Genius Pitcher Hides 170Km [EN]: Chapter 86

#85. Scorched Earth

– Oh! What was that? The moment Ryu Han-gyeol threw his first pitch, Han Su-hyeok dove for home! Safe! Safe! It’s a clear safe, no need to wait for the call! Han Su-hyeok, who reached first with a surprise bunt, scores a run in the blink of an eye with two stolen bases!

– Wow… I’m just left in awe. What on earth is this? A home steal against Ryu Han-gyeol, who is one of the best in the league at holding runners. This is a play on another level!

– Ryu Han-gyeol, who usually doesn’t even change his expression, looks troubled and winces as if in pain.

– I’m a former pitcher myself, you know? When something like that happens… ha, I’m sorry. My trauma is acting up.

* * *

‘Crazy!’

The moment Han Su-hyeok, who reached first with a surprise bunt and then advanced to third with a steal and an error by the opponent, finally succeeded in stealing home, Warriors’ head coach Benjamin Reynolds involuntarily screamed inwardly.

Two stolen bases on the first pitch in a row, is that rookie’s heart made of steel?

It was a play that people who don’t know baseball well, or those who know it superficially, would easily criticize as reckless.

But Benjamin knows. He knows how smart Han Su-hyeok’s judgment was at that moment.

A sudden surprise bunt, a steal, and an error shook the entire infield.

The pitcher’s face, humiliated in front of the big league scouts, flushed red, and the catcher, who should have been the anchor, was too busy trying to read his ace’s mood.

On top of that, the opposing third baseman, who almost started a bench-clearing brawl today, exchanged a few words with Han Su-hyeok and got so worked up that he neglected the most basic of base coverage.

In that situation, Ryu Han-gyeol chose a curveball that broke about one and a half balls outside.

It was the very pitch that Jo Sung-oh had shown weakness to until last season.

The problem was that Han Su-hyeok on third base had already predicted that pitch.

The runner started before the pitcher even threw the ball.

At the same time, the pitching motion began, and the catcher, who was slightly off to the right, was greatly taken aback.

If the third baseman had come to his senses and covered the base properly, he wouldn’t have been able to attempt a steal so easily. To prevent a home steal, the role of the third baseman is just as important as the pitcher and catcher battery.

But the Falcons’ third baseman, who was slightly out of his mind due to the collision and argument with Han Su-hyeok, had forgotten that basic.

In that situation, with the range of options narrowed down, the ball flew outside, and the moment the catcher blocked the ball with all his might, Han Su-hyeok slid headfirst into home.

This is a play that is hard to do even if you know it’s coming. At least, for a normal human being.

Benjamin felt a thrill run through his body.

“Waaaaaah!”

“Han Su-hyeok! Han Su-hyeok! Han Su-hyeok!”

“Knock it off! You stupid bastards! Is that even baseball? Huh?”

The Warriors fans’ tremendous cheers and some Falcons fans’ jeers mixed together, shaking Jamsil Baseball Stadium.

The Falcons’ ace’s face turned white at the unexpected run, and the third baseman, realizing that he was largely responsible for the run, couldn’t lift his head.

“Su-hyeok, nice!”

“Good job.”

“Awesome!”

But Han Su-hyeok, the person who created such an amazing spectacle, came into the dugout and sat down with an indifferent expression, or rather, he always looked like that, but he seemed even more indifferent today.

‘Hmm…….’

Coach Benjamin recalled the moment he came to this team as head coach.

There were several reasons why he, who had worked as a coach in the big leagues and minor leagues for decades, agreed to a KBO [Korean Baseball Organization] position, and even as a head coach rather than a manager.

He had been in great 고민 [agony/worry] after receiving an offer from Park Jae-cheol, a beloved disciple from his minor league days who had maintained a close relationship with him even after becoming a successful big leaguer.

But the 고민 didn’t last long.

There was no way there wouldn’t be power struggles within organizations in America. Reynolds wanted to provide good jobs for the coaches who followed him, but he was having difficulty doing so due to various issues.

However, the offer he received included the full authority to form the coaching staff of a team.

Although the manager was Korean, he would have the authority to oversee everything from the head coach to the hitting, pitching, defense, battery, and even the minor league team.

Benjamin, who had been 고민 about the power struggles in America and the coaches under his command who were sacrificed as a result, eventually accepted the offer.

The first thing Park Jae-cheol said to Benjamin when he came to Korea.

‘There’s a guy here who’s more fun to develop than most big league prospects. You can look forward to it.’

He thought it was just common lip service. He thought he was just saying it out of gratitude.

But it wasn’t. The moment he first came to Korea and saw a player named Han Su-hyeok.

The moment he saw him throwing a 104 mph fastball from the mound, and the moment he saw him hitting unbelievable home runs in the batter’s box.

Benjamin realized that his choice was not wrong.

‘But what do I teach him?’

The real problem was elsewhere.

Han Su-hyeok was not just a simple rookie.

He had already mastered his own way of playing, no matter what method he used, and he even had a personal coach.

Even when he tried to impart some of the wisdom that came from his long baseball experience, he seemed to already know a lot of it.

In the end, Benjamin chose to protect Han Su-hyeok instead of teaching him.

He decided that his task was to protect this genius, who was the first prospect he had ever seen in his baseball life, and perhaps would leave a great mark on the history of baseball around the world.

But today, he saw that genius get angry for the first time.

It was something different from the anger he had seen during the bench-clearing brawl.

He could feel the will to deny the opponent’s baseball and completely destroy it.

‘Hmm…….’

The exact reason is unknown. Perhaps that genius wouldn’t give a proper answer even if he asked him why.

So he’ll just do what he has to do.

“I’ll check his condition and see if anything’s wrong.”

“Yes, Benjamin. Please.”

Benjamin, having received permission from his boss, approached Han Su-hyeok with a gentle smile.

“Champion, come over here for a second. That play was really great. Um, is there anything uncomfortable? I’d like you to tell me anything.”

* * *

Thwack!

“Agh!”

– Ah! What was that? A collision occurred as Han Su-hyeok was rounding second base and heading for third. Han Su-hyeok has safely reached third base. Go Hyeong-cheol is grabbing his ankle in pain.

– Yes, the second baseman from Daejeon did something stupid.

– A stupid choice?

– Let’s take a look at the slow-motion replay. With two outs and a runner on first, Han Su-hyeok hit a big ball that went past the right fielder, right? Seo Hyeong-ju, who was on first, easily came all the way home. Han Su-hyeok, seeing the right fielder fumble the ball, picked up speed again right in front of second base.

– Yes, that’s right.

– Seeing this, second baseman Go Young-cheol tried to grab Han Su-hyeok’s leg with his hand. Han Su-hyeok naturally lost his footing trying to avoid that hand, and in the process, stepped on the defender’s right ankle. Ah, you shouldn’t do things like that. It’s too dangerous for both the person and the runner.

– Yes, looking at it again, it was clearly intentional.

– I understand how he feels. The higher-ups are pressuring him to do well, and the game keeps going against them. But even so, such a stupid… ah, the stretcher is finally coming in.

– Fortunately, Han Su-hyeok seems to be okay. He raises his hand towards the bench as if to say he’s okay.

– Yes, he’s a very flexible player, unlike what you see. His ankle may have been strained in the process of stepping on the opponent’s foot, but it seems there’s nothing seriously wrong.

– That’s a relief. I hope nothing serious happens to Go Young-cheol, who was carried off.

– I’ll say it again, that was a really stupid thing to do. What year is it? It’s 2027. Shaving your head, pulling up your socks, raising your spikes at defenders, interfering with runners, these things really need to disappear!

– I agree with you this time, commentator.

– I don’t think this is going to work. We really need to create a special protection law for Han Su-hyeok on this occasion…….

– We’ll be back after the commercial break while the field is being cleared. This is Jamsil.

* * *

Thwack!

“Waaaaaah!”

“Waaah!”

“Han Su-hyeok!”

“Su-hyeok oppa [term used by younger women to refer to older brothers or male friends]!”

In the bottom of the first inning, Han Su-hyeok’s surprise home steal, and then in the third inning, Han Su-hyeok’s RBI double made the score 2-1, with the Warriors leading by one point.

In the bottom of the fifth inning, after lead-off hitter Seo Hyeong-ju walked, the Falcons’ third baseman fumbled Ahn Chi-wook’s ground ball, creating runners on first and second with no outs.

In Ryu Han-gyeol’s usual state, accustomed to the Falcons’ terrible defense, he wouldn’t have paid much attention to the situation.

But the moment Han Su-hyeok stepped into the batter’s box, Ryu Han-gyeol’s face turned white, and large beads of sweat began to pour from his body.

The result was tragic.

Thwack!

Han Su-hyeok hit the first pitch that the Daejeon battery had chosen after careful consideration.

It was such a tremendous hit that you could feel it was a home run the moment it was hit.

A three-run home run that instantly widened the score to 5:1 was hit.

The Warriors cheering section went wild, and angry Falcons fans threw trash onto the field.

The person who created such a scene.

Han Su-hyeok, who would normally have shown off a great bat flip, carried his bat to the front of first base and then tossed it to the side.

And he stepped on home plate and went into the dugout without any ceremony.

As if he was angry about something, or as if this kind of home run was nothing.

Min Ye-rin, who felt so sorry for his back, shouted loudly once again.

“Su-hyeok oppa!”

But there was no response.

There was no movement from him, who used to come out of the dugout and respond when he heard the cheers of the crowd until yesterday.

Suddenly, her chest felt tight as if something was blocking it.

Min Ye-rin spoke without even looking at the manager sitting next to her.

“Oppa [term used by younger women to refer to older brothers or male friends], you know that photoshoot I got offered last time.”

“Photoshoot? Ah, yeah. That’s right. We got a request to have you take some with the Echo kids.”

“Tell them I’ll do it, and see if we can get the Echo kids to clear their schedule for two days.”

“Two days?”

“Don’t ask too much, just see if it’s possible. Tell them I won’t do it unless that condition is met.”

“Uh… okay.”

* * *

Thwack!

– What is going on! Han Su-hyeok, who hit a home steal in his first at-bat, an RBI double in his second at-bat, and a three-run home run in his third at-bat, has hit another home run with the bases loaded. The score is now 10 to 2!

– Amazing. He already has 8 RBIs today. If you include the home steal, Han Su-hyeok has created 9 out of 10 points by himself.

– Ah… the pitcher who gave up the home run can’t lift his head on the mound.

– This is… because he was hit by such a tremendous home run… I’m a former pitcher, so I fully understand how he feels. At times like that, I really want to give it all up and go into the mountains.

– The game has been temporarily suspended as the debris thrown by Daejeon fans falls onto the field. Commentator, regardless of the outcome of today’s game, Han Su-hyeok, who had not been able to add home runs for a while, has added two home runs today, recording his 28th home run of the season. We can’t help but talk about the home run record.

– Yes, the single-season home run record in Korean baseball is 56. But this is really old. It was in 2003, so it was 24 years ago.

– What is the Asian record?

– The 60 home runs recorded by Wladimir Balentien, a Dutch player who played for Yakult in 2013, still remains the highest record.

– That’s quite old too. It’s been 14 years?

– That’s right. The disappointing thing is that in Japan, there have been players who have exceeded 50 home runs recently, but in Korea, no one has recorded more than 50 home runs since 2015.

– What is the reason?

– Well… if you have to say, there are many reasons that can be cited, such as the use of wooden bats in high school baseball and the increase in the speed of pitchers, but the most important thing is that the skills of the hitters have not kept up with the pitchers.

– Baseball fans who have been waiting for a proper home run hitter have no choice but to be even more enthusiastic about Han Su-hyeok.

– That’s right. His pace has slowed down a lot recently due to the pitchers’ concentrated checks, but if he hits a few like today… maybe we’ll see the birth of a new history by the end of this season.

– As we speak, the field is cleared and the game resumes. Ah, the Daejeon players’ faces are pale. Some of the fans left in the stands are crying. I feel bad for them.

– Yes, really today Han Su-hyeok… um, literally destroyed Daejeon all by himself. It must be frustrating for Daejeon fans, but what can they do? That’s baseball.