Genius Pitcher Hides 170Km [EN]: Chapter 313

#312. The Genius Who Tries Hard

“You’re really a heartless bastard.”

“Hyung [older brother or male friend], even if that’s true, we’re not alone here. Maybe you shouldn’t use such harsh language…”

“What? Are you not on our team? Are you suddenly taking Han Su-hyeok’s side just because there’s a celebrity here?”

“No, but it’s not polite to badmouth someone’s future husband in front of the person who promised to set me up on a blind date when I go to Korea at the end of the year. Don’t you think so, Sister-in-law?”

“Oh my, future husband? Sister-in-law?”

“Oh, am I jumping the gun? If that’s the case, I’m really…”

“No, no, not at all. Oh dear, look at my manners. I haven’t brought out the braised short ribs yet. Just a moment, I’ll get them right away!”

“Hmm.”

The eighth game of the season between the Angels, with ace Ryu Han-gyeol on the mound, and the Mariners, led by Hayashi Rentaro, ended with a 4-2 victory for the Seattle Mariners, thanks to Han Su-hyeok’s performance, which included a solo home run, three hits, and two RBIs [Runs Batted In].

After the game, as promised, I picked up Ryu Han-gyeol and Lee Chan-ho and drove them back to my place.

This was for a dinner that Min Ye-rin grandly described as ‘to show that Han Su-hyeok is also just a normal human being.’

It’s been 30 minutes since the meal started, but I haven’t had to do anything other than move my spoon and chopsticks.

Ryu Han-gyeol, who allowed a home run after betting against me, has been grumbling and devouring food for the past 30 minutes, while Lee Chan-ho, who saved face with an RBI double today, is happily chatting away with Ye-rin.

Anyway, this is the first time I’ve invited someone other than Ye-rin to our house and had dinner with them.

“Hey, how much did Seattle pay you, anyway?”

“You know, even if you add up the signing bonus and annual salary, it’s still less than the incentives Hyung [older brother or male friend] will receive this year.”

“Then what money did you use to buy a house like this… no, and if you were going to buy such a big house, why didn’t you decorate it? What’s with all this emptiness?”

“Yeah. If you were going to leave it so empty, you could have just bought a small house…”

After the meal, the two seniors, who are the only Koreans playing in the major leagues with me, began exploring our house with great interest.

Well, I’m not worried that those two will take pictures of the inside of the house and post them on social media, so I let them do whatever they want.

Actually, I wouldn’t have cared about that at all before, but after some guy was caught setting up a telescope on the hill overlooking our living room and acting like a paparazzi, I’ve become a little sensitive.

More than anything, there’s nothing to see in our house.

Except that the house is a bit too big, we don’t have anything other than the bare necessities.

Recently, Ye-rin seems to be subtly trying to decorate the house here and there,

Um… how should I put it, it feels a bit strange, so I told her not to.

It felt like I needed to get permission from Ye-rin’s father.

“Su-hyeok, what’s in the basement here? Can I go in and take a look?”

“Yeah, there’s nothing much there.”

“Really? Then let’s see… Huh?”

“Hey, Han Su-hyeok, what is this? What did you build here?”

“Just a personal practice room?”

“Wow… did you buy a big house on purpose to build this in the basement?”

“Yeah, actually, I’m almost always in the basement except when I’m sleeping.”

“Crazy, so that’s why it looked like no one was home when your paparazzi cut was released last time.”

The two were surprised by the personal practice room I had built in the basement.

The only reason I chose this house was because of the huge basement space that was originally used as a wine cellar. I bought this unusual house, where the basement is even larger than the first floor, for an exorbitant price.

Ryu Han-gyeol, who looked around my practice room, which has facilities comparable to those of a decent professional team’s indoor training facility, asked.

“Su-hyeok.”

“Yes?”

“You can just train at the club. Why go to such lengths at home?”

“It’s inconvenient. If I have training facilities at home, it’s convenient because if I think of something while lying in bed, I can just come down and fix it.”

Ryu Han-gyeol and Lee Chan-ho suddenly closed their mouths at my words.

I thought they were thinking about something, so I didn’t bother to talk to them and just left them alone.

After looking back and forth between me and the training room for a while without saying anything, the two ate the dessert that Ye-rin brought out and then went straight back to their dorms.

It seems they ate too much and their stomachs were upset.

“I knew it. They seemed to be overeating.”

“Oppa [term of endearment used by a younger woman to address an older male],”

“Hmm?”

“Sometimes you seem sharp, but strangely oblivious.”

“What are you talking about?”

“No, never mind… more than that, I’m going to post the three of you eating on my social media. Is that okay?”

“Well, do as you please. But really, what am I oblivious…”

I don’t know.

I think I’ve lived too long apart from ordinary people to understand their general thoughts.

But that’s not what’s important now.

I need to work a little harder to catch up with those Yankees and White Sox bastards who keep running away.

Come to think of it, my swing in the last at-bat today was a bit off…

“Ye-rin, I think I need to go downstairs and practice, so just leave the dishes and go home. It’s dark, so don’t drive yourself, make sure you call your manager. Got it?”

* * *

New Yorkers believe that the center of the world is the United States, and that the center of the United States’ economy, culture, fashion, and baseball is New York.

During the last All-Star break, the biggest concern of New Yorkers rooting for the New York Yankees was Han Su-hyeok.

It’s not because they were cheering for a player from another team.

They were indulging in the vain hope that their wealthy owner, who claims that he can bring in any player as long as he has the money, would bring in Han Su-hyeok this time as well.

Of course, their expectations turned out to be completely futile as the trade deadline passed.

But anyway, the Yankees fans, who gave up on bringing in Han Su-hyeok, began to create a new narrative, putting forward two stars representing their team.

On the pitching side, it was Shaquille Leonard, a young ace brought in from Milwaukee at a high price, and on the hitting side, it was Lucas Anderson, the Yankees’ franchise star and captain, who they put forward as Han Su-hyeok’s rival.

Thwack!

“Fuck!”

– Ah, that’s a shame! That’s really a shame. Lucas Anderson’s big hit is caught right in front of the fence!

– If that had gone over, it would have been his fortieth home run. Ah, the Yankees’ captain glares at the fence with a frustrated expression.

Lucas Anderson, who was the epitome of a hitter with speed and power until last season, gave up stolen bases, which carry a high risk of injury, this season and instead chose to hit for power.

As a result, until just before the All-Star break, he recorded the best performance of his career, with a batting average of 0.304, an on-base percentage of 0.384, a slugging percentage of 0.655, 33 home runs, and 70 RBIs [Runs Batted In]. He added six more home runs during the remaining games in July and was on the verge of hitting 40 home runs.

Originally, it was a performance that would have been good enough to aim for the league MVP [Most Valuable Player],

But there he was in the American League.

Han Su-hyeok, who is recording a performance that Lucas can’t even dare to challenge as a hitter.

The difference in batting average is more than 10%, and the difference in home run numbers is more than 10.

The rivalry with Han Su-hyeok created by the Yankees fans only made Lucas’s shoulders heavier.

Meanwhile, Lucas wasn’t the only one feeling the pressure because of Han Su-hyeok.

Whoosh

Crack

“Strike! Out!”

“Nice!”

– Amazing! Shaquille Leonard strikes out three batters in a row and escapes the crisis in the bottom of the 6th inning on his own!

– As expected, it’s a performance worthy of New York’s pride and the Yankees’ heart. Shaquille Leonard raises his hand to the fans.

– His velocity has dropped a bit in the second half of the season, but his overall performance is getting even better, right?

– That’s right. Shaquille Leonard is the only player who is currently being evaluated as the only player who can compete with Han Su-hyeok for the Cy Young Award [award given annually to the best baseball pitcher]. They brought in a really good pitcher.

Shaquille Leonard, a 27-year-old fireballer who was brought in from Milwaukee in the middle of this season, has maintained a very good pace, with 12 wins and an ERA [Earned Run Average] of 2.65 as of early August, combining his records from his former team.

Of course, it’s a great performance. It’s a performance that would have been good enough to aim for the title of best pitcher in the American League if it weren’t for Han Su-hyeok.

But, the reality was harsh.

Shaquille Leonard couldn’t even dare to present his business card in front of the brilliant achievement of pitcher Han Su-hyeok, who recorded 15 wins and an ERA of 0.49 for the season. Shaquille’s current position was worse than Han Su-hyeok’s teammate, Ryan Thibo, let alone Han Su-hyeok.

Nevertheless, the tone of the New York fans and the local media, which represents their public sentiment, was consistent.

[Who is the best pitcher in the American League in the 2030 season? A two-way battle between Shaquille Leonard and Han Su-hyeok]

[Lucas Anderson, the star of the Yankees, who has been chasing Han Su-hyeok’s home run pace, will he be the ultimate winner?]

Perhaps it was the twisted affection of the New York citizens who failed to make him their player despite their courtship of Han Su-hyeok.

Han Su-hyeok, who made New Yorkers feel complicated, is now preparing for the ninth game of the season against the LA Angels.

* * *

“You’re not human. You don’t have to go that far, do you?”

“What do you mean?”

“Okay, if a genius works hard, how are ordinary people supposed to catch up?”

“Hmm.”

“Anyway, now that it’s come to this, don’t ever lose to those Yankees bastards. I can’t stand seeing them compare you to Lucas Anderson and Shaquille Leonard.”

“It’s not like the American kids are making a fuss for just a day or two.”

“No, so hit some home runs and don’t even give them a chance to compare… um, what nonsense am I talking about? Pretend you didn’t hear that. I’m going now.”

Ryu Han-gyeol, who suddenly complained before the game started, shrugged his shoulders and returned to his dugout.

I also know roughly how the New York public opinion is turning through the Internet.

Lucas Anderson, Shaquille Leonard…….

Hmm,

Lucas is definitely a great hitter.

Just looking at the fact that he hit nearly 40 home runs by July, you can see how talented he is.

Compared to before the regression, he was clearly becoming a better hitter.

But,

So what?

I don’t know what to do.

And Shaquille Leonard?

I said this last time, but as long as his father is attached as a trainer, he’s sure to fail within a year, or half a year at the earliest.

Looking at the fact that his velocity has been steadily decreasing recently, his shoulder will already be tattered by the time he plays in the fall in two months. He’s a ticking time bomb that could explode at any time.

Anyway, in addition to those two, the Yankees’ power is truly overwhelming, having acquired Tyson Barsham, who broke his jaw after throwing a beanball at me but has now regained his pace, and James Taylor, a young star from Tampa Bay.

The New York Yankees are highly likely to meet our team in the championship if this season’s landscape continues as it is.

I stepped into the batter’s box, thinking of the New York Yankees logo, which is annoying just to think about.

“Play!”

The lineup is exactly the same as yesterday, except that the starting pitcher has been changed from Hayashi Rentaro to Dimon Anderson Jr.

Our team’s attack in the bottom of the first inning began with one point given up by the leadoff hitter’s home run in the top of the first inning.

“Hey, Han, I figured out that guy’s habit.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Watch. I’ll show you the results first.”

Derek, who left behind incomprehensible words, smiled strangely and stepped into the batter’s box.

And he hit the pitcher’s first pitch.

Thwack!

“Out!”

“You said you were going to show me something?”

“…Damn it, that pitcher’s glove hand drops slightly whenever he throws a changeup. But that’s different from making a hit.”

“Are you seeing things?”

“No, I’m telling you? Trust me and aim for it. Don’t forget. If the glove hand drops about 5 centimeters lower than usual, it’s changeup timing.”

It seems impossible to check whether the position of the glove hand has dropped or risen by 5 centimeters in the instantaneous pitching motion, but in the first place, we are major leaguers who are paid hundreds of millions of dollars to do that impossible thing.

I was a little suspicious, but I stepped into the batter’s box with Derek’s words in my head.

Whoosh

Crack

“Ball.”

A fastball that misses the outside high course on the first pitch. The pitcher’s glove position was no different from usual.

Whoosh

Crack

“Strike!”

This time, a backdoor slider coming into the lowest course on the body side.

I was going to be greedy, but I decided to trust Derek’s words and wait one more time.

At that moment,

Swoosh

The pitcher’s glove hand was caught in my sight as it came down a little lower than usual.

Is a changeup really coming in? If it comes in, where to?

It’s impossible to figure out the course, of course.

First, put the center of gravity back, visualize the trajectory of the uppercut swing to hit the falling ball, and focus on the pitcher.

Whoosh

It’s real. A changeup flying into the outside low course as Derek said.

Thwaaaaaack!

I swung at the falling ball as if it were about to hit the ground.

– Here it goes! Here it goes! The hit by Han Su-hyeok goes to the right fielder’s back, back, over the fence, here it goes! Season’s 54th home run! Han Su-hyeok, whose home run pace has been slow for a while, is starting to renew the single-season most home run record again with consecutive home runs yesterday and today!

– That’s really cool! A hit that would have ended up as an outfielder’s fly for a normal hitter has received power and flown incredibly far. Wow, I’m really proud to be a Korean every time I see this. Viewers! We are following the footsteps of a proud Korean player who is conquering the big league stage in real time. Please keep this moment of great history, which may never come again, deep in your hearts!