The Pitcher Just Hits Home Runs Well [EN]: Chapter 351

351. End of the Season (8)

Major League Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred was certain.

What the sport needed to revive was a ‘superstar.’

The NBA had already proven this in the 80s and 90s.

They, who seemed like they could never catch up to MLB, now stood shoulder to shoulder with MLB thanks to Michael Jordan, an icon of the era, and LeBron James, a big name who followed in his footsteps.

And what about the period when MLB rebounded after falling far behind the NFL in the 80s?

The rivalry between home run kings Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa.

And the emergence of an overwhelming hitter named Barry Bonds.

Yes, Major League Baseball was clearly cruising along.

Until the drug scandal emerged.

The great hitters who should have remained legends were all revealed to be drug users. The most brilliant 90s of Major League Baseball were left with disgrace, and those who were enthusiastic about baseball at the time turned their backs in great betrayal.

But even so, or rather, precisely because of that, Rob Manfred was convinced that what the league needed most was a ‘superstar.’ The reason why Major League Baseball has lost its momentum is because it has lost the superstar who can attract people.

Clayton Kershaw? Mike Trout? Bryce Harper? Justin Verlander?

No, all were impossible.

They may be great players representing the league, but they could not become icons representing the era like Babe Ruth, Willie Mays, Hank Aaron, Ty Cobb, Ken Griffey Jr., or Joe DiMaggio.

They needed overwhelming skills that dominated the league and something beyond that.

And Rob Manfred had been working tirelessly to cultivate that ‘it’ factor in the promising players he saw last time.

But there was something he didn’t know.

You can create a star. You can create a player who represents the league.

But something beyond that, the *je ne sais quoi* [French term for ‘something that cannot be named easily’].

Something that represents the sport itself can never be created by external forces. It is only possible when something extraordinary emerges organically.

Also, that superstar does not shine alone. He spreads his light to make others who cannot shine on their own sparkle as well. The numerous lights created in this way become stories, and those stories captivate the countless people who watch them.

A strange city that calls itself the capital of the world, even though it is not the capital of the United States.

A city that still loves MLB the most in this American land where the NFL has become the trend.

[The King of New York Returns.]

Yes, someone who dares to call himself their king has returned to New York.

With the overwhelming achievement of rewriting the history of the league in just his debut year.

***

2028.

He recorded a tremendous performance that was truly worthy of the expression ‘breakout.’ With 23 games still left in the season, he has 52 home runs. Arithmetically speaking, it is a terrifying pace that could lead to 60 home runs in a season. And if you ask if his other batting stats or defensive stats are lacking, that is not the case either. His slash line is a whopping 0.314/0.411/0.684 [batting average/on-base percentage/slugging percentage]. I guarantee that if the league situation was similar to last year, Wander Franco would have had an overwhelming season to aim for a unanimous MVP [Most Valuable Player award].

And this was before Choi Soo-won returned to this era. It was a performance that greatly exceeded Wander Franco’s original MVP-winning performance. At the time, he won the MVP with a final season record of 0.319/0.406/0.611 and 49 home runs. The number of first-place votes he received at the time was 16. It was a slightly precarious MVP because he had fewer second-place votes than Rafael Devers, who had 13 votes.

Wander Franco was not the only one performing better than before Soo-won returned. Rafael Devers was also recording better results thanks to this competition. But there was someone who had changed much more than those two. It was Alexander McDowell of the New York Mets in the National League, whom Rob Manfred is still trying his best to promote as Choi Soo-won’s rival.

The record he has made so far this season is a whopping 0.298/0.409/0.680 with 54 home runs.

Arithmetically speaking, it is a terrifying pace approaching 63 home runs. The general opinion is that if he adds six more home runs in the remaining period, the MVP is a sure thing. In the case of his rival Shohei Ohtani, he would have to burn from now until the last game of the season, and on top of that, he would only have a fifty-fifty chance if Alexander McDowell does not record more than 60 home runs.

Then what about the AL [American League] ?

Shohei Ohtani showed great performance this year as well, but it is one step short compared to his prime. Moreover, the performance that Choi Soo-won is showing this season is even beyond that of Ohtani’s prime.

Can Wander Franco prevent Choi Soo-won from winning the MVP even if he defends his home run title?

Of course not.

But what if he surpasses Aaron Judge’s 62 home runs recorded in 2022?

From an objective point of view, Choi Soo-won is definitely not someone you can beat with just 63 home runs. Even if he hits 63 home runs, all he can do is prevent a unanimous MVP? The record that Choi Soo-won has written this season is that great.

But originally, people cannot be objective about their own work.

Wander Franco was also like that. Besides, everyone around him knew that he needed motivation. The story that he can never surpass Choi Soo-won no matter how hard he struggles from now on was less helpful than the story that he doesn’t know until the very end.

That’s why Wander Franco clenched his bat again today.

More home runs.

Even one more home run.

63 or more.

September.

The Tampa Bay Rays were stubbornly following the Yankees, who were overwhelmingly running away.

[Tampa Bay!! Achieves a winning series against Boston!! 2nd in AL overall win rate!! Wild card win rate is virtually confirmed!!]

[Wander Franco adds 53rd and 54th multi-home runs!! Tied for 1st in both leagues with Alexander McDowell!! Now there are 20 games left!! Who will surpass 62 home runs?]

[New York Yankees win 29 consecutive games!! 103 wins and 38 losses!! Only 13 games left until the most wins in history!!]

***

A rare day off.

Major League Baseball usually takes travel days as rest days, and especially towards the end of the season, they cram in canceled games and play doubleheaders, so it was a precious day off that was hard to come by.

The contractors and trainers also recommended ending the workout with simple stretching and getting plenty of rest, so I was just going to relax at home, but Alexander McDowell suddenly came to my house.

“I went on a West Coast expedition and slept well on the plane, so I can’t sleep,” he said.

I didn’t have anything to do today, so I gladly offered him a meal. I warmed up the braised short ribs that I had saved and prepared some non-spicy dishes, and he ate them like a whirlwind.

Well… Even about 10 years ago, there was talk about globalizing Korean food, and the government was promoting Korean food in various ways, but I don’t know about that. The globalization of Korean food ended with mega-hit global OTTs [Over-the-top media services, like Netflix] and the birth of global pop stars.

Oh, of course, strictly speaking, it only spread to some luxury restaurants in major cities in the United States, but anyway, in the first place, globalization in Korea doesn’t mean spreading to remote areas in Africa, but to the United States. And one step further to Europe.

Anyway, since about 6 years ago, if you pick the top 10 restaurants in New York, 5 or 6 of them are fusion Korean restaurants. Really. In fact, there are only two Michelin three-star Korean restaurants in Korea, but there are as many as six in New York.

-Mumble mumble

“Um, this is really delicious? Did you say it was braised short ribs? The taste is a bit different from the restaurants I went to?”

“Not all steaks taste the same, right? It’s the same with that. This was sent directly from one of the best restaurants in Korea.”

“As expected, Korea’s best star!!”

“Hey, Korea’s best star is too humble for me now. If I had to say it, it would be the best star in Major League Baseball? The hottest sports star of 2028? Wouldn’t you give me that much?”

“Hey, the season isn’t over yet?”

“The season isn’t over, but it seems like the rivalry between you and me is over? These days, even in New York, they don’t report on you and me as rivals. It’s coming out as the King of New York and the challenger challenging him!!”

“Th, that’s!! Your agency is strangely good at their job…”

I shook my head.

“You guys are really good at your job. Honestly, if you look at the objective numbers, it’s strange to even be compared. Didn’t you recently fail to hit a home run in eight games? But still, there’s still talk about breaking the home run record.”

“……”

The guy put down his fork.

“D, don’t be cowardly and fight with facts!!”

“Stop talking nonsense. What’s your problem?”

“Huh?”

“Why are you surprised? It’s written all over your face that you didn’t just come to eat, but you came to consult because you have a problem. Is it because of your recent performance?”

“That’s…”

The guy hesitated for a long time before finally opening his mouth.

It was quite a long story, but it wasn’t a big deal, and as I thought, it was a concern that he wasn’t hitting well recently.

“You’re saying you definitely feel like you hit it right, but it gets caught in front of the fence, right?”

“Uh…”

“What does the coach say?”

“He said that since it’s the end of the season, you’re losing some strength, so don’t be conscious of it and just do what you’ve been doing… If you’re conscious of that and touch this and that, your form will be ruined even more.”

“He told you right. Eat well, rest well, relax, and just swing the bat as you’ve been doing.”

“You!! Aren’t you just saying that because you think I’m a rival?”

The guy reacted a little sharply.

I wasn’t annoyed. Some people say that people’s true nature comes out when they hit rock bottom. But I don’t think that the sharp appearance that comes out when people are cornered is their true appearance. It’s a slightly broken appearance in a difficult situation.

Besides, Alex has always been a good guy. So let’s forgive this sharp reaction. Officially, we’re the same age, but in reality, I’m 14 years older.

“Alex. Do you want to use your rival’s disadvantage to win?”

“……”

“Originally, rivalries and competition are fair and square. It only really means something when you win by facing each other with all your strength. Right now, the best thing to do is to eat well, rest well, clear your head, and do what you’ve been doing, just like your coach said. You’ve already hit 54 home runs doing that, haven’t you?”

“……”

The guy, who had been silent with a blank expression for a while, jumped up from his seat.

He was such a simple guy that I could tell just by looking at his face. The worry and anxiety that had been knocking on my door were nowhere to be seen on his face. I was thinking, ‘As expected, the advice of an adult worked.’

“As expected!! Soo-won, you were secretly thinking of me as a rival!!”

“Hey, that’s not the point of what I’m saying.”

“Yeah!! My rival is giving it his all until the end like this. I can’t fall behind. I enjoyed the meal today. I’ll return the favor at a fancy restaurant next time!! Ri.val.”

“Hey, you!!”

The guy waved his hand and left.

Sigh… Well, whatever, I’m glad he’s active again. Anyway, I’m in the AL. And he’s in the NL [National League]. If he can hold off the Dodgers, who are gaining momentum in the NL, as much as possible, then I have nothing to lose.

[Alexander McDowell!! Home run after 9 games!!]

[Alexander McDowell ‘I did my best because I didn’t want to show my rival, who is expecting a win against me, that I was falling behind.’]

Well, anyway, there will be nothing to lose.