The Pitcher Just Hits Home Runs Well [EN]: Chapter 309

309. Record-Breaking Machine (3)

“Damn it!!”

Wander Franco’s face twisted.

The calculations weren’t exact. But Choi Su-won had already been slightly ahead in ratio stats. With the added home run, that gap would widen, and the home run difference, which was two, narrowed to one.

[Choi Su-won!! That’s 41 consecutive games with a hit!! Surpassing Ty Cobb’s 40-game streak in 1911, this is the fifth-longest record in history.]

[In fact, some were saying that winning Player of the Month this time would be tough, but this home run powerfully dispels those concerns.]

[With this, his May stats are 93 plate appearances, 80 at-bats, 29 hits, and 7 home runs. His slash line [batting average/on-base percentage/slugging percentage] is now 0.362/0.430/0.738. His cumulative stats are 0.419/0.470/0.844. These are truly monstrous numbers.]

‘It’s okay. There are still three, no, four more chances left.’

A person’s stamina is finite. If perfect condition is 100, someone who expends about 50 in an instant only recovers about 30 even after resting for 5 or 6 minutes. Gradually, the maximum force they can exert decreases, and the duration they can maintain it shortens. At the same time, the performance of the brain also declines.

And today, Choi Su-won is a starting pitcher. The starting pitcher is the most physically demanding position in baseball. Naturally, he’s bound to get tired.

Bottom of the 1st inning.

Shawn Carpenter was greatly shaken by the fact that his confidently thrown ball went over the fence.

-Whoooosh!!!

“Strike!! Out!!!”

But even though he was so shaken, his pitches were still powerful enough to strike out Yankees hitters in succession.

[Angel Cabrera strikes out swinging!! The Yankees’ bottom of the 1st inning attack ends like this. The score is 0:1. The Yankees are leading by 1 point.]

[Shawn Carpenter gave up a home run to Choi Su-won earlier, but his slider is quite sharp today. The Yankees’ left-handed hitters are helpless against it.]

[The game resumes in the top of the 2nd inning. Tampa Bay’s attack. Choi Su-won takes the mound.]

The game continued.

***

As Pedro advised, messing with the fingers was definitely more challenging for hitters than adjusting the elbow angle. At the KBO [Korean Baseball Organization] level, it wouldn’t matter much how I threw, but here in the Major League, there were monsters who noticed even those subtle differences.

But this also had its own problems.

First, the biggest problem was the absurd difficulty. The ball’s trajectory varied depending on how much force I put into my fingers, and that was no easy task. I recently exchanged messages with Domingo, and when I grumbled about how damn difficult it was, he replied that doing this much was already surprising.

And another problem was grip strength.

Of course, throwing a ball inherently requires a lot of grip strength. But when I threw while paying attention to these subtle adjustments, I felt like I was getting tired a little faster.

Fortunately, what was a bit of a relief today was that I didn’t have to worry about the consecutive hit record thanks to the home run I hit in the top of the 1st inning. On days when I hadn’t gotten a hit by the 6th or 7th inning, it was hard to focus solely on pitching.

-Whoooosh!!!

“Strike!!! Out!!”

[Swinging strikeout!! Jackson Carroll’s bat swings at a curveball that cleverly escapes the zone!! Choi Su-won!! That’s his third strikeout of the game today.]

[This is a pitch he’s been showing occasionally since his appearance against the New York Mets. The vertical movement has decreased a bit, but the horizontal movement is emphasized. It’s really tricky for right-handed hitters.]

Ah, that one went in well.

It feels good when that happens.

It’s like the desired ball, the desired reaction, and the desired result all click together perfectly.

[Top of the 3rd inning. At the plate is number 9 hitter, Jake Boyle.]

[Born in ’95. His birthday is a bit early, so he’s already 34 years old. He’s a very experienced player.]

[That’s right. He’s been DFA’d [Designated For Assignment, removed from the 40-man roster] three times, and he performed decently in Pittsburgh last year, but he failed to re-sign. His OPS [On-Base Plus Slugging] last year was 0.699. He was the eleventh-best catcher in the league. Tampa Bay signed him for 2 years and $2.4 million, but so far, he’s showing slightly worse stats compared to last year, with 0.201/0.287/0.347.]

Raise the right index and middle fingers to make a V shape, then tap the left shoulder twice.

Then briefly adjust the cap with the index and middle fingers and shake the hand once. Of course, the remaining three fingers were still bent.

What kind of sign is that?

Of course, it’s not a sign at all.

From the start, my gaze was directed at Jake Boyle at the plate, not Jose Trevino beyond home plate.

‘Yeah, you’re batting .200.’

Did he read my intense message?

Boyle’s face suddenly turned bright red. I could see his determination to get back at me burning fiercely.

So, the pitch this guy likes is on the outside, low, right?

Here, take one.

102.1 miles.

The fastball flew with all its might.

-Whoooosh!!! “Strike!!!!”

Ah….

This .200 hitter?

I gave him a fastball in his favorite spot, intending to get him out with just three pitches, but it was a swing and a miss. So, is that why he’s batting .200? If we’re just talking about hitting ability, then Jo Yu-jin… No, even then, Jo Yu-jin is a bit much. Anyway, he’s not even as good as a top-tier KBO hitter.

If I showed him one on the outside, low, I should show him one on the inside, high.

Take some power off, 99.8 miles.

-Crack!!!

Huh?

The ball floated slowly into the air. Volpe’s light side step.

-Thwack

[Second pitch, infield fly out!!]

[Jake Boyle. His bat was completely overwhelmed by the pitch. The ball couldn’t go anywhere.]

[Evan Murphy is back at the plate!! Evan Murphy, who was out on a ground ball in the previous at-bat!! I wonder what he’ll show us this time. Pitcher winds up!!]

The fastball, without hesitation, headed to the outside, low course that induced the previous ground ball.

-Boom!!!!

“Strike!!!!”

The bat didn’t come out.

He frowned slightly. Why are the hitters today, including our team, so dissatisfied with the zone? To be dissatisfied with the 엄정한 [eomjeonghan – dignified and impartial] umpire’s decision. How presumptuous.

Umpire. Please don’t pay attention to such stupid protests and steadfastly maintain the current zone.

Second pitch.

Outside.

This time, high.

Ah, but it was a bit center-cut.

-Whoooosh!!!!

“Strike!!!”

But it was okay.

Because it was a curveball.

0-2 count.

He stepped out of the batter’s box for a moment to adjust his stance. Yeah, you must be having a complicated thought. It’s common sense to waste one with a 0-2 count, but if you just let it go, the zone is too wide today… no. The umpire’s grace is overflowing. But if you swing, my curveball is deadly.

Third.

A fastball that slightly misses the zone.

-Whoooosh!!!!!

“Strike!! Out!!!!”

[Swing!! Strike!!! Jake Boyle’s bat came out on an outside, high fastball. Swinging strikeout!! Choi Su-won finishes the inning with his fourth strikeout in the 3rd inning. The score is still 0:1. The game now moves to the bottom of the 3rd. The Yankees’ attack.]

Wander Franco, who was in the on-deck circle, entered the dugout with a disappointed expression.

That guy is definitely tricky for me too. I need to add a breaking ball that works reliably against left-handed hitters. It would be great to add a circle changeup to my repertoire. But it’s not easy.

Bottom of the 3rd.

Our attack started with Troy Johnson, the 8th hitter.

-Thwack!!

-Whooosh!!!

One out.

-Boom!!!

-Crack!!!!

Two outs.

No, wait a minute.

It’s not like we’re doing a speedrun right now.

If the out count goes up so rhythmically, I won’t have any time to rest after just coming down from the mound. And now I have to go to the on-deck circle. If this inning ends so quickly, I’ll be too tired!!

Volpe gave me a thumbs up and walked to the plate.

But his expression is a bit stiff, which is unsettling.

-Crack!!!!

First pitch foul.

-Crack!!!!

Another foul.

-Crack!!!!!!!

Another foul again.

And

-Boom!!!!

[Outside low pitch!! The umpire’s hand doesn’t go up!!!]

[It was a cleverly escaping two-seamer, but Anthony Volpe isn’t fooled!! The count is now 1-2]

I know from experience.

That those who act like they’re going to do something here rarely do anything.

Sweat dripped from Anthony Volpe’s face.

End of May.

It was warm, but definitely not weather where sweat would flow like that. So, that sweat must be sweat created by his mind, not the heat.

An enormous pressure.

Fifth.

Anthony Volpe’s bat moved.

‘Ah….’

It’s an outside curveball.

It’s the same pitch he struck out swinging on in the previous at-bat, though the course is different.

The bat turned about 1/3 of the way.

But did he notice something? His body stopped abruptly.

-Boom!!!!

The umpire didn’t move.

The catcher, who bats .200, jumped up from his seat and asked if it was a swing, but the result was a check swing.

2-2 count.

Chants of “Anthony Hit!! Anthony Hit!!” began to echo from the stands.

Did Shawn Carpenter on the mound feel something too? He bent down and took a moment to adjust his timing by touching the rosin bag.

And sixth.

-Crack!!!

Anthony Volpe tapped the ball.

A precarious ball on the outside, low course.

Naturally, the ball headed towards the net protecting the first base infield stands.

[It’s not easy. Shawn Carpenter. He’s not giving up any easy pitches today.]

[Now, the 7th pitch!!]

Similar course.

Two-seamer? Four-seamer?

If it’s a two-seamer, it’s a ball that goes out of the zone, and if it’s a four-seamer, it’s a strike. It’s truly artistic command. A moment of choice.

Anthony Volpe swung his bat.

-Crack!!!!

It was a two-seamer.

But did Volpe’s persistent determination work like magic? The direction of the batted ball was strange. A Texas League single. In other words, a lucky hit. An ambiguous ball fell ambiguously in an ambiguous area.

It was pure luck.

But that luck was possible because of Volpe’s persistence in clinging to the very end.

Two outs.

Runner on 1st.

“Hello. .200.”

It’s my turn.

But why does .200 catcher Jake Boyle have a face like he’s eating shit at my welcoming greeting? Ah!! Come to think of it, his batting average was around 0.201, so he’s not .200 anymore since he was out on an infield fly to me a little while ago.

“Ah, sorry. Sorry. I was a bit harsh. Calling you .200 when you’re not even .200. Um… but I can’t bring myself to call you that. My dad told me not to make fun of really stupid people by calling them stupid.”

“You son of a b······.”

Shawn Carpenter on the mound went into his set position.