The Pitcher Just Hits Home Runs Well [EN]: Chapter 310

310. Record-Breaking Machine (4)

Wander Franco took a light breath.

Don’t be nervous.

Stay as relaxed as possible.

He was a shortstop, a position demanding the quickest reactions among all infielders. Although Wander Franco had negative defensive (def) values for both last year and the year before, around -4 or -5, it wasn’t an insurmountable level for playing shortstop.

The pitcher entered his set position.

He lowered his stance.

Choi Su-won was a right-handed hitter.

Naturally, the hardest-hit balls would tend to go towards the gap between 2nd and 3rd base.

His gaze was fixed on Choi Su-won at the plate.

He was tall, but his physique didn’t quite match the description of being ‘big’ yet. That was because he was only entering his sophomore year of college. In the college league, that meant he was just about to take off his redshirt [a practice where a player is held out of competition to extend their eligibility]. Naturally, he was bound to be physically immature.

However, Choi Su-won’s batting possessed a mysterious power that transcended his physical development. Wander Franco identified his batting form as the source of that mysterious power.

It was an overwhelming swing that seemed to concentrate the power of his entire body into one point.

Then wouldn’t everyone pursue that kind of form? Of course not. The reason that kind of form was even possible was due to his monstrous dynamic visual acuity and coordination, which allowed him to hit the ball accurately even with that kind of form. Yes, he was truly a monster.

However, the ability of Shawn Carpenter, the Tampa Bay Rays’ starting pitcher today, was not inferior to his. Of course, when it came to pure talent, it might not match Choi Su-won’s, who was showing that much potential at just twenty years old. No, it definitely wouldn’t.

‘But Shawn has the weapon of experience that you, Choi Su-won, don’t have.’

Twenty-five-year-old Shawn Carpenter was a better pitcher than the Shawn Carpenter of last year. Physically, he was moving towards maturity, and experientially, he was past the rookie stage. It was the time when he was just starting to approach his peak as a pitcher.

The twenty-year-old Shawn Carpenter couldn’t match the twenty-year-old Choi Su-won.

Also, the twenty-five-year-old hitter Choi Su-won might be a monster who could easily target the twenty-five-year-old Shawn Carpenter. But Choi Su-won was only twenty years old. His unripened body and experience were not enough to completely overwhelm a pitcher in his prime.

First pitch.

Choi Su-won’s bat moved.

-Clang!!!!

Choi Su-won hammered the ball, which was indistinguishable between a two-seam and a four-seam fastball.

***

‘Ah…’

I thought it would be a two-seamer, but it was a daring four-seamer.

A high fly ball.

“I got it!!! I got it!!”

Jake Boyle threw off his mask and jumped up.

A high foul fly.

‘Drop it!! Drop it!!’

I tried to pray with my supernatural powers, but it didn’t work. Jake Boyle showed why he was a catcher in the majors with a batting average in the .100s.

“Out!!!”

[Ah, Choi Su-won. An unfortunate foul fly out in his second at-bat. Bottom of the 3rd inning. Runner on first. The Yankees’ attack ends.]

Besides the fact that I couldn’t distinguish the ball, there were two reasons for this foul fly when considered comprehensively.

First, the pitcher Shawn Carpenter’s stuff was better than it was in the top of the 1st inning. It’s not that strange since his body is completely warmed up by the 3rd inning, and his stamina hasn’t started to drop yet.

And the more important second reason.

My concentration was a little lacking.

It’s not that I was joking around with the catcher and lost focus. A person’s concentration is like stamina. You can’t keep it taut with willpower alone. If you concentrate intensely, you have to take short breaks to recover, but if you concentrate intensely as a pitcher and then go to the plate after a really short break, it’s a bit difficult. It’s almost better to go to the plate again as soon as you come down from the mound.

In the end, the root of all this was that Troy Johnson, the 8th batter, and Jose Trevino, the 9th batter, fell apart like disposable soldiers who die even if a bullet only grazes them in an action movie.

Domingo Rodriguez, who was in the dugout, handed me an ion drink.

“Have a drink of this.”

“Thanks.”

“You’re going up right away without even resting. Are you okay?”

“Well, so-so? It’s manageable if I keep doing it. Why? Do you want to try it too?”

“No way. It’s hard enough for me just pitching. If I had that stamina, I’d rather throw another shutout.”

Well, yeah. Focus and choose. Not bad.

But experientially… No, wait a minute. Wasn’t the reason I couldn’t win the MVP [Most Valuable Player award] in the first place not just because I was a two-way player, but also because I couldn’t set home run records or play sensationally in a big market like I am now? Looking at my batting stats right now, even if I just played as a hitter…

No. No. Let’s not be swayed by temptations.

I shook my head several times. And to be honest, pitching is kind of fun. Especially on days like today when my pitches are going in well.

[Top of the 4th inning. At the plate is the leadoff hitter, number 2, Wander Franco!! Wander Franco is coming up.]

[Wander Franco, who recorded a double in his previous at-bat!! It’s no exaggeration to say that he’s competing with Choi Su-won for Player of the Month right now. Of course, Choi Su-won added a home run earlier, so he’s a bit further away, but the possibility still exists depending on the results of the remaining at-bats in today’s game.]

[From Choi Su-won’s perspective, you could say that he’s competing with Wander Franco for Player of the Month both at the plate and on the mound.]

[Yes, but even if Wander Franco is competing with our Choi Su-won for Player of the Month, it’s only in the realm of possibility, and it’s hard to say that it’s very likely. Maybe if he hits about two home runs in the remaining three or four at-bats.]

[I see.]

The guy who came to the plate had a determined look in his eyes.

Wander Franco.

He is currently in the 7th year of a 12-year, $223 million contract. In the future I returned from, he was a Hall of Fame-level hitter with a career accumulated WAR [Wins Above Replacement, a comprehensive baseball statistic] of nearly 90. Considering that he recorded only 7 WAR in the 8 years after the second long-term contract he signed after the 12-year contract ended, you can guess how dazzling his 12 years were. Even this year is originally his first MVP season.

Of course, he receives a lot of adjustments in various ways since his position is shortstop, but anyway, he is undoubtedly one of the strongest hitters of this era.

First.

Carefully.

High and outside.

Nice and easy.

-Clang!!!

Knowing that today’s umpire’s zone is a bit wide, he swung at a ball that was comfortably out of the zone.

The result was, of course, a foul fly.

I was hoping for Aaron Judge’s super catch this time as well, but no matter how big Aaron Judge is, he wasn’t big enough to catch a ball that went over the infield net and into the upper part of the stands.

Ball count 0-1.

I became as advantageous as one ball.

The guy’s stance got a little bigger.

No, it’s not.

The guy’s stance is the same. Nevertheless, the reason the guy’s stance looks a little bigger is because my heart has shrunk that much.

I shook my head vigorously.

And I took a deep breath.

The score is 0:1, and we are winning.

The ball count is also 0-1.

Outside?

No, inside.

It’s a curveball that comes in slightly at almost shoulder height. It’s a ball that you can’t help but miss the moment you flinch instinctively.

Second.

Winding up.

The ball slipped between my thumb and index finger.

Perfect spin.

A half of a half of a breath.

Wander Franco didn’t move. He just followed my ball with his eyes. Yes, he seemed to be saying with his whole body.

‘It’s a curveball!!’

His eyes read the trajectory of the ball that hadn’t arrived yet.

It was something I could also do. Overwhelming dynamic visual acuity and experience facing countless curveballs. And the physical ability to support it.

His bat moved in time with the ball.

-Bang!!!

A batted ball that flew away at a much faster speed than the speed it flew towards home plate.

But that angle wasn’t perfect.

‘Lucky…’

Yes, I was lucky.

In other words, it could also be said that Wander Franco was unlucky.

The trajectory drawn by the guy’s bat matched the trajectory of the ball I had in my head, but the real ball was a little different. No, to be more precise, it was a little more than I imagined…

Lackluster.

Wander Franco, who hit the ball, sprinted towards first base.

Left!!!

My finger pointed towards the left field wall of Yankee Stadium.

Our left fielder, Angel Cabrera, was already running regardless of my pointing. When did he start running? He didn’t have the same speed as Lee Joo-hyuk, but he had a much faster judgment of the batted ball. And the position he was holding in the first place was good.

That’s why he didn’t even need to dive.

The ball just went into the glove that stretched out his arm.

“Out!!!!!”

A refreshing fly out.

The guy, who must have noticed it the moment he hit it, but still didn’t give up and stepped on first base, stepped back with a disappointed expression.

‘There are still two more times left.’

That guy.

To be able to convey his intentions so clearly with just his facial expressions. He might as well become an actor.

The Tampa Bay Rays’ attack continued.

But in the top of the 4th inning, my pitching was in full swing.

-Whoosh!!

“Strike!! Out!!”

[Two consecutive swinging strikeouts!! In the top of the 4th inning, Choi Su-won completely shuts down the Tampa Bay Rays’ attack with a three-up, three-down inning.]

[He already has six strikeouts in just 4 innings. This is the best pace since his big league debut, isn’t it?]

[Actually, Choi Su-won was quite good at striking out batters when he was in the KBO [Korean Baseball Organization]. Now, that style is slowly appearing in MLB as well. That’s how we should see it.]

[That’s right. Furthermore, Choi Su-won seems to be in very good condition today, so if he’s careful of unexpected home runs, we can expect a very good performance.]

[That’s right. After all, major league hitters, even the lower lineup, all have the potential for a home run. If you go with the feeling of taking a break in the lower lineup like in the KBO days, something big could happen.]

Two more innings passed in an instant.

Shawn Carpenter’s pitching was getting stronger and stronger. Don’t you have that thing where the rhythm suddenly falls into place and passes quickly when you’re playing a rhythm game? Shawn Carpenter’s pitching was like that in the 4th and 5th innings. The Yankees’ hitters really went down quickly.

‘Wow, that guy is going to win the Cy Young [award for the best pitcher] this year?’

I felt sorry for Domingo Rodriguez and Gerrit Cole next to me, but Shawn Carpenter’s pitching, which was continuing like he was possessed on the mound, had a special quality that pitchers who dominated the era showed.

And then it was my turn again.

The score was still 0:1.

Surprisingly, I was one step ahead in the match against a pitcher who was showing a special pitching that dominated the era.

-Clang!!!!

[Troy Johnson!! Fantastic defense!! Straight to shortstop Anthony Volpe!! Anthony Volpe catches the ball and throws it back to 1st base!!]

[Double out!!! Fantastic defense!! The Yankees’ keystone [shortstop and second baseman] shows really great defense at an important moment in the top of the 6th inning.]

[The score is still 0:1. Choi Su-won records a scoreless 6th inning.]

Maybe these guys don’t have much to do at the plate, so they have the energy to show such good defense?

Anyway, 6 scoreless innings.

Once again, the Tampa Bay Rays’ attack ended in the top of the 6th inning, leaving Wander Franco on deck.

‘Gritting teeth…’

No, I mean, if you can convey even onomatopoeia with your facial expressions, don’t be a baseball player and go to Hollywood.