Genius Pitcher Hides 170Km [EN]: Chapter 63

#62. Glasses and Lenses

It’s not just the coaching staff, the players, and the fans who are caught up in the highs and lows of a professional baseball team’s wins and losses.

Perhaps there are even more desperate people.

For example, the club president and general manager who were told by the parent company’s chairman to finish in the top 5 this season, even if the world ends.

Daejeon Falcons, who never took the lead in the game where their ace Ryu Han-gyul was pitching, and were constantly trailing.

The game, which had been dragging on, is heading towards its end.

– The game is over! The Seoul Warriors have maintained their 4-point lead, created by Han Su-hyeok’s three-run home run in the early innings, and defeated the Daejeon Falcons with a final score of 4 to 0.

– Wow, today is really amazing. Daejeon Falcons’ ace Ryu Han-gyul versus Seoul Warriors’ 5th starter Jung Tae-ho. Just looking at the names of the starting pitchers, Daejeon’s overwhelming advantage was expected.

– Who do you think is the biggest contributor to today’s victory?

– Recently, Han Su-hyeok’s name has been mentioned in almost every Warriors’ victory, but today, I can’t help but pick Jung Tae-ho. It’s his first complete game shutout in four years since his debut.

– That’s right. I have a similar thought. Jung Tae-ho, who becomes an ace only when he comes to Daejeon, is greeting the audience with a bright expression.

– For the Warriors, who are dreaming of reaching the playoffs for the first time in 5 years, it must be really reassuring. Just having a pitcher who shows such extreme strength against their 5th-place rival, Daejeon.

– Yes, I agree. Then, we will conclude today’s broadcast by watching Jung Tae-ho’s interview. Thank you for watching.

Click

“Hmm.”

“…I’m sorry, President.”

“What do you have to be sorry about? The problem is that Han Su-hyeok and Jung Tae-ho are going crazy.”

“It’s all my fault.”

“It’s okay. If I get fired from this position, I can go do public service, and you’re still young, so if you work hard, you won’t starve, right?”

The general manager’s head bowed even deeper at the president’s self-deprecating remarks.

“Anyway, it’s confirmed that both you and I will be unemployed if we don’t make the top 5 this season. The chairman said it himself, so we can’t take it back, this.”

“I know that well.”

“Good, then let’s talk about it. Let’s say Ryu Han-gyul lost today, well, even a top-class pitcher can’t win every time.”

“I’m sorry.”

“The problem is that Jung Tae-ho guy… why is he doing that? Why does a guy with a career ERA [Earned Run Average, a measure of pitching performance] of almost 5 points pitch better than Ryu Han-gyul only when he comes to Daejeon?”

“…I don’t know. According to close players, it seems to be because he’s from Daejeon, and he likes and feels comfortable in this area…….”

“Does that make sense? Then why are our team’s players from Daejeon not pitching well?”

“…I’m sorry.”

“It’s not your fault, I’m just frustrated, frustrated. If we want to go to the playoffs this year, we have to step on the Warriors, but at this rate, we’re going to get caught by Jung Tae-ho and be ruined. Come up with a plan, a plan!”

“I understand. I will discuss the plan with the coaching staff again.”

“Hmph… good. Let’s leave that for now, and, what is our team’s first-round pick, Seo Hyeong-ju, doing now?”

“He’s training hard in the minor leagues…….”

“General Manager, I have eyes and ears. I heard that guy is still not coming to his senses in the minor leagues. No, putting aside his personality, why is he not good at baseball? They said ‘Left Hyeong-ju, Right Su-hyeok,’ right?”

“I’ve looked around and received psychological counseling… it seems that excessive rivalry with Han Su-hyeok and homesickness have combined to cause depression…….”

“Rivalry is one thing, but homesickness? Is this Europe? America? Homesickness just because it’s only as far as Seoul and Daejeon in this small country? I’m going crazy, really.”

“I’m also sorry for that.”

“Enough! Get out! Find a way to attack Jung Tae-ho somehow, and fix Seo Hyeong-ju quickly and send him up to the first team! The contract money that went into that guy is 500 million! He has to do at least half of what Han Su-hyeok does, right?”

* * *

The key to solving a problem is often located very close by.

You can never really feel this just by hearing about it.

You have to experience it firsthand to realize, ‘Ah, that’s right.’

The Warriors, who climbed one step to 3rd place by defeating the Seoul Magicians yesterday, and the Falcons, who barely maintained their 5th place despite fielding their ace Ryu Han-gyul.

At Daejeon Baseball Dream Park, where the second game between the two teams is scheduled, the Warriors’ batting practice is in full swing.

Thwack

Tick

Thwaack

Tick

Thwaack

“Stop, Deok-su, that’s enough, next is Su-hak!”

Senior Jang Deok-su, who was facing the batting ball pitcher’s ball, bowed his head once to the coach and stepped out of the batting cage.

It’s already been about a month since he became the Warriors’ main catcher.

Looking at his current defensive stats, his framing score is 1.9, which is about average among the starting catchers of the 10 teams, his blocking per 9 innings is also 0.551, which is about average, and his stolen base prevention rate is 26%, which is in the top tier.

Considering that it’s his first season as a starting catcher and that he’s wearing the catcher’s mask almost full-time due to the lack of skills of the backup catcher, there’s nothing to criticize in terms of defense.

Hmm.

In addition, his ability to suppress bench-clearing brawls, which is not a visible indicator, should be considered the best in the league.

Since Senior Jang Deok-su put on the catcher’s mask, there has never been an incident where a batter hit by a pitch charged the mound.

“Su-hyeok, try this quickly. It seems like it’s new, but it’s delicious.”

“Yes, Senior.”

The problem is hitting.

As revealed in the batting practice just now, there is something strange about Senior Jang Deok-su’s hitting.

Despite his huge size, he has a very natural swing like flowing water, and once it hits the sweet spot of the bat, it has enough power to go over the fence.

His eye for pitches is not very good, but he still has the ability to pick out bad balls like a catcher, and he is patient enough at the plate.

Yes, if you look only at this, he has all the conditions to become a very good hitter…….

Strangely, he has trouble hitting the ball squarely? Even if the coaches step in and try to correct it here and there, it doesn’t seem to work.

Now, a month after the start of the season, his batting record is a batting average of 0.236, an on-base percentage of 0.315, a slugging percentage of 0.389, 1 home run, and 16 RBIs.

Considering the characteristics of the catcher position and his defensive contribution… it’s not a satisfactory record, but it’s still a respectable performance. Especially considering that he is quite strong in clutch situations.

Nevertheless, something is missing.

My 15 years of experience in the big leagues is telling me. There’s something more.

I was looking at Senior Jang Deok-su while thinking about this and that, and he took out a bottle of artificial tears and put it in his eyes.

That’s right. This senior said he wears contact lenses, right?

Oh, wait a minute, could it be?

No way, it can’t be.

“Senior.”

“Oh, Su-hyeok.”

“Those lenses… are they uncomfortable?”

“They are uncomfortable, but what can I do? I can’t see well without them.”

“No, not that, um… did you have any special comments about your eyesight during the team physical examination last time?”

“Nope.”

Hmm, then is it not?

The reason why I’m checking this is because I remembered a guy who suffered a lot from astigmatism when I was playing in the big leagues.

His eyesight itself was fine, but he developed astigmatism early, so he tried lenses, glasses, and eventually had vision correction surgery.

I turned to the side and saw Senior Jang Deok-su looking at me with a puzzled expression.

Hmm… I feel uneasy just passing this by. Should I check it out just in case?

“Trainer, just a moment. There was an eyewear store right in front of the stadium, right?”

“Yes, why? Han Su-hyeok, is there something wrong with your eyes?”

The trainer, who manages the players’ physical condition, looked at me in surprise.

“No, not me… it might be nothing, but there’s still a lot of time left before the game starts, so I was wondering if Senior Jang Deok-su could get a simple eye exam.”

“……?”

* * *

“Hmm… so Deok-su has had some problems with his eyesight until now? That’s strange, there was nothing wrong with the physical examination data, right? He didn’t say anything either.”

“Well, he’s been wearing lenses for a long time, so he’s gotten used to it, and there wasn’t anything seriously wrong with the eye exam, but rather a subtle astigmatism… it seems that he had difficulty focusing in the actual game due to the astigmatism, lens flare, and other things, Manager.”

“Huh, but why didn’t that guy ever say anything about it?”

“…He did mention it a few times to the former battery coach and trainer earlier this year. He said he felt uncomfortable with the lenses and asked if he could wear glasses.”

“Really? And?”

“They said that a catcher wearing glasses can’t do his job properly, so shut up, wear lenses, and catch the ball well?”

“Those crazy bastards…….”

Manager Lee Dae-jun cursed at the battery coach and trainer who had already been kicked out of the team, then turned his gaze back to Jang Deok-su.

“From now on, record all the information about the players’ condition, no matter how trivial, and leave it behind. So that the successor doesn’t miss anything even if the person in charge changes.”

“Yes, I’m planning to re-investigate everything and update it in the DB anyway.”

“Good. Anyway, how are the glasses that were temporarily made? What does he say?”

“Yes, he says he feels like he’s been reborn.”

* * *

Thwaaaaaack!

– Oh, oh, oh, does it go over, does it go, does it go, it went over! Jang Deok-su’s hit went over the left fence! A two-run home run! The Warriors take a two-point lead with Jang Deok-su’s opening home run!

– Ah, he hit it perfectly! Look, Jang Deok-su’s batting form tends to be more about hitting the ball with a natural swing rather than power. But because he has such great natural power, he can hit it accurately with the bat and send it over the fence. Amazing!

“Waaaa!”

“Jang Deok-su! Jang Deok-su!”

“Yeah! You have to hit at least this much with your size!”

The Daejeon baseball stadium’s away cheering section was heating up with the two-run home run hit by 8th batter Jang Deok-su in a situation with a runner on first base with no outs.

“Good job! You!”

“Senior Deok-su!”

“Good!”

Senior Jang Deok-su, who tasted the feeling of hitting the ball properly after a long time, put on his catcher’s gear with an excited expression.

The batting just now felt really good.

Because his natural power is so great, he can hit a home run even with such a smooth swing.

Unlike me, his launch angle is not very high, so he will probably hit more doubles than home runs.

Hehe.

The laughter comes out on its own.

At the beginning of the season, the guy who couldn’t even hit 20% and whose face turned red when he threw a forkball was the starting catcher, but this is really satisfying.

Just wearing glasses for astigmatism correction makes his hitting feel so much better.

I’m really glad I had him checked just in case.

By the way, what about that battery coach who told Senior Jang Deok-su that catchers shouldn’t wear glasses…….

How many catchers have played baseball well even with glasses on?

There’s Furuta, who is considered one of the best catchers in Japanese history, and there are players like Noda.

Ah, was the latter a manga character?

Anyway.

One of the biggest weaknesses of the Warriors’ lineup was that there were too many left-handed hitters in the core lineup, but if Senior Jang Deok-su’s hitting feel is not temporary.

If he can hit a batting average in the mid-20% range and hit double-digit home runs based on a full season.

The lineup will be much better.

It is also possible to have a zigzag lineup of left-right-left-right in the core lineup, or to send one of the left-handed hitters to number 2.

Of course, we’ll have to watch it a little more for now.

For a hitter, problems related to eyesight are quite tricky and sensitive.

Glasses and lenses, vision correction surgery.

There is no right answer to that problem, either now or in the past.

As correction surgery has developed a lot, a considerable number of players choose surgery instead of lenses or glasses, but once it is done, there is no way to reverse it, so it can only be the last choice for professional players whose bodies are their assets.

I don’t know what decision Senior Jang Deok-su will make about his eyes at the end of this season.

He may just continue to wear those glasses, or he may go back to lenses.

Or he may take a slight risk and choose correction surgery.

I am not a god, so I cannot know which path is the right path.

I can only pray that a small blessing will befall Senior Jang Deok-su, who has endured a difficult life for a long time.

“Sang-jin, from the next inning, throw the ball a little lower.”

“Yes, Senior.”

Senior Jang Deok-su, who was putting on his catcher’s gear for the next inning’s defense immediately after hitting a home run, is talking to Senior Cheon Sang-jin, who is the starter today, with a serious expression.

I felt a strange feeling watching that.

The two people who were out of the mainstream of this team at the beginning of the season.

One went to the military as an active duty soldier due to the neglect and abandonment of the pitching coach, and the other had to endure a long period of patience while staying in the backup position due to the political maneuvering, assault, and threats of a human trash.

“Waaaa!”

It’s time to go out to the ground for defense again after the inning is over.

The cheers of the fans in the away cheering section pour out towards Senior Cheon Sang-jin, who captivated the hearts of the fans with his impressive interview along with his great pitching in the last appearance.

The handsome pitcher, who has become the Warriors’ proud 4th starter from a complete unknown that even most baseball fans did not know the name of, stands on the mound, and the giant catcher who forms the battery with him shouts vigorously.

“Cheon Sang-jin, let’s go! You can do it!”

“Fighting!”

“Woowaa!”

The fans who were cheering for Cheon Sang-jin now send applause and cheers again to Jang Deok-su.

I know.

How happy those two people are now, even though they don’t show it on the outside.

Baseball is really a great sport.

The fact that guys like us, who are really nothing special when we take off our uniforms, can make tens of thousands of people happy, and that we can do something for those people.

That alone makes baseball our life and our dream.

However, one thing.

I just regret that I didn’t know that in the past.

“Play!”