Genius Pitcher Hides 170Km [EN]: Chapter 309

#308. A Petty Attempt

Barry Bonds, who could have been recorded as the greatest hitter in modern baseball history if it weren’t for the drugs.

It was 1998, the year Barry Bonds was first suspected of using drugs. The Giants were trailing the Arizona Diamondbacks 8-6, down by two runs.

With two outs and the bases loaded, Barry Bonds stepped up to the plate.

And a moment later, a tremendous booing erupted from the stands.

The visiting team, Arizona, intentionally walked Barry Bonds. With two outs and the bases loaded.

In conclusion, Arizona’s choice was correct.

Although they allowed the Giants to close the gap to 8-7 due to the intentional walk, Arizona ultimately won by getting the next batter, Brant Main, out.

An intentional walk with two outs and the bases loaded.

It was an episode that showed how terrifying a hitter Barry Bonds was at the time.

And now,

The Seattle Mariners, after finishing a three-game series against Oakland, met the Texas Rangers.

In the bottom of the ninth, Seattle’s last chance to attack, that historic event was being repeated.

“Boo!”

“You cowardly bastards! You can’t find sportsmanship in them!”

“Just forfeit! Throw in the towel, you sons of bitches!”

The home team, Seattle, was trailing 3-1, down by two runs, due to the silence of their batting lineup despite the good pitching of starter Ryan Thibeault.

In the bottom of the ninth, the last attack of the regular inning, a spark of hope ignited.

With two outs, three batters—8th hitter Josh Oliver, 9th hitter Liam Landman, and 1st hitter Derek Fleming—walked in a row, creating a two-out, bases-loaded situation.

And he stepped up to the plate.

A monster named Han Su-hyeok, who is batting .419 with a .515 on-base percentage, a 1.044 slugging percentage, and 51 home runs in 110 games this season.

A timeout was requested, and the Texas pitching coach went to the mound.

The Texas Rangers, overcoming their early-season slump and clinging to their last hope for a wild card [a playoff berth awarded to the best non-division-winning teams].

Their choice was an automatic intentional walk.

“Goddamn it! How can a guy who can’t compete in this situation be a big league pitcher?”

“Retire, you son of a bitch! If you’re going to do that and get paid millions of dollars, just retire!”

The booing of the enraged Seattle fans poured down, but the automatic intentional walk requested from the bench could not be stopped.

But at this moment, the most furious person was not the spectators.

It was Ty Johnson, who had even moved teams to play with Han Su-hyeok, and who was called the best hitter in the big leagues until last season.

The score, which had been 3-1, became 3-2, and he stepped up to the plate.

“Play!”

A situation where a single hit could lead to a come-from-behind victory.

Bang!

The batted ball by Ty Johnson flew powerfully towards the center fence.

But there was Max Lawrence, the Texas Rangers’ franchise star and this season’s Gold Glove [an award for defensive excellence] contender in center field along with Derek.

Thud.

“No!”

“Damn it, daaamn it!”

Center field fly out.

It was the moment when Texas’s attempt to avoid Han Su-hyeok and compete against Ty Johnson ended in success.

* * *

Ty Johnson, who overcame the problem of low outside pitches that plagued him in the early season, is piling up batting indicators at a frightening pace, as if trying to break his career high this season.

With 111 games played this season, no one can call a player with a .330 batting average, a .445 on-base percentage, and a .645 slugging percentage sluggish.

But,

The problem was that the hitter in front of him was Han Su-hyeok.

Han Su-hyeok, who has a batting average of over .400 and is challenging the single-season home run record.

As the season passed the two-thirds mark, and the teams challenging for the fall baseball [playoffs] and the teams preparing for the next season were clearly divided, the strategies of each team facing Seattle began to change.

Seattle lost the first game to Texas after allowing an intentional walk with two outs and the bases loaded.

And then the second game.

Han Su-hyeok had to endure three automatic intentional walks and two intentional walks in five plate appearances.

Fortunately, Han Su-hyeok himself was on the mound for Seattle today.

Despite being treated almost like a non-existent person at the plate, Han Su-hyeok recorded a quality start [pitching at least six innings and allowing three or fewer earned runs], allowing only one run in eight innings.

But he couldn’t prevent the team’s defeat.

The Texas Rangers, who were trailing by one point at 2-1, made a comeback against Seattle’s middle relief pitchers in the top of the ninth.

If Adam Murphy, who had a save yesterday, had been on the mound, the situation might have been different, but he was on his way to the medical center to measure his physical condition after his first pitch since returning to active duty.

After allowing the comeback, in Seattle’s last attack in the bottom of the ninth, with two outs and a runner on first, an automatic intentional walk was requested as if it were only natural when Han Su-hyeok stepped up to the plate.

It didn’t end there. Texas even used an intentional walk for the next batter, Ty Johnson.

Chuck Clark’s bat hit the opposing closer’s pitch beautifully when he stepped up to the plate with two outs and the bases loaded.

And the moment that ball was caught in the glove of Texas center fielder Max Lawrence once again,

“Hmm…”

Manager Daniel sensed that a moment of change had come to this team.

* * *

“That’s why I’m thinking of moving you to number one [in the batting order]. Any problems?”

“No, no problem at all.”

“I’m worried about putting the pitcher who started yesterday at number one, but I trust your judgment. If you’re okay with it, it must be really okay. But I won’t give you the green light [unrestricted permission]. Don’t forget that your hands have to do not only hitting and running but also pitching.”

“I understand. I’ll refrain as much as possible.”

“Good, go out there. Champion. Let’s show those guys what’s what.”

The Athletics, the second-place team in the division, are constantly chasing, and the Yankees and White Sox, the first and second-place teams in the league, keep running away no matter how much we chase.

In this important time, we suffered two consecutive losses to Texas, which we didn’t expect, but personally, I don’t give much meaning to this defeat.

The hitting sense of the hitters behind me was no different from usual, and the weakness of the middle relief pitchers was the same as before.

It was inevitable that new closer Adam Murphy took a day off for examination, and it was fully expected that the opposing team would use consecutive intentional walks against me.

Even if you expect all of this, the problem with this sport called baseball is that you can’t always get good results.

Anyway,

Regardless of my thoughts, the manager seems to have decided that now is the time to change the lineup.

After taking care of some business and returning to the locker room, the lineup sheet written by the manager was posted on the wall.

1st Designated Hitter Han Su-hyeok

2nd 1st Baseman Ty Johnson

3rd Center Fielder Derek Fleming

4th Right Fielder Chuck Clark

5th Left Fielder Jim Brown

6th Catcher Bruce Matthews

7th 3rd Baseman Liam Landman

8th 2nd Baseman Jonathan Owens

9th Shortstop Josh Oliver

Starting Pitcher Mike Warren

1st Designated Hitter,

I will be standing in the number one spot for the first time since my big league debut.

* * *

– Ah, Han Su-hyeok is leading off today. Commissioner Go Dong-sik, how should we take that?

– Yes, Han Su-hyeok has been subjected to a lot of intentional walks in the last two games. I can’t pinpoint it, but Texas, which used the intentional walk tactic, has won two games in a row. It seems that manager Benjamin’s answer to such an intentional walk tactic is this. Top hitter Han Su-hyeok.

– If you’re going to walk him, walk him. If you want to start the game with a runner on base from the first inning. Is that what you mean?

– That’s right. Announcer Park has been watching baseball for a long time, so he’s become an expert now.

– Haha, there’s that, but it happened once in the KBO [Korean Baseball Organization], right? Han Su-hyeok, who mainly hit third, moved to first a few times.

– That’s right. He’s already experienced it. It’s obvious, but manager Benjamin, who was the head coach of the Warriors at the time, would already know how to solve it.

– But wouldn’t the opposing team have expected it to some extent? Han Su-hyeok’s leadoff, I mean.

– Of course. They’ll have the data. But I think they might not expect this. Han Su-hyeok, who was the leadoff in the KBO, is different from the current Han Su-hyeok, right? That’s what they’re thinking.

– Different? Ah, you’re talking about mobility.

– That’s right. Back in his KBO days, Han Su-hyeok was a synonym for a hitter and runner who could steal 50 bases if he set his mind to it. But since moving to the big leagues and bulking up, he has been extremely restrained in stealing bases. He tried 9 times this season… and succeeded all 9 times. The success rate is great, but the opposing team can’t help but underestimate the possibility of stealing bases.

– Thank you for the explanation. Anyway, the success or failure of today’s game depends on how much mobility Han Su-hyeok can utilize on the base, and how efficiently the hitters behind him can take advantage of the chances. That’s what we should pay attention to.

– Yes, what’s fortunate in the meantime is that Derek Fleming, who is placed behind Ty Johnson, has a batting average of over .400 in the last seven games. Anyway, today is an all-out war for both teams. If Seattle loses even after putting Han Su-hyeok as the top hitter, other teams will use the intentional walk tactic without exception. We have to smash them with power. I believe we can do it.

– I understand. Then I’ll see you again in a moment. This is T-Mobile Park in Seattle, USA, where the 10th game of the season between the home team Seattle Mariners and the visiting team Texas Rangers is being held.

* * *

The reason why I was fixed in the number 2 spot after advancing to the big leagues was a compromise to aim for both personal and team performance.

Personally, I was able to step up to the plate one more time and aim for a home run, and for the team as a whole, with Derek Fleming as a decent leadoff, the lineup that could maximize the use of me and Ty Johnson was Han Su-hyeok at number 2, Ty Johnson at number 3, and Chuck Clark at number 4.

But,

What if the opponent tries to exclude me from the game?

It’s only natural that I move to number 1 and leave the cleanup [the role of hitting with runners on base] to the other hitters.

My weight, which had been raised to 115 kg in the early season, has dropped to 111 kg as the season progresses.

As a result, my batting power has also decreased slightly.

But as a trade-off, I feel that my body has become considerably lighter.

To make my body, which has lost weight due to the forced march, so comfortable and light.

I think I should raise Jacob’s salary.

He might be a magician who handles the human body.

“Okay, let’s smash those guys!”

“Go! Go! Go!”

With Texas’s attack in the top of the first ending without a score, Seattle’s counterattack began.

Thanks to playing as a designated hitter, my body, which had been fully rested during the defensive innings, was heating up as if it would explode at any moment.

But,

“Boo!”

“They really don’t know any shame!”

“Texas! You sons of bitches! Just disband the team!”

“If the drug addict’s home run record isn’t broken, it’s all your fault!”

The moment I stepped up to the plate, an automatic intentional walk was requested immediately.

I made eye contact with the pitcher on the mound.

But there was not a trace of shaking on his face.

They, too, are determined in their own way. To throw away all shame to acquire a wild card.

Well, it’s polite to treat an opponent who comes out sincerely with sincerity.

Swish.

As soon as I stepped on first base, I sent a steal sign to the dugout [the team’s bench area].

I nodded at the manager’s words before this inning.

Not to attempt to steal a base unless it is a situation where you can definitely be safe, a situation where you can succeed without a headfirst slide.

In other words, it means you can try if you are confident that you can walk in.

Approval was given from the dugout, which had been silent for a long time at my steal sign.

“Play!”

Suddenly, a hollow laugh came out.

I have spent nearly 20 years in the professional arena, including before my regression.

To create a situation where I can run so openly for me.

Aren’t you afraid of injuries?

Well,

I am already a person who has experienced the worst bottom as a baseball player.

And I spent my days despairing over the things I couldn’t achieve.

For me, the risk of injury is nothing.

The world of the big leagues is ruthless.

The moment you are afraid and hesitate, the moment you show your weakness, the enemy’s fangs fly in and pierce you. That’s what the major leagues are all about.

For myself, who wants to test the limits as a player, and for the team’s victory,

I’m going to smash Texas’s petty attempt.

Thoroughly, so that they never try this again.

Thwack!