The Pitcher Just Hits Home Runs Well [EN]: Chapter 347

347. End of the Season (4)

“Suwon, let’s take it easy on each other, huh? Easy,” I said.

“Listen to who’s talking. The way you swung that bat just now was brutal. You were clearly aiming for a three-run homer.”

“But I ended up striking out spectacularly. Seriously, I’m busy enough being a hitter, why is the pitcher trying so hard too?”

“I don’t know. Maybe because being a hitter isn’t that busy for me. You saw it yourself. It’s been a slow day.”

“······.”

Do you know how many games we play against Boston in a year? A whopping 13 games. And this game is the 12th.

Besides, my on-base percentage is close to .500. That’s why I’ve become quite friendly with Triston Casas, who plays first base for Boston.

“Oh, right. You heard the news, right?”

“What news?”

“Kang-ho.”

“You mean Kang-ho hyung [older brother/respected male figure]? I heard he hit his 36th home run of the season a while ago. Why?”

“You still don’t keep in touch often, do you? He contacted me recently, saying he’s going to play until the end of this year and then try for the major leagues again.”

“Huh? That hyung signed a FA [free agent] contract last year, so he has to play in the KBO [Korean Baseball Organization] for two more years, right? Well, even if he does that, he’ll still be 31 when he’s a FA again, so it’s not too late.”

“No, the contract has an opt-out clause after two years, right? What was it? A clause that doesn’t allow re-signing with domestic teams but allows overseas advancement?”

He signed a contract with an opt-out clause in the KBO? That’s rare. But it’s not impossible, and considering Baek Kang-ho’s contract details as they’re known, it seems possible. Honestly, 4 years for 11 billion won [approximately $8.4 million USD] for Baek Kang-ho seemed too cheap.

“Kang-ho hyung in the major leagues······.”

“Why? Do you think it’ll be difficult?”

“I don’t know. Kang-ho hyung is twenty-nine now, so technically, there’s still room for improvement. But to play in the big leagues, he’ll have to change his hitting mechanics a bit. Still, if he really wants to play in the big leagues, coming sooner rather than later would be more likely.”

“So you’re saying it’s difficult with his current skills.”

“Maybe?”

I stood on first base and chatted leisurely with Casas.

Of course, even while doing that, I subtly took about two and a half steps off the base. Of course, I had no intention of stealing. They know I won’t steal, and even the fans watching today’s game know I won’t steal. But even just taking those two steps can be a threat to the opponent.

While our conversation was going on, several pitches went back and forth between the pitcher and catcher.

And finally, Tyler Beede threw the ball.

-Clang!!!

Between 2nd and 3rd base.

I quickly started running towards 2nd base.

But······.

[Ah, Marcelo Mayer quickly comes out!! Catches the ball and throws to 2nd!!]

It was impossible.

I hadn’t even run a few steps, and I was easily out.

And Trevor Story, who caught the ball, lightly threw it to Casas at 1st base. There’s no time to interfere with a Buntleg slide or anything.

A double play in an instant.

Fortunately, at least the runner reached 3rd base. If Anthony’s start or speed had been lacking, there could have been a triple play, but thankfully, it ended with a double play.

“Damn······,”

Tyler muttered a low curse with a frustrated expression as he walked towards the dugout.

It’s normal for a batter to hit into a double play. In fact, the batter who hits the most double plays isn’t the one who can’t hit, but rather the one who swings the bat well.

I didn’t need to comfort Tyler.

He’s in a position where he knows it’s a common occurrence in baseball.

I just went back and prepared for my pitching in the next inning.

That means I was warming up my shoulder to keep it from getting cold.

Aaron Judge swung his bat powerfully.

-Swaack!!!

The ball soared.

Could it finally be his 30th home run of the season?

Aaron Judge has been stuck on 29, without a home run for ten days?

“Ah······. That’s too bad.”

But indeed, the number nine was formidable. [In Korean culture, the number 9 is sometimes considered unlucky when approaching a milestone.]

The ball, which would have gone over if it had gone just a little further, went straight into Masataka Yoshida’s glove. If it had been a one-out situation, we could have scored a run, since Yoshida is known for his weak arm······.

Hmm······. Talking about this makes me feel like a series of misfortunes are piling up. If the last game against Boston felt like the heavens were pushing us to a perfect game, this game feels like they’re pushing for an early exit.

[Ah, Yankees. The situation with runners on 1st and 2nd with no outs ends disappointingly like this.]

[Like the Boston Red Sox earlier. It doesn’t seem like the hitters aren’t able to attack the pitcher at all. If they concentrate a little more, they can definitely create a big inning. I’m looking forward to it.]

Anyway, the score is 0:0.

I stood on the mound, carrying misfortune on my back.

-Whoosh!!!

[Slightly outside. The umpire’s hand doesn’t go up.]

Ah, that umpire.

He called a strike in the first inning, so why isn’t he calling this one? Was it a little more outside?

Anyway, I didn’t give up and appropriately threw the ball to graze the border line.

-Clang!!!

In the meantime, the batter miraculously hit a ball that was a bit too centered. The ball soared high. Ah, I had a bad feeling. With today’s overall misfortune, it felt like the fielders would fumble and drop it.

I turned my head towards the direction of the ball.

The general direction came into view. And Mike Trout was already there.

There were no mistakes. Clean and stable defense.

One out was recorded.

‘Ah, now that I think about it, I heard he went through some defensive adjustments. Did that go well?’

Among the players who joined the team this time, Mike Trout was the most lacking in terms of skill. This isn’t about skill compared to salary, but just pure performance. Dennis Martinez was a top-notch second baseman in his prime, and Stan Owens was a moron who hurt his fingernail in the first game and went on the IL [injured list], but his skill was undeniable as an ace-level player.

In comparison, Mike Trout was a legendary player, but he’s 37 this year. Even though he rebounded briefly this year and had an OPS [on-base plus slugging] of 0.831, it’s still ridiculously lacking compared to his prime.

But Mike Trout was helping the team enough just with his name value and the actions that went with it. This is a more important factor for the players on the field than you might think. Just the fact that a player with Mike Trout’s career and name value is leading by example and participating in training more diligently than anyone else makes the team atmosphere very healthy.

I looked at the fielders one by one.

15 consecutive wins.

Yes, they are teammates who have recorded 15 consecutive wins together. They have all already won an MVP [Most Valuable Player award], or were MVP contenders, or were players who wouldn’t be surprised to become MVP contenders if they had a breakout.

‘To be thinking about the Marlins with these guys behind me. I’m really······.’

Yes, I’m being too sensitive to be thinking about the Marlins just because of a few errors in the first inning. This isn’t the Marlins; it’s the Yankees.

Suddenly, my heart felt stronger.

The next batter is Marcelo Mayer, the 7th hitter.

He’s not a particularly powerful hitter.

Then let’s be a little aggressive.

Outside low course, fastball.

-Clang!!!

Marcelo Mayer pushed the ball.

Ground ball towards 3rd base.

Austin Battle calmly reached out his glove······??

‘Ah, damn it······.’

[It got through!! The ball bounced off the ground and deflected slightly!! Austin Battle quickly runs to pick up the ball, but the batter is already on 1st base!! Safe.]

[Ah, following the 1st inning, there’s another disappointing defense in the 2nd inning. It’s the end of the season. It’s getting to be a time when they’re getting tired, but this isn’t it. They need to concentrate more on the game. Although the ball was deflected a bit, they could have handled it if they had been mentally prepared.]

How stupid.

I was so intoxicated by the glamorous scent of Mike Trout that I ignored the thick scent of the Marlins that the Yankees fielders were giving off today.

The next batter is the 8th hitter.

Outside.

And inside.

-Clang!!!!

The ball soared high.

It’s a foul behind the catcher.

Jose Trevino took off his mask, jumped up, and looked up to chase the ball. But he can’t find it?

I shouted and pointed in the direction, but he didn’t look at me.

Maybe he thought it would be faster to find the ball himself than to turn his head and look at someone pointing it out. Or maybe he just couldn’t think that far in the limited time.

So I ran.

I just ran.

I ran almost unconsciously.

Jose found me running like that and took an awkward stance, saying, ‘Uh, uh?’ Fortunately, he didn’t do the stupid thing of belatedly finding the ball and moving in the same direction I was running.

A diving catch wasn’t even necessary.

The end of my outstretched arm.

The ball fell into the glove.

[Ah!! Choi Su-won!! Amazing defense!! Really amazing defense!!]

[Wow, did you see that just now? He ran out as soon as he threw the ball and got into position. If you look at this, Choi Su-won could really do well as an infielder?]

[Haha, a pitcher and a fielder. And an infielder when he plays as a fielder? Then would that be a three-way instead of a two-way?]

Wow, it was really me who did it just now, but it was such a great defense that I couldn’t believe it myself. This is such a crazy defense that I should be nominated for the pitcher’s Gold Glove.

The game continued.

I gave up one more hit, but I still managed to block the top of the 2nd inning without giving up a run. Honestly, I thought I could strike out the 9th hitter, but a ball that went in a little too easily was hit without hesitation.

Yes, even if the team’s defensive atmosphere is the Marlins today, that doesn’t mean the opposing hitters will become the KBO. Let’s stay focused.

The game went by like that.

***

“Ha······. What should I say about this?”

“What do you mean what to say? It’s just that the Yankees fielders are collectively having diarrhea today, and our Suwon is forcibly dragging them along by the collar.”

“No, that’s not it. It’s a very familiar picture, isn’t it?”

“Of course, it’s familiar. It’s a picture we saw every week last year. At this point, it’s almost the American version of the Marlins.”

“Right? But······. Doesn’t it feel a bit comfortable?”

“What nonsense are you talking about? I’m on edge because I don’t know when we’ll lose a point. My heart is pounding with every ordinary fly ball, and I feel like I’m going to die before my time.”

“No, but it’s a familiar scene for us to watch. Doesn’t Suwon, who’s pitching now, also feel very familiar and comfortable?”

“Huh?”

“No, you know how some gamers are. They’re incredibly good at playing with only terrible characters. Isn’t our Suwon more familiar with those situations because he started his professional life with the Marlins? That’s just a crazy thought that suddenly came to mind.”

“What? Why is that persuasive?”

Top of the 4th inning.

Two outs, runner on 1st.

Despite the fielders committing as many as 3 errors in 3.2 innings, Choi Su-won was still protecting the mound without allowing a single point.