The Pitcher Just Hits Home Runs Well [EN]: Chapter 371

371. World Series (7)

[He crushed it!! Anthony Volpe!! The second baseman!! A hit that sails over the second baseman’s head!! It’s a base hit!!]

[The Yankees are off to a great start, aren’t they? The lead-off hitter gets a hit on the first pitch!! Runner on first with no outs. Now Choi Su-won steps up to the plate.]

[So, Commissioner Park Dong-sik, how do you see today’s game unfolding?]

[Well, the Yankees have a major setback with Stan Owens’ injury, right? The strength of the starting pitchers is clearly leaning towards the Dodgers with Ohtani Shohei and Dylan Lee. So, I thought the key was how well Ohtani Shohei could contain the Yankees’ powerful batting lineup… But… Haa… This isn’t going to be easy for the Dodgers, is it?]

Ohtani Shohei rubbed the ball in his hand.

He’d just allowed a batter on base who could cause trouble. This was difficult. More than anything, he thought he wouldn’t let his guard down for today’s game, but unconsciously, he’d just considered Anthony Volpe as the batter before Choi Su-won. Just a batter to get out of the way before facing Choi Su-won, even though Volpe is a great player who has been an All-Star several times in the Major League.

He steeled his mind once again.

His physical condition was surprisingly good. People jokingly said, “Maybe this world is a novel, movie, or comic where you, Ohtani, are the main character?” But seeing his condition today, he understood their self-deprecating jokes. To be in such good condition on the most important day like today.

The next guy came up to bat.

He exuded an incredible aura, enough to make you momentarily think the strike zone was smaller than it was. Of course, Ohtani Shohei knew this was an illusion created by his own mind.

He took a deep breath and looked straight at his opponent.

‘This is troublesome,’ he thought.

Choi Su-won was still an imposing figure at the plate.

34 years old.

Yeah, if the title of this book was ‘The Ohtani Biography,’ maybe the guy in front of him would be the perfect final boss to suit the end of the story. The mid-bosses can often be defeated, and the story of that defeat becoming the protagonist’s catalyst for greater growth is a common cliché. But at the end of the story, the protagonist always overcomes the final boss.

‘At least if that story has a happy ending.’

Ohtani Shohei focused his will, pushing his body to perform.

His body felt light, reminiscent of his prime. The muscles that had been coiled tight exploded in an instant.

-Thwack!!!!!!!!

And Choi Su-won connected with a perfectly controlled 99.1 mph fastball. 0.01 seconds? Maybe he even made eye contact with the guy for a moment. Choi Su-won’s gaze followed the batted ball. It was an arrogant posture to hit the ball and admire its trajectory, but that arrogance suited him so well.

[He hit it!! Choi Su-won!! A long drive!! Ah, but it’s a foul ball, landing just outside the left foul pole.]

[Ah, that’s a little disappointing. Ohtani Shohei seems to have breathed a big sigh of relief.]

[Like Anthony Volpe earlier, is Ohtani Shohei not in top form today? He’s only thrown two pitches, but he’s being challenged too easily.]

[No, if you look at the ball, the speed is a whopping 99.1 mph in the top of the first inning. That’s the fastest ball Ohtani Shohei has thrown in the first inning this year. It’s just that the Yankees players’ hitting is really at a crazy level. That’s how you should see it.]

Choi Su-won stood at the plate again, nonchalantly.

It was typical of him not to show any disappointment.

Second pitch.

Splitter.

It was a pitch he had been hesitant to use until last year. He could definitely feel it straining his elbow when he threw it. But he’s already 34 years old anyway. Rather than saving his elbow, it’s better to go all out and burn through what’s left of his career.

It was virtually a finishing pitch, but that’s why throwing it as the second pitch would be more effective.

-Whoosh!!!

The powerful swing stopped mid-motion, as if defying the laws of physics. It was an absurd sight, as if someone was pulling him back with a rope. Before he could even let out a chuckle at the ridiculous sight, the catcher, Gonzalez, jumped up from his seat and asked if it was a check swing. After a moment of deliberation, the umpire looked at the first base umpire.

“Strike!!!”

It was a close call. Maybe if Ohtani’s and Choi Su-won’s careers were reversed, or if this was Yankee Stadium instead of Dodger Stadium, the opposite call might have been made.

But anyway, the count is now 0-2.

It was a very favorable count for the pitcher. But even so, Choi Su-won at the plate was still a threat. Even though he was driven to the edge of the cliff, Ohtani Shohei still felt like the weaker one.

What kind of ball should he throw?

Fastball? Splitter? Slider? Or a changeup, even though it’s a little less refined?

None of them felt like the right answer.

‘I feel like I’ve had a similar feeling before…’

Ah, he remembered. This was similar to the feeling he had on the mound that summer, which brought him the biggest failure of his life.

Being a baseball player basically means a series of failures. That was the same for Ohtani Shohei, who others said was like the main character of the world. But among those minor failures, there was the most devastating and enormous failure, which was none other than the Koshien [Japanese National High School Baseball Championship] stage in his high school days.

You might think that giving too much grandiose meaning to a high school stage is too much. But for an 18-year-old boy, Koshien was everything, and in the summer of his third year, his team’s victory was thwarted by his failure on the mound in the first and last Koshien final he had ever reached, which was the first and greatest irreversible failure Ohtani Shohei had ever faced in his life.

Of course, it’s just a relative feeling. Comparing those pimply-faced, buzz-cut kids to Choi Su-won in terms of objective skill would be an insult to Choi Su-won. Just looking at experience and age…

‘No, no. That guy is only twenty years old, right?’

He takes a deep breath, as if he’s going to fill his lungs with courage along with the air.

Yeah, he’s only twenty years old.

He erased the giant that Ohtani Shohei’s own mind had created.

Ah, of course, there was still the problem that the guy was still huge even in the place he had erased, but he felt a little calmer.

His vision widened and he could see the entire stadium. Thanks to that, signals that he couldn’t see before began to appear little by little.

He prepared the next ball.

From the motion to the speed of the flight, the fastest fastball he could muster.

-Whoosh!!!!

He got an out count with one ball.

“Out!!!!”

[Ah!! Anthony Volpe!! Caught stealing!! He’s caught stealing!!]

[This isn’t good. The Yankees were in a pretty good mood, but they’re pouring cold water on it.]

[The lead wasn’t excessively wide. The throw back to second was a little disappointing.]

One out. No runners on base. The count is 0-2.

The count was the same, but the situation was better.

Could there be a better situation to face that monster than this?

Ohtani Shohei shook his head.

No.

It wasn’t a question he usually asked himself, but the answer to a similar question came out.

‘Will tomorrow’s me be better than today’s me?’

No.

Today’s me is the strongest of all the me’s to come.

Yeah, yesterday’s me wasn’t at my peak. Tomorrow’s me isn’t the high point either. If there is a high point for pitcher Ohtani Shohei, it is right now, in this place.

Third pitch.

Slider.

It was the most powerful breaking ball a right-handed pitcher could throw to a right-handed batter.

-Whoosh!!

Choi Su-won wasn’t fooled.

Gonzalez glanced at the umpire as the ball barely grazed the zone, but it was no use.

The count is 1-2.

If he throws the ball in a similar location, that guy will confidently swing his bat.

Even if it’s a ball that slightly deviates from the zone.

Ohtani Shohei threw the fourth ball. This time, it was a course that deviated even more than before.

-Clang!!!

A large foul ball landed in the infield stands on the first base side.

It was a 99.9 mph fastball on the outside high course, with a faster timing than the slider from earlier. But Choi Su-won’s bat didn’t miss it.

A changeup that sticks close to the body.

-Clang!!!

This time, a foul ball landed in the infield stands on the third base side.

The count is still 1-2.

It feels like nothing is working.

Like that day in that hot summer.

Sixth pitch.

Seventh pitch.

And eighth pitch.

The count is 2-2.

Ohtani Shohei’s concentration became frighteningly high. He couldn’t hear any of the noise in the stadium.

Choi Su-won’s eyes didn’t miss Ohtani Shohei.

It was as if he was analyzing Ohtani Shohei himself in detail in a time that divided one second into 100, no, 1000.

Ninth pitch.

It was his best pitch.

Splitter.

It was the very ball that scouts were confident would lead to his success when Ohtani Shohei entered the United States, boasting a batting average against of .032 based on his prime.

Choi Su-won’s bat connected with that ball.

-Clang!!!!!

Yes!!!

The batted ball was slightly topped. Dodger Stadium is a pitcher-friendly stadium. The air is heavy with moisture, and the cooled air forms a downdraft. That’s why it’s hard for high-flying batted balls to become home runs.

The left fielder, Victor, quickly retreated. The relatively small Dodger Stadium was like a playground for Victor, one of the most promising outfield Gold Glove candidates this season.

He arrived at the landing point early and watched the batted ball.

The darkening sky and the yellow ball were clearly visible. The batted ball, flying straight through the heavy air, was now about to… now about to…

Now… about to?

It didn’t fall.

Choi Su-won, who had tapped the ball and watched its trajectory for a moment, threw down his bat and began to trot heavily towards first base. The movement wasn’t very fast.

And that slow trot seemed to be asking everyone gathered in the stadium this question.

-Why bother?

The batted ball didn’t fall.

Victor Cruz’s back, who had been retreating like at Yankee Stadium, touched the stadium fence. But it was still far away. It was too far away for even his bouncy jump to reach.

[It’s gone!! It’s gone!!!]

[Choi Su-won!! Choi Su-won’s solo home run!! Despite Anthony Volpe’s pickoff, Choi Su-won finally conquers Ohtani Shohei without wavering!!]

[Wow, that ball just kept carrying. I actually thought this would be caught near the fence.]

[I think it would have been difficult if it was Choi Su-won when he was playing in the KBO [Korean Baseball Organization]. Our Choi Su-won has improved that much over the past year. That’s how you should see it.]

A slightly under-cut swing.

But the tremendous backspin of the batted ball, created by the overwhelming bat speed, eventually broke through the heavy air of Dodger Stadium.

Choi Su-won stepped on home plate without any special ceremony.

-Wooooaaaah!!!

A huge roar erupted from the away stadium.

Why? Ohtani Shohei thought the weather in LA in November was too hot today.