.

Thwack!

“Wooaaah! It’s going! It’s going!”

“Nice! Damn! What a great home run!”

Han Su-hyeok, who had recovered his stamina thanks to the manager’s consideration, was on fire at the plate.

Two home runs in the 4-game series against Minnesota, and another one in the 3-game series against Kansas City.

With that, he added three home runs, increasing his season home run count to 30, and the possibility of breaking the all-time record grew stronger.

Meanwhile, even though Han Su-hyeok had left the KBO [Korean Baseball Organization] and moved to the big leagues, the biggest topic in the Korean baseball community was still Han Su-hyeok.

The period he played in the KBO was only 3 years, but in that short time, Han Su-hyeok established himself as the best player in Korean baseball history.

└He hasn’t even played half the season, but his batting average is 0.430, on-base percentage is 0.521, slugging percentage is 1.012, OPS [On-Base Plus Slugging] is 1.532, 30 home runs, 71 RBIs [Runs Batted In], ㄷㄷㄷ [Korean slang expressing amazement], is he even human?

└Wait, aren’t those stats that I’ve seen somewhere before? Isn’t that last year’s KBO record?

└No, it’s the official record currently posted on MLB.COM [Major League Baseball official website] as of the second week of June.

└ㅋㅋㅋ [Korean slang for ‘lol’], all you guys who were saying that Han Su-hyeok would struggle to even hit 3/4/5 in America, come out now.

└Is it really because Ty Johnson is standing behind him… But the guys who stood behind Han Su-hyeok in the Warriors weren’t weak either, were they? Jo Sung-oh, Walter Smith, Jang Deok-soo…….

└No, no, no, that’s part of it, but if you watch Han Su-hyeok play, his mindset is different. He’s openly all-in on personal stats. To the point where he seems a bit selfish.

└What’s wrong with that? In the first place, if an individual does well, it also helps the team. Look at it now. A team that was in 4th place in the division for two consecutive years is now in 1st place, isn’t that the end of the story?

└Anyway, he’s really amazing. To think that a human like that was playing in the KBO…….

└His pitching stats are even more impressive. He’s started in 10 games this season and pitched 79 innings, giving up 3 runs, of which only 1 is earned, with an ERA [Earned Run Average] of 0.11 and a record of 9 wins and no losses.

└…You wouldn’t even get those stats in a video game, crazy.

└It’s strange. Doesn’t it seem like he’s pitching even better than he did in Korea? It feels like all the indicators have gone up.

└Yeah, they’ve definitely gone up. His top speed has increased by 2 miles, and the hard sinker he started throwing is almost like magic.

└Haa… I’m just really glad. If that guy had stayed in Korea, the Warriors would have won the championship for like 15 years in a row.

└Please retire there, and never come back… I sincerely wish Han Su-hyeok the best…….

Amidst the prayers of Korean baseball fans, which were hard to tell whether they were blessings or curses, the Major League schedule continued.

After finishing all their home games with the Kansas City game, the Seattle Mariners once again embarked on a long journey for an away trip.

The first opponent of this away trip, which would last for the next 10 days, was the Colorado Rockies.

“Damn, having to play a night game and then fly straight to Denver is terrible.”

“Want me to tell you something even more terrible? Because of the East-West time difference, our rest time has been reduced by an hour.”

“You’re talking nonsense. Is resting the problem right now? Think about our pitchers who have to throw the ball in that terrible place.”

“Holy shit…….”

The Colorado Rockies, belonging to the National League West Division.

A team that uses Coors Field, known as the graveyard of pitchers, as their home, located at an altitude of 1,610 meters [5,282 feet] above sea level.

Regardless of the notoriety of Coors Field in the baseball world, their home city of Denver is actually one of the best cities to live in in the United States.

Despite being a large city with a population of over 700,000, the water is clean, the air is good, and it’s not too crowded, making it a popular place for retired Americans.

“Damn, how many home runs are we going to give up this time? It’s terrible.”

“It’s a relief that they’re in a different league. If we had to play against those guys all year round, I might have gone crazy.”

The reason why pitchers hate Coors Field is very simple.

Because it is located in a high altitude area, the density of the air is low, and as a result, the friction on the ball is reduced, which has a serious negative impact on movement.

On the other hand, since air resistance is low, batted balls fly even further, and balls that would end up as outfield flies in other stadiums often become home runs.

On top of that, it’s hard to breathe due to the thin air.

“Everyone, go to bed early. When you wake up in the morning and warm up, don’t move too quickly.”

Late in the evening, the Seattle players, who had unpacked their luggage at a hotel in downtown Denver, fell asleep right away.

Probably thinking that this 3-game series would be a pretty tough one.

* * *

That premonition was somewhat accurate.

In the first game, with 5th starter Dalvin Schwartz on the mound, Seattle suffered a complete defeat, 9 to 4.

Han Su-hyeok hit a 2-RBI double and Ty Johnson had three hits, fighting hard, but they couldn’t prevent the team’s defeat.

And in the following second game, Ryan Thibodeau, the team’s ace, took the mound for Seattle.

“Ryan, let’s go with two-seamers and splitters today. You understand what I’m saying, right?”

“Alright, Bruce.”

Seattle’s battery [pitcher and catcher], which has been working together for 8 years, looked at each other and nodded.

Originally, Ryan’s main weapons are a fastball close to 100 miles per hour and a changeup, but today, it was necessary to change the rotation a little.

In order to survive in Coors Field, you have to induce ground balls somehow.

The reason why pitchers who throw curves or sinkers well have fairly decent records at Coors Field.

Among the pitches that Ryan Thibodeau can currently throw, the ball most specialized in inducing ground balls is the two-seamer.

Of course, the opposing hitters would be aiming for that, but there was no other choice.

“Hey, Han.”

“What?”

“Please get the first run. Unless you want to see Ryan cry.”

“Who’s crying… Haa…….”

Leaving behind the jokes of the Ryan Thibodeau and Bruce Matthews battery, Han Su-hyeok entered the on-deck circle.

1. Center Fielder Derek Fleming
2. Third Baseman Han Su-hyeok
3. First Baseman Ty Johnson
4. Right Fielder Chuck Clark
5. Left Fielder Jim Brown
6. Designated Hitter Antonio Garcia
7. Catcher Bruce Matthews
8. Second Baseman Liam Landman
9. Shortstop Josh Oliver

Starting Pitcher Ryan Thibodeau

Seattle’s starting lineup, which had been taking turns resting in the past few games, was making a full appearance for the first time in a while.

However, in the case of the second baseman, Liam Landman, who was transferred from the Marlins, replaced Jonathan Owens, the starting player with strong defensive skills.

It was Manager Benjamin’s judgment that the game would be decided by offense rather than defense anyway.

“Play!”

The game started with the umpire’s sign.

Derek Fleming, who was in charge of the leadoff role for Seattle again today, powerfully hit the pitcher’s first pitch.

Thwack!

But,

The batted ball, which seemed like it would be an ordinary right fielder fly at the moment of impact, did not fall and continued to fly.

“Oh, oh, oh, th-that!”

“Run! Derek! Run!”

Derek, who belatedly realized the situation, started running to the base with all his might.

Rounding first base to second base, rounding second base to third base,

The ball, which continued to fly as if it had an engine, hit the top of the fence and fell into the ground.

Derek, who ran with all his might, took a rough breath at third base. It was a natural result since he ran all the way to third base in a place where it was hard to even stand still.

A short time-out was requested for Derek, and the game was resumed only after he had regained his breath.

And Han Su-hyeok stepped into the batter’s box.

He, who recorded 30 home runs in 66 games of the season, pulled the pitcher’s first pitch once again.

Thwaaaack!

This time, there was no need to run hard.

A huge batted ball that could be recognized as a home run the moment it was hit.

Han Su-hyeok, who checked until the end that the batted ball was going over, threw the bat back and slowly moved his steps towards first base.

That was the beginning.

The beginning of a tremendous slugfest that would remain in Major League history.

* * *

– Amazing! The Seattle Mariners, who were leading 10 to 5, added another point with Josh Oliver’s second home run of the season in the top of the 6th inning, and the score is now widened to 11 to 5.

– I knew that Coors Field was something else, but it’s really something in itself.

– Commissioner Go, please briefly summarize the situation so far.

– Yes, today in Seattle, Han Su-hyeok is showing a performance that is missing a triple from a cycle hit with 1 home run, 1 double, and 1 single. In addition, Ty Johnson is scoring 1 RBI with 3 hits, and thanks to the even performance of the hitters, they have scored 11 points by the 6th inning.

– The Rockies players were also formidable, right?

– That’s right. They scored 5 points against Seattle’s ace Ryan Thibodeau by the bottom of the 5th inning. The interesting thing is that all 5 points were recorded as solo home runs.

– Wow, I haven’t been watching Major League Baseball for very long, but it seems like it’s the first time I’ve seen Ryan Thibodeau getting hit with so many home runs.

– That’s right. No matter what anyone says, isn’t he one of the pitchers representing the American League? Only one of the five home runs allowed in today’s game was hit properly. In fact, the other batted balls would have been outfield flies if it weren’t for Coors Field. But what can we do, this is also baseball.

– Manager Benjamin’s position also seems difficult. A five-point difference in the top of the 6th inning, it’s ambiguous whether to change the pitcher or not, right?

– We’ll have to see how the next inning goes. He gave up five points, but they were all solo home runs, and the number of pitches is only 70. Above all, isn’t he this team’s ace? If I were Manager Benjamin, I would send him back out there.

– Thank you for your words. Then we’ll be back after a short commercial break. This is Coors Field, where the game between the Seattle Mariners and the Colorado Rockies is being held.

* * *

“Hoo, hoo.”

“Ryan, you can pitch a little more, right?”

“Hoo, yes. As much as you want, manager.”

“Good, forget the home runs you’ve already given up. This is Coors Field. You’re still showing that you’re not ashamed to be an ace today. So go out and show them. Who is Seattle’s ace?”

Ryan Thibodeau, who was wearing an oxygen respirator, nodded towards the manager and walked up to the mound.

His shoulder feels like it’s cooling down as Seattle’s offense gets longer every inning, but he still has to endure this much.

Like the manager said, he is Seattle’s ace.

Of course, when looking at the stats alone, it’s hard to compare with Han Su-hyeok, but after talking with him a while ago, he decided to stop worrying about the order of the starters.

‘Ryan, I heard you said some unnecessary things to the manager again.’

‘Hmm? Unnecessary?’

‘Yeah, about the order of the starters.’

‘That’s not unnecessary, but…….’

‘Ryan, here’s what I think.’

‘I don’t know what you mean, but I’ll listen for now.’

‘As I said last time, I have no intention of quitting pitching and hitting. Sometimes I may be taken out from the rotation for stamina management.’

‘Well, if you adjust the order from time to time…….’

‘Listen to me until the end. Of course, you’re right. If you adjust the order each time, there won’t be any problems. But you know. I think an ace of a team, a true ace, shouldn’t do that.’

‘Hmm?’

‘A player who can protect the mound no matter what, even if his shoulder breaks, a pitcher who is ready to give anything for the team’s victory, isn’t that an ace?’

‘…….’

‘I believe that you are the most suitable person for that position in Seattle. So don’t say anything else in the future and throw the ball properly, friend.’

I don’t know about anything else, but one thing was certain.

Ryan, who had been a fan of Seattle since he was a child, and who grew up in Seattle’s farm system and rose to the position of the team’s ace, was ready to do anything for the team’s victory.

That’s why he decided to accept Han Su-hyeok’s words.

Looking at the stats alone, he thinks that he should be the ace, but he decided to trust him and let him have the ace position.

“Play!”

Today, Ryan is showing the worst pitching of this season.

He was hit with a home run every inning until the bottom of the 5th inning, and he has already given up 5 points.

But Ryan had no intention of going down the mound as long as he had strength left in his shoulder.

He didn’t want to pass on the fight in this difficult place to another pitcher.

The ball containing the will of such an ace flew towards the opposing batter.

Swoosh

Wham!

“Strike!”