Genius Pitcher Hides 170Km [EN]: Chapter 386

#385. 110 Miles

If one were to pick the teams that suffered the most from Han Su-hyeok’s return, the Suwon Commanders and Incheon Rangers would undoubtedly be at the top of the list.

In the original timeline, these two teams would have dominated the 2020s and 2030s. However, they were overshadowed by the Warriors led by Han Su-hyeok. After his departure to the United States, they were further pushed aside by the sudden rise of the Magicians and Titans, failing to lift the Korean Series championship trophy even once in over a decade.

Considering that these teams were among the most aggressively invested in and had the most advanced systems in the league, their performance was undeniably disappointing.

Among them, the Suwon Commanders had the greatest sense of injustice.

Before Han Su-hyeok’s debut, they were overshadowed by the Incheon Rangers. During Han Su-hyeok’s time in Korea, they were overshadowed by the Warriors. And even after his departure to the United States, they were pushed aside by the Magicians, earning the dishonorable title of the eternal runner-up.

To wash away such a humiliating history, the Suwon Commanders took a bold gamble.

They dismissed the existing manager and coaching staff, appointing a young manager who was a franchise star and a new coaching staff who followed him.

That person was Jeong Dae-han, a former star catcher with a close friendship with Han Su-hyeok, and his close friend Choi Gyeong-jae, who was known as one of the best left-handed pitchers in the country.

“Hyungnim [older brother/respected senior]! No, Manager-nim [term of respect for the manager]. Ugh… are you feeling okay? I still have a splitting headache.”

“Haa… I shouldn’t have brought this bastard. Hey, if you retired from the Magicians, you should have coached there. Why did you come back to Suwon?”

“There, there, there you go again, saying things you don’t mean. Who else would put up with you if I wasn’t around? Anyway, let’s go to our manager’s office and have a drink. I’ll get some honey water from the vending machine, so go ahead.”

“No honey water. Okay, let’s go to the manager’s office.”

Shortly after, Manager Jeong Dae-han and Coach Choi Gyeong-jae sat facing each other across the desk in the manager’s office.

Whether it was the aftermath of the drinking session the day before or something else, their expressions were grim.

A moment of silence passed, and it was Jeong Dae-han who broke it first.

“Isn’t life really unfair?”

“Well, it is, but what are you talking about all of a sudden?”

“I’m saying that someone’s gift for becoming a manager is Han Su-hyeok, and someone else’s is Choi Gyeong-jae.”

“You son of a… you have to compare apples to apples. He’s an active player, and I joined as a coach.”

“Anyway, I was excited to take on the role of manager because they said they would let me organize the coaching staff as I wanted, but when I turned around, Seong-oh hyungnim received Su-hyeok as a gift? Life is fleeting.”

“Hehe, what can you do? That’s just his luck. By the way, that idiot in Incheon…….”

“Who’s the idiot? Ah, you mean that bastard, Hector Santiago?”

“Yes, he has fractured ribs and a fractured mandible. They say he won’t be able to return until the second half of the season at the earliest. Jae-hyeon hyungnim is so angry that he’s not even answering his phone.”

“He got hit after throwing a beanball at someone’s head, so he has nowhere to complain. That guy is pathetic. What guts did he have to pick a fight with Su-hyeok?”

“He’s only played in Japan, so he tends to be a bit of a frog in a well [idiom for someone with limited experience]. Anyway, Busan went all-in to try to make it to the Korean Series, and now one of their starters is gone.”

“Well… it’s a thank you for us. Even if winning the championship is too much, we should at least try to challenge for second place.”

“Second place… it’s a realistic goal, but it’s a bit disappointing. I’m tired of being called a runner-up.”

“What can we do? I guess that’s just our fate. Damn it, I know a manager shouldn’t say this, but how can we beat a team with Su-hyeok?”

“It doesn’t make sense that a major league player with a .400 batting average and 70 home runs and a 20-game winner are playing in Korea.”

“Haa… I suffered so much in my final years as a player because of Su-hyeok, and now I have to be mindful of him even as a manager.”

“Hehe, that’s why I told you to move to the Warriors together as a free agent back then…….”

“What are you talking about? You didn’t even get an offer. And with Deok-su there, why would they have taken me?”

“No, Su-hyeok told me later that he really was thinking of taking me and hyungnim together. He said that the more good players, the better.”

“…Well, considering his wealth, I guess that’s possible. Hehehe, hey, isn’t it shocking? That he was the owner of the Warriors? No, beyond that, isn’t it like something out of a comic book that the best baseball player in the world owns two professional baseball teams?”

“That’s right. Plus, he’s handsome, has a great voice, and, most importantly, his girlfriend is Min Ye-rin……. Haa, he’s living a comic book life all by himself.”

Jeong Dae-han, who became the manager of the prestigious Suwon Commanders in his early forties, looked at his longtime colleague and junior, Choi Gyeong-jae.

He was reminded of the time long ago when he and Choi Gyeong-jae formed a battery [pitcher-catcher duo] to face Han Su-hyeok.

He didn’t know then.

That Han Su-hyeok would stand in his way even after 10 years, or, beyond that, that he would face him again in the KBO League [Korean Baseball Organization].

But what could he do? It had all happened, and he now had to lead Suwon and compete against Han Su-hyeok.

What was really awful was that Han Su-hyeok, who had been suspended due to the bench-clearing brawl with Busan, was returning for the game against Suwon today. As a starting pitcher, no less.

Someone said.

Give up on the games where Han Su-hyeok starts.

That’s bullshit. The 2nd and 3rd starters who pitch after him are Choi Ma-ru and Jose Carlos. They are both recording ERAs [Earned Run Average, a key pitching statistic] in the 1-point range this season, pitchers who are on a different level from the KBO. That means they could get swept.

In the early part of the season, they adjusted by placing the 5th starter in games where Han Su-hyeok pitched and facing off against other pitchers, but that didn’t provide a clear solution either.

In the end, they had to compete.

“Go and check the pitchers’ conditions again. We’re going to use the entire bullpen today.”

“Oh, are you going to give it a try?”

“You son of a bitch. How can a coach of a professional team think about giving up before the game even starts… ha, and I trusted a guy like you.”

“What are you talking about? Who was it who said yesterday while drinking that we should just give up on today’s game and give the rookies a chance?”

“Enough. If you’re going to quit after doing this for just one year, do whatever you want. If not, go and do something about the pitchers. Whether you’re boosting their morale by cheering them up or loosening their bodies by giving them a massage, do whatever you can. Go quickly.”

After sending Choi Gyeong-jae away, Manager Jeong Dae-han turned his gaze to his monitor.

A video of Han Su-hyeok’s pitching from his last start against the Changwon Raptors, where he pitched a shutout, was playing on repeat.

Jeong Dae-han stared at the video silently and muttered to himself.

“Damn it, isn’t this just cheating…….”

* * *

In 2020, the average fastball speed of KBO pitchers was 143.5 km/h.

Ten years later, in 2030, when Han Su-hyeok advanced to the United States, the average speed was 144.1 km/h. Only now, after another 10 years, has it barely entered the 145 km/h range.

There were several hypotheses as to why the increase in speed of KBO pitchers was so slow, despite the generalization of advanced training methods for increasing speed.

The decreasing number of high school baseball resources, the resulting overuse and injuries of aces, the few leaders who still clung to outdated ideas, the outflow of talent to other sports…

Whatever the reason, that was the reality.

In Korean baseball, 150 km/h was still called a fastball, and there were only a handful of pitchers who could throw over 155 km/h.

In that situation, the 172 km/h two-seamer that Han Su-hyeok threw was practically a magical pitch.

Whoosh

“Swing! Out!”

The first game of the three-game series between the Seoul Warriors and the Suwon Commanders.

Han Su-hyeok, who had been released from his suspension, took the mound as the starting pitcher and struck out the three Suwon batters in a row.

As he entered his thirties, Han Su-hyeok made slight changes to his pitching style.

He slightly reduced the proportion of fastballs and re-equipped himself with a two-seamer instead of a hard sinker, which put a strain on his elbows and wrists. And by slightly reducing the number of innings pitched, he reduced the burden on his shoulder.

Especially after returning to Korea, he showed a slightly stingy attitude towards using breaking balls.

His main repertoire this season consisted of a fastball and a two-seamer with almost no difference in speed, and a changeup mixed in from time to time.

But,

Despite pitching with almost three pitches, Korean batters couldn’t time his pitches at all.

It couldn’t be helped.

For KBO batters who were used to 150 km/h pitches, it was impossible to time Han Su-hyeok’s pitches, which exceeded 170 km/h.

“Waaaaa! Han Su-hyeok!”

“You’re the best! Kill them all!”

“Han Su-hyeok! Han Su-hyeok! Han Su-hyeok!”

Manager Jeong Dae-han thought.

Was this really their home stadium?

No matter how close Seoul and Suwon were, most of the spectators who filled the stadium were screaming and shouting Han Su-hyeok’s name.

‘Life is…….’

With Manager Jeong Dae-han’s sigh, the game continued.

Whack

“Strike! Out!”

Han Su-hyeok’s pitching was perfect, recording an ERA of 0.29, a WHIP [Walks plus Hits per Inning Pitched, another key pitching statistic] of 0.43, and 8 wins and no losses in a total of nine starts before today’s game.

Despite being in his thirties, he still had a strong shoulder that could reach his top speed of 175 km/h whenever he wanted, and his breaking balls and control had matured as much as the weight of the past years.

At the age of 32, Han Su-hyeok was the most perfectly prepared player since the creation of baseball, capable of providing the answer to what a pitcher should be.

From the 1st inning to the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and even the 5th,

As many as 15 batters were struck out in a row without even touching Han Su-hyeok’s pitches, Manager Jeong Dae-han’s face turned red as if it would explode at any moment.

“Listen carefully. We’re changing the strategy. We’re going to guess-hit on the first pitch, no matter what. Considering Su-hyeok’s pitching pattern today, the probability is one in three anyway. Fastball, two-seamer, changeup. Pick one and swing for the fences on the first pitch. If that fails… make him throw at least one more pitch. Whether you foul it off or pick out a ball, do you understand what I mean?”

“Yes! Manager-nim!”

“Good. Fortunately, it’s still 0 to 0. No matter how good Han Su-hyeok is, a pitcher can’t win a game alone. The best thing would be to take the first run from him, and if that’s difficult, we’ll hold out until he goes down. Okay, everyone, go out there!”

After saying that, he thought that Han Su-hyeok was a player who could end the game by himself. There were more than a few games that he had won by pitching a shutout and hitting a game-winning home run while playing as a two-way player.

But saying that to the players now wouldn’t help at all.

Jeong Dae-han, clutching his throbbing head, turned his gaze back to the ground.

‘I have a bad feeling. I have a feeling…….’

It had already been over 30 years since he had entered the baseball world.

His intuition was telling him that something would happen today.

Feeling impatient, Jeong Dae-han gave the players slightly unreasonable instructions.

He instructed them to guess-hit on the first pitch against a guy who was toying with batters with three pitches: a fastball, a two-seamer, and a changeup. And if that attempt failed, he added that they should immediately start trying to increase his pitch count.

In Jeong Dae-han’s opinion, that was the only way to beat that monster right now.

But,

Whoosh

“Swing! Out!”

Whack

“Strike! Out!”

As if he had noticed their strategy, Han Su-hyeok’s pitching pattern changed.

A curveball, a high-speed slider, and a splitter.

The batters’ bats danced in the air at the breaking balls that came in succession.

The first-pitch guess-hitting strategy quickly fell apart, and the bewildered batter stared at the dugout with wide eyes.

Whoosh

“Swing! Out!”

While the Suwon players and the dugout were wavering, Han Su-hyeok finished the inning by throwing three fastballs at 172, 173, and 174 km/h, as if catching rats cornered in a corner.

And in the next inning, the thing that Jeong Dae-han was worried about happened.

Clang!

The Suwon pitcher chose to walk Han Su-hyeok and compete against Ahn Chi-wook,

But the 153 km/h fastball, thrown with all his might, was caught by Ahn Chi-wook’s bat, and a double that slammed into the right-center field fence without the defense being able to do anything finally broke the 0-0 tie.

Han Su-hyeok’s momentum soared even higher with the first run on his back.

Now, his pitching pattern changed every time he faced a batter. The fast and flashy pitching began to the point where Park Dong-seok, who was playing as a catcher, was struggling to even catch the ball.

A perfect ball combination that felt like he had gone into the batter’s mind and come out.

It was virtually impossible for KBO batters to hit the ball, as the monster pitcher, who was already difficult to hit even if he just kept throwing fastballs, was now paying attention to the ball combination.

The Suwon batters started swinging wildly with their eyes closed at some point. Han Su-hyeok’s pitching made those Suwon batters look like scarecrows.

The game, which didn’t feel tense at all despite being a one-run game, finally reached the top of the 9th inning.

The Suwon’s last attack of the regulation inning,

Now, Jeong Dae-han’s goal was not to win this game.

“Let’s not be scapegoats. We have to hit it somehow. You’re all professionals. You can do it!”

Despite the manager’s encouragement, the Suwon players’ expressions did not improve at all.

The 7th and 8th batters were struck out helplessly, and in the end, the last pinch hitter stepped up to the plate.

The spectators, who were well aware of the importance of this moment, watched the game with bated breath, lest they break Han Su-hyeok’s concentration.

And,

Whack!

“Strike! Out!”

“Cough!”

“Hey, is that it? Is that it?”

“That’s right! You son of a bitch! Han Su-hyeok! You’re crazy! I love you!”

“Han Su-hyeok! Han Su-hyeok! Han Su-hyeok!”

The spectators, who had jumped up from their seats, chanted Han Su-hyeok’s name, and all the Warriors players on the ground ran to the mound.

The Suwon batters watched that scene bitterly, and the speed of the ball that Han Su-hyeok had just thrown was faintly engraved on their backs.

177 km/h.

It was a historic moment when the world’s highest speed, surpassing his previous record of 109 miles, 175.4 km/h, was broken once again, and at the same time, Han Su-hyeok’s first perfect game since returning to Korea was recorded.