Genius Pitcher Hides 170Km [EN]: Chapter 323

#322. Don’t Run Away

Fenway Park, the oldest ballpark in Major League Baseball, opened on April 20, 1911, making it 119 years old.

Today, the area around Fenway Park was teeming with people five hours before the final game of the three-game series against Seattle.

“Damn, did you hear? Some idiot posted online that he was going to blow up the Green Monster and got caught by the FBI.”

“What? What are you talking about?”

“He was ranting about how the Green Monster might prevent home runs, so he was going to blow it up. The funny thing is, he wasn’t even a Seattle fan. Look around. It’s just a bunch of goons with butterfly nets. He was one of those guys.”

“Now that you mention it, you’re right. Did all those people come here just to catch a home run ball?”

Han Su-hyeok’s home run streak has been silent for the past eight games.

Baseball fans, filled with anticipation that Han Su-hyeok’s home run streak, which temporarily stopped after his 61st of the season, might resume in this game against Boston, flocked to Fenway Park with gloves and butterfly nets.

As evidenced by the incredible record of 820 consecutive sell-outs from 2003 to 2013, Boston fans’ love for baseball was immense.

Boston fans who came to the stadium to watch what they hoped would be a preview of a postseason showdown against Seattle, the top team in the Western Division, were complaining in front of the ticket window.

“Damn it, why is a Cubs fan trying to watch this game?”

“Look over there. There’s a guy wearing a Brewers jersey, too.”

“Because of those crazy bastards, we can’t watch our game! Tickets! Give us tickets!”

Roughly half of the home runs Han Su-hyeok has hit this season have gone over the left-center field fence.

And in left-center field at Fenway Park is the Green Monster, a massive wall that stands 37 feet (11.3 meters) tall.

It goes without saying that the most expensive seats for today’s game were the few seats on top of that Green Monster.

“What the hell is this scalper saying! What? How much? 3,000? Three thousand dollars?”

“Kill that son of a bitch! Kill him!”

Boston fans trying to get into the stadium by any means, Seattle fans who traveled from the Pacific Northwest to the East Coast, and baseball fans from all over the country who flocked to catch Han Su-hyeok’s home run ball were all creating a chaotic scene as the first game of the final three-game series between Seattle and Boston began.

* * *

“Listen up. If we keep up our current pace, we might meet these guys in the Championship Series [the series to determine the pennant winner in each league]. We absolutely cannot back down. It goes without saying that the Boston guys will also be putting everything on the line in this three-game series. That’s why I’ve prepared the most rational lineup to win. Some of you might be unhappy. But I don’t care. Trust me and follow my lead in this three-game series.”

“Yes, sir!”

“Good, then check the lineup and I’ll see you on the field in a bit.”

As the manager said,

The Boston Red Sox, currently in second place in the American League East Division behind the Yankees, are likely to be the top wild card contender in the American League if they maintain their current pace.

According to the bracket, we won’t face them in the Division Series, but if Boston beats the Yankees, there’s a high chance we’ll meet them in the Championship Series.

With only 31 games left until the end of the season, there are no unimportant games, but we need to concentrate even more when playing against teams we are likely to meet in the postseason.

There’s no need to explain how important taking the initiative is in baseball.

“Ryan, no problems, right?”

“No, Ty. Everything’s great. Couldn’t be better.”

“Good. Don’t let those overzealous Boston guys push you around.”

“Of course. The meditation I learned from Hayashi is a great help.”

“Hmm, is it actually having some effect?”

“Definitely. It’s like, when I see those guys cursing and booing, I imagine this: that’s not a person. It’s like a potato or a cabbage, something like that. So it’s nothing. I can’t hear it. It’s like that kind of suggestion.”

“What’s that? Haha, you might just reach Nirvana [a state of perfect peace and happiness].”

In this three-game series, Ryan, Mike, and I, our team’s 1st, 2nd, and 3rd starters, will be pitching in order.

Coincidentally, Boston will also be sending out their best pitchers, starting with their 1st starter Alex Davis, followed by 2nd starter Rafael Silva, and 3rd starter Brian Bailey.

It’s an all-out war, literally.

I walked over to the wall and checked the lineup that the manager had posted.

1st batter, 3rd baseman Han Su-hyeok

2nd batter, 1st baseman Ty Johnson

3rd batter, Center Fielder Derek Fleming

4th batter, Right Fielder Chuck Clark

5th batter, Designated Hitter Antonio Garcia

6th batter, Left Fielder Jim Brown

7th batter, Catcher Bruce Matthews

8th batter, 2nd baseman Liam Landman

9th batter, Shortstop Josh Oliver

Pitcher Ryan Thibodeau

Perhaps conscious of Jerry Wagner, the league’s best catcher who will do anything to win, the manager is making a bold move by placing me at number 1 today.

Or maybe it’s a consideration to let me set the home run record.

Whatever the reason, I have no intention of giving up either the home run record or the team’s victory today.

I have a lot of things to do, but I need to stay calm, especially at times like this.

Slowly, step by step, I just need to focus on what I can do.

* * *

“Alex, you know better than to throw him good pitches. Absolutely.”

“I know, do you think I’m crazy?”

“Yes, I do think you’re crazy. I’m saying that if something goes wrong, you’ll immediately throw a fastball right down the middle of the zone.”

“Hehe, did you catch on?”

“Damn it, normally I’d let you do whatever you want, but… you know? That guy is really dangerous.”

“Okay, I’ll keep that in mind. Stop nagging and go back and get ready to catch.”

“You promise? Then I’ll trust you and go back?”

Seattle’s attack in the top of the first inning, Boston’s catcher Jerry Wagner, who went up to the mound, frowned and returned to home plate.

The Boston Red Sox, who are in second place in the American League East Division, and the Seattle Mariners, who are leading the West Division.

This three-game series, in which the two teams’ 1st, 2nd, and 3rd starters face off, was also very important to Boston.

If they were to get swept in this three-game series, the worst disaster could occur, with their winning percentage falling behind Oakland, who are in second place in the West Division.

Considering the wild card game, it’s better to be ranked even one step higher.

Jerry Wagner, the field commander of Boston, renewed his determination once again and took a catching stance.

“Compete! Compete!”

“If you run away, I’ll kill you! Compete no matter what!”

“You want to get past the Yankees, don’t you? Then show some more guts! Show us the man!”

Even before the game started, shouts and jeers that made you dizzy were pouring in from all over the stands.

At this point, it’s hard to tell whether this is a home or away game.

Even though the Seattle fans are gathered in one corner on the third base side, multinational allied forces wearing different uniforms are booing the Boston players here and there.

Their only goal is to see Han Su-hyeok’s home run and, if they’re lucky, catch it.

But,

Jerry Wagner had no intention of competing against Han Su-hyeok.

Today, Boston’s manager delegated all authority related to pitch calling to Jerry.

Occasionally, there would be signs to refer to based on data, but the final decision was up to the battery [the pitcher and catcher working together], a fairly unconventional instruction.

Of course, the fact that the pitcher on the mound today was one of the team’s oldest players and a veteran who had won the Cy Young Award [award for the best pitcher] four times also played a role.

In any case, as long as he had the authority over pitch calling, Jerry had no intention of giving Han Su-hyeok a good pitch.

Home run record? He didn’t care about that.

Even if his name was listed as the battery that allowed the new record, Jerry was the kind of guy who wouldn’t even snort at that.

He just hates losing.

He simply judged that the probability of giving up a home run by competing against Han Su-hyeok was higher than walking him and allowing an extra hit to the next batter.

[1st batter, Third Baseman Han Su-hyeok]

Along with the stadium announcer’s voice, that annoying monster finally entered the batter’s box.

It was the same when we met at the beginning of the season, but the more I see him, the more terrifying he is.

With the season heading towards the end, his batting average is .420.

What made Boston’s players and fans even more excited today was that if Han Su-hyeok maintained his current pace, he would take away the title of the last .400 hitter of this era, held by this team’s legend, Ted Williams.

“Hey, Han, how have you been?”

“Just making a living.”

“Oh! You’re answering me today.”

“It’s not like I have absolutely no sociability.”

“Good, in that sense, please swing and miss at the first pitch.”

“You have a tendency to talk nonsense very sincerely.”

“I don’t care what you say. As long as you can swing and miss. Then will you do me a favor, friend?”

I don’t know what he was thinking, but unlike the first three-game series when he didn’t say a word, this taciturn guy answered Jerry Wagner’s words one by one.

I thought about trying to shake him up, but it was impossible.

This was the first time I had spoken to him directly, but I had heard a lot about Han Su-hyeok from players on other teams, especially catchers.

They said he was a guy with trash-talking skills as terrible as his baseball skills.

He’s not the kind of guy who would be shaken by a few words.

Realizing that fact, Jerry Wagner used the pitch com [a device used by catchers to communicate with the pitcher] to send a sign to the pitcher for the first pitch.

‘Slider that completely misses outside’

In the end, what you can trust in moments like this is the skill of the pitcher on the mound.

Alex Davis, who has won the Cy Young Award five times and has the best career of any active pitcher, threw the first pitch with all his might, following Jerry’s lead, even though his form has declined a lot compared to his prime.

Whoosh

Clang

“Ball.”

“Damn, that was a waste of a pitch. Don’t you think?”

“Yeah, if it had come in just a little more, I was going to swing and knock it over.”

“…….”

The moment I heard those words, I remembered Han Su-hyeok’s home run that I had seen in a video a while ago.

He hit a ball that bounced once and sent it over the fence, that unbelievable hit.

Jerry, determined to throw the ball even more carefully, sent the sign for the second pitch with a cautious attitude.

‘Changeup that drops reliably low and inside’

A monster who can create a long hit as soon as he sees even the slightest gap.

But the reason Jerry can throw even decoy pitches like this without completely running away is because he trusts the pitcher on the mound right now.

The fastball that once exceeded 100 miles was nowhere to be found, but the knife-like control that made him a Cy Young winner was still alive.

The best partner, who I’ve been working with since I first put on a catcher’s mask and is now in the twilight of his playing career, powerfully threw the ball towards Jerry.

Whoosh

A perfectly controlled changeup that came in low and inside and dropped as he requested, bouncing once.

Just as Jerry, who quickly knelt down, was about to block the ball,

Crack!

“Ugh!”

Han Su-hyeok pulled the ball, which dropped sharply from the deepest part of his body and crashed to the ground, as if he were playing golf.

The ball, which soared blackly with a tremendous hitting sound, began to fly towards the left side of Fenway Park, where the 37-foot (11.3-meter) -high Green Monster stood.

“Come on! This way! This way!”

“Please! My last hope in life depends on this! Come to me!”

“Hang in there! Baseball! You can do it! You were born for this moment!”

The spectators sitting in the seats above the Green Monster took out their gloves and butterfly nets and waited for Han Su-hyeok’s hit.

The battle between the ball, which soared at a 45-degree angle and flew powerfully towards the left fence, and the giant green wall that had stood in that spot for 119 years.

The winner of that match was a baseball weighing only 5 ounces (145g).

Thud

It was the moment when Han Su-hyeok’s name was engraved next to Aaron Judge of the Yankees, who set the 7th-most single-season home runs in history in 2022.

“No! It’s mine!”

“Please! Please!”

“Get out of the way! Everyone get out of the way!”

The baseball, which hit the spectator seat hard, avoiding the gloves and butterfly nets that the spectators held out, rolled away, and everyone around rushed to grab the ball.

Dozens of people, including large men, skinny women who looked like they would fall over if you touched them, and young boys with freckles all over their faces, gathered and fought over the home run ball.

“Hooray! I caught it!”

“Damn it! I missed the lottery right in front of me!”

“Ah, Lord. Why have you forsaken me!”

Someone’s cheers were heard, as if the fierce ball battle was over.

Han Su-hyeok, who was still standing in the batter’s box and admiring the hit he had made, threw the bat to the side and said this.

“You should have just faced me head-on. It’s more embarrassing to get hit like this while running away, don’t you think?”

“…….”

Jerry Wagner, who had never been pushed back by anyone in trash talk in the major leagues, bit his lower lip tightly and couldn’t say anything.