Chapter 22: Even though my heart hurts, I throw it like this

The SoftBank Hawks’ official YouTube video, edited and uploaded in just one day after filming.

[Getting to Know This Person] Su-hyeon’s Day Off?!

I don’t know Fukuoka well because it’s my first time here

└It’s finally here www

Hyon-chan’s solo YouTube

└This girl became a super beauty after getting her makeup done

As expected, the completion of b**bs is the face

└What the, the marketing team was capable of doing this well all along

└They probably uploaded it on purpose after Hyon-chan’s first win?

└If she played badly after goofing off like this, she would have been blamed for sure

└Who’s the woman who appears from time to time, she’s pretty cute

└The look in her eyes is alluring, she’s my type

Su-hyeon’s vlog surpassed 1.5 million views in just two days, quickly rising to 3rd place on the team’s YouTube popularity rankings. The number of subscribers, which was in the mid-300,000s, also surged, surpassing 500,000 in an instant.

However, marketing manager Uehara Aki’s heart was far from at ease.

The Hawks were swept by the Seibu Lions in the three-game home series, falling to 3 wins and 5 losses for the season.

They dropped to 4th place in the league, and at the same time, negative comments began to appear on Su-hyeon’s YouTube video.

└They’re not putting in enough effort because they’re uploading videos like this

└A Korean woman is ruining the Hawks

└Hyon-chan is not at fault, but the marketing side is the problem

└Even though it’s during the season, you can’t just exercise all the time

└It’s fine to rest, but the problem is uploading a video of it

└I heard this girl used to be a gravure model or something in Korea, isn’t she more interested in the entertainment industry than baseball

└But Hyon-chan has the best record among the starters, though?

‘Seriously, this is the problem with Japanese people.

This damn bandwagon mentality.’

You idiots, Su-hyeon didn’t even pitch during the three home games!

Uehara was suppressing the urge to go into her alternate account and leave পাল্টা comments.

It was obvious that public opinion would turn around again if Su-hyeon pitched well.

But what if Su-hyeon played badly…

Uehara shook her head at the unimaginable scenario.

In a subdued atmosphere due to the three-game losing streak, the Hawks headed to Osaka.

First, a three-game away series against the Orix Buffaloes.

Followed by a three-game away series against the Chiba Lotte Marines.

If they couldn’t win the first game against Orix.

The atmosphere was such that the entire season could be in danger.

Crack~!

– This hit is big!

It’s big, will it go, will it go!

It’s gone!

A grand slam by No.

3 Profar!!

The 4th starter, Murakami Taito, who had pitched well for 6 scoreless innings, collapsed after giving up a grand slam in the bottom of the 7th inning. The SoftBank Hawks suffered a shocking 4-game losing streak.

Season record: 3 wins and 6 losses.

Carrying a heavy burden, in the second game against the Orix Buffaloes.

Su-hyeon took the mound.

– Jeong Su-hyeon has been showing a flawless performance through 7 innings.

Sasaki, what are your thoughts as an analyst?

– I’m sure everyone had the same thoughts as I did, but I also had doubts about Jeong Su-hyeon’s pitches.

So I greeted her before today’s game and watched her bullpen a bit.

The legendary Japanese closer, known as “Daimajin,” Sasaki Kazuhiro, who was currently working as an analyst.

– It was a much better pitch than what you see on the broadcast screen.

Today’s strong performance is a natural result.

– So you mean she looks better in person.

What makes her so special?

-It’s incredibly fast when you see it in person.

I think it’s because she has excellent deception.

Now each team will be wary of Jeong Su-hyeon and start analyzing her in detail.

But she has such strong fundamentals and excellent balance that I don’t think she’s a pitcher who can be easily broken down.

7 innings, 1 hit, 3 walks, 0 runs, 10 strikeouts.

Regardless of internet public opinion, Su-hyeon was well aware that if they lost today, the team could fall into a slump. Orix batters struggled against Su-hyeon’s careful pitch selection, which was different from her debut.

She gave up three walks and her pitch count exceeded 90.

But with a five-run lead, Su-hyeon took the mound in the 8th inning as well.

She gave up another walk to the lead-off batter in the 6th.

But she induced a ground ball from the next batter with a Boing-Linker, getting her third double play of the day.

She reached 100 pitches after facing the 7-hole hitter, but the Hawks’ bench had no intention of taking out the well-performing starter against the 8-hole hitter.

And Su-hyeon was also determined to finish this inning somehow.

[Boing Boing (SSS) trait is activated]

Huh?

The letters look different than usual?!

Su-hyeon threw a powerful first-pitch Boing-Rider to get a quick tri-count.

Boing~

Crack!

“Foul!”

The 8-hole hitter, who had struck out twice against Su-hyeon today, managed to foul off her Boing-Rider.

Anyway, it didn’t change the fact that she started with an advantageous 0-1 count.

But for the first time, the usually lively Su-hyeon on the mound was grimacing.

‘My chest…

hurts so much…’

Not in the sense of being heartbroken because she was sad.

But her prominent chest area.

aka breasts.

The moment she threw her 101st pitch, Su-hyeon felt a pain as if her chest was being ripped apart for the first time.

Not the shoulder or elbow.

The part of the body that gets strained the most when throwing a lot of pitches is the chest.

Considering the name of the trait, it was natural, but somehow it made her laugh, and Su-hyeon couldn’t help but let out a chuckle in the middle of grimacing.

“Manager, Su-hyeon is laughing?”

“Leave her be, she laughed last time too, and then she got Rooker out.”

But pitching coach Saito clearly saw Su-hyeon grimacing before she laughed.

And Su-hyeon, who usually has a fast pitching tempo, hadn’t been preparing to pitch for over 10 seconds.

“Still, something’s strange.

I’ll go up there.”

Saito called for time and went up to the mound.

“Su-hyeon, are you hurt somewhere?

You don’t have to push yourself.

You did great today.”

Geez, I can’t just say my b**bs hurt.

Of course, it’s not unheard of for pitchers to injure their pectoral muscles.

But as Saito said, the situation wasn’t so dire that she had to keep playing through the pain.

“Yes.

I think I threw too much all of a sudden.”

“Okay.

Good job.”

With a look full of regret, Su-hyeon came off the mound.

Although it was an away game, a lot more fans than in the previous Hokkaido game cheered for Su-hyeon as she was replaced.

And Su-hyeon took off her cap in response.

The usually taciturn manager Iguchi spoke first to Su-hyeon as she entered the dugout today.

“Good job.

Are you hurt anywhere?”

“No, I’m fine.”

“Okay.

Don’t hide any pain.

If anything feels even a little off, go see a doctor.”

Iguchi Tadahito was a typical manager who believed in his players.

But he was strict about pitch counts and pitcher substitutions.

If Su-hyeon, who was currently in the best form among the starters, got injured, it would be a big problem.

So Iguchi was showing his concern for Su-hyeon, who had taken herself out of the game.

“Jeong, I brought some ice.”

“Thank you.

Do you have any icing spray?”

“Are you hurt somewhere?!”

Su-hyeon went into the women’s restroom, took off her top, and sprayed her chest with the icing spray provided by the staff.

Ah, it’s f*cking cold.

I didn’t know Boing Boing (EX) had this kind of limitation.

The away stadium didn’t have a partitioned locker room just for Su-hyeon like Fukuoka Dome.

It was a day when she felt the difficulties of playing baseball as a woman in many ways.

I should ask Dae-joon to make me a custom-made icing that covers my chest.

After icing, she returned to the dugout.

The Hawks’ closer, David Bednar, was overpowering the Orix batters with his power.

“He’s so refreshing.

I wish I could throw like that.”

It was an honest thought from Su-hyeon, who was far from being a power pitcher, both in her past and present life.

“I think Su-hyeon is a power pitcher too, in a way?

Even though your pitches are slow.”

“I’m just pretending to be.

I have so many thoughts on the mound.”

Captain Masaki Tomoya, who was probably the one who looked after Su-hyeon the most among the players.

Masaki was often surprised whenever he talked with Su-hyeon.

It was because this young woman had a much deeper understanding of baseball than most players.

“Swing, batter out!”

Orix Buffaloes 0-5 SoftBank Hawks.

Winning pitcher: Jeong Su-hyeon (2 wins, 0 losses, 7.2 innings, 1 hit, 4 walks, 0 runs, 10 strikeouts)

Home runs: Jose Osuna (1st inning, 2 runs, SoftBank), Ishiyama Keiichi (4th inning, 1 run, SoftBank)

The Hawks broke their 4-game losing streak thanks to Su-hyeon’s performance and the resurgent offense.

The following third game against Orix was a one-man show by Kiriyama Shota, a promising young player who will be responsible for the Hawks’ future.

– It’s fast!

The last pitch was 158 km/h!

Kiriyama’s complete game victory with only 1 run allowed!

-That’s amazing.

Yesterday it was Jeong Su-hyeon, today it’s Kiriyama.

The Hawks take the winning series with the power of these two young guns.

Kiriyama Shota, who recorded a top speed of 159 km/h and earned his first career win as a starter.

He was a promising player for the Hawks who had a good record as a reliever in his debut year last year and started this season as the 6th starter.

“Nice pitching, Kiriyama!”

“Thank you, senpai.

I’ll go do the interview now.”

Kiriyama Shota, the only player in the Hawks’ 1st army younger than Su-hyeon.

Kiriyama, who was selected as today’s MVP, began his hero interview, which was broadcast throughout the stadium.

-From the broadcast booth, today’s hero, Kiriyama Shota!

– Thank you.

-A great complete game victory in your first start.

How did you approach the game?

– Well.

Before the game, Jeong Su-hyeon told me to cut off my d*ck if I pitched worse than her, so I pitched with the determination to die.

Hey, when did I say that?!

I said to cut off your b*lls.

But since all her teammates praised Su-hyeon for saying it well.

Su-hyeon decided to think that she actually said that.

-Please give us a word about your future determination.

– Well.

I’ll do my best not to lose my d*ck.

Thank you.

You little punk.

Kiriyama, just wait until the game is over!