Genius Pitcher Hides 170Km [EN]: Chapter 409

#408. Extra Story 8 – Towards the End

“You’re a truly cruel bastard. Do you have to stomp on young kids just as they’re starting to sprout?”

“What?”

“That’s what my wife told me to tell you.”

“Heh heh, you crazy son of a bitch.”

The exhibition game against the Giants, my first and last road trip, ended with a score of 12 to 3, a one-sided victory for the Mariners. Against the San Francisco Giants’ young guns, who were expected to join the starting rotation this season, I hit three home runs.

After finishing all the pre-season games, I visited Ahn Chi-wook’s restaurant with Seo Hyung-joo. Ahn Chi-wook is another friend of mine who transitioned into a franchise restaurant owner after retiring from baseball.

“Anyway, how’s the steak? I grilled it myself for you guys.”

“Ahn Chi-wook.”

“Huh?”

“No matter how busy the place is, never go into the kitchen. This is the worst-grilled steak I’ve ever had. Seriously, how can a steak turn out like this?”

“You bastard… can’t you just say it’s delicious, even if you have to lie?”

“Leave the cooking to the professionals. By the way, where’s your wife? Isn’t she coming to the restaurant today? I wanted to say hello.”

“She flew to Boston right after yesterday’s game. I haven’t seen her much either because of the store expansion over there.”

“Hmm… Hyung-joo, isn’t it amazing? Who would have imagined this guy would marry an American woman and settle down here, huh?”

“Actually, I had a hunch. Every time we played against the Giants, this guy kept disappearing. I was so curious that I secretly followed him, and guess what? This bastard, Chi-wook, you know that place, right? The theater across from the Giants stadium and the hotel next to it…….”

“Hey, hey! Shit! Stop it! There are employees here!”

“So what? You’re married anyway. What does it matter if they hear?”

“It’s not that, ugh, shit.”

“What, Ahn Chi-wook, don’t tell me…….”

“Just stop it already…….”

“Wait, was it another woman?”

“Please, just stop……. Please?”

“Wow, look at this guy. Wow… good heavens, even a guy like this is meeting women, and what about me…….”

Ahn Chi-wook, who used to complain about not having a girlfriend or even female fans when he played in Korea, married an American businesswoman he met towards the end of his career and left the baseball world. The club offered him a coaching position, but he declined without hesitation, bidding farewell to baseball.

On the other hand, Seo Hyung-joo, who was more interested in women than anyone else, is still all-in on baseball without even dating, let alone getting married, at his age.

If I went back 20 years and told these guys this story, would they even believe it?

“By the way, Han Su-hyeok, are you really going to be okay?”

“With what?”

“You’re going to play as a shortstop and the first starting pitcher this season, right?”

“Yeah, I don’t think we can win if I don’t.”

“Hey, you’re almost forty now. You’ll break down.”

“Do you think I’m like you? I’ve been holding back since earlier, but what is this? Huh? Is this the body of an athlete? You’re walking around with a tire around your waist, you bastard.”

“Aaaaargh! Let go! Shit! It hurts!”

After I declared that I would spend my last season in the United States, and after deciding to return to the shortstop position after a long time, many people expressed their concerns.

Well, looking at last season’s performance alone, it’s understandable.

I missed about 30 games, but for the first time since my professional debut, I hit less than 60 home runs, and my ERA [Earned Run Average, a measure of pitching performance] also exceeded 1.5 for the first time ever.

There were several reasons. The operated area was a little uncomfortable, and the muscles that had been fatigued for a long time caused problems simultaneously, disrupting my body balance. On top of that, Ye-rin went on a world tour, so I had to take care of Si-won instead.

But,

“Chi-wook.”

“Huh?”

“You said your wife is a Giants fan, right?”

“Yeah, her whole family has been Giants fans for three generations. I almost got shot with a shotgun when I went to greet them for the first time. Come to think of it, I was pretty strong against the Giants.”

“Hmm, I see. Then you’ll have to suffer a bit this year too.”

“Why?”

“They’re going to get crushed by me.”

“Wow… you cocky bastard. Listen to him talk. Well, who am I to worry about?”

My condition is as good as it can be right now. Is it because I missed quite a few games last season and the season before, or is it because I don’t have to worry about the future anymore?

My body and mind are full of energy. I feel like I can do anything after a long time.

“I clearly warned you. When our team plays against the Giants, don’t watch the game with your wife if possible.”

Wait… when is the interleague game against the Giants this year?

* * *

– Major League Baseball fans, the day has finally come! After deciding to return to the Big League after 8 years, the God of Baseball, who decided to spend his last retirement season here, finally makes his appearance! The first game of the season between the home team Seattle Mariners and the visiting team Oakland Athletics, you can watch it now on ESPN!

– Joseph, you seem too excited.

– Yes, Steve. I can’t help it. I can finally see Han Su-hyeok’s play with my own eyes. I want to praise my past self for choosing to be a sports caster [sports commentator].

– Heh heh. It’s only now that I realize how much time has passed. I’m broadcasting a game with a caster who is seeing Han Su-hyeok for the first time.

– Anyway, Steve, the story that fans are most curious about right now is about Han Su-hyeok, but that story will continue to unfold as the game progresses, so let’s start with an introduction to both teams.

– Of course. First, the Seattle Mariners were the second-place team in the American League West last season. They started with a wild card [a chance to enter the playoffs despite not winning their division] and went all the way to the Championship Series, but their World Series appearance was thwarted by being completely defeated by the New York Yankees. The Oakland Athletics, who will face them, are a team composed of young and talented players with an average age of 24, who recorded 3rd place in the Western District. Considering that the average age of the Mariners is 32, you can get a sense of how young that team is.

– Good. As manager Ryan Thibodeau has publicly stated, Han Su-hyeok is starting as a starting pitcher and third batter in this opening game. In fact, there was a lot of talk about this issue, right? No matter how good Han Su-hyeok is, it would be too much to keep him in the starting rotation and play shortstop?

– That’s right. Of course, it would be too much. But, we may be forgetting one really important fact.

– What is it?

– Han Su-hyeok has been doing two-way [playing both pitcher and batter] for nearly 20 years, which was considered impossible in modern baseball. If such a player said it was possible, wouldn’t it really be possible? We may need to strengthen our faith in the God of Baseball a little more.

* * *

“Damn it, why is it such a mess? It’s just a baseball game.”

“I’m glad the opening game is an away game. Damn it, look at my SNS [Social Networking Service]. ‘Don’t even think about coming back if you lose the game,’ are these really our fans?”

“Why are you telling us about something that happened ten years ago… I was just a snot-nosed kid back then…….”

To explain the relationship between the Seattle Mariners and the Oakland Athletics in a nutshell, it can be described as past enemies and current district rivals.

When Han Su-hyeok was playing in the United States, Oakland was literally a tonic for Seattle. Oakland, whose spirit was completely broken by several bench clearings [fights where both teams empty their benches and rush onto the field], couldn’t even breathe properly in front of Seattle.

However, after Han Su-hyeok left for Korea, the relationship between the two teams gradually changed.

Seattle is implementing a continuous win-now policy based on strong capital, while Oakland is adhering to a money ball policy [a strategy of using statistical analysis to find undervalued players] that maximizes the effect with minimal capital, both now and in the past.

The team’s management policy is the opposite, but the results themselves were similar. Over the past three seasons, the head-to-head record between the two teams was slightly in favor of Seattle.

In this situation, the rookies with an average age of 24 who are currently playing in Oakland did not care at all about the past bad relationship with Seattle. It was just a district rival that would compete for the fall baseball season this year, that was the general perception.

The problem was the fans. Oakland fans who still harbor grudges from a dozen years ago.

└ If you’re going to show Han Su-hyeok another humiliating appearance, just die there!

└ Put everything you have into it! Somehow crush Seattle, no, Han Su-hyeok!

└ My father collapsed from high blood pressure while watching a game against the Seattle guys a long time ago. Since then, my enemy has been Seattle. What happened to my father? Damn it, he’s still alive, thankfully. He’s waiting for your game next to me, shouting.

└ Win! Win by any means!

“Damn it… we’re really in big trouble if we lose?”

“We have to win. Somehow. In that sense, even if it’s Han Su-hyeok, he’s thirty-eight years old. He should have gone to designated hitter [a player who bats in place of another player, typically the pitcher] instead of doing both pitching and hitting. In that sense, let’s look at the ball for as long as possible today. Let’s make him throw even one more ball.”

“Good, and if he gets on base, keep throwing check balls [attempts by the pitcher to throw to a base to keep a runner from stealing]. If we exhaust Han Su-hyeok’s stamina as much as possible in the first game, we can play the remaining three games comfortably, right?”

“Great idea. Okay, let’s do that.”

While the rookies, full of youth and passion, were burning with their wishful thinking, the first game of the opening 4-game series between the Seattle Mariners and the Oakland Athletics began.

In the top of the first inning, Oakland’s attack, Han Su-hyeok, who returned to the Big League after 8 years, took the mound.

* * *

“Han, let’s have you call the signs [signals between the pitcher and catcher] today. It’s your comeback game after a long time, so do whatever you want.”

“Okay, Leonard. By the way, can you catch a breaking ball [a pitch that curves or changes direction] with that knee?”

“Damn it, I want to tell you not to meddle, but come to think of it, you’re my boss. No problem. I played in 130 games with this knee last year, so it’s just a little uncomfortable.”

“I see. Then let’s go with a rotation that doesn’t put too much strain on your knee.”

“I’m telling you, you can just throw comfortably.”

The young boy who used to catch my ball with Bruce a long time ago is now looking at me as he approaches middle age. Wrinkled eyes, inelastic skin, eyes filled with the weight of time.

Feeling the traces of time on the face of an old friend and colleague, I started practicing pitching.

Paang

Paang

Jacob, who is still managing my physical condition with my daughter, said this.

‘To be honest, even if it’s you, it’s too much to play a full season as a first starter and shortstop. Rest in between is essential.’

‘I’ll keep that in mind.’

‘And even if you take a break, problems will definitely occur. This is an unavoidable problem for humans.’

‘I understood that too.’

‘Damn it… to be honest, if this season wasn’t your retirement season, I would have stopped this crazy thing no matter what. But the greatest player in history is going to have the best retirement season, so it’s impossible to stop it. Okay, I’ll help you play a full season somehow. Let’s run with the thought that there’s no turning back.’

‘Yeah, that’s what I want. Let’s not think about later, because what’s important is right now.’

‘Hoo… maybe I’ll be remembered as a crazy trainer who advanced the retirement of Han Su-hyeok, who could have played a few more years.’

‘No, you’ll be remembered as the best trainer who was with Han Su-hyeok’s great last season.’

‘You’re good at talking, you’re good at talking……. Heh heh, I fell for that and came all the way here.’

As Jacob said, no matter how good I am, it is too much to play a full season as a first starter and starting shortstop at the age of thirty-eight. No, it’s impossible.

If I was thinking of playing as a player for a few more years.

But I am ready. I am ready to leave this ground, which was like my whole life, and I am ready to burn all the energy I have.

Therefore, I will not regret it and will confidently walk towards the end.

Sreuk

Over the past two seasons, I skipped about a third of the starting rotation.

There were many reasons, but that wasn’t important. What’s important now is that my body is temporarily in top condition due to that rest.

How long has it been since I faced the opening game with such a light body.

Holding back the laughter that keeps rising, I went into the pitching motion.

Slowly, gently, but powerfully,

Taat

The energy condensed in my whole body is transmitted to my shoulder, and the energy explodes in an instant along with the arm swing.

And,

Ppeoooeeeeong!

“Strike!”

– Keoheok! One, one hundred and eight miles! Oh my god! The first pitch thrown by Han Su-hyeok recorded 108 miles! Oh my god! Is this really a player who will be forty in two years!

With a roar that tore the catcher’s mitt, my last retirement season began.