Genius Pitcher Hides 170Km [EN]: Chapter 89

#88. Rookies

‘Why of all times…….’

As Han Su-hyeok’s greeting was met with a displeased reaction from the new foreign player, some began to feel uneasy.

The most anxious among them was none other than the captain, Jo Seong-oh.

Although they had only played baseball together for a few months, he had developed a rather deep understanding of Han Su-hyeok.

Beyond their life with the team, training together at Jacob’s practice facility, and visiting his house a few times, Jo Seong-oh came to know the real Han Su-hyeok.

In his eyes, junior Han Su-hyeok was a man with immense pride as a baseball player, someone who rarely opened up to others.

Whether it was his peers like Ahn Chi-wook and Seo Hyeong-joo, or seniors including himself, and even Max, the foreign player who had now left the team.

On the surface, he seemed to maintain friendly relationships with everyone, but Jo Seong-oh noticed that he was actually building an invisible wall between them.

He didn’t know why Han Su-hyeok had approached the new foreign player first to greet him, but the deed was done.

To have his greeting and handshake returned with a demand to be addressed formally by his last name, Smith.

‘Damn it.’

Han Su-hyeok, who had become the center of the team regardless of age, and the new foreign player urgently brought in to fill the team’s gap.

Jo Seong-oh was worried about a potential cold war between the two when something completely unexpected happened.

“Mr. Smith? I don’t like it. I’ll just call you Walter.”

“No, you must call me Mr. Smith.”

“If you don’t like Walter, should I call you Brother?”

“……”

Han Su-hyeok’s unexpected affability left several players who understood his words dumbfounded.

And Walter Smith himself stared at him with a bewildered expression.

I don’t understand.

Jo Seong-oh stared at the two with wide eyes.

Why is Han Su-hyeok acting so friendly with an American he’s meeting for the first time?

* * *

“Alright, here’s today’s lineup. Everyone, check it.”

‘Hmm.’

Walter Smith, the new foreign player who urgently joined the team today, checked the lineup posted in the dugout with the help of an interpreter.

1. Center Fielder Seo Hyeong-joo
2. Third Baseman Ahn Chi-wook
3. Shortstop Han Su-hyeok
4. First Baseman Jo Seong-oh
5. Designated Hitter Walter Smith
6. Second Baseman Lee Chang-mo
7. Right Fielder Kim Su-hak
8. Catcher Yong Ji-hoon
9. Left Fielder Choi Min-seok

Pitcher Ryan Stark

‘Fifth as a designated hitter…….’

He had said he could play as an outfielder right away, but perhaps out of consideration for him just joining the team, the manager put him in as a designated hitter.

In any case, he was immediately placed in the heart of the batting lineup upon joining the team.

He had heard enough about this team from his agent.

A team that used to win championships like it was nothing just 10 years ago, but that was all in the past. For the past few years, they had been stuck at the bottom of the league as the worst team.

The team’s owner had changed before the season, and even the coaching staff had been completely replaced, making it almost a new team.

He liked that. The fact that he could communicate with the head coach and the coaches under him.

And Han Su-hyeok, the rookie.

The oriental prospect who had a contract amount of $3.5 million set in Seattle, where he used to play. The super rookie who refused that temptation, stayed in Korea, and was crushing the KBO [Korean Baseball Organization].

Age doesn’t matter when it comes to playing baseball.

The moment he faced the team, he instinctively realized that this team revolved around that rookie.

That guy greeted him first. He tried to ignore it, but allowing someone to call him by his first name from the first meeting did not align with his values.

He told him to call him by his last name instead.

But the answer he received exceeded his expectations.

‘If you don’t like Mr. Smith, should I call you Brother?’

Brother? When has that guy ever seen me?

I don’t know. He had heard that he was arrogant and thought he was the best.

But right now, what Walter was concerned about was not Han Su-hyeok’s attitude.

A new team that had reached out to him when he was unemployed.

He had to prove to them that choosing him was not a mistake.

What this team needed now was a hitter with power to take on the cleanup hitter role, an outfielder to take responsibility for one spot, and a backup catcher who could occasionally wear the mask.

He was confident in that. Because that’s what he had been doing until last year.

Only thirty years old, but with recurring injuries every year.

Seattle coldly abandoned him.

He didn’t resent them. He was just disappointed.

‘My physical condition is really good this year.’

It’s a meaningless story now. Seattle had abandoned him, and Walter was now a Warriors player.

Walter Smith, a man who lived for loyalty, responsibility, and conviction more than anything else in the world, patted the Warriors logo engraved on his chest and steeled his resolve.

* * *

– Commissioner Go Dong-sik, as June is almost over, the Warriors are facing their biggest crisis. Isn’t that right?

– Haa, I’ve been losing my appetite because of that lately…….

– Yes?

– No, it’s nothing. Actually, it was a crisis that was bound to come sooner or later. The Warriors’ biggest weakness was their thin roster, especially the lack of a backup catcher. Coincidentally, those two problems have exploded at once.

– This week will be a major turning point for the Warriors, who are trying to regain third place.

– It’s okay. They’ve managed to fix the problems as quickly as possible and brought in a replacement foreign player. Jang Deok-soo, who has been resting off the lineup, is also scheduled to return as a pinch hitter today.

– Can you briefly explain who the Warriors’ new foreign player, Walter Smith, is?

– He is 30 years old this year and played under a minor league contract with Seattle until last season. He failed to re-sign after the season, so he has no appearances this season. He is 192cm tall and weighs 98kg, a right-handed batter and right-handed thrower. He played as a catcher for the first five years after his debut, and then played more as an outfielder.

– He’s quite big.

– Yes, basically, all the Warriors players are in good shape, right? Han Su-hyeok, Ahn Chi-wook, Jang Deok-soo, Jo Seong-oh, and now Walter, just looking at their physique, they look more like a wrestling team than a baseball team.

– Haha, that’s funny. Watching him practice his swing, he looks very cool.

– Yes, based on the records, he’s a hitter who goes all-in on home runs, sorry. You can think of him as a player who focuses on long hits. Of course, this is a record from playing in the United States, so we’ll have to see how he does against Korean pitchers.

– I understand. As we speak, the Warriors’ attack in the top of the first inning will begin.

* * *

“Hey, why are you acting so friendly with that foreign player?”

“Acting friendly… couldn’t you just accept that we’re friendly?”

“What are you talking about? How can you be friendly with someone you’re meeting for the first time?”

“Hmm.”

Seo Hyeong-joo made a dumbfounded expression and disappeared somewhere.

Me joking around with Walter and approaching him in a friendly manner was just a momentary whim.

The joy of meeting someone who reminded me of my Big League days, which no one remembers anymore, or rather, have completely disappeared into the flow of time.

That inexplicable feeling seems to have made me do that.

Actually, it’s not like I miss those days at all…….

I don’t know. Sometimes even I can’t understand my own heart.

Anyway, that’s that, and what’s important is today’s game.

Looking at the eyes of the Changwon players, it doesn’t seem like it will be easy today either.

Changwon, who has been going back and forth with the Falcons for 5th place since the start of the season.

Korean baseball, which is conducted as a single league system with 10 teams, allows half of all teams to advance to the playoffs.

If you interpret this positively, you can aim for the championship even with a mediocre team, but conversely, it means that even teams with somewhat ambiguous records must sprint until the end of the season.

In other words, if you’re unlucky, you might be subjected to hope torture throughout the season.

Changwon, who is trying to secure 4th place by catching our team, is showing a desperate will by advancing the appearance date of ace Lucas Bennett.

No matter how much he only pitched 5 innings in the last game, well…….

Maybe today’s game will be a slugfest.

“Just watch. I’m going to make him cry today.”

“Don’t just talk about it, try to get to first base somehow. I’ll definitely send you to scoring position.”

“Good. I’ll show you what real baseball is.”

Our team’s 1st and 2nd hitters, Seo Hyeong-joo and Ahn Chi-wook, who are now so used to their positions, prepared to hit with burning determination.

It seems that Changwon’s Lucas said something in a pre-game interview. What was it, that the Warriors’ lineup was too young to deal with.

It’s not wrong, though. On the surface, the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd hitters are all rookies.

But those two seem to have taken it as an attack on themselves.

Ahn Chi-wook, who was originally a Warriors fan and debuted on this team, is one thing, but how long has Seo Hyeong-joo been wearing this team’s uniform?

“Play!”

Lucas Bennett, the ace of the Changwon Raptors.

A right-handed orthodox pitcher who is quite similar to our team’s ace Ryan, who is starting today.
A heavy fastball and reasonably good breaking balls, stable control, and above all, a solid mentality that doesn’t shake easily.

In fact, it is more difficult for rookies like Seo Hyeong-joo or Ahn Chi-wook to face a pitcher who knows how to maintain his center like that than a pitcher who throws 160 km [~99.4 mph].

Because it’s true that those two are rookies, as he said.

“Strike!”

Seo Hyeong-joo just watched a pretty plausible curveball that came into the zone from the outside.

In fact, the person whose thoughts I have the hardest time grasping on this team is that Seo Hyeong-joo.

The reason is simple.

The overall size of the vessel can only be confirmed after time has passed, but basically, the baseball player Seo Hyeong-joo is close to a genius.

That’s why even I get confused about what kind of thoughts he’s having and what kind of judgments he’s making at any given moment.

Tuk

Just like right now.

“Shit!”

“First base! First base!”

From the outside, Seo Hyeong-joo is a hitter who enjoys a rather strong and daring swing for a leadoff.

Therefore, in a no-ball, one-strike situation, Changwon’s infielders were preparing for Seo Hyeong-joo’s strong hit with their weight centered slightly behind.

Only half a step. But Seo Hyeong-joo’s eyes did not miss that small difference, and he immediately attempted a surprise bunt that went along the third base line.

“Safe!”

A situation where it was a little late for the third baseman to run, Seo Hyeong-joo entered first base with ease while the caught-off-guard pitcher hesitated slightly.

That’s definitely the advantage of a fast runner. The diversity of plays that could not be seen from Lee Chang-mo, who was the leadoff for this team when Seo Hyeong-joo was not around.

“Ahn Chi-wook!”

Seo Hyeong-joo, who went to first base, called out Ahn Chi-wook’s name with a triumphant expression and pretended to swing big. Ahn Chi-wook nodded as if he understood.

The unconventional play of the rookie combo, followed by provocation.

This can actually be a very frustrating thing for a pitcher.

I can see it from the dugout here. Lucas’s blood pressure is rising in real time.

For me, it’s unconditionally welcome for my 1st and 2nd hitters to shake up a pitcher with such a solid mentality like that guy.

I watched the showdown between Lucas and Ahn Chi-wook with an interesting gaze while standing in the on-deck circle.

“Ball!”

The mentality of Lucas, who is said to be unshakable, began to crack.

A threatening ball flew high into Ahn Chi-wook’s body.

There are people who don’t know this, but in fact, even in the United States, there are strict rules between seniors and juniors, or more precisely, between veterans and rookies.

In short, it means that there are many veterans who are sensitive to rookies who act recklessly.

The exception is someone like me. Skills, salary, and a punch that can sink the Yankees in one shot, such…….

Um.

Anyway, Lucas, who threw a threatening ball in the first pitch, continued to pitch with an unpleasant expression.

“Ball.”

This time, Ahn Chi-wook picked out a slider that flowed to the outside well.

In fact, it was thanks to the bench’s signal rather than picking it out well. When Seo Hyeong-joo showed his intention to run, a waiting signal was sent to the batter.

A rookie who went out with a surprise bunt keeps teasing the pitcher as if he’s going to steal.

And in the batter’s box, a left-handed hitter who is capable of precise hitting that doesn’t match his large size is focusing all his attention on hitting a ground ball.

The pitcher, who barely regained his composure by taking a deep breath, threw his most confident outside fastball to the left-handed batter.

Ta-a-ak!

But Ahn Chi-wook was already expecting that course.

With a thud, Seo Hyeong-joo started running at tremendous speed, and instantly turned second base and reached third base.

“Ha-ap!”

The pitcher’s face turns even redder at the sound of Ahn Chi-wook shouting loudly as he arrives at first base.

Interesting.

It’s so interesting to watch the growth of those young and talented rookies in real time.

It’s a little different from the traditional table setter, but now it’s our team’s 1st and 2nd hitters that I’m not ashamed to show off anywhere.

Whoosh

Well, I’ve seen enough of the rookies’ antics, so it’s time to show the dignity of a veteran.

[3rd batter, shortstop Han Su-hyeok]