The Pitcher Just Hits Home Runs Well [EN]: Chapter 312

312. The Record-Making Machine (6)

Bottom of the 8th.

The score remained 0-1.

Anthony Volpe waited in the on-deck circle for his turn at bat.

He was 1-for-3 in today’s game. Of course, that one hit was a lucky Texas Leaguer [a bloop hit that falls between the infield and outfield], but it was still a hit. Considering his performance on defense, he had more than done his part today.

But it wasn’t enough.

The successor to ‘Derek Jeter.’

That phrase carried a lot of weight.

Derek Jeter, who retired in 2014, was a great player. But if you evaluated him based solely on his stats, without considering the name Derek Jeter, he was clearly a step behind the legendary players who had left their mark on Major League history.

Yet, the name Derek Jeter was special.

People often say, ‘Something special that can’t be expressed in numbers.’ Of course, with the concept of sabermetrics [the empirical analysis of baseball, especially baseball statistics that measure in-game activity] now widely adopted among ordinary people, that’s just a laughing matter.

But Derek Jeter clearly had that ‘something special that can’t be expressed in numbers.’ It wasn’t some outdated story like an invisible aura.

Sabermetrics is ultimately a ‘different’ way of looking at baseball. It’s a kind of methodology, and its scope is truly diverse. As of 2028, the stats that are publicly available are only primitive numbers processed based on extremely basic data. That’s why the experts in the clubs acknowledged Derek Jeter’s special qualities.

No. 2 Derek Jeter.

In the current era of baseball, there was a superstar named Shohei Ohtani. He would very likely be evaluated as a player who was close to or on par with ‘the first five’ [the top five players of all time]. But purely in terms of being a ‘national superstar,’ he still didn’t measure up to Derek Jeter.

The name ‘Derek Jeter’ was that kind of name.

Ninth batter Jose Trevino struck out swinging.

His slash line was 0.203/0.247/0.283 [batting average/on-base percentage/slugging percentage]. No matter how good his defense was, it was a slash line that made it worth looking for someone to replace him.

Anthony Volpe stepped up to the plate.

It was already the 8th inning. And the total number of pitches so far was 98. But Shawn Carpenter, who was on the mound for Tampa Bay today, didn’t show any signs of fatigue.

First pitch.

He checked his swing on a pitch that pulled him halfway out.

“Strike!!!”

Anthony Volpe argued that his bat hadn’t gone around, but of course, it was no use.

‘Damn it.’

As Derek Jeter’s successor, he needed to start showing something.

He saw Choi Soo-won in the on-deck circle.

He was a good guy. A great pitcher, a great hitter, and a great help to the team’s chemistry. But even so, the reason he couldn’t purely and completely like him was because of his own petty heart.

He wanted to stand out more than him.

The successor to Derek Jeter, who would lead the Yankees to a new golden age, had to be him, Anthony Volpe.

Second pitch.

Changeup.

-Whoosh!!!

“Strike!!!!!”

He couldn’t distinguish it at all.

0-2 count.

Third pitch.

He stubbornly hung in there.

Resulting in two foul balls.

And one ball.

-Thump, thump, thump.

His heart pounded relentlessly.

The fans filling the stadium chanted ‘Anthony Hit!!’ ‘Anthony Hit!!’ without a break.

And one more thing.

A foul ball flew into the infield seats behind the catcher.

And from there, a huge wave began. Not something artificially created, but a massive cheer created by the collective consciousness of the 46,000 fans filling Yankee Stadium encouraged Anthony Volpe.

Giving the batter an overwhelming sense of elation.

And the players of the Tampa Bay Rays standing on the field a strong sense of pressure.

Shawn Carpenter stepped onto the pitcher’s mound.

The chants and wave filling the stadium were still going strong. But for a moment, Anthony Volpe felt like he had entered a perfectly silent room where no noise was allowed.

The ace, who seemed unaffected by the surrounding environment, threw his seventh pitch. That is, his 105th pitch of the game.

Two-seamer?

Four-seamer?

Anthony Volpe swung his bat at the incoming ball.

-Whoosh!!!

“Strike!! Out!!!”

A fantastic changeup.

Derek Jeter’s successor was retired.

***

Two outs, no runners on base.

The 25-year-old ace was still going strong, nearing 110 pitches.

This wasn’t such an unfamiliar situation.

A Cy Young-level ace [award given annually to the best pitchers in Major League Baseball] was a great pitcher, but there were still two in each league every year. Well, if you included strong contenders, there were about four or five. I’d been in the big leagues for nine years, so I’d seen quite a few pitchers. I’d been completely dominated by some, and I’d completely dominated others.

What was a little unfamiliar was this body that was sagging like it had been soaked in water in the bottom of the 8th. Ah, of course, even in my prime, towards the end of the season, especially after playing a double-header, my body would get a little tired. But it was only the end of May. Even considering that I was only twenty years old and my body wasn’t fully developed yet, it was definitely more physically demanding to be a two-way player.

But no matter how hard it was, the posture that I had ingrained in my body flowed out naturally.

I stepped into the batter’s box, adjusted my helmet with my left hand, tapped my head twice, shook the bat in my right hand twice, tapped the home plate once, and then got into position.

A huge cheer filled the stadium.

There weren’t any big woofers like in the KBO [Korean Baseball Organization], but the energy that 46,000 people were putting out had a different kind of intensity.

The pitcher on the mound tried to stay calm.

He stepped on the pitcher’s plate as if to pretend that such external cheers couldn’t affect him at all.

Of course, he wasn’t really calm.

I could guarantee it.

Bottom of the 8th.

The score remained 0:1.

Yeah, there’s no pitcher who can be so calm in this situation.

[The pitcher winds up!!]

Generally, left-handed sidearm pitchers are weak against right-handed hitters. Considering that natural right-handers make up 90% of the population, it’s a tough condition to survive as a starter. As a result, they’re usually relievers, or closers at best, no matter how good their stuff is.

But even so, the reason why left-handed sidearm pitcher Shawn Carpenter was able to become a Cy Young-level starter was thanks to the exquisite combination of his four-seam fastball and two-seam fastball. The two fastballs, which looked completely identical until the midpoint, felt like they were moving right before they reached home plate.

So how do you attack that?

You can’t.

There are things that people can do and things that they can’t.

Why, didn’t Greg Maddux say something like this?

‘You can recognize when someone is playing with the movement of the ball, but you can’t recognize when someone is playing with the speed of the ball. Except for Tony Gwynn.’

That’s a lot of lessons to be learned.

Usually, it’s a saying that emphasizes the power of the changeup, but today, let’s change it up a bit and interpret it like this?

‘Tony Gwynn was a great hitter who could recognize when someone was playing with the speed of the ball, but he only got 3rd place in MVP [Most Valuable Player award] once. He’s a hitter who has never been in 2nd place or higher. So, the countless hitters who couldn’t recognize that were much greater hitters in their time.’

So, there’s no need to keep trying to do something that can’t be done.

Originally, baseball is. No, living in the world is about being able to gloss over things that you’re not good at. There’s a reason why baseball has three strikes and three outs.

But

‘Huh? Changeup?’

Instinctive realization.

This is a changeup, not a two-seamer or a four-seamer.

Yeah, that’s it. I can’t distinguish that guy’s two-seamer and four-seamer, but he’s throwing me a changeup on his own.

I pulled the bat that had moved slightly back again.

It wasn’t quite the time-difference hitting that Barry Bonds had shown. It was just a slight flinch? My breathing was a little messed up, but it was okay.

Like water flowing.

My bat perfectly connected with the guy’s changeup that was trying to escape to the outside.

-Crack!!!

The batted ball soared explosively.

The angle was a little high.

The eyes of 46,000 people moved along the trajectory of the flying ball.

But I knew the moment I hit the ball.

This is definitely going over.

Ah, but wait a minute.

The feel was good, but I have to take into account that I’m a little tired right now?

[He hit it!! Choi Soo-won!! To left field!! A high fly ball!! Left fielder Josh Willcock is moving quickly to the left fence!!]

I ran as hard as I could.

Past first base, towards second base.

And before stepping on second base, I glanced at the third base coach.

‘Ah… It went over.’

[It went over!! A solo home run that slightly clears the fence!! Choi Soo-won!! His seventeenth home run of the season!!]

[Bottom of the 8th!! Choi Soo-won’s solo home run adds another point!! The score is now 0:2. The Yankees are now leading by 2 points.]

Bottom of the 8th.

Despite giving up an additional run, the Tampa Bay Rays’ dugout left Shawn Carpenter on the mound without making a pitching change. And Shawn Carpenter gave up one walk, but managed to finish the 8th inning without any further runs.

And the 9th.

[It seems like both teams are conscious of the second game that will be played later today, right? Top of the 9th. Choi Soo-won is back on the mound.]

[Yes, in this case, we should assume that Choi Soo-won will not be starting in the second game later.]

[The leadoff hitter at the plate is Wander Franco, who is 1-for-3 in today’s game. Wander Franco.]

[If Choi Soo-won can get through this inning without allowing a run, he will achieve his first career shutout.]

When I came back after hitting a home run in the 8th inning, manager Jeff Clark asked me directly.

“Our original plan was to have you throw 85 pitches, but it would be a bit harsh to stick to that on a day like today. It’s your first career shutout opportunity. But all I can give you is a chance that’s less than the 2 points you created yourself. Of course, it’s your choice whether to take this opportunity or not.”

To be honest, I was a little tired.

But it didn’t make sense to give up the chance for a shutout without even trying just because I was tired.

Top of the 9th.

It was already my fourth meeting with Wander Franco.

‘Huh?’

But something was a little different.

The eyes that had been burning with the desire to lead the team to victory until the third at-bat were now black and lifeless.

Did I hit another home run? Still, a 2-point difference is still too early to give up completely. It seems like this guy’s willpower is a little weak.

In cartoons and movies, there are a lot of cool lines like, ‘He’s already lost his spirit. He’s not worth dealing with.’

Yeah, it would have been nice if I could have said that too.

-Clang!!!

I’ll say it again, it’s already the fourth at-bat.

The more a pitcher and hitter meet, the more advantageous it is for the hitter. And I tried to throw the ball as difficult as possible, but maybe it’s because I’m a little tired? It was too concentrated.

Wander Franco’s batted ball flew past the infield and deep into the outfield.

Fortunately, center fielder Jake Domingo handled the ball very cleanly. A single that didn’t reach 2nd base.

Was I going to be replaced like this?

No, thankfully, not yet.

Usually, when you hit a home run like this, you get a clean KKK three-up, three-down ending with a happy ending. And other people get a runner’s high when they’re really tired and get their last bit of strength, but I don’t seem to get that either.

But it was okay.

I didn’t have a runner’s high, but the conscientious fielders who were ashamed that the starting pitcher’s 2 home runs were the only runs of the game were firmly protecting me from behind.

Infield fly out.

And a double play.

It was my first major league shutout, which only left me with the feeling of being tired.

***

[Choi Soo-won hits a home run, strikes out, and is perfect!! 2-for-4 with 2 home runs. And a 9-inning shutout!!]

[The never-ending streak of consecutive hits. Can he surpass the 87-year-old legend?]

[Batting average of 0.420 at the end of May!! He deserves to bring Ted Williams’ ‘last’ with him.]