The Pitcher Just Hits Home Runs Well [EN]: Chapter 267

267. The Legend of a Bygone Era? (3)

[The Asia’s Home Run King’s Bottomed Out. Why Did He Cross the Pacific and Give Up His Bat?]

[Epic Overstatement. Two-Way Player? No. Just a Pitcher Who Throws a Maximum of 96 Miles.]

[Machine Difference? Or Is There a Problem Somewhere? Why Can’t the Top Prospect Who Was Supposed to Throw 102 Miles Throw More Than 96 Miles?]

[Control Issues? A Series of Hit-by-Pitch Incidents Followed by Wild Pitches.]

While Korean articles were almost cringeworthy in their praise of me, the New York media took the opposite approach. Their articles threw accusations around without regard for cause and effect or fact-checking.

“Is this what they call New York journalism?”

Perhaps they were unhappy that I went straight to Florida after signing with the Yankees without granting them an interview.

But honestly, I didn’t really care. These were stories that would disappear as soon as I proved my skills. In fact, they’d probably be even more eager to praise me then. The media thrives on clicks, after all.

“Hey, Swan. Go see the manager.”

I went to the bullpen as usual after arriving at the stadium, but the pitching coach told me the manager was looking for me. If you were a rookie or a player with an uncertain future, a summons from the manager would make your heart sink. A personal meeting with the manager during spring training often precedes being sent down to the minor leagues. But my situation was a little different.

“Congratulations in advance. It’s starting now.”

The pitching coach knew it too.

Two-way player.

Currently, I was being used solely as a pitcher under the pretense of acclimation. But I wasn’t going to be stuck in the minors for long. Eventually, I needed to be an immediate asset in the majors this season. It was about time to start as a two-way player.

-Knock knock

“It’s Choi Su-won.”

“Come in.”

In the small office, manager Jeff Clark, looking a little tired, put down his tablet and looked at me.

“I think you already know why I called you, so I’ll get straight to the point. You’ll pitch today and play as a hitter the day after tomorrow. Three innings today. And let’s gradually increase the number of innings from now on. Okay?”

“Yes.”

“Oh, and the scouting team recommends increasing the proportion of curveballs a bit. I think so too.”

“I’ll think about it.”

“Okay.”

I had been considering using more curveballs recently anyway. Among all the pitches in baseball, the curveball is the most likely to succeed as a go-to pitch, except for the knuckleball, which is a bit of an anomaly.

Moreover, the curveball will be even more effective starting two years from now. AI umpires, which were being tested in the minor leagues, will be introduced to the big leagues. The AI will judge strikes and balls in real time and transmit them to the home plate umpire, who will simply announce the call.

In fact, the increase in pitchers actively using curveballs these days is largely due to this AI umpire system. The results in some leagues where it was used on a trial basis were truly remarkable.

Usually, the pitching map we are familiar with is two-dimensional. But in reality, the strike zone is not a plane but a space – three-dimensional. Human umpires usually don’t call a curveball that almost hits the ground a strike, even if it nicks the bottom of the zone as it enters the catcher’s mitt. But the AI’s judgment is different. It judges whether the ball passed through the strike zone at any point.

Thanks to this, viewers watching the game on video often see pitches they think, ‘How is that a strike?’ being called strikes. It’s the same from the batter’s point of view. Of course, these trends are cyclical, and after the 33rd season, many batters specialize in hitting curveballs again, but for at least two or three years, the curveball is a pitch you can exploit.

I walked for a while, lost in thought, and before I knew it, I was in the bullpen.

Jose Trevino greeted me, already in his catching gear.

“You’re here?”

“Yes.”

“What did the manager say? Are you playing as a hitter starting tomorrow?”

“No. Not tomorrow, but the day after tomorrow.”

“The Home Run King’s batting. We can finally see it.”

“You’ve seen me practice hitting often. What’s so new about it?”

“Hey, but it’s different from playing in a real game. Oh, right. But then you’ll be doing live batting practice now, right?”

“Yes, he told me to go straight into live batting practice today.”

There are many ways to practice hitting, but the batting practice I’ve been doing so far is toss batting, where a partner lightly tosses the ball for me to hit. Live batting, on the other hand, is practice where you hit balls thrown by a pitcher, simulating a real game.

Well, it’s not exactly the same. There are variations that just give you a feel for the real thing and only throw balls that are easy to hit, types that throw strictly into the strike zone, and types that throw completely like in a real game. It all depends on what you decide beforehand.

“What? Swan. Are you finally going into live batting practice? That’s great. I’ll help you with that.”

“Huh? Isn’t Rodriguez starting today?”

“Hey, call me Domingo. Well, I’m scheduled to pitch three innings, but I have to warm up lightly before the game anyway. Besides, it’s just a spring training game, right? Coach, is it okay?”

“······. Only 15 pitches.”

“Okay. That’s enough. What do you think, Swan? The coach gave permission.”

Domingo Rodriguez suddenly appeared and offered to throw pitches for my live batting practice. I knew what he was up to, but I was curious to see how well I would do against a top-tier major league pitcher.

Domingo Rodriguez was a pitcher that even my prime self before regression couldn’t just hit at will like in the KBO [Korean Baseball Organization] days. After all, he was a Cy Young [Award given annually to the best pitchers in each league] contender-level pitcher.

“Well, I appreciate it. Then I’ll warm up for a bit and see you in 20 minutes.”

“Okay.”

Last time, when Gerrit Cole and Domingo Rodriguez were vying for me as a teammate, they eventually gave me the ‘choice.’ Well, it wasn’t really a choice; it was just a nasty trick of leaving it up to me because they couldn’t settle it themselves.

“Ah, then I’ll take the seat next to Volpe. I’ll be playing as a fielder more often anyway. Actually, I got pretty close to Volpe while training here in Florida.”

And there, I chose a third party, not Gerrit Cole or Domingo Rodriguez. I thought it was a wise choice, but the problem is that those two have been subtly clinging to me ever since.

I warmed up thoroughly and walked out to the field for live batting practice. Domingo Rodriguez, who was already ready, was standing on the mound.

‘Finally, I get to see the skills of the Asia’s Home Run King that I’ve only heard about.’

‘Judging from the tee batting, he didn’t seem to have that much power to hit 73 home runs, right?’

‘But his accuracy was great in toss batting. He has good bat control.’

‘How many can he hit?’

‘Well, two if it goes to the outfield?’

‘The opponent is Domingo Rodriguez, though?’

‘Even if the opponent is Domingo, he’s a batter who hit almost .400 with 73 home runs even in the AA [Double-A, the second-highest level of Minor League Baseball] league. He should be able to do that much.’

And there were many other players and staff members who came out to the field. It seemed that the rumor had already spread throughout the team while I was warming up.

“How about it? It’s been a while since you’ve done live batting practice. Should I throw it easy for you?”

“There’s no point in asking that if you’re going to do that, Mr. Rodriguez. Please make it as difficult as possible, just don’t take it out of the zone.”

“Hey, call me Domingo. Anyway, okay. Got it. No holding back. Inside the zone.”

I stepped into the batter’s box, adjusted my helmet with my left hand, and tapped my head twice. Then, I gripped the bat firmly twice with my right hand, tapped the home plate once, and adjusted my stance.

The pitcher on the mound is Domingo Rodriguez.

The Cy Young winner of the 24th season and one of the best pitchers in the league as of now.

In the 24th season when he won the Cy Young Award, the media called Domingo Rodriguez ‘Pedro Martinez in the mirror.’ Well, even if there was some exaggeration, the fact that they mentioned the name Pedro Martinez [Hall of Fame pitcher known for his dominance] alone shows his skill.

His repertoire includes a fastball with a maximum speed of 99 miles, three types of curveballs, a decent slider, a pretty good cutter, and a changeup that he uses as a finisher. It’s already impressive that a left-handed starter’s season average fastball exceeds 95 miles, but his pitching repertoire is also very diverse. Well, you have to do this much to be called the best pitcher in the league.

A smooth windup.

The hand hidden in the glove was pulled out from behind the head in an instant. A bizarre movement that seems to freeze a single frame in a flowing form. It’s even more deceptive when viewed from the batter’s box.

A fastball flying like lightning.

I missed the timing when the ball left his hand, but it was okay.

This is a ‘fastball that doesn’t leave the zone.’

Domingo Rodriguez is definitely one of the best pitchers in the league and a Cy Young Award winner. But so am I. Although I’ve never won an MVP [Most Valuable Player Award], at least from 2034 to 2042, looking at those nine years as a whole, I was the most dominant ‘hitter.’

-Clang!!!

My bat connected with his fastball.

A sharply hit ball.

“Crazy?”

Someone among those watching us shouted without realizing it. Domingo Rodriguez’s face on the mound was also visibly surprised.

And the sharply hit ball struck the left field fence.

‘As expected······.’

A little regret.

If I were the 120kg [265 lbs] I was before going back in time, this hit would have gone over the fence. My current weight is 100kg [220 lbs]. I lacked exactly 20kg [45 lbs] of power. But it couldn’t be helped.

Domingo Rodriguez threw the second ball.

I focused as much as possible and followed his pitching. Similarly, I felt a sense of incongruity as if a frame was cut between the smooth forms.

It was another fastball.

But the timing was different.

Clearly the same form, but the difference in speed and timing created a different result.

-Clang!!!

Ah, of course, that doesn’t mean I didn’t hit it. The hit that went to the right instead of the left fence landed inside the foul line. If there was an outfielder above the league average, it would be a single. If it was a team that actively used defensive shifts, it would be a double even if there was an All-Star-level outfielder.

Live batting continued.

Domingo Rodriguez didn’t throw a breaking ball for the third time either. Maybe it was his pride.

-Clang!!!

So this time I hit it perfectly.

Even with an unfamiliar form and timing control, if you throw three consecutive ‘fastballs that always come into the zone’ and you can’t hit them properly, you should be ashamed of the title ‘The man who achieved the most 2nd place in MVP in the 21st century.’ No, in fact, that title is a bit embarrassing even if that’s not the case. The man who achieved the most 2nd place······.

The sharply hit ball cleanly cleared the left field fence.

The noisy crowd quieted down after the two hits.

Domingo Rodriguez on the mound smiled.

“Wow······. This won’t work.”

And I could tell that Domingo Rodriguez was the type to smile when he was angry – with that smile that didn’t look like a smile.

The ace of our team, bubbling with anger, threw the fourth ball.