Genius Pitcher Hides 170Km [EN]: Chapter 348

#347. What If Back Then

“They’re truly incredible. The Seattle Mariners are having an amazing season.”

“That’s right. With yesterday’s win, Seattle has tied the major league record of 22 consecutive wins, previously set by the Cleveland Guardians in 2017. Furthermore, they’ve ousted the Yankees, who had been leading the American League in win percentage all season, and taken their place. It’s a truly remarkable achievement.”

“Wow! Who would have predicted this outcome before the season started? Even when Ty Johnson joined a team that had finished fourth for two consecutive seasons, we thought, well, maybe they could make it to the Wild Card, but that was about it. But now, wow…”

“Because he came. Or rather, descended.”

“Haha, descended. That’s right. He’s practically a god to Seattle fans.”

“We’ll delve into Han Su-hyeok’s final stats in detail once the season is over, but for now, let’s predict how long Seattle’s streak will continue. Steve, what do you think?”

“Hmm, Seattle only has three games left against the Tampa Bay Rays. If they win all of them, they could reach a maximum of 25 consecutive wins.”

“That sounds amazing just hearing it. But, 25 consecutive wins, is it really possible?”

“Well, looking at the starting rotation, Hayashi Rentaro, their fourth starter, is scheduled to pitch in the first game against the Rays, and Dimon Anderson Jr., their fifth starter, will pitch in the next game. I expect Dalvin Schwartz will likely pitch the final game.”

“Looking at the starting rotation alone, it’s not very promising. Considering that Tampa Bay’s ace, Luca Hernandez, is pitching in the first game, even though they’ve given up on the season.”

“That’s right. Just looking at the starters, the Rays have the advantage. But as always, Seattle has the one their fans call ‘Him’.”

“‘Him’… It’s amazing. A rookie who debuted in the big leagues this season is receiving such reverent treatment from the fans.”

“Well, he’s not just any ordinary baseball player. Anyway, starting tomorrow, the Seattle Mariners will embark on their final three-game series to break the major league’s longest winning streak record. We hope you all tune in, and we’ll be back with the game broadcast tomorrow. Thank you.”

* * *

Compared to other sports, Major League Baseball, with its overwhelming number of games, is a part of life for many Americans, and sometimes their entire life.

From late March to October, for about seven months, Major League Baseball fans spend their days elated or dejected by the results of their favorite teams.

Someone once said of these fans:

Baseball fans are all basically close to being bipolar.

If their team wins by a large margin, they get stressed, thinking, ‘Don’t score so much now, save some for tomorrow,’ and if they lose by a large margin, they go crazy, saying, ‘Just disband the team already.’

If they win by a small margin, they get annoyed, thinking, ‘Why make an easy game so difficult,’ and if they lose by a small margin, they get upset, thinking, ‘How could they not come back from this and lose the game.’

No matter the outcome, Major League Baseball fans are bound to be stressed.

However,

At this point, among the fans of the 30 Major League Baseball teams, the only ones who were free from this were the fans cheering for the Seattle Mariners.

“Let’s go! Let’s solidify our position as the American League’s top team!”

“Ohhh! 23 consecutive wins! No, let’s go for 25, Mariners!”

“Damn it, why are there no tickets for the outfield seats! You damn bastards, why is a Cubs fan here instead of watching his own team’s game!”

A team that has surpassed the Yankees to become the top team in the American League and is challenging the longest winning streak after 22 consecutive wins.

And even has a player who is writing a new chapter in Major League Baseball history every day?

For fans cheering for such a team, stress was someone else’s problem.

At the Mariners clubhouse, ahead of the first game of the three-game series against the Tampa Bay Rays to conclude the 2030 season, Hayashi Rentaro, today’s starting pitcher, was muttering something with his head bowed in front of his locker.

The Mariners players watched him and whispered.

“I wonder if Hayashi’s Buddha will give us some good words today?”

“We better hope so. Damn it, we’ve come this far, we might as well set a new record.”

“Shhh, don’t say things like that, Derek.”

Looking back, it was a dreamlike season.

They started the season aiming for a Wild Card spot at best, but with three games left, the players were very satisfied to be leading the league in win percentage.

Of course, it’s not over yet.

Even if they win the division in the regular season, everything is over if they slip up in the postseason.

Now they had to prepare to fight beyond the regular season for their first-ever World Series appearance.

While the players, well aware of this fact, were focusing in their own ways, Ty Johnson, still with a cast on his finger, said to the team:

“Damn it, why am I so nervous when I’m not even playing?”

“Ty, when are you taking that cast off your finger? If you leave it on too long, it’ll take a while to rehabilitate.”

“I know, I’m planning to take it off today.”

Seattle, having secured a direct spot in the Division Series, is scheduled to take a break for about a week after the regular season ends.

What has been fortunate for Seattle this season is that all the players, except for Ty Johnson’s injury at the end, have been able to prepare for the postseason without any major injuries.

Including Han Su-hyeok, who has shown the strongest steel-like physique in history, performing as both a pitcher and a hitter throughout the season.

“Aaaagh! No! He’s not saying anything again!”

“Damn it, Hayashi, calm down! Just calm down!”

“I can’t do it. Han, this way, quickly!”

When Hayashi, who was waiting for the words of the Buddha he serves, shouted in despair, the players around him urgently called for Han Su-hyeok.

The other god Hayashi believes in, the god of baseball.

“Tsk, he’s doing it again. I’ll be back, Ty.”

“Hehe, go ahead. Go and bestow his grace.”

* * *

Baseball players each have their own motivating factors.

For some, it may be a higher salary; for others, it may be honor or power. Sometimes it’s family.

In that respect, the motivating factor for Luca Hernandez, the ace who is starting for Tampa Bay today, was undoubtedly money.

A young pitcher who defected from Cuba to become a major leaguer, throwing a 105-mph fastball, the second-fastest after Han Su-hyeok.

‘Avoid him as much as possible? What a joke.’

Tampa Bay, which had aimed to win a Wild Card spot at the start of the season, eventually made a sharp turn towards tanking [deliberately losing games to secure a higher draft pick] as injuries piled up and losing streaks became frequent in the middle of the season.

Starting with sending James Taylor, who was considered the next-generation star representing Major League Baseball, to the Yankees, they sold off all the key players of the team.

Just like Rafael Osuna, who came from Tampa Bay and is now in Seattle, there were so many players who were sold off here and there.

In any case, Tampa Bay did not give up on Luca Hernandez and chose to keep him on the team.

They decided to just use him until this season, when he would be eligible to apply for salary arbitration [a process where an independent arbitrator determines a player’s salary] after the season.

This season was really important for Luca Hernandez.

Depending on the results he achieved, his value could change next year, or perhaps even further in the future.

For Luca Hernandez, Han Su-hyeok, the league’s best hitter, was a very tempting prey.

The manager said:

He won’t request an intentional walk [deliberately walking a batter to get to the next, presumably weaker, hitter], but he shouldn’t face him head-on if possible.

But Luca Hernandez’s thoughts were completely different.

Today is his last start of the season anyway. Hitting one or two home runs here won’t have a big impact on his performance.

Dishonor?

That means nothing.

The money to send to his family back home through a broker.

That’s what’s important to Luca right now.

And for that, he needed the title of stopping Han Su-hyeok’s home run streak, striking out the best hitter of the 2030 season.

After the Rays’ attack in the top of the first inning ended without a score,

Han Su-hyeok, Seattle’s leadoff hitter, stepped up to the plate in the bottom of the first inning.

And,

The 105-mph fastball, the second-fastest speed recorded this season after Han Su-hyeok,

A powerful ball containing all of Luca Hernandez’s pride and desire strongly dug into Han Su-hyeok’s body.

However,

Thwack!

A strong hitting sound echoed throughout the stadium, and Luca Hernandez’s head dropped to the ground.

Along with the celebratory fireworks for his 77th home run of the season, the entrance music symbolizing Han Su-hyeok echoed throughout the stadium.

The fan who caught the home run ball shouted at the top of his lungs with a flushed face, and security guards were urgently deployed to stop the fans climbing over the safety net.

No one gave the pitcher who was hit a single glance.

Luca Hernandez’s attempt to raise his profile by catching Han Su-hyeok ended in such a miserable failure.

* * *

“He’s a real monster, isn’t he?”

“Someone told me that he must be taking drugs that can’t be detected in tests. It’s absolutely impossible to do that with human power.”

“Damn it, that’s completely meaningless.”

Chase Edmunds, the current president of the Tampa Bay Rays, who had the title of the best general manager in Major League Baseball, creating a team that challenges for the postseason every year even with a limited team budget, looked at the TV with a blank expression.

On the screen, Han Su-hyeok, who had once again broken the Major League Baseball single-season home run record, was entering the dugout to the cheers of his teammates.

“If we had acquired him back then, in 2026, and brought him straight to Major League Baseball, wouldn’t things have been very different?”

“Maybe so. But didn’t you tell me that regretting the past doesn’t help in building a good team?”

“That’s right, I definitely said that. But… ha, even if it was difficult to go straight to Major League Baseball, we should have followed him like Seattle did. Instead of laughing at Daniel for staying in Korea for three years, we should have done the same.”

Chase Edmunds continued to lament to the man who succeeded him as general manager.

Han Su-hyeok, who recorded a 40% batting average and 77 home runs as a hitter, and an ERA [Earned Run Average, a measure of pitching performance] in the 0.00 range and 22 wins as a pitcher, while receiving the lowest salary in Major League Baseball, was like a unicorn that only appears in dreams for the Tampa Bay Rays, who pursue low-cost, high-efficiency.

It was one thing that Han Su-hyeok chose to remain in the KBO [Korean Baseball Organization] instead of advancing to Major League Baseball in the fall of 2026, but when he said he would cross over to the United States after dominating Korea for three years, and wanted a team with the best hitter to support him as a condition,

They should have been more aggressive.

At that time, didn’t this team have James Taylor, a rising star and the successor to Ty Johnson?

“Damn owner.”

“I agree.”

At the time, Chase Edmunds, who had read Han Su-hyeok’s intentions, had a one-on-one meeting with the owner and requested the acquisition of Ty Johnson.

A long-term contract with the most expensive hitter in Major League Baseball, who was in his mid-thirties.

Clearly, that was far from the low-cost, high-efficiency baseball that Tampa Bay usually pursued.

But in return, Han Su-hyeok could be employed at the minimum salary, couldn’t he?

In Chase’s opinion, it was definitely a profitable deal.

Of course, Chase’s plan was immediately rejected by the owner’s one word.

‘Don’t talk nonsense and make good use of the players you have. I believe in your abilities, Chase.’

Thwack!

– Out!

While Chase was swallowing his regret as he recalled the past, Han Su-hyeok picked off a hit to second base by the Rays’ seventh hitter and got him out.

“Haa……”

He knew better than anyone else in the world that regretting the past was of no help to future plans,

But Chase kept seeing Han Su-hyeok wearing a Rays uniform in his head.

It was an inevitable emotion because he was human.