Genius Pitcher Hides 170Km [EN]: Chapter 54

#53. Who am I, and where am I?

Last night, Director Lee Dae-jun, unable to sleep at the thought of facing the league’s strongest team and its ace, was struck by a sudden thought.

The image of a baseball manager commanding players and a general leading soldiers on a battlefield was quite similar.

In that sense, issuing a charge order against the strongest team, Incheon, and especially Lim Jun-young, the best among them, was a rather heart-pounding act.

A reckless operation where all his soldiers could be annihilated.

However, when Han Su-hyeok hit his second home run in the 4th inning, following the 1st, Lee Dae-jun realized.

That there was a Lu Bu [a legendary warrior from the historical novel *Romance of the Three Kingdoms* known for his unparalleled strength] among the soldiers he commanded.

That there was an invincible warrior who could cleave any enemy in two along with their horse.

“Boss, we’ve taken the lead. Who should we prepare in the bullpen?”

“Huh? Oh, yes. First, have Jeong-soo and Young-shik, and… Gi-cheol warm up.”

“An excellent choice.”

Lee Dae-jun’s reverie was broken by the call of the blonde pitching coach, with whom he still felt awkward.

Lee Dae-jun, who took command of the Warriors for the first time this season, felt like he was walking on clouds every day.

When they reached the top spot for the first time in 1,500 days, there was no need to say more, and when they suffered a four-game losing streak after Han Su-hyeok’s absence, it was the same in a different sense.

It was like walking on clouds where you could fall into hell with one wrong step, unable to see even an inch ahead.

‘Hmm.’

The moment he thought that, Lee Dae-jun realized that he wasn’t just trusting Han Su-hyeok, but almost fanatically relying on him.

Frankly, he even thought that if Han Su-hyeok wasn’t there, he might have to submit his resignation.

‘But what if Su-hyeok really isn’t here?’

Absurd imaginations popped into his head.

Thoughts of Han Su-hyeok suffering a long-term injury and lying in a hospital bed, single-handedly taking down all nine Magicians players and receiving a 100-game suspension…

‘No way!’

His heart started pounding like crazy.

He even wondered if the hyperthyroidism he had suffered from before had recurred.

But fortunately, it wasn’t an illness.

The moment Han Su-hyeok, who had hit a two-run home run, returned to the bench and plopped down next to him, the trembling stopped as if it were a lie.

In that moment, Director Lee Dae-jun came to understand the heart of his mentor who had taught him.

He remembered when he, Lee Dae-jun, had just graduated from college and first joined the Warriors.

In those days, Lee Dae-jun was a rookie sensation with nothing to fear in the world.

As a hitter, he received a signing bonus of 500 million won, the highest ever at the time, and wore the Warriors uniform. It was a time when the price of a 30-pyeong [approximately 1,067 square feet] apartment in Bundang, which was more expensive than Seoul, was 200 million won.

He hit a home run in his debut game, and by the end of the first half of the season, he was batting .300 with 15 home runs, securing the team’s third hitter position.

The Warriors manager at the time took great care of Lee Dae-jun.

Whenever conflicts arose with the senior players due to his blunt personality, the manager would directly step in to resolve the issues, and when he got into a fight with a drunkard outside the stadium, the manager himself would go to the police station instead of a club employee and bow his head.

He wouldn’t have done that even for his own son. Lee Dae-jun thought it was just the manager’s nature.

But it wasn’t.

“Su-hyeok, is this the brand of drink you mentioned before?”

“Yes? Ah, Manager. Thank you. I don’t mind drinking anything.”

“No, no. That won’t do. Ignoring all sponsorships, I’ve already arranged for your drinks to be prepared with this from now on. Um, let’s see. Should I make a Han Su-hyeok exclusive refrigerator?”

“Yes?”

A monstrous hitter who single-handedly scored three points with two home runs while the Warriors hitters were suppressed by Lim Jun-young’s overwhelming pitching.

“Su-hyeok, do you happen to have some tape? I need to re-tape my bat.”

“Um, I do, but I don’t know where I put it…”

“Wait! Hey, Choi Min-seok. Why are you looking for it here? Shoo, go look for it over there.”

“Yes? Manager, what did I…”

“Never mind, don’t disturb Su-hyeok’s rest and go solve it somewhere else.”

“…”

It can’t be helped even if the other players feel a little resentful.

He is a precious person who must protect this team. If he strains his back while looking for tape, who will take responsibility for that?

Now I understand. Why the manager cherished and took care of me so much when I was an active player.

I realized that only after becoming a manager myself.

I realized that a manager has no choice but to protect the player who will be responsible for the team’s fate.

‘Manager… thank you so much. I will definitely visit you sometime. Are you comfortable there?’

Lee Dae-jun turned his gaze towards the sky with moist eyes.

For the record, the manager who taught Lee Dae-jun is not dead yet.

He is enjoying a good life as a KBO [Korean Baseball Organization] elder, receiving good treatment and spending his days.

* * *

The Warriors, who were leading 3-0 with my two home runs, allowed Incheon’s catcher Son Young-jin to hit a bases-clearing double in the top of the 6th inning off of Brooks Parker, tying the game.

Well, that ball was practically Brooks’ mistake.

Son Young-jin didn’t miss the high fastball that Brooks, who usually lures opponents with control and movement rather than power, threw with all his might just once.

In an instant, 3-3 tie. With a runner on second base and no outs.

At the moment of crisis, everyone’s eyes turned to the Warriors’ bullpen.

Compared to the starting pitchers who at least pitch like humans, the Warriors’ middle relief pitchers, whom no one can trust even a tiny bit, who among them will take the mound in this desperate crisis?

Director Lee Dae-jun pulled out a card that no one expected here.

He put Yang Gi-cheol, a second-year pitcher acquired from the Busan Titans in exchange for Han Jin-woo, on the mound.

Rumble rumble

The audience stirred at the appearance of a pitcher no one knew.

And our fielders gathered on the mound to comfort the new pitcher.

“Gi-cheol, just throw comfortably. Su-hyeok will take care of everything anyway.”

“Yeah, just throw comfortably like Seong-oh hyung [older brother or male senior, used as a term of endearment and respect] said. It’s okay. If you get hit, Su-hyeok will hit another one.”

“Yes? Yes, understood. Then I’ll just trust Su-hyeok hyung…”

“Get a grip. Why is Su-hyeok a hyung? Haha. This guy is really frozen. Hey, Su-hyeok is a rookie who joined this year.”

“Ah? Yes, that’s right? I’m talking nonsense.”

Yang Gi-cheol’s eyes, who had been in the minor leagues except for a brief stint in the first team during the exhibition game, were as unfocused as rotten pollack eyes.

I understand. His first appearance in a real game in this situation.

Jo Seong-oh, who somehow managed to calm Yang Gi-cheol down and make him able to throw the ball, whispered quietly in my ear.

“Help him out a bit. He’s going to die.”

Hmm…

For now, there’s nothing particularly noticeable except for his rather impressive appearance.

According to Director Park Jae-cheol, who pushed for the trade of Han Jin-woo and Yang Gi-cheol, he is a pitcher who will become a decent middle relief pitcher within two years…

But I couldn’t help but be surprised the moment Yang Gi-cheol started practicing his pitching.

I think I know that guy?

The unusually unfocused eyes, the long, monkey-like arms that swayed, the unruly curly hair that seemed impossible to manage, and the thick lips that looked like they could make two plates if sliced.

Ah! That pitcher’s name is… Yang? Yang Gi-cheol, is that person that Yang?

It was during my eighth year in the major leagues when I last became a Cy Young winner.

I was serving a five-game suspension for beating up a Yankee who tried to kill me.

The team left for an away game, and I was left alone in Seattle.

I was getting restless being at home, so I came to the stadium to work out, and a reporter who often took my side showed me something.

He said it was an Asian pitcher who had recently debuted in the National League.

In the tablet that the reporter handed me, there was a bizarrely 생긴 [looking] Asian pitcher wearing a Marlins uniform throwing strange balls with an absurd pitching form.

‘…Who is this guy?’

‘Haha, I knew Han Su-hyeok would be interested. He’s from Korea. He was released from a team called Busan and entered the Marlins through a tryout, and this was his first appearance in the big leagues. What do you think? Can this pitcher adapt to the big leagues in the future?’

The reason the reporter showed me the video was that.

Curiosity about whether this strange guy would work in the big leagues as a fellow Korean pitcher. Expectation that I might throw out an interesting comment.

I gave the reporter a blunt answer and left the spot.

What did I say…

Did I say that I was too busy to pay attention to such insignificant guys?

Hmm.

Thinking about it now, this is a level where I have no personality at all.

Anyway, I remember that the player’s uniform said Yang.

What happened to that player after that?

I don’t know.

Since the leagues were different, there was almost no chance of meeting the Marlins, and shortly after that, I relapsed with a shoulder injury and spent a hectic time.

If it’s not in my memory, it seems that the pitcher’s challenge to the big leagues fizzled out like that…

Anyway, the pitcher named Yang in the video that the reporter showed me threw some pretty interesting balls.

A dynamic pitching form that required him to touch the ground with his gloved hand after throwing the ball.

The long arms that were swung like a whip thanks to the recoil, and the unpredictable balls that came out of it.

I still vividly remember the slider that changed its trajectory and penetrated into the zone while the batter retreated, thinking the ball was coming towards his body.

Wait…

Then are we sending that trash Han Jin-woo to Busan and bringing in a future major leaguer?

Crazy.

Is Director Park Jae-cheol really a regressor [someone who has returned from the future]?

No, wait.

That’s one thing, but where did that pitcher Yang Gi-cheol sell his pitching form and throw with such an awkward overhand?

What the hell happened in Busan?

* * *

While the 25,000 baseball fans gathered in Jamsil and the countless viewers watching the game on TV were all focused on the showdown between Han Su-hyeok and Lim Jun-young.

Here, there was a pitcher standing alone on the mound, trembling forlornly.

‘Where am I… who am I…’

Yang Gi-cheol, who came to the mound in a 3-3 tie, forced strength into his eyes, which looked like rotten pollack, and stared at the home plate.

The reason his eyes look like pollack is because of the aftereffects of jaundice he suffered as a child. It’s by no means gone bad.

He spent an hour drying his hair in the morning to straighten it out, but the curly hair that had started to escape as soon as he sweated a little was getting on his nerves too much.

‘Should I just shave my head… No, then I’ll really look like an African native.’

Yang Gi-cheol shook his head once and barely erased the unnecessary 잡념 [japnyum – idle thoughts].

Now is not the time to fall into these thoughts.

His first appearance on the first team this season is in such a close game, and even the opposing team’s mound is guarded by national team starting pitcher Lim Jun-young.

‘덜덜덜 [Deoldeoldeol – trembling sound]’

The moment he recognized that fact, his hands and feet suddenly trembled.

I don’t know.

Why did this Warriors team choose him?

Even if his recent performance is poor, why did they send Han Jin-woo, who they signed for billions of won, and bring me?

In the Busan Titans, where he debuted, there was an invisible class within the team called 성골 [seonggol – sacred bone] and 진골 [jingol – true bone].

In short, it means that the class is determined as soon as you join the team depending on the high school you graduated from.

Players from schools belonging to 성골 and 진골 receive intensive care from senior players, front office staff, coaches, managers, and even the general manager from the moment they join the team.

But players from other schools are just tools to fill the numbers.

Even if they have the same skills, they can’t easily move up due to the limitations of their status.

It goes without saying that Yang Gi-cheol was neither 성골 nor 진골, and if he had to be given a class, he was like a slave.

When he first joined Busan, he was a little confident.

He thought that he could still catch a few hitters in the pros with the four-seam fastball and the slider that flowed horizontally from the dynamic pitching form he created himself.

But the pitching coach he first met in the minor leagues immediately ordered him to change his pitching form as soon as he saw him.

‘Hey, you crazy bastard. Is a pitcher someone who falls while throwing the ball? Do you think you’re a major leaguer? This bastard won’t do. You follow me. I’m going to completely overhaul you from the root.’

This pitching form, which rotates his whole body like a top and staggers as if he’s about to fall after the pitch, was created with the high school coach who especially cherished him.

Unlike the high school baseball coaches who generally train players as if they were 찍어낸 [jjigeonaen – mass-produced], Yang Gi-cheol’s mentor was not afraid of bold changes.

He paid attention to Yang Gi-cheol’s body, which had unusually, no, incredibly long arms and elastic waist rotation compared to others.

If left as it is, his skills would be a bit ambiguous to receive a professional nomination. In the end, the coach decided to take a gamble after meeting with Yang Gi-cheol.

He decided to copy the form of a pitcher named Mitch Williams who played in the big leagues a long time ago.

A pitching form that starts swinging the arm from the farthest point from the torso and completely shifts the center of the body to the opposite side after the pitch, which looks extremely 불안하기 [buanhagi – unstable] to others.

With that form, Yang Gi-cheol performed relatively well in the last tournament of his third year of high school and eventually succeeded in being nominated by the Titans. Of course, the scout who nominated him was 비아냥 [bianyang – ridiculed] for 혹시 돈 받아먹었냐 [hoksi don badameogeotnya – whether he had taken money].

The problem was entering the pros.

‘Listen carefully, you bastard. I won’t let you play in the minor league games until you properly change your pitching form.’

The Titans’ minor league pitching coach, who had the theory that pitchers should throw overhand, 붙어 [buteo – stuck to] 양기철 began to remodel Yang Gi-cheol.

He had no interest in Yang Gi-cheol’s physical characteristics.

He was just worried that if the minor league pitcher he was teaching used an absurd pitching form, it would damage his career.

Yang Gi-cheol changed his pitching form with tears in his eyes.

And in the end, he became a pitcher who was neither this nor that, and he exchanged uniforms with Han Jin-woo at the direction of Warriors Director Park Jae-cheol.

‘Why me…’

The umpire started urging him to throw the ball quickly.

With that unresolved question in his heart, Yang Gi-cheol slowly started his windup.

The foreign hitter, who had been temporarily pushed to the bottom of the batting order due to a slump, glared at Yang Gi-cheol with murderous eyes.

Following 선배 [seonbae – senior] Jang Deok-soo’s lead, he decided to throw one ball outside first.

‘Ah, shoot.’

But a problem occurred from the start.

Whether it was because he was too nervous, the ball slipped from his hand and a bland changeup 몰린 [mollin – concentrated] in the middle.

따악 [Ttaak – sound of a bat hitting a ball cleanly]

A bullet-like hit that hit the center of the bat shot out like a ray of light towards the right of the shortstop. It was a hit that you could feel was a hit the moment it was hit.

But.

타악 [Taak – sound of a ball being caught]

슈웅 [Shwoong – sound of the ball flying]

“Out!”

“Waaaaa!”

“That’s it!”

“The best! Han Su-hyeok! You’re the best!”

“Who’s the national team shortstop? Lee Tae-woong? Tell him to get lost! It’s Han Su-hyeok now!”

The rookie shortstop, whom he had 착각했던 [chakgakhaetdeon – mistaken] as a 형 [hyung – older brother or male senior] because he was too nervous, easily caught the hit and put the hitter out at first base. He even 묶어 [muekko – tied] the runner on second base in place with just one glance.

It’s a defensive play at the level of a major league 진기명기 [jingimyeonggi – spectacle] that you only see on TV.

Now, the words that the 선배 [seonbae – senior] had said earlier came to Yang Gi-cheol’s mind.

That Han Su-hyeok would take care of everything if he just threw it roughly. That was really true.

Yang Gi-cheol, who had regained a little bit of confidence, threw a curveball that was properly controlled this time.

따악 [Ttaak – sound of a bat hitting a ball cleanly]

But this time the hitter hit well.

The moment a bullet-like line drive hit was about to 빠져나가려는 [ppajyeonagaryeoneun – escape] the infield.

Han Su-hyeok, who was positioned in a place that was not even his original defensive position, jumped almost 1 meter or more from his spot and caught the hit.

“Out!”

“씨발 [Sibal – a Korean curse word]!”

The opposing hitter, who had a hit stolen, returned to the dugout, 뱉으며 욕설 [baeteumyeo yokseol – spitting out curses].

In an instant, the out count increased to two.

But Yang Gi-cheol, who had been hit 정타 [jeongta – cleanly hit] both times, had completely lost even the little confidence he had.

But at that moment, Han Su-hyeok, who had caught the hit just now, approached him.

His eyes are a bit strange.

What is it, is he going to kick my 궁둥이 [gungdungi – butt] and tell me that he’ll kill me if I don’t throw straight?

Even so, I’m a 선배 [seonbae – senior].

But the story that came out of Han Su-hyeok’s mouth 깜짝 놀라게 [kkamjjak nollage – surprised] him.

“선배님 [seonbaenim – senior], isn’t that your original pitching form?”