The Genius Hitter Who Conquered America - Chapter 59

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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 59
As Soo-ho drew a walk and reached base.
“That guy. He’s better than I expected.”
Someone muttered from behind home plate.
At those words, the Other Team Scout sitting beside him nodded and flipped through his chart.
“Right? It’s hard to believe he’s Low-A level.”
Today’s atmosphere was different from yesterday’s exhibition game.
A matchup between the Desert Dogs and the Scorpions.
With five organizations per team, it was a combined team game featuring a total of ten organizations.
The area behind the stands was particularly crowded with scouts.
They carefully reviewed the rosters and data sheets distributed before the game.
To be honest, expectations for Soo-ho had been rock bottom.
He was the right age, and his data screamed contact hitter—nothing special.
But when the lid came off, the quality of that contact hitting was different.
“Wow. You see KBO style here?”
“Honestly, I’d say it’s better to view it as the final form of KBO style.”
A Veteran Scout stroked his chin with evident interest.
The KBO style commonly referenced in American baseball circles.
It was a concept that stood in direct opposition to Major League trends.
While American baseball focused on full swings that feared strikeouts and produced power hitting.
Korean baseball was the opposite. They treated strikeouts as sin.
They made every effort to put the bat on the ball and create in-play contact.
Inducing defensive errors or advancing runners.
A style of tactical baseball and survival baseball ingrained in their bones.
And the fact that it was possible meant.
“His bat control is… remarkably excellent.”
It was saying that Soo-ho’s bat control was exceptionally superior.
This couldn’t be explained simply by saying he had good eyes.
The reaction speed to instantly align the bat face with the trajectory of an incoming pitch.
And the wrist sensitivity to not be overpowered by the ball’s force.
This meant Soo-ho’s mechanics were equally flawless.
Of course, American hitters also produced foul tips—cuts.
But most of the time, that wasn’t intentional; it happened by accident when their timing was late or they mistimed the pitch.
Yet the Soo-ho at the plate just now was different.
He appeared to have deliberately cut the pitch.
Once or twice might be luck, but when it happened consecutively, it had to be intentional.
And against upper-level pitching with heavy velocity at that.
“With that level of control, it’s hell for a pitcher.”
A battle that stretched to ten, eleven pitches.
A batter who drained the pitcher’s reserves and walked away with ease.
Soo-ho’s name began appearing in the scouts’ notebooks.
Though the scores weren’t particularly high.
“…This is the United States, after all.”
The scouts’ gazes turned coldly analytical.
That KBO style isn’t inherently flawed.
But the United States operates under different conditions than Korea.
Here, pitches average 5 to 6 kilometers per hour faster than in Korea, and the movement on the ball is filthy—treacherous.
Fastballs exceeding 150 kilometers curve in like serpents, and he’s supposed to slap at them?
Nearly impossible.
Therefore, at higher levels going forward.
In other words, they believed contact-oriented baseball wouldn’t translate in the Major League.
Of course, as the saying goes, criticism is better than indifference.
Ultimately, Soo-ho was receiving attention, and that was undeniably positive.
Scouts, after all, evaluate players with absolute objectivity—pure skill alone, devoid of emotion.
Amid this consistent scrutiny.
Only one man observed him through an entirely different lens.
Paul, a scout for the Dodgers.
He rested his chin in his palm, his brow furrowing.
‘Something’s off.’
His suspicion was justified.
At the very least, he’d received a report on what Soo-ho had promised Coordinator Thomas.
They were both part of the Dodgers organization, after all.
‘He declared he’d become an OPS hitter.’
Of course, having just drawn a walk, he’d succeeded in terms of on-base percentage.
But the process troubled him.
The playing style Soo-ho had just displayed was relentlessly, characteristically that of a slap hitter.
Lacking power, gripping the bat short, unable to generate solid contact, surviving through bunts.
This wasn’t the path of an OPS hitter.
‘I haven’t watched him long, but he seemed quite clever….’
Paul tapped his notebook thoughtfully.
Logically, the situation fell into one of two categories.
‘One: mere recklessness for attention.’
The Minor League Baseball was rife with such types.
“I’ll become the second Barry Bonds.”
They’d boast grandly, then flail helplessly against breaking balls before vanishing.
Desperate posturing to inflate their abilities and draw notice.
Was Soo-ho cut from that cloth?
‘If not….’
Paul’s eyes gleamed with sudden insight.
‘Could it be. A setup?’
He completely transforms into a slap hitter to deliver extra-base hits.
He broadcasts to the world that he’s a weak slap hitter, luring the opponent into complacency.
Because in the last at-bat, Soo-ho had perfectly planted the idea in the opposing pitcher’s mind that he was a troublesome, annoying batter.
So how would the opposing battery respond when they faced him again in the next at-bat?
‘If I cut anything inside the zone, he’ll cut it, so they’ll try to win with bait pitches.’
They’d throw breaking balls with sharp movement to induce swings and misses.
Or they’d be trying to make him hit ground balls.
But what if Soo-ho was anticipating exactly this?
When the opponent thinks he gets overpowered by fastballs, so they’ll throw breaking balls.
What if his plan was to hunt that breaking ball and drive it for extra bases?
‘No way. That can’t be it.’
Paul shook his head.
Soo-ho was a Low-A player.
No matter how clever, could he really manipulate the psychology of upper-league pitchers to that degree?
Besides, Soo-ho had been released from the KBO Minor League—frankly, he was a failure.
‘But what if… what if it really was intentional?’
A chill ran down his spine.
Then Soo-ho hadn’t failed in the past because he lacked baseball intelligence.
He simply hadn’t been able to realize his potential because he lacked the technical skills and physical tools to support that mind.
And now, under the Dodgers System, if he acquired those technical skills?
‘Then he’s someone destined for greatness.’
That was when it happened.
Whoosh!
Soo-ho, stationed at First Base, stole Second Base with lightning speed.
Perfect timing—he broke for the base the instant the pitcher entered his delivery.
More than that, his speed was so overwhelming that the Catcher abandoned any attempt to throw him out.
“Safe!”
Soo-ho brushed the dirt from his uniform and rose to his feet.
He’d reached base on a walk, and now he’d advanced into scoring position on his own legs.
This was an ability that didn’t show up in OPS statistics.
But it was enough to solidify Paul’s conviction.
‘Ah…’
Paul swallowed a hollow laugh.
‘The more I see this, the more it seems like the latter.’
That stolen base timing had been artistry itself.
It was a start that couldn’t have happened without perfectly reading the pitcher’s habits.
Would a player this clever and sharp-eyed really have blurted out in front of the Coordinator that he’d post a 0.9 OPS without any real thought?
Just on a whim?
‘That doesn’t make sense.’
That kid must have had a plan for everything.
Paul added another question mark to the Power section of his notebook.
It wasn’t a simple question mark.
It was a question mark brimming with anticipation.
‘His next at-bat is going to be very interesting.’
* * *
Soo-ho’s feet never stopped moving.
When the next batter Casey connected with the shaken pitcher’s first pitch, producing a light single to right field.
Soo-ho sprinted home like an arrow and scored.
Next up, Mark also got a hit.
Casey advanced to Third Base, and Mark reached First Base.
Though no more runs came due to the subsequent batter’s failure to produce.
It was another moment showcasing the Low A Trio’s collaborative brilliance.
After the inning ended.
The three exchanged high-fives and sat on the bench.
Casey handed over the water bottle first and spoke.
“Thanks to you, that was easy.”
His words rang true.
Soo-ho had dragged the pitcher through absolute hell at the plate, tormenting him relentlessly.
On top of that, he’d successfully stolen a base, rattling the battery.
The mentally shattered pitcher’s throws, though they might have been higher-level pitches, were nothing but easy prey for Casey.
“Honestly, it’s no exaggeration to say you did everything, Soo-ho.”
Mark nodded vigorously in agreement.
He’d had it even easier.
Soo-ho had left the opponent in a groggy state, Casey had thrown the jab, so Mark just had to swing.
The hit was only possible because the opposing pitcher was already falling apart.
But Mark’s expression wasn’t entirely bright.
He wiped sweat with a towel and asked with concern.
“By the way, what are you going to do about your next at-bat?”
Soo-ho had laid bare his playing style for all to see.
Unless the opponent was a fool, they would come out with thorough countermeasures from the next at-bat onward.
At least if Soo-ho wanted to record the high OPS he was aiming for.
Getting on base even once more wouldn’t be easy.
But Soo-ho smiled faintly.
“It’s fine. Next at-bat, I’m going for extra-base hits.”
“…What?”
Mark’s eyes widened.
His expression was as if he’d misheard.
“Wait? How? You haven’t even learned any techniques from Casey yet. But now you’re suddenly going to hit for power?”
This was physically impossible.
A batter without power tools couldn’t suddenly become a home run hitter.
At that moment, Casey’s eyes, which had been quietly listening from the side, shifted.
He scanned Soo-ho with a suspicious gaze, then seemed to realize something and parted his lips slightly.
“You don’t mean to say….”
“That’s exactly what I mean.”
Soo-ho winked.
Casey let out a hollow laugh and shook his head repeatedly.
It was the reaction of someone who had only just caught on.
But Mark, clueless about what was happening, was going absolutely mad.
“What is it? What are you talking about! Why am I the only one left out!”
“Sigh.”
Casey exhaled deeply.
How on earth did this big oaf even play baseball?
Was it because his physique was talent itself, so he never needed to use his head?
Of course, he had only just figured it out himself, but even so, he wasn’t a complete blank slate like Mark.
‘By this point, shouldn’t he be able to figure it out?’
The arrogance unique to geniuses activated.
Besides, Soo-ho had shown something similar in the first day’s intrasquad game.
“Think about it carefully. In the previous at-bat, Soo-ho deliberately exaggerated his own style. If you were the pitcher, how would you pitch to him next time?”
Mark pouted his lips.
“How would I know that? I’m not even a pitcher.”
“…Stop talking.”
“Ah, just tell me! I’m dying of curiosity!”
Even as Mark whined, Casey turned his head away.
Eventually Mark clung to Soo-ho.
“Hey, at least you tell me. Yeah? Don’t ignore the guy whose brain is all muscle too—just let me know.”
Soo-ho simply smiled brightly and gathered his equipment to stand up.
“I’ll show you at the plate. That’ll be faster.”
Bottom of the 7th inning.
The score remained 2-2. It was Soo-ho’s turn at bat again.
A new pitcher had taken the mound.
The bullpen ace from the Philadelphia organization.
A right-handed orthodox pitcher whose main weapons were a heavy fastball and a sharp slider.
As Soo-ho stepped into the batter’s box, the opposing battery exchanged signs.
‘They’ve probably already received the data on me.’
Soo-ho glanced at the catcher’s movements.
First pitch.
The ball the pitcher threw was a slider that drifted away on the outside.
A sharp breaking ball that caught the edge of the strike zone.
“Strike!”
Soo-ho nodded.
‘As expected.’
In his previous at-bat, Soo-ho had desperately slapped at the fastball, unable to time it properly.
So from the pitcher’s perspective, the answer was simple.
Since he reacted to fastballs, throwing off-speed pitches or bait pitches to steal his timing would work.
The calculation was that he’d either hit a ground ball or swing and miss.
And everything unfolded exactly as Soo-ho had anticipated.
Second pitch.
The ball left the pitcher’s hand once more.
I could see the seams rotating.
It wasn’t a fastball.
A slider curving from inside to the middle of the strike zone.
An appetizing pitch coming in for a strike.
The pitcher must have thought it.
Even if Soo-ho swung at this pitch, he’d only manage a weak infield ground ball.
That was the data Soo-ho had planted in his previous at-bat.
Nothing but fouls had come off his bat, with no solid contact to speak of.
‘But unfortunately for him.’
Soo-ho’s eyes gleamed.
Because the pitcher had reduced his velocity, I could gather my power perfectly.
Not as flawlessly as Casey, nor as explosively as Mark.
But enough to meet this pitch with full force.
Knowing the pitcher’s intent made all the difference in the world.
‘Now!’
Soo-ho’s hips rotated with explosive power.
This was no longer a swing to slap the ball.
It was a full swing fueled by the singular intent to tear through the ball.
Crack!
Not a dull thud.
A heavy, sharp explosion erupted from the batter’s box.
The pitcher’s head snapped around.
The white ball streaked through the night sky like a laser toward left-center field.
“Oh…!”
“What?!”
Gasps erupted simultaneously from the stands.
The ball flew at a speed the outfielders couldn’t even attempt to chase, smacking into the middle of the fence.
A solid line drive that struck the fence on one bounce.
Soo-ho rounded first base and sprinted effortlessly to second.
An easy double.
Standing on the base, Soo-ho adjusted his helmet and gave his teammates a thumbs up.
‘At least I’ve made it through today!’
Both my on-base percentage and slugging percentage.
Everything about the game satisfied me.
That’s why I looked forward to what came next even more.
‘I’ve put out the urgent fire.’
I’d safely navigated through that crucial first day.
If I learned technique from Casey starting tomorrow.
I’d be able to show an even better performance than now.

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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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