The Pitcher Just Hits Home Runs Well [EN]: Chapter 319

319. The New Record Machine (13)

A post popped up on one of the most active baseball communities in Korea:

[Even if Choi Su-won gets a season-ending injury right now, he could still win MVP, right?]

In just one day, the post garnered over 1,000 comments, proving how hot a topic Choi Su-won currently is.

─Don’t be ridiculous. Only 79 out of 162 games have been played. The season isn’t even halfway over, and you’re already talking about MVP.

─But Choi Su-won’s WAR [Wins Above Replacement, a comprehensive baseball statistic] is 7.7 right now. Isn’t that enough to win?

─Wander Franco’s WAR is 4.9 right now. If he plays a full season, it’ll probably be close to 10. That’s almost a 2.3 difference with Choi Su-won, so he can’t compete in terms of WAR.

─But Wander Franco is a shortstop, so he gets too much defensive bonus.

─WAR includes all of that.

─Choi Su-won’s stats are so inflated. 9 out of 31 home runs are at Coors Field, lol. He was losing steam for a while, but it seems like he really padded his stats at Coors Field [home of the Colorado Rockies, known for being hitter-friendly due to its altitude].

─No, I’m saying WAR corrects for all that stuff!!

─A batter who doesn’t meet the plate appearance requirement can’t win MVP. It’s the rule.

─But Choi Su-won is a two-way player. It doesn’t make sense for a two-way player to be ineligible for MVP just because he slightly misses the plate appearance requirement.

─If it’s just a slight shortfall, he could win MVP. But the premise here is a season-ending injury. There’s no way he’ll win after playing only half a season, no matter what.

─But what if Choi Su-won hits a home run in the next two games and breaks ‘that record’ before getting a season-ending injury?

─Uh… then… still, wouldn’t he not win? Even so, it’s a bit much to win after playing only half a season, right?

─The same topic is already hot in the States, and the consensus there is, why wouldn’t they give it to him?

─Really?

─Yeah, but they say he needs to break the 56-game hitting streak first to have a chance. Something like that? If he breaks the 56-game hitting streak record, then even if he plays all the remaining games and only hits .100, it’s still an MVP-caliber record, so there’s no reason not to give it to him. That’s what they’re saying.

To ask if he could win MVP even if he gets a season-ending injury before the first half of the season is over is, realistically, absurd. But the fact that such a serious discussion is possible proves how unbelievably incredible Choi Su-won’s records are.

─Anyway, I don’t know about anything else. But if he keeps playing like this for the full season with similar stats? Then Choi Su-won is definitely the GOAT [Greatest Of All Time] on a yearly basis.

***

Three Boston fans who came to Fenway Park thought to themselves:

‘Ah… this feels seriously ominous.’

‘Could we become victims of those damn Yankees’ new consecutive game hitting record? Even in our own home?’

‘Is there any way we can bring him to our team?’

So they laughed and talked even louder.

“Haha, today’s the day that Choi guy’s hitting streak finally ends.”

“And that’s not all. Let’s strike him out the entire series and bring his batting average down from .400 to .300!!”

“That’s right. He’s just hitting well because he was up in the mountains. You know how Rockies players can’t adjust when they come down from the mountains and just fumble around? He’ll probably be the same. Right?”

“But can we really bring Choi Su-won’s batting average down to .300 right now?”

“Why not? Just hold him hitless for all three games.”

“No, I mean, his current batting average is .429. Even if he goes 0-for-15 with five at-bats per game for three games, his batting average will still be .402, right?”

“Then we’ll make it 0-for-16!!”

“No, even then, his batting average is still .400…”

“…”

“…”

The three men were speechless.

Seriously, even if it’s unlikely, for a batter who’s currently hitting .400 to go silent for an entire series, even when other batters are hitting well and creating five at-bat opportunities, is absurd. But even assuming that absurd situation, his batting average is still .400.

“Damn Coors…”

“Yeah, it’s all because of Coors.”

“It’s okay. It’s okay. Like we said before, players who go crazy in the mountains always slump when they come down. Most of the Yankees will probably be the same. Let’s just get three wins here and aim for the AL East title [American League East Division].”

“That’s right. We’re only 6 games behind the Yankees right now. If we sweep them here, we might even finish the first half in first place.”

So they tacitly agreed to erase the name Choi Su-won from their minds for the time being. Yeah, what’s important about individual records in baseball anyway? The only thing that matters is the team’s victory.

Yes, that’s right.

[New York Yankees versus Boston Red Sox. Game 1 of the Boston Red Sox versus New York Yankees series!! This is Fenway Park!!]

[Today, the Boston mound will be led by ace Juan Montero. And the Yankees’ mound will be led by their fourth starter, Andric Nava.]

[If we only consider the starting pitchers’ reputations, we’re at a slight disadvantage.]

[Yes, that’s right. Juan Montero signed an 8-year, $200 million mega-deal with Boston back in the winter before last, didn’t he? Although he recorded an ERA [Earned Run Average, a measure of pitching performance] in the low 4.00s last year before being sidelined with a glute injury in the second half, he’s been living up to his name this year.]

[But it’s okay. The momentum of our Yankees team is extraordinary right now. Especially after our Yankees team had an amazing performance in the recent series against the Rockies, didn’t they? A total of 19 home runs as a team!! A total of 57 runs scored in 3 games!! The Yankees lineup is completely insane right now!!]

[Yes, that’s right. Especially the last game. A whopping 25-run victory. Wow… To find a game where we won by an even bigger margin, we’d have to go back to before the 1900s. That’s going back two centuries.]

On the mound, Juan Montero took a light breath.

[Alright, top of the 1st!! Anthony Volpe at the plate!! Anthony Volpe steps up to the plate.]

His gaze was directed not at Anthony Volpe, who was entering the batter’s box, but at Choi Su-won, who was standing in the on-deck circle. A batter who defies description with the word ‘absurd.’

Just the sight of him warming up in the on-deck circle sent a heavy pressure.

‘No. Focus on the batter in front of you.’

He shook his head a few times.

The Boston dugout put a lot of effort into managing the pitchers to start Juan Montero today. There are probably a few intentions. The will to face the Yankees with their strongest cards, the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd starters. And the hope that they can stop ‘Choi Su-won’s’ consecutive game hitting streak here at Fenway Park today if possible.

Juan Montero’s gaze once again turned to Choi Su-won without him even realizing it.

Crazy.

56 consecutive games with a hit.

Seriously, is he recreating this in the 21st century?

[Pitcher winds up!!]

First pitch.

Outside, low course.

A slightly off pitch.

-Thwack!!!!

Anthony Volpe stopped his bat.

“Strike!!!”

It was a slightly ambiguous pitch, but a strike was called. It was probably off the plate on the heat map, but since the right-handed pitcher threw it to the outside against the right-handed batter, there must have been a point where it slightly grazed the zone.

And Choi Su-won, who was standing in the on-deck circle, didn’t swing, and Juan Montero saw him adjusting his stance. Could that mean he timed it? With just one pitch?

‘Damn it. Hey, Juan. Focus. You’re not facing Swan right now. It’s Volpe!!’

Second pitch.

Another outside course.

-Whoosh!!!

It was a slider.

“Strike!!!”

Two strikes.

Choi Su-won?

‘Damn it.’

He stopped his bat.

Did he read the slider?

If a slider doesn’t work against a right-handed batter, it’s frustrating, and if that’s the case, it’s very difficult.

Third pitch.

-Tap!!!

A high fly ball hit the net in the third base infield stands.

Foul.

It was a two-seamer, but instead of a ground ball, it was a fly ball. That means he’s swinging much lower than expected.

Fourth pitch.

High course.

The fastest pitch.

-Thwack!!!!

It was a high fastball at a whopping 103.1 mph.

Yeah, that’s one batter down.

Not a strikeout in three pitches, but a strikeout in four pitches.

[Good!! The umpire’s hand doesn’t go up. Anthony Volpe. Calmly picked off the high pitch in a 0-2 count. Now the count is 1-2.]

Damn it!!!!!!

The outside pitches were called strikes, but he’s being so stingy with the high pitches?

Again, his gaze swept over the on-deck circle.

He saw Choi Su-won with a satisfied expression.

No.

Now is not the time to worry about that guy.

But the more you try not to worry about something, the more you worry about it. That’s why it was difficult.

Fifth pitch.

And the price of that difficulty fell upon Juan Montero.

-Clang!!!!

Anthony Volpe pulled the slightly hanging slider. It was a strong hit that broke through the infield defense.

[He hit it!! Anthony Volpe!! Between 2nd and 3rd base!! Marcelo Mayer dives, but the ball gets through!! Left fielder Masataka Yoshida catches the ball, but in the meantime, Anthony Volpe!! Safely reaches 1st base!!]

No outs, runner on 1st.

Damn it.

Juan Montero frowned.

That Choi Su-won walked into the batter’s box.

He felt a strange pressure, as if he could hear the sound of -thud, thud.

‘No, no.’

He shook his head.

9 home runs in the last 2 games?

A .400 hitter with 5 home runs in one game?

Challenging a 56-game hitting streak?

Forget all of that.

Even if he’s a .400 hitter, that means he fails to hit 6 out of 10 times. And that’s based on all the pitchers in the league. And Juan Montero himself is one of the best pitchers in the league. There’s no reason to be intimidated.

[Choi Su-won!! Choi Su-won enters the batter’s box!!]

[The Yankees’ number 2 hitter!! 6 hits in 6 at-bats with 5 home runs in the previous game!! A man who best fits the expression ‘overwhelming’!! Currently .421/.467/.937!! An OPS [On-Base Plus Slugging, a comprehensive hitting statistic] of 1.404!! Choi Su-won is literally bombing the league!!]

[An OPS of 1.404? Frankly, if I were the manager, I would intentionally walk this player no matter what. Even with the bases loaded. It’s still worth it. The number 1.404 means that much.]

[But it’s a bit difficult to do that right now. Choi Su-won is currently on a 55-game hitting streak!! That means he’s only 1 game away from ‘The Great Joe DiMaggio’s’ record. To ruin that with consecutive intentional walks? That would be a historical disgrace.]

Choi Su-won performed his unique routine.

He tightened his gloves, adjusted his helmet, tapped the home plate with his bat, and then raised his bat to get into position.

Was the home plate always this small?

Where should I throw it?

Under pressure, Juan Montero gritted his teeth. He was an ace who threw the ball at a maximum of 104 mph. Moreover, there was a greater than 50% chance that the 104 mph ball would cross the border line.

Inside, high course.

Although the umpire was a bit stingy with the high courses today, that’s still the best option right now. Just as Choi Su-won in the on-deck circle had observed him, he too could feel it through Anthony Volpe earlier. The experience of success they had at Coors Field had changed their batting form to a slightly more upward swing.

So a 104 mph high fastball will work.

Juan Montero put the fastest ball he could throw in the best location.

A whopping 104.7 mph.

Converted to kilometers, it was a 168.5 km/h fastball.

-Clang!!!!

And Choi Su-won pulled that fastball with a very beautiful form. It was the same form that Choi Su-won had always shown, unaffected by the shocking experience of 9 home runs at Coors Field.

Choi Su-won’s 56-game hitting streak, standing at the same height as ‘The Great Joe DiMaggio,’ soared far beyond the Green Monster [a famous left-field wall at Fenway Park] on the left side of Fenway Park.

It was his 32nd home run of the season.