The Pitcher Just Hits Home Runs Well [EN]: Chapter 321

321. Maybe a Fluke? (2)

It was a strange thing.

Just a moment ago, when Choi Su-won was at bat, my mouth felt parched and my palms were sweating profusely, but as soon as he reached first base, my body felt miraculously better.

Of course, Tyler Beede, who came to bat after Choi Su-won, was a decent hitter.

But…

‘It’s wide.’

The strike zone, which had seemed to offer no place to throw, was now as wide as the Pacific Ocean again.

Is this a mental thing?

-Clang!!!!

[He hits it!! A fast ground ball!! But it doesn’t escape Trevor Story’s glove!! Trevor Story to Marcelo Mayer!! Marcelo Mayer back to Triston Casas!!]

“Out!!!”

[Double out!! The Yankees’ attack in the top of the 3rd inning ends disappointingly without any additional score.]

A clean ground ball induced with an outside changeup.

Huan Montero induced a double play with one pitch.

‘Whew…….’

As he walked off the mound, his gaze briefly brushed past Choi Su-won, who was walking back to the dugout. He unconsciously flinched. It’s a mental thing after all.

Game 1 of the series.

The Boston Red Sox won the game 8-4.

***

[A whopping 87 years since 1941!! Finally standing alongside the record most deserving of the name ‘immortal’!!]

[Choi Su-won finally achieves a 56-game hitting streak!! How far will that road lead?]

[Yankees suffer a disappointing loss in Game 1 of the series]

[Huan Montero with 7 innings, 2 runs allowed. Almost perfect pitching except for the two-run homer he allowed to Choi Su-won in the top of the 1st inning!!]

[Home run!! Another home run!! Choi Su-won’s 32nd home run of the season!!]

“I’ve had that happen to me before.”

“Really? But……”

“You’re saying my stats were too monstrous for that to be true?”

It sounded quite obnoxious coming from his own mouth, but this man certainly had the right to say such a thing.

He was Pedro Martinez.

The starting pitcher who had the most dominant season in the live-ball era [the period after 1920 when the baseball was made livelier, leading to more offense].

“Look, Huan. You should say that after looking at your stats from the last game. 7 innings, 2 runs allowed. Your stats are too good to be saying things like there was nowhere to throw or that you felt lost.”

“That’s because I avoided Choi Su-won.”

“Exactly.”

His era was much harsher. It was a time when monsters were abundant, hitting balls over the fence with the slightest touch of the bat. And Pedro recorded an ERA [Earned Run Average, a measure of pitching performance] of 2.07 and a FIP [Fielding Independent Pitching, a metric that isolates a pitcher’s performance from the defense] of 1.39 in that era.

“There’s no pitcher who can strike out every batter unconditionally. Not even me in my prime. A good pitcher is one who doesn’t panic in situations like you were in yesterday, but calmly chooses the best option they can. In that sense, you’re a good enough pitcher for holding it to just 2 runs in that situation yesterday.”

“But……”

“No one could stop Barry Bonds in his prime. But the San Francisco Giants never won a championship. The reason is simple. Randy Johnson and Curt Schilling couldn’t stop Barry Bonds, but they stopped every other hitter besides Barry Bonds.”

“……”

In fact, Pedro Martinez’s words were not the answer Huan Montero wanted. What he wanted was a way to overcome the current situation. In other words, a secret to facing Choi Su-won.

“You don’t look satisfied with my answer. But there’s nothing I can do about it. There’s no such thing as a strategy to deal with Barry Bonds in the first place.”

“But Choi Su-won isn’t Barry Bonds.”

That’s right.

Choi Su-won was definitely not Barry Bonds.

“Yeah, he’s not Barry Bonds. But he’s Choi Su-won.”

“……”

Huan Montero closed his mouth at Pedro Martinez’s story, which contained so much meaning.

***

[Hello, American citizens. This is ESPN. Sunday Night Baseball. Today’s game is the second game of the series between the New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox!! I’m David Cone.]

[Luis Gonzalez here.]

[Luis, I heard a rumor that you couldn’t sleep last night because of today’s game. How’s your condition?]

[Ah, yes. I didn’t get much sleep because some moron who co-hosts the broadcast with me kept calling late into the night, but since today’s game is what it is, I don’t feel tired at all.]

[Haha, a moron? Maybe it was a good friend who emphasized the importance of today’s game so many times?]

[No. I remember him being a moron who kept repeating facts that I already knew. Who could not know about today’s game? A record that has stood for 87 years. This important game is a challenge to break the 56-game hitting streak, which always competed for 1st and 2nd place whenever a survey was conducted with the name ‘a record that seems unbreakable in Major League Baseball’.]

[Yes!! That’s right!! Today!! That record that was closest to being called ‘immortal’!! New York Yankees’ twenty-year-old rookie!! Choi Su-won is challenging the great record that has stood for 86 years and 343 days since July 16, 1941!!]

There was a fiery heat in the voice of David Cone, the caster for today’s Sunday Night Baseball. It was a slightly different look, as David Cone was originally known for his calm and composed broadcasts rather than such passion. But was that why? The people watching TV could once again realize how great this record Su-won was challenging today was.

[Today’s starting pitcher for the Boston Red Sox is Tanner Houck!! He has been recording an average ERA of 3.19 in 107.1 innings so far this season, having improved his control, which had been consistently pointed out as a weakness, to a truly amazing level.]

[The Yankees’ starting pitcher facing off against Tanner Houck is… surprisingly, Choi Su-won. Yes, that’s right. It’s Choi Su-won, the very player challenging for a 57-game hitting streak in today’s game.]

[He has appeared in 16 games so far this season, recording an average ERA of 3.94 in 82.1 innings. He has been overshadowed a bit by his impressive performance as a hitter, but an average ERA of 3.94 for a twenty-year-old starting pitcher who has just debuted in the major leagues is a very amazing record.]

The game began.

***

We came down from the series in Coors Field [home field of the Colorado Rockies, known for its high altitude and hitter-friendly environment] with a truly historic victory.

Naturally, the team’s atmosphere was elated, as if floating above the sky. And in that situation, my 56-game hitting streak was added. Was that why? Despite losing yesterday’s game, the team’s atmosphere was not that bad.

“We seem to be floating around too much?”

“It’s better than being down just because we lost one game. Besides, everyone’s a professional. They won’t just be thoughtlessly like that.”

Anthony seemed a little unhappy with the boisterous atmosphere that was floating around so much, even though they had lost yesterday’s game. But in my opinion, in baseball, where you have to play 162 games in a season, it’s better to have a slightly elevated atmosphere like this than to have the atmosphere drop just because you lost one game.

-Whoosh!!!

“Strike!!!”

[Tanner Houck’s amazing slider!! Induces Anthony Volpe’s bat to swing. The count is now 2-2!!]

Standing in the on-deck circle, I engraved Tanner Houck’s slider in my head.

It’s already a tricky ball, but it feels like it has even better quality today.

Fifth.

-Bang!!!

[The umpire’s hand doesn’t go up!! Ball!! Now the count is 2-3!! Full count.]

Sixth.

Inside.

Anthony Volpe’s bat, which was halfway around, stopped.

-Bang!!!

Walk?

The umpire clenched his right hand as Anthony threw his bat down and tried to go to first base.

“Strike!! Out!!!”

A dumbfounded expression.

Anthony Volpe looked at the umpire.

Of course, that didn’t mean the call was overturned.

[Ah!! Strike out!! Looking strikeout.]

[This two-seamer caught the corner very exquisitely.]

[One out. No runners on base. Choi Su-won, who is challenging for a 57-game hitting streak, comes to the plate. Choi Su-won hit a home run in the first at-bat of the last game.]

Tanner Houck on the mound looked at me.

‘Sigh…….’

I could instinctively feel it in his gaze.

This guy is a little different from Huan Montero yesterday.

There are often easy pitchers, regardless of skill or performance.

Huan Montero felt a bit like that yesterday. It could just be that I caught a sucker, or that he was scared of a hitter with a .400 average, a 56-game hitting streak, and even 9 home runs in the last two games.

On the other hand, I don’t feel any intimidation from Tanner Houck on the mound right now. At least he has a lot of guts.

First pitch.

A ball deep inside.

-Clang!!!!

The batted ball slammed into the net in the third base infield stands.

It was a two-seamer.

I predicted it, but it came in a little deeper inside. Is it because he’s a three-quarter closer to a sidearm [a pitching style where the arm angle is between overhand and sidearm]? The horizontal movement of the ball is amazing.

Second.

Outside.

I didn’t swing the bat.

-Bang!!!

A slider that goes far outside the zone.

[Choi Su-won!! Calmly picks out the ball. The count is 1-1.]

I had a feeling.

This is really gutsy.

I’m currently challenging for a 57-game hitting streak.

To be honest, I’ve lost out because of it. If it’s a somewhat ambiguous ball, I had to swing to try to get a hit instead of walking to first base.

But in the same sense, there were some benefits. Frankly, considering my batting stats right now, it wouldn’t be strange to get a storm of walks, but I’ve only had 23 walks so far. This means that pitchers are also burdened with giving me only walks.

But right now, Tanner Houck.

He’s just giving me walks, but there’s not a single shake in his eyes. Today, I’m not just continuing my hitting streak record, but it’s the moment when ‘Joe DiMaggio’s’ record might be broken today, but his eyes are shouting, ‘I don’t care.’

I’m sure of it.

That guy is crazy.

Third.

-Bang!!!

[A curveball that drops sharply!! Choi Su-won!! Calmly picks out another one!! The count is 2-1.]

I stepped away from the plate for a moment and retightened my gloves.

People often say that life is no fun if you go too comfortably. Personally, I want to go a little more comfortably even if it’s not fun, but these things always happen.

‘It’s okay. It’s okay.’

A pitcher can’t always put the ball where they want it.

Mistakes always happen.

Fourth.

Center.

‘Yes!! Just like now.’

-Whoooooosh!!!

“Strike!!!”

A slider that veers sharply just before home plate as if by magic.

Tanner Houck on the mound slightly raised the left corner of his mouth.

“Is that punk smirking?”

Count 2-2.