The Pitcher Just Hits Home Runs Well [EN]: Chapter 194

All-Star Game (4)

“Wow, that’s freaking insane.”

“What is?”

“This All-Star Game.”

“Why? Did someone wear something stupid again?”

“That happens every year. This time it’s seriously epic.”

“What’s so great about it?”

“Called shots.”

“Called shots?”

***

[Choi Su-won hits a magnificent called shot against Lim Gwang-hyung in his first at-bat. Second at-bat. He performs the same feat against Jo Chang-hyuk. Wow, I never thought I’d see a called shot in the KBO [Korean Baseball Organization] in my lifetime. Isn’t this the same thing Ruth did?]

[Yes, Called Shot. There are many theories about Babe Ruth’s called shot, from whether he actually did it or not, to doing it for a child with a terminal illness, to provoking the opposing pitcher. Anyway, it’s one of Babe Ruth’s legendary anecdotes. However, whether he actually called the home run against Lim Gwang-hyung earlier… Well, we need to determine if Choi Su-won’s performance is actually a home run call. A called shot isn’t just saying you’ll hit a home run in that at-bat; you have to call it and then actually do it to be a true Ruthian called shot.]

Jo Chang-hyuk’s face twisted severely.

Unlike Lim Gwang-hyung, who tried to maintain a poker face, he was quite honest with his emotions. Personally, I find the poker face type a bit more difficult to deal with, but after pitching in the pros, I realized something. If you have a hard time maintaining a poker face, it’s better to just do what you want and focus on the ball, rather than wasting energy trying to keep a straight face. It can lead to better results.

Like me, who pitched in the first inning, Jo Chang-hyuk only needs to pitch one inning in today’s game. He’s warmed up enough and can throw with all his might.

And my strong taunt added to that.

First pitch.

The fastest ball he could throw. A fastball of 160.9 km/h, just 0.1 mph short of 100 mph, flew in quite sharply.

It was a pitch meant to intimidate with speed and power. Therefore, for me…

-Clang!!!

It was a good pitch to hit.

The ball soared high and traveled far. Honestly, after hitting Lim Gwang-hyung’s ball, I was a bit unsure. But this time, the feeling in my hands gave me confidence.

It’s going over.

La Chan-myeong, the center fielder for the Nanum All-Stars, stared blankly at the ball again. In fact, this ball had a size that anyone could predict was a home run, even if it wasn’t hit by that old man.

[Deep center-left!! A huge home run that hits the top of the outfield stands!! Choi Su-won records back-to-back home runs in his first All-Star appearance!! Commissioner Park Dong-sik, what do you think? Can we acknowledge this as a called shot?]

[What does my acknowledgment even mean, but wow… Choi Su-won. He’s truly a player who leaves me speechless. Actually, at the moment of that hit, I thought it might go over the fence.]

[What? That’s… It was a home run ball that anyone could tell was going over.]

[No, I meant I thought it might go over the stadium, not just the fence. If it had been a little stronger, it would have been an out-of-the-park home run.]

[Indeed, if it had been a little stronger, it might have gone out of the stadium. Moreover, Choi Su-won has a record of hitting an out-of-the-park home run at Sajik Stadium.]

[The Dream All-Star team members are coming out to celebrate together. But these members, if it weren’t for the different uniforms, you could say they’re all Marines?]

[The Marines’ success this season has been that great. That’s how you can see it. Okay, the game continues.]

***

Three home runs in a row.

Only one game in KBO All-Star history has seen three home runs in a single game, back in 2000. Moreover, that All-Star game was divided into two games, so the focus and reputation of the pitchers participating in each game were slightly different from now.

It was even a called shot.

-Clang!!!

Third at-bat.

Another powerful home run off the first pitch.

The Dream All-Stars were still losing 9-5, but the MVP of today’s game was definitely Choi Su-won.

“Hey… I’m starting to see the future here.”

“What future?”

“Four consecutive called shots.”

“Eh, no way…”

“No way, my ass. Did you think three consecutive called shots were even possible in the first place?”

“No, but are all the pitchers idiots? Why are they throwing good pitches when he’s calling home runs? Shouldn’t they be throwing pitches that break way out of the zone?”

“Well, Jo Chang-hyuk is crazy. And Choi Eu-ddeum is an idiot, with terrible control…”

In fact, the Dream All-Stars’ defeat in this All-Star game was pretty much predetermined. The Nanum All-Stars had players selected very evenly from all five teams. Of course, that didn’t mean they didn’t include players who were past their prime or promising rookies just starting to emerge. But it wasn’t as extreme as the Dream All-Stars.

Eight players from the Marines alone.

With only one pitcher, Dillon Doyle, that meant seven starting hitters were Marines members. The Marines were the top team in the league, but unlike soccer, baseball is a sport where individual skill is more important than teamwork. It was hard to be better than the Nanum All-Stars, who had gathered the best resources from each team. To make matters worse, Choi Su-won, who was hitting home runs left and right, had Jeong Ji-woon and Jo Yu-jin, hitters with a 0 on-base percentage, in front of him.

[Ah, a substitution. Baek Gang-ho is coming in for Noh Hyung-wook. Baek Gang-ho, who was nominated as a designated hitter for this All-Star game but was pushed out by Choi Su-won in the voting. He hasn’t played third base much recently, but he can still play third base.]

And the man who had been sitting quietly in the corner of the dugout swung his bat with unusual intensity.

Very powerfully.

-Clang!!!

[Count 1-1. Third pitch!! A well-pulled ball!! Will it go over!! Will it go over!! It’s gone!!]

[Baek Gang-ho’s back-to-back home run!! The score is now 9-6. The Dream All-Stars are closing the gap by one point.]

Baek Gang-ho, who rounded the bases and stepped on home plate, quickly returned to the dugout and brushed past Choi Su-won.

“Two more left.”

“Huh?”

Ten days ago.

After the Marines rose to first place in the league, Baek Gang-ho cut off his messages to Choi Su-won. The only thing he had been superior in was the team’s performance, but even that was now behind.

Baek Gang-ho kept his word about half the time.

He came on as a substitute in the fifth inning for the remaining four innings.

He made two more appearances at the plate and added one more home run. He had a performance worthy of an All-Star MVP. In fact, there has never been a case in KBO All-Star history where a player recorded multiple home runs and did not win the MVP.

So, Baek Gang-ho was just very unlucky this time.

-Clang!!!

What kind of crazy person can hit four consecutive home runs against the best pitchers in the All-Star game?

[Choi Su-won!! Sixth pitch, he swings!! Does it go over? Ah!! It’s gone!! Four consecutive home runs!! Dream All-Star’s Choi Su-won records four consecutive home runs!! But unfortunately, this time it’s not a called shot according to Commissioner Park Dong-sik’s standards.]

[No. What does that matter now? Good heavens. Four consecutive home runs!! Four consecutive home runs!! And that’s against Moon Chan-young, the closer for the Elitz. Moon Chan-young’s ERA [Earned Run Average] this season is 1.56 and his WHIP [Walks plus Hits per Inning Pitched] is 0.95.]

And Choi Su-won did it.

But surprisingly, even at the moment he hit four consecutive home runs, the reaction of the people in the stadium wasn’t that dramatic.

Rather, it was closer to a “well, it’s finally happening” atmosphere.

“Yeah… If you don’t give that crazy bastard a walk and just go head-to-head, the best starter or the best closer in the league will get destroyed.”

“No, but even so, four consecutive home runs is a bit much, isn’t it?”

“What’s too much is that crazy bastard didn’t go to the majors to throw balls and stayed here. At that level, he could go to the major leagues right away and be as good as Alexander McDowell.”

“Do you know that Alexander McDowell is a shoo-in for Rookie of the Year and might even be in the running for MVP this season?”

“So, do you think Alexander McDowell could come here now and hit four consecutive called shots?”

“…”

“Seriously, they need to send him to the majors right away. I think he’s not just Hall of Fame material, but a guy who can compete for the real baseball GOAT [Greatest Of All Time].”

The history of baseball is very long.

And although it was pushed back by the NFL after the 1970s, baseball was a sport that could claim to be the ‘national sport’ of the United States. But in modern times, while basketball, soccer, and American football have produced geniuses who have created records worthy of claiming the GOAT title, baseball has not produced anyone who can dare to claim the GOAT title. Even Mike Trout, the most outstanding player in modern baseball, is limited to the possibility of being one of the top ten players of all time.

“But seeing what Choi Su-won is doing, it might actually be possible.”

“So, they shouldn’t keep him in Korea for a few years and should send him to the United States as soon as possible to build his career. Later, if he finishes with something like 750 career home runs, how regrettable would that one year be? Right?”

“That’s true. If he retires with 30 hits left to reach 4,000, that would be too frustrating.”

Therefore, ironically, what the spectators who came to the stadium reacted to more strongly was not Choi Su-won’s four consecutive home runs.

[La Chan-myeong!! La Chan-myeong is running!!]

[Deep in left-center!! La Chan-myeong!! La Chan-myeong!! Catches it!!]

“Out!!”

[Choi Su-won unfortunately ends his consecutive home run record in the bottom of the ninth with one out.]

[You have to praise La Chan-myeong for this. La Chan-myeong’s start was amazing. From reaction speed to judging the ball, there was nothing to criticize in his defense.]

Rather, people reacted more strongly when his consecutive home run streak was broken at four. It was because they realized that they had been expecting him to hit another one so naturally.

“Ah, it didn’t go over.”

“Yeah, if he had hit five consecutive home runs, it would have been a truly immortal record.”

“Is there a bit of a problem with his stamina towards the end of the game?”

“Hey, stop talking nonsense. Choi Su-won only pitched one inning today and only played as a designated hitter, so what stamina problem? And in the first place, four consecutive home runs is impossible when All-Star pitchers are throwing with all their might. That last one was a difficult course, but he forced it to pull it. I’m surprised that ball even went to the warning track.”

“Really? But I just feel like if Choi Su-won gets a head-to-head matchup with the pitchers, he’ll hit them all over…”

“Me too.”

-Clang!!!!

And with Baek Gang-ho’s RBI [Runs Batted In] double that hit the fence, the Dream All-Stars failed to score any more points.

The result was a 14-9 defeat for the Dream All-Stars.

The MVP was, of course, Choi Su-won, who recorded four consecutive home runs.

[KBO All-Star Festival!! Highest viewership ratings of the 21st century!!]

[Baek Gang-ho “Ah, it didn’t go over.”]

[Choi Su-won ‘Called shot? It wasn’t planned, but Kim Seung-jin, the catcher for the Nanum All-Stars, suggested it and I did it on the spot.’]

[Kim Seung-jin “I only suggested the performance, the called shot was Choi Su-won’s idea.”]