Genius Pitcher Hides 170Km [EN]: Chapter 349

#348. No. 78

“Aren’t you feeling pressured? With people talking about it.”

“Well, I wouldn’t expect you of all people to ask that, Ty. You know? What I’m roughly feeling right now.”

“Hehe, no, not at all. I’ve never hit even 50 home runs, let alone 70.”

“A guy who’s going straight to the Hall of Fame after retirement is being modest.”

“No, that’s not the point. Damn, now that I think about it, I should have been greedy once.”

“Greedy? About what?”

“The home run record.”

“Hmm.”

“When I was at my peak, well, to be exact, when I hit 40 home runs for three consecutive seasons, I thought about it. That this many home runs are enough. That I need to focus more on batting average and on-base percentage for my cumulative career, something like that? Of course, that led me to the title of one of the most consistent hitters in history. But seeing you, well, yeah. I don’t think I properly enjoyed the privilege of youth back then.”

Having won the first game of the final three-game series against Tampa Bay, we finally secured our place as the team with the most consecutive wins in Major League Baseball. And my home run count increased to 77.

But there was no boisterous celebration party.

Someone suggested popping the champagne, but the fans of Seattle, and those who have worked for this club for a long time, vividly remembered the nightmare of 2001.

The nightmare of failing to advance to the World Series after recording 116 wins, the all-time highest win record in Major League history, only to be defeated by the Yankees in the Championship Series.

Therefore, instead of a celebration party, we are calmly preparing for the second game against Tampa Bay.

“Damn it, anyway, now that it’s come to this, why not really go for 80 home runs? Build a monument that no one can ever touch.”

“I’ll try. Take care at the hospital.”

“Okay, I’ll try to be back before the game ends. See you later.”

Ty’s eyes, as he headed to the hospital to remove his finger cast, were filled with deep regret.

The regret of not being able to be with the team at this moment as they challenge for their 24th consecutive win, surpassing 23.

Hmm,

No matter how I think about it, I should have beaten those Oakland bastards up a bit more back then…….

“Han, what should I do? My heart won’t calm down.”

“Dimon.”

“Why did I have to be the starting pitcher at a time like this, oh my god!”

“Dimon.”

“Those Tampa Bay guys, they seemed to be picking up their hitting pace at the end yesterday, is there any good way to handle them?”

“Dimon, calm down and listen to me.”

“Huh?”

“Just think of it as giving up three or four runs by the 5th inning and pitch with all your might. Then your name will be engraved next to the winning pitcher when the game is over.”

“Oh?”

“And you’re wearing your uniform inside out. Fix that first and go see Bruce. He seems to have something to say.”

To tell someone to pitch without any pressure in a game with so many records on the line is, in reality, absurd.

But what’s most needed at times like this is trust in your teammates and confidence in yourself.

The belief that no matter what happens, we will ultimately be the victors.

* * *

Thwack!

“Yes! That’s it!”

“Derek! That guy’s on fire these days?”

I got on base with a walk, followed by Derek’s hit, creating an instant opportunity with runners on first and third with no outs.

At first, even I was a little doubtful about how well the No. 2 hitter Derek Fleming card would work, but he is dispersing the defense against me in a completely different way than Ty Johnson.

By making the pitcher tired by looking at the ball for as long as possible, attempting a surprise bunt, or using hit-and-run tactics in sync with me.

Thanks to Derek, I feel that the defense that was focused on me after Ty’s injury is gradually loosening.

Having these various options is really important to becoming a strong team.

The young players of Seattle, who relied heavily on me and Ty this season, are now learning how to overcome crises on their own.

Tap.

“Oh oh! Home! Damn it, too late! First! First!”

“Damn it! A bunt here?”

Another advantage that the Seattle players have is that they comply with the bench’s instructions without much resistance.

Instructing the team’s key hitter, who lives on pride and earns at least millions to tens of millions of dollars a year, to bunt is not an easy task.

However, as soon as first and third were made with my walk and Derek’s hit, Manager Benjamin ordered a squeeze bunt [a strategic play where the runner on third base breaks for home as the batter bunts the ball] without hesitation, and Chuck Clark, who always pretends to have no emotional fluctuations, carried out the instruction wonderfully.

“Alright! Now let’s look forward to Tony’s big hit!”

“Chuck! Great play!”

The team, which was immature in many ways at the beginning of the season and creaked because it was not in sync, was moving organically as if it were one body, which was quite impressive.

Even I, who am playing on the ground with them, feel that way, so the emotion that the fans watching the game from the stands feel will be much greater than this.

“Damn it! Mariners! You’re the best! What’s the coolest sports team in Seattle?”

“Of course, it’s the Mariners!”

“From now on, Seattle will be a baseball city! You’ll be the owners of this city!”

The biggest advantage of Korean baseball, where the government sponsors and manages various things through the KBO [Korean Baseball Organization], and where large corporations preserve the club’s losses under the name of group support funds, is the cheap ticket prices.

The proof is that even the most expensive tickets, for example, the Korean Series game, cost only around 100,000 won [approximately $75 USD].

Major League Baseball?

Here, 100,000 won is not enough to buy a parking ticket for a postseason game.

Anyway, what I want to say is this.

Almost 50,000 people who came to this stadium have paid at least hundreds of thousands of won.

As one of the owners of this club, ahead of being a member of the team, I feel a strange sense of responsibility.

The feeling that I have to show them a game where the ticket price is not a waste.

Hmm,

In that sense, the small event I prepared for the Seattle fans in tomorrow’s last game of the regular season will be a little bit of a reward.

Okay, let’s stop the team owner mode here,

Thwack!

“Yeah! As expected! I believed in you, Tony!”

“Let’s go like this, Mariners! Go! Go!”

Tony’s long-awaited hit exploded, scoring three points in an instant.

The Mariners’ momentum was burning brightly again today.

* * *

Dimon Anderson Jr., who had to play as the team’s second starter last season despite his young age and lack of experience due to team circumstances, has shown a more stable performance this season after moving to the fifth starter position.

His ERA [Earned Run Average] in the mid-4s and a WHIP [Walks plus Hits per Inning Pitched] of 1.5 were by no means excellent, but he was able to fully pay for his value just by pitching 158 innings without skipping the starting rotation even once.

He is still lacking in many ways to give a strong impact, but he can play his role based on strong durability and mentality, and he is like a lubricant that is essential for the team.

Today’s game was the same.

Dimon, who started in an important game with the team’s 24th consecutive win at stake, managed to digest the innings while allowing hits and walks every inning.

One point in the second inning, two points in the third inning, and one point again in the fifth inning,

The audience gave Dimon, who threw 101 pitches through the 5th inning and gave up four points, a generous round of applause.

It was an applause filled with expectations for Seattle’s next-generation star, who is more anticipated today than yesterday, and more anticipated tomorrow than today.

Jake Howard came up to the mound after Dimon stepped down.

A right-handed pitcher who had been a starter for the team until last season, but moved to the middle relief position this season after Han Su-hyeok, Mike, Hayashi, and others joined.

Jake did his best to protect the mound against the Rays players who were doing their best to avoid the title of being the sacrifice for the 24th straight win.

Although he allowed a three-run home run to the opponent’s key hitter, it was a pitch that could be given a passing grade if that was excluded.

While the two pitchers gave up a total of seven points, the Seattle hitters were not just sitting still.

The hitters behind, such as Derek and Chuck, tenaciously clung to the pitchers who were running away from Han Su-hyeok.

A tit-for-tat battle continued, giving up one point and then giving up another point, and then giving up another point and then giving up another point again.

And,

Thwack!

“Ah, no… no, it’s okay! It’s okay!”

“Alright! Henry! Damn it, I knew you could do it!”

Seattle’s final attack in the bottom of the 9th inning, with the two teams tied at 7 to 7.

The Seattle dugout erupted in screams the moment Henry Hernandez’s ground ball, who came in as a pinch hitter with a chance for runners on first and second with two outs, was sucked into the Tampa Bay first baseman’s glove.

But the screams soon turned into cheers.

The Tampa Bay first baseman, who was trying to catch the ball and step on first base, staggered off balance, and in the meantime, the fast-footed Henry stepped on the base first.

Two outs, bases loaded.

The Tampa Bay players, who were preparing for extra innings, dropped their heads to the ground, and the Seattle players, who sensed that it was time to end this long and long game, hung on the dugout railing and screamed.

Of course, the game was not over yet.

But the Seattle players and fans were already convinced of the team’s victory.

Bzzzz.

[No. 1 hitter, third baseman Han Su-hyeok]

With an intense bass riff, he stepped into the batter’s box.

Han Su-hyeok, who is recording 77 home runs this season and is moving towards an unprecedented realm that no other player in history has ever stepped on.

“Play!”

The T-Mobile Park instantly turned into a concert hall when Han Su-hyeok entered the plate with a chance for bases loaded with two outs.

The spectators who turned on their smartphone flashes waved their hands over their heads and chanted Han Su-hyeok’s name, and the spectators who were hanging on the safety net screamed and raised the atmosphere.

The scenery in the outfield was even more spectacular.

Several auction companies offered a minimum of one million and a maximum of several million dollars in prize money for Han Su-hyeok’s 78th home run ball.

The spectators who were aiming for a bonanza shouted for a home run with butterfly nets and gloves over their heads.

It was truly an unprecedented sight that had never been seen since the creation of Major League Baseball.

“You ran away well, but you ended up meeting me like this. Didn’t you?”

“…….”

Han Su-hyeok, who had only gotten three walks in today’s game, provoked the Rays’ catcher, but there was no answer.

The only thought in the minds of not only the catcher but also the pitcher and the remaining fielders on the ground was just one thing.

The thought of ending this grueling game quickly and getting out of the stadium full of fanatics.

Perhaps he didn’t say it expecting an answer, Han Su-hyeok chuckled and tapped the batter box to prepare for the at-bat.

The fans and experts who watched the scene at the baseball stadium or through the TV screen could not help but admire Han Su-hyeok’s bold attitude.

How could that be the appearance of a player who is only in his first season in the Big League, or even considering his career in Korea, only in his fourth year as a professional?

Han Su-hyeok, who went to the final match with the same expression as usual.
The pitcher, whose face turned white, barely calmed his trembling hands and threw the ball,

Thwack!

The moment the ball soared into the sky with a tremendous hitting sound as if the ball was splitting,

“Waaaaaaaaa!”

The number of Seattle’s winning streak increased from 23 to 24, and Han Su-hyeok was recorded as a hitter who hit 78 home runs in a single season.