The Genius Hitter Who Conquered America - Chapter 79

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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 79
Three days had passed since I brought down Victor Moretti, that towering figure.
Perhaps because such a massive event had swept through and faded?
The Desert Dogs’ subsequent games carried a peculiar quietness to them.
Like the sea after a typhoon passes, the spectators’ interest and the media’s fervor had both withered and dimmed.
It was inevitable.
What greater issue could there be than the collapse of the current number-one Minor League prospect?
But Harry, the Desert Dogs’ Manager, knew better.
The real battlefield wasn’t the Ground at all—it was unfolding right here, on this Conference Room table.
‘This is suffocating.’
Harry loosened his necktie and regarded the suited men seated across from him.
AFL Bureau staff and dispatched representatives from each Baseball Club.
There was only one reason they had gathered.
The selection of the All-Star Game roster.
The All-Star Game was no mere exhibition.
It was a showcase of only the most elite prospects destined to shape the Major League’s future.
Being selected here was tantamount to announcing to the entire nation that you could become the next Major League superstar.
The political maneuvering surrounding the selection was inevitably fierce.
“Let’s skip the preamble and get to the main point.”
The League Director set down a stack of documents with a sharp tap and began.
“The Desert Dogs have produced such an abundance of standout talent. The selection process has been quite smooth because of it. Let’s confirm this player first.”
The first photograph he produced was Liam.
“Liam. No objections, I presume?”
Harry nodded.
There was no reason to object.
In fact, objecting would have invited public backlash.
‘He’s the hottest topic right now, after all.’
The League Director smiled and continued.
“Beyond his skill, his story is perfect. A poor single-mother household, a filial son who never puts down his bat for his mother’s surgery. And the protagonist of the championship-winning hit that toppled the prospect Victor Moretti through sheer desperation. The public is captivated by this American Dream narrative.”
In an era where story becomes currency.
Liam’s narrative was a check guaranteed to draw crowds.
Not only the AFL Bureau staff but all the other players present nodded in unanimous agreement.
“Next is this player.”
The second photograph was Mark.
“Team leader in home runs. Plus, a High School Invitational MVP. A forgotten genius successfully returns from injury? This is exactly the kind of news fans would welcome with open arms.”
“I agree. His raw power ranks among the league’s elite. Mark is essential for the All-Star Game’s signature home run derby to draw crowds.”
Mark passed through without issue as well.
A monster hitter returning from injury.
For those dreaming of a comeback, Mark’s existence was hope itself.
And as the third photograph was placed on the table, the atmosphere in the Conference Room subtly shifted.
Rather than solemnity, there was something else entirely.
A murmur of anticipation and excitement rippled through the room.
“Casey, the player.”
The League Director tapped the photograph thoughtfully.
“This one… well, there’s nothing more to say.”
Three-time High School Invitational MVP.
An unprecedented prodigy in the history of high school baseball.
This title alone was more than sufficient reason for his All-Star selection.
But the Administrative Office’s focus lay elsewhere.
“His skill is overwhelming, but what truly sets him apart is his star power.”
“You mean his appearance?”
“Precisely. Honestly, his looks rival those of Hollywood actors.”
The director smiled and glanced around the room.
“As you all know, the aging of baseball’s fanbase is a critical issue. We desperately need an influx of younger demographics, particularly female fans. And Casey is breaking through that barrier for us.”
“True enough… the decibel level in the Stands definitely changes when Casey steps into the Batter’s Box. The roar from female fans is unmistakable.”
Baseball was already a saturated market.
The problem wasn’t the number of fans—it was their age.
The Major League’s core consumer base had become dangerously skewed toward middle-aged and older men, and this demographic structure inevitably faced natural decline over time.
Of course, in recent years, superstars had emerged in abundance, drawing younger male fans back to the Major League.
But what mattered far more was the female fanbase.
Their influx wasn’t merely an increase in attendance.
Merchandise consumption, social media virality, family-oriented viewership, long-term fan retention—
They represented the future capital the league absolutely had to secure to survive into the next generation.
Female fans, in particular, consumed icons, not merely players.
Unlike men, they didn’t respond solely to a player’s statistics.
They moved only when narrative, image, and story converged.
And once such a fanbase formed, that single player transcended his club to become the face of the entire league.
That was precisely why the Administrative Office had zeroed in on Casey.
Talented hitters emerged every year.
But players capable of shaking the league’s demographic structure? They were rare.
Casey was an uncommon specimen—possessing elite performance, striking looks, and undeniable marketability all at once.
And the Administrative Office knew this well.
Such players could not be allowed to slip away.
Therefore, the influx of female fans brought staggering profits to baseball.
The League Director displayed the prepared data on screen.
“Last season, female fans accounted for 42% of total merchandise sales. Compared to a decade ago, that’s more than triple. Furthermore, the speed of content dissemination on social media and the reproduction rate among female fans is 5.8 times higher than among male fans.”
The numbers were truly astounding.
But that wasn’t all.
“This isn’t merely about selling one extra ticket. When they move, families move. When they move, romantic partners move. The cascading economic effects alone reach hundreds of millions of dollars annually. Casey is the key that unlocks that vast market.”
It was an undeniable fact.
Every time Casey stepped into the Batter’s Box, a high-pitched roar erupted from the crowd, and his uniforms flew off the shelves.
This was already a daily reality being proven at the Desert Dogs Home Stadium.
Casey was a minor leaguer.
In the Arizona Fall League, he wore a Dodgers uniform.
Despite it not being an official uniform, sales were exceptional.
He wasn’t being treated as a mere prospect—the Administrative Office had positioned him as a massive commodity to be promoted and elevated.
“Let’s pass it unanimously. Casey must become the main model for this Fall Stars Game.”
Harry smiled bitterly, but internally he agreed vehemently.
Casey was a walking corporation unto himself.
The uniform he wore, the equipment he used, even the beverage he drank during games—everything became a topic of conversation.
Even people with no interest in baseball found themselves glued to their screens, asking, “Who is that handsome player?”
It was a talent that could never be obtained through baseball skill alone.
Thus, Liam, Mark, and Casey—the three starters—were decided without hesitation.
A lineup anyone could understand.
Yet Harry’s gaze remained fixed on one corner of the stack of documents.
There was still one more.
A name that might bring an even greater wave than the combined impact of the previous three.
“And there is one player under consideration.”
Harry let out a small laugh.
Though the name hadn’t been revealed yet, it was obvious if you thought about it.
The Korean player, Oh Soo-ho.
Who else could it be?
And just as he thought, Soo-ho’s photograph appeared.
“Player Oh Soo-ho. He’s been showing excellent performance in the current Arizona Fall League and has been demonstrating significant influence on social media recently. Moreover, the Dodgers Farm Director has recommended him.”
However, the League Director’s tone was subtle.
It differed from the confident voice he’d used when mentioning Liam, Mark, and Casey earlier.
Being recommended by the organization didn’t guarantee selection.
The Fall Stars Game roster was limited, and monsters vying for a spot lined up endlessly.
Ultimately, unanimous approval from both the Administrative Office and Harry, the field manager, was required for selection.
Yet Harry crossed his arms as if bewildered.
“Wait. Why exactly is this player under consideration?”
“…What do you mean by that?”
“What I mean is, he’s not a player who must be selected, so why is he merely in the candidate pool?”
At Harry’s blunt question, the Office Staff Members fell silent for a moment.
But they weren’t fools either.
Soo-ho’s data? Analysis was already complete.
Commercial appeal? That was acknowledged too.
If Casey had the flashy appearance of a typical Hollywood teenage star, Soo-ho was different.
A face with delicate features and refined composure, emanating an Eastern mystique.
He resembled the K-POP idols or actors from Korean dramas currently trending among American teenagers.
This appearance was no longer a niche market card—it was something that could definitely penetrate the mainstream American market.
Add to that the narrative of an Asian underdog who clawed his way up from the bottom.
With proper packaging, there were more than enough elements to strike gold.
But.
The Administrative Office’s hesitation had a clear reason.
For them, the All-Star Game couldn’t be a gamble—it had to be a sound investment.
‘This guy… he’s unproven.’
The League Director mentally tapped away at his calculator.
Baseball saw countless flash-in-the-pan stars appear and disappear every year.
A batter who’d hit .200 his entire career suddenly goes crazy and hits .300 one season.
An unknown pitcher puts on a mid-tier performance out of nowhere, then collapses like a lie the next year.
Soo-ho looked like exactly that kind of case.
A failed player released from the KBO’s Minor League, not even the Major League.
And now this guy comes to America and is bombing the Arizona Fall League, where baseball geniuses gather?
Should we really believe this is pure skill?
“I suspect it might be a temporary fluke.”
In other words, they saw it as luck.
Above all, the All-Star Game roster was limited.
Fans wanted to see already-famous prospects who made a name for themselves at the draft, not unknown rookies.
Pushing aside a first-rounder who’d signed a multi-million dollar contract to put an unknown Asian released player on the main stage?
If Soo-ho bombed in the All-Star Game, or if his flash performance fizzled out?
The Administrative Office would have to bear all the blame and responsibility for the commercial failure.
They were thorough businessmen before they were adventurers.
“…I respect your opinion, Manager.”
Breaking the silence, the Office Staff Member spoke carefully.
“We simply don’t have enough samples yet. We acknowledge the Victor Moretti case, but whether that was luck or skill… we need to observe a bit longer.”
“Luck?”
Harry’s brow furrowed.
He understood the Administrative Office’s conservative attitude, but he didn’t like it.
It couldn’t be helped.
Harry was the very person who’d watched Soo-ho from the closest seat in the Dugout over the past three weeks.
Of course, it would be a lie to say I fully understood what calculations Soo-ho made at the Batter’s Box or what psychology he used to manipulate the pitcher.
In fact, I understood nothing at all.
Yet I deliberately didn’t ask, and didn’t want to know.
It didn’t matter.
If the player was doing well on his own, why bother prying into every detail?
‘This is my livelihood on the line.’
The opportunist Harry’s mind raced.
The Arizona Fall League wasn’t just a showcase for players.
For coaching staff, it was a lifeline to climb to the higher leagues.
When players from his own team perform brilliantly in the All-Star Game?
That achievement gets packaged and credited to the Manager who coached them.
But these suited bureaucrats were now trying to take only the shell, leaving behind the team’s core engine.
‘Idiots. They’re trying to sell steamed buns with no filling.’
The Desert Dogs without Soo-ho?
That was no different from a tiger with its teeth pulled out.
Harry knew this better than anyone.
Liam, Mark, Casey. The reason they could swing their bats with such confidence.
Was because Soo-ho set the table in front and controlled the game from behind.
Baseball is a sport of data.
The stat sheet doesn’t lie.
‘When Soo-ho gets on base versus when he doesn’t, those three’s OPS difference exceeds 0.2.’
A difference of 0.2.
In the Major League, that was the gap between an All-Star player and a backup—for the same batter.
Therefore, without Soo-ho, those three would likely become scarecrows in the All-Star Game.
If that happened, not only would there be no box office draw, but the Desert Dogs players would be branded as overblown.
‘And all that backlash would land squarely on me, the Manager.’
So an All-Star Game without Soo-ho?
It would’ve been better not to send anyone at all.
But a mere AFL Manager couldn’t stand before the Administrative Office and shout that they were wrong.
Harry suppressed the boiling rage inside him and kept his voice measured.
“There’s merit to what you’re saying. I acknowledge the sample size is limited.”
He affirmed the other side’s point first, lowering their guard.
Then he probed gently but with weight.
“I may lack the vision of the great minds in the Major League. But on this matter, I can say with certainty.”
Harry met the League Director’s gaze directly.
“This isn’t just about your box office success—my career as a Manager is on the line too. I wouldn’t stake my reputation recommending a player I didn’t have confidence in, would I?”
“….”
“Please trust me. You must select Soo-ho. That young man won’t be intimidated by such a grand stage—he’ll show us a picture far greater than we can imagine. I guarantee he’ll be a draw worth having.”
Citing data to these people would be the wrong approach.
They were the Administrative Office—would they not have their own data?
‘But they haven’t seen Soo-ho directly in the field.’
Video footage couldn’t capture the field perfectly.
So what worked best with them wasn’t emotional appeal.
It was demonstrating shared interest and shared risk with a partner.
Harry had just put his own neck on the line as collateral.
The League Director’s eyes wavered.
A moment later, he slowly opened his mouth.
“…If the Manager speaks with such conviction.”
The Director picked up his pen and circled Soo-ho’s photograph.
“I’ll trust your judgment. With Oh Soo-ho, the Desert Dogs will have four representatives total. It’s confirmed.”
And so Soo-ho’s name was etched onto the final line of the All-Star Game roster.

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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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