The Pitcher Just Hits Home Runs Well [EN]: Chapter 205

205. New Record (1)

Phoenix’s locker room.

Was it the accumulated fatigue from six consecutive road games?

Jung Byung-chul, the starting catcher despite being only twenty, groaned.

“Ugh, this is rough. So rough.”

“We’re just getting started, how can you be so tired already?”

“Hey, Oh Min-yeop. Why are you picking on our kid? How tough is the catcher position? Huh? It’s a whole different ball game than just wearing a glove and trotting to the mound. He’s the one who has to wear all that heavy gear every day, constantly squatting and standing.”

“No, hyung-nim [older brother or respected male figure]. When have I ever picked on him…? I’m just saying it’s going to get even tougher. Seriously, I’m out there chasing passed balls, but you always take Byung-chul’s side. I’m so sad, I might as well become a catcher.”

Jung Byung-chul approached Oh Min-yeop with a playful grin.

“Oh, sunbae-nim [senior colleague or mentor]. Please have mercy. If you become a catcher, I’ll be out of a job.”

“Stop exaggerating. Your slugging percentage is more than 10% higher than mine.”

“Oh, still a long way to go to catch up to sunbae-nim’s batting average and on-base percentage.”

“Hey, Oh Min-yeop. How many years have you been playing baseball, and you still express slugging percentage in ‘har’? Then what about that crazy bastard from the Marines, is his slugging percentage over 10 ‘har’?”

In fact, strictly speaking, slugging percentage couldn’t be expressed as a percentage of ‘harpunri’ [a unit of measurement in Korean baseball statistics]. Assuming you hit a home run every at-bat, the number could go up to 4.0. However, for convenience, it was used similarly to batting average and on-base percentage, and since the value couldn’t exceed 1.0 when it became somewhat large, the expression ‘har’ was often used.

“Is that crazy bastard still hitting over 10 ‘har’? Didn’t it drop to the 9 ‘har’ range a few days ago?”

“He hit another home run yesterday. It’s back to 1.007.”

“Wow, how is he hitting home runs like he’s eating rice? Byung-chul-ah. What should we do? Looks like the MVP is slipping away again?”

“Sunbae-nim…”

“Hey, Oh Min-yeop. Stop picking on the kid. You also had MVP as your goal when you were a rookie, how long are you going to tease him for writing ‘Goal: MVP’ on his hat?”

“He’s huge, but his reaction is good. Hehe. Still, that monster is really something. Doesn’t he ever get tired?”

“Well, the scouting team says he is getting tired… They say he seems to be focusing more on the home run record than a 40% batting average. His strikeouts have increased a bit.”

“Isn’t his batting average still 0.397? But that means he’s sacrificing some batting average to focus on home runs? Aish…. Byung-chul-ah. I can’t take it. Let’s go drown our sorrows in a bowl of noodles.”

“If you’re going to die, die alone. Why are you dragging Byung-chul with you? He’s going to win the MVP next year.”

When Choi Eut-teum even mentioned the MVP, Jung Byung-chul’s face turned bright red with embarrassment.

“Sunbae-nim…”

“Looking at it, hyung-nim seems worse than me. I at least tease him openly, but you subtly diss him…”

***

Now, past the 80% mark of the season.

The KBO [Korean Baseball Organization] secretariat was ecstatic.

Since achieving 8.4 million spectators in 2017, the KBO had been striving to reach the milestone of 10 million spectators.

However, after falling to 8.07 million in 2018 and 7.28 million in 2019, the situation worsened when the league was held without spectators due to a global pandemic. Ultimately, the league, which operated with limited attendance for nearly two years, only managed to attract 6.07 million spectators when it reopened in 2022. Since then, the number of spectators had steadily increased, but the 8.4 million mark from 2017 remained the highest in KBO history.

And now, in 2027.

With only September having passed, the number of KBO spectators had already exceeded 8.4 million, reaching an impressive 8.51 million.

“As expected, the Marines and the Phoenix were the key.”

The conditions for the KBO to enter the era of 10 million spectators.

The KBO had been researching this extensively, and the conclusion was simple: close competition among all 10 teams, with the Busan Marines, Daejeon Phoenix, Gwangju Hawks, Daegu Griffins, and Seoul Elitz advancing to the autumn baseball season [playoffs].

In fact, the 8.4 million attendance in 2017 coincided with the Marines’ first postseason appearance in six years, and the sharp drop to 7.28 million in 2019 was largely due to the clear division between the top 5 and bottom 5 teams from the start of the season, with no significant changes until the end.

And this season.

The moment teams that had consistently ranked 9th and 10th started competing in the upper ranks, the league standings became unpredictable. Not only were the Marines in first place, but the Phoenix were still holding onto 5th place with only a month left in the season.

“So, for the remaining period, 10 million?”

“At the current rate, it seems quite possible. In particular, the plan you approved last time seems to be quite appealing to the broadcasting station as well.”

“They’re also facing challenges these days. Back in our day, we only had to worry about radio and TV, but it’s become a very complicated world.”

“It’s a world where internet broadcasting has killed video, just like video killed radio.”

“Yes, that’s right. But whether it was the radio era or the video era, baseball was just baseball. So, even in the internet broadcasting era, baseball just needs to be baseball.”

[Choi Soo-won’s 47th Home Run!! Pace for 57 Home Runs This Season!! Will Choi Soo-won Break the KBO Home Run Record in the Remaining 26 Games?]

─BlueBlood96thFloor: 133 games, 56 home runs. 144 games, 57 home runs. Even if he achieves the record, can we really compare them? If you want to say Choi Soo-won broke the record, he has to hit his 57th home run within 15 games, not 26.

─BigHitterDog: Woof woof!! Woof woof woof!!

─ChoiSooDongWon: Why are you making such a long-winded argument?

─KboBaggageKboBaggage: That’s a valid point. Roger Maris, who broke Babe Ruth’s 60 home run record with 61 home runs in 1961, always had an asterisk next to the 61 home run record because Ruth had 154 games and Maris had 162 games. 61* like this. So, if Choi Soo-won hits 57 home runs, he should have 57* next to it.

─BigHitterLeeJooHyuk: Home run record, just you wait. Lee Joo-hyuk is coming!!

─HomeRunKingChoiSooWon: That’s something Americans now consider a dark chapter in baseball history, are you suggesting we should do that? Are you out of your mind?

─FromPalgongsanSummit: But doesn’t that sound somewhat persuasive? The number of games is different.

─ChoiSooDongWon: So, how many games did he set the home run record in? Did you consider that Soo-won has played 95 games so far this season?

─BlueBlood96thFloor: Then why did he try to be a two-way player [pitcher and hitter]?

─ChoiSooDongWon: Then why did he play when there were 133 games?

Now, regular season victory and direct entry to the Korean Series [championship series] were almost certain, and even if the worst happened and they lost all of the remaining 26 games, the Marines’ place in the autumn baseball season was guaranteed.

The KBO secretariat wanted the Marines’ spectator numbers to remain at their current level, and even hoped for further increases. In that context, Soo-won’s pursuit of the home run record was a very attractive selling point.

“But wouldn’t it be better to promote the 40% batting average or the world’s first slugging percentage of 1.0, which seem more likely to happen, than the home run record, which is uncertain? Our people love the ‘world’s first’ title.”

“A 40% batting average isn’t bad, but the slugging percentage doesn’t have the same impact. Impact. Also, something that might not happen is more exciting than something that is likely. Above all, the home run is still the most exciting play in baseball.”

***

“It’s already September.”

“I know. Seeing that makes it feel real.”

Around September, players start relying on mental fortitude rather than physical strength. Honestly, even just working a regular job, if you work 6 days a week without vacation for about 6 months, you’d want to rest. Not to mention traveling around the country, playing games in all kinds of weather, and training before and after that.

Of course, veterans can often pace themselves and have some leeway around this time, but this year the Marines were a bit different.

“Now there will be a little more room in the rotation.”

“Well, the Dolphins are still closely following us, only 3.5 games behind…”

The team’s first-ever challenge for the regular season championship.

With that heavy burden on the players’ shoulders, there was also the looming possibility that the phenomenon called Choi Soo-won would no longer be with them after this year. Even Lee Gyu-man, a living legend of the 21st-century Marines, was about to retire, and the defending champion Dolphins from last year were hot on their heels. It wasn’t a situation where they could afford to conserve stamina. Therefore, they welcomed the new additions to the locker room with open arms.

September expansion roster.

A generous addition of 5 players, not a stingy increase of 2 players from 26 to 28 like the MLB expansion roster.

Of course, in the KBO, the skill gap between the starting players and the substitutes is so significant that some criticize the expanded roster players for rarely being used effectively. However, in a situation where the squad was being stretched so thin like the Marines now, it was like a welcome rain during a drought.

Therefore, the players weren’t brought up with the intention of giving young prospects experience. There was a determination to secure first place and aim for an integrated championship in the remaining 26 games, no matter what. And among them was pitcher Kwak Jae-young, the veteran who had been sent down to the minor leagues after the trade with the Braves at the beginning of the season.

“Sunbae, it’s been a while. I heard you’ve been doing great these days.”

“What do you mean by doing great…”

“Hey, I heard you’re starting the day after tomorrow.”

He was a player who had been relegated to the minor leagues and was now joining the first team as part of the expansion roster.

It could have been a difficult situation, but Lee Jung-hoon was as straightforward as ever. And Kwak Jae-young knew Lee Jung-hoon well enough to take his words at face value, without any sarcasm.

“That’s good. Honestly, it’s the first time in Marines history that we’re competing for the regular season championship, and it wouldn’t feel right if sunbae wasn’t here.”

This year, 35 years old.

Kwak Jae-young, like many Marines players, was a man who had wasted his prime in less successful times. He’s now seen as a pitcher who throws mediocre pitches, but he was once a fireballer who had even achieved a perfect inning, a feat only accomplished by 9 people in KBO history.

“Oh? Soo-won-ah. You came to work early? You pitched yesterday, so you must be tired. Come in a little later.”

“The traffic wasn’t bad. The taxi driver found a shortcut today.”

“What? You took a taxi again? Getting a driver’s license isn’t that hard. You could have gotten it already if you had worked on it little by little on your days off. You even have a car from winning the MVP.”

“I have plenty of money. I took a deluxe taxi today.”

“Tsk, bragging. Anyway, here are Jae-young sunbae and the kids—no, they’re all sunbaes to you. Anyway, he came up from Sangdong [minor league team location].”

A monster who is almost certain to leave the KBO at the end of this year.

The monster who had inspired Kwak Jae-young to try again when he was considering giving up bowed his head to them.

“Hello. I’m Choi Soo-won. Please take care of me.”