The Pitcher Just Hits Home Runs Well [EN]: Chapter 107

VS MLB? (5)

[Marines Athletics Practice Match: 22-4 Defeat!!]

“A score of 22-4 in a game against a Major League team. Some are even calling it a disaster. Commissioner Lee Myung-cheol, what are your thoughts on this?”

“Well, personally, I don’t think we need to go as far as calling it a disaster. I just think it clearly showed the difference in level between the KBO [Korean Baseball Organization] and MLB [Major League Baseball].”

“Are you saying the KBO and MLB are as different as the numbers 22-4 suggest?”

“No, strictly speaking, that’s not what I mean. The score of 22-4 is certainly shocking, but if we’re going to look at it that way, the Marines lost to the Hawks by 23 points last year, so does that make the Hawks a better team than the Athletics? That’s not the case.”

Lee Myung-cheol shook his head and continued.

“Rather, the difference in pitching was palpable. That’s what I mean.”

“Pitching?”

“Yes, as you can see, the foreign pitchers the Marines put out as aces are all players on the fringes of the MLB 26-man roster. Depending on the team, they might be pitchers who are used as mop-up men within the 26-man roster. On the other hand, look at the Athletics’ pitching staff. Starting with Cy Young contender Josh Anderson, who shut them down for 4 innings, all the pitchers after him are top-notch. The Athletics used all their top-tier pitchers except for their second starter, Donald Turner. Frankly, I want to commend the Marines for scoring 4 runs against that pitching staff.”

“I see.”

“Especially Choi Soo-won in the 2nd and 4th innings. Wow, I was really surprised.”

“Yes, I was also very impressed. A player who just graduated from high school hitting a home run against a Cy Young contender in his first at-bat, on the very first pitch. He’s definitely worth the 2 billion won contract the Marines gave him. That’s the feeling I got.”

“The first at-bat home run was great, but the flyout in the second at-bat was even more impressive. The first at-bat was a cutter that he was aiming for and hit squarely. But the second at-bat was different. Could you play that video for a moment?”

The screen showed Choi Soo-won’s second at-bat in the top of the 4th inning.

“Now, if you look here, Choi Soo-won anticipated another cutter. And he swings. But it’s a fastball. There’s nothing he can do about it. It’s just a mis-hit, and if he’s unlucky, it’s a ground ball; if he’s lucky, it’s a foul ball; and if he’s even luckier, it’s a hit created by sheer force of will. But look at this. Choi Soo-won. He tightens his armpit and twists his wrist at that moment.”

-Clang!!

“Actually, it’s very difficult to put power into the ball like that. But it goes all the way to the warning track. Wow, I really got goosebumps there. To exaggerate a bit, it felt like watching Barry Bonds stop his bat and then swing, and the ball goes over the fence. Choi Soo-won’s listed size is 190cm and 89kg, right? He’s gained some weight, but he definitely doesn’t look over 95kg. But if he gains a little more weight there and gets even stronger? And gains some experience? I guarantee it. This player can definitely win MVP [Most Valuable Player].”

“Wow, you really rate Choi Soo-won highly. You’re even mentioning a rookie as an MVP candidate.”

Lee Myung-cheol shook his head at the host’s words.

“I think you’ve misunderstood me. I wasn’t talking about the KBO MVP.”

“Pardon?”

─RandyJohnson: Lee Myung-cheol has finally lost it. He’s saying a high school graduate who hasn’t even played in the KBO is MLB MVP material, lol.

─JolsShin: It’s nothing new for KBO fanboys to disregard the MLB. But he did hit a solo home run against Josh Anderson. That’s something.

─RandyJohnson: A home run against a pitcher who was throwing 97 mph after a week of spring training, when he was throwing 106 mph last year? Honestly, a 9 mph difference is like a completely different pitcher.

─ByeolttongbyeolWooyoungwooDissolution: What are you guys talking about? Everyone in the world knows Lee Myung-cheol is an MLB fanatic.

─RandyJohnson: So, are you saying it makes sense that a kid who just graduated high school and hasn’t even played in the KBO is MLB MVP material?

─ChoiDongSoowon: No, who’s saying he’s MVP material right now? Saying ‘if he gains some strength and experience’ just means he has that much potential. Even Alexander McDowell, who’s being called a future Hall of Famer in the US, considers Choi Soo-won his rival.

─RandyJohnson: How many guys have been called future Hall of Famers? Alexander McDowell batted .074 last year?

─ChoiDongSoowon: Wow, now you’re trying to bash our Soo-won by saying America’s top prospect was just tired from the September call-ups and had a slump, so it’s a matter of skill.

The result of 22-4. It was a disastrous result that even the Marines front office hadn’t anticipated. Basically, they set the 26-man and 40-man limits because they predicted the Athletics wouldn’t send out their regular starters. But they went ahead and formed a team mainly with starting members.

Still, what was fortunate for the Marines was that the Marines fans weren’t too angry about their team losing by 18 points. From the start, the Marines are a team that loses by 23 points in the KBO. Just last year, they gave up 17 points to the Seoul Braves and were shut out. But an 18-point difference against a Major League team?

“They still scored 4 points.”

“This season might be worth looking forward to. Dillon is a bit shaky, but Choi Min-hyuk and Baek Ha-min both have really good stuff. They throw almost as well as Diego Rodriguez.”

“And what about Choi Soo-won? Did you see him swing the bat so powerfully? And then he suddenly goes up to the mound and throws the ball, and it’s amazing. As expected, now that the first draft is abolished, some really good guys are gathering on the team.”

Rather than despairing at the 18-point difference, Marines fans found hope in the three young pitchers who held the Major League team to a combined 7 runs in 3.2 innings. And then there’s Choi Soo-won, the 2 billion won prospect who hasn’t even debuted yet but is already being called KBO-level.

The Marines fans’ delusion circuits, which were lower than Hwang Rin’s, began to burn again. And somewhere in that burning delusion circuit.

“Ahem… 1.5 trillion won? Isn’t that a bit too much?”

“It will definitely sell out. The atmosphere around the Marines is unusual this time.”

“No, of course it will sell out. But if this is all applied, the interest rate is a whopping 7.1%, right? At this rate, even with the advertising effect, it seems like a loss…”

Even in an era of a 3.5% base interest rate, 7.1% is not an easy number.

“Director? The 7.1% is the maximum interest rate, including 0.6% for winning the regular season, 0.2% for advancing to the postseason, 0.3% for winning the postseason, an additional 0.2% for winning the championship, and 0.1% for MVP. For reference, last year’s maximum interest rate was 7%, but the actual interest rate was 5.6%.”

“No, that’s last year’s story. This year feels different, you know?”

“The director’s feelings are every year… No, never mind. Anyway, the bank’s profit margin will probably drop considerably, but considering the steadily accumulated profit margin, it’s still significant even after paying the youth development fund. Even if that all sells out…”

The Busan Bank’s ‘Autumn Baseball Time Deposit/Savings Account,’ which is famous for never even coming close to the break-even point. Many people called it Busan Bank’s legal scam. But they didn’t know.

“Okay, let’s go with 1.5 trillion won. Oh, and you know, right?”

“Yes, I’ll open the director’s account first.”

Kwak Joon-hwan, a salaried bank manager who receives his salary from Busan Bank.

He is a true Marines fan who burns his delusion circuits every year and invests up to the limit in the ‘Autumn Baseball Time Deposit/Savings Account’ launched by his workplace.

***

After the practice game, there was no sudden renewal of the team’s atmosphere, no burning passion, and no deep disappointment permeating the team.

“As expected, 2 billion won. You were amazing today. Ugh, we should really have a drink on a day like today. It’s a shame we’re not in Korea.”

“Ah, I haven’t had my birthday yet, so I can’t drink even in Korea.”

“No, that’s my job to figure out. And I’ve been doing this in Busan for 10 years, how could I not take you out for a drink?”

Lee Jung-hoon headed to the pub as usual. The only restraint he showed was that he didn’t drag a bunch of kids along like usual, instead taking only Lee Joo-hyuk as his wingman, saying he’d get a lot of flak if he got caught drinking by reporters on a day they lost the game.

Lee Gyu-man and Seo Kyung-joon took four of their followers out again.

Unlike alcohol, late-night snacks don’t matter even if reporters see them. Well, they’re people who relieve stress by eating when they’re stressed, and celebrate with food when there’s good news, so there’s nothing they can do about it. Still, it’s better than drinking and going to meet girls.

We really used all our pitchers to the limit in today’s game.

Giving up 22 points in 9 innings means that. Of course, the fact that it ended at 22 points was also thanks to the Athletics replacing a large number of players after the 5th inning.

“The wall of the majors is definitely high.”

“Hey, but you finished with 1 run in 1.1 innings. Look at me. I gave up 3 runs in 0.2 innings.”

“That’s because you, Soo-won, pitched against the starting members, the top of the order. I pitched after a large number of players were replaced. Strictly speaking, I only faced real major league players for 0.1 innings, and after that, I faced players who were going back and forth on the 40-man roster.”

“Hamin hyung [older brother/term of endearment], Min-hyuk sunbae [senior/term of respect] will cry if he hears that. Min-hyuk sunbae gave up 3 runs in 0.2 innings against the same lineup.”

Speak of the devil.

Choi Min-hyuk, who was far from being a gentleman, suddenly appeared and put his tray down on our table.

“Why would I cry? That was honestly a defensive issue.”

“Ah, Min-hyuk sunbae.”

“Of course, it was a bit shocking. My fastball felt a bit centered, but still, they were just hitting it so easily, ugh… My confidence really dropped.”

“Well, there’s a difference in velocity between the leagues. In Korea, 150 km/h is a fastball, but honestly, 93 mph to these guys is like 141 km/h in the KBO? That’s what it feels like.”

“My slider wasn’t working well. Your curveball seemed to work pretty well, Soo-won. You didn’t seem to use one type until the end?”

“Yes, I felt like if an inexperienced guy threw it carelessly, he’d get hit.”

“Hamin, your high-speed slider seemed to work pretty well.”

“Yes, but it’s unforgiving if it’s even a little bit centered.”

“I tried throwing it once, but it didn’t work as well as it did in practice. I thought I was gripping it deeply… If it’s okay, can you show me the form again later?”

“Yes, sure.”

Up to this point, the conversation was no different from usual.

“Hey guys, can I join you?”

“Myung-hoon sunbae?”

Han Myung-hoon, who had the most wins among domestic pitchers on the team last year with 6 wins and 11 losses, suddenly appeared.

“Sunbae, weren’t you going out to eat with Gyu-man sunbae?”

“It’s not eating out, it’s takeout this time.”

-Thump

It wasn’t just Han Myung-hoon.

The largest faction in the team, led by Lee Gyu-man, Seo Kyung-joon, and Kwak Jae-young. In other words, the so-called sacred bones.

They appeared at our table.

With a mountain of In-N-Out burgers.