The Pitcher Just Hits Home Runs Well [EN]: Chapter 331

All-Star Break (4)

Shohei Ohtani, the pitcher.

Soo-won Choi, the batter.

At that very moment, when everyone in the stadium was focused on the competition.

“Ah!! So that means you have some time before you have to go back to Korea.”

“Yes. I came with about a week to spare.”

“Our Soo-won has some free time? Being a baseball player means traveling all over the country…”

“Oh, haven’t you heard? Everyone’s going to that small party at the hotel banquet hall tonight.”

“Party? No, what kind of party at this age…”

“What’s wrong with your age, Dad? No one would believe you’re in your 50s just by looking at you.”

Two men and women sitting in the best section behind the catcher were briefly shown on TV, chatting amicably.

Fourth pitch.

Shohei Ohtani was not provoked in the slightest by Choi Soo-won’s smile. Rather, he thought, ‘That guy is enjoying this match too.’

Four-seam, sinker. And another four-seam.

Then it must be a slider here. No, the very ball people call a sweeper, right? But isn’t that too obvious? A sweeper to a right-handed batter with a 1-2 count. Maybe it’s better to throw another ball into the zone here… Or how about throwing a changeup that I haven’t thrown well to right-handed batters all season as a surprise?

Complicated thoughts filled his head.

Perhaps if it were a team game, he could just throw as instructed from the dugout. But Shohei Ohtani enjoyed these worries. He even enjoyed thinking for himself and pondering why his thoughts differed from the team’s opinions, even when the team gave instructions.

Choi Soo-won in the batter’s box took his stance.

A face still full of youth. His body is too weak. It’s like looking at himself when he first came to the major leagues. Should I give him some workout tips when I see him later? No, I know. That friend is already a top-class major league player in his own way, so giving advice is too arrogant. It would be better to exchange workout methods with each other.

Ah, I’m thinking too much.

It’s already been 8 seconds. Now there are 7 seconds left, so it’s time to make a decision.

Yes, a slider is the right choice after all.

Because a sweeper is always the answer against the same-handed hitter.

Shohei Ohtani threw the ball.

A long tunneling. It was a sweeper with an off-speed pitch effect at about 87.4 mph.

Choi Soo-won’s bat began to move.

Did it work?

The weight shifted, and only a swing and a miss remained. But Choi Soo-won’s body stopped ‘abruptly.’ And it felt like someone was pulling him back with a string.

-Boom!!!

The umpire’s hand did not go up.

The first base umpire also made a check swing call.

Yes, the bat didn’t turn. It was truly an amazing level of physical control.

The count is 2-2.

Although he didn’t get a strikeout, Shohei Ohtani was still enjoying himself. It was because he could continue this fun match a little longer.

The sweeper didn’t work.

What should I do? A surprise changeup now? No, no. If that was the plan, I should have done it sooner. Throwing it now isn’t that surprising. Throwing another sweeper might be more unexpected.

But didn’t that guy endure it even after being caught off guard? Is it the result of unbelievable dynamic visual acuity, reaction speed, and coordination? An 87 mph ball is never a slow ball. But what if the gear itself was set to 100 mph from the start?

‘It might be possible…’

Above all, Shohei Ohtani himself had performed well enough during his prime. It’s amazing that he has such perfection at just twenty years old, but yes, it’s definitely possible.

Then…

He threw a sinker deep inside to Choi Soo-won, who was standing slightly close to the plate.

-Thwack!!!

A huge foul ball hitting the net in the infield stands on the third base side.

His reaction speed and ability to handle the bat are truly monstrous.

He patted the rosin bag two or three times.

The feeling of the rosin melting sticky with sweat was good.

The count is still 2-2.

Ohtani slightly licked his lips.

It was the sixth ball.

***

Tense tension.

Each ball wasn’t at the level of a magical pitch that could never be attacked. But overall, the level was high. In particular, I was aware of that sweeper, and I felt a little strange, so I stopped the bat, but I almost struck out with a swing and a miss. If I were told to watch and filter it again, could I filter it? Well, I couldn’t be sure.

A slight smile appeared on Ohtani’s face on the mound.

Yeah, he’s pushing me, right? Let’s see how long that smile lasts.

Of course, today’s All-Star game is not a league game, just an event game. Besides, in a battle between a pitcher and a batter, hitting 30% of the time is considered good.

But regardless, I wanted to hit no matter what. I didn’t want to be struck out from the first at-bat after inviting a guest to America in such a grand manner and say something like, ‘Haha, a batter only needs to hit 3 out of 10 times to be good.’ Even if the opponent is Shohei Ohtani.

I waited for the sixth ball.

A time that I couldn’t tell whether it was long or short.

And Shohei Ohtani went into his pitching motion.

And the umpire moved.

“Huh?”

Pitch clock violation.

So it was a 15-second pitching time violation.

[Ah, he slightly exceeded 15 seconds. Shohei Ohtani. A regrettable mistake.]

[He’s always been known as a player with a long interval, but he’s showing a mistake here that he’s hardly shown since 2025, when the rule was established and he adapted to it. I think it means that facing Choi Soo-won is that difficult. Well, I think that’s what it means.]

[So, with this, the count is 3-2. Full count. Shohei Ohtani and Choi Soo-won. The first career match between Choi Soo-won and Shohei Ohtani. What will the result be?]

Shohei Ohtani had a slightly embarrassed expression.

To be honest, I was just as embarrassed. No, a pitch clock violation. This is a foul that doesn’t usually come out among modern players. I’m sure Ohtani is an old player.

The count increased from 2-2 to 3-2, but still the sixth ball.

Perhaps conscious of the previous pitch clock violation, Shohei Ohtani moved a little faster.

But was that why?

‘A bad throw?’

It was right in the middle.

Well, I don’t know why. It could be because he was in a hurry due to the pitch clock violation. It could have just slipped out of his hand. But even the most legendary pitchers usually make three or four bad throws out of 100. And that goes for Shohei Ohtani as well.

A strong swing.

I lifted the ball with the intention of splitting it as it is… Huh?

-Whoosh!!!

“Strike!! Out!!!!”

What the heck?

[Shohei Ohtani’s fantastic splitter!! Choi Soo-won strikes out with a swing and a miss.]

[The splitter is coming out again here. Hasn’t the usage rate of Ohtani’s splitter decreased a lot recently?]

[Yes, that’s right. He has been steadily reducing the splitter, which he used well immediately after his major league debut, since 2021. That’s the same this season.]

[But looking at this ball now, it seems very powerful, so why did he reduce the frequency of use?]

[There are several stories, but the most reasonable guess is that the ball puts a lot of strain on the elbow.]

[Ah, so the splitter is a ball that is only used when it is really critical because of the risk of injury. So Shohei Ohtani thought that now is the critical moment. Well, that’s what he thought.]

[Yes, wouldn’t that be the case?]

Shohei Ohtani’s happy smile came into view on the mound.

Damn it. A splitter.

I had temporarily forgotten that Shohei Ohtani throws a splitter in my head.

“Rookie, not bad?”

“What is?”

Not bad for a batter who struck out with a swing and a miss.

I answered a little curtly to Mike Trout, who was waiting for me in the on-deck circle.

“You got him to pull out a splitter.”

“Why is that?”

“That guy doesn’t throw splitters unless he really has to after Tommy John [Ulnar collateral ligament reconstruction]. He thinks it’s because of that that his elbow was strained. Well, he’s always been a serious guy, but the fact that he threw a splitter in the All-Star game, which isn’t an important game, means he really wanted to beat you. That’s pretty good.”

“I really wanted to win too?”

“I know. So he must have really jumped in.”

All-Star Game.

The innings given to the starter are only 2 innings. I didn’t have another chance to face Shohei Ohtani again.

-Ttaaaak!!!

[Goodness!! Choi Soo-won!! A huge hit!! This is obvious without looking at the result, right? Fence!!! It’s over!!]

[Top of the 6th. Choi Soo-won’s second home run of the game!! Choi Soo-won hits back-to-back home runs, proving why he is currently the hottest hitter in Major League Baseball!!]

3 at-bats, 3 at-bats, 2 hits, 2 home runs. And 1 strikeout.

Not bad.

No, it was a very excellent result. But I wasn’t completely relieved.

-Ttaaaak!!!

[Alexander McDowell!! Alexander McDowell, the winner of the home run derby, hits another home run as if he can’t lose to his rival Choi Soo-won!!]

The strikeout I suffered against Ohtani was a strikeout, but my batting record was also behind Alex.

3 at-bats, 3 at-bats, 3 hits, 2 home runs. That was the record set by Alex, the MVP of this All-Star Game.

***

After the All-Star Game, a party was held at a nearby hotel reception hall. Of course, it wasn’t an official event, it was just a small party that Anthony was hosting by inviting all the surrounding players.

“Ahem… So that player is really coming here?”

“I’ve told you several times, but that’s right.”

“I can get an autograph, right?”

“Maybe my autograph is more expensive now, so if you go and ask for a 1:1 exchange, he’ll gladly do it.”

“In-seok?”

In fact, I was thinking about having dinner with my dad, uncle, and Eun-jin, but Anthony said that there was a player my dad liked among the people he invited, so I made time to participate.

“Oh, Soo-won. You came? Ah, this is your father? Hello. I’m Anthony Volpe, Soo-won’s colleague.”

“Nice to meet you.”

The English that my father used was usually the 90s-style English pronunciation that was often criticized as Korean-style, but in fact, they didn’t have much trouble understanding it. Well, even if they couldn’t understand some words, they could roughly understand the situation and context.

It was a party, but since it was a party that even invited families, the banquet hall had a fairly soft music and a polite atmosphere.

“Wow, Swan? You really came? I thought Anthony was half-joking when he said he was coming.”

From National League players to other American League players.

The players that Yankees’ next captain had gathered from all over the place came up to me and greeted me.

I answered those greetings appropriately and looked around.

“Ah, Father. He’s over there.”

Mike Piazza.

A legendary baseball player who dominated the 90s and early 2000s.

The very player my father liked the most when he was still in his 20s before I was born was talking to a burly man in a suit.

“Hello. Excuse me for a moment?”

The moment I slipped between them and greeted them.

“Choi?”