The Pitcher Just Hits Home Runs Well [EN]: Chapter 303

303. Look Over There (12)

Peter Drucker said:

‘The purpose of marketing is to discover the unmet needs of consumers and satisfy them, thereby encouraging voluntary purchases.’

Jennifer Kang of YES Network was a somewhat unique woman. She started working at YES Network because of a Japanese novel she read in her childhood, ‘What If a Female High School Baseball Manager Read Peter Drucker?’ Of course, that near-fantasy story couldn’t be applied to reality at all.

“The unmet need of the Yankees’ consumers, or rather, Major League Baseball’s consumers, is fantasy.”

“Fantasy?”

“Yes, a fantasy where obvious superhumans emerge and pioneer realms that humans can’t imagine.”

“Go on.”

Jennifer Kang continued.

“I believe Shohei Ohtani’s recent performance accurately stimulated that part. Pitcher and hitter. The very image of perfectly performing two roles that were thought to be incompatible. Of course, experts might talk about a roster spot or a pitcher slot, but ordinary people aren’t interested in that kind of thing.”

“So, you’re saying we should actively promote our Choi Su-won in that area? But we’re already doing that.”

She shook her head.

“No. Choi Su-won is different from Shohei Ohtani.”

“Yes, of course, he’s a bit weaker as a pitcher. But that’s natural. He’s only twenty years old. Even Ohtani didn’t show such a perfect performance in both pitching and hitting from the start. Besides, even his top speed is already close to Ohtani’s best record.”

“No, no. That’s not what I mean. That’s something for the scouting team to worry about. I’m talking about it from a marketing perspective.”

“Marketing?”

“Yes, the gap is too short. Of course, Ohtani Shohei was shocking. But after that, even if you can receive the same evaluation in terms of overall performance or player value, the story is a bit less impactful because the preceding Ohtani was so shocking. The recent rivalry between Choi Su-won and Alexander McDowell completely overwhelmed the buzz of the story we were pushing about the birth of the next-generation two-way star, which proves that.”

It was certainly a valid point.

The team leader nodded.

“So, let’s continue to develop the story by connecting with Alexander McDowell? But even if it’s Boston, it’s a bit difficult to keep connecting with them when there’s only one series left, right?”

“No. There’s no need to do that. Rivalries with active players are good, but the real impact comes from comparisons with legendary players we all know, doesn’t it? Frankly, Ohtani Shohei’s two-way performance also leaned on the achievements of the legendary Ruth. But strictly speaking, in Ruth’s case, there were about two seasons where he overlapped as he transitioned from pitcher to hitter, so it’s hard to see him as truly committed to being a two-way player like Ohtani Shohei. But even then, that wasn’t important. What was important was the title of the first two-way player born since the ‘God of Baseball.’ A handsome and sexy ‘Asian’ challenges the God of Baseball. It’s a great frame.”

“So? Who are we going to frame Choi Su-won with, and how?”

Jennifer Kang smiled.

“Well, there are two very good models. Two of them.”

***

[Crazy!! This is just crazy. 11-game hitting streak!! He’s not giving us any room to feel uneasy. No, when a record like this is on the line, you’re supposed to feel nervous. Choi Su-won. He just coolly breaks the record from his first at-bat.]

[It’s the 16th game since the season started. About 1/10th of the season is passing. Choi Su-won has played in 11 games so far, starting in 9 games. 38 plate appearances, 33 at-bats, 17 hits. 5 walks. His slash line [batting average/on-base percentage/slugging percentage] is .515/.579/1.333, with an OPS [on-base plus slugging] of 1.912. No, these numbers don’t make sense at this point in the season. An 11-game hitting streak and a .500 batting average.]

[There have been a few more rest days, but he’s a player who deserves the expression ‘overwhelming.’ As a pitcher, he has 8 runs in 17.1 innings so far. If a 20-year-old starting pitcher is recording an ERA [earned run average] of 4.16, especially in the American League East, which is famous for its hot bats, that’s a great prospect. Moreover, he’s a pitcher whose top speed exceeds 103 miles per hour. But for such a pitcher, just switching to a hitter… Moreover, this player hasn’t practiced fielding as a fielder, so he has to play as a first baseman or designated hitter, but his performance is so good that there’s serious talk about whether it’s better to just switch to a hitter.]

[I don’t know about anything else, but I’m concerned that he only has 38 plate appearances right now. Even if he plays all of today’s game, that’s 42 plate appearances, which means he’s almost 70 plate appearances short of the required plate appearances.]

[Well, I think manager Jeff Clark is fully considering that. Besides, if he continues to record these kinds of percentages, I think he can definitely be an MVP even if he falls short of the required plate appearances.]

[Has there ever been an MVP hitter who didn’t meet the required plate appearances?]

[Yes, Willie Stargell of Pittsburgh jointly won the award with Keith Hernandez of St. Louis in 1979. Ah, of course, I don’t think Choi Su-won’s crazy record will continue throughout the season, but if… if he achieves a .400 batting average even when applying the Tony Gwynn rule [a hypothetical rule where a player with a high batting average wins MVP even without enough plate appearances]…]

Tyler Beede came to the plate.

Rafael Devers, the Boston third baseman, spoke to me as I dusted off my butt after stepping on third base. He is a Dominican Republic native who signed an 11-year, $331 million contract with Boston in 2023. His career OPS is 0.893, which is very good. However, there were two seasons where it exploded to over 1.0, but he failed to win the MVP, finishing second both times. That’s why I feel a strange sense of kinship with him.

“Rookie. You’re pretty fast, aren’t you?”

“Not as much as my bat, but these legs are pretty useful too. But more than that, is there any plan to do something about that crazy wall [the Green Monster at Fenway Park]? If it weren’t for that damn wall, I could have just walked in, right?”

“Haha, the players who hit the Green Monster always say the same thing.”

“Then your answer will be the same too, right?”

“Exactly. The management says that the seats above the Green Monster are so expensive. Even if they abandon this stadium and build a new one, they’ll probably make the Green Monster again.”

“Damn it.”

“But don’t be too disappointed. You get a lot more triples instead. Besides, even if you only count home runs, the right side is much more advantageous than the left side here. I’m not saying this because I’m a left-handed hitter; the data proves it.”

Amid meaningless small talk,

-Crack!!

Tyler Beede lofted Tanner Houck’s second pitch high.

The batted ball stretched out.

“Oh, this could be a hit? Why don’t you just run now?”

“I’d recommend focusing a little more on defense than talking to me right now.”

Near the Green Monster.

Masataka Yoshida, the left fielder, caught the batted ball that could have been a hit if it had gone just a little further and hit the wall.

Fast sprint.

Yoshida’s quickly thrown ball passed through Rafael Devers’ glove and flew straight to home. It was a very clean relay play, but of course, my feet were much faster than that.

“Safe!!”

[Top of the 1st, 1:0!! The Yankees score the first run.]

[The Yankees definitely have a little more run support when Choi Su-won is playing as a hitter.]

[The record doesn’t lie. He’s a .515/.579/1.333 hitter with 7 home runs, so of course, he’s going to have more run support.]

I brushed the dirt off my body and returned to the dugout.

“Good job.”

I lightly bumped fists with a few players. A clean first run in the top of the first. Of course, the atmosphere couldn’t be bad…

Ah, there is.

There was a guy in the corner exuding a gloomy aura.

Domingo Rodriguez.

The losing pitcher from yesterday’s game with 1 run in 8 innings.

He shouted with his eyes.

‘If you had done just one of these things in yesterday’s game, I wouldn’t have been the losing pitcher!!’

Of course, I cleanly ignored his gaze and focused on the game.

-Whoosh!!!

“Strike!! Out!!!!”

[4th batter. Angel Cabrera. Swinging strikeout on the 5th pitch slider!! Top of the 1st. The Yankees’ attack ends like this.]

Certainly, it is noticeable that the hitting sense of our hitters has deteriorated recently. If there are hitters with good hitting cycles and hitters with bad hitting cycles, the overall balance of the batting lineup should be balanced, but in the process of winning 11 out of 15 games this time, the kids overall felt like they had raised their pace too quickly.

“Okay, everyone!! Let’s block this inning well.”

Anthony Volpe made a pretty loud noise to raise the slightly subdued atmosphere of the dugout, even though he had scored the first point.

Honestly, this is partly Domingo’s fault, but the mood is bound to be contagious. He’s even our team’s ace. A true ace isn’t just the most powerful pitcher. It’s a pitcher who gives the feeling that even in the moment when the team is on a losing streak, he will break it, and gives the belief that he will break it.

But if the ace, who is supposed to give that feeling, is exuding that kind of aura on a winning game like today because his game was lost the day before…

“Cheer up?”

“What about my expression?”

“You’re shouting with your face that if you had scored like today in yesterday’s game, I wouldn’t have been the losing pitcher!!”

“!?”

He looked at me with a surprised expression.

‘No way, you can read that?’

That’s the expression.

“What. Don’t tell me you really didn’t know that your expression is all over your face?”

“I’ve been told I have a poker face since I was a kid…”

“Isn’t that the story on the mound?”

“Ah!!”

‘Ah!!’ is freezing to death.

“Anyway, cheer up. The kids are drooping because they’re worried about you. Honestly, even from the position of the fielders, it’s very nerve-wracking to give the starting pitcher a loss record when he had 1 run in 8 innings.”

“Okay. Damn it… But really. Should I just ask them to adjust the order of my starts? You can come out as the 4th starter, right?”

“Well, I guess you could. But I think this structure is better for the team’s victory. Don’t you think so?”

Domingo frowned.

“This structure is better?”

“You’re our top horse. So maybe the manager believes in you?”

His expression suddenly brightened.

“Ah, is that what you meant?”

Such an easy guy to understand.

Garrett Cole on the mound was throwing the ball with the force that 1 point was enough. Certainly, that gentleman is really great on days when he’s on.

Domingo, who had been silent for a while, suddenly spoke as if he had thought of something.

“Ah, right. You don’t have any special plans after the game today, do you?”

“Why?”

“There’s someone who wants to meet you.”

“Someone who wants to meet me? Who is it?”

He grinned.

“Pedro.”

Pedro?

It’s too common a name. Without exaggeration, there are dozens of Pedros gathered in this stadium right now. Maybe over a hundred.

“Martinez.”

Similarly, it is too common a surname. Again, without exaggeration, there are at least dozens of Martinezes gathered in this stadium right now.

But the moment those two names are combined, the meaning changes greatly. Especially if the guy who mentioned the name is Domingo Rodriguez.

“Goodness. Pedro Martinez?”

“Uh.”

The Pedro Martinez he was talking about was the pitcher who had the most dominant season in history and a man who considered the Yankees his father [a player who strongly dislikes the Yankees’ rival team, the Boston Red Sox].

Yes, it was that Pedro Martinez.