Genius Pitcher Hides 170Km [EN]: Chapter 28

#27. 158km/h Two-Seamer

During my time in the Big Leagues, baseball felt like war, and the field was my battlefield.

I mistakenly believed that proving my worth with every at-bat and earning a substantial salary was the ultimate goal in baseball.

That’s why every at-bat, from the first in the opening game to the last in the regular season, was so crucial to me.

But there were always obstacles in my path.

As the season drew to a close, rookies labeled as “promising prospects” would be called up from the Minor Leagues for a tryout in the Big Leagues.

I resented having to concede at-bats to these rookies.

Sometimes, clueless guys would approach me for autographs or advice, and I’d tell them to get lost.

Looking back, I realize I was constantly feeling pressured and chased by something.

So much so that I couldn’t even offer a word of encouragement to those rookies who were new to the Big Leagues and couldn’t even be compared to me.

That’s not an excuse.

I’m just trying to rationalize my behavior back then.

The exhibition games, scheduled for 14 games per team, proceeded without any rain delays. My first exhibition schedule after joining the Warriors was complete.

Since it was just the exhibition season, wins, losses, and rankings weren’t significant, but the Warriors recorded 9 wins and 5 losses, tying for second place with the Gwangju Jaguars.

Having released their starting center fielder and shortstop, the Warriors were assessed to have improved in power, with transfer student Choi Min-seok effectively filling those positions.

Ahn Chi-wook took over the third base position vacated by Song Ki-tae.

His fielding at third base is still a bit rough compared to his improving batting, but honestly, it’s greedy to expect more from a rookie just joining the team.

Well, all I can do is work hard as the shortstop.

“Two hours of fungo [a baseball training drill where a coach hits balls to fielders] for every fielding error, Ahn Chi-wook.”

“……”

“Answer.”

“…Okay.”

Personally, I’m satisfied with my performance in these exhibition games.

A batting average of 0.431, an on-base percentage of 0.518, a slugging percentage of 0.851, 8 home runs, and 2 stolen bases. These are the stats I recorded during the exhibition games.

Some experts dismissed my performance as beginner’s luck or a temporary fluke due to a lack of data.

Hmph.

Not bad. The more pitchers underestimate me, the more home runs I’ll hit.

“Soo-hyuk! Over here!”

I turned around at the sound of someone calling me and saw Max Walker, Senior Cho Sung-oh, and Senior Choi Min-seok gathered together, stretching.

“Senior Min-seok. Didn’t you say you had a cold?”

“Oh? Ah, it’s okay. I slept well yesterday. How can I rest when all the juniors are working so hard, haha.”

I sat down next to Senior Choi Min-seok, who was acting like he’d been on the team for about 10 years, and started stretching.

Many experts are warning, and I agree to some extent.

That playing shortstop for an extended period with my 192cm physique could lead to injuries. That’s why my primary positions in the Major League were third base and right field.

But there’s nothing I can do about it right now.

If I switch to another position, rookie Yoo In-cheol or someone from the minor leagues would have to play shortstop.

And considering that Ahn Chi-wook needs to play third base, I’m even more indispensable.

The only thing I can do is focus on stretching as much as possible and learn fielding techniques that minimize strain on my body.

Fortunately, this young and energetic body is responding much more nimbly than I expected. Light and fast enough that I don’t have to overexert myself.

After a brief stretch, I slowly warmed up by jogging around the field.

But Senior Lee Man-shik is waving at me from afar.

Ah, now that I remember, he said he wanted to ask me something earlier.

“Hey, Soo-hyuk. You came at the right time.”

“Is something wrong?”

“I’ve been throwing it a few times, and I think the sinker suits me better than the two-seamer. What do you think?”

Well, to be honest, I’ve never seen Senior Lee Man-shik throw a sinker.

But if I had to answer…

“Is the two-seamer not working out for you?”

“Huh? Yeah, well, I can throw it, but it’s not very good… Actually, the sinker is a bit ambiguous too, but there’s no one on our team who throws a sinker well, so it’s hard to compare.”

“Um, just a moment.”

“Huh?”

Senior Lee Man-shik, who had been going through the motions in his baseball career like the other players on this team, recently started practicing reverse-spinning balls with a new pitching coach.

It’s a positive development.

He’s the oldest pitcher on the team at thirty-three, second only to Senior Cho Sung-oh, but he’s still competitive as a starting pitcher.

If he performs well again, we can establish a solid starting rotation along with the two foreign players.

Anyway, the two-seamer and the sinker… They’re actually similar pitches that don’t need to be strictly differentiated.

A reverse-spinning ball that curves toward the batter’s body and drops when a right-handed pitcher throws it to a right-handed batter.

Technically, the two-seamer has a slightly higher velocity than the sinker, but even this is debatable because some pitchers have a higher velocity with the sinker.

In any case, I have a thorough understanding of sinkers and two-seamers.

After my fastball velocity decreased significantly due to an injury, I practiced for a long time to make it my third pitch.

The two-seamer, with almost no difference in velocity from the four-seamer. At the time, my two-seamer was considered one of the best pitches in the Major League.

Leaving Senior Lee Man-shik looking puzzled, I warmed up briefly and went to the empty mound.

I asked Senior Jang Deok-soo, who was putting on his catcher’s gear next to me, to catch my pitches.

“Senior Man-shik. Can you come over here for a moment?”

“Huh?”

“First… I’ll show you the two-seamer. The grip is like this…”

Now that I think about it, it’s been a while since I’ve been on the mound. It’s the second time since I threw 165km/h at the last spring camp.

My body feels lighter than it did then. Thanks to slightly increasing my body fat percentage, my body feels more flexible.

After showing him the two-seamer grip I use, I immediately started preparing to pitch.

It’s a bit 부담스럽네요 [burdensome/awkward] to throw a reverse-spinning ball because my pitching form isn’t fully developed yet, but…

Well, it’s okay to throw a few, right?

As I practiced with Jacob, I went into the pitching motion, following every routine meticulously.

Smooth.

The form is much more natural than when I threw it at the last camp. It feels like the completion has improved significantly.

To quantify it, about 80%?

Maybe it’s actually possible to pitch before this season ends.

Whoosh

Thwack!

The first two-seamer clocked in at 158km/h.

Um, I threw it with a little less power, but it’s quite usable.

Twenty-year-old body, 15 years of Big League experience, plus Jacob’s coordination, it’s really something else. It feels like I can do anything.

I glanced to the side and saw Senior Lee Man-shik staring at me with his mouth agape.

Um.

Seeing that look, I think I should have offered some advice to those minor league rookies who looked up to me back then.

A veteran’s advice, even if it wasn’t much, would have been a great help to those guys.

“Did you see that? Senior?”

“Uh, uh… You knew how to throw a two-seamer? And a two-seamer at 158? Is, is that even possible?”

“Let’s look at this first. Next is the sinker. The grip is like this…”

The shorter the regret for the past, the better. Now is the time to focus on Senior Lee Man-shik.

This time, the sinker.

Twisting my elbow a little more than when throwing the two-seamer and focusing on the downward angle, thwack.

Whoosh

Thwack!

152km/h, um. This is still usable. It’s been a while since I’ve thrown it.

“Did you see that? The velocity is a bit lower, but the angle is better… Considering that your pitching form is almost sidearm, I think the sinker would be better. Of course, you’ll have to check your elbow condition first.”

“Uh, uh, uh…”

Senior Lee Man-shik stuttered with a look of horror on his face, as if he had witnessed something unbelievable.

Manager Lee Dae-joon and the pitching coach, who were surprised to hear that I threw a 158km/h two-seamer, rushed over and asked me to throw a few more, so I threw about 10 more.

The pitchers on our team, who were standing side by side on the third base side, looked at me with a mixture of awe and disbelief, and the pitching coach’s eyes were filled with admiration.

“Champion, is it possible to throw other breaking balls?”

“That’s all for now. I’m not used to the form yet.”

I’m sorry to those who wanted to see more of my pitching, but that’s all for today.

If I throw with a little less power, I think I can throw about 50, but you never know what might happen.

“My, my sinker is 129km…”

“Velocity isn’t everything, Senior.”

“Even so…”

Senior Lee Man-shik looked at his palm and muttered with a dejected expression, so I tried to comfort him.

“Soo-hyuk, if we make it to the Korean Series [championship series of the KBO League], can you really pitch?”

“Yes, Manager.”

“Then what about the playoffs… Is that too difficult?”

“I’ll try my best.”

“Really? Ahaha, thank you. Yes. Soo-hyuk. I’m so glad you’re here.”

I thought I would become the kind of player who makes the manager cry if I cut him off coldly here, so I just told him I would try my best.

“You monster…”

“Shut up and do a thousand rounds of tee batting. Until all the unnecessary tension is gone from your shoulders.”

“……”

And out of habit, I scolded Ahn Chi-wook and slowly turned my gaze to the other players standing on the field.

Good.

I love this feeling, when so many people find meaning in my every play, admire them, and celebrate together.

The sense of elation is reaching a level that can’t be compared to when I used to play baseball solely for my own success.

I’ve been in this business for over 15 years, and I’m ashamed that I’m only now realizing why baseball is called a team sport.

Suddenly, a thought crosses my mind.

How would I react if something happened that shattered my current mood and happiness?

Even I can’t predict.

I sincerely hope that such a thing doesn’t happen, that nothing disrupts my happiness.

* * *

Thwack!

“You son of a bitch, do you not understand what your senior is saying? Huh?”

“No, Senior.”

“Don’t give me that bullshit. It’s written all over your face. What the hell are you doing when you’re completely exhausted?”

“I wasn’t thinking that.”

Thwack!

The training is over, and all the players and coaches have left, leaving the practice field empty.

Hwang Sung-min, with a fierce expression, is kicking Jang Deok-soo’s shin and cursing.

No matter how volatile Hwang Sung-min is, it’s not the 1980s anymore; it’s 2027.

He would never do this to another player.

The reason he’s inflicting such direct violence on Jang Deok-soo is because he knows his gentle nature.

He knows that even if someone discovers the bruises hidden on his shin, he’ll just say it happened during practice, and he knows that his name will never be mentioned.

“Han Soo-hyuk keeps looking for you, so you think you’re something, you think you’ll become the starting catcher after I get kicked out? Huh?”

“No. You’re misunderstanding, Senior.”

“Fuck you! You son of a bitch! I’m the starting catcher on this team!”

There was no specific reason. Hwang Sung-min is simply angry.

About the fact that the coaches and front office staff who had been supporting him were leaving the team as if they were being forced out, and that Han Jin-woo and Song Ki-tae were even traded, leaving him alone.

And about the fact that the few juniors left on the team are looking at him with pity.

He’s just venting his anger on the easy target, Jang Deok-soo. There was no other reason.

“You be careful! You son of a bitch! Ow, my toe hurts. What kind of bastard has such a uselessly hard body!”

“……”

Hwang Sung-min, having vented all his anger, limped slightly as if he had sprained his toe and left the practice field.

Jang Deok-soo, who had endured the senior’s abuse without a word of protest, dusted off the dirt and dust on his body, as well as Hwang Sung-min’s footprints, and slowly left the practice field.

“Are you heading in now? You’re working hard.”

“Yes, have a good one. Did you like the wool hat I gave you last time?”

“Oh, it fits perfectly. It’s warm. There’s nothing better than that when I’m patrolling at night. Thank you so much.”

“Then I’ll go in.”

Jang Deok-soo, after exchanging greetings with the manager who was patrolling the stadium, walked away with a calm expression.

I thought I had corrected it a lot, but I still occasionally blurt out dialects like this.

‘I still have a long way to go.’

They told me to use standard language if I wanted to live in Seoul. Recalling the words of the elders in the neighborhood, he strode towards the subway station.

When I unconsciously blurt out dialects like this, things from the past occasionally come to mind.

Back in those days when I was known as the neighborhood boss in my small rural village of Seosan, South Chungcheong Province, when I took down all the bullies from nearby high schools in middle school.

* * *