The Pitcher Just Hits Home Runs Well [EN]: Chapter 323

323. Maybe a Fluke? (4)

The ticket prices for this second game at Fenway Park soared, averaging over $17,000 for the best seats. Even tickets for the Green Monster, normally around $500, were being resold for well over $10,000.

Those who shelled out that kind of money to be at the stadium naturally had high expectations:

57 consecutive games with a hit.

A sensational home run display.

A legendary, unforgettable game.

Yes, that was probably it.

-BooOOOOOOO

This was definitely Fenway Park, home of the Boston Red Sox. But the chorus of boos directed at a Red Sox player could only be explained by those inflated expectations.

A tremendous roar of boos filled Fenway Park.

“What? Are these crazy bastards for real? How dare they?”

Despite the exorbitant ticket prices, the die-hard Boston fans, who refused to sell their seats and came to support the team, stood up and voiced their anger at the booing. But surprisingly, the booing section was larger.

Top of the 3rd inning.

A walk issued to Choi Su-won in his second at-bat.

Even though it wasn’t an intentional walk, but the result of a 7-pitch battle, the boos persisted. Minor scuffles even broke out in the outfield.

“How dare they? This is the home stadium of a pitcher who cowardly throws balls instead of giving a chance before a record!”

“What did you say? Open your eyes! It was a close game, what do you mean ‘throwing balls’? Are you kidding me?”

“Close game, my ass. Old man, look at the heat map before you talk. Oh, right. You’re probably too old to even know how to look at that stuff, huh?”

“What? You little punk?”

Most of the people who came to the stadium today expected to witness ‘Choi Su-won gets another hit today.’ Even if it ended with a routine groundout or a strikeout like in the first inning, they would have been disappointed but somewhat understanding. But a walk? That was a tough pill to swallow for those who spent tens of thousands of dollars to be there.

Amidst the commotion, Tanner Houck calmly prepared for the next batter.

He didn’t look around, only became more composed.

-Clang!!!

Between 2nd and 3rd base.

Marcelo Mayer miraculously fielded the batted ball.

Double play.

The score remained 0:0.

Yeah, boos and all.

He could endure it with that kind of pitching.

***

Wow, what a tough guy.

The strikeout in the previous at-bat could be seen as my loss in a mental game. I thought, ‘There’s no way he’ll walk me in this situation,’ and swung, anticipating a fastball instead of a slider, which led to a strikeout. So this time, I focused on picking the ball with a clear head, but it still resulted in a walk.

In a normal situation, I would have considered it a win. After all, a batter wins by getting on first base. But the problem is that the current situation is far from normal.

It’s a situation where consecutive games with a hit are on the line.

From that perspective, a walk isn’t a victory but a defeat.

Is that why? Somehow, this brings back a bit of trauma. The memory of finishing with a tied record just before breaking the home run record, resulting in 2nd place in the MVP race.

I quickly shook my head.

No, that’s not it.

I’ve changed.

The past me, who lacked the qualities of a superstar, is gone. I’m the protagonist of Netflix’s most talked-about documentary of the year. The face of ‘Korean citizens, please support the Yankees.’ A sports star who’s marketable even in Japan. A superstar who always shines in crucial moments.

That’s who I am, Choi Su-won.

[Bottom of the 3rd inning. Number 7 hitter, Marcelo Mayer, leads off the Boston attack. Choi Su-won is on the mound.]

[Choi Su-won has pitched a perfect game for 2 innings today, not allowing a single runner to reach base. There are still many who doubt his two-way ability [playing both pitcher and batter], but seeing this today, those voices will surely fade away.]

Yeah.

If we can’t score, we just won’t give them any runs either.

Marcelo Mayer.

Right-handed thrower, left-handed batter.

I unconsciously turned my head slightly towards the right outfield of Fenway Park.

I glanced at that damn Pesky’s Pole.

Unlike the Green Monster in the left outfield, which makes me feel secure just by looking at its green facade, that flimsy Pesky’s Pole makes me uneasy.

Seriously, 92 meters [302 feet]? Isn’t that too short? Even a routine fly ball to the outfield, not even a warning track shot, can be a home run if the direction is just right.

Marcelo Mayer took his stance.

He’s a promising shortstop to whom Boston gave a long-term contract even before his service time ended. Based on when I returned [from the future], he was a player who was selected as an All-Star twice during his 15-year career, so he was definitely in the A-class category.

Fastball.

And an even faster fastball.

And a slow curve that pretends to be an even faster fastball.

-Whoosh!!

“Strike!! Out!!”

[Marcelo Mayer!! Swinging strikeout!! Three-pitch strikeout!! Three-pitch strikeout!!]

[Choi Su-won!! Third strikeout of the game!! The curveball was truly amazing. He completely disrupted the opposing batter’s timing.]

But that’s all in the future.

Moreover, the shortstop position isn’t exactly known for offensive power. There was no reason for me to be intimidated.

[Marcelo Mayer. In the last five games, he had 7 hits, including one home run, and two walks in 21 at-bats. He’s a player whose hitting is very hot, swinging with great power. It’s quite significant that he was struck out like this.]

[Next up is Phillies Parmer, the 8th hitter in today’s game!! Phillies Parmer is coming up.]

Number 8 and number 9.

Center fielder and catcher.

At best, they’re .200 hitters.

With the mindset of easily dispatching them, I boldly threw a low ball inside!!?

Ah, it slipped.

-Clang!!!

Right field wall.

Damn Pesky’s Pole!!

[A high fly ball to the right!! Right fielder Tyler Beede!! Catches the ball easily.]

[Tyler Beede’s condition seems to be quite good, judging from his performance in the at-bat today?]

That was fortunate.

Today, Tyler Beede is playing the role of my reliable helper. No, honestly, it shouldn’t be this nerve-wracking, but the fact that the pole is so abnormally close is the problem, making me nervous.

Anyway, that was really an unexpected hit.

Number 9 hitter.

I’ll easily strike out the catcher, David Willis!!

-Clang!!!

[David Willis!! Hit it!! A high fly ball!! But it doesn’t leave the infield.]

[Anthony Volpe. Catches the ball easily, infield fly out!! Three up, three down. Choi Su-won finishes the inning without allowing a single runner through the 3rd inning.]

Honestly, an infield fly is almost the same as a strikeout. No, this isn’t just me saying it; many sabermetricians [baseball statisticians] also classify infield flies that way. It’s true.

Anyway, the important thing is that the inning was finished cleanly.

3 innings, perfect.

The game continued.

***

Once again, the game that most people who came to Fenway Park today expected was Choi Su-won’s sensational home run show. 57 consecutive games with a hit. Or a heartbreaking failure to achieve a historic record.

“Well, it’s a bit different from what I expected…”

“But still, it’s kind of thrilling, isn’t it?”

Bottom of the 5th inning, two outs.

The score is still 0:0.

And the number 6 hitter was at the plate.

Yeah.

That’s it.

That thing you shouldn’t name during the game [a no-hitter or perfect game].

I mean, even though the world is a strange place, there should still be some level of plausibility. In a situation where I have to challenge 57 consecutive games with a hit, I’m pitching ‘that’ until the bottom of the 5th inning?

The tension filling the stadium can be felt on the skin.

It feels like everyone is holding their breath the moment I try to throw the ball.

-Clang!!!!

A ground ball.

Troy Johnston quickly ran forward and snatched the ball. And really casually,

-Toss

Tossed the ball to Aaron Judge at first base.

“Out!!”

5 innings of that.

My heart thumped slightly.

No, it’s not like I haven’t done this in the KBO [Korean Baseball Organization] before. But back then, I didn’t realize it until later. And I eventually achieved it by building up the atmosphere, but this time, it feels like I’ve really come this far by luck, so it feels more special.

Above all, this isn’t the time to worry about ‘that’; it’s the time to worry about 57 consecutive games with a hit.

As soon as I got off the mound, I put down my hat and glove and put on my protective gear.

1 minute and 55 seconds.

That’s the time given for the change of offense and defense.

[Top of the 6th inning. The score is still 0:0. Lead-off hitter, Choi Su-won. Choi Su-won, who was just pitching, comes to the plate as the lead-off hitter.]

[Choi Su-won is showing a very good performance on the mound today. He’s showing the most powerful pitching since his debut. He’s really an amazing player. He always shows something beyond expectations at the timing when he has to show something. Today, he’s showing something more than what the audience who came to expect 57 consecutive games with a hit are expecting.]

[That’s right. However, generally speaking, something beyond expectations means that the expectations are met first, and then a plus alpha is shown. So, in order for Choi Su-won to show something beyond expectations, he must first do what everyone who came to the stadium today expects. And that’s something that needs to be shown not on the mound, but right there at the plate.]

The reliable Green Monster and the damn Pesky’s Pole… No, no. I’m holding a bat, not a glove, right? Looking at the damn Green Monster and the heartwarming Pesky’s Pole, I gripped the bat twice in my hands.

Tanner Houck looked at me from the mound.

There was no sign of wavering on his face.

But that’s all bluff.

I know better now that I’ve pitched on the mound.

How much pressure comes when facing a good hitter.

A good pitcher is a pitcher who can control that well, but the problem is that I’m not just a good hitter but an incredibly good hitter.

6th inning.

The timing when the body starts to send signals of fatigue.

Tanner Houck threw the ball.

Four-seam?

-Whoosh!!!

“Strike!!”

Ah, it’s a slider.

Yeah, this is also evidence that he’s tired. Throwing a breaking ball right from the first pitch. Besides, looking at it now, the speed is subtle, and the angle of the break doesn’t seem that good.

[First pitch swinging strike!! The slider is still powerful. Tanner Houck. He doesn’t seem to be tiring at all, even in the 6th inning.]

Second pitch.

A fastball that goes out of the zone.

-Wham!!!

Of course, it’s a ball.

-BooOOO

Some boos were directed at him from here and there.

Probably because he walked me in the previous at-bat.

He smirked.

“That bastard is smirking again.”

Yeah, I admit it.

You’re first-class.

Why? Didn’t someone say that the one who smiles when things are tough is truly first-class?

But I, with a bat in my hand, am super first-class.

Looking once at the Green Monster, as comforting as a hot bowl of rice soup… no. Imagining the ball flying beyond the damn Green Monster.

Third pitch.

A ball coming inside.

Fastball?

Slider?

Fastball?

I swung the bat with all my might.

Long tunneling section [the path of the ball as it travels towards the plate].

His ball started to move.

It’s a slider.

It’s too late to stop the bat.

But he’s definitely tired too.

The angle of the ball’s break isn’t sharp. A poorly breaking slider. My bat, which was moving perfectly in sync with it, extended further out.

Collapsing posture.

But not yet. The bat is still under my control.

-Clang!!!!

It tingles.

The batted ball was pushed to the first base direction. A decent hit. Not bad.

[Hit it!! To the right!! Alex Verdugo is running!!]

I ran towards first base with all my might. Up to second base? Of course, it’s impossible. Unless the ball isn’t caught by Alex Verdugo. This is a hit.

My gaze turned to the right. Towards the damn Pesky’s Pole.

“Huh?”

The batted ball hit Pesky’s Pole.

-Wooooaaaaah!!!!!

A tremendous roar of cheers.

And applause.

[Oh my god!! Choi Su-won!! Home run!! Another home run following yesterday’s game!! A super small home run that’s not even estimated to be 100 meters!! Choi Su-won renews his 57th consecutive hit again!! With a home run!! Season 33rd!! Solo home run!! Choi Su-won breaks the tense 0:0 game situation!!]

It was the moment when a record that had been unbroken for 87 years was renewed.