The Pitcher Just Hits Home Runs Well [EN]: Chapter 350

“Oh, Commissioner Park Dong-hyuk. How do you do?”

“Hello.”

“I heard you went to the States recently. I also enjoyed your exclusive interview with Choi Soo-won.”

“Haha, thank you.”

“You’ve had a bit of a connection with Choi Soo-won since his days in Korea, haven’t you?”

“Yes, I met him a couple of times privately when I was a commentator in the KBO [Korean Baseball Organization]. And I have some connections with a reporter who is very close to Choi Soo-won, so I was able to arrange the interview.”

“Recently, not only Korea but also the American baseball scene is quite noisy, isn’t it?”

“Yes, that’s right. There’s Choi Soo-won’s 104-game on-base streak, and the Yankees’ 21-game winning streak. No, they won this morning, so it’s 22 games now. That ties them for second place with the 2017 Cleveland team. All that’s left is the 26-game winning streak set by the New York Giants in 1916.”

“When Choi Soo-won broke the consecutive hit record, it was the first time in 87 years. It was already unbelievable, but breaking a 112-year-old record… Wow, the time scale is enormous.”

“Yes, that’s right. Choi Soo-won’s hit record was from before Korea’s liberation, during World War II. And the Yankees are aiming for a record from the World War I era. For reference, Sohn Kee-chung, the first Korean gold medalist [in the marathon at the 1936 Berlin Olympics, competing for Japan under his Japanese name Son Kitei], was born in 1912, so it’s a record from when he was only four years old.”

The two continued their conversation for quite a while.

It was an internet broadcast, but the number of real-time viewers exceeded 370,000, proving Choi Soo-won’s popularity in Korea.

“So, let’s get back to the main topic. How’s Choi Soo-won’s condition these days? I know there are rumors of an injury in some local areas.”

“Ah, didn’t Choi Soo-won have very good results in his last two games?”

“Yes, that’s right. 6 innings, 2 runs, 1 earned run. And 6 innings, 2 runs.”

“That’s right. But locally, it’s predicted that Choi Soo-won will skip at least one of his next few starts. That’s why there’s talk of a possible injury. But in fact, this is the team’s intention to meet the required innings as a starter and focus more on hitting. Actually, he skipped his last start and his condition seemed to improve.”

“I see.”

“Overall, Choi Soo-won’s condition seemed quite good. I was honestly a bit worried. The Major League schedule is very tough, and Choi Soo-won is only twenty years old. But he adapted much better than I thought. And his relationship with his teammates seemed very good.”

“Ah, well, it’s already well known that Choi Soo-won is fluent in both English and Spanish, so he gets along well with everyone.”

“Yes, in fact, with Choi Soo-won’s performance, he would naturally get along well even if he couldn’t speak English or Spanish. But I felt like it was more than that. I felt like a significant number of teammates were already gathering around Choi Soo-won. Especially the talented young players.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, it’s a bit of a cautious statement, but maybe we’re seeing the beginning of the Yankees’ third dynasty. Well, this isn’t just my opinion, and it’s already been covered quite a bit in the New York media.”

Park Dong-hyuk’s words caused the broadcast chat to explode.

─National pride!! Bring me a bowl of *gukppong* [patriotic hype] here.

─Crazy crazy crazy!!!

─A Korean as the next leader of the Yankees? I thought I was reading a web novel.

─Is the Yankees dynasty coming?

─No, no. Go back. The Yankees can’t keep Choi Soo-won. He’s going to the Dodgers in 6 years.

─What nonsense. If the Yankees lose in the money game, are they even the Yankees?

─Dong-hyuk is crazy Dong-hyuk is crazy Dong-hyuk is crazy

─Dong-hyuk went to the States right after the Marlins’ postseason elimination was confirmed.

***

Two months ago, I was too conscious of the consecutive hit streak, which worsened my batted ball quality, lowered my slugging percentage, and hurt my hitting performance.

So, what about the current on-base streak?

-Clang!!!!!

[He hit it!! Choi Soo-won!!! A fast hit!! Left-center!! Left-center!! A hit that slams into the fence!!]

[Jonathan Wheel!! Picked up the ball that bounced off the fence, but in the meantime, Choi Soo-won is past second base and heading to third!!]

-Thump!!!

“Safe!!!”

[Safe!! It’s safe!! Choi Soo-won’s fourth triple of the season!!]

[Already three hits in today’s game!! Maybe we can expect a hit for the cycle today?]

[Ah, Choi Soo-won hasn’t had a hit for the cycle yet?]

[No, that’s not true. He already recorded it once in the game against the Boston Red Sox.]

[Well, he’s a player who’s writing such great records, it would be stranger if he didn’t have one.]

[That’s right. He hasn’t hit a home run in five games. If he adds a home run to the momentum, he might be able to get a hit for the cycle.]

The way to care about on-base percentage is simple.

Carefully select pitches, being mindful of walks. And if it’s a good pitch, hit it and succeed in getting on base. Does that sound familiar? Yes, that’s right. Just being a good hitter is the secret to maintaining your on-base percentage.

[Choi Soo-won breaks the 108-game on-base streak!! A man who has been on base in every game since his debut!!]

[The Yankees finally win 26 games in a row!! Tied with the record held only by the New York Giants!!]

[The Yankees reach the 100-win mark first!! 100 wins and 38 losses!! Only 14 wins away from the team’s best record!!]

[Derek Jeter: “I didn’t understand the seniors who said they enjoyed having their records threatened in the past. But now that I’m in this position, I know how they feel. I hope the juniors break our records, or even break the Chicago Cubs’ record from 120 years ago that we narrowly failed to achieve.”]

[Mariano Rivera: “I can feel the team’s momentum building. There are moments like that sometimes. Our 1998 season was like that. I think the front office’s trade this time was the best move. However, it’s the virtue of an old man to break the festive mood, so if I had to add a word: You have to be careful now. The moment you’re one step away from achieving a new record, and the moment you achieve a new record, I hope you remember that it’s not over until the World Series is over.”]

What should I say?

It was a strange feeling.

Twenty-eight teammates and 11 coaches. The front office that helps us, and even the clubbies [team attendants] who do errands at the club. Everyone is united for a great goal and moving forward together.

Of course, everyone’s intentions were different, and the players who hated each other still hated each other. But at least everyone agreed that the goal of ‘victory’ was more important than all those trivial things.

The game with 27 consecutive wins at stake.

According to the original routine, I should have started in yesterday’s game. And I would have rested in today’s game. But the manager asked, no, requested me to take a break here again.

He needed a fresh hitter, Choi Soo-won.

And I readily nodded my head to that request.

The 139th game of the season.

“Let’s go.”

It was a challenge to a great record.

“Damn it, what’s the big deal about resting one day less!”

Domingo complained. He went to the manager yesterday and asked to move up his appearance by one day, but of course he was rejected.

Today our starter is Andrick Nava.

Basically, he plays as a bullpen pitcher, but he’s a grateful guy who starts for me about once every three turns. Of course, he seems to have a lot of dissatisfaction with his current position, but he’s silently doing his best while suppressing such dissatisfaction with the tremendous performance the team is achieving.

5.2 innings, 4 runs.

It was a performance that was hard to say was good even as a compliment. But that was enough for us now, or rather, for me.

-Clang!!!

[He hit it!! Choi Soo-won!! A huge hit!!]

[Wow, this is something. You can’t help but know it the moment you hit it. Choi Soo-won’s 47th home run of the season hits the top of the outer outfield!! The Yankees add four points and pour cold water on Baltimore’s chase!!]

[Choi Soo-won’s additional home run in six games!! Wow, this is a real checkmate. If you send him out with an automatic intentional walk, the follow-up hitters will swing wildly. But if you just compete, you’ll pass it like this.]

[That’s right. In fact, it’s no exaggeration to say that the Yankees’ crazy pace is possible because there is an unconventional hitter named Choi Soo-won. However, the difference between Barry Bonds’ Giants and Choi Soo-won’s Yankees is that it was an effective strategy to send the Giants out with a bases-loaded intentional walk even on a full base. The point is that the four hitters following the Yankees now have a combined total of nearly 130 home runs.]

In fact, that alone would have been enough.

But if I was satisfied with this level, there was no point in skipping the pitcher’s appearance and participating in the game as a hitter.

Concentration that doesn’t miss the very last moment even in this moment of seizing victory.

He pushed Colton Holliday’s outside pitch, the Orioles’ bullpen pitcher, in a really amazing way. A hit that stretches out. In the case of the Orioles, the left fence is abnormally pushed back and the right fence is relatively close. It means it’s very advantageous for left-handed hitters. But now my hit was so powerful that it transcended those advantages and disadvantages.

[A huge hit!! Choi Soo-won’s hit!! The hit!! To the audience!!!! Over!! It’s gone!! Choi Soo-won’s pushed-out home run!! Choi Soo-won engraved his 48th home run of the season on Utah Street!!]

A solo home run that drives one more nail into an already won game.

It was the moment when I engraved the first bronze plate recording my home run on Utah Street next to Camden Yards [the home field of the Baltimore Orioles].

The moment when the Orioles’ attack, which was not very likely in the bottom of the 9th inning, was blocked without any runs.

I was watching it from the dugout and ran out to the field. Originally, all the players would rush to the mound at this timing.

But······.

[Ah!! Yankees players!! Everyone is running to Choi Soo-won!! Manager Jeff Clark from the dugout is also being dragged out.]

The team’s infielders ran to me as fast as I ran out.

It was Baltimore’s home stadium, but today, instead of cursing at us or throwing things, Baltimore’s fans gave us appropriate applause.

Well, they were in a situation where the postseason itself was frustrated, so not many fans came to the stadium in the first place, and our local fans and our fans from New York accounted for about 30% of the stadium because we were setting such great records.

An absurd achievement.

101 wins, 38 losses, and 27 consecutive wins.

We returned to New York in a triumphant manner.