Genius Pitcher Hides 170Km [EN]: Chapter 354

#353. Victory After 29 Years

“I won’t make this long. Before the season started, so-called experts were all over us, calling us a team full of question marks. But now that the regular season is over, how are we? We’ve managed to turn all those question marks into exclamation points. I haven’t been with this Seattle team for long, but one thing I know for sure is that you guys are the best Mariners team ever. Anyone disagree?”

“No!”

“Good, then we only have one thing left to do. Crush those Oakland idiots in front of the fans who are watching a postseason game for the first time in eight years. Think you can handle that?”

“Of course, Boss!”

“That’s the answer I was looking for. Alright, here’s the starting lineup.”

The Division Series Game 1, scheduled with staggered times for national broadcast, had already seen the conclusion of three games across both leagues before our game against Oakland.

As always, as the autumn deepened, the differences in each team’s power were directly reflected in the games.

The LA Angels, who came up after defeating the Chicago White Sox, the Central Division champions, in the Wild Card game, suffered a 5-0 shutout against the Yankees, with Tyson Barsham on the mound, unable to do anything.

The situation was similar in the National League.

The LA Dodgers and the St. Louis Cardinals, perennial championship contenders, easily defeated the Philadelphia Phillies and the Chicago Cubs, respectively, each securing a win.

And now it was our turn.

1. Center Fielder Derek Fleming

2. Pitcher Han Su-hyeok

3. First Baseman Ty Johnson

4. Right Fielder Chuck Clark

5. Left Fielder Antonio Garcia

6. Catcher Bruce Matthews

7. Third Baseman Liam Landman

8. Second Baseman Lonnie Montalic

9. Shortstop Josh Oliver

“Seeing Ty’s name on there after so long feels kind of strange, doesn’t it?”

“Yeah, it does.”

“Those damn bastards, hehe.”

Like someone said, seeing Ty’s name on the lineup card after so long felt complete.

The guys who filled in for him weren’t bad, but they weren’t enough to replace Ty Johnson, who had a career year in his mid-thirties.

“Han, I’m counting on you.”

“Don’t worry about it, just get ready for your game tomorrow, Ryan.”

“Alright. Oh, and Mia and Riley send their best.”

After the regular season ended, the manager called me in to discuss the starting rotation schedule.

The conclusion was this:

In this postseason, which would be run with a four-man rotation, he wanted me to take over the ace spot from Ryan.

There was no reason to refuse.

During the regular season, I could skip starts due to stamina issues, allowing me to concede the ace position, but the situation was a bit different in the postseason.

What I was worried about was Ryan’s morale after losing the ace spot, but,

“To be honest, I even feel relieved. I’m counting on you, new ace.”

He seemed to be taking it well, so I didn’t need to worry too much.

Anyway, as the experts said, the Mariners’ success in this postseason depended on how well the starting pitchers could hold up.

They needed to eat innings [pitch enough innings] as long as possible, ideally handing the game over directly to the closer.

And that was what I was most confident in doing.

* * *

“Listen up, everyone. Do not, under any circumstances, start a conflict with those guys. Especially Han Su-hyeok, don’t even make eye contact with that guy. He’s not someone you can reason with. If anyone even thinks about causing trouble, I’ll kick them out of the dugout immediately. Remember, what we need is not a fight, but a win in the game.”

Oakland Athletics, who advanced to the Division Series thanks to Jerry Wagner’s injury, but were still considered a notch below in terms of power compared to the Boston Red Sox.

The manager, who put ace Devin McPherson back on the mound after only three days of rest since his appearance in the Wild Card game, earnestly pleaded with his players.

Never start a conflict with Seattle, especially Han Su-hyeok.

Thanks to two bench-clearing incidents [a fight where both teams’ benches empty onto the field] with Seattle this season, they had to play almost a third of the regular season without their starting catcher, and they almost had to play fall baseball without their ace.

Do not clash with Han Su-hyeok. That was an absolute imperative for Oakland, not even worth a second thought.

But,

That plea from the Oakland manager was actually quite useless.

Because the Oakland players were already terrified of Han Su-hyeok.

Whoosh!

“Swing! Out!”

In the top of the first inning, Han Su-hyeok, who was on the mound for the first time in a while, struck out Oakland’s 1st, 2nd, and 3rd hitters in just seven pitches.

Oakland’s hitters couldn’t even react to his signature 107 mph fastball, his perfected 104 mph hard sinker, and his 87 mph changeup that came from the same motion.

It was a massacre, literally.

It was a massacre so complete that it couldn’t even be considered a game between players of the same level.

And in the bottom of the first inning, Seattle’s offense began.

“Damn it……”

“Let’s be careful and not call for inside pitches as much as possible.”

“Wouldn’t it be better to just intentionally walk him every at-bat?”

“Ty’s back there, that bastard?”

“Damn it……”

Devin McPherson and Desmond King, who had caused the bench-clearing incident at the end of the season and were subsequently crushed by Han Su-hyeok, shook their heads with disgusted expressions.

It was good that they had won the Wild Card game and advanced to the Division Series, but their next opponent was the worst of the worst.

The team with that monster.

Regardless of the Oakland battery’s [pitcher and catcher] condition, the game began.

[1st Hitter, Center Fielder Derek Fleming]

Seattle’s vanguard, who recorded an on-base percentage close to .400, 20 home runs, and 37 stolen bases this season, excelling in offense, defense, and speed.

He, who had been wary of Han Su-hyeok at the beginning of the season but now respected and revered him more than anyone else in the world, hit the first pitch thrown by the pitcher.

Crack!

“Wooaaah!”

“Yes! What a great start!”

“Oakland, you sons of bitches! How does it taste!”

It was just a single hit, but the nearly 50,000 Seattle fans who filled T-Mobile Park screamed like crazy.

Putting aside the division championship they won for the first time in 29 years, this team had made it to fall baseball [playoffs] for the first time in eight years.

Seattle fans, who had spent a long time watching other teams’ fall festivals [playoffs] on TV, were inside and around the stadium, sending enthusiastic cheers.

And,

[2nd Hitter, Pitcher Han Su-hyeok]

He stepped up to the plate.

It wasn’t decided yet, but he was highly likely to sweep the major titles such as Rookie of the Year, MVP [Most Valuable Player], Gold Glove, Silver Slugger, Hank Aaron Award, and Cy Young Award, the best player in this era, no, the best player in the history of Major League Baseball, Han Su-hyeok.

“Kkyaaaaaa!”

“I’m going crazy! Oppa [Korean term for older brother/boyfriend]!”

“Take me! Take me! Damn it! Fucking Mariners!”

Just him stepping into the batter’s box, just him swinging the bat a few times lightly,

The stadium shook as if it would collapse at any moment.

The cheers and heat from the crowd filling T-Mobile Park suffocated the Oakland players.

“Haa……”

Devin McPherson, who took a deep breath, threw the first pitch with a deflated face.

He couldn’t walk him with a runner on first and no outs,

He threw a 91 mph two-seamer on the outside low corner, filled with the hope that he would make weak contact.

But there was no miracle.

Han Su-hyeok’s bat stretched out powerfully,

Crack!

“Wooahhhhh!”

“Han Su-hyeok has crushed Oakland again!”

“You’re our god! No, you’re the god of baseball!”

The ball he hit went over the left field fence and landed on the top tier of the outfield stands,

The intense bass riff that symbolized Han Su-hyeok was played so loudly that the stadium seemed to be torn apart,

And the fans, whose faces were red from how much they had drunk, clung to the safety net and made a fuss, even though it was only the first inning.

“It’s a great sight, isn’t it?”

“……”

Han Su-hyeok, who rounded the bases, spoke to Desmond King, but there was no answer.

No, the accurate expression was that he couldn’t even make eye contact.

Oakland Athletics, who gave up two runs in the bottom of the first inning without recording a single out.

But the nightmare wasn’t over yet.

Because Ty Johnson, who would have been the best hitter in the American League this season if it weren’t for Han Su-hyeok, stepped into the batter’s box with a smirk.

“You damn bastards, you’re going to crawl out of this stadium today.”

“……”

Desmond King’s mouth was firmly shut at the roaring of the giant who was over 2 meters tall.

Now that he thought about it, he doubted his own sanity as to what he had believed in to throw a beanball [pitch thrown intentionally at the batter] at this guy.

Desmond King, who wanted to get out of this situation as quickly as possible, sent a sign for the first pitch to the pitcher.

Nod

The pitcher, whose mentality was completely broken just like him, threw the first pitch with a listless expression,

Crack!

The moment the ball went over the left field wall with another huge impact sound,

“Damn it……”

A deep sigh and curse flowed from Desmond King’s mouth.

He thought.

He should request a trade to a division without these Seattle bastards.

If he got involved with these guys any more, he felt like he wouldn’t be able to live because he would suffocate.

* * *

“Do we need to change the pitcher?”

“No, I’ll just pitch until the end.”

“Good, that’s the answer of an ace. Then I’ll leave today’s game to you.”

While Seattle scored 6 points with Han Su-hyeok and Ty Johnson’s back-to-back home runs, and Antonio Garcia’s three-run home run in the 7th inning, Han Su-hyeok on the mound completely overwhelmed the Oakland hitters.

8 innings, 15 strikeouts, and an overwhelming shutout performance.

The pitchers who were warming up in the bullpen in case of an emergency all withdrew, and Han Su-hyeok went to the mound to finish the final 9th inning.

Paang!

“Strike! Out!”

Matt Robinson, a league-leading left-handed hitter who had moved to the 3rd spot in the postseason, was dismissed with a meaningless strikeout in just three pitches.

Despite the pitch count approaching 100, the hard sinker still came out at 102 mph.

That pitch, which Major League Baseball experts have selected as one of the best pitches of all time, brutally ravaged the Oakland hitters.

It was truly a magical pitch that was hard to hit even if you knew it was coming.

Crack!

“Out!”

Julio Peña was out with a pop fly to the catcher, leaving Oakland with only one out left.

Desmond King, Oakland’s starting catcher and entangled with Han Su-hyeok in various bad relationships, stepped into the batter’s box.

“To be honest.”

“…What.”

“Today’s game was too bland. Facing guys who were so scared that they couldn’t even make eye contact.”

“Damn it……”

“Our goal is the World Series. So we need to end this boring game quickly. Hurry up and strike out and get out of here.”

Bruce’s provocation made Desmond King’s brow furrow, but,

“Keueung……”

The moment he made eye contact with Han Su-hyeok, who was standing far away on the mound, the courage and anger that had briefly surged disappeared somewhere in an instant.

And,

Whoosh!

“Swing!”

Whoosh!

“Swing!

He couldn’t even touch the bat to the 105 mph fastball and 102 mph hard sinker, and was quickly down two strikes.

Han Su-hyeok’s final pitch left his fingertips, and Desmond King, who had already completely lost his morale, swung the bat with a listless expression.

Whoosh!

“Swing! Out!”

“Wooaaaaaaaa!”

There was no miracle.

As everyone had expected, and as Han Su-hyeok had foreseen,

Seattle achieved a complete victory over Oakland.

It was a victory in the Division Series for the first time in 29 years.