The Pitcher Just Hits Home Runs Well [EN]: Chapter 318

318. Record-Breaking Machine (12)

Even when watching the same game, the commentary inevitably differs depending on which team you support. Unlike the KBO [Korean Baseball Organization], where broadcasts are nationwide, MLB [Major League Baseball] typically has each team contracting with local broadcasting stations, making the difference stark.

[This game is getting incredibly exciting.]

[Indeed. It’s Choi Su-won’s second at-bat in the top of the 5th!! Ah, I don’t mean his second at-bat of this game. It’s his second at-bat of this ‘inning.’]

[Choi Su-won’s second at-bat this inning, after hitting a home run in his previous at-bat!! Fantastic. I have no words other than fantastic. Choi Su-won!! And the Yankees!! Absolutely perfect today.]

And then,

[Today, 3-for-3 with 2 home runs in 3 at-bats. Choi Su-won’s fourth at-bat, after hitting a home run just now. The bases are still loaded.]

[Ah······.]

[This is terrible. Even nightmares aren’t this awful.]

[I wish this moment were a nightmare. I wish I could wake up and jokingly say I had a terrible dream. That’s how I feel right now.]

Choi Su-won stepped up to the plate.

The stadium was silent.

Of course, compared to the start of the game, the environment was physically quieter. The stadium, which was nearly 80% full at the beginning, was now almost half empty, even though it was only the 5th inning.

Following yesterday’s game with 4 home runs in 6 hits out of 7 at-bats, today’s game had 2 home runs in 3 hits out of 3 at-bats.

And now, his fourth at-bat in the 5th inning.

A gloomy atmosphere filled the Colorado Rockies’ dugout.

Should we walk him?

Logically, based on his record, he’s a batter you shouldn’t face. But the score is already 10:3. The game is practically over. And the bases are loaded. But are we really going to give up a run with a walk? It’s absurd, not even worth considering.

However, the Colorado Rockies’ manager was seriously contemplating this absurd idea. 10:3. A 7-point difference. It’s significant. But considering the explosive power they showed in the first game, the possibility of a comeback isn’t entirely zero. But what if he hits a grand slam here?

14:3.

It’s only the 5th inning, but the difference would be a whopping 11 points. More than that, single digits and double digits feel completely different. And the batter at the plate has hit 6 home runs in 10 opportunities. Seven hits in total, with six of them being home runs······.

A moment of intense deliberation.

But the outcome was obvious.

‘Avoiding a certain loss.’

Perhaps it was human instinct.

If we walk him, can we really get Tyler Beede and Aaron Judge out? If we could get a double play, we wouldn’t have to face both of them, but is that really possible?

No, it’s not.

Looking at their performance yesterday and today, it’s impossible to think that way. They weren’t quite at Choi Su-won’s level, but they were also performing at an MVP level at the plate.

‘Damn it.’

There was no walk.

The game continued.

***

Personally, I thought they might walk him, but I guess it’s not that extreme yet? Well, the score is 10:3, so a walk here would be a bit much.

But continuing to face me here is also a bit much······.

Well, there was no need for any special mind games.

I let a few tough pitches go by. I’ve already completed my consecutive game hit record. There’s no need to force a swing at bad pitches. I just waited for a good pitch with plenty of time.

I let two pitches go by,

-Whoosh!!!

A swing and a miss.

And then,

-Crack!!!

A clean hit.

It was a perfectly pulled ball.

The ball soared far beyond the left-field fence. It didn’t even seem to want to drop, just kept flying. It seems my condition is at 100% again today.

[It’s gone!! An out-of-the-park home run by Choi Su-won!! Following yesterday, Choi Su-won has once again cleared the stadium, not just the fence, at Coors Field [home field of the Colorado Rockies]!!]

[Wow, the word ‘amazing’ doesn’t even begin to describe this. I mean, even though Coors Field is known for home runs and out-of-the-park home runs are relatively common, is this even possible? Seven home runs in 11 at-bats? And two of them are out-of-the-park home runs? This is unbelievable.]

[Yes, Choi Su-won is making the unbelievable happen, bringing his season home run total to a whopping 29!! 29!! His slash line [batting average/on-base percentage/slugging percentage] for the year is now 0.423/0.470/0.905.]

[Ah, I apologize. We were so caught up in this unbelievable scene that we neglected the game broadcast a bit. Top of the 5th. One out. The score is now 14:3. The Yankees are taking a commanding lead.]

[Ah, many Rockies fans who came to Coors Field are getting up from their seats.]

[An 11-point difference in the top of the 5th. You can’t really blame them. It’s understandable.]

“Now it’s 16 points?”

“Huh?”

“Was it Austin who said earlier that the league’s highest score in a single game is 30 points? That means there are only 16 points left.”

“Crazy? Are we going to break that now······. We might? It’s the top of the 5th, one out, and we have 14 points.”

“Did you see me just now? I’m at 100% condition today. So, if I hit home runs in all my remaining at-bats, there won’t be many points left.”

Anthony looked at me with an ‘are you crazy?’ expression and shook his head.

“That’s completely insane. But seeing you do it, it doesn’t seem like a completely unrealistic crazy thing. What is this? Am I in MLB The Show [a baseball video game] as an NPC [non-player character] in player mode?”

Ignoring Anthony’s nonsense, I returned to the dugout.

“Crazy······.”

Domingo, who had been radiating a gloomy aura just a moment ago, jumped up from his seat and stared at me with shocked eyes. I guess even a guy who was in despair can’t help but snap out of it at this point?

Even Domingo, who was half out of it, jumped up from his seat, so the atmosphere in the dugout was beyond words.

It was pure enthusiasm.

Even-

-Crack!!!

Tyler Beede hit a single against the new pitcher, and Aaron Judge added a home run to that. The score became 16:3. Now, there were more empty seats than occupied seats in the Coors Field stands.

But regardless, the game continued for quite a while.

Enjoyably for us.

And like hell for the Colorado Rockies.

***

They say heroes are born in times of chaos?

In that sense, Jacob, who took the mound in the top of the 5th with one out, was definitely worthy of being called a hero.

A ridiculous 16:3 score difference.

He was brought in not with the intention of turning the game around, but with the hope of somehow ending it. He managed to strike out two and allow no runners in five batters in the 5th and 6th innings.

And in the top of the 7th.

Jacob got Anthony Volpe, the lead batter, out with a flyout, proving that his previous good pitching wasn’t just luck.

[Top of the 7th. One out. No runners. Choi Su-won. Choi Su-won’s fifth at-bat!!]

I heard Volpe warn me as he came down from the plate that the ball’s movement was strange.

Indeed, the ball that came in high and tight, wriggling in a way that made Anthony Volpe stick out his tongue, was dirty enough.

‘But so what?’

It doesn’t matter that the other batters, who had been consistently getting low pitches from the previous pitchers since yesterday and had been enjoying it, couldn’t switch gears and didn’t show good performances.

I’ll say it again, my condition today is 100%.

If I’m like this, even if the pitcher on the mound is the current best pitcher in the league, Sean Carpenter. No, even if it’s Pedro Martinez from 1999, who was said to be the most powerful in league history, he wouldn’t dare to stop me!!

-Clack!!

‘Ah!?’

High and tight.

The ball’s movement was really crazy. Why is a pitcher like this coming out to clean up the mess? Anyway, I tried my best to pull it······.

[Choi Su-won!! A high fly ball!! The ball’s speed isn’t bad, but the angle is quite high!!]

[The left fielder is running towards the fence quickly!!]

Since he was defending from a position far back, the time it took for the left fielder to reach the fence was very short.

Ah······. I was going to make something big happen today, but it’s being cut off here again. Honestly, the next game is the one where I challenge my 56-game hitting streak, and since the opponent is Boston, I wanted to create an amazing record and go there with a lot of momentum······.

[Oh······.]

[Ah······.]

‘!?’

[The ball isn’t dropping!! The fence!! The fence!!]

[It’s over!!! The ball barely went over the fence!! Wow, I thought it was definitely a flyout, but Choi Su-won. He’s doing it again.]

[30th home run of the season!! Choi Su-won is showing a crazy pace, hitting eight home runs in just two games.]

[Top of the 7th. One out. The score is now 17:3!! The game continues.]

Things are different on a good day······no, that’s not it. Including all of this, that’s what ‘skill’ is.

Did my home run stimulate the players?

We showed a pretty good performance in the following game. But unfortunately, we failed to score 30 points as a result.

It was a shame.

Ah, of course, that doesn’t mean our morale was broken or we were writhing in disappointment. Instead, we broke a slightly different record.

[New York Yankees!! An overwhelming 28:3 victory!! The biggest score difference since the live-ball era!!]

[Boston, wait for us!! The Yankees are coming!!]

And along with that, I added a very minor record.

[Choi Su-won 55-game hitting streak!! Only one game away from the great Joe DiMaggio’s record!!]

Ah, of course, I’m not talking about the 55-game hitting streak.

That was still an ongoing record.

[There has never been a player like this!! Choi Su-won’s five home runs in a single game, a first in Major League history!!]

[Monthly record 0.452/0.478/1.129!! Choi Su-won proves that April’s record wasn’t a fluke!!]

[Mid-June!! The AL [American League] Rookie of the Year and MVP [Most Valuable Player] for the 2028 season are already decided. 0.429/0.474/0.933. Was this record even possible in modern baseball?]

A five-home run game, something I had never done in my past life.

The last week of June.

My 56-game hitting streak.

And beyond that.

Boston was waiting there.