The Pitcher Just Hits Home Runs Well [EN]: Chapter 290

290. Icon (3)

[Ah, our Choi Su-won is subtly appealing to the umpire. Actually, that pitch was a bit outside.]

[I don’t think this is a good idea. Frankly, Choi Su-won has already benefited from some generous calls. This isn’t necessarily a biased call, but the umpire’s strike zone is quite generous today. That’s how I’d describe it.]

[This is… tricky. Actually, Choi Su-won is on the cusp of an eight-game hitting streak, isn’t he? Six innings of scoreless pitching as a starter is commendable, but records are delicate things.]

[Yes, and this consecutive hit record after his debut is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Personally, I wish he had been at bat when Jace Adams was a bit shaky in the first inning.]

[That’s right. If Jake Domingo had capitalized with the bases loaded and two outs in the first inning… Choi Su-won could have gotten the win instead of a no-decision, and Jace Adams might have been rattled. It’s a shame.]

If it were a KBO [Korean Baseball Organization] game, or even an international game, this kind of extremely Su-won-centric, biased broadcast would be unlikely, but it didn’t matter. Most of the people watching this baseball game early in the morning are Choi Su-won’s fans, and even Toronto Blue Jays fans would mostly want Choi Su-won to continue his hitting streak as long as it doesn’t hurt the team’s chances of winning.

[Ah, the game continues.]

***

Of course, my appeal couldn’t change the umpire’s call. Strike and ball calls are the umpire’s sole authority. More than anything, the pitch the umpire was generously calling a strike today was the ‘curveball.’ It’s widely known that AI umpires in the minor leagues make slightly different calls on curveballs than humans. And although the introduction of AI umpires to the big leagues isn’t confirmed yet, everyone knows it’s coming soon. It wouldn’t be surprising for umpires to be a bit more generous with curveball calls.

“What? You enjoyed the sweet honey when you were getting the calls, but now that you’ve handed over the mound, you’re suddenly acting like this? Isn’t that a bit petty?”

“It might be a bit petty. If you had a chance to set an eight-game hitting streak record after your debut, could you just gracefully and honorably accept your fate without struggling?”

“······. Damn. When you put it that way, I guess not.”

Toronto’s catcher, Mason Martin, acknowledged my words coolly. This was a bit unexpected, which made things a little difficult. The purpose of this conversation wasn’t to win an argument with Mason Martin.

“If I get a hit today and in the next game, it’s a tie with ‘that’ Ted Williams. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and it’s Ted Williams, so you can’t help but be greedy.”

“So even you Yankees guys have to acknowledge Ted?”

“I’ve only been a Yankees man for three months. And you might know this, but Ted Williams is one of our national heroes.”

“A hero?”

“Yeah, he fought in the Korean War as a fighter pilot. He’s definitely someone who deserves respect.”

“Then you should get a hit today and rest tomorrow to show respect for that guy’s record.”

“No. The best way to respect a legend is to break his record.”

So I deliberately brought up Ted Williams to prolong the conversation. I once heard someone say that the purpose of a debate isn’t to defeat the opponent, but to persuade the audience watching the debate.

Who is the audience in my conversation with Mason Martin right now? It’s obviously the umpire, who can’t help but hear our conversation from behind.

An eight-game hitting streak record.

It’s not just any record. It’s a record with the phrase ‘right after debut’ attached, meaning it’s a record you can only attempt once in a lifetime. That alone would be a lot of pressure, but even the New York Yankees’ prospect, who the league seems to be pushing, is praising the Boston Red Sox legend as a ‘hero.’

Maybe the umpire is thinking something like this:

─Choi Su-won’s consecutive hitting streak ends at 7 games!! Was it because of a strike zone that was too wide?
─Choi Su-won’s statement!! ‘I personally regret not reaching the record of Ted, who I considered a hero.’

─What is the relationship between Choi Su-won and Ted Williams? An absurd umpire’s call prevented him from following in the footsteps of a hero he admired since childhood!!

Wouldn’t thoughts like that be floating around in his head?

I called a timeout. Was it because he thought I needed to control my surging emotions? Or maybe he just thought the game’s tempo was relatively fast today, so there was some time to spare. The umpire accepted my request.

I adjusted my helmet, tightened my gloves, and continued the conversation.

“I think he would be really proud if I broke his record. The hand that reached out to a small country in Asia engulfed in the flames of war has resulted in such brilliant achievements. The choice he made to give up baseball at the peak of his career was absolutely right. I’m going to prove that here with my bat.”

“······. Damn it… Hey, no matter how touching you make it sound, I’m going to compete fairly. I’m not going to call for easy pitches.”

“Of course not. I don’t want that either. A record made by someone else’s hand is meaningless.”

Mason Martin, was it?

Why is this guy so easy?

But what I’m concerned about right now isn’t some catcher who’s needlessly moved. The implication hidden in my words is that I’m an ‘Asian,’ a minority in Major League Baseball. And that MLB [Major League Baseball] is currently aiming to globalize baseball.

How dare you apply the same standards to whites and yellows? That is another form of ‘racial discrimination’ in the name of fairness. Oh, by the way, this isn’t my opinion, but the official opinion of American PC [politically correct] advocates. Thank you, Hollywood. Thank you, Disney.

Second.

Jace Adams, who had his timing slightly thrown off by my timeout request, quickly went into his windup.

A sharp curveball targeted the outside corner.

I watch one more.

-Swish!!!

0. 01 seconds of silence.

Really a very short time. What will the umpire choose?

[Ball!! It’s a ball!! Choi Su-won!! He lays off a pitch that’s well outside the zone.]

Ball count 1-1.

It was almost the same corner as the first pitch.

But a different call.

Jace Adams on the mound showed no change in expression. But I could instinctively tell.

‘That guy is annoyed.’

I would be too. You tend to get angry at even trivial things when you’re on the mound, so you can’t help but be annoyed when they suddenly stop calling a strike on a pitch they were calling before.

In this case, there are three possible scenarios.

One is to push the ball a little further into the zone.

And another is

-Swish!!!

To throw another one the same way as before.

The umpire’s hand didn’t go up again.

The third scenario, the pitcher getting a little shaken up, didn’t happen, but it’s still not a bad situation.

The ball count is now 2-1.

There are still two chances left. Of course, the same goes for the pitcher on the mound. But going from 2-0 to 2-1 feels different from going from 0-1 to 2-1.

The fourth pitch.

High outside corner.

-Swish!!!

“Strike!!!”

Ah, a surprise fastball here.

And with a pitch that perfectly catches the edge like that.

There’s a reason why a guy who can only throw a maximum of 94 miles per hour is called a frontliner in the big leagues. And this guy is definitely on a roll today.

[Now the ball count is 2-2. Given the current atmosphere, it’s uncertain whether Choi Su-won’s fourth at-bat will come around!! Can Choi Su-won seize his last chance!! Jace Adams winds up!!]

The fifth.

I adjusted my bat to match the timing.

The subtle movement of the ball leaving the pitcher’s hand is felt.

It’s a curveball.

The key is whether this is a ball that breaks far enough outside the zone.

Or a ball that comes inside the zone.

In a fleeting moment.

There was no hesitation in the choice.

-Clack!!!!

A curveball that slightly catches the edge of the zone.

It wasn’t completely out of the zone, but it was farther than I thought. My right armpit opened up slightly. That reduces the power on the bat. Maybe if I had stood at the plate right after finishing pitching in the 6th inning, I wouldn’t have been able to figure it out. But even so, the nearly 10-minute break had significantly recovered my strength.

An incomplete stance where the rotation of the torso isn’t fully applied.

But even so, I forcibly pulled the bat to the end.

A batted ball flying quickly between second and third base.

Toronto’s second baseman dove.

It was a quick reaction.

But the speed of the batted ball was just a little faster than his movement.

Even luck followed.

The batted ball, which slightly grazed the end of the glove, was deflected in the opposite direction of the quickly moving right fielder. The right fielder quickly turned his body to move to pick up the batted ball.

Of course, I didn’t see all of this with my own eyes. All I saw was the big motion of the first base coach shouting at me.

“Go!!! Go go go!!!”

It’s possible.

[Choi Su-won is fast!! Very fast!!]

Compared to the top-level runners in the majors who run to first base in the mid-3-second range, I was lacking in many ways. Just like I’m a monster at hitting, those guys are monsters at base running.

But my base running, which cleanly stepped on first base and immediately rushed towards second base, was still at the highest level in the human realm.

The shortstop, who came out to cover second base, slightly blocked the corner of the base in the process of receiving the ball. Of course, I wouldn’t allow that. I lightly threatened his ankle with a righteous slide.

And his fairly high jump, conscious of the collision.

It was a very unnecessary movement.

-Thud!!

The guy who caught the ball after jumping high brought his glove to my body as it was. Because it wasn’t a force out situation right now, but a situation that required a tag out.

But there was no need to look. The umpire’s hands went up.

“Safe!!!”

[Hit!! It’s a hit!! In the bottom of the 7th, with one out and a tight 0:0 situation, Choi Su-won doubles!! The Yankees send a runner into scoring position!!]

[With this, Choi Su-won continues his eight-game hitting streak since his debut!! In terms of the entire Major League, it is the 4th highest record of all time. Only Eddie Murphy and Jordan Walker, who are tied for 1st place with 12, and Ted Williams, who is in 3rd place with 9, remain above him.]

***

[Game 1 of the series between the Yankees and the Blue Jays. Yankees win 2:0!!]

[Choi Su-won continues his eight-game hitting streak!! 1 hit in 4 at-bats!! And 6 innings of scoreless pitching!!]

[Failed to add a win. But Choi Su-won showed the best performance in both offense and defense!! Can he surpass Ted Williams?]

[Mason Martin ‘He is truly a player full of romance. I respect him, and although we lost today’s game, I will definitely win the next game as much as I respect him.’]