Genius Pitcher Hides 170Km [EN]: Chapter 277

#276. The Mom-and-Pop Store Owner

The time it takes for a baseball to travel from the pitcher’s hand to home plate is a mere 0.4 to 0.5 seconds.

If I hadn’t learned boxing, if I hadn’t practiced dodging punches from professional boxers, I might have been seriously injured today. My training kicked in, that’s for sure.

The moment I saw the white ball tucked securely in the pitcher’s glove, I knew it.

That ball was aimed at my head.

In less than a second, I contorted my body to avoid the projectile.

Crack!

And I succeeded.

The ball struck the bat handle instead of my skull, and then ricocheted, glancing off my helmet.

Of course, that didn’t mean there was no impact. The force still rocked me.

Everything went black, as if someone had flipped a switch, and I collapsed.

The primary emotion I registered wasn’t anger, but a profound bewilderment.

I can’t fall down like this. I still have so much to do. The season, the team… Min Ye-rin.

As the initial shock receded, Min Ye-rin’s face flashed in my mind, a vivid memory that spurred me.

“Hey, Han! Are you okay? Damn it, why isn’t the ambulance here yet!” Someone was yelling.

“Don’t touch him! Don’t touch him! Oh, God!” Another voice, laced with panic.

In that moment, as a strange mix of fear and determination surged through me,

Someone’s voice calling my name, a raw, desperate shout, pierced through the ringing in my ears.

The buzzing slowly faded, and control flickered back, starting with the agonizingly slow return of movement to my eyelids.

“Okay. The ambulance is here… Huh! Han! Hey! Han Su-hyeok! What are you doing? No!”

“Someone grab that guy! Grab him!”

As soon as I could properly see again, I scrambled to my feet, adrenaline coursing through me, and locked onto my target.

There he was.

The guy who’d thrown the ball at my head, the piece of trash who endangered the lives of other players in the name of some warped sense of tradition.

“No!”

Most of the players, coaches, and umpires were clustered near the pitcher’s mound.

A few coaches were all that stood between me and him.

“W-wait, t-talk! Cough!”

“Uwaaaagh!”

“Damn it, stop him! Stop him!”

I shoved past the three coaches, their hands flailing uselessly, and found myself face-to-face with Tyson Barsham.

The guy’s face was ashen, and he opened his foul-smelling mouth to speak.

“From the start, you… Keuh!”

“Shut up! You son of a bitch!”

I had absolutely no intention of listening to his pathetic excuses.

I grabbed his jersey at the collar and hammered a punch straight into his dirty mouth.

Pow!

The stinking, filthy mouth snapped shut. I yanked him forward as he stumbled backward, and unleashed another punch.

Powaack!

The guy’s lips burst open, and several yellowed teeth sprayed out like grotesque confetti.

“Kkeureureureuk……”

I hauled him upright again as he tried to crumple to the ground.

And delivered another punch.

Powaack!

The blow to his temple sent him sprawling.

Three Yankees coaches, finally registering the gravity of the situation, swarmed me, grabbing at my arms and back, yelling.

“Stop! Stop! You’ll kill him! Stop!”

“Damn it, what kind of strength is this… Everyone over here! Over here!”

“Get Tyson out of here first! Don’t leave him there!”

Some of the players, belatedly realizing what was happening, joined the fray, clinging to my limbs.

And a coach with a deathly pale face grabbed Tyson by the back of his jersey and dragged him towards the dugout.

Crash!

At that moment, the safety netting separating the spectators from the field gave way under a surge of bodies.

“Die! You dirty Yankees bastards!”

“Huh! Run away! Everyone run away!”

The Yankees players, seized by panic at the sight of the enraged crowd spilling onto the field, scattered in every direction.

Seattle police, who had been dispatched after hearing reports of the brewing trouble, shouted and formed a line to hold back the mob.

“No further! Step back now! You are not rioters!”

“Shut up! We’re going to kill them all! How dare you touch Han Su-hyeok!”

T-Mobile Park instantly devolved into a chaotic battlefield.

* * *

“We’re ready. Manager, the reporters are waiting.”

“Okay, let’s go.”

The game, which would undoubtedly be etched in Major League history as a brutal spectacle, with a total of 12 players and coaches ejected from both teams, was finally over.

Final score: 8 to 7, Seattle’s come-from-behind victory.

But the win or loss felt insignificant in the face of what had transpired.

Daniel was incandescent with rage that five players from Seattle alone—Han Su-hyeok, Ty Johnson, Derek Fleming, Bruce Matthews, and Chuck Clark—had been ejected due to the bench-clearing brawl.

More than the ejections, Daniel was furious that most of them had sustained injuries, some minor, some potentially serious.

Especially Han Su-hyeok, the player he had personally scouted and pursued for three long years, the one he believed could lead Seattle to its first World Series appearance, had been struck in the head with a ball and collapsed.

Fortunately, the ball had hit the bat first, lessening the impact, but seeing him go down like that had felt like a punch to the gut.

The injured players were being evaluated at a local hospital.

Now it was his turn to face the music.

He knew the league office was already preparing a meeting to determine the appropriate disciplinary actions related to the brawl.

Daniel had no intention of allowing the Seattle players who had participated, especially Han Su-hyeok, to be punished. He didn’t care whether Tyson Barsham’s injuries were severe or not.

An eye for an eye.

If you throw a ball at someone’s head, you have to be prepared to face the consequences, even death. That was Daniel’s unwavering stance.

He strode into the press conference room, the speech he had rehearsed dozens of times echoing in his mind.

The reporters, already seated, rose as he entered.

“Reporters, please take your seats. Before I open the floor to questions, I want to make a statement on behalf of the Seattle Mariners organization.”

The reporters, who had been buzzing with anticipation, fell silent.

And Daniel began to speak.

“First, I’d like to pose a question to everyone here. In the entire history of baseball, spanning over a century, have any players who exchanged punches during a bench-clearing brawl ever been prosecuted for assault? Does anyone know why?”

The manager’s unexpected question hung in the air.

One reporter, after a moment of hesitant glances, raised his hand.

“Isn’t it because it typically doesn’t meet the legal requirements for establishing a crime?”

“Precisely. You’re well-informed. For those who aren’t, to be legally recognized as a crime, certain conditions must be met, including the elements of the crime itself, its illegality, and the capacity for responsibility. Bench-clearing brawls often present exceptions to the requirements for establishing a crime and demonstrating illegality.”

“I’m not a legal expert, but could you elaborate on the requirements for establishing a crime?”

“A good question. For example, for a physical altercation in a bench-clearing brawl to be considered assault, the act of inflicting violence on another person’s body must be proven, and that act must be deemed illegal. But!”

Daniel paused for emphasis, scanning the faces of the reporters. Then he continued.

“For violence to be considered illegal, it must be negatively evaluated under the legal framework. However, exceptions exist. Self-defense, for instance, is recognized as assault but is not judged to be illegal. This principle applies to baseball as well.”

“I understand. But why are you holding a press conference to discuss legal technicalities…?”

Daniel’s expression hardened at the reporter’s question. He answered with unwavering conviction.

“As I stated, under current law, the act of exchanging punches during a bench-clearing brawl, particularly when a player is defending himself from a serious threat, can be considered self-defense and is not subject to punishment. But!”

“Yes, but what?”

“In today’s game, Han Su-hyeok was in imminent danger of losing his life. He was targeted with a projectile traveling at nearly 100 miles per hour, with no protection.”

“Hmm.”

“Fortunately, the ball struck the bat first, mitigating the impact, but it was undeniably a life-threatening situation. And this isn’t an isolated incident. For too long, morally bankrupt pitchers have been deliberately throwing at batters’ heads.”

“That’s true.”

“Throwing a ball at a batter’s head is akin to wielding a weapon and constitutes aggravated assault. In the United States of America, where we reside, self-defense is justified even if it means using a firearm to subdue an assailant wielding a knife.”

“That’s a fair point.”

“Yes, today Han Su-hyeok’s life was threatened by that son of a bitch, Tyson Barsham, and he fought back with his bare hands to protect himself. In the process, a few of the guy’s teeth were dislodged and his ribs may have been fractured, but so what? If that had happened outside the stadium, Tyson would have been shot on the spot! Because he intentionally threw a 100-mile-per-hour projectile at someone’s head!”

Daniel, his voice rising with righteous indignation, paused to take a breath before continuing.

“Therefore, I want to formally state the position of the Seattle Mariners organization. If an excessive penalty is imposed on Han Su-hyeok, who acted in self-defense today, our organization will vehemently oppose that measure. We also urge the league office to increase the penalties for throwing at the head and to consider implementing rules that waive penalties for opposing players in the event of a bench-clearing brawl stemming from such an act.”

* * *

Meanwhile, in the office of the Commissioner of Major League Baseball.

“Um… are you sure it’s wise to release this statement as is? There’s bound to be significant backlash. Especially from the Steinbrenner family [the owners of the New York Yankees]…”

“Hey, Oliver.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Is this the time to be concerned about the Yankees owner? Do you not realize who backs the Seattle organization? If they so much as clear their throat, we, the Yankees, no, this entire baseball establishment could be swept away, starting with us?”

“Huu… !”

“Besides, this issue has been brewing for too long. We’ve turned a blind eye to pitchers targeting batters’ heads for far too long. Daniel is right. If you try to kill someone, you have to be prepared to face the consequences.”

“I understand. I’ll release the statement immediately.”

“Okay, you’re dismissed.”

[Major League Baseball Office Announces Disciplinary Actions Related to Bench-Clearing Brawl Between Seattle Mariners and New York Yankees: Mariners’ Han Su-hyeok Fined $5,000, 20 Hours of Community Service; Ty Johnson Fined $5,000, 30 Hours of Community Service; Derek Fleming Suspended for 1 Game; Bruce Matthews Suspended for 1 Game; Chuck Clark Suspended for 1 Game; New York Yankees’ Tyson Barsham Suspended for 30 Games, Fined $50,000, 50 Hours of Community Service; Shaquille Leonard Suspended for 1 Game; Greg Joseph Suspended for 2 Games]

[New York Yankees Immediately Protest: “Tyson Suffered Fractured Cheekbones and Ribs. But a mere $5,000 fine instead of a suspension for Su-hyeok? Furthermore, the 30-game suspension imposed on Tyson is excessive. We cannot accept it.”]

[Seattle Mariners: “We are not entirely satisfied, but we respect the league office’s decision to demonstrate a willingness to address the issue.”]

[Major League Baseball Office: “We will eradicate the act of intentionally throwing beanballs [a pitch thrown deliberately at the batter’s head] at the head. This is an act that endangers not only individual players but the integrity of the entire sport. We will seize this opportunity to thoroughly revise the relevant regulations and strive to create a new Major League Baseball that is fit for the modern era of 2030.”]

[Steinbrenner Family, Owners of the New York Yankees, Furious: “If you persist in this manner, we may withdraw from Major League Baseball. Do you want to play baseball without the Yankees?”]

“Jo, why is this mom-and-pop store owner [referring to Daniel, the Mariners’ manager, acting fearlessly] acting like he has no fear in the world?”

“I apologize, young master. I’ll address the situation immediately.”

“See to it. And keep me updated on Su-hyeok hyung’s test results.”

“Yes, sir.”

[Steinbrenner Changes Stance 10 Minutes After Announcing Statement: “I Think I Was Mistaken. I Withdraw All Previous Statements and Fully Accept the League Office’s Decision. I Wish Han Su-hyeok a Speedy Recovery.”]