Genius Pitcher Hides 170Km [EN]: Chapter 96

#95. Season Home Run No. 31

Thud.

“…Good work, Youngjoo.”

“You did well.”

“……”

The long, long top of the first inning for Suwon finally ended.

Senior Lee Youngjoo managed to handle Suwon’s 1-4 left-handed hitters, who were like his natural enemies, reasonably well with one walk and one hit. However, he quickly gave up three runs with a sweeping double to center field by Jung Daehan, the number 5 hitter, and then another timely hit to the next batter.

It’s somewhat fortunate. If the ball hit by the number 7 hitter hadn’t been caught by that diving catch from Seo Hyeongjoo, he might have been pulled in the first inning.

Leaving behind Senior Lee Youngjoo, who looked utterly defeated after just one inning, our team’s offense began.

“Don’t worry, Senior. I’ll tie the game with a leadoff three-run homer.”

“…Oh, okay. Thanks, Hyeongjoo.”

A leadoff three-run homer… What would he even have to do to hit a three-run homer as the first batter?

Seo Hyeongjoo, seemingly trying to comfort his senior in his own way, stepped up to the plate and spouted nonsense.

Rafael Diaz, who is filling the role of Suwon’s number 1 starter in place of Choi Kyungjae.

Although his control can be inconsistent, the fact that he can throw a 158 km/h (98 mph) fastball is a tremendous weapon for a pitcher.

On top of that, he has a lot of guts and enjoys challenging left-handed hitters inside, even though he is a right-handed pitcher.

“Strike!”

└Wow… 156 km/h! That’s crazy fast.

└Seo Hyeongjoo usually isn’t intimidated by inside pitches, but he seems a bit scared this time.

└Definitely, pitchers need to have a fastball first and foremost.

That’s not wrong.

There are pitchers who can handle hitters well even with slower pitches, like Senior Lee Mansik or Senior Cheon Sangjin on our team, but having a fastball is the biggest weapon for a pitcher.

It’s not for nothing that Seattle bet 3.5 million dollars on me. Maybe about 2.5 million dollars of that is because of the 104-mile fastball I threw.

“Ball.”

Nevertheless, I think the first virtue of a pitcher is control, not speed.

It’s a slightly different concept from simple accuracy.

The ability to throw the best pitch, chosen according to the opposing batter and the situation at that moment, into the desired location, and the ability to mechanically repeat that task at least 90% of the time, even on days when you’re not in good condition.

I think of that as control.

In any case, in that respect, Suwon’s starter Rafael was only a half-baked pitcher.

Thwack!

“Argh!”

With a loud noise, the slider thrown by Rafael hit Seo Hyeongjoo’s thigh directly.

It was a clear mistake. You can tell by the expression on the pitcher’s face.

A face mixed with half apology and half embarrassment.

“No!”

“?”

Senior Jo Seongo, who was standing in front of the dugout slowly warming up, yelled at me.

Then, after checking my expression, he let out a sigh of relief and returned to his seat.

What does he mean by ‘no’?

Does he think I’m some crazy guy who rushes at the pitcher whenever a beanball [a pitch intentionally thrown at the batter] comes out?

Hmm.

It seems like there’s a deep misunderstanding about me…….

The game was temporarily stopped.

The trainer ran out and checked Seo Hyeongjoo’s condition, and nearly half a can of spray-on pain reliever was applied to the thigh that was hit by the ball.

Seo Hyeongjoo, grimacing, got up from his seat, moved his legs a few times, and nodded as if he was okay before heading to first base.

“Wow!”

“Seo Hyeongjoo! Seo Hyeongjoo!”

The guy who was limping for the first few steps arrived at first base and was jumping up and down as if nothing was wrong, waving his hand at the audience.

One thing is certain.

The biggest attention-seeker on our team is that guy.

I inhaled the sigh that was leaking out without me realizing it and stepped into the batter’s box.

“Soohyuk, is the national team joining preparation going well?”

Suwon’s catcher, Jung Daehan, seems to think he’s become close to me.

Well, I don’t dislike this person very much either. To be more precise, he is one of the few people I talk to besides our team members.

“What about you, Senior Choi Kyungjae?”

“…He’s hurting.”

“About what?”

“He keeps replaying the video of you hitting a home run against him whenever he gets a chance and hurting, you bad guy.”

“……”

I almost laughed out loud without realizing it.

Even considering that he was blown up several times this season because of me, Choi Kyungjae is recording his worst performance since his debut.

Nevertheless, he made it onto the final roster for the WBC [World Baseball Classic] national team this time, taking advantage of his wealth of experience in the national team and the advantage of being a left-hander.

Jung Daehan and Choi Kyungjae, they’re a strangely likable duo. Thinking about playing with these people on the national team seems like it will be quite fun.

“Then I’ll blow up that foreign player for you instead.”

“What? What are you talking about?”

“It seems like he keeps trying to take the ace spot while Senior Kyungjae is away, so I’m going to stop him.”

“No. Absolutely not, you bad kid. If even he gets blown up, we really can’t play baseball.”

Jung Daehan was so surprised by the words that he would blow up Rafael that he shouted.

So much so that the umpire, who had been listening quietly, gave him a warning.

“Hmm, shouldn’t we stop baseball now?”

“Yes, yes, I’m sorry.”

That’s how the conversation between the two ended.

The opposing pitcher on the mound glances at first base.

Trying to steal a base as soon as you get hit in the thigh is actually not a good idea. There may be more restrictions on movement than usual, and you could injure yourself if your muscles are surprised.

Seo Hyeongjoo is not an idiot. No, if you’re only talking about being cunning, he’s one of the top players on this team.

Instead of stealing, he chose to mess with the pitcher’s nerves.

He took a big lead, then reduced the lead again when the pitcher looked at him, increased it again when the pitcher’s head turned, and then reduced it again. When a pickoff throw came, he returned to the base with all his might.

Repeating this process several times gradually diminishes the pitcher’s vigilance and attention to the batter. In short, Seo Hyeongjoo is doing those actions now to help me, who is at the plate.

└Number 1 Seo Hyeongjoo, number 2 Han Soohyuk, this combination is also good.

└If I were the pitcher, I would want to commit suicide. Seo Hyeongjoo scratches nerves at first base, and Han Soohyuk glares at the plate.

└When I see what Seo Hyeongjoo does, I sometimes feel like swearing ㅋㅋ It seems like we brought him really well.

There are people who are particularly annoying even if they do the same thing.

There is one such person around me. That’s Seo Hyeongjoo.

Even if a teammate looks at him, he’s so annoying that the pitcher he’s facing must really want to throw the ball at his head.

As Seo Hyeongjoo moved so actively, Rafael’s pale face began to turn red.

“I’m just saying this just in case.”

“What is it?”

“I might not be able to stand it if I get hit.”

“Suddenly?”

“Incheol hasn’t been able to play for a while these days, and I’m thinking of having a bench-clearing brawl and resting for a few games.”

“Don’t do it.”

“Yes, I don’t want to either, Senior.”

It doesn’t matter if it sounds a little rude. But this is not to start a fight, but to prevent it.

Knowing the influence that the catcher Jung Daehan has on the entire Suwon team, I was just warning him on behalf of everyone.

Did he understand my heart, or was he upset by the words of a rude rookie?

Jung Daehan’s mouth was tightly shut.

The pitcher, who had been arguing with the runner on first base for a long time, finally began his pitching motion.

The ball was thrown powerfully from his tall height of over 190 cm (6’3″) and his refreshing pitching form.

Clang.

Over the catcher’s head and into the middle of the back net.

“Second base! Second base!”

In the unexpected wild pitch, Seo Hyeongjoo immediately headed to second base, and by the time Jung Daehan picked up the ball that had gone over his head, he was already on second base, dusting off the dirt on his body.

“Okay, everyone, follow me, Rafael!”

“Rafael!”

“Okay, next, blow it away!”

“Blow it away!”

“Blow a wild pitch over the catcher’s head!”

“Blow a wild pitch!”

I wondered why Rafael’s name suddenly popped out from our team’s cheering section, but Min Yerin, who had snatched the microphone from the cheerleading captain, was leading the cheering.

Blow away the wild pitch… Hmm.

Looking at that woman, she seems to have a knack for getting under the opposing team’s skin. Seeing that Rafael’s face, which had been red, had now turned completely dark red.

“Does he understand Korean?”

“…He watches entertainment programs without fail. So don’t swear either.”

“I didn’t swear. I just said I wouldn’t let him get away with throwing a beanball.”

“He’s a nice guy. He even gave rice cakes to the team a while ago when his son entered a foreign kindergarten.”

“Hmm.”

Is it okay to attack his child?

Having lost my mother and been alone all the time, and having never built a family, I feel solemn whenever stories about children come up.

Okay. Let’s play baseball.

“Strike!”

A 155 km/h (96 mph) fastball coming into the middle.

I could hit it if I wanted to, but when facing a pitcher like Rafael who has problems with control, I try not to swing until two strikes.

If I only think about my performance right now, it would be better to just hit it when a good ball comes in, but when facing a strong team like this, it’s advantageous to break down the starter as quickly as possible.

Let’s watch a little more. After all, this guy’s breaking ball is not threatening at all, so it’s okay to aim for a fastball after two strikes.

“Ball.”

This time, a slider that goes far outside. Seo Hyeongjoo, who was on second base, flinched for a moment, but he couldn’t run recklessly because Suwon’s catcher was Jung Daehan.

Two balls and one strike.

A good timing has been created to aim for something big. Then the story changes a little.

It’s good to pass the chance to the next batter, but since it’s a no-out situation with a runner on second base, it’s okay to aim for one.

Instead, narrow the zone as much as possible, and only hit the balls that come into it.

Lower the position of the grip a little to prepare for an uppercut swing, and keep the left foot slightly open to prepare for inside pitches.

Like a hunter setting a trap and waiting, I finished preparing one by one.

Jung Daehan probably noticed that my momentum had changed, but he couldn’t cancel the ball he was originally going to throw.

The fight between the batter and the pitcher is about deceiving each other, but sometimes there are times when you have to face each other head-on with your cards open.

And now is the time.

As if reading my mind, Seo Hyeongjoo, who was on second base, stopped stimulating the pitcher and started taking a lead with a serious expression.

The pitcher, who glanced at that figure, shook his head once with a serious expression and finally entered the pitching motion.

A complete overhand with an angle approaching almost 90 degrees.

The powerful fastball that was뿜어지는 [poured out] from there flew towards my body.

The most reliable main weapon that contains the essence of the pitcher named Rafael and protects his career as a player.

The powerful 157 km/h (97 mph) fastball curled into my body.

I reflexively swing the bat at that ball.

The extreme uppercut swing that had been sealed for a while because the pitchers avoided a head-on match and that ball met at one point.

Clang!

The intense cracking sound that I heard after a long time.

The ball made of leather began to fly with a sound as if it were tearing.

The moment I hit it, I sensed it was a home run and threw the bat into the air.

– Ugh! This is big! An amazing hit has come out! The hit by Han Soohyuk is far, far away, and all the outfielders are giving up on defense and watching the hit! How far! How far! An amazing home run that falls on the top of the Jamsil Baseball Stadium stands!

– It’s exploded! Han Soohyuk’s 31st home run of the season has exploded! It’s really amazing! Last season, Lee Sooyoung of Daegu won the home run title with 35 home runs. Han Soohyuk has hit 31 home runs before the first half is even over!

– Yeah, like in the game against Daejeon last time, it seems like Han Soohyuk has brought out his unique home run swing that he had sealed for a while.

– That’s right. In the meantime, the pitchers avoided Han Soohyuk so much that he had no choice but to focus on making hits with a concise swing. As the Warriors’ core batting lineup has taken its place, it seems like he has started to crave home runs again.

– While we’re talking, Seo Hyeongjoo, who was on second base, and Han Soohyuk, who hit a home run, have come home, and the score is 3 to 2, with the home team Warriors chasing by two points!