Genius Pitcher Hides 170Km [EN]: Chapter 396

#395. I’ll Fill the Void

“Seo Hyeong-ju has achieved 30-30 for the second consecutive year with today’s home run. Any comments?”

“What do you think is causing the team’s recent slump? Some suggest discord within the Mariners’ roster.”

Despite Seo Hyeong-ju’s three-run homer, the Seattle Mariners lost to the Cleveland Guardians 7-5.

Avoiding the swarming reporters, Seo Hyeong-ju sighed softly as he boarded the bus.

Even without Han Su-hyeok, the Mariners were still a strong team contending for the division title.

However, there was a crucial difference from the past.

Other teams no longer blindly avoided or feared the Mariners.

It was inevitable. It all happened because of Han Su-hyeok, because of his presence.

During the 10 seasons Han Su-hyeok played, the Mariners dominated the league, winning the World Series trophy nine times, including six consecutive championships.

Han Su-hyeok maintained a .400 batting average and an ERA [Earned Run Average, a measure of runs allowed per game] in the 0.00s, making the team invincible, a feat considered impossible in modern baseball.

Filling the void left by such a player was impossible from the start.

Most of the players who led the Mariners’ golden era had left the team or retired.

Han Su-hyeok returned to his hometown, Ty Johnson retired, and many other players ended their careers and returned to civilian life.

The only remaining golden members of the team were right fielder Chuck Clark, shortstop Josh Oliver, pitcher Dimon Anderson Jr., and veteran pitcher Ryan Tibo, who was about to retire.

Now that the generational shift had taken place, the team was led by Seo Hyeong-ju, a 32-year-old second baseman who had followed in Han Su-hyeok’s footsteps to the United States.

“Hey, Seo. Have you been in touch with that guy lately?”

“Contact? I contact him occasionally. Why?”

“No, I was just going to ask something… Damn it, never mind. Forget I said anything.”

James Taylor, the third baseman and one of the Mariners’ key players, shook his head and disappeared somewhere.

Seo Hyeong-ju couldn’t help but feel Han Su-hyeok’s absence once again.

In the past, when the team had big or small problems, the players would turn to Han Su-hyeok first, not the coach or manager.

Some worried that it was an overreach of authority or that the team was too dependent on a specific player,

but the players who had lived in the same era as Han Su-hyeok didn’t agree at all.

Wasn’t it natural for ordinary humans to rely on the god of baseball?

“Seo, you played great today. Just a heads-up, you don’t need to focus too much on records. I’m saying this because stealing bases is a bit risky.”

“Yes, Boss. I know.”

“Good, I know better than anyone that you don’t have personal ambitions…”

Having reached his ninth season in the major leagues, Seo Hyeong-ju recorded a batting average of .315, an on-base percentage of .401, a slugging percentage of .587, 30 home runs, and 50 stolen bases in his fourth season, achieving the remarkable 30-50 record.

And this year, after playing 100 games, he achieved 30-30 again, earning the evaluation that he was in his second prime.

To be honest, he wasn’t very interested in such records.

He might have been when he was younger, but now Seo Hyeong-ju was a veteran who knew what was more important.

However,

“I’ll do as much as I can, Boss.”

“Hmm, good. If that’s what you want.”

The reason Seo Hyeong-ju was aiming for his first 40-40 was all for the team.

More precisely, it was to become a batter who could instill fear in other teams’ players, for the sake of the Mariners, for whom he had developed considerable affection.

Just like Han Su-hyeok did in the past.

“Yohan, today’s game was a shame.”

“Thanks for saying that. Your home run was really cool, too.”

Seo Hyeong-ju, who had always run at full speed to surpass his friend, had now grown into a great big leaguer who worked to fill his friend’s void and cared about other players besides himself.

Click.

[Ahn Chi-wook’s go-ahead two-run double with bases loaded in the bottom of the ninth gives Warriors a dramatic come-from-behind victory over Seoul rivals Magicians]

[Han Su-hyeok, who was intentionally walked five times in one game: “This is something I can’t help no matter how good I am at baseball. I just have to trust my teammates and wait, and today Ahn Chi-wook showed a great answer to that.”]

[Winning coach Cho Seong-oh: “No matter what anyone says, our team’s third hitter is Ahn Chi-wook. No one else can do what he does. He will continue to lead the team’s offense with Han Su-hyeok in the future.”]

[Magicians coach Kim Seong-soo, who lost despite the automatic intentional walk strategy: “It’s all my fault. I was so wary of Han Su-hyeok that I briefly forgot how good of a hitter Ahn Chi-wook is. I realized once again that the manager’s job is not easy. I will work harder in the future.”]

News about yesterday’s game between the Warriors and the Magicians was pouring out on the internet.

Han Su-hyeok, and Ahn Chi-wook.

Looking at their names, he suddenly missed them.

He didn’t realize until last year how reassuring it was to have friends to lean on in such difficult moments.

“Don’t overdo it, just warm up your body and go in.”

“Yes, Coach.”

In the major leagues, coaches and managers actually stop players from practicing after games. They believe that going home and resting quickly is more helpful for the next game than additional training.

However, Seo Hyeong-ju, who has been known as a practice bug since his days in Korea, still stays at the stadium alone after games to swing his bat.

Now, there is no one by his side.

Han Su-hyeok, who always felt like a reliable fortress, and Ahn Chi-wook, who was not quite as much but was a source of support in important moments.

The Seattle Mariners, where veterans are retiring one after another and new faces are constantly coming up from the minor leagues. Now, Seo Hyeong-ju is the leader who must lead this team.

It’s a burden, but he doesn’t want to avoid it.

It’s what his friend, rival, and idol, Han Su-hyeok, has been doing since his debut year. If he can’t overcome this much pressure after more than 10 years, he’ll have nothing to say in front of him.

“Heup!”

Thwack!

The feeling of hitting the home run today is still there.

Seo Hyeong-ju, who smiled happily without realizing it, slowly came out of the batting cage and headed to the shower room.

Nothing has been decided yet.

Whether he will continue to play for this team and end his career as a big leaguer, or return to Korea and team up with Han Su-hyeok once again.

Nothing has been decided, but one thing is certain: when he meets his friends again, he has to be able to speak loudly in front of them.

That there’s no problem even without you guys, that I’ve achieved this much on my own.

Han Su-hyeok, Seo Hyeong-ju, and Ahn Chi-wook.

The three same-age best friends and stars representing Korean baseball were always developing while being conscious of each other.

* * *

When the news of Han Su-hyeok’s return to the KBO [Korean Baseball Organization, South Korea’s professional baseball league] became a reality, most baseball fans and experts expressed both concern and anticipation, fearing that the league would explode.

However, some people were critical, saying that Han Su-hyeok would not perform as well as expected.

Their reasoning was that Han Su-hyeok was entering his 32-year-old season, when most athletes experience a decline in physical ability, that his body, which had been pitching and hitting for 13 years, had reached its limit, and that the level of Korean baseball had also improved significantly compared to 10 years ago.

Thwaaaaaaaaaack!

Of course, it didn’t take long for it to be revealed that it was all nonsense.

Han Su-hyeok, a batter who recorded a batting average of .457, an on-base percentage of .601, a slugging percentage of 1.109, 51 home runs, and 107 RBIs [Runs Batted In, a statistic measuring the number of runs a player is responsible for scoring], having played about 60% of the season.

And Han Su-hyeok, an undefeated pitcher who recorded an ERA of 0.33, 15 wins and no losses, and a WHIP [Walks plus Hits per Inning Pitched, a measure of a pitcher’s ability to keep runners off base] of 0.39 in 18 starts.

Baseball fans who watched such a great player’s performance directly in front of their eyes were shocked, just like when he played in the major leagues.

What shocked them even more was that he was a businessman who owned baseball teams in the United States and Korea, and at the same time, a wealthy man with personal assets that ranked among the top three in Korea, an incredible achievement that no other sports star in the world had ever achieved.

In short, Han Su-hyeok is a wannabe that all Koreans envy and admire.

“I don’t like it! I don’t want to do it! I like soccer better! I hate baseball!”

“Hey! Why don’t you want to do this good thing? Teacher, please take good care of my child. He definitely has talent. He’s been known for his athleticism in the neighborhood since he was young.”

“Don’t worry, ma’am. I’ll raise him well and make him a great baseball player like Han Su-hyeok. Speaking of which, I was actually in middle school with Su-hyeok…”

“Oh my! You’re a classmate of Han Su-hyeok?”

“No, well, not exactly a classmate, but my cousin’s friend went to the same middle school as Han Su-hyeok…”

At a time when the foundation of the Korean sports world was shaking due to the unprecedented low birth rate and the resulting closure of elementary, middle, and high schools,

parents who had witnessed Han Su-hyeok’s success began to take action in earnest.

[Children Dreaming of Becoming the Next Han Su-hyeok, Baseball Academy Startup Boom]

[The Number of Baseball Teams is Increasing Despite the Decrease in the Number of Schools]

[What is the Number One Dream Job Chosen by Elementary School Students in 2040? Professional Baseball Player]

It was uncertain how long the sudden baseball craze would last, but one thing was certain: Han Su-hyeok was bringing tremendous positive factors to Korean baseball and the country as a whole.

Political parties were offering nominations to athletes who were only in their early thirties, and almost every company in Korea was constantly visiting his agent’s office to hire Han Su-hyeok as an advertising model.

It wasn’t just them.

Eventually, even the president invited the player, who was in the middle of the season, to a dinner.

Of course, Han Su-hyeok did not accept the invitation.

– It’s not too late now. The President really wants to see Han Su-hyeok. Please make time.

“No, I have an important game, so I can’t do that. Even if the season is over, this isn’t going to work. I’m quite upset.”

– Upset… did you say upset? Han Su-hyeok, no matter how great a baseball player you are, you are just one of the people. The President is calling you, not someone else…

“I’m hanging up. Don’t contact me again if you’re going to call me for such useless things.”

The man who had recently taken office as president was quite stubborn. He kept sticking to it like this even after I had repeatedly expressed my refusal.

Eventually, Han Su-hyeok’s expression hardened, and the rumor was passed on to a family in the United States through Han Su-hyeok’s agent.

“Your Excellency! We’re in big trouble! We received a call from the United States to renegotiate the defense cost sharing for the U.S. Forces in Korea…”

“What? What are you talking about all of a sudden?”

“I don’t know… According to the U.S. Ambassador to Korea, the Korean government seems to be so focused on baseball these days that they want to take this opportunity to re-establish relations between the two countries…”

“What are you talking about!”

They didn’t know.

Han Su-hyeok himself is a big shot, but behind him is someone who dominates the United States, no, the entire world.

As the political and economic world’s courtship of Han Su-hyeok was gradually being sorted out, the teams that would advance to the KBO’s fall baseball [Korean equivalent of playoffs] were slowly being revealed.