The Pitcher Just Hits Home Runs Well [EN]: Chapter 342

342. Two-Way Player (6)

Game 2.

We lost 11-7.

“How many days will it take?”

“Well? It’s a 15-day IL [Injured List], not a 60-day one, so I guess he’ll miss about two games?”

Fortunately, Stan Owens’ injury wasn’t serious.

Just a broken nail from the curveball he threw at the end. However, this nail injury is subtly annoying, and it takes time to grow back, so it’s hard to say what his performance will be like when he returns in 15 days.

“So, we’re going back to the old system for the time being… Who’s coming up?”

“I heard Josh has been pitching pretty well lately, so wouldn’t Josh come up? We’re a bit short on lefties right now.”

“Josh? The stocky guy who hung out with Suwon during spring training?”

“No, that’s Donald. Josh is the lanky guy. His control is still a bit rough, but his stuff is good enough to contribute in the bullpen.”

And thanks to that loss, the atmosphere became a bit uneasy overall.

Especially Shohei Ohtani.

Seriously, this guy. He pitched a no-hitter yesterday and then hit a grand slam in today’s game. It was his first grand slam of the season, and it really made me feel like he’s a star.

He always delivers when it matters.

Me?

Of course, me…

─Choi Suwon with a refreshing home run after a long time!!

─Choi Suwon’s 77-game hitting streak ends!! A home run that shakes up the game!! And another home run!!

─A multi-home run of fury!! Choi Suwon’s overwhelming hitting with 3 hits and 2 home runs in 5 at-bats!!

─Choi Suwon shakes off the pressure of the consecutive game hitting streak?

Yeah.

Well, the opponent was pretty good, but anyway, I hit a multi-home run for the first time in a while. I finished showering in the locker room, greeted my teammates, and went home.

And a few minutes later,

-Ding-dong.

The guest I was waiting for arrived.

***

“Nice place you got here?”

“It’s a very expensive place.”

“I figured. I thought I was pretty well-known, but they checked me as thoroughly as if I were a complete stranger.”

“Well… that’s probably just because the security guard is a fan of our team.”

“Ah…”

Shohei Ohtani smiled wryly.

Yeah, it’s Shohei Ohtani again.

I saw him before the game, and I’m seeing him again after the game. I probably don’t see my girlfriend this often, but as we talked, I realized we had so much more to say than I thought.

“Aren’t you tired? You pitched yesterday and you’re playing again without a day off… I did that a bit when I was in Korea, and it was really tough. And the Big League is even more competitive and the schedule is much tighter.”

“Definitely. KBO [Korean Baseball Organization] has a day off every Monday, right? I was able to manage it in Japan, but when I first came to the Big League, it was too hard. I’ve been playing like this for six years? I think it was around then. Even then, I get plenty of rest days in between.”

“Do you have any tips?”

“For free?”

“This braised short ribs you’re eating. It’s a precious dish that came all the way across the Pacific.”

In fact, the tips from the field are often much smaller than you think. But considering that those small things are the result of many trials and errors, this conversation with Shohei Ohtani was nothing short of a stroke of luck for me.

In particular, the routine of training and the distribution of stamina were very helpful to me.

“Wow, Suwon, you really understand quickly? There’s a reason why you were MVP [Most Valuable Player] at 20… And you’ve studied more than I thought. I thought you were the type to hit instinctively. You’re almost at the level of the veterans on the team?”

If I were a raw twenty-year-old, it might have been difficult to absorb all that information in this short conversation. But I was already a veteran player with 16 years of professional experience and 9 years of ‘hitter’ experience in the majors. I understood the differences to some extent. In fact, I even gave Ohtani some tips that were helpful to him.

“Oh, right. And I told you before the game, didn’t I?”

“Told me what?”

“What else? I told you your winning streak was impossible. How about it? Was I right?”

“No, you weren’t right at all. It’s just that our starter, Stan Owens, suddenly broke his nail, which messed up our plans a bit.”

“The team’s strength is taking things like that into account.”

We continued our childish bickering, but in the end, the loser in the game can’t beat the winner. It’s definitely not because my eloquence is lacking.

No, really.

***

[The third game between the New York Yankees and the LA Dodgers. The final game of the interleague series between the top teams in the American League and the National League is about to begin.]

[Actually, this series is very unfortunate for the New York Yankees.]

[Yes, that’s right. In the first game, Choi Suwon’s 76-game hitting streak was broken, and in the second game, Stan Owens, who was brought in to win the championship, was injured and placed on the IL.]

[In that sense, the Yankees must win this third game. Losing the series is painful, but it’s nothing compared to being swept.]

[That’s right. Fortunately, since it’s a game against a National League team, the impact on the league’s highest winning percentage is a bit less, but the Tampa Bay Rays in the same division are chasing us with a really scary momentum.]

“Hoo…”

“Josh. Long time no see?”

“Uh…”

“Hey, why are you so stiff? Relax. Relax. It’s not like it’s your first time being called up to the Big League… No, is this your first time?”

“Uh…”

“Well, then you must be nervous. Hmm, if that’s the case, I can’t help but tell you about when I made my major league debut. So, once upon a time… (omitted)……”

Choi Suwon’s story about the Pacific Ocean didn’t even register.

23 years old this year.

It wasn’t just another first for anyone. It was the first step that some people may never have in their entire baseball career.

From the moment I heard the news of the call-up after yesterday’s game until now, it felt like I was dreaming. That’s because Josh Clinton had been throwing the ball for 16 years since he first started playing baseball at the age of 7 for this first step. It was as if the moment he had always dreamed of had suddenly become a reality.

Is that why? Even though the place he was standing was just the bullpen, not the mound, the torrent of emotions was indescribably huge.

Today’s Yankees starter is Dylan Lee.

He wasn’t a player who showed impressive performances, but he was a fairly solid starting pitcher who was considered reliable. Even if he went to a mid-to-upper-tier team, he was a pitcher who could handle at least the third starter, and if his service time was over, he could get 5 years for 80 to 90 million.

He was a pitcher that Josh Clinton could realistically aim for when he had a little hope.

Will he be able to pitch today?

I heard that Stan Owens is on the 15-day IL, so the opportunity is about 15 days. It means that there are very few opportunities to show something.

But at the same time, the fact that he is getting an opportunity means that the team is in a difficult situation to win. In order for him to pitch, he has to hope for the team’s defeat.

With a stiff posture, Stan Owens watched the game.

I hope the team is losing moderately and I get a chance to pitch.

I hope I can show my parents, who came to New York after 6 hours to hear the news of their son’s major league call-up, a good performance.

1-0

1-1

1-3

4-3

Josh Clinton’s heart also fluctuated like a roller coaster every time the score changed.

***

Ah, is this really screwed up?

Should I go somewhere and get a shamanic ritual [a traditional Korean ceremony to invoke spirits]?

Dylan Lee doesn’t show a dominant appearance, but he still digests innings well and is a fairly consistent pitcher. His ERA [Earned Run Average] this season is 3.79, and he has pitched 119.1 innings so far.

But today, the Dodgers’ bats were no joke. They were suppressed by Gerrit Cole in the first game, but they unleashed it yesterday and came up with that momentum. Is it right to say that they showed the appearance of the number one team in the National League?

It was an intensity that could not be suppressed by a solid pitcher. Yes, what we needed today was something dominant.

“Suwon, shouldn’t you be warming up now?”

“Anthony. I wish you would say something that makes sense. I’m starting tomorrow. I’ve been preparing for that, so what do you mean suddenly warm up?”

“Well, it’s just moving it up a day, what’s the big deal…”

“A pitcher isn’t as ignorant as a hitter who goes up whenever he’s told to. It’s very delicate. You should know that.”

“I’m just frustrated. We used a lot of bullpen pitchers yesterday.”

We were winning when Stan Owens was taken off the mound due to injury in the second inning yesterday, and the game was fairly tight until the middle of the game, so we used a lot of bullpen pitchers. If it wasn’t for Shohei Ohtani’s grand slam…

“It can’t be helped. We have to swing hard too. Just get on base in front of me. Yesterday, honestly, uh? I had a multi-home run, but my RBIs [Runs Batted In] were less than Ohtani’s, who only hit one home run? Mr. Anthony Volpe, my leadoff hitter?”

“Ahem… Well, if you’re going to hit a home run, tell me in advance and I’ll be on base. But I was on base once.”

“That’s something to be proud of.”

“… It’s time to go to defense.”

It’s been 1 hour and 20 minutes since the game started. But the game is still in the top of the 4th inning. The score is already 7-6.

-Clang!!!

[Ah!! Adam Wayne hits it!! A fast ball between 2nd and 3rd base!! Anthony Volpe!!]

It was an uncatchable ball.

Even if you brought in the best shortstop in the league, it was a ball that he would miss 9 out of 10 times.

[The ball gets through!! In the meantime, the runner on 1st base goes to 2nd base!! The batter also safely goes to 1st base!! LA Dodgers. The Dodgers get another chance to score more points.]

[Dylan Lee. He looks very tired. He’s only pitched 3.1 innings and he’s already thrown 79 pitches.]

[This player isn’t usually like this, but it feels like his control isn’t very good overall today. There are too many balls.]

The opponent’s hitters are difficult, so he tries to avoid a direct confrontation, which increases the number of walks. As the number of walks increases, runners accumulate, which makes him more nervous.

It’s a vicious cycle.

The number of mound visits from the dugout has already been exhausted.

Fortunately, if he can manage the current 8th batter well, he can end the inning without going to the top of the order.

-Ppeoeoeong!!!

[Ah… A ball that goes way out. Dylan Lee. It’s a crisis.]

[The count is 2-0. Yankees. Pitcher change. It’s a pitcher change.]

[The Yankees used their bullpen early yesterday, so the bullpen is under a lot of stress. This is a big concern for manager Jeff Clark.]

[Actually, Dylan Lee isn’t a pitcher who overwhelms his opponents. He doesn’t collapse easily and he eats innings. A pitcher who can make these calculations is very helpful to the manager. But today is a really big crisis.]

[Ah, Jace Whitaker is on the mound. Jace Whitaker safely digested 1 inning in yesterday’s game. I wonder if he will be able to show a good performance today!!]

-Clang!!!!

[Ah!!!!]

“”Ah!!!!!!””

Damn it…

Top of the 4th inning.

The score is now 8-6.