The Pitcher Just Hits Home Runs Well [EN]: Chapter 228

The pitcher just hits home runs well – Episode 228 (228/404)

228. After the Championship (1)

The game was over, but our schedule wasn’t.

Delicious food and drinks awaited.

Yes, drinks. We had been wary of alcohol throughout the season, but today, after winning our first championship since the team’s founding, we couldn’t let the after-party pass without a single beer.

Over there, Lee Gyu-man, his eyes still red, and a few other players were clinking beer glasses. Lee Gyu-man had cried so much during the post-game interview that it was embarrassing to watch. Even more embarrassing was that many others were crying along with him after seeing his tears.

Some fans in the stands were also crying their eyes out; anyone watching might have thought Changwon Blaze Park was our home stadium.

“Wow, senior, you’re really amazing. How did you hit a home run off a 160 km/h [~99.4 mph] pitcher like that?”

“Exactly. The Blaze guys’ will to chase was completely broken there.”

“I just got lucky.”

But could we really call this a party?

Maybe it’s because this is Korea, but it’s a bit less wild compared to MLB. It feels like somewhere between a party and a company dinner.

No, maybe it’s just because the person sitting next to me is someone who could be a section chief at some company.

Seo Kyung-joon asked me, “Soo-won, what do you think?”

“About what?”

“Gyu-man senior’s home run.”

“It was hittable. Senior Gyu-man’s bat speed has slowed down a bit, but his eye for the ball is still alive. And honestly, that pitcher’s ball was a bit too straightforward. At that point, it’s almost a rhythm game.”

“So, you’re saying you don’t think Gyu-man senior’s hitting is making a comeback or anything like that?”

Well, if this were a cartoon, the captain would dramatically awaken here and do something. It’s a cliché that the protagonist’s greatest helper awakens right before the final boss and takes charge of the strongest of the Four Heavenly Kings [a reference to powerful subordinates of a villain].

“Yes, well, that’s right. Senior Gyu-man is getting older, after all.”

“Age… Yeah, Gyu-man hyung [older brother or male senior] is getting old.”

In society, forty years old is the age when researchers, office workers, and salespeople usually reach the peak of their skills. But for a professional athlete, forty is like sixty for ordinary people, or maybe even more. Like the saying ‘old but strong,’ there are cases in society where skills improve even after the age of sixty, but just as that’s not a common occurrence, the same is true for baseball.

Of course, judging from Seo Kyung-joon’s expression, he didn’t seem to like my answer very much.

“More than that, I think I’ll get going now.”

“Already?”

“There’s a game tomorrow, too. And it doesn’t look like they’re going to be partying here for that long anyway.”

Excluding a few players who will clearly be absent from tomorrow’s game, the rest of the players will have at most one or two cans of beer. There are quite a few non-alcoholics too. Well, this also depends on the person, but considering that players who work out hard, are healthy, and have large builds are generally stronger drinkers than ordinary people, it’s really just a matter of getting in the mood.

“Well, you still have something as important as the championship left. No, no. Maybe that’s even more important than the championship?”

Seo Kyung-joon’s question was strange.

Come to think of it, this senior’s face is quite flushed. I saw him say not to drink more than three cans himself, so he couldn’t have drunk that much… It seems like he’s the type who rarely gets drunk.

“Haha, senior. Isn’t it a good day?”

Lee Jung-hoon chimed in a beat early.

He definitely has extraordinary senses.

“Of course, the championship was the most important thing. The rest is just like a bonus. But I’m originally a bit greedy, so when I play games, I tend to take care of all the bonus stages. Besides, if my condition is bad overall in tomorrow’s game, I’ll get criticized from all sides again. If this good atmosphere is ruined, we won’t be able to go all the way to winning the Korean Series [championship series] in the end. Our captain likes it so much, but we still have to get him a ring at the end.”

“That’s right. We have to win the Korean Series to get a sweet bonus. A colleague at the Dolphins said that the bonus is several thousand different based on A-class standards. Kyung-joon senior, I’ll give Soo-won a ride. It’s a bit much to take a taxi on a day like today, and our homes are in a similar direction anyway.”

Lee Jung-hoon’s car was exactly as expected.

A red sports car with two doors and an open top.

“Senior, isn’t this dangerous?”

“Man, all cars are dangerous. And actually, if it’s an openly expensive car like this, people move out of the way more, so it’s safer, you know? And it’s not like I’m a speed demon or anything. I don’t even drive this over 80 km/h [~50 mph] anyway, so there’s nothing dangerous about it.”

“You’re driving a sports car and you don’t drive over 80 km/h? Then how do you use the highway?”

“Why would I drive a car on the highway? There’s no one to see you even if you open the top there. Besides, if I’m going somewhere far, I should take the train. I only drive this in the city. It’s for show. For show.”

As Lee Jung-hoon said, it didn’t seem to be a lie. His car, which he had been driving for almost five years, had only 18,000 km [~11,185 miles] on it.

“You haven’t even driven 4,000 kilometers [~2,485 miles] a year?”

“I only drove it to and from home games and when I went out to Seomyeon [a district in Busan].”

End of September.

Even at dawn.

Despite the chilly weather, Lee Jung-hoon opened the car’s top. But it wasn’t bad because he turned on the heater and the heated seats. It was a bit similar to sitting in an open-air bath in the middle of winter.

While driving, Lee Jung-hoon rambled on about why he drives a supercar.

“You’ll know when you get older, man. No, maybe you’ll never know? If you’re a superstar, it might be different, but if you’re mediocre like me, people subtly ignore you before FA [Free Agency]. There are so many stories about how difficult it is to be a baseball player. Besides, we also feel like we’re getting our income a bit early. So I just splurged. And it’s also the best thing to pick up girls.”

“I don’t think there are any decent girls who would fall for this.”

“I’m not going there to meet a decent girl in the first place, you know?”

“……”

There was nothing to say, having been defeated by Lee Jung-hoon in logic.

It’s a very strange feeling.

“Don’t hate Kyung-joon senior too much. In a way, it’s all a kind of jealousy. Originally, man, you have to understand that a good guy is jealous of a bad guy, and there has to be that kind of taste.”

“I don’t hate him. That senior worked really hard too.”

“That’s a relief. Still, what you said earlier, that the championship was the most important thing and the rest was just a bonus, it was pretty cool. Kyung-joon senior probably liked it too. Honestly, you know you’re good. You had a goal that you were aiming for throughout your career, but it seemed like that goal was too easy for someone else to pass. That must have been a bit much.”

“An easy passing point? It was never an easy goal. Honestly, the home run record or the league MVP is easier than winning the Marines championship.”

“…… What? I’m sure it’s comforting, but why do I feel worse? Hey, don’t ever say that out loud anywhere. Got it?”

I didn’t put a single drop of alcohol in my mouth, so I wouldn’t have been drunk.

A dawn street with almost no cars around.

It must be because of the strange atmosphere created by the sports car running at 60 km/h [~37 mph] with the top open.

No, maybe it’s because of the title of the first regular season championship since the founding of the team and the people who are happy about it. And maybe it’s because I saw an old man over forty crying because he couldn’t overcome his overwhelming emotions.

“I don’t want to. Everyone, the Marines won the championship!! It was really, really hard!!”

“Hey, man. Are you crazy? It’s 4 a.m.”

Lee Jung-hoon hurriedly closed the car’s top. In the meantime, the top closed well without reducing the speed much because the speed was originally 60 km/h.

“You little punk. I always thought you were arrogant, obnoxious, and lived with your own sense of self-importance, so I didn’t like you, but seeing you happy makes you seem a little more human and I like it.”

“Senior, I think the word ‘obnoxious’ was used several times in one sentence in a way that doesn’t fit the context, but is it my imagination?”

“No, important words should be emphasized twice.”

A road that was empty because it was dawn.

It took more than 15 minutes to arrive in a supercar at a distance that would have taken about 7 or 8 minutes by taxi.

“Then sleep well. See you later.”

“Yes.”

***

At the same time.

New York City Field.

[Ah!! Alexander McDowell!! He’s limping back to the dugout. At the end of the season. What on earth is going on with only 15 games left?]

[Although he has fallen slightly behind in the MVP race due to a slight slump recently, there is still plenty of potential. The same goes for the Mets’ chances of advancing to the postseason this season. I hope it’s not a serious injury.]

Alexander McDowell, who was playing the first game of a doubleheader at the end of the season, was replaced due to a hamstring injury while running to first base.

“Damn it. What does the doctor say?”

“It’s not a serious injury, but he needs to rest for about two weeks…”

Mets general manager Joshua Pagno tore at his own hair in vain.

“Damn it. Why at a time like this.”

With the first place in the division already out of reach, but still with a good chance of competing for a wild card, the hitter who hit 41 home runs this season was effectively declared out for the season.

“McDowell says he can play enough and will play after getting a shot…”

“I wish you would filter out such stupid things on your own. He’s a player we need to use for the next 10 years. It’s not like we’re going to win by using him now. Tell him to get plenty of rest. Damn it…”

It’s not like they spent less money.

It’s not like the players’ performance was bad.

They were just unlucky.

Injuries broke out alternately, and someone’s stupid behavior on SNS caused a slump. The insurance money the Mets received from the insurance company this season alone was a whopping $70 million. It was comparable to the payroll of two small market teams. It wasn’t something to be happy about because they made a lot of money. It meant that there were holes all over the team’s power.

In the end, spending an amount comparable to $300 million was for the championship. This wasn’t saving $70 million; it was wasting $230 million.

“Any contact from James Corporation?”

“It seems they are trying to start talking in earnest after the season is over. You know, it’s so hot these days…”

Just ten days ago, no one dared to say that story.

At best, it was the story of No. 61. In other words, the story of the Asian home run record was all there was. That was definitely the case. Alexander McDowell was talking about his rival who would be coming to the United States soon, but it was just a storm in a teacup.

And now.

[66 home runs this season!! Choi Soo-won’s never-ending home run show!!]

The chances were still not high.

The number of games left was only 4.

But even so, people were whispering.

Even across the Pacific. Even here in the United States, the home of baseball.

-Maybe.