The Pitcher Just Hits Home Runs Well [EN]: Chapter 397

397. Side Story 6) Recruiting Party Members (5)

How powerless is an individual’s strength against a massive trend?

Game 5 of the Series.

Baek Ha-min fought hard to prevent his team’s slide after a four-game losing streak. And he actually succeeded. Following Game 1 with 8 innings and only 1 run allowed, he pitched 7.1 innings with 2 runs allowed in Game 2. No one could say that Baek Ha-min didn’t earn his keep in this World Series.

A hopeful atmosphere began to rise.

Above all, Game 6 was scheduled to be a showdown between Park Yu-jun and Brian Wilcock. Of course, Park Yu-jun had performed beyond expectations in the previous Game 2, but objectively, there was a clear skill gap between the two.

A strong Cy Young contender [award given to the best pitcher in each league] versus an ordinary third or fourth starter. In fact, Park Yu-jun’s complete victory in their matchup could be called a miracle. And miracles, by their nature, don’t happen easily.

When Brian Wilcock left the mound after pitching 5 scoreless innings in the top of the 5th, Park Yu-jun had already given up 2 runs. After getting one more out and allowing a hit, the Yankees immediately mobilized their bullpen.

Bullpen management without looking back.

After this series, critics evaluated Game 6 that way.

Brian Wilcock struggled.

He pitched one more scoreless inning and confidently went to the mound in the 7th, only to be surprised by a solo home run. The batter who hit the home run was Tom Peterson, a rookie who had only hit 3 home runs this season.

The Mets’ manager visited the mound.

And Brian Wilcock yielded the mound without much argument.

What would have been the right choice here?

It’s impossible to know. But the important thing is that people are always curious about the path not taken, especially if the chosen path ends in ‘failure’.

Game 6 of the Series.

The Mets lost 5-3, and Alexander McDowell claimed his eighth runner-up title in his career. The opponent who defeated him was once again the New York Yankees, or rather, Choi Su-won.

***

“Father!! Please!”

“That’s right, Grandpa. Please listen to Dad this time.”

“Dad, even the kids are saying that. Listen to them. You told me when I was little not to dwell on sunk costs [costs that have already been incurred and cannot be recovered]. That it’s already in the past, so we should always make decisions based on the present.”

A large table for 14.

Even that wasn’t enough space for the entire family to gather, but among them, there was not a single person who understood him.

This year, he turned 86.

In 2042, where even lifespan can be bought to some extent with money thanks to various scientific advancements, Steve Cohen had too much money to be called old.

But even so, he looked as old as an ordinary 86-year-old in the slums, and his children blamed the Mets for being the biggest reason.

Spending money but getting nothing in return, only stress, like a disaster.

Yes, for the Steve Cohen family, the New York Mets were such an existence.

“Grandpa, you’ve really done enough. You didn’t just spend money on building the team. The front office, the team facilities, the coaching staff, even the minor league environment. Honestly, which team has put as much care into it as our Mets? This isn’t a problem of investment. It’s just… well, it’s just Choi Su-won.”

Choi Su-won.

Yes, Choi Su-won.

Steve Cohen’s bald head turned red.

There’s nothing in the world that can’t be done with money. If there is, it’s because there isn’t enough money.

Steve Cohen was rejected by Choi Su-won twice. The first time, he couldn’t offer more than the Yankees because of the damn regulations. But even then, he made it clear enough that he would offer more money than the Yankees. The second time was even more infuriating. This time, he openly offered much more money than the Yankees, and if he added various incentives, the difference in conditions would be even more stark. But even so, the guy chose the Yankees over the Mets.

“Sunk cost. Yes, I certainly said that. Don’t dwell on sunk costs. Always make cold-hearted decisions based on the present.”

“Yes, Dad. That’s right. I looked into it a bit, and there are quite a few groups that want the Mets as they are now. Of course, it won’t be as much as the amount you invested, but sell it off now.”

“You fool!! How can you make such a judgment when making cold-hearted decisions based on the present? It was neck and neck in the World Series. Then, of course, you should see it as meaning that you can reach the top by adding just a little more strength here.”

“Dad!!! Do you know how many years it’s been? Just a little more. Just a little more. The money, time, and heart you’ve spent. Aren’t you sorry? Even when you went on vacation with Mom, you couldn’t enjoy it properly because of the World Series and came back. That was your last trip with Mom.”

“Your mother also said she wanted to see the Mets win.”

“That’s because you wanted it so much. Dad, look in the mirror. Who would think you’re eighty-six? I’d believe you if you said you were a hundred. Now, stop obsessing over the Mets and just relax, go fishing, or go on a cruise together, huh?”

Steve Cohen looked at his children and grandchildren sitting around the table.

“Yes, I guess you hate that the old man is wasting the money he’s going to leave to you.”

“Dad!! What are you talking about? People are worried about you, but you’re being twisted. Don’t say such ridiculous things.”

“But there’s some truth in what you say.”

“So, are you really going to stop now?”

“No. That’s nonsense. What’s right in your words is that I’ve wasted years thinking ‘just a little more’. Yes, it wasn’t ‘just a little more’ from the beginning. The opponent is the best player in history. To knock down such a guy, there must be the most sensational deal in history.”

“Dad!!!”

2042.

The Mets certainly used a huge amount of money, enough to be called a super team.

And in 2043.

The New York Mets showed a move that was even more absurd than that.

─Is MLB okay as it is?

─Major League Baseball has become a playground for wealthy owners. It’s time to seriously discuss a hard cap [a strict limit on the amount of money a team can spend on player salaries]!!

The Major League Baseball luxury tax [a penalty for exceeding the salary cap] is determined based on the end of the season. This is because there are variables such as retirement or trades in the middle of the season.

But as always, ‘estimates’ exist, and when the winter season ended, the ‘estimated’ luxury tax for the 2043 Mets easily surpassed the total salary of the Texas Rangers, who had the eighth-highest payroll in the league last year.

─Steve Cohen “They say you can’t buy a championship with money. I’m going to prove that’s wrong.”

***

The Mets’ moves this winter season were simple.

Gather the most powerful players you can gather without worrying about money.

What it means to not care about money here is not just about offering more money than others to attract FA [free agent] players.

They bring in elite players with ridiculous salaries who are getting more money than their current value without salary assistance, and they even bring in players whose current value is still worth the money but whose future is uncertain, giving up promising prospects. It is truly the epitome of inefficiency.

But what is certain is that, based on the current point in time, they are the most overwhelmingly powerful team, even if they don’t know what the future will be like in a year.

A common story when talking about the disadvantages of a super team is the lack of organization like sand. It wasn’t really wrong. Since everyone is a main character and has a strong ego, it is naturally difficult to unite.

But the New York Mets clearly had the charisma to unite them.

Alexander McDowell is a man who has consistently maintained a rivalry with Choi Su-won, who is considered the greatest player in baseball history. Of course, now he is confirmed as a second-in-command who is quite different from a rival, but it is clear that Alexander McDowell is a batter who can be ranked in the top ten of all time.

And Domingo Rodriguez. Whether it’s his career, age, or even his performance until last year, there’s nothing missing.

‘This time for sure.’

A batter ranked in the top ten of all time who has not worn a single ring.

An elite pitcher who has only repeated defeats for nearly 20 years.

A starter who has had a career that can be called the ruler of the era but has not become the main character.

A young dual threat who is worried that last year’s failure may have been his fault under the evaluation of being the second Choi Su-won.

And even last year’s Cy Young winner, who was most recently produced by Tampa Bay.

The New York Mets ran from the beginning of the season.

If the sport of baseball is called a sport in which you win once, lose once, and the outcome is decided by the remaining one, then what they are doing would not be baseball.

Yes, it was a ridiculous run reminiscent of a certain team 15 years ago.

A whopping 116 wins out of 162 games.

Although they failed to break the 2028 Yankees’ record, it was the second-highest record of all time. And what gave Michael Cohen the greatest joy among those records was that the Mets won all two away games and two home games against the Yankees.

This year will be different.

It’s really different.

The 86-year-old became an 87-year-old.

It was only a one-year difference.

But one year for an old man who has shrunk with age is closer to a young child who is just growing up than one year for a grown young man that just passes by.

His back was more bent, and his cheeks were more sunken.

The only thing that hadn’t changed from last year was his determined gaze. No, no. In fact, even that gaze had changed. The burning determination was still there, but the gaze that revealed it was now closer to blurriness than sharpness.

“This year will be different. Yes. It’s different. Of course.”

His sons and daughters no longer nagged him.

They were also vaguely aware that what keeps that old man breathing now is that very obsession that he couldn’t achieve until the very end.

Then, all they can do now is just pray that the end will be a happy ending.

The Mets won.

They overwhelmingly crushed the division, and the championship was the same.

And finally, the World Series.

As if it were planned, the opponent was the Yankees again.

No, now it was too natural for the final barrier to be the Yankees.

This year will be different.

The Mets are now a strong team. A strong team that no one can follow.

And the 2043 season World Series.

If there is something that cannot be solved with money, check if there is not enough money. Unfortunately, Michael Cohen was not given the time to check it again.

The tycoon who had the money to save the country passed away without getting what he wanted until the very end.

2043.

The championship was once again the Yankees’.