The Pitcher Just Hits Home Runs Well [EN]: Chapter 332

“Suwon, want another one of these?”

“Ah, I can’t drink alcohol yet under American law.”

“I know, this isn’t alcohol; it’s carbonated water.”

It’s widely known that Shohei Ohtani is a stoic person. Stories about how he never participates in drinking parties, or even if he does, he barely drinks and focuses the conversation on exercise, are almost legendary.

Yeah, I admit it. He’s an amazing person.

But let’s think about it carefully.

Imagine you have a colleague who is a workaholic. They hardly ever participate in company dinners or anything else, and they only work. Of course, their work performance is good, and their satisfaction as a team member is high. But would you want to be friends with this kind of person?

“Ah, so you were controlling the axis of rotation. I tried to do that too, but it didn’t work out. Did you have any special tricks or anything?”

“You felt it ‘pop’?! As expected, you see the slider… Ah, people call it a sweeper, but from my perspective, I’m actually throwing a slider. Anyway, you see the slider.”

“No, no, I think that premonition itself is a kind of comprehensive cognitive ability. Its manifestation is simply conveyed as a feeling of sensation. You can’t find a rational basis for a judgment made in 0.2 seconds.”

“Pitch clock violation at the end? Haha, that’s right. Well, I was contemplating about half of the time. The other half was intentional, to let my guard down a little. You think it’s a waste to use a ball like that? Not at all. It’s not like I’m using up stamina throwing the ball anyway.”

The baseball stories continued without a break.

I think I knew why Mike Piazza had passed Ohtani Shohei to me with a bright face after hearing that my father was a fan.

“Oh, right. By the way, how are you doing your physical training? Do you have any plans to increase your weight further?”

“Yes, I plan to eventually increase my weight to about 110kg [242.5 lbs].”

“110kg, so about 20kg [44 lbs] more than now?”

“Yes, roughly around that.”

And naturally, the conversation turned to physical training. Personally, it was actually a slightly uncomfortable topic because I was using Ohtani Shohei’s training data through a somewhat shady route.

“That’s great. I have some data and tips I collected when I was gaining weight in the past. Would you like me to send them to you if you’re interested?”

“Yes?”

“Ah, of course, your constitution and mine are a bit different, and a lot of time has already passed, so there are probably better things out there, but it will still be quite helpful. I actually had a hard time gaining weight easily. Besides, this two-way thing is quite difficult to build a balanced body. Am I showing off too much even though you don’t really need it?”

“No. I would be very grateful if you could send it to me. I’m just a little dazed. That would be very valuable data. Are you sure it’s okay to send it so easily?”

“No, you know how knuckleball pitchers share their know-how with each other while training? Just think of it like that. Of course, don’t post it on the internet or anything like that. Kids could get seriously hurt if they see this and try to follow it.”

Wow, what is this? He’s giving away those precious materials so easily? Is he planning to plant false data in between to confuse me?

I briefly had some useless thoughts about giving his training data too easily, but looking at Ohtani’s face, shining brightly without a single strand of beard, those dirty thoughts were washed away cleanly.

This person is genuine.

After that, we talked about baseball for quite a long time. 34 years old. Is it because he’s the same age as me before regression? I felt like we communicated quite well. Above all, his passion for baseball is really amazing. I couldn’t even win MVP 1st place, so I worked hard, but how can someone who has already won MVP 1st place be so sincere about baseball? Even though he’s already at the top, his pursuit of higher places is, in some ways, even admirable.

“Ah, sorry, sorry. I’ve been holding you for too long. Your father and girlfriend came with you, right?”

“Ah, yes.”

“Seeing you together at a family event, are you engaged?”

“No. Not yet…”

***

“Oh my, so your father became a fan when he was still in school?”

“That’s right. He was a really great guy… that guy. The world of professionals is ultimately a barrier of talent, and especially the major league is even more so. But that guy, you know, was 1390th overall in the 62nd round [referring to the MLB draft]. So, he was essentially judged as a player with no chance of making it to the big leagues at all. But he overcame all that and rose to become the best catcher in the big leagues.”

Kyung-shik’s face was full of smiles as he got Mike Piazza’s autograph on the Dodgers uniform he had prepared in advance. Although it was hard to find the appearance of his active days now, it was because he had met his favorite baseball player in person. Or maybe, in Kyung-shik’s eyes, Mike Piazza, who had aged and become heavier, still looked like he did in his active days, without a single wrinkle. Kyung-shik also felt like he had returned to his carefree days in his 20s for a moment.

“By the way, I don’t know what that guy is talking about so much over there, leaving you alone. Bringing the whole family and talking about work with a work colleague. Tsk. If he does that later, be sure to tell me. Bringing outside work to family events is a very bad habit.”

Eun-jin smiled bashfully.

‘If he does that later.’ It was a story that was too obvious to not understand. But that was only for a moment. What would you do if your father acknowledged it now? The person in question doesn’t seem to have any thoughts. It’s been several years since I confessed and got rejected.

Could it be that she really treats me as just a friend now? A friend who gets tickets when I come to see her game? Yeah, maybe letting me hang out with her family so freely is from that kind of heart.

“Still, Suwon is cool because he likes baseball. Look at him. He and Ohtani Shohei are talking with their eyes sparkling.”

But even so, Eun-jin thought Suwon was cool. No, that’s why he was even cooler. How could someone who sprints so hard towards their dreams not be cool? How many men in the world can be so enthusiastic about conversations for their goals, even in a place like this, with their eyes sparkling like that?

“Ugh… No, no matter what. Huh. Geez. I don’t know. If that keeps up, he’s really going to l… No, never mind.”

Kyung-shik almost blurted out an ominous story from his experience but hurriedly shook his head.

“Anyway, let’s wait 10 more minutes, and if he still doesn’t come, I’ll bring him over. Let’s enjoy the party here for a while.”

“No, Dad. I’m having enough fun just being with you.”

“What fun is there in playing with an old man? By the way, where did Kang-doo go?”

***

When I came to my senses, more than an hour had passed. He was definitely a person with a lot to learn from. Of course, just because there’s a lot to learn doesn’t mean I’m going to become that kind of person. Wait, what? He doesn’t meet women. He doesn’t drink alcohol. He only does baseball? Ugh, is that even a life worth living?

“As expected, you, Suwon, would understand. Honestly, getting married while playing as a player? That’s not an easy thing to do. Anyway, a lot of people are getting married slowly these days. I don’t think it’s too late to get married after retiring like Derek Jeter [a famous baseball player who married after retirement].”

Of course, I agree to some extent on this part about marriage.

Because I’ve done it. It’s not an easy thing. I can’t go home for more than half of the year, and if they are locals, they can communicate with people around them, but women who come over from Japan or Korea, trusting only their spouse, can go half crazy depending on their personality or language.

Thinking about it now, I think it would have been a little less if it had been a place like New York or LA, but anyway, that was exactly the case with my ex-wife before regression.

“But I think dating is okay? Derek Jeter dated a lot during his playing career.”

“Well. That might be true. But I think it’s a bit different depending on the type of person.”

Oh, man.

I was about to cut off the conversation and get up from my seat, but I almost continued the conversation without realizing it. Hurriedly getting up from my seat, I gave Ohtani my number and email.

“That’s my number, and this is my email address.”

“Okay. I’ll send the data here. It was nice talking to you today.”

Hurriedly turning my head, I looked for Eun-jin and my father.

Where did they go?

“Hahaha!! It was really like that? No, when Suwon was very little… Huh? He followed my son to play baseball together. Guess what? My son quit baseball in less than three months. So I asked him, why? He said that Suwon, who was two years younger than him, threw the ball better than him. But what’s even more amazing is… If he had just followed a brother he knew, he might have quit together if that brother quit. But he was completely hooked on baseball. That young guy, you know.”

Uncle Kang-doo was the first to catch my eye, holding Anthony and a few other people and telling stories that were a mix of truth and exaggeration.

And beyond that.

Eun-jin was talking to a man.

‘No, where did my father go, leaving only Eun-jin?’

I walked towards Eun-jin at a fast pace.

“Ah, Eun-jin. Am I a little late? But who is this?”

“Wow!! Choi!! I’m a fan. Ah, of course, I’m a fan of Choi individually, not the Yankees. No matter what, I can’t get attached to the Yankees.”

“Ah, Suwon. This is Patrick. He said he’s an actor.”

“Yes, I’m an actor. I thought I had made my face known quite a bit these days, but I guess I need to work harder to be known in Asia.”

Ah, I heard that Anthony invited not only players but also some people who are celebrities, so it seemed like he was one of them.

“I see. Nice to meet you, Patrick. I have something to talk about with Eun-jin separately.”

“Ah, sure. Anything.”

I subtly took Eun-jin to a table in the corner of the lounge.

“Something to talk about separately? What are you talking about all of a sudden?”

Park Eun-jin, who seemed to be in a good mood for some reason, asked me.

Ah, wait a minute.

I think I know why. This girl thinks I’m jealous.

“Just… I’m a little jealous because you’re with a guy I don’t know.”

“Uh… uh. Uh?”

Park Eun-jin suddenly stopped moving as if she had broken down.

Her face turned bright red.

“Hey, hey. No. What are you talking about all of a sudden? Are you even remotely interested in me as a person of the opposite sex?”

“What do you mean suddenly? Logically, I called you to come all the way to America on a special day like this. Do you think that’s possible without any interest?”

“No, but that’s…”

But when I thought about it carefully, I thought it might be jealousy.

Then the answer was simple.

“Eun-jin.”

“Uh… uh?”

“Let’s date.”