The Genius Hitter Who Conquered America - Chapter 54

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 54
Paul, a Scout for the Dodgers, rested his chin in his hand as he studied the Ground.
An intriguing smile played at the corners of his mouth.
The reason for his deployment here was simple.
To identify the hidden gems who would shoulder the future of the massive Dodgers organization.
A single line in his report determined whether someone received an invitation to Spring Training or packed their bags.
‘Just as I thought. My instincts were right.’
What Paul had focused on wasn’t the result of two RBIs and a triple—it was the process.
‘Playing as a team, no less.’
Of course, the Major League wasn’t devoid of team play.
Strategic baseball, sacrifice bunts, advancing runners—these were standard tactics.
Things done naturally for victory.
But this place was different.
The Arizona Fall League.
A showcase where each prospect’s individual abilities were evaluated ruthlessly.
Batters took wide swings to display their power.
Pitchers threw with arm-wrenching force to prove their velocity.
A place where a single player’s stats mattered more than team victory.
‘That’s the nature of this place.’
Yet these players had broken that unwritten rule, executing movements entirely for the team’s benefit.
‘That deserves a high score.’
Baseball was a sport of momentum.
The ability to break an opposing pitcher’s momentum when they had the upper hand.
And the process of ultimately producing a run as the result.
Scouts weren’t fools.
They didn’t just count home runs—they also valued whether a player knew how to win.
Demonstrating a winning approach even in a place where winning didn’t matter.
This was a greater positive factor than any home run.
Paul’s gaze shifted to Soo-ho, standing at Third Base.
‘And that one really stands out.’
Standing out in baseball was the highest compliment.
It meant shining clearly without being buried among other talented players.
‘He probably orchestrated the movements of those two ahead of him.’
Paul hadn’t heard the conversation in the Dugout.
But he could intuitively sense that Soo-ho was the architect of this scoring sequence.
‘He proved it through his play.’
A surprise fake bunt at the Batter’s Box.
With that single motion, the runners on First Base and Second Base executed a double steal as if they’d rehearsed it.
This wasn’t something that could be pulled off with mere audacity.
‘It would be impossible unless the runners ahead had absolute faith in that guy.’
What if Soo-ho had swung and missed?
Casey, who was on second base, might have made it, but Mark, with his slower feet, would have been thrown out.
Yet they ran without even looking back.
‘They could only attempt that base run because they had absolute confidence that the batter would either make contact or shake up the pitcher.’
In other words, Soo-ho possessed not just hitting prowess but also the leadership to command his teammates.
‘And that last hit… he didn’t swing with pure physicality. He swung with his mind.’
Paul had moved on to evaluating Soo-ho as an individual.
An unfavorable 1-2 count.
Most rookies would panic and fluster in such situations.
But Soo-ho had turned the pitcher’s psychology against him.
He read the timing of when his opponent would throw a bait pitch and stepped up with a calculated strategy.
‘Of course, it’s not entirely accurate to say he swung with pure intellect…’
Paul let out a soft chuckle.
The swing mechanics Soo-ho displayed were simply flawless.
Rotation without excess, the cleanness of the upward trajectory.
The execution was so refined that the report of his hitting score being at the bottom seemed absurd.
‘Could this be Alex’s work?’
Under the Los Angeles Dodgers organization, there was an eccentric hitting instructor named Alex.
He was an authority on swing mechanics, but his theories were so perfect and complex that he had a notorious reputation.
Every player who properly absorbed his theories had gone on to great success, but that was only true for a select few chosen few.
‘Most would exhaust themselves trying to correct their form and eventually drop out.’
Yet this Asian player seemed to be executing Alex’s complex mechanics in actual play.
‘To transfer power to the ball so perfectly like that… only Alex could have completed such a mechanism in such a short time.’
That’s what made it even more impressive.
Just because Alex taught it—does that mean everyone is 100% flawless? Does everyone have zero defects?
That wasn’t the case.
No matter how skilled a Major League player might be.
No human can be perfect, yet what just happened was truly perfection itself.
‘That’s what makes it so remarkable.’
Even if Alex taught him, it was Soo-ho who absorbed it.
To have acquired Alex’s swing mechanics—something countless prospects had failed at—in such a short period.
That meant Soo-ho’s learning ability was monstrous.
‘It’s the kind of body born to play baseball.’
Of course.
‘Honestly, there are more than a couple of things that need fixing.’
Soo-ho was still incomplete.
Even at a glance, aside from his mechanics.
His batting stance, his swing trajectory, and so on.
There were plenty of areas that needed work.
‘But that’s what makes it even better.’
There was still so much to fix, yet this result had emerged.
‘The Dodgers really do have an eye for talent. According to the report, he came from a Baseball Tryout. Huh. Is this another Frank creation?’
A Scout and a master of mechanics had come together….
Paul closed his notebook and glanced once more toward Third Base.
‘I’ll need to keep a closer watch on those three going forward. Especially this one.’
An asterisk was drawn next to Soo-ho’s name.
It was a very positive sign.
* * *
Meanwhile, in the depths of the Dugout, Harry Miller, the manager of the Desert Dogs, couldn’t hide his bewilderment either.
His gaze darted back and forth between the Scoreboard and the Ground.
‘What kind of harmony is this?’
In truth, he had structured today’s game very simply.
Team A and Team B.
The intent was obvious.
It was meant to make Team A stand out.
He had concentrated the top prospects from each Baseball Club into Team A.
Team B was filled with relatively lower-level players.
The reason was simple.
No matter how talented the prospects were, they always grew nervous when they came here.
There was too much at stake.
‘During the short League season, there’s nothing better than victory to help players quickly regain their confidence and elevate their form.’
Why would he assign a separate batting practice Pitcher before the game started?
So the batters could swing freely and check the quality of their contact.
Ah, my condition is good right now.
It was to create that illusion and build momentum.
That was exactly Team B’s role today.
A pleasant staircase for Team A players to climb.
But the situation was unfolding strangely.
Team B, which was supposed to be the staircase, was actually pounding Team A’s ace.
And the ones leading the charge were players from the lower Leagues.
‘And he’s the most impressive one on Team B?’
The upper batting order from Triple-A and Double-A was quiet, but the lower-order Low-A kids were dominating the game.
Honestly, they were players he hadn’t even expected anything from.
Harry swallowed a hollow laugh.
‘To be honest, I just wrote out the lineup in League order.’
His confession was accurate.
He hadn’t put any thought into arranging Team B’s lineup.
Triple-A, Double-A, High-A, and finally Low-A.
He had simply lined them up from positions one through nine in order of rank.
He’d been lazy, and besides, he’d assumed it would be a losing team anyway.
Yet that complacent choice had returned to him as a stroke of fortune.
‘What if I’d been petty enough to scrutinize their stats and profiles, then torn those three apart?’
That coordinated play would never have materialized.
It was only possible because three Low-A prospects who knew each other well had come together—a synergy born of familiarity.
‘Luck is skill. Especially in baseball.’
Harry nodded shamelessly.
In the end, results were what mattered.
He had seized that fortune, and because of it, Team B’s dying momentum had come roaring back to life.
He pulled out his notebook and checked the three names written at the bottom of Team B’s roster again.
‘I can’t think of those three as expendable cards anymore.’
Of course, I still needed to watch them more.
Today could have been a one-off flash in the pan.
But what was certain.
The impact those Low-A players had just displayed was far too significant to dismiss out of hand.
Harry was a thoroughgoing opportunist.
No romantic seeking out nostalgia or sentiment.
Low-A? Triple-A? Such distinctions meant nothing.
If they contributed to his career and helped the team win.
Whether they were rusty nails or the latest screws, he fitted them together without discrimination—that was his way.
‘Besides, the Dodgers wouldn’t have sent just anyone here.’
This facility received the most promising prospects culled from each league.
They were simply at a relatively lower level.
He had momentarily forgotten that those three were also apex predators within the Low-A ecosystem.
‘They have an element of surprise. A very potent one.’
* * *
Bottom of the fourth inning. Score: 2-8.
Team A’s overwhelming dominance. The gap remained substantial.
And Team A’s fifth batter.
Liam, who had shown territorial aggression toward Soo-ho’s group earlier, stepped into the Batter’s Box and clenched his jaw.
‘Damn it….’
His mood had twisted.
Normally, this spotlight belonged entirely to Team A.
And to himself.
But Team B’s.
Those Low-A guys he’d dismissed as the absolute bottom were making a spectacle, stealing the show.
This wasn’t part of the script.
True, his team was winning the game.
But if the scouts’ eyes were fixed on those guys instead, that was as good as his defeat.
‘This won’t do.’
Liam had already hit a home run in his first at-bat.
But that wasn’t enough.
I had to erase their impact entirely.
‘I’ll hit one more here.’
If I drive in one more solid extra-base hit, that will prove we’re in a different class altogether.
Liam’s eyes burned with fierce intensity as he locked onto the pitcher.
First pitch. A fastball thrown carelessly into the strike zone.
Liam didn’t hesitate—he swung without reservation.
Crack!
The heavy vibration transmitted through his fingertips sent a surge of power through his grip on the bat.
‘I got all of it.’
The launch angle was slightly low—it wouldn’t clear the fence—but the ball cut perfectly through left-center field.
A line drive that would absolutely roll all the way to the fence.
Even with his slow feet, he could easily reach second base on this extra-base hit.
‘Perfect!’
Liam dropped his bat and began jogging toward first base at a leisurely pace.
In that moment, he caught sight of the outfielders’ backs as they chased the ball.
His legs, which had been moving at a cautious tempo, suddenly accelerated.
“What…?”
Anxiety had seized his ankles.
This was supposed to be an easy hit through left-center field.
But the center fielder from Low-A—
Soo-ho was tracking down the ball at an insane speed.
‘Far.’
Soo-ho kept his eyes fixed on the ball as he thought.
The wind whipped against his ears as he chased this damned well-struck ball.
His lungs burned with searing pain, and his thigh muscles screamed in protest.
Honestly, the ball was hit so well that chasing it was pure agony.
Most center fielders would reduce their speed here.
The standard play was to prepare for a fence collision while calculating the angle of the ball’s bounce.
That was the safe approach.
Pushing too hard and falling back would be a reckless gamble—it could result in an inside-the-park home run.
Yet Soo-ho didn’t stop.
‘If I make this catch, my evaluation goes up.’
The essence of center field defense was range.
The ability to turn balls others thought were hits into outs.
This was the perfect opportunity to demonstrate that expansive range.
Especially since we’re Low-A.
We have nothing to show compared to the higher leagues.
The only thing we can demonstrate is our play.
And there was one other reason.
‘I don’t want to give that bastard even a single hit—unless it’s a home run.’
I repay what I receive.
If I don’t, I’ll be devoured in this ecosystem.
Of course, all I can do is repay it through my play!
‘A baseball player repaying through baseball is enough.’
So the greatest revenge I could give him here was.
To throw this magnificent long hit straight into the trash.
The ball began to fall.
There was still distance.
Running to catch it wouldn’t be enough.
Soo-ho’s eyes flashed.
‘Now!’
Soo-ho pushed off the ground without hesitation.
My body launched into the air.
Like a diver plunging into water, I defied gravity and stretched my body into a straight line.
A brief moment of low flight across the grass field.
For that instant, time seemed to flow impossibly slowly.
My left arm extended to its limit, and the glove’s webbing snagged the ball’s trajectory.
Snap!
The crisp sound of the catch echoed.
Crash!
My body tumbled roughly across the grass field.
The momentum carried me through several rolls before I finally came to a stop.
Silence fell over the entire Stadium.
The Referee, the Scouts, and Liam, who had been sprinting madly toward Second Base.
Everyone held their breath, watching me.
Everyone except two.
One was Third Baseman Casey.
The moment he saw me running, he turned his back on the batted ball and faced the Catcher directly.
It was a gesture that said there was no need to watch.
And Mark.
He was smiling with his cap pulled low over his head.
Covered in dirt, I slowly pushed myself up.
Then I raised my left hand high.
The glove’s web—the white ball was impossibly lodged at its tip.
“Out! Out!”
The Referee’s resounding call echoed through the Stadium.
Liam, who had stopped just before Second Base, stood with his mouth agape, his face flushed crimson.
“What—what the! Fu**!”
What should have been a double had become an out.
It was a perfect play that sent his pride crashing to the ground alongside him.
Thus, Soo-ho’s revenge was complete.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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