Genius Pitcher Hides 170Km [EN]: Chapter 79

#78. Ten Years Later, He Is…

“Do you see that player over there? He’s twenty years old now. In ten years, he has the potential to become a star. The player standing next to him is also twenty. In ten years, he has the potential to be thirty.”

This was said by legendary manager Casey Stengel, famous for his sharp-tongued remarks, when he was managing the New York Mets in the 1960s, pointing to two rookie players.

The player he said would become a star in ten years was Ed Kranepool, who actually played for the Mets for 18 years and was inducted into the team’s Hall of Fame.

On the other hand, Greg Goossen, whom he predicted would just be thirty, retired five years later and disappeared from the baseball world forever.

That old story, which I don’t even remember when I heard it, flashed through the mind of Suwon pitcher Choi Kyung-jae.

‘Shit…….’

The three rookies who made it to the Warriors’ 1st, 2nd, and 3rd spots.

Seo Hyung-joo, Ahn Chi-wook, Han Soo-hyuk.

Seo Hyung-joo, who was treated as trash in Daejeon, became one of the most annoying leadoff hitters in the league less than a month after transferring to the Warriors.

Ahn Chi-wook, who was initially dismissed as a ground ball machine at the beginning of the season, is also showing a good batting pace, with predictions that he will soon hit .300.

Han Soo-hyuk? That monster who seems to hit a home run every time I face him?

Seeing those three guys, Casey Stengel’s words come to mind once again.

Although he can’t be sure, Choi Kyung-jae was convinced that those three guys would leave their names in the KBO [Korean Baseball Organization] in ten years.

On the other hand, in ten years, the following phrase might be engraved next to his name.

[The idiot who gave up the most home runs to Han Soo-hyuk]

The thought alone makes his head spin.

‘Kyung-jae, let’s go with an outside two-seamer [a type of fastball that moves slightly].’

‘No, I think he’ll hit it.’

‘Okay, then a high fastball inside.’

‘If you throw it there, it’s 100% a home run.’

‘Then a breaking ball that drops right in the center of the zone…….’

‘Are you crazy?’

The catcher, Jung Dae-han, stares at him with a dumbfounded expression as the pitcher continues to reject his signs.

But what can he do? Choi Kyung-jae really didn’t want to throw the ball in any location.

The WBC [World Baseball Classic] preliminary roster was announced a while ago.

His and Jung Dae-han’s names were both on it.

It’s a matter of course. It’s been like that since his second year after his debut.

That Warriors monster’s name was also on the list.

He doesn’t know who it is, but there were some voices opposing Han Soo-hyuk’s selection for the national team, which Choi Kyung-jae thought was crazy.

No matter what reason you give, it doesn’t make sense.

You can tell just by looking at the stats that guy is recording right now.

A batting average of .410, an on-base percentage of .517, a slugging percentage of .957, with 25 home runs, 43 RBIs [runs batted in], and 10 stolen bases as a bonus. These are the stats he put up in just two months.

It’s only that much because opposing pitchers have been avoiding him since May.

The pitchers are desperately avoiding throwing good pitches, and Han Soo-hyuk, not trusting the following hitters, is forced to swing at those bad pitches, resulting in those stats.

If the hitters backing up Han Soo-hyuk were stronger, he might be hitting .500 by now.

So, you’re going to go to an international competition without that amazing monster?

Suddenly, that thought occurred to him.

The thought of showing the real monster to the baseball monsters in the United States, Japan, Puerto Rico, Mexico, and Cuba.

The image of big Yankees getting hit by Han Soo-hyuk and flying away, spitting blood.

‘Hehe.’

If that happens, wouldn’t it prove that getting hit by Han Soo-hyuk wasn’t his fault, but because that guy was really an unbelievable monster?

Choi Kyung-jae, suddenly feeling good at that thought, sent a sign to the catcher.

‘A high outside fastball? Hmm, good. Let’s go for it.’

‘Okay.’

Yeah, the world is just like this.

Those monsters that ordinary people like him can’t overcome even with a lifetime of effort sometimes appear.

Of course, to other players, Choi Kyung-jae was also a near-genius.

Choi Kyung-jae, who was in a half-resigned state, threw the ball powerfully towards Han Soo-hyuk.

Perhaps because his mind was empty, his movement was better than usual, and a powerful 150 km/h [kilometers per hour] fastball flew towards the high outside location.

And.

Thwack!

With an intense cracking sound, the ball flew somewhere.

At that moment, Choi Kyung-jae’s consciousness, which was heading towards a state of enlightenment, instantly returned to the real world.

“…Shit.”

He thought he could get away with throwing it carelessly, but the world was not so easy.

The thought that he was going to be screwed again today began to dominate Choi Kyung-jae’s mind.

* * *

└It flies so coolly… There’s no need for a summer vacation in early summer

└Crazy lol, it almost became an inside-the-park home run

└Look at that right fielder. He stood there dumbly thinking it went over, then panicked when it hit the fence and came back

└Warriors) Why is your defense so trash?

└Warriors) Is that Choi Kyung-jae standing on the mound? Or is it some similar-looking minor league pitcher?

└Warriors) Just give up and give up the 2nd place spot? We’ll take on Incheon once

└Sigh… Those Warriors bastards are causing a ruckus again today…

Unfortunately, it wasn’t quite enough to be a home run.

He swung the outside fastball with all his might, but it hit the top of the right field fence and fell inside. The strong headwind today seems to have played a part.

Nevertheless, the ball stayed in the air for so long, and thanks to the Suwon right fielder thinking the ball had gone over, he was able to easily reach 3rd base.

“Han Soo-hyuk! Just look over here once!”

“Soo-hyuk oppa [term used by younger women to address older brothers or male friends]!”

“Han Soo-hyuk! Han Soo-hyuk! Han Soo-hyuk!”

Hamstrings erupted from the away cheering section as he took a breath on third base.

Although it’s not his home stadium, it seems that quite a few fans have followed the away game, perhaps because Seoul is not far from Suwon.

But that woman… no, Min Ye-rin.

In the stands, she calls me Soo-hyuk oppa, Soo-hyuk-ah [informal way to call someone’s name], Han Soo-hyuk, and very rarely, when I make a mistake, she comfortably calls me, “Hey, you bastard!” Why does she call me Soo-hyuk-nim [formal way to call someone’s name] when we meet outside the stadium?

Her not being able to make eye contact and calling me Soo-hyuk-nim, Soo-hyuk-nim, has felt a little strange lately.

Should he have a conversation about that soon?

As he was about to raise his hand to respond to the cheers of the crowd, Seo Hyung-joo, who had stepped on home plate after his triple and went into the dugout, returned to the ground and raised his hand.

“Wow… Waaah!”

“Seo Hyung-joo, you did well too!”

“Good job! Just keep it up!”

He must have felt unfair that the cheers of the crowd were only directed at him. Anyway, he’s a funny guy.

As he was looking at Seo Hyung-joo and bursting into absurd laughter, at that moment.

“Don’t act up too much.”

“Pardon?”

“I’m telling you guys not to overdo it. I’ve been letting it go, but these guys really don’t know how scary seniors can be. Is that how Jo Sung-oh taught you?”

The Suwon third baseman suddenly started a fight.

Was he annoyed that their ace was trembling whenever he saw him, or was he really displeased that Seo Hyung-joo and he were waving their hands at the crowd?

In fact, this has happened a few times so far, but he usually pretended not to hear it.

Because he was worried that other players like Seo Hyung-joo or Ahn Chi-wook would be harmed.

But now he has to think differently.

“The seniors didn’t really teach us about this, and should I pretend not to know when the crowd calls my name?”

“What?”

“The first thing our club teaches players is to be good to the fans.”

Min Joo-hyun’s face turned red at the unexpected retort from the first-year rookie.

“Stop, that’s enough. Let’s just play baseball.”

“Yes, I understand.”

He immediately said he understood as the referee intervened at the right time.

He doesn’t want to start a bench-clearing brawl from the first inning either. Especially when his team is winning.

“Damn it, just you wait. You cocky bastards.”

“If we get the chance.”

In fact, there is only one thing that he is grateful to Hwang Sung-min, that damn bastard.

The most difficult thing to adapt to in the KBO stage after regressing was this senior-junior culture.

To put it simply, should he call it shitty military culture?

At first, he just kept his mouth shut, pretended not to hear anything, and focused only on baseball.

But just as he was getting tired of that ridiculous act of pretending to be a docile junior, Hwang Sung-min volunteered to be a sacrifice at the right time, and thanks to that, he became a junior that the seniors of the 9 teams were reluctant to deal with.

After that incident, most of the other team’s seniors just chose to ignore him.

There’s no point in messing with him anyway, and if a fight breaks out, it’s their loss.

But there is always an exception.

The Suwon third baseman, whose face alone is full of꼰대-ness [a Korean slang term for an older person who is condescending or preachy], seems to be one of those exceptions.

Well, he might end up having a fight with this guy soon.

He doesn’t know anymore.

He can just think of this place as America, not Korea.

Who cares? He’s not going to go to another team to play, and he’s not going to have to beg for a job after he retires.

He has nothing to lose, no, nothing to regret.

If a problem arises, he’ll just beat them up, get suspended, and go somewhere to teach the kids.

…Damn it, he needs to get rid of his rookie status quickly. Everyone is picking a fight with him.

“Play!”

With them scoring the first point, the chance at 1st out and 3rd base continued.

And senior Jo Sung-oh stepped into the plate.

Two months after the opening, he is the Warriors’ 4th hitter, with a batting average of .308, an on-base percentage of .385, a slugging percentage of .434, and 8 home runs and 35 RBIs, the second most on our team after him.

At this rate, senior Jo Sung-oh may be returning to being a .300 hitter with 20 home runs for the first time in a long time.

Does that senior know?

When he first saw him, he thought, is this even a baseball player…….

Hmm.

“Ball.”

“Strike!”

“Ball.”

Jo Sung-oh’s biggest advantage is that he knows how to pick his pitches.

This is more difficult than you think.

You need to have the eye and perseverance to pick out pitches you don’t like, and the hitting skills to accurately hit the pitches you want.

Jo Sung-oh, who has gone through Jacob’s hands, is abandoning his existing awkward batting stance and sticking to a form that is almost an open stance.

Very strong against inside pitches, but inevitably a little weak against outside pitches.

Jo Sung-oh is covering that weakness with his strong wrist strength.

It’s a good approach.

And another advantage that the baseball player Jo Sung-oh has is…….

Thud

“Cough!”

“Home! No, 1st base, 1st base!”

“Out!”

He can use plays that the opponent never expected at a very opportune time.

Before Choi Kyung-jae threw the ball, senior Jo Sung-oh made eye contact with him and sent a sign without anyone knowing.

The sign didn’t come from the bench. Nevertheless, he immediately nodded.

With a ball count of two balls and one strike, Choi Kyung-jae threw a two-seamer close to the body at a ball count where the probability of a strike was high.

At that moment, Jo Sung-oh made a play that no one thought of.

A squeeze bunt towards 1st base.

The Suwon infield faltered at the surprise play, and he was able to get to home while senior Jo Sung-oh was out at 1st base.

Top of the 1st inning, score 2 to 0.

Choi Kyung-jae’s complexion has now turned from white to transparent.

Sincerely worried about his appearance, he spoke to Jung Dae-han, who was guarding home.

“Senior Kyung-jae, are you really okay?”

“…Just go. Don’t add to it.”

“Yes, sir.”

Well, this senior seems like a good person.

They’ll have to play together on the national team too.

Let’s just stop here for today.