The Pitcher Just Hits Home Runs Well [EN]: Chapter 288

288. Icon (1)

On the way back to New York.

Despite the setback of Aaron Judge, the team’s key hitter, being injured and losing the last game of the series, the team’s atmosphere wasn’t too bad.

That’s because we currently have 6 wins and 3 losses in the 9 games since the opening. We took all three series. Also, Aaron Judge’s hamstring injury wasn’t that serious—a partial muscle tear for 3 weeks. Well, he might be able to return a little sooner depending on his efforts, and while he’s resting, he can also get his right ankle treated to return in a more complete state, right?

—Choi Su-won!! The beginning of a great journey towards the League MVP!!

—The hottest rookie in the Yankees’ 125-year history!!

—The second DiMaggio? ‘Did Choi Su-won get a hit today?’ ‘No, he hit a home run today.’

—Hits in 7 consecutive games since debut!! 8th all-time among debut records under the age of 20!!

I briefly opened my smartphone to read the news.

These sensational news articles were surprisingly not from Korean portals. The ones there are so embarrassing that I can’t even bring myself to look at them.

The Mariners guys upload screenshots to the group chat, and when I skim through them, it’s confirmed that Park Ji-sung’s heart, Son Heung-min’s both feet, and my bat are the three great wonders of Korea. The baseball fans and soccer fans are having a pointless battle over whether I should be placed as Korea’s all-time sports No. 1, and it’s continuing past midnight.

The articles I just checked were from New York newspapers.

They used to spread false rumors that I went to clubs I didn’t even go to, but now, after only 9 games, they’re summoning everything from the League MVP to the Yankees’ 125-year history. I don’t even know if that Joe DiMaggio story is a compliment or if they’re trying to subtly diss me. Comparing me, who has only hit in seven consecutive games, to a player who hit in 56 consecutive games is a bit much, isn’t it? I thought for a moment.

—Alexander McDowell hits his 3rd and 4th multi-home runs of the season!!

—Beyond Rookie of the Year, towards MVP!! Alexander McDowell, the 20-year-old genius, is on a roll!!

—Alexander McDowell’s seventh multi-home run of his career!! The fastest pace ever. Is it possible to surpass Ruth?

Seeing Alex summoning Babe Ruth with just one more multi-home run, I thought, ‘This is truly the land of capitalism.’ The clickbait titles that are desperate for traffic surpass even Korea in some ways.

Tyler Beatty, who was sitting nearby, spoke to me.

“Swan, what are you going to do when you get back to New York?”

“What do you mean? It’s late, so I’m going to sleep.”

“Tomorrow is a day off. We have to party.”

“Yeah, I’m twenty.”

“Ah······.”

Unlike Korea, the drinking age in the United States is 21. A country where you can buy a gun at 18, but you can’t buy alcohol. That’s America.

“And I have a schedule tomorrow anyway.”

“Schedule? What schedule?”

“I’m scheduled to appear on ESPN’s TV show.”

Appearing on a nationally broadcast TV show is an extremely unusual offer for a player who has only played in nine games since his debut, even if he is playing exceptionally well.

However, there was a ‘justification’ for it, which was ESPN’s Sunday Night Baseball, a baseball broadcast that airs nationally on Sunday evenings.

Basically, even in the United States, Sunday games are played during the day. However, one game every Sunday is held at 7 p.m. Eastern Time, and it’s a tradition that started in 1990 when ESPN began broadcasting that one game nationwide.

Because baseball has a lot of games, the audience is dispersed, and as a result, the number of viewers per game is a bit smaller compared to the NBA or NFL. However, this Sunday Night Baseball game is an exception, with an average of over 1.8 million viewers per game.

Considering that the NBA usually has around 1.5 million viewers per game, and Monday Night Baseball or Wednesday Night Baseball has around 800,000 to 900,000, it’s definitely a broadcast that represents ESPN.

Thanks to this, pre-interviews with players and simple shows are often organized, and the offer I received this time was part of that. Yes, the second game of the away series against the Mets, which will take place immediately after the upcoming four-game series against Toronto, has been selected as this week’s Sunday Night Baseball game.

[Finally, two geniuses face off!! The next-generation icon of MLB is revealed!!]

Before my regression, when I was playing for an unpopular team, I never got the chance to appear on national broadcasts, even for important games with postseason implications.

***

A studio in Connecticut.

“Hello, baseball fans across the country. Today, we have two very special guests who we had a hard time getting here. Last year’s youngest Rookie of the Year and youngest All-Star in both leagues, and the youngest All-Star MVP, Alexander McDowell!!”

“Neil, long time no see.”

“Haha, it’s been 8 months since I saw you last August. You look like you’re in better shape?”

“It’s the age when I’m growing the most. More than that, my friend is waiting over there, so let’s skip the greetings and introduce him quickly.”

“Whoa, don’t rush me. Unlike baseball, where you have to put the best player in the starting lineup, broadcasting is about building up the atmosphere and teasing the audience before introducing the main character.”

“Oh? If that’s the case, I think I came out too early. Should I go back and wait?”

“Unfortunately, you came out in the right order today. This industry always welcomes new faces. Let me introduce him. The man who has recorded the most home runs in the world in a year. The guy that Alexander McDowell keeps talking about as his rival. The home run king who throws 101 miles!! Choi Su-won!!”

“Hello, I’m Choi Su-won.”

Neil Smith, a black host, welcomed me with slightly exaggerated gestures.

“Wow, you look much taller than you do on TV. 6 feet 4 inches?”

“No, it’s about 6 feet 3.5 inches.”

“I see. Alex is 5 feet 11 inches, so that’s almost a 5-inch difference.”

Alex got angry at Neil’s height comment.

“Who’s 5 feet 11 inches? I’m 6 feet. 6 feet.”

“Huh? Isn’t it 5 feet and 11 inches on your profile?”

“That’s last year’s measurement. I was 11.5 inches even then. And I’ve grown since then.”

In fact, 5 feet 11 inches is 180 centimeters, so it’s definitely not short. However, just like in Korea, there’s not much difference between 179 and 180 centimeters, but 180 seems to be a subtle standard, there’s a subtle something between 5 feet 11 inches and 6 feet in the United States. After a brief squabble, there was a brief discussion about height and weight.

“I realize once again that throwing a 101-mile ball is impossible without natural physical conditions. Oh, right. And I always wanted to ask Choi Su-won this question. When Alex appeared on the show before, he mentioned Ted Williams and Choi Su-won as his rivals. He said that he sensed a fateful rivalry in a youth tournament. He said that they were sharing a connection beyond the Pacific Ocean. Is that all true?”

From a fateful rivalry to a connection beyond the Pacific Ocean to Ted Williams.

These cringe-worthy stories flowed from his mouth, and I cringed just listening to them, even though I didn’t say them myself. But Alex’s expression is so confident. No, it’s more than confident, he’s looking at me with eyes full of something like ‘expectation’.

-Grinding······.

It was a cringe-worthy story that didn’t suit my taste. That’s because I’m 20 years old on the outside, but I’m in my mid-30s on the inside. It’s old enough to cure even the most powerful case of middle school syndrome [a phase of adolescent awkwardness and exaggerated emotions]. But I held back. This is all business. Business.

“Yes, I got along well with Alex from the first time I met him at the WBSC 2025 U-18 Baseball World Cup [World Baseball Softball Confederation Under-18 Baseball World Cup]. I was really surprised when I heard that he had even given up going to high school to advance to the MLB even one year faster, even though he was the same age as me.”

“Ah, so did Alexander McDowell’s decision influence Choi Su-won’s decision to give up ‘hundreds of millions of dollars’ in salary and enter Major League Baseball as an international prospect?”

“To some extent. As someone who plays baseball, I was naturally considering the MLB. However, I had the ‘privilege’ of being a Korean born in Korea, so I thought it would be more efficient to play in my home country’s professional league than to come to the United States and go through the minor leagues, and as you can see, that has been proven true.”

A short conversation of about 20 minutes.

But as expected of ESPN, which is considered the best in the world in sports broadcasting, the questions that followed were quite substantial. They were stories that could promote me and Alexander McDowell appropriately, but also stories that people would be curious about.

“Also, many fans are curious about Choi Su-won. Do you have any plans to switch to being a full-time hitter? Of course, throwing 101 miles is amazing, but OPS 1.902 [On-Base Plus Slugging, a sabermetric baseball statistic] is a number that goes beyond amazing.”

“Wait a minute. Can I share my opinion first?”

Before I could answer, Alexander McDowell opened his mouth first. Neil and I readily nodded.

“Personally, I think Su-won’s decision to be a two-way player is the right one. Oh, of course, I’m not feeling any pressure from the home run king competition. Su-won has been a pitcher all along. Of course, there are players who switch to being fielders after the age of 20, but not many of those players excel in defense. It’s a bit of a rambling story, but anyway, I think of Su-won as a pitcher with amazing hitting skills. Not a 101-mile-throwing hitter.”

“Ah, so you’re saying he’s a pitcher who hits 73 home runs, not a hitter who throws 101 miles. It sounds like a bit of a pun, but it’s strangely persuasive. What do you think, Choi Su-won?”

I opened my mouth.

“Actually, that’s a story that came up a lot when I was playing in the KBO [Korean Baseball Organization]. Well, if we judge it rationally, if we only look at the current performance, I think there’s a good chance that my WAR [Wins Above Replacement, a comprehensive baseball statistic] would be higher if I switched to being a hitter and played in as many games as possible. But.”

A brief pause here.

And the gaze naturally shifts from the host to the main camera.

“If I only considered rationality, I would have played in the Korean league for 5 more years and come to the United States with a major league contract instead of being an international prospect. Also, if I only considered rationality, Mickey Mantle wouldn’t have made that hustle play. Also, Derek Jeter’s The Flip wouldn’t have happened. Rational and calculated play? Of course, it’s important. But isn’t it cooler to follow the opinion of the guy pounding in your chest rather than the little lump between your ears when making the most important decisions in life?”

“Haha······. Well, what should I say? I can see why Alex chose him as his fateful rival.”

What is it?

Is that an insult?

The first game of the series against the Toronto Blue Jays on Tuesday.

My second pitching game began.