Genius Pitcher Hides 170Km [EN]: Chapter 357

#356. Trauma

[Championship Matchups Finalized: American League – Seattle Mariners VS New York Yankees, National League – St. Louis Cardinals VS LA Dodgers]

[Perfect Harmony of Old and New – Seattle Mariners, Star-Studded Lineup – New York Yankees, Traditional Powerhouse – St. Louis, Formidable Offense – LA Dodgers, Who Will Be the Ultimate Victor?]

[Seattle Mariners Aiming for Their First World Series Appearance in 53 Years VS New York Yankees Dreaming of Returning to the World Series After 21 Years Since 2009]

[MLB Experts: Seattle’s 1-2 Punch of Soo-hyuk Han and Ryan Thibeau Gives Them the Edge, Yankees Have the Advantage in Overall Pitching Depth]

[Seattle Mariners’ Formidable Top Three of Derrick Fleming, Soo-hyuk Han, and Ty Johnson; New York Yankees’ Unrivaled Offense Composed of League’s Highest-Paid Players James Taylor, Lucas Anderson, Zack Haynes, and Troy Buckly]

[Experts Unanimously Predict: “Given the Even Strength of Both Teams, the Key to Victory Lies with Soo-hyuk Han, Who Is Performing Beyond Expectations in Both Pitching and Hitting”]

[Soo-hyuk Han, Seattle Mariners’ Largest Shareholder, Ace, and Key Hitter: “We Dominated the Yankees in the Regular Season. Nothing Will Change Just Because It’s the Postseason.” Yankees Fans Enraged by His Confident Response]

[Seattle Mariners Fan Club: “Do Not Question His Words. Everything Will Be According to His Will.”]

[World Series Appearance That Suzuki Ichiro, Edgar Martinez, Freddy Garcia, Bret Boone, and John Olerud Couldn’t Achieve in 2001, Will It Be Possible This Time?]

“What do you think about what the reporters are saying online? How does it feel to see those Seattle guys, who couldn’t even breathe in front of us last year, acting like that?”

“……”

“Lucas, speak as the captain. What do we need to do to crush those guys for sure?”

“We need to get Soo-hyuk Han off the mound, no matter what……”

“Wrong.”

The veteran manager leading the New York Yankees, the most prestigious team in Major League Baseball, said with a glint in his eyes.

“Listen carefully. We won’t face that monster head-on. I’m not just talking about giving him walks or conceding the games he pitches. What I mean is this: Today, we have a guy pitching who has had five full days of rest to recover his stamina. Yes, looking at the stats alone, it’s not easy to beat him. But the Championship Series isn’t a single game. We have to face them seven times.”

“That’s right!”

“Here’s my plan. Today, we’ll concede the game if we have to, but we’ll increase Soo-hyuk Han’s pitch count no matter what. Of course, we also need to minimize the runs we give up so they can’t take Han Soo-hyuk off the mound early. Tyson, can I trust you on this?”

“Of course, Boss.”

“Good. If we wear down his stamina like that and win all three games at home in the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th games… a guy with a strained shoulder will be on the mound for the 5th game. That’s when we hunt that monster. Does everyone understand what I’m saying?”

“Yes! Boss!”

“To make this plan a reality, we have to bring out everything we have. We are the Yankees. Forget everything that happened in the regular season. Don’t forget that even when those guys recorded 116 wins in the 2001 season, we beat them 4-1. Fight with the determination to give them that nightmare once again. Now, let’s go!”

As the Yankees manager said, in 2001, when the two teams clashed for the first and last time in the Championship Series, Seattle was defeated 4-1, failing to achieve its goal of reaching the World Series for the first time.

Although they lost the top spot in the league in the regular season to Seattle’s insane run of 25 consecutive wins at the end of the season, the Yankees were an almost invincible team this year.

Their only remaining goal is to defeat Seattle, who suddenly appeared and stood in their way, and advance to the stage where the best baseball team in the world is decided.

But,

Pow!

“Strike!”

“Whoa!”

“What was that!”

“Oh my god!”

The first pitch Han Soo-hyuk threw to James Taylor,

The Yankees players’ determination, which they had worked so hard to build up, crumbled in an instant as the four-seam fastball, more than perfect, landed in the deepest part of the inside corner.

– B-b-b-ball, 109 miles! Oh my god, Han Soo-hyuk has exceeded his previous top speed of 107 miles and recorded 109 miles. Converted to ㎞/h, that’s a whopping 175.4㎞/h! Viewers! Everyone! A new chapter has been opened in baseball history!

– Ugh! I really don’t know how to express this… Han Soo-hyuk, who was worried about losing stamina during the regular season, shows his will and skill from the very first pitch! You can’t hit that! No human can hit that!

Amid the deafening shouts from the KBC [Korean Broadcasting Corporation] broadcast booth set up in one corner of T-Mobile Park, Han Soo-hyuk’s pitching continued.

Whack!

“Strike!”

Whoosh

“Swing! Out!”

Following the 109-mile fastball that will remain in the history of Major League Baseball, no, the entire world of baseball, an 80-mile slow curve, and then a 105-mile hard sinker again.

James Taylor, who made a ridiculous swing at the last ball, looked at Han Soo-hyuk with a blank expression.

Even when they met at the Olympics, he didn’t think the gap between him and himself would be this big.

Until Han Soo-hyuk was writing the record for the most home runs in a season, he was determined to catch up someday.

But now, he felt like he had to give up that thought.

The one he was aiming for was not just a simple baseball player.

As a hitter and as a pitcher, he had reached a unique level alone, an absolute being that other players could never catch up to no matter what they did.

James Taylor, who hung his head in the face of the encroaching powerlessness, stepped down, and Yankees captain Lucas Anderson stepped up to the plate.

This season, he recorded a career high of .300/.400/.600 slash line with 57 home runs, 25 stolen bases, and 130 RBIs. If it hadn’t been for Han Soo-hyuk, he would have certainly won all the major titles in the American League hitter category, the heart of the Yankees.

But now, his expression as he stepped up to the plate was frozen cold.

He had put in a lot of effort over the past few days to face Han Soo-hyuk’s fastball, which reached 107 miles and nearly 3,050 RPM [revolutions per minute, a measure of spin rate],

But the monster scoffed at his efforts and unveiled a new ball of 109 miles, an absurd ball that made him wonder if humans could really do this.

Whoosh

“Swing!”

What’s really scary about Han Soo-hyuk is this.

The guts to throw an 80-mile slow curve at a hitter who is completely terrified in front of a 109-mile fastball that he has never seen before.

He remembered what the manager had said before the game.

An instruction to increase Han Soo-hyuk’s pitch count no matter what, to wear down his stamina.

But,

‘Boss, at this rate, we’ll just be his toys……’

The manager, no, they were wrong.

Han Soo-hyuk was not a player to be dealt with in such a simple approach.

He realized that the only way to face the monster who reigns over the heads of all baseball players was to throw everything they had and burn themselves up.

‘Grit!’

Lucas clenched his teeth and took a batting stance with a short bat.

He’s an absurd guy who can throw almost every pitch that exists, but in the end, from a hitter’s point of view, there are only two options.

An unbelievably fast ball, and a slow ball that makes that fast ball look even faster.

The next ball will probably be a fast ball.

The problem is that there are five possibilities: fastball, two-seam, hard sinker, cutter, and splitter.

I’ll hit it no matter what.

If we go on like this, we could be completely destroyed from the start of the game. I have to hit the ball with my bat no matter what and show my teammates that the monster’s ball is not invincible.

That is my role as the captain of the Yankees.

Lucas Anderson clenched his teeth so hard that they made a cracking sound.

Han Soo-hyuk, who glanced at him, entered his pitching motion with a calm expression.

One white ball floated from his fingertips.

“Gasp!”

Lucas Anderson started to swing, making a sound without realizing it.

He was right. The ball that left Han Soo-hyuk’s fingertips flew towards him at bullet speed.

‘Please, please!’

Lucas continued to swing, praying in his heart.

But,

Tick

The ball wriggled and soared upward as if it were alive in front of the bat Lucas held out.

A magical ball that looks like an upshoot, created by speed and spin beyond human limits.

Whoosh

“Swing!”

At that moment, Lucas realized.

That as long as Han Soo-hyuk was on the mound, they had no chance of winning from the start.

* * *

“God damn it……”

“Tyson, what’s wrong? Is your control not good? You were fine just a moment ago, weren’t you?”

“No, damn it, god damn it……”

After the Yankees’ first attack in the top of the first inning ended simply with two strikeouts and a pop fly to the catcher, Seattle’s attack began in the bottom of the first inning.

Yankees ace Tyson Barsham struck out leadoff hitter Derrick Fleming with a fly ball to the left fielder after a full count battle.

He was the moron who threw a beanball [a pitch intentionally aimed at the batter’s head] at Han Soo-hyuk in the regular season game, saying he would get revenge for the bat flip, and was beaten to death, and to make matters worse, he missed the entire mid-season due to a 30-game suspension and a fractured cheekbone.

One serious problem arose for him, who took on the important task of starting the first game of the championship.

The moment Han Soo-hyuk stepped into the plate with one out and no runners,

Suddenly, he remembered being beaten by that guy back then.

His hands and feet trembled without him knowing it, and his head turned white.

No matter how hard he tried to calm down, he couldn’t.

To make matters worse,

The ball he was trying to throw inside flew in all directions without any control.

The fear of Han Soo-hyuk caused PTSD [Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder].

Like a rookie holding a baseball for the first time, three balls with no control became balls in a row, and the catcher, noticing that something was wrong with the pitcher, went up to the mound.

“Tyson, are you really okay? Damn it, what the hell is going on.”

“…I.”

The Yankees’ ace couldn’t continue speaking and dropped his head.

The catcher, judging that a problem had occurred, sent a signal to the dugout to prepare the next pitcher and went down the mound.

The embarrassed Yankees dugout became busy, and the catcher, feeling that a normal game was impossible, demanded a ball that completely missed the outside.

But,

Clang!

He should have asked for an intentional walk.

The ball he was trying to take out flew ridiculously close to the zone, and Han Soo-hyuk’s bat stretched out powerfully.

Han Soo-hyuk, who threw his bat back as if to show off, said to the Yankees catcher.

“I don’t think that guy’s problem is baseball?”

“……”

It was the moment when a dark shadow fell on the faces of the Yankees players.