Genius Pitcher Hides 170Km [EN]: Chapter 321

Genius Pitcher Hides 170km – #320. One Step Further

This 4-game series features Seattle’s 5th starter, ace, 2nd starter, and 3rd starter in that order.

Perhaps the last chance given to the Chicago White Sox was the first game, when Dimon Anderson Jr. pitched.

After losing that game due to the intentional walk strategy against Soo-hyuk Han, and then being crushed by Ryan Thibeau’s powerful pitches in the second game, the White Sox now face Soo-hyuk Han, Seattle’s de facto ace.

└ …Fuck!

└ What can I say? I feel like we’ve already lost before the game even started.

└ 16 wins in 20 appearances, a 0.47 ERA… What the hell? What is this insane record?

└ I always feel like Soo-hyuk Han is much scarier as a pitcher than as a batter. His highest earned runs this season is only 2. His worst performance was 9 innings with 2 earned runs. Does that even make sense?

└ Damn it, if I had known this would happen, I would have sold all those scrubs and brought in Soo-hyuk Han.

└ Hey, to bring in Soo-hyuk Han, you would have had to sign Ty Johnson first. Would our Scrooge-like owner have allowed that? It’s not realistic anyway.

└ Thinking about it again, those Seattle guys weren’t in their right minds. Didn’t they sign a long-term contract with Ty Johnson without even knowing if Soo-hyuk Han would come? What if they miss out on Soo-hyuk Han and Ty Johnson just gets old and collapses?

└ Thinking like that is why you’re just an ordinary person. To be a winner in life, you need to make bold bets like Seattle.

└ Forget it, I’m just going to skip the game today and go play with my daughter. Damn it, baseball.

* * *

“Okay, Han, just hit two today. Then you’ll tie Aaron Judge’s record.”

“Derek, your mission is crucial. You have to get on base in the first inning to prevent those guys from running away with the game again.”

“Of course. You can expect me to get on base every time today. I’m Derek Fleming, the king of getting on base.”

Before the game started, in the locker room, the players around me were making a fuss, telling me to hit home runs no matter what.

Well, if I can hit them, of course it’s good to do so, but if I’m too focused on that, I might mess other things up.

Especially on days like today when I’m starting as a pitcher.

To avoid falling into a slump and maintain consistent performance without ups and downs, I need to keep in mind to go with the flow of the game, and on a larger scale, the entire season.

Recently, our team’s momentum is at its peak, and the league’s overall sentiment around the team is also very favorable to us.

In times like these, rather than being greedy, I just need to do things naturally, one step at a time.

“Okay, here’s the lineup for today.”

Benjamin, who had been holed up in the manager’s office for a while, posted the lineup sheet on the locker room wall and returned to his seat.

Perhaps the person experiencing the greatest joy and stress at the same time right now is Benjamin.

As a rookie manager, he might go down in history as the manager who led Seattle to its first-ever World Series.

Moreover,

There are veteran players like Ryan Thibeau who have been dreaming of this team’s championship for a long time, and rookie players who have grown up under their protection.

So many people are relying on me today.

Starting as a pitcher means taking on the dreams and expectations of so many people.

That’s why it’s burdensome,

And that’s why it’s enjoyable.

I looked at the lineup sheet that the manager had posted.

1. Center Fielder Derek Fleming

2. Pitcher Soo-hyuk Han

3. First Baseman Ty Johnson

4. Right Fielder Chuck Clark

5. Left Fielder Jim Brown

6. Third Baseman Liam Landman

7. Shortstop Josh Oliver

8. Catcher Leonard Jones

9. Second Baseman Jonathan Owens

As always, when I start, Tony, the designated hitter who has hit the most home runs after me and Ty on this team, is excluded from the lineup.

And Leonard Jones, the backup catcher who is increasing his appearances to manage Bruce’s stamina, is also included in the lineup.

It’s an inevitable situation where we have to take a penalty in terms of scoring ability,

But it doesn’t matter.

There’s no such thing as a perfect situation anyway.

A starting pitcher is someone who delivers the best possible pitches according to the situation at hand.

And I’m one of the best at that in this entire league.

* * *

Top of the 1st inning, the Chicago White Sox’s first attack,

The eyes of Akinori Hamasaki, the Japanese shortstop who is the leadoff for the White Sox today, are bloodshot.

To put it bluntly, it was due to lack of sleep.

He couldn’t sleep properly because of the SNS [Social Networking Service] notifications that rang all night.

Akinori Hamasaki, who was evaluated as the best shortstop in NPB [Nippon Professional Baseball] history and advanced to the major leagues, had a successful season with Cincinnati, and was recognized for his skills and traded to the White Sox.

Since a while ago, Hamasaki’s SNS has been filled with insults and ridicule.

The ones who were swearing were Japanese baseball fans.

‘What are you doing when Soo-hyuk Han is flying around like that? What was that stupid swing yesterday? You are a disgrace and shame to the Japanese people,’ etc. Various insults filled his SNS.

Not only that.

American Seattle fans and Korean baseball fans united to tear Hamasaki’s pride to shreds.

The cause was a comparison article between Soo-hyuk Han and Hamasaki himself, which was reported by a Japanese right-wing newspaper the day before.

Seattle fans and Soo-hyuk Han’s fans flocked to ridicule Hamasaki, and his SNS notifications were on fire.

It would have been nice if he had just ignored it, turned off his smartphone, and gone to sleep,

But once he started paying attention, he kept checking every time the notification rang.

That’s why malicious comments are so scary.

Even though you know it’s bad news, you keep looking at it, and you get scratched and suffer internal injuries.

“Play!”

Anyway,

That’s that, and the game is the game.

No matter how monstrous Soo-hyuk Han is, he is not invincible.

He has never lost a game as a starter yet,

Damn it, thinking about it again, he might be invincible.

How can a starting pitcher not lose even once throughout the season? Does that even make sense?

Hamasaki clenched his bat grip tightly, cursing his fate of living in the same era as such an unbelievable monster.

He knows from being beaten by that guy a few times.

Soo-hyuk Han’s greatest strength is not his speed or power, but his control.

He is capable of 9-split control, which is only seen in baseball cartoons or used by monsters like Greg Maddux [Hall of Fame pitcher known for his exceptional control].

Therefore, watching the ball for a long time is meaningless.

It may be more advantageous to take the game as quickly as possible before getting caught up in his pace.

Choose one pitch and aim only for that.

What kind of ball will come in as the first pitch?

A ridiculous fastball reaching 107 miles?

A hard sinker that has almost no difference in speed from that fastball?

A high-speed slider that shows movement as if someone is pulling it from the opposite side?

A splitter that comes in like a fastball and then drops to the ground as if throwing it down?

‘Damn it…….’

Curses flowed out without him realizing it in front of too many choices.

A monster among monsters who perfectly executes these many pitches.

Hamasaki, biting his lip tightly, finally made a decision.

The most realistic judgment Hamasaki made was to match the bat timing to the fastball speed and cut if a modified fastball came in.

Swish

It’s a pitching form that is always so precise and beautiful that it’s terrible to see.

Hamasaki, who was momentarily넋을 놓았던 [넋을 놓았던 (neogeul noeatteon) is a Korean expression that means to be stunned or to lose one’s soul], started his swing, counting in his mind.

“One, two, hit… Cough!”

Whoosh

“Swing!”

But Hamasaki’s bat didn’t even touch Soo-hyuk Han’s ball.

Soo-hyuk Han, who threw a 70-mile slow curve, smiled and looked at Hamasaki.

* * *

Thwack!

“Out!”

“Ah, damn it, that was close!”

“To catch that, you son of a bitch! Go to hell!”

Derek Fleming’s promise to get on base in every at-bat today was shattered in just the first at-bat.

Hector Martinez, the captain of the White Sox, who dug out a strong hit that went past first base and connected it to an out, encouraged his teammates in a loud voice.

“Okay, one down! Don’t lose heart, everyone!”

He can’t be compared to Ty Johnson, but he is also the White Sox’s signboard player and captain who has built his own career.

A very slight confidence appeared on the faces of the White Sox players at his encouragement.

But,

[Batter number 2, Pitcher Soo-hyuk Han]

The faces turned white again at the voice of the announcer.

The monster’s at-bat has returned.

Soo-hyuk Han, who was standing in the on-deck circle, cracked his neck from side to side and walked towards the plate.

The pitcher on the mound thought.

‘God, what am I supposed to do!’

Before today’s game, the White Sox manager said this.

He said that he would not request an intentional walk from the bench. However, he may give an intentional walk depending on the game situation.

He looked at where the manager and coach were sitting.

As expected, there was no movement.

It meant that the battery [pitcher and catcher] should judge for themselves in a situation with one out and no runners.

I knew that the manager didn’t really like giving signals from the bench, but…….

‘He doesn’t want to take responsibility…….’

I wondered if he was trying not to create something that he would have to take responsibility for in a game where the attention of baseball fans across the United States was focused on Soo-hyuk Han’s home run record, as well as fans from both teams.

The pitcher, who was suddenly annoyed, sent a signal to the catcher.

‘Let’s walk him.’

‘Okay.’

If the manager doesn’t take responsibility, then I won’t either.

If I fight here and get hit, I will go down in history as the idiot pitcher who gave up the 8th-place tie in the major league single-season record.

Since there is one out and no runners anyway, I’ll walk him.

Thwack

“Ball.”

“Boo! You son of a bitch!”

“You fucking bastard! You won’t get out of this stadium alive today!”

“If I don’t catch the home run ball, it’s all your fault! You’re going to pay the price!”

“Compete! Compete fairly and get hit like you mean it!”

He only threw one ball.

It was intentional, but it was just one ball.

However, with just that one ball, an enormous amount of criticism poured out, as if all the curses the pitcher had ever heard in his life were not enough.

The pitcher’s gaze went to the dugout again through the catcher.

Only then did the pitcher realize why the manager did not request an intentional walk.

He was afraid of this enormous malice and criticism being directed at him.

‘He wants to walk him anyway, but he doesn’t want to take responsibility for it. What a cowardly human being…….’

The pitcher, who poured out a round of curses at the manager in his mind, sent a signal to the catcher.

‘I have no choice. Let’s pretend to compete and make it look like the ball slipped.’

‘Good idea, friend.’

The battery, united in one mind, nodded to each other.

Yes, records are records, but we must not compete with this guy to break the losing streak.

If we have to walk him anyway, we should be as careful as possible so that it doesn’t show, like a decoy.

The pitcher, who sighed deeply, slowly began to wind up.

Hoping that there would be no more criticism, and hoping that the monster would swing at this ball and miss, if he was really lucky,

He threw his most confident changeup, a curveball, towards the lowest outside course.

The ball that changes in front of the home plate and crashes straight into the ground,

Just as the pitcher was about to smile with satisfaction at the ball going in as he intended,

Thwack!

“Cough!”

Soo-hyuk Han hit the one-bounce ball as it was.

This time it was to the right.

The people sitting in the right stands, where Soo-hyuk Han’s hit ball was flying, began to scatter here and there with butterfly nets and gloves.

The right fielder, who sensed it was a home run, stopped in his place, and Soo-hyuk Han, as usual, leaned on his bat like a cane and admired the hit he had made.

The ball that flew like that eventually went over the right fence and fell in the middle of the stands.

No, it was about to fall, but someone snatched it with a butterfly net.

It was a boy with a lot of freckles on his face.

“Wow!”

“Damn it, I missed it again! I need that 2-stage butterfly net after all!”

“Where do they sell that!”

The boy who caught the home run ball jumped up and down in place, and the people around him applauded and congratulated him.

Home run number 61 of the season,

Soo-hyuk Han’s home run ranking rose another step from 9th to 8th.