The Pitcher Just Hits Home Runs Well [EN]: Chapter 324

324. Maybe a Fluke? (5)

Does exceptional performance guarantee popularity?

Well, it’s true ‘to some extent.’

Before my regression [return to the past], I was indeed one of the more popular hitters in the league. It’s understandable. The most exciting play in baseball is the home run, so naturally, home run hitters tend to be well-liked.

But that popularity doesn’t even begin to compare to what I experience now.

Of course, I’m having a historically significant season in many respects. But even when I was challenging for the single-season home run record, cleanly [without any suspicion of cheating], the level of attention wasn’t close to what it is now. I wasn’t even the most popular player in the league back then.

I was quite frustrated by that at the time, but looking back, it all boils down to star quality.

Giving the fans what they want, or even exceeding their expectations, precisely when they’re most eager for it.

I was severely lacking in that department back then.

And now, I’m overflowing with star quality.

I casually rounded the bases and stepped on home plate.

Fenway Park.

The cheers and applause from the crowd showed no signs of diminishing.

***

[Wow, it’s just unbelievable. A miniature home run that somehow slams into the Pesky Pole [a short right-field foul pole at Fenway Park] out of nowhere. The crowd is going absolutely wild. This is the ultimate manipulation of the game.]

[Honestly, the moment he hit it, I thought, ‘That’s going to be a routine flyout.’ In any other stadium, it would have been. But then, bam! The Pesky Pole! Wow, Choi Su-won. Was he chosen by the baseball gods or something?]

[Now that you mention it, even with an amazing record, maybe it’s fate that it’s finally being broken after 87 years.]

[We see Choi Su-won passing third base and touching home. The applause and cheers from the crowd are endless.]

[Considering this is Fenway Park and Choi Su-won is a New York Yankees player, you can imagine how incredible this is. This game is being broadcast nationally in the US on ESPN, and they’re going crazy there too. They’re saying it’s breaking viewership records, not just for this season, but for the last 10 years, excluding the World Series.]

[Really, Choi Su-won is just so, so amazing. Who would have thought such a player would emerge from Korean baseball? It’s only been a little over 30 years since the first Korean major leaguer appeared in Major League Baseball. Just 30 years! And in that short time, Korea has produced arguably the greatest baseball player in the world.]

“Hey, Ddong-sik is way too excited right now, isn’t he? His commentary is all over the place.”

“Cut him some slack. He’s always been a Choi Su-won fanatic. Can you imagine how he feels right now?”

“Well, even I, who usually can’t stand Choi Su-won, am feeling a surge of national pride right now. Ddong-sik, who’s always been a Choi Su-won fanatic, must feel like he’s on cloud nine.”

“Wow, but seeing this, isn’t Choi Su-won really something special?”

“Do you need to see this to know how amazing Choi Su-won is? I wouldn’t be surprised if he hits .400 until the end of the season. Why? Because he won the championship with the Marines, even the 통합 [unified] championship. Right?”

“Hmm… But even now that Choi Su-won is gone, the Marines are still doing pretty well, aren’t they?”

“Nah, it’s just DTD [Down To Die – a Korean baseball term for a team that starts strong but collapses later in the season]. They were riding high in first place at the beginning of the season, but now they’re fluctuating between 4th and 5th. By the end of the season, they’ll be lucky to finish 7th, and they’ll probably end up in 9th or 10th as usual.”

“Ha, seeing that, Choi Su-won is definitely something else. He’s pitching a perfect game through 5 innings today.”

“Exactly. It’s almost unreal. Someone on the internet said that maybe we’re all just NPCs [non-player characters] in a game where Choi Su-won is the main character. I sometimes wonder if that’s true. They said that if you play with Ohtani [Shohei Ohtani, a famous Japanese baseball player] and set the stats, you get results almost similar to Choi Su-won.”

[Ah, Choi Su-won is coming out again to acknowledge the crowd. It’s already the second time, but the cheers aren’t dying down easily.]

[57 consecutive games with a hit. And he showed such an absurd play, so it’s a natural reaction. Let me add a side note about how amazing 57 consecutive games with a hit is. Most people know the novel ‘The Old Man and the Sea.’ In that novel, there are many praises of ‘the great Joe DiMaggio.’ And the representative record that earned Joe DiMaggio the title of ‘great’ is the 56-game hitting streak that Choi Su-won broke today.]

[Wow, hearing that story makes it feel different again. To break the record of a person praised in a Nobel Prize-winning novel. So, maybe someday Choi Su-won’s name will have that much influence. I think we can look forward to it.]

[Yes, I have no doubt that Choi Su-won will leave an even greater mark on history.]

[Ah, Choi Su-won is greeting the crowd for the third time.]

[It’s a very proud and pleasant scene, but considering that Choi Su-won is the starting pitcher today, I think he needs to rest a bit for the next inning. He’s been showing a really good performance on the mound today, so I hope the fans can calm down a bit and properly celebrate again after the game.]

Even though he came out of the dugout three times, the cheers from the crowd didn’t die down easily. And the people cheering weren’t just casual fans who came to Fenway Park today. There were also quite a few long-time Boston Red Sox fans among them.

“Damn it. How long is that guy going to drag this out? And in our own house.”

“Jack, you were just clapping and cheering a moment ago. What nonsense are you talking about?”

“No, that’s… You can’t tell anyone about this, okay?”

“What? You got excited when Choi Su-won came out of the dugout, stood up, clapped, and even whistled?”

“Ah… Come on… You know my family’s atmosphere. If this gets to my dad’s ears, I’ll be teased for at least 30 years.”

“Really? But Jack, you know that item you won in that dice game last time? I’ve almost completed the set, but I’m missing that one thing.”

“You dirty bastard… Fine. I’ll give it to you. I’ll give it to you, so shut your mouth. Deal?”

“Okay. Deal.”

Finally, for the fourth time.

Su-won walked out of the dugout once again. The applause and cheers still poured down. Unlike before, when he lightly waved his hand, Choi Su-won took off his hat and bowed to them.

The applause and cheers echoed even louder for a moment.

In that huge roar, Choi Su-won raised his head and stood there for a moment, willingly accepting the applause from the crowd.

For about a minute.

Finally, as the applause and cheers subsided, Choi Su-won waved to the crowd one more time and returned to the dugout.

Many people who came to the stadium today felt that they had been sufficiently compensated for the astronomical ticket prices they had paid. Of course, Choi Su-won’s record will continue, not just for 57 games, but for 58, 59 games. But excluding the moment when that record comes to an end, the most meaningful day will be today. The day he broke the 87-year-old record of the great Joe DiMaggio.

The game continued.

***

A pitcher is bound to falter in the face of significant pressure.

Of course, a top-tier (一流) pitcher minimizes that faltering and continues the game. In that sense, Tanner Houck wasn’t quite a top-tier pitcher.

-Clang!!!

The problem was our Yankees’ lineup.

In particular, Tyler Wade and Aaron Judge, who bat 3rd and 4th, were also hitters above top-tier.

[Aaron Judge!! A ball soaring through the air!! The fence!! The fence!!!]

-Thwack!!!

[It hit directly!! The ball bounced off the top of the Green Monster [the tall left-field wall at Fenway Park]!! In the meantime, Tyler Wade passes 3rd base and heads home!!]

[Masataka Yoshida!! Quickly grabs the ball, but it’s too late. The runner from 1st base is heading home!! And the batter is on 2nd base!! Aaron Judge’s double!! Top of the 6th, the Yankees add 1 point, and the score is now 2:0!! The Yankees are one step ahead in the game!!]

A slightly disappointing hit.

But anyway, 1 point added.

2:0.

No outs, runner on 2nd.

The Boston pitching coach went up to the mound. Tanner Houck was shaking his head slightly nervously. Could this be an opportunity to score a lot of additional points here?

-Whoosh!!

“Strike!! Out!!!”

But unfortunately, my expectations were not met.

The following 5th batter, Austin Battle, struck out, and Angel Cabrera and Jake Domingo both made contact with the ball, but it didn’t lead to a hit.

2:0.

And bottom of the 6th.

I, holding a glove instead of a bat, went up to the mound again.

Many people in the stands cheered for me.

But this time, I didn’t take off my hat and bow or wave my hand.

Focus.

Yes, now was the time to focus solely on pitching.

[Boston’s attack starts with the 7th batter, Marcelo Mayer!! Choi Su-won, who just recorded a 57-game hitting streak, is on the mound.]

[There’s a very famous saying in baseball, right? Good defense is followed by good offense. I would like to say here that good offense is followed by good defense.]

In the previous at-bat, I almost got into big trouble because I pitched with a very, very slightly relaxed mind, thinking it was the lower batting order. The Pesky Pole was a great stroke of luck for me today, but it could also be a stroke of luck for the opponent.

Carefully.

With all my might.

First pitch.

A high fastball on the inside course. A 100.3 mph fastball that slightly deviates from the zone.

It was an amazing course.

From the outside to the deep inside.

When considering left and right, it barely 걸치다 [touches/grazes] the zone. But it deviates from the zone by half a ball in height. The umpire has been a bit stingy with the top and bottom of the zone today, but this should be enough for a strike call.

Well, if he swings, considering Marcelo Mayer’s gap power, it’s likely to end in an infield fly ball…

-Clang!!!

[First pitch!! He hit it!! Marcelo Mayer!! A well-hit ball!! Left!! Towards the left!!!]

[A better hit on a good ball!! Marcelo Mayer!! I mentioned earlier that his recent hitting feel is really on fire!! The ball!! Soaring through the air!!]

Fortunately, it wasn’t in the direction of the Pesky Pole.

Fenway Park has a very deformed shape, with a wall that curves greatly backward based on the left pole. So please!!

[Right fielder Tyler Wade is running!!]

[Very fast speed!! Ah, he was already defending from a slightly retreated position. His defensive position was very good!!]

Far away in the outfield.

Tyler Wade dove.

The position seems to overlap with the landing point. Did he catch it? Did he miss it?

“Out!!!!”

[He caught it!! Tyler Wade!! Good defense following good offense!! Tyler Wade saves Choi Su-won once again!!]

Bottom of the 6th.

One out was added to the scoreboard.

‘Hoo…’