Genius Pitcher Hides 170Km [EN]: Chapter 38

#37. If You Try to Avoid Me, I’ll Crush You

Whenever the opposing team pulls off a great play, baseball fans can’t help but feel a pang of frustration. It’s like a knot tightening in the back of their necks.

A timely hit that somehow finds its way through the infield despite the defensive shift, a clever baserunning play that makes our fielders look foolish, an unexpected strategy we didn’t see coming—things like that.

Whatever the reason, the moment something like that happens, a spike in blood pressure is practically guaranteed.

But there’s one exception, one instance where we can actually admire the opposing team’s play instead of getting annoyed.

That’s when they hit a massive home run.

A home run that soars with such incredible height and distance that every baseball fan, even the opposing ones, can’t help but be impressed.

– ···Did anyone just shit themselves? Raise your hand honestly.

﹂Hehe, I knew I’d shit myself, so I prepared a diaper in advance.

﹂Only that? I was just sitting on the toilet watching?

﹂It’s not a ballistic missile, but to hit the very top of the scoreboard at that angle, damn···

﹂Mag) Honestly, I shit myself a little too··· Just kidding, but how the hell did that ball travel so far?

﹂Mag) Isn’t that cheating? Is it even legal to hit while kneeling?

﹂Mag) Is that even possible? Is he on drugs? Is that even possible? Is he on drugs? Is that even possible?

﹂Mag) Lol, a rookie who debuted this year is destroying the league··· Damn··· Life is so unfair.

﹂Mag) Let’s just pretend it never happened and send Han Su-hyeok to the Mexican league. Why is he smurfing [using a high-level account to play against lower-skilled players] in the KBO [Korean Baseball Organization] with that skill?

﹂I’m at Jamsil Stadium right now, and Min Ye-rin is sobbing next to me ;;;;

﹂Why is the goddess crying? Who made her cry?

﹂I don’t know··· She’s just crying her eyes out for no reason···

﹂Seriously, why didn’t the Warriors put the goddess in a VIP seat instead of a regular seat?

﹂She was dancing with the cheerleaders until just now··· Can’t go to the staff seats···

The moment the ball connected, I used my wrist strength to flick the bat straight back.

The bat spun a few times in the air and landed on the ground like a planted stake.

Well.

I’ve been trying to avoid bat flips as much as possible, but that pitcher’s smug eyes and the catcher’s taunting voice behind him were getting to me, so I couldn’t resist.

Maybe the charged atmosphere of the rivalry game got me a little too hyped up.

As I rounded first base and headed to second, Song Gi-tae, who was standing near the base, glared at me with an unpleasant expression, and I had to bite back the urge to say, ‘What’s your problem?’

“Come here! Come here, you crazy bastard!”

“Are you even Korean? Come here, let’s get a DNA test done.”

“DCA is the name of Min Ye-rin’s fan club, it’s DNA, hyung [older brother or male friend].”

“Damn it, Su-hak, do you think I don’t know that! Anyway, Han Su-hyeok, get over here!”

The teammates cheered like crazy at the massive home run that had crushed the rival’s spirit in one swing.

It felt like all the frustration that had been building up against the Magicians for so long had finally exploded.

Good. A sense of elation filled my whole body.

It reminded me of the first time I hit a home run in the major leagues. I think I was the starting pitcher and batting seventh that day.

No one welcomed me back to the dugout after I hit my first home run. It was a common prank to play on rookies in the major leagues, but it still stung.

So I avoided eye contact with everyone and just slumped down on the bench.

I told the teammates who tried to approach me later to get lost and leave me alone. I was just a rookie, but maybe they took my mood into consideration since I was the starting pitcher that day, so no one bothered me after that.

And that became my routine. Hitting a home run and returning to the dugout, ignoring the cheers of my teammates.

Eventually, no one cheered for my home runs anymore. Or, to be precise, they cheered, but they didn’t come near me.

Seong-hoon hyung, who watched the game online, called me and asked if everything was okay, if I was really alright.

I told him that of course I was okay, that I didn’t care about my teammates.

Looking back now, I was completely out of my mind.

Swoosh

“Huh!”

“Good job! Well done!”

Senior Jang Deok-soo suddenly lifted me up from behind, and I couldn’t help but gasp.

He was so strong that I, who had never been physically inferior to anyone in my life, was genuinely surprised.

Once again, my teammates surrounded me and showered me with congratulations.

I’m so happy I can’t even describe it.

If I had known this feeling sooner, could I have become a better player in my past life?

* * *

<2027 Season Jamsil Rivalry Game 1, Warriors Defeat Magicians 10-8>

– I’m cautiously making a prediction.

﹂What?

﹂Han Su-hyeok winning both Rookie of the Year and MVP [Most Valuable Player award].

﹂Why are you even predicting that? Isn’t it already a done deal? 10 home runs in 12 games?

﹂Hey, you crazy bastards, Rookie of the Year is one thing, but is MVP some dog’s name? [implying MVP is a very difficult award to win]

﹂Han Su-hyeok is on pace for 110 home runs this season. It’s definitely possible if he keeps this up.

﹂Crazy lol, that last one was funny.

﹂Hey, did you guys know that?

﹂What?

﹂We’re in first place with 8 wins and 4 losses. It’s the first time we’ve been in first place in exactly 1558 days.

﹂It’s been that long? ;;;;

“Su-hyeok, are you really not regretting it?”

“Regretting what?”

“Not going to the major leagues. Are you really, really···”

“What’s there to regret? Where am I going to go, leaving my team behind?”

“No, seriously, no matter how I think about it, this doesn’t seem right. There’s a limit to wasting talent. I honestly thought you’d be stuck in the minors for a few years even if you went to the major leagues. But I was watching the major league broadcast early yesterday morning, and there wasn’t a single guy better than you.”

“Of course not. If I had gone to Seattle, the American League MVP would have been mine.”

“Haa··· It might not be that far off, but no matter how I think about it, this isn’t right···”

Oh, you don’t believe me?

“Anyway, how’s the team’s management doing? Is it stable?”

“Yeah, it’s great. It might be a bit premature to say, but if we land a main sponsor in the second half of the year as planned, we might even see a surplus this season.”

“Really? Is that even possible? I thought we’d be at least 7 billion won [approximately $5.3 million USD] in the red?”

“First of all, it was a big help that we let Hwang Seong-min, Song Gi-tae, Han Jin-woo, and Jeong Gi-ho go, and more than anything else, our attendance revenue is increasing a lot compared to last year.”

“Really? Is it because we’re doing well?”

“That’s part of it, but··· Min Ye-rin’s involvement has also played a big role. Hey, by the way, is it true? Does Min Ye-rin really live next door to you?”

“Yeah, but I haven’t seen her face at home since then.”

“What a coincidence··· Anyway, Min Ye-rin made a proposal, and it’s so generous that I’m wondering whether we should accept it or not.”

“What proposal?”

“She said she’ll be a free model for our stadium billboard.”

“Billboard? Are you talking about the baseball stadium billboard? How can a celebrity be a free model there? It’s usually tied to companies, right?”

“She’s saying she’ll sign a contract with us instead of the companies.”

“What are you talking about? What does that even mean···”

“She said we can freely use her image and name on the upper right corner of the billboard we designate. Companies that advertise on that billboard will automatically benefit from the Min Ye-rin effect. She said we can collect the compensation ourselves.”

“···Why?”

“I don’t know. She said she loves the Warriors so much she’s going to die. She said she wants to help in any way she can.”

“Hmm···”

“Oh, and we’re scheduled to meet Min Ye-rin’s father soon when he comes to Korea. He said he’ll manage our team’s funds for us if we want. Without any commission. Hehe.”
The more I learn, the stranger this woman is.

Min Ye-rin, the woman next door I met for the first time yesterday.

At first, I thought she was just a straightforward neighbor. I mistakenly assumed that her father was trying to set her up with the next-door neighbor because he was worried about his daughter living alone.

But it turns out that she’s a die-hard Warriors fan who gives free congratulatory performances, drives around a coffee truck, and is now offering to be a model.

Seong-hoon hyung will take care of the team’s management, but I should thank her separately.

She lives next door, so there will be a day when we meet face to face.

“Anyway, if this happens, we can actively aim for a trade during the first half of the season, right? If we do well, we might even be able to get a cash trade.”

“Director Park Jae-cheol will be thrilled.”

“Yeah, he’s been asking for some trade money to be allocated for a while now, so this will give me some breathing room. Anyway, don’t worry about the finances and just focus on the game. I should stop meeting you like this and talking about the team. I feel like I’m putting too much pressure on you.”
Hmm.

It’s still a bit early to say, but if the team’s finances got worse, I was even considering going to the major leagues for a few years.

It’s a relief that I don’t have to think about such extreme measures, given the way things are going.

“By the way, are you confident about today’s game too?”

“Of course. I’m going to crush those Magicians so they can’t even breathe, so watch.”

“Hehe, okay. Fighting [a Korean expression of encouragement, similar to ‘Good luck’ or ‘Go for it’].”

* * *

“Ball!”

– Die! You son of a bitch! Is it even baseball when a second-string starter gets scared of a rookie and gives up three consecutive walks?

﹂Mag) This is called strategy baseball, you stupid bear bastards.

﹂Strategy baseball my ass. If you’re just going to walk him because you’re scared of a rookie, just forfeit the game.

“Boo!”

“Are you scared! Is the pitcher scared!”

My promise to crush the Magicians hasn’t been fulfilled yet.

The foreign pitcher who came out as the opposing starter is only throwing balls for three at-bats in a row, so what else can I do?

The Magicians, who had a taste of bitterness in yesterday’s game, haven’t thrown a single strike at me.

Instead, they’ve succeeded in focusing on Max and Ahn Chi-wook, who are batting behind me.

The score in the bottom of the 7th inning is 1-0, with the Magicians leading by one point, and I, who came up as the lead batter, got on base with another walk.

“I’ll leave the decision on whether to steal to your judgment.”

I nodded at the first base coach’s whisper.

It’s the third walk. Max and Ahn Chi-wook behind me are left-handed hitters, but they both have the weakness of being slow runners.

The Magicians’ strategy is clearly to aim for a double play. And so far, that attempt has been working well.

Brooks Parker, who started for our team, only gave up one point until the top of the 7th inning and was taken off the mound.

We have to turn things around here. Considering our team’s relief pitchers, this is our best chance for a comeback.

I pretended to adjust my helmet and subtly sent a steal sign to the dugout first. Approval came from the head coach, who was looking at the ground with a determined expression.

I’ve been trying to avoid stealing as much as possible lately because my body is still adjusting and finding its optimal balance.

But now is not the time to worry about that. If another double play happens here, the teams that face us in the future will openly try to avoid pitching to me.

Press

When I was playing in the major leagues, I was considered a player who could easily steal about 30 bases a season. Even in my thirties.

As I got older, my physical abilities continued to decline, but conversely, my ability to read the game developed exponentially. Was it because of my experience as a pitcher? I could see right through the thoughts of the pitchers on the mound.

In fact, the most important thing in stealing is not simple speed. If that were the case, they would have brought a track and field athlete to be a pinch runner.

What’s much more important is to grasp complex information such as the current game flow, the intentions of the opposing battery [pitcher and catcher], and the tendencies of our hitters.

If you can read that well, stealing is easy. And now, I have a fresh body of twenty years old.

Thud!

No need to hesitate. I ran towards second base the moment the opposing pitcher threw the first pitch to Max.

The changeup, designed to induce a double play, dropped almost as if it were buried in the ground. The Magicians catcher, who didn’t even dare to throw the ball, looked at me with a blank expression.

Okay, then one more time.

I’ll make sure you don’t even dare to use the walk strategy against me again.