Genius Pitcher Hides 170Km [EN]: Chapter 367

#366. World Series (5)

– Oppa, are you awake?

“I’ve been up for a while.”

– What about breakfast? Not yet, right?

“No, I already ate. What about you?”

– I’m about to eat now. Oppa, I originally had so much to say, but I’ve decided not to. I just want to say this one thing: no matter what happens, I’m always on your side.

When you do one thing for a long time, you inevitably develop a routine, whether you mean to or not.

In my case, my only routine is waking up in the morning, taking out the sandwich I cut in half the night before, eating one bite, washing my face, and then eating the rest.

Today, after getting ready according to that routine, I left the accommodation and got into the car heading to the stadium.

[Seattle Mariners, off to a great start aiming for their first-ever World Series appearance and historic first championship, collapse after 1 win and 3 consecutive losses, on the verge of early series elimination]

[St. Louis Cardinals show the power of the defending champions, winning the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th games, only 1 win away from their second consecutive World Series title]

[Han Su-hyeok fought hard with 1 home run and 2 RBIs [Runs Batted In] in the 3rd game, and 1 home run and 3 RBIs in the 4th game, and Tae Johnson supported him well… But what is the real problem for the Seattle Mariners who have suffered consecutive losses?]

[Mariners manager Benjamin Reynolds, facing a 3-game losing streak, “The players did their best and perfectly fulfilled their roles. Nevertheless, St. Louis was strong, and we were one step short of reaching our goal. But we haven’t given up yet. Please believe in us and watch until the end.”]

[Mariners fans who watched the team’s sluggish 3-game losing streak, “At first, we were just happy to have advanced to the World Series… But somehow, we feel resentful. If we collapse here, we feel like we’ll regret it for the rest of our lives.”]

[Major League experts, “Han Su-hyeok will start again in the 5th game, but that doesn’t mean he can win every game. Especially in a short series like the World Series, it’s difficult for him to save a team that’s facing a 3-game losing streak with just his mental strength. Everyone forgets, but he’s just a young man in his early twenties. Excessive expectations could break him.”]

Inside the bus heading to the stadium, the media outlets on the tablet PC were excitedly chattering about our team’s bleak future.

The 2nd game where Ryan pitched, and the 3rd and 4th games held after moving to St. Louis…

I think the reason we lost all those games was simply because it was our time to lose.

We must not forget that although our team recorded 113 wins this season, there were also 49 losses.

Sometimes we go on losing streaks for no reason, and sometimes we go on winning streaks.

Of course, being down 1-3 in a best-of-seven series is definitely not a good situation.

But if you ask me if I feel pressured about starting today because of that situation…….

Um,

Well,

I honestly don’t know what to say because it’s been so long since I’ve felt that way.

That’s right. In the end, what I have to do in moments like this is to show everything with my skills, not with words.

I just need to show that it’s not over yet, that if we lost three in a row, we can win three in a row after that.

[Oppa, I won’t be disappointed even if the result isn’t good! I’m always on your side! You know how I feel, right? – Yerin]

[Su-hyeok, you don’t have to do everything alone. Of course, the best thing is to win, but if something goes wrong, take a good rest for a few days and come back to Korea and watch the Korean Series together – Seong-hoon hyung [older brother/male friend]]

[Han Su-hyeok, I thought I saw you limping a little when you were baserunning in the 4th game? Am I wrong? Don’t get hurt. Don’t overdo it too much in another country. Oh, my mom told me to tell you to stop by Jeju Island when you come to Korea this time. Everyone in the village is eager to see you – Moron Ahn Chi-wook]

[Hey, you, sigh, no, damn it, never mind, don’t lose to anyone – Crazy Seo Hyung-joo]

[Su-hyeok, hyung [older brother/male friend] believes in you – Seong-oh hyung]

[I’ve been thinking lately. Living as an ace of a team is much cooler than I thought. No matter what anyone says, you’re the coolest player, Su-hyeok. – Jun-young hyung]

[My wife made young radish kimchi [fermented Korean side dish] and asked if she could send it to America. Yerin can’t make something like that, right? – Man-shik hyung]

Seeing my smartphone filled with messages, my heart warms without me even realizing it.

The life before regression, when I was always alone, alone in every moment, so lonely and difficult.

I turned my gaze to the outside of the car window, recalling those times that I never want to go back to.

People crazy about baseball, all wearing red jumpers, were surrounding the stadium.

What they want is for the series to end today.

But I have no intention of letting that happen.

My fall baseball is not over yet.

* * *

[Seattle Mariners on the brink, dramatically revived thanks to Han Su-hyeok’s great pitching and game-winning home run, Seattle Mariners win the 5th game of the 2030 World Series 1-0]

[9 innings, 18 strikeouts, 1 hit allowed, shutout win, and game-winning home run in the bottom of the 7th, Han Su-hyeok, the best baseball player of this era, creates victory once again all by himself]

[Han Su-hyeok, who held an unusual press conference after the game, “I want to make it clear: our series is not over yet. If we lose just once, we’re eliminated? Well, on the contrary, if we win just two more times, we’re the champions. I’m ready to do anything for that.”]

[St. Louis Cardinals ace Andrew Davis, who became the losing pitcher once again in his second match against Han Su-hyeok, “I have to admit it. Han Su-hyeok is a player on a different level than me. Today, I threw the ball the hardest I’ve ever thrown in my life, but I failed to stop him. I feel responsible for recording two losses as an ace.”]

[Seattle citizens who watched the game in bated breath, burst into tears they had been holding back at the moment of Han Su-hyeok’s last strikeout in the bottom of the 9th, “Thank you for everything he has done for us. We will continue to support you until the end.”]

[PHOTO: Cardinals dugout shrouded in silence after the game]

[Major League experts, “Han Su-hyeok is definitely the best of the best. But his starts in this series are now over. Seattle has to win the remaining two games without him, and St. Louis only needs to win once. St. Louis is still the dominant side.”]

As Han Su-hyeok said, Seattle’s fall baseball was not over yet.

Han Su-hyeok, who took the mound as a starter in a situation where everything would be in vain if they lost just once.

He silenced the Cardinals’ powerful lineup with a perfect pitch that was as perfect as his perfect game in the first game, shocking everyone who watched.

In the early innings, he overwhelmed the batters with power pitching based on a 109 mph fastball and hard sinker, and in the middle innings, he produced swings and misses by combining a high-speed slider and splitter.

He broke the 0-0 tie by hitting a home run as the leadoff hitter in the bottom of the 7th, and he took the mound again in the 8th and 9th innings.

And in the bottom of the 9th, when he struck out the last batter, Grant Dixon, with a knuckleball, the world once again learned of Han Su-hyeok’s greatness.

As a result, Han Su-hyeok once again secured the team’s victory with his own strength.

And the Seattle Mariners were able to seize the opportunity for a final comeback.

[World Series Game 6, which moves the stage back to Seattle, Mariners Ryan Thibodeau VS Cardinals Jordan East, second match]

[The two teams’ second starters, who were sluggish in their first match, recording 3 runs in 5 innings and 5 runs in 5 innings respectively, will they be able to show a different side tomorrow?]

[Seattle citizens who started cheering around T-Mobile Park from the night before the game, “All we can do is this. We want to tell the players: we are on your side no matter what you do.”]

[Ryan Thibodeau, who is preparing for his second World Series start in his life, “Today is my last start. Therefore, I will burn everything so that I have no regrets the moment I come down from the mound.” resolution]

[St. Louis manager, “I will see the end of this series today no matter what it takes. I am prepared to do anything for that.”]

Ryan Thibodeau, who had been sharpening his counterattack since his defeat in the second game, once again stood on the T-Mobile Park mound.

Although they won the 5th game thanks to Han Su-hyeok’s performance, Seattle was still on the brink.

The 45,000 fans who filled the stadium, and the nearly 100,000 Seattle citizens who surrounded it with their hands clasped together and praying.

Their desperate voices reached Ryan.

Paang

“Swing! Out!”

The Ryan Thibodeau who was battered in the second game was gone.

Ryan Thibodeau’s 9-inning 3-run complete game, who renewed his highest speed of the season at this time of year when autumn turns to winter, Han Su-hyeok, who reached base four times in a row despite the opposing pitcher’s intensive check, and Tae Johnson’s great performance, who hit a grand slam against his former team at a crucial moment.

In the top of the 9th inning, the spectators who had been guarding the stadium with their eyes closed, unable to watch the game, rushed onto the ground all at once the moment Ryan Thibodeau struck out the Cardinals’ last batter.

“Uwaaaa!”

“Yes! I believed it! Damn it, I believed in you!”

“Mariners! The best baseball team! Mariners! The pride of Seattle!”

Thanks to the great performance of the local boy who loves the team like his own life, the Mariners were able to move forward again towards their goal of winning their first-ever World Series.

The series record was dramatically tied at 3 wins and 3 losses.

Only one game remained until the champion of the World Series was decided.

The two starting pitchers who would be responsible for the final 7th game, which would determine the fate of both teams, sat side by side in front of the microphone.

* * *

“…Thank you. Charles Washington, I look forward to your good pitching in tomorrow’s game. Now, I will ask the Mariners’ Mike Warren. You are starting in a very important game in your first season after joining the team. It may be a very cliché question, but I can’t help but ask how you feel. Please say a few words briefly.”

“Okay, Mike. It’s your turn. Let’s get it over with quickly and go prepare for tomorrow’s game.”

Mike Warren slowly opened his mouth, encouraged by manager Benjamin, who attended the interview with him.

“I…….”

All the processes up to now flashed through his head like a panorama.

The ordinary but somewhat happy memories he spent with the Dodgers, the aging that started one day, the power struggle in the locker room, the injury, the transformation into a knuckleballer, and the trade close to being released, joining Seattle, meeting Han Su-hyeok, revival…….

Mike Warren, who calmly organized his thoughts, continued.

“When I first heard that I was a trade target from the Dodgers, I resented them. I was frustrated that they couldn’t wait a little longer, and that the career I had built up over that long period was only worth this much. But now, none of that matters. In fact, I even think that being traded was a blessing in disguise. I am now prepared to give everything for the Mariners, who have become my new team, and also for that friend who gave me confidence in my knuckleball. I don’t know how much of my baseball life is left. Even if tomorrow is my last start as a pitcher, I don’t think it matters. I have only just come to know baseball and truly love it.”