Genius Pitcher Hides 170Km [EN]: Chapter 75

#74. Tell Director Park to Hide Somewhere

Except for my initial adjustment period in the Big Leagues, my batting order has always been either 2nd or 3rd.

A long time ago, it was common to place the strongest hitter on the team at 4th. Later, the opinion that the best hitter should be at 3rd gained traction, and some managers even placed their best hitter at 2nd.

Personally, I find the 2nd spot the most comfortable.

Of course, this is assuming there’s a leadoff hitter in front of me with an on-base percentage of at least .400, and a cleanup crew behind me that’s above average.

Anyway, today is the first time since my debut in Korean baseball that I’m batting leadoff.

I’ve stood in this position a few times in the Big Leagues… What was my record like then?

Gwangju Jaguars (Away) 0 : 0 Seoul Warriors (Home)

Starting Pitcher: Yang Ji-ho

Bottom of the 1st, Warriors’ Attack

1st Batter: Shortstop Han Su-hyeok

└Leadoff Han Su-hyeok… This is a huge loss.

└Why?

└Even if he hits a home run, it’s only 1 point.

└ㅋㅋㅋ Crazy

1st Pitch: Ball

2nd Pitch: Ball

3rd Pitch: Ball

4th Pitch: Ball

Walk

Hitter advances to 1st base

└Now they’re just blatantly throwing balls.

└Yang Ji-ho, you should be ashamed. And he’s supposed to be a national team left-hander.

└Do you think he decided that? The manager probably told him to.

└The ball isn’t really coming in well these days. It feels like it’s been a while since I’ve seen a home run?

└Thinking about that, the 1st spot isn’t so bad. It’s like starting with a runner on base in the first inning no matter what.

2nd Batter: 3rd Baseman Ahn Chi-wook

Strike

1st Pitch: Ball

2nd Pitch: Ball

1st Base Runner Steals, Safe at 2nd

No Outs, Runner on 2nd

└ㅋㅋㅋ Look at Yang Ji-ho’s face.

└What was funny just now was that he made eye contact with the pitcher before throwing, and Han Su-hyeok just ran.

└If that happened to me, my mentality would be shattered.

3rd Pitch: Hit

Ground ball to 2nd baseman

2nd Base Runner Safe at 3rd

Hitter Runner Out at 1st

One Out, Runner on 3rd

└As expected, Ahn Chi-wook, the ground ball machine.

└When he does that crap in a chance, it’s frustrating, but at times like this, he’s subtly reliable.

└When Ahn Chi-wook comes up with no outs and a runner on 2nd? Automatic 1 out, runner on 3rd.

3rd Batter: 1st Baseman Jo Sung-oh

└Let’s go! Captain!

└Hit a big one, please.

└If you want to earn your son’s tuition, you have to work hard from now on.

1st Pitch: Ball

2nd Pitch: Strike

3rd Pitch: Foul

4th Pitch: Ball

5th Pitch: Ball

6th Pitch: Ball

Walk

Hitter Runner to 1st

1 Out, Runners on 1st and 3rd

└Yang Ji-ho is scared.

└These days, the captain is hitting the best after Han Su-hyeok.

└But if Yang Ji-ho keeps doing this, it’ll be tough for him to make the WBC [World Baseball Classic].

└Re) Don’t insult our great pitcher.

└Re) Just taking a step back to fly further…

└What nonsense.

4th Batter: Right Fielder Max Walker

└He’s not good at hitting big, but he consistently gets RBIs [Runs Batted In]…

└His baseball might not be great, but he can down a spicy rockfish stew in one go…

└And on top of that, he has a fourth child, so he needs to earn money for formula…

└Hang in there, foreign worker.

1st Pitch: Ball

2nd Pitch: Strike

3rd Pitch: Ball

4th Pitch: Hit

Fly ball to right fielder

3rd Base Runner to Home

Score

2 Outs, 1st Base

└I always feel like he magically gets RBIs, but something, something…

└Right? It’s a bit disappointing.

└Well, anyway, thanks for the first run.

* * *

“Nice!”

“Max, good job!”

“Let’s keep it going like this!”

After scoring the first run with Max Walker’s sacrifice fly, we conceded a big one to the Jaguars’ foreign hitter in the top of the 2nd inning.

Score 1 to 1.

Brooks Parker managed to get the next three hitters out with fly balls to the center fielder, overcoming the crisis.

I don’t know if this is fortunate, but no balls have gone towards 2nd baseman Yoo In-cheol, who is shaking his legs next to me, or left fielder Seo Hyeong-ju, who is making a strange expression in the distance.

Yoo In-cheol is one thing, but Seo Hyeong-ju…

He’ll do well. Even with all the talk, he’s originally a guy who was going to be a Big League Gold Glover.

“Play!”

The game continued like that.

In my second at-bat, I also walked to 1st base. And with Ahn Chi-wook’s hit, I sprinted to make it 1st and 3rd.

However, Senior Jo Sung-oh’s well-hit ball was caught by the opposing 2nd baseman’s great play, failing to score.

Although we gave up 1 point in the first inning, he’s still a good pitcher.

Yang Ji-ho, the Gwangju Jaguars’ left-handed ace and one of the national team’s starting pitchers, nicknamed ‘The Great Pitcher.’

Along with Incheon’s Im Jun-yeong, Daejeon’s Ryu Han-gyeol, and Suwon’s Choi Kyung-jae, whom I’ve faced so far, he’s one of the pitchers representing Korean baseball.

Considering that most teams fill their 1st and 2nd starting spots with foreign players, having a domestic player with ace-level skills is a significant plus.

Of course, it can’t be said that our team’s 3rd starter, Senior Lee Man-sik, has poor skills, but it’s still a bit disappointing when thinking about the fall season.

Anyway, that’s for later…

In the top of the 5th, with the score still 1 to 1, Brooks allowed a 2-base hit to Gwangju’s 3rd baseman after getting 2 outs, instantly putting us in a crisis.

Stepping up to the plate was the foreign 1st baseman, who has been the hottest hitter among the Gwangju batters recently.

The pitching coach calls a timeout and goes to the mound to comfort Brooks.

“Hey, Brooks. Your timing for the showdown is too early today. What’s wrong with you, it’s not like you?”

“Damn, I guess I’m too nervous because of those youngsters standing behind me.”

“Well, in that case, just turn your head about 60 degrees to the right.”

“Huh?”

“Just try it.”

“Okay.”

As the coach said, Brooks turned his head 60 degrees to the right.

There, Han Su-hyeok, with a serious expression, was nagging his classmates on either side of him.

“Do you feel better now?”

“Very much.”

“Good.”

The coach went down from the mound, and Brooks, who had regained his composure, began to focus on the showdown with the batter again.

But just because your mentality is stable doesn’t mean you won’t get hit.

Thwack!

With the sound of the hit, the well-hit ball flew powerfully towards the left fielder.

Since he has a strong tendency to pull, the overall defensive line had shifted to the left, but it was still a difficult ball for the left fielder to catch.

The words ‘we’re screwed’ were about to come out of the Warriors fans’ mouths at that moment.

“Huh? Huh?”

“Why is he there?”

“Crazy?”

“He’s so fast?”

“Was his defensive range always that wide?”

Left fielder Seo Hyeong-ju, who had little presence throughout today’s game, sprinted madly towards the ball.

With pure speed alone, he might be the fastest on this team, and he quickly caught up to the ball and powerfully threw his body.

Thud

“Out!”

“Wow!”

“Unbelievable! Seo Hyeong-ju!”

“Seo Hyeong-ju! Seo Hyeong-ju! Seo Hyeong-ju!”

“I thought Han Su-hyeok was standing in the outfield.”

Seo Hyeong-ju, who barely caught the ball that was completely escaping, perked up his ears at a word from a spectator in the stands.

‘I thought Han Su-hyeok was standing there.’

For Seo Hyeong-ju, who set his life goal as catching up to that monster, it was the greatest compliment.

Feeling very happy, Seo Hyeong-ju jumped up from his spot and raised his hand high towards the audience.

“Wow!”

Once again, a huge roar went to Seo Hyeong-ju.

Encouraged by this, the guy was caught up in emotion with his eyes closed as if he were a fielder who had caught the last ball of the World Series.

I couldn’t see well because he was far away, but I thought he might be shedding tears.

“Su-hyeok, bring him here. Why is he like that? Doesn’t he know the inning is over?”

“…I’ll bring him, Coach.”

* * *

With Seo Hyeong-ju’s dramatic diving catch, the score was still 1 to 1.

Yang Ji-ho, who seemed to have realized something after giving up 1 point in the 1st inning, had been pitching well until the bottom of the 8th. Brooks, our team’s starter, also blocked well until the 7th with 1 point and then handed the mound over to Senior Hong Young-sik.

I have a bad feeling.

No, this isn’t a feeling. It’s a reality that will actually happen.

If we continue like this, we’ll lose.

Seeing Senior Hong Young-sik’s pale face after giving up 2 hits and 1 walk in the top of the 8th inning but blocking the inning without any runs thanks to my good defense, I suddenly came to my senses.

We have to score this inning. Absolutely.

Our attack in the bottom of the 8th starts with the 9th batter, Seo Hyeong-ju.

Seo Hyeong-ju’s expression, who had been out with a fly ball to the center fielder and a ground ball to the 1st baseman in today’s two at-bats, was stiff.

His defense was as I remembered it, but batting seems to be a different matter.

However, Manager Lee Dae-jun didn’t seem to have any intention of using a pinch hitter.

In the first place, there wasn’t a hitter to send out as a pinch hitter, and he seemed to have judged that raising him a bit tougher was the right answer to awaken the talent Seo Hyeong-ju showed in high school.

“Hey.”

“Huh? Why?”

“Do you know that your shoulder keeps opening up first?”

“My shoulder?”

“Yeah, and your grip position has also lowered a lot.”

“Do you even know my original batting form?”

“I know. Because I remember it.”

“Hmm.”

Of course, what I remember isn’t his high school days, but his batting form when he was playing in the United States.

And I’m probably not the only one who noticed that his form is subtly out of balance right now.

It’s just that the effect can vary depending on who tells you in situations like this.

I also know that fact well, so I waited for the manager or coach to point it out first, but the two of them didn’t give Seo Hyeong-ju any special instructions today.

Maybe it’s because they’re considerate of the guy who was completely intimidated in Daejeon and is starting as a starter as soon as he transferred? A feeling of letting him play comfortably for today?

But I don’t know about that.

I’m just telling him what I see.

“And Yang Ji-ho’s finger strength has dropped a lot, so he’ll try to throw a changeup rather than a slider. Well, it might be good to take a slightly uppercut swing.”

“Is that so?”

“That’s right.”

“…….”

The feeling is a bit different from when I talk to Ahn Chi-wook.

If that guy is like a bear, what should I call this Seo Hyeong-ju, a fox?

Seo Hyeong-ju, who seemed to have realized something from my words, stepped up to the plate.

And.

Thwack!

– Ah, well hit! Seo Hyeong-ju hits the first pitch and makes a great double!

– How long has it been since he got a hit? Could it be that Seo Hyeong-ju’s move from Daejeon to the Warriors has turned out to be a blessing in disguise? It was a really well-hit ball.

– He looks really happy. With that great defense earlier, is Seo Hyeong-ju now regaining his fame from his amateur days?

– Maybe so. The Daejeon fans might be a little sad to see it. Now, it’s Han Su-hyeok at bat with no outs and a runner on 2nd. It’s going to be an interesting match.

– Will they walk him again, Commissioner?

– Well, the Jaguars’ bench has been thoroughly avoiding Han Su-hyeok today, but walking him here to make it no outs, runners on 1st and 2nd? The next batter is a left-handed hitter who is very good at hitting ground balls to advance runners, and after that is Jo Sung-oh, who has the best batting sense after Han Su-hyeok on this team. Considering that the Warriors also have a decent closer named Yang Gi-cheol… If I were them, I wouldn’t walk him here.

– So they’re going to go for the showdown.

– Probably.

Even if it wasn’t the commentator’s prediction, it was a situation where anyone would make a similar choice.

If they give up even one point here, Yang Gi-cheol will come up.

Although he hasn’t been fully verified as a closer yet, he’s a different class of pitcher than Han Jin-woo or Choi Jeong-soo, who were in charge of the Warriors’ bullpen in the past.

In the end, the Gwangju bench chose to face me.

Preparing for a walk in a very difficult, really unavoidable worst-case scenario.

This is ultimately a battle of patience between the pitcher and the batter.

The pitcher trying to get a ground ball with a deceptive pitch, and the batter trying to connect with that ball for a solid hit.

“Ball.”

“Strike!”

“Ball.”

Yang Ji-ho’s sliders and changeups dance along the borderlines of the inside and outside corners.

In fact, even for me, it’s hard to create a big hit in situations like this.

Holding the bat a little shorter than usual, and making the impact a little more concise.

With the thought of lightly hitting it and breaking through the infield.

Thwack!

I hit the slider coming towards my body as it was.

“Agh!”

“No!”

This is a disaster. The ball sank lower than I thought, becoming a ground ball towards the shortstop.

It was a course that could have been a hit under normal circumstances, but because of the shift in that direction, the shortstop was waiting in the direction of the ball.

A hollow scream was about to erupt from the stands at that moment.

– Ah, ah! What is this! Shortstop Song Do-jun misses the ball! 2nd base runner Seo Hyeong-ju, turns 3rd and heads for home! The throw from the center fielder heads home! What will happen! Safe! Safe! He’s alive! Seo Hyeong-ju succeeds in scoring with an amazing headfirst slide! In the meantime, the batter runner advances to 2nd base!

– Yes, that’s really amazing. The Warriors, no, Seo Hyeong-ju!

– Wasn’t that a mistake by the Jaguars’ shortstop Song Do-jun?

– That’s right. It will be recorded as an error. But in my opinion, this is not Song Do-jun’s fault.

– Is that so?

– Let’s watch the slow motion again. Han Su-hyeok pulled the ball well that came towards his body, right? But because of the shift, it went straight to the shortstop. 2nd base runner Seo Hyeong-ju was slightly off the base.

– That’s right.

– Originally, in this situation, the 2nd base runner should quickly return to the base as it is. Or, depending on the situation, he could run to 3rd. But look at Seo Hyeong-ju’s play. He subtly moves two steps forward, blocking the direction of the ball. From the shortstop Song Do-jun’s point of view, his vision was completely blocked.

– Ah! So that’s why he missed the ball.

– Amazing. With a sensible play, he saves a batter who would have been out and sends himself to home, and the batter runner advances to 2nd base. He could have been hit by the ball and been out, but he doesn’t seem to be afraid! Seo Hyeong-ju washes away his slump since coming to the pros in one go today!

“Wow!”

“Seo Hyeong-ju! Seo Hyeong-ju! Seo Hyeong-ju!”

It’s been a long time since I ran with all my might.

The moment Seo Hyeong-ju moved his center of gravity towards the ball, I flinched without realizing it, but soon I was able to understand his intention.

Skill is skill, but he’s definitely a guy with an incredibly quick mind.

I looked at Seo Hyeong-ju, who was standing on 2nd base and receiving the welcome of his teammates in the distance.

It’s a somewhat thrilling feeling.

I’m sorry to the other teammates, but after succeeding in a combination play that I hadn’t felt even once since coming to this team, a play that was only possible in my Big League days, I’m getting goosebumps all over my body.

Crazy, to think that such a guy was only Jeong Tae-ho…….

Hmm.

Anyway, to think that we were able to bring him in so cheaply.

Suddenly, I feel like baseball is too much fun, regardless of winning or losing.

By the way, could it be that the Falcons are trying to kill Director Park Jae-cheol?

I think I should tell Director Park Jae-cheol to turn off his phone and go into hiding for a while…