The Pitcher Just Hits Home Runs Well [EN]: Chapter 252

Winter

In truth, the Marines’ championship was practically a foregone conclusion.

“114 games, 516 plate appearances, 364 at-bats, 145 hits, and 74 home runs. 0.398/0.554/1.091. Are these even human stats? An OPS [On-Base Plus Slugging, a common baseball statistic] over 1.0 is MVP-caliber, but this season, Choi Su-won’s slugging percentage is over 1.0, nearing 1.1. If you cut Choi Su-won’s hitting in half, it’s still the cleanup hitter for a decent team.”

Lee Gyu-man nodded.

“Indeed, 0.199/0.277/0.545 is pretty similar to my slash line this season.”

“And that player even pitched. 159.6 innings with a 2.93 ERA [Earned Run Average, a measure of pitching performance]. The inning count is a bit lacking, but it’s still a top-ten performance in the league. How can a team with a player like that not win the championship? It’s impossible.”

But no matter how much of a foregone conclusion it was, it was still the ‘Marines’ Championship.’ Countless people who had held onto the thread of tension until the very end rejoiced.

35 years.

How long is that? Enough time for generations to change and ideologies to shift.

“When I learned about the Japanese colonial period in school, they said it was 35 years, and I didn’t really grasp how long that was. But now I understand. It’s incredibly long.”

For a child born after 1993, the Marines’ championship was in the realm of fantasy. Actually, in 2027, someone born in ’93 isn’t a child anymore. They’re thirty-four years old; the word ‘child’ doesn’t fit.

What would it feel like for someone who saw the Marines win as an elementary school student to see them win again in their late forties?

[Busan Marines!! Economic effect of the championship estimated at approximately 2.4 trillion won!!]

[The Korean Series in just three games!! Busan is buzzing!!]

The ‘economic effect,’ the source of which is always unknown, was broadcast through the media like it was an international game, and the members who were the main players in the Marines’ championship were called out on the broadcast every day. In particular, Captain Lee Gyu-man, who had confirmed his retirement, was able to smoothly transition into the path of a ‘sports entertainer,’ a career that is currently popular but difficult to succeed in.

And considering that Lee Gyu-man’s personality isn’t really suited to the entertainment industry, this shows just how great the buzz surrounding the Marines’ championship was.

“I wonder what our Choi Su-won is doing right now. Lee Gyu-man, do you keep in touch with him often?”

“Yes, we consistently share updates in our group chat.”

“Oh, you have a group chat for the championship members? It must be quite noisy.”

“There’s an overall chat, and then there are pitcher and hitter chats. The overall chat is more for announcements, and the hitter chat is a bit noisy.”

But even though he was steadily succeeding as a sports entertainer, Lee Gyu-man often missed Sajik Baseball Stadium. 23 years since his professional debut. 33 years since he first held a baseball in elementary school, he missed the place even though he had played baseball to the point of being sick of it.

“By the way, Lee Gyu-man, do you have any plans to return to baseball as a coach someday?”

“Oh, Jong-hyuk, that’s too early of a question. Usually, when you retire, you don’t even want to look at a baseball field for a year or two. But it’s funny how after a few years, you start thinking about it again. Then it’s time to go back. If the team calls you, you become a coach. If no one looks for you like me, you become a commentator. That’s how it goes.”

Lee Gyu-man shook his head.

“I think I’ll be returning sooner rather than later. I’ve decided to go to the United States for training next year.”

“So soon? Without any break?”

It was a time when he could raise his stock as a sports entertainer. It wouldn’t be too late to go after the championship buzz died down a bit. Many people around him advised him that way.

But…

It took a whopping 35 years to win the championship.

But was this championship really the Marines’ championship?

0.398/0.554/1.091. Could a hitter like that ever appear again in KBO [Korean Baseball Organization] history?

Lee Gyu-man loved baseball.

And he loved the Marines just as much.

What he dreamed of was a team that could win even without Choi Su-won.

So that someday, when someone could no longer hit an OPS of 1.645, and when he returned to beautifully finish his career, he wanted to create a team where he could have a glorious ending like Lee Gyu-man himself.

“I think it’s better to take on the second act of my life when I’m still young.”

The retired old player, but still young as a coach, Lee Gyu-man smiled brightly.

***

December 2027.

The Major League Winter Meetings were held.

The owners, general managers, and other executives of 30 Major League teams and 120 Minor League teams. Executives from the league office and player agencies trying to promote themselves. And job seekers trying to get hired by teams and journalists trying to cover this scene.

Thousands of people gathered at the Hilton Hotel in San Diego.

“How’s it going? Is the persuasion working?”

“They said that we are included in the final group of candidates under consideration. However, they are a bit concerned about our performance this season… Still, Alexander McDowell is continuously maintaining a close relationship, so we are focusing on targeting that aspect as much as possible. After all, the success of a foreign player is greatly influenced by their adaptation to the local environment.”

“Did you sufficiently emphasize our reinforcement plan?”

“Yes, they seemed very satisfied with that part.”

And the biggest topic of conversation at the 2027 Winter Meetings, where so many people gathered, was naturally Choi Su-won.

Exactly 10 years ago.

The biggest topic of the 2017 Winter Meetings was Shohei Ohtani. At the time, Major League Baseball was very skeptical about his two-way abilities.

‘A performance only possible in a lower league.’

‘We respect his record in Japan. But Major League Baseball is different. Eventually, he will have to choose one or the other.’

Therefore, even though he could be brought in at a cheap price of just $20 million in posting fees and about $500,000 per year, according to the changed posting rules and international prospect rules at the time, many Major League teams did not allow him to do both pitching and hitting. As a result, by the beginning of December at the Winter Meetings, his destination had narrowed down to seven teams, including the Angels. Yes, only seven teams. But even so, the biggest topic of the 2017 Winter Meetings was Shohei Ohtani.

And now, in 2027.

Those who said that two-way was impossible at the time no longer use the word ‘impossible.’

Even in the case of Shohei Ohtani, there was a small barrier that required paying a posting fee of $20 million to the Nippon Ham Fighters. While $20 million is nothing to a big-market team, it was not an amount that small-market teams could easily spend on a prospect.

However, in the case of Choi Su-won, such a barrier does not exist.

This is because, since the revision of the posting system in 2018, the posting fee is determined based on the guaranteed amount of the player’s contract.

In other words, the amount that any team has to pay to acquire Choi Su-won is incomparably smaller than it was for Shohei Ohtani, and the risk of two-way is evaluated to be incomparably smaller than it was at that time.

“We are currently at the Hilton Bayfront in San Diego, where the 2027 Winter Meetings are being held. In the case of this year’s Winter Meetings, you can’t leave out the name Choi Su-won. Thanks to him, many pending issues have been pushed back.”

“Specifically, what issues have been pushed back?”

“First of all, 17 out of 30 teams have not made a single international prospect signing since last July. This is because they know that they have to use the entire international prospect signing bonus to get Choi Su-won.”

“So, can we assume that 13 teams have given up on Choi Su-won?”

“Not necessarily. Four of the 13 teams are already penalized with restrictions on international prospect signing bonuses, and many of the remaining teams seem to believe that a signing bonus of around $4 million is just a bonus for Choi Su-won, so it’s too early to give up. Of course, the Marlins and Athletics have instead taken this as an opportunity to collect international prospects that other teams have missed.”

“I see.”

“That’s not all. The fact that players like Dominic Lucas, Andrew Gurriel, and Jake Perez, who have obtained FA [Free Agent] qualifications this season, have not yet decided on a team, and that their expected amounts are significantly higher than at the beginning of the season, should all be seen as the influence of Choi Su-won.”

“What’s the reason?”

“We believe that this is because there is a condition in Choi Su-won’s requirements that he wants to be on a ‘team that can continuously challenge for the championship.'”

Thanks to this, the media is calling this MLB’s [Major League Baseball] 2027 stove league the Choi Su-won League, just like the KBO’s 2025 season was the Choi Su-won League.

‘Which team will Choi Su-won go to?’

Of course, the baseball world is conservative, and the American baseball world is even more conservative than Korea. Therefore, not many people believe that Choi Su-won’s skills will be MVP-level in MLB, even though he bombarded the KBO, which is only an AA-level league, not even the AAAA-level NPB [Nippon Professional Baseball, the highest level of baseball in Japan].

“But wouldn’t he be at least an All-Star?”

“Well, I don’t know right now, but if he bombarded AA like that at the age of 19, then his potential should be at least All-Star level.”

Based on FA players, the current value of WAR (Wins Above Replacement) [a comprehensive baseball statistic that measures a player’s overall contribution to the team] 1 is about $13 million. However, in the case of Choi Su-won, he was a two-way player, which meant the creation of one roster spot, so he has even greater value.

Above all, as mentioned earlier, Choi Su-won is subject to international prospect regulations, and the contract is also a minor league contract. This means that he is an All-Star-level player who can be used for at least 3 years at the minimum wage. In Major League Baseball, which has a fairly solid salary structure, even though it is a soft cap, the meaning of being able to use one All-Star-level player at the minimum wage is by no means small.

So, where and what is the super ‘Eul(乙)’ [a Korean term referring to someone in a subordinate or weaker position] Choi Su-won, who has that not-so-small meaning, doing right now?

According to the Korean media, Choi Su-won, who achieved a historic feat in the KBO, turned down numerous advertisements and broadcast appearances and had already left for the United States. So, is he actively contacting teams in the United States?

“No, we are currently negotiating through Choi Su-won’s agent.”

Winter.

A time when players who have finished the season take a long rest and prepare their bodies.

Choi Su-won, who achieved the unbelievable feat of winning the Busan Marines’ first championship in 35 years, is silently sweating for the next step instead of boasting about the records he has already achieved…

“220lb!! What did I say? I said it was possible, right?”

“I guess so. It’s really happening.”

No, he was silently consuming meat.

Choi Su-won.

Finally succeeded in gaining weight up to 100kg!!