The Pitcher Just Hits Home Runs Well [EN]: Chapter 281

281. The Dignity of a Starter (4)

Eastern Time in the United States is 13 hours behind Korea. Because of this time difference, Oh Gyu-hwan managed to become a very diligent early bird today.

Normally, he’d barely pry his eyes open around 7:50 AM, leave for work around 8:20 AM, and arrive at the office just in time for 9:00 AM. But today, he woke up a whopping 1 hour and 30 minutes earlier, quickly got ready, and arrived at the office by 7:30 AM.

“Well, it’s Suwon’s historic major league debut. Even if I can’t go to the US, I should grab a good spot and watch properly.”

Thus, the game started at 7:45 AM, and exactly 15 minutes later, he felt his efforts were well worth it.

“Crazy!! Wow, that’s really insane.”

He didn’t know the major league players well. But according to the commentators, the Tampa Bay Rays had concentrated their team’s ten years’ worth of potential to make a run for the championship, making them a top contender.

And Suwon recorded a three-up, three-down inning against those hitters. Moreover, the second batter was said to have finished 7th in last year’s MVP voting, yet he struck him out with just three pitches.

Moving on to the top of the 2nd inning.

The Yankees’ offense, starting with the 8th batter.

The camera focused on Choi Suwon, who had put down his glove and was stepping into the batter’s box with his bat, and lingered there for a while.

‘Well, even if the commentary is being done separately in Korea, the video feed itself is coming directly from the US. In the end, this is proof that there is just as much interest in Choi Suwon in the US right now.’ Oh Gyu-hwan felt a sense of pride for no real reason. It was the pride of a true fan who had been supporting Choi Suwon since he was just a young, buzz-cut high school student.

[Now, our Choi Suwon is at the plate, watching the Tampa Bay Rays’ starting pitcher, Mason Montgomery. So far, in 3 games (2 starts and 1 appearance as a pinch hitter), he has recorded 6 hits in 11 at-bats with 2 home runs. He’s posting an absurd stat line of .545/.545/1.182. We can look forward to a great performance in his next at-bat.]

[Normally, a hitter’s batting sense tends to fluctuate, but our Choi Suwon is currently on a huge upswing. If I had to point out even the slightest concern, it would be that he took a break in yesterday’s game and that he’s starting today. But in reality, these aren’t really major concerns.]

[Yes, that’s right. The batting prowess that Choi Suwon showed in the last three-game series against Boston wasn’t the kind that would disappear just from not playing for a day. Moreover, Choi Suwon also hit really well in games he started when he was playing in Korea.]

To be honest, even when he was playing in the KBO [Korean Baseball Organization], his batting average was a bit lower on days he pitched. In particular, his slugging percentage was about 0.15 lower. But Choi Suwon is an extraordinary monster with a season slugging percentage close to 1.1, so a 0.2 drop in slugging percentage is like the best slugger in the league dropping to an average hitter.

[Now, at the plate is the Yankees’ 8th batter, Jose Trevino. He’s the Yankees’ starting catcher who is paired with Choi Suwon today.]

[Some of you may remember, but Jose Trevino briefly played with Lee Hyo-jong of the Hawks 8 years ago. Back then, no one would have imagined that he would be able to play as a starter in the big leagues for so long, especially on a big-market team like the Yankees. He’s really amazing.]

Jose Trevino swung his bat hard.

– Whoosh!!

“Strike!!”

Jose Trevino’s batting average, based on last year, was .233/.262/.378.

His defense was still excellent enough to win a Gold Glove [award given to the best defensive player for each position], but his hitting was now slightly below average for a catcher.

Mason Montgomery, who had been thoroughly dominated in the top of the 1st inning, got Jose Trevino to swing again with a bold changeup.

– Clack!!

[Weakly hit ball!! Wander Franco catches it easily and throws to 1st!! At 1st!!]

“Out!!”

[He’s out.]

[Jose Trevino is out on a ground ball. One out, no runners. Now, finally, Choi Suwon comes to the plate.]

He adjusts his helmet with his left hand and taps it twice. At the same time, he touches his bat with his right hand, taps home plate once, and then adjusts his stance. It was Choi Suwon’s unique batting routine, nothing special.

There were no cheering songs coming from the amps like in the KBO. But at this moment, Oh Gyu-hwan felt as if BGM from a movie or drama was playing in his ears. Oh Gyu-hwan muttered to himself without realizing it.

“Damn, he’s so cool…”

Yes, Choi Suwon was cool with his glove and ball, but what really suited him was wearing a helmet and holding a bat.

Mason Montgomery on the mound fiddled with the ball in his glove.

He was a rookie who had just debuted in the big leagues, but he didn’t think of him as a pushover. Two years ago, Mason Montgomery had been brutally crushed by Alexander McDowell in the process of him rising through the minors. Yes, Choi Suwon, who is at the plate now, is the guy who the Mets’ crazy monster is going around saying is his rival.

He thought.

‘Okay, first, I’ll throw a fastball just outside the low corner. If he swings and misses, I’ll throw a sinker a little deeper inside. If he doesn’t, I’ll throw a curveball outside. And… (omitted)… if the count gets full, don’t be greedy trying to strike him out, and try to induce a weak swing or a ground ball with a changeup that drops outside. Yes, Mason. You can do it. You’re not the Mason who got crushed by Alexander McDowell back then anymore.’

And so, finally, the first pitch.

A slightly outside, low-corner pitch.

– Crack!!

‘Huh?’

Choi Suwon’s bat connected with the ball.

***

Before I could hesitate, my bat reacted first.

I’ve been hitting inside pitches pretty well lately, but the truth is, I’m really confident with outside pitches. It was a slightly outside pitch, but it was good enough to hit.

– Crack!!!

But I guess big leaguers are big leaguers for a reason?

The ball had a little bit of late movement. I forced myself to pull the ball, which was slightly off the sweet spot and caught on the end of the bat, all the way.

Between 1st and 2nd base.

A ball that soared over the 2nd baseman’s head.

Should I try to run to 2nd?

No, no.

I can’t ignore the defense of Jackson Carroll, who is playing right field today. Now that his future has changed because of me, I don’t know how his career will go, but the fact that he has the potential to win five Gold Gloves hasn’t changed.

[Choi Suwon!! A clean hit on the first pitch!! He stops at 1st without overdoing it. It was a pitch that was quite far out of the zone, but he managed to attack it like that.]

[He’s really proving that he’s a player worth giving an 80 grade to for HIT [baseball scouting term for an exceptional hitter]. Choi Suwon. With this, he has recorded a hit in four consecutive games since his debut. He’s a truly fantastic hitter. The Yankees fans must want to run to Brian Cashman [Yankees General Manager] and shower him with kisses right now.]

Anthony Volpe came to the plate.

[He recorded a double in the previous inning, right? The 1st batter, Anthony Volpe, comes to the plate.]

[Anthony Volpe is the No. 2 Derek Jeter’s successor that the Yankees have been looking for for a long time, isn’t he? He’s been consistently playing as the Yankees’ starting shortstop since 2023. But so far, it’s been a bit disappointing compared to expectations. Of course, he’s a great player who has already been to the All-Star Game twice at the age of 26. Anyway, I hope he grows once again this season and shows a performance that really lives up to the name of Derek Jeter’s successor.]

Two and a half steps without overdoing it.

I wasn’t planning on sliding if I could help it, but I changed my gloves to sliding gloves just in case.

Seeing that, the Tampa Bay 1st baseman spoke to me.

“Whoa, whoa, are you even planning to slide? Look, the season is long enough. You’re going to run while being a pitcher and a hitter? Aren’t you overdoing it?”

“Well, I rested too much yesterday, so I have a little too much energy. And when the path ahead is so clear, I can’t help but want to run at full speed.”

Foul, ball, ball, foul, foul.

And the sixth.

– Crack!!

Volpe’s powerfully hit ball flew quickly.

A line drive that stretched out straight.

You could tell just by the sound of the hit.

This is a hit.

My body stretched out towards 2nd base.

[Anthony Volpe hit it!! Between 2nd and 3rd base!! A strong hit!!]

[1st base runner Choi Suwon starts running quickly!!]

Recently, whenever I got a hit, Aaron Judge was always in front of me. He’s not as slow as Senior Kyu-man, but he was somehow subtly frustrating.

[He’s fast!! Choi Suwon!! He’s very fast. Already past 2nd base and heading to 3rd!!]

[Josh Willcox catches the ball and throws to 3rd!! At 3rd!!]

Bent-leg slide.

My left foot stepped on 3rd base.

– Thud!!!

“Safe!!!”

[Safe!! He’s safe!! Choi Suwon’s great baserunning play!!]

[One out, runners on 1st and 3rd. Aaron Judge comes to the plate.]

“Nice running.”

The base coach at 3rd base patted the dirt off my butt.

[Wow, Choi Suwon is very fast. He might be as fast as Anthony Volpe.]

[The reason I talked about the batting order before is because of this. Choi Suwon is too fast of a hitter to be placed behind Aaron. He’s a right-handed hitter who runs around 4.1 seconds. That’s almost 0.5 seconds faster than the MLB average last year. Moreover, it only took him 6.4 seconds to get to 3rd base just now. If Judge’s legs were perfect, I don’t know, but in the current situation where he’s playing cautiously, I think Choi Suwon’s batting order should be in front of Judge.]

– Crack!!!

[Just like that.]

Aaron Judge’s clean 2-RBI single.

Top of the 2nd inning.

The score difference with Tampa Bay widened to 6 points.

– Crack!!!

Ah, that makes it 8 points.

And Mason Montgomery was taken off the mound after just 1.1 innings.

The game continued.

***

8 PM local time.

And 9 AM.

Oh Gyu-hwan naturally headed to the rightmost stall in the bathroom.

“Ah…”

The Yankees were beating up Tampa Bay so excitingly that the game was getting too long.

It’s only the bottom of the 3rd inning.

The score is still 8:0.

Choi Suwon went up to the mound.

He easily shut down the bottom of the 2nd inning as well, and now it’s the bottom of the 3rd, starting with the 8th batter in the lower order. This was actually a very awkward sight, even though I’ve been watching Suwon pitch for a long time.

No, the score is 8:0.

Even worse, 8 is the score of Suwon’s team, not the opposing team.

Even for Oh Gyu-hwan, who had been supporting Choi Suwon for so long, the sight of the team Suwon belonged to unilaterally beating up the opponent in a game where Suwon was pitching was a very unfamiliar sight.

Oh Gyu-hwan thought.

‘Maybe this is a sign of the rosy path that will unfold in front of our Suwon in the future?’

– Crack!!!

‘Huh?’

The Tampa Bay Rays’ 8th batter, Jackson Carroll, powerfully hit Choi Suwon’s first pitch.