The Pitcher Just Hits Home Runs Well [EN]: Chapter 216

216. New Record (12)

Bottom of the 8th.

Lee Jung-hoon and Kang Ra-on maintained the momentum.

Honestly, if either Lee Jung-hoon or Kang Ra-on had gotten a hit here, and Jake Bore had to face me, it would have been even more challenging for him.

A routine ground ball to the infield.

And another ground ball to the infield.

Bottom of the 8th.

Two outs, no runners on base.

I walked to the plate.

All eyes were on me. Eyes full of anticipation. And by everyone, I don’t just mean the people sitting in our dugout. Everyone in the stadium was watching me.

Their eyes absolutely brimming with anticipation.

‘Wow, this is a bit much, isn’t it?’ I thought.

Well, it was a familiar feeling.

Back in my previous life, when I was playing in the States, I had been chasing my 62nd home run. Considering that the stadium is about twice the size, and that it was packed with fans back then, the number of eyes on me was probably close to double.

But even so, I didn’t expect this level of attention.

‘Why do those guys look so expectant?’

I was referring to the Elitz players.

Not all of them, but some of the younger guys were looking at me with the same kind of ‘expectation’ as the fans. Jake Bore on the mound seemed to regard it as an unbearable insult. His nostrils flared, and his face flushed.

He had pitched 7.2 innings, but he didn’t seem tired at all.

‘Huh?’

But the manager, not the pitching coach, walked up to the mound from the Elitz dugout.

It must be frustrating for the manager. If the pitcher wasn’t in good condition, he’d take him out, but that wasn’t the case. If you exclude the three home runs he gave up to me, he only allowed three hits in 7.2 innings. And what about his pitch count? He had less than 90 pitches in 7.2 innings, so it was safe to say he was on pace for a complete game. But that pitcher happened to get hit for three consecutive home runs by the same batter?

He couldn’t take him out because he couldn’t be sure there was a better pitcher to replace him.

And it’s hard to tell your ace to walk the opposing batter in the bottom of the 8th with a 3-point deficit. Especially when that batter is on the verge of breaking the league’s home run record.

So, this is probably just to change the atmosphere. And I bet the conversation will go something like this:

‘Jake, we’ll do whatever you want. Honestly, no one would blame you if you walked him here. They’d probably blame me for stubbornly keeping you on the mound in this situation.’

‘Manager, does that mean I can keep pitching if I want to?’

‘Of course. You’re our ace. If we don’t trust our ace at this moment, we can’t play baseball. It’s not like our baseball ends today. Right?’

‘Thank you for believing in me, Manager!! Then, I’ll take you up on that!! I want to finish this with my own hands.’

Whether my prediction was right or not, Jake Bore bowed deeply to the Elitz manager. No, it was beyond bowing; he almost bent at the waist. Anyway, there’s a reason why that guy gets treated like a senior by the umpires even though he’s a foreign pitcher, and why he’s treated like an Elitz legend and becomes a coach after retirement. It’s because he’s so respectful to those above him.

Oh, of course, I wouldn’t want to do that if you asked me to.

It’s enough to get along with people who you genuinely connect with. I don’t want to bother living while calculating hierarchies and ranks. Besides, Jake Bore was well-loved by older people, but he also got a lot of flak from his juniors. The fact that he didn’t become a manager later on was probably partly due to the fact that he was a foreigner, but his personality also played a big role.

Anyway, the Elitz manager went back to the dugout.

And Jake Bore looked at me with a determined look.

The Elitz manager definitely succeeded in one thing.

You could tell just by looking at his eyes. Jake Bore’s shoulders were puffed up with pride right now. He was full of the ace’s pride, the team’s only hope, and all sorts of other things.

It wasn’t something to just laugh at.

It’s not just reason that motivates people. Whether it’s pride, responsibility, paternal love, or maternal love, sometimes people intoxicated by emotion can exert strength beyond their abilities.

But what about that pride right now?

Would Jake Bore, who was told he was an ace by the manager, be stronger? Or would I, who am shouldering the expectations of tens of millions of people across the country, be stronger?

Jake Bore on the mound prepared for his first pitch.

***

The Marlins players were huddled together, watching the game from the dugout fence. And among them, Lee Jung-hoon, looking slightly anxious, spoke to Jo Yu-jin.

“Wow, what’s with this tension? I’m not even the one playing, but I’m getting nervous. I wonder if Choi Soo-won is okay.”

“Oh, don’t worry, senior. That bastard Choi Soo-won? I guarantee he’s smiling right now.”

“You can’t even see his face from here. How can you guarantee that?”

“Hey, how many years have I known him? I know him like the back of my hand. Besides, he was grinning at the end even during that perfect game. From the start, he’s not the type to be overwhelmed by pressure when he’s getting a lot of attention. You could say he’s a natural performer. He’s the type to draw more strength when he’s getting a lot of attention.”

“Really? Well, hitting three consecutive home runs isn’t something an ordinary person can do.”

“By the way, senior. You gave a luxury watch as a gift for a perfect game. What do you give when you break a home run record like this?”

“Why? You want to get something again?”

“No, not really. I was just wondering.”

Lee Jung-hoon looked at Jo Yu-jin and sighed deeply.

“I guess you’re not really ordinary either.”

“Haha, no. I’m just an ordinary person compared to Soo-won.”

“I wasn’t complimenting you. Anyway, a perfect game isn’t made by the pitcher alone, but the pitcher takes all the glory, so we give a gift as a way of sharing. But if he hits 4 home runs in one game, shouldn’t we be giving him a gift instead? He hit four home runs, but we only got 5 RBIs [Runs Batted In] and won 5:1?”

“But then we let Soo-won take all the spotlight in this game. That’s enough to let him take all the glory…”

-Thwack!!

“Stop talking nonsense and focus. This is a legendary moment that we can talk about later when we’re doing commentary or going on TV for entertainment.”

Choi Soo-won at the plate went through his usual routine.

He adjusted his helmet with his left hand and tapped his head twice. Then, he shook the bat in his right hand twice and tapped home plate once before getting into position. Lee Jung-hoon thought the number of movements was strangely high for a rookie, but it was done so quickly that it didn’t take long.

‘Well, he’s not a rookie in terms of skill anyway,’ he thought.

Jake Bore’s first pitch.

A changeup that grazed the outside edge of the strike zone.

-Swoosh!!

Choi Soo-won didn’t swing.

0.01 seconds.

A very brief moment of hesitation from the umpire.

“Strike!!”

Yes, the umpire must be feeling the pressure too.

If this important match ends with a bad call, how can he possibly handle the criticism that will come?

And that pressure is probably the same for that cocky batter.

He tries to hide his emotions with a stoic expression, but no way. How can he not feel the pressure? Home runs aren’t something you can hit just by aiming for them. Home runs come from trying to make good contact. That’s the case even if that guy has a high home run rate.

4 consecutive home runs.

Just as great as the pressure of getting hit is, he must also have the pressure of knowing that he has to hit a home run, not just hit the ball.

Second.

A perfectly controlled pitch that drifted to the outside.

-Swoosh!!

A two-seam fastball.

Almost the same location. But the umpire’s hand didn’t go up. It was a shame because it was a very slight miss.

[The count is 1-1. Choi Soo-won isn’t swinging easily.]

[Commentator Lee Joo-hyung, do you know what the characteristics of a home run hitter are?]

[Hmm? Good quality of contact?]

[Haha, that’s not the answer I wanted, but you’re right. The quality of contact is good. Then why is the quality of contact good?]

[Hmm? Because they hit well?]

[Similar. The answer is because they hit pitches they can hit hard. You see a lot of walks with home run hitters. In Choi Soo-won’s case this season, he’s had a lot of intentional walks, but that’s because pitchers don’t want to give home run hitters good pitches. And home run hitters are happy to walk. They secure their on-base percentage by not hitting those pitches.]

[Ah, I see.]

[Haha, some of you may be wondering why I’m stating the obvious. But it’s at this point that Choi Soo-won is facing a dilemma. To hit a home run, you have to pass on the bad pitches and hit the good pitches hard, but that ultimately requires a mindset that it’s okay to walk. But right now, Choi Soo-won is aiming for 4 consecutive home runs and his 57th home run of the season, so he must be itching to swing no matter what.]

[You mean he has no choice but to swing at bad pitches?]

[Yes, that’s right. In that sense, the fact that he let two pitches go by is a sign that he’s waiting for a good pitch. But I’m not sure if he’ll be able to do that as the count increases.]

-Swoosh!!

Similar location.

The umpire’s hand didn’t go up again.

[It seems to me that Jake Bore is thinking the same thing as me.]

The count is 2-1.

Fourth.

This time, a surprise inside pitch.

-Swoosh!!

Too low.

The count quickly went to 3-1.

Every time they tried to give an intentional walk, the Sajik crowd poured out relentless jeers. But now, there were no jeers at the three consecutive balls. Whether it was to avoid disrupting Choi Soo-won’s historic record, or because they felt that Jake Bore on the mound had no intention of sending Choi Soo-won out on an intentional walk. Or perhaps it was both.

Fifth.

Outside location.

A subtle two-seamer that went out of the zone.

Choi Soo-won swung at the pitch.

-Clang!!!

Jake Bore smiled.

‘I knew it,’ he thought.

This guy has no intention of walking. He swung at the pitches that were going out of the zone, which he had been holding back on until now.

Then it’s easy. Since I lured him in with an inside fastball and then an outside two-seamer, I’ll try to trick him one more time with a similar location changeup. A swing and a miss. Well, even if that doesn’t happen, inducing a ground ball would be enough. No, if I’m lucky, it could be a hit.

But there will never be 4 consecutive home runs.

Jake Bore pictured the upcoming battle in his head.

And Choi Soo-won threw his bat.

At that moment.

-Waaaaaaaaah!!!!

Unbelievable.

A huge roar that could only be described as thunder struck Jake Bore’s ears.

‘No way…’ he thought.

He turned his head.

The area closest to the foul pole on the right field.

It was already a chaotic scene with colorful butterfly nets.

4 consecutive home runs in one game.