The Pitcher Just Hits Home Runs Well [EN]: Chapter 315

315. Record-Breaking Machine (9)

[Personally, I think Choi Su-won’s greatness lies in aspects like this. His batting average hasn’t been great lately, but his home run numbers have been consistently high. This is already his sixth home run this month.]

[Well, it’s hard to say his batting average hasn’t been good… Choi Su-won has recorded a hit in every game he’s played this month, and he’s had multiple-hit games in four of them. His batting average for this month alone is 0.353.]

[Haha, that’s all relative. If a batter with a cumulative average of 0.404 has a monthly average of 0.353, you have to say his batting average has dropped.]

“Goddamn it. No, how can a recent average of 0.353, and a three-month average of 0.404, be considered a slump? Shouldn’t it be seen as a temporary dip for about a month before returning to his original skill? Don’t you think?”

“Exactly. You’re not watching YES Network [Yankees Entertainment and Sports Network, a regional sports network] right now, are you?”

“Of course not. It’s AT&T, obviously.”

“So, these guys are praising the player who hit a home run against their team? What are the Rockies fans doing? They should call the broadcasting station and protest. Don’t you think?”

A Boston fan, watching the game to root against the Yankees, expressed great dissatisfaction with their commentary.

“Don’t worry. I’m already posting a complaint on their website.”

“Really? Send me the link. Let’s get some firepower from our Reddit community.”

“Okay.”

“Seriously, how dare he call himself a 4-割 [four-割, a Japanese baseball term for a .400 batting average] hitter when his 4-割 average was just a flash in April? It’s just absurd.”

Of course, the fact that his April average was an extremely absurd 0.475, and that he was still maintaining a 0.404 average even after recording a 0.361 average for the subsequent month and a half, was not a significant point for them.

In any case, at the current pace, it was obvious that his average would fall below 0.400.

So, the Boston fans watched his game more diligently than anyone else, hoping for the Yankees’ defeat and Choi Su-won’s failure.

***

Anthony, who crossed home plate first, waited for me for a moment before returning to the dugout together.

“What’s this? Did you only need a day off to feel a bit better? Fully recovered?”

“No, not quite. Maybe eighty or ninety percent?”

“And you’re hitting home runs that reach the top of the outfield? If you were fully recovered, you’d be hitting them out of the park?”

He joked.

“Well, it’s Coors Field [known for its high altitude, which allows baseballs to travel farther]. If I’m at 100% condition, I should be hitting an out-of-the-park home run.”

“Wow…”

“Just kidding. Just kidding.”

Actually, I was serious.

“Doesn’t sound like you’re kidding?”

And he understood perfectly. Honestly, an out-of-the-park home run at Coors Field is about the same difficulty as hitting the upper part of the outfield in other stadiums.

“Ho…me…run…hit?”

“…Yeah.”

Domingo Rodriguez, whose eyes looked much more lifeless than usual thanks to yesterday’s disastrous pitching, spoke to me.

“Why… only on the days I pitch…? Why…?”

I quietly took a seat far away from him. To be precise, I sat in the seat where Gerrit Cole, today’s starting pitcher, was sitting.

“Hahaha!! Swan. You didn’t seem to be in good condition lately. Looks like you’re fully recovered now. Good!! Very good!!”

It wasn’t bad that today’s starting pitcher was in a good mood, but for some reason, I didn’t like seeing that guy happy.

“As expected of my most reliable helper. Hahahahaha.”

No, a reliable helper? For a moment, I almost caused a bench-clearing brawl even though we’re on the same team. Moreover, this guy’s voice was so loud that he completely turned Domingo, who still had some life in his eyes, into beef jerky.

-Clang!!!!

[Top of the 1st. Runner left on second. The Yankees’ attack ends without adding any runs.]

Bottom of the 1st.

Our defensive inning.

Gerrit Cole confidently walked onto the mound.

He didn’t forget to show off before going up.

“The ball doesn’t travel here. So, pitchers aim higher than usual, right? But then they throw it too high and get hit with a home run and cry before getting taken out. Like Domingo yesterday. So, what should we do?”

“I don’t know.”

“It’s not hard. Pitch with breaking balls focused on horizontal movement. And keep the fastball low to induce ground balls as much as possible. This is really advice that will be blood and flesh [invaluable]. I’m telling you this especially because you’re my reliable helper. Got it?”

“But I don’t pitch here.”

“Well, not this year. But you’re not going to play baseball for just a day or two. Even if it’s another division in the National League, there’s a series every year, so you’ll be visiting at least once every two years. Someday, you’ll pitch here too.”

It felt like he was just trying to show off rather than give advice, but anyway, I nodded willingly to make the starting pitcher feel good.

And was it because he was a veteran?

The low-controlled pitches induced ground balls from the Colorado Rockies hitters. Two consecutive infield ground ball outs. And the Rockies’ number 3 hitter, Andy Bacon, who currently boasts a wRC+ [weighted Runs Created Plus, a comprehensive hitting statistic] of 127, the hottest bat on the Rockies, stepped up to the plate.

Gerrit Cole’s expression didn’t waver.

A 35-year-old veteran pitcher.

An ace in the league who has built a career that will be discussed for the Hall of Fame after retirement.

He wouldn’t be shaken by something like Coors Field…

-Clang!!!!

[Hit! Andy Bacon! A huge hit! It’s going, going!]

Gerrit Cole extended his hand towards the ball with an unwavering expression. It was the dignity of a great pitcher who wouldn’t be shaken by something like this. At most, it would be a warning track? Yes, he must have thought it would be caught around there. And he wasn’t wrong. If this wasn’t Coors Field.

‘But this is Coors Field.’

The ball continued to fly without any sign of dropping, slightly clearing the fence.

Solo home run.

Gerrit Cole, who had extended his hand so 멋지게 [meotjige, Korean for ‘coolly’ or ‘stylishly’], naturally lowered his hand and picked up the rosin bag from the ground as if nothing had happened. It was as if he had intended to apply rosin to his hand from the beginning. Or perhaps this home run was a small performance to show that the ball had slipped from his hand.

Although there was a small accident of a solo home run, Gerrit Cole safely induced a ground ball from the next hitter without wavering and finished the inning without allowing any additional runs.

“See? Like this, keep it as low as possible. And the horizontal movement breaking balls are a bit bland, so you have to grab the ball a bit harder than usual to make it work. But this is just a feeling, so it’s hard to explain in words. If you’re curious, throw a few balls before practice tomorrow.”

A natural attitude as if the home run never happened.

Well, judging from his usual behavior, perhaps the home run really didn’t exist in his head. It was the shamelessness of a true starting pitcher.

Our hitters’ attack continued.

Some decent hits came out, but they didn’t lead to runs. It was because of the Rockies’ infield, including Andy Bacon, who had just hit a home run, playing out of their minds on defense.

Gerrit Cole also continued to show a great performance.

Considering that even the ace-level pitchers who swept the era have ERAs [Earned Run Average, a measure of pitching performance] in the 4s and 5s at Coors Field, it was hard to deny that Gerrit Cole, although he was a bit of a jerk as a person, was a great pitcher in many ways.

Top of the 3rd.

Our attack started again with Anthony Volpe. Volpe, who had recorded a hit in his first at-bat, confidently swung his bat.

-Clang!!!

And on the third pitch.

A well-hit ball landed near the left-center field fence. Volpe ran like crazy, but the center fielder’s cover was so good that it was impossible for him to reach third base even with his speed.

[Top of the 3rd!! Lead-off hitter Anthony Volpe with a double!! The score is currently 2:1!! The Yankees are leading by one run, and a runner is in scoring position. A golden opportunity to extend their lead even further!! Choi Su-won, the number 2 hitter, steps up to the plate!!]

[Choi Su-won, who hit a home run in his first at-bat. What kind of performance will he show in this at-bat!!]

[There’s been some talk recently that this player’s 4-割 average is in danger. Of course, his performance this month is also great, exceeding 3割5푼 [3-割5푼, a Japanese baseball term for a .350 batting average], but that’s not enough. Maintaining an average over 4割 means that even hitting 3割9푼 results in a drop in average.]

[Currently, 237 plate appearances, 214 at-bats, 87 hits, 23 home runs. 0.407/0.454/0.822. Choi Su-won is recording truly absurd numbers!! But if he records 4 at-bats without a hit, including this at-bat, he will fail to maintain his 4-割 average, which he has consistently maintained since the start of the season.]

I performed my routine as always at the plate and prepared to hit with a light heart.

Before going to the mound, Gerrit Cole told me about the skills needed for pitchers at Coors Field based on his own experiences. They were the experiences he had gained from playing in the big leagues for nearly 15 years.

So, what about me?

I didn’t need verbose words like Gerrit Cole. No, to be honest, Gerrit Cole’s verbose words were probably verbose because he was trying to explain his senses to others. He must have been going with some simpler feeling.

I let the first pitch go.

I let the second one go too.

Ball count 1-1.

And the third.

A low pitch coming in.

It was perfect.

‘With the feeling of lifting it up a little higher.’

-Clang!!!

[Hit! Choi Su-won! A high fly ball!]

The Rockies’ defensive line was naturally positioned to retreat as a whole.

The angle of the ball felt slightly higher than usual.

The floating ball flew further and further.

Volpe, who was on second base, watched the ball for a moment.

Ah, are you asking if it’s because of a retouch [a term implying the ball was altered to improve its flight]?

No.

This was not a ball that anyone would consider retouching.

The Colorado Rockies outfielders, who were far back, knew that too. They gave up running.

The place where the home run fell in the top of the 1st.

In the exact opposite location.

That is, the third deck of the right outfield of Coors Field.

My second home run landed there.

[It’s over! A huge home run that hits the third deck of the outfield! Choi Su-won! Choi Su-won’s 24th home run of the season!]

[The score is now 4:1!! Choi Su-won hits a two-run home run in two consecutive at-bats!!]

“This time, he pushed it to the third deck of the outfield? Is this 100 percent?”

“No, about 95 percent? I told you, if it’s 100 percent, it’s an out-of-the-park home run?”

The game is only in the top of the 3rd.

There are still three at-bats left for me. No, considering this is Coors Field, there could be up to four.

“I’ve been in a slump for the past few days, so I need to pad my stats properly on a day like today.”