The Pitcher Just Hits Home Runs Well [EN]: Chapter 370

“Are you freaking kidding me?”

The moment I heard the news about Stan Owens from Anthony, a profanity involuntarily escaped my lips.

Okay, fine. Let’s say he went on the IL [Injured List] because his nail split during his first appearance. A pitcher’s nail injury is a common occurrence, and it happened during a game.

But what? He hurt his back while twisting during a sneeze? Is this some kind of hidden camera prank?

“How much, how badly is he hurt?”

“It’s not a major injury, just a slight strain around his back, apparently.”

“That’s a relief.”

“Right? But if it’s just a strain, can’t he take painkillers and play?”

Anthony’s question wasn’t that strange, actually. Towards the end of the season, it’s hard to find anyone in the clubhouse who’s 100% healthy. Even our team, with a relatively relaxed postseason schedule, has three or four guys playing through pain with painkillers.

“He’s a pitcher. Giving him meds and putting him out there won’t end well, especially in the World Series. It’s better to let him rest for a day or two and bring him back fresh.”

“I guess so.”

The third starter, scheduled to pitch tomorrow, was injured. The game itself is the crucial Game 3 of the World Series. But despite that, the team’s atmosphere didn’t sink. The players on the flight to LA still looked lighthearted, and the coaching staff, while a bit more serious than the players, didn’t seem gloomy at all.

An overwhelming 2-0 lead.

Honestly, it didn’t feel like we could lose.

“Only three games left now.”

“Huh? What are you talking about, Soo-won? Losing confidence already? We should be thinking about winning straight, 4-0. What’s with three games?”

“Come on, Soo-won wouldn’t be thinking about losing, would he? He’s just confused about the number of games. Soo-won, the World Series isn’t like a best-of-nine, five-game series. It’s the same as the Championship Series, best-of-seven, four-game wins.”

“What are you guys even saying, idiots? I know all that. The three games I’m talking about are the three games left to break the record for the most consecutive postseason wins. We have to keep the winning streak going until next year. You guys didn’t forget, did you?”

Amidst the lively chatter, the plane finally arrived at LA Airport.

***

America has this image of being a melting pot of races, but fundamentally, America is a country of white people. This isn’t a racist statement; the actual numbers prove it.

The white population is 77.4%. Blacks are 13.2%, Asians are only 5.4%, and other races, including Native Americans, account for only 7.6%. Of course, people who have traveled a bit in the US might say, ‘Huh? The Americans I saw seemed to have at least 30% Black and 15% Asian, even at the lowest estimate?’ Yes, that’s also true. What that means is that in the metropolitan areas that tourists usually visit, the actual population ratio is about that much. And LA is the second-largest city in the US, after New York.

-Wooooaaaaahhhh!!!

-Choi. Soo. Won!! Choi. Soo. Won!!!

“Choi Soo-won, please look over here!!”

“Here!! Over here!!”

Of course, this wasn’t the scene at the airport.

We got off the plane and immediately boarded a bus straight to the hotel. Near the hotel we were staying at, a huge crowd was cheering for us. No, for me.

Yes, we were clearly the visiting team. And usually, visiting teams aren’t welcomed. But this case was a bit special.

The population of LA is about 3 million. Among them, a whopping 120,000 are Koreans. If you expand the scope a bit to LA County and Orange County, about 600,000 out of 11 million are Koreans. Considering that there are just over 2 million Koreans living in the US, about 30% of Korean Americans live near LA.

“Hey, Soo-won. If you retire and run for governor of California, you’d win.”

“Can foreigners even run for governor of California?”

“I don’t know, I think you can’t be president, but can you be governor?”

“I think so? Terminator [Arnold Schwarzenegger] was governor before.”

The guys in front of me were making useless jokes.

“You idiots. Arnold became a US citizen.”

“Really? Then Soo-won can just get US citizenship, right? It’s easy for us to get citizenship. If Soo-won applies, he’ll get it almost immediately, right?”

“Does Soo-won even need to?”

“You never know. Korea has mandatory military service, so if you don’t win a gold medal in an international competition, you might have to go to the army, right?”

“International competition, like the WBC [World Baseball Classic]? Soo-won could win that, couldn’t he? He can hit, pitch, and run all by himself. Or can’t I participate as a Korean national team member? If I look hard enough, I might have a Korean great-great-grandmother somewhere.”

“As if you would. And the WBC is useless anyway. It’s only the Asian Games? Or the Pan American Games? Right, Soo-won?”

“Yeah, that’s right. But Dennis, how do you know so much about this?”

“Haha, I used to play with Ji in the minors [Minor League Baseball].”

Ji is Ji Sang-hyuk, who got a green card and eventually naturalized because of military exemption, but later became a hot topic when he played for the Korean national team in the WBC. I didn’t know Dennis and he were teammates in the minors. This industry is really small.

Anyway, after receiving a warm welcome from the Korean residents of LA, we arrived at the hotel, and then a line of local congressmen came to meet me.

“I thought I’d see you next year, but here we are.”

“You said you’d cheer for me instead of the Dodgers when you came to LA, is that promise still valid?”

“Of course. My supporters and I are going to cheer as a group tomorrow. Oh, look at me. Sorry. I’ve been holding you for too long. You need to rest for tomorrow’s game.”

“No, it’s better to take pictures for a bit on a travel day like this than between games. It’d be difficult for you if you didn’t take a picture with me, Congressman.”

I greeted Representative Rebecca Kim, a three-term congresswoman I had met in Washington, and took a few pictures with a polite smile.

“If you ever need anything, don’t hesitate to contact me here.”

“You already gave me that number, didn’t you?”

“That’s for business. This is my personal one.”

Amidst the subtly different welcome from the politicians, I could once again indirectly feel my current status in the US.

The short first day in LA passed by in an instant.

***

November 1st.

Two days had passed since the second game, but the weather in LA was definitely warmer than in New York. Unlike New York, where the average was around 16 degrees Celsius [61 degrees Fahrenheit], the high during the day was a whopping 23 degrees [73 degrees Fahrenheit]. There were even more people walking around in short sleeves.

In contrast to the Yankees’ good dugout atmosphere, the Dodgers’ dugout atmosphere was slightly subdued. Even if the loss in the first game was understandable, the listless defeat in the second game was enough to break the team’s morale.

And one more thing: Shohei Ohtani was too quiet. Of course, Shohei Ohtani wasn’t usually the type to jump around, but as a clubhouse leader, it was his role to rally the team when the atmosphere was like this.

“Alright, everyone, let’s cheer up. Even though we were a bit stiff and made mistakes in cold New York, this is our home. Let’s give those guys a taste of our hospitality, just as much as we received.”

Mookie Betts encouraged the team members, taking the place of Shohei Ohtani, whose atmosphere was strangely subdued. Shohei Ohtani was such an overwhelming player that it was easy to overlook, but Mookie Betts was also a player who was guaranteed a spot in the Hall of Fame even if he retired right now. He was also qualified enough to bring out the voices of the players.

“Yes, sir!!”

“Let’s do it.”

The atmosphere was forcedly lifted, but it was still much better to raise the forced tension than to have the tension dead. If something were to explode, that forced tension could become real tension.

Shohei Ohtani, who had been sitting alone in the corner of the clubhouse, stood up.

15 minutes until the start of the game.

From a very young age until now, at the age of 34.

He looked back on the baseball life he had lived so far.

─We are living in the era of Shohei Ohtani.

─Sometimes when I see Shohei Ohtani, I think we might be living in a manga where he is the main character.

These were overly generous compliments.

Recently, he had been feeling that his physical condition was not the same as before. Every time that happened, Ohtani asked himself.

‘Was yesterday my peak?’

Ohtani always shook his head at the question he asked himself.

I have the potential to be better than yesterday.

During the last two games,

Shohei Ohtani watched Choi Soo-won and unknowingly asked himself.

‘How much further does that guy have to go to reach his peak?’

Yes, I know.

There are many players who show amazing performances at the age of 20, and that becomes their career high. But the All-Star Game, the three-game series in New York, and this World Series.

Every time he met him, he thought he was already a complete player, but for some reason, he felt that the completeness was getting higher every time he met him.

Himself, who has to ask if yesterday was his peak.

And the opponent, who makes him ask how much further he has to go to reach his peak.

In the vast gap between them, Shohei Ohtani asked himself another question.

‘Is today’s me insufficient to face today’s guy?’

The answer to that question did not come easily.

“I shouldn’t have given him this data… It wouldn’t have been too late to give it to him next year or the year after.”

Muttering something he didn’t mean, he opened the door to the hallway and came out to the dugout. Dodger Stadium was already full of spectators. The wide stadium welcomed him.

And the mound that stood tall in the stadium.

The moment he saw the mound, Ohtani felt that he could say the answer to the question that had not come out easily.

‘Yes, I don’t know if tomorrow’s me will be able to face tomorrow’s guy. But at least today!!’

World Series Game 3.

Series score 2:0.

Shohei Ohtani went up on the mound at Dodger Stadium.

38.9 million.

Unlike Rob Manfred’s desperate wish, Shohei Ohtani wound up greatly as the viewers, who had lost more than 3 million in the first game, watched.

The opponent was the Yankees’ vanguard, Anthony Volpe.

Whatever it was, the fact that the most troublesome guy existed after sending him out meant that he was a batter who should never be sent to first base.

-Clang!!!

Anthony Volpe hit Shohei Ohtani’s first pitch hard.