The Pitcher Just Hits Home Runs Well [EN]: Chapter 202

202. The Greatest Thing (2)

“Choi Su-won, you’ve been excluded from the starting lineup for this game. Do you have anything to say about that?”

“The player selection is entirely at the discretion of the manager. As a player, I don’t think it’s my place to comment.”

“But you’ve been setting incredible records in various batting metrics recently. With every at-bat being important, it’s frustrating for the fans watching.”

It wasn’t a pre-arranged interview.

The content wasn’t pleasant either. Approaching someone excluded from the starting lineup and saying how frustrating it must be from a fan’s perspective is like telling a student who failed their final exam how frustrating it is from a relative’s perspective.

The reporter asking the question with that dumbfounded expression probably knows that better than anyone. So, this is just a provocation. If they were naive rookies, they would get angry and say something, and that would become news. Even if that’s not the case, if they refuse the interview, saying they usually don’t do unarranged interviews before the game, they’ll hear whispers about how they’ve become arrogant since gaining some fame.

I suffered a lot when I was inexperienced and hadn’t received training on this in the KBO [Korean Baseball Organization]. The team’s front office and others would try to smooth things over, causing headaches. But that was just my experience as an inexperienced player in the KBO. Through my experience in the majors, I’ve changed a lot.

In fact, when I was playing in Korea, I had some illusions about America. But after playing in America, I realized that reporters aren’t that different whether they’re in Korea or America. In some ways, America is even worse. It wasn’t as bad as Ted Williams losing the MVP [Most Valuable Player award] because of his disputes with reporters, but one time I missed the MVP because some reporters who hated our team gave me a 9th place vote instead of a 2nd place vote, costing me 14 points.

Anyway, I realized then.

Ah, there’s a reason why veterans who have played in the big leagues for a long time tell you to get along with reporters.

What do reporters want when they ask me these questions?

The answer is simple.

Traffic [website views].

So, they’re not particularly curious about this, but anything that would be a hot topic is fine with them. So, the answer now is simple.

“I trust the manager’s judgment. And personally, I will try to prevent situations that fans would find frustrating.”

“Are you saying that missing one game won’t affect your record? Is that what you mean?”

“Well, that sounds too arrogant. I’ll just do my best in the given situation. Please take it that way. Oh, it’s already this late. Even if I’m not starting today, I’m a rookie, so it would be difficult to be late for practice. Well, see you next time, Mr. Park.”

I quickly said goodbye and ran into the stadium.

And in just a few minutes.

Articles started appearing on internet portals.

[Confidence? Or Arrogance? Choi Su-won’s Bold Statement: “Missing a Day Won’t Affect My Record.”]

[Choi Su-won: “Player Selection is the Manager’s Responsibility. No Problem with My Condition.”]

“Ah, these bastards, really…”

I think I underestimated the Korean press.

Their ability to terribly summarize a sentence is world-class.

***

“Yo, who is this? Isn’t it the great hitter Choi Su-won, who said missing a day won’t affect his record?”

“Ah, Jung-hoon, that’s not what I meant.”

“Why do you even respond to reporters? Just ignore them and run away.”

“What if they upload another video if I do that? At least the article content was okay, even if the title was terrible…”

“There are tons of people who only read the title and not the content. And do you know about the national average grade five? Even if they read the content, if the title is like that, they’ll just think that way. Even the guys in this industry are like, average grade nine in Korean. Su-won, I think you’re going to have a tough time for the rest of the season.”

“It’s going to be tough anyway, even without that. If you just don’t tease me, the toughness will be halved, you know?”

“Sorry. I’m the type to raise my juniors tough.”

Lee Jung-hoon smiled brightly.

Su-won was achieving such ridiculous results that he was somehow difficult to approach, but at times like this, he seemed like a junior.

“Hey, Su-won.”

“Yes?”

“You know I keep my mouth shut, right?”

“Yes? You keep your mouth shut? That’s news to me.”

“Exactly. How tight-lipped would I have to be for there not to be rumors that I keep my mouth shut? So, tell me. Did you really put a posting-related clause [allowing him to play in MLB] in your contract with the team as a side deal? Just tell me secretly. I’ll keep it a secret from everyone else.”

“Ah, there’s no such thing. Where did you hear such nonsense? This isn’t the majors, and it’s not Japan either. You think they’d put such a clause in a rookie’s contract? You know how much my signing bonus is, right?”

“I know, 2 billion [Korean won, approximately $1.5 million USD]. But the rumors are so strong… And I heard they told them to use you moderately.”

“Where did you hear those rumors?”

“Why? Curious? Ha, this is really a secret. I’m only telling you this, but I’m kind of close with the front office. But the other day, the general manager and the manager met, and Park, from the operations team, overheard them talking about it.”

Su-won was already sure, but he became even more sure.

Lee Jung-hoon’s mouth is practically a feather [meaning he can’t keep a secret].

“Park, the one with the bob cut and fair skin.”

“Yeah, the prettiest one in the operations team.”

“Are you dating her?”

“No, dating? We just say hello when we pass each other. Anyway, what did they say? The Marines’ jinx is grinding down the ace’s arm when they win the championship. The parent group hates it when that jinx is repeated. So, they told them to manage you a bit.”

“Really?”

“But it’s a bit strange. If they’re going to manage you, shouldn’t they have done it moderately from the beginning? Why are they suddenly saying that now, when the championship race is so intense? And what did they say? That the real championship is the Korean Series championship, not the regular season championship. Does that make sense? You have to win the regular season to go straight to the Korean Series, which increases your chances. And is winning the integrated championship the same as just winning? And honestly, doesn’t everyone know that the Marines fans’ biggest wish is to win the regular season? The Marines’ biggest weakness is that they’ve never won the regular season. Right?”

Choi Su-won listened to Lee Jung-hoon’s story and thought.

‘Idiot…’

The criticism wasn’t just because the general manager was playing tricks behind the scenes. In fact, he had thought that some kind of trickery might be possible. But he hadn’t thought about it deeply because he himself didn’t think the Marines could really challenge for the championship.

Basically, the goals of the team’s front office and the fans are slightly different. The team’s purpose is to make money by getting fans to willingly open their wallets. Of course, performance is the most important condition for that revenue. But if you ask if that performance necessarily has to be first place, that’s not the case.

The Braves have proven that over a long period of time. A team with enough power to consistently make the postseason, and with the potential to challenge for the title and seize it if ‘luck’ follows, will have fans willingly open their wallets.

But this is only the story of MLB or Braves-like teams without a parent group.

KBO teams have a parent group. They willingly open their wallets for the group’s image, even if the team loses some money.

In that situation, which is cooler: using Choi Su-won for one more year, or having the Marines win the integrated championship [winning both the regular season and the Korean Series] and send him to the United States in a grand and impressive manner?

And what about failing to win the regular season, grudgingly renewing the walk record in his second year, failing to win the championship, and then sending him to the United States with the condition of two MVP awards?

Which of the two is cooler?

Even if that’s not the case, looking at how things are going now, there’s a widespread atmosphere that Su-won really needs to be sent to the United States in a grand manner at the end of the season. But in the current situation, are they subtly trying to fail to win the integrated championship and use Su-won for one more year?

And most of all, the worst thing is that such rumors are subtly circulating within the team. They should all be united and running towards the championship, but can’t they even imagine what will happen if rumors spread that the team is preventing them from winning the championship?

Choi Su-won quickly turned his head.

Okay, let’s change the direction of this nonsense for now.

“Sir, I think my American agency requested this from the team.”

“Huh? You said there’s no side deal or anything.”

“Ha, sir. This is really a secret. You absolutely can’t tell anyone. It’s not a side deal about winning the championship or anything, it’s just…”

***

The second game between the Hawks and the Marines.

Today’s Hawks starting pitcher, Warren Bittel, felt a strange sensation.

It wasn’t just a look of wanting to win.

Was this the look that Boston, who hadn’t won for 86 years [referring to the Boston Red Sox’s long championship drought], or the Cubs, who hadn’t won for 108 years [referring to the Chicago Cubs’ even longer championship drought], showed in the World Series?

Murderous intent.

Yes, it was closer to a murderous intent to completely destroy the opponent, beyond just the will to win today’s game.

‘What? They’re so fierce just because they lost one game? They’re still three games ahead of second place, right? And today’s not even the postseason.’

The leadoff hitter was Lee Jung-hoon.

He glared at the pitcher on the mound with burning eyes.

-Gulp.

And the fans watching Lee Jung-hoon in the stadium swallowed hard. The expression Lee Jung-hoon was showing at the plate was a very serious expression that was hard to see on him.

First pitch.

-Bang!!!

“Strike!!!”

Lee Jung-hoon briefly stepped away from the plate and swung his bat around once.

-Whoosh!!

And he stood at the plate again.

Even though he missed the first pitch, his expression didn’t change.

A feeling that he was going to do something big.

A solid determination that even a leadoff home run was possible.

The second ball grazed the zone.

-Thwack!!!

A foul ball falling into the third base infield stands.

0-2 count.

And the fans in the stands remembered something they had temporarily forgotten due to the overwhelming atmosphere. He was a man who always betrayed expectations when they had expectations that he would do something, and betrayed them again when they thought, ‘That’s just like you.’

Lee Jung-hoon, standing at the plate, waited for the third ball.

He was still exuding a heavy atmosphere. It was a force that overwhelmed the pitcher on the mound, and a solid determination that was unlike Lee Jung-hoon.

That’s why the fans watching him thought.

“Ah, we’re screwed.”

Warren Bittel on the mound prepared the third ball.

Yeah, you can’t turn a pumpkin into a watermelon by drawing lines on it [meaning you can’t make something great out of something ordinary], and the Marines are still the Marines, no matter how serious they look. Isn’t the reason they’re doing so well this season just because there’s an extraordinary monster named Choi Su-won standing there? The moment Choi Su-won is out of the lineup, the Marines are just the old Marines.

A subtle changeup at 124.8km/h.

Lee Jung-hoon, the man of reverse odds, who fails when he seems like he’s going to do something, and succeeds when he seems like he’s going to fail.

At the very moment when people’s expectations disappeared, his bat moved.

-Thwack!!!

A refreshing hit.

The ball stretched out.

“Huh?”

A hit that fell deep in the right outfield.

Lee Jung-hoon stepped on third base.