The Pitcher Just Hits Home Runs Well [EN]: Chapter 360

360. For Four Days of Rest (1)

The Yankees and Red Sox had only faced off in the postseason a mere six times, including the 2028 season. Considering their long history, this was surprisingly infrequent, mainly due to Major League Baseball’s structure.

Before 1968, there was no Championship Series, and until 1993, there was no Division Series.

This means the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox, both in the same division, could only meet in the postseason after 1994. Considering that until 2011 there was one Wild Card team, from 2012 to 2021 there were two, and only later did it increase to three, six matchups in the last 34 years aren’t that few.

“Now that we’ve completely crushed the Red Sox, does this mean we’re going all the way to win the World Series?”

“Where did that come from all of a sudden?”

“Well, that’s usually how it goes. If we beat the Boston guys in the postseason, we win the championship. If we lose, they win.”

“Nah, not really. They always win the championship when they beat us, but we didn’t win in ’03 even when we beat them.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, it’s just that for the Boston guys, we’re always their toughest opponent, but for us, the Boston guys are just another team we have to beat.”

Of course, that wasn’t entirely true.

In the most recent postseason matchup in 2021, Boston defeated the Yankees in the Wild Card game but failed to advance past the Championship Series.

However, those watching them win against Boston today didn’t care about that.

“Hey!! I heard Zachary and his crew are getting beat up at the Full House?”

“What? Who are they?”

“I don’t know, but they say they’re cocky guys wearing red outfits on a day like today.”

October 15, 2028, Sunday.

Today, the New York jail was packed.

***

Unlike the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox’s Division Series, which ended swiftly and decisively, the battle between the Kansas City Royals, who advanced from the Wild Card after defeating Houston, and Oakland, who were waiting with the 2nd seed, was quite dull.

The games themselves were similar. While the Yankees and Red Sox combined for 56 runs in three games, the Kansas City Royals and Oakland Athletics combined for only 9 runs, showcasing tight pitching duels.

Some baseball fans prefer pitching duels between strong ace pitchers. However, according to long-accumulated data, most people generally prefer exciting hitting battles in baseball. In any sport, an exciting offense is always more popular than a defense that locks down the opponent and prevents scoring.

“So, the average viewership for Games 1, 2, and 3 was 2.3 million?”

“Yes.”

“And what were the numbers for the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox?”

“An average of 13.9 million. 23.7 million at peak time during Game 3. Oh, and that doesn’t include international viewers yet.”

Of course, the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox are traditionally popular teams, while the Kansas City Royals and Oakland Athletics are less popular, so some difference was inevitable. However, even on average, it’s more than six times higher. At peak times, it’s more than ten times the difference.

However, Rob Manfred [the Commissioner of Major League Baseball] wasn’t questioning the 2.3 million number because it was too low. Quite the opposite.

Even in the postseason, when small-market teams play each other, viewership sometimes barely exceeds 1 million. Also, even for popular teams like the Yankees and Red Sox, surpassing 10 million viewers is rare. The 10 million viewership is usually only possible for the World Series, and the Wild Card game between Boston and the Yankees in 2021 didn’t even reach 8 million viewers. So, this number is two to three times higher than the average.

The record-breaking numbers for the Yankees and Red Sox were also encouraging, but for Rob Manfred, the 2.3 million for the unpopular teams was more significant. This was proof that the Yankees’ popularity, led by Choi Soo-won, was driving interest in baseball itself.

But Rob Manfred’s happiness didn’t end there.

“Good heavens…”

Game 4.

That is, the evening game on the 16th, when the Yankees and Red Sox weren’t playing.

The viewership for the Kansas City Royals and Oakland Athletics game, which had been averaging 2.3 million, surpassed 7.3 million at peak time.

─Which team winning is better for us?

─Who cares who wins? Our hitters will crush them all equally anyway.

─We lost one game to the Kansas City Royals this season and didn’t lose any to the Oakland Athletics.

─So, are the Royals a slightly tougher opponent? Then I’ll cheer for the Athletics tomorrow.

Of course, the fact that more than half of those viewers were Yankees fans wasn’t pleasant for either team’s fans.

***

“Yes, that’s right!!”

“What? Are you cheering for the Kansas City Royals? Is it easier if they come up?”

“No, it’s about the same no matter who comes up. But if they go to Game 5 and tear each other apart, it’s easier for us. They’ll use their ace pitchers in Game 5. Everyone probably cheered for Kansas City today.”

Thanks to finishing the series in three games, they were given another two days of rest. Of course, they weren’t given as much free time as they had after the regular season ended.

“But I heard everyone gathered to watch the game today. Is it okay for you to watch it with me like this?”

“Oh, many guys with families said they’d watch with their families. In my case, my family came to New York.”

“What? I’m not family with you yet, you know?”

“Hey, why are you jumping to conclusions? Not you. My father.”

“Oh…”

Park Eun-jin, who was leaning halfway on the sofa with both legs on my lap, readjusted herself with a slightly embarrassed expression.

“But is it really okay not to spend time with your father like this?”

“Oh, he already went to see Niagara Falls with your aunt after watching the first two games. It’s your aunt’s first time in America, so she should see Niagara Falls and go to Canada to buy some maple syrup. I set them up with the best guide and program. I told them to take a helicopter and do everything.”

“Still…”

“And anyway, my father is usually a bit taciturn. And the bond between father and son isn’t as mushy as the bond between mother and daughter.”

“No, it’s not? Your father would love it if you were nice to him.”

“No. I know my father well. He’s not that kind of person.”

The time spent bickering with Park Eun-jin over trivial matters was definitely enjoyable.

Oh, of course, since it was time spent together by a young man and woman in their twenties, it was a bit different from spending time having conversations in the dictionary definition of the word, using reason. In other words, the time spent having conversations that utilized the body a bit more was longer. And that time was just as enjoyable.

“But is it okay for you to waste your energy like this? What if you don’t have the strength to play in the game?”

“Well, I should be careful when it’s my turn to start. But moving around like this isn’t even a waste of energy compared to my usual workouts. It’s not like taking a walk wastes energy, right?”

Yes, to put it metaphorically, it’s a walk.

It’s more like healing than consuming energy. It’s an activity that almost perfectly resolves something that had been accumulating for nearly four years since the regression.

Six days from the end of the regular season to the Division Series.

And three days from finishing the Division Series early to the Championship Series.

Yes, it’s only ten days.

And just ten days was too short to resolve the long four-year gap.

“So, if we finish the Championship Series in four games, we’ll have four days left?”

“Huh? What did you say?”

“No, just what’s my personal attitude towards the Championship Series.”

The Kansas City Royals and Oakland Athletics’ Division Series Game 5.

The battle, in which both teams used their ace cards and mobilized their must-win teams to the closer, ended with the Royals winning 4:3.

Evening of the 19th.

The Kansas City Royals flew to New York for Game 1 of the Championship Series against us without even a day of rest.

The Championship Series had begun.

***

[Hello, viewers of YES Network [the regional sports network that broadcasts Yankees games]. Today is the day of Game 3 of the Championship Series between the New York Yankees and the Kansas City Royals. Following the Yankees’ one-sided victories in Games 1 and 2, today’s Game 3 will be held here at Kauffman Stadium.]

[Actually, it was a somewhat expected result. As you all know, our Yankees were too strong this season, weren’t they? Our record against Kansas City in the regular season was 5 wins and 1 loss. In baseball, 5 wins and 1 loss is almost like dominating the opponent.]

[Of course, that doesn’t mean we should be careless. That one loss that our Yankees recorded in the regular season was actually a very painful one.]

[That’s right. It was a heartbreaking loss that broke our historic winning streak. Moreover, today’s starting pitcher is the same pitcher from that day, the 23-year-old young pitcher, Rick Winters.]

[Now, let’s see if the Kansas City Royals can create such a miracle again today, or if our Yankees will easily take the victory as they have been doing. The game is about to begin.]

The Kansas City Royals’ home game.

Rick Winters, their starting pitcher, came up to the mound.

It was a year earlier than in the original history I regressed from, but he is a guy who will make a name for himself as one of the strongest pitchers in the 2030s.

The guy on the mound grinned.

The series score is currently 2:0. It wasn’t quite the edge of a cliff, but it was a stage where you couldn’t help but be nervous, but his expression didn’t show any of that. He wasn’t trying to hide it. He was literally enjoying this stage right now.

A huge windup.

Anthony pulled the first pitch.

-Clang!!!

The batted ball flew out very beautifully.

Kauffman Stadium is famous for its symmetrical and vast size. If you were to compare it to a Korean stadium, it’s almost the same size as Jamsil [a large stadium in Seoul]. However, when you look at the park factor [a statistic that measures how a ballpark affects offensive stats], it’s a hitter’s park rather than a pitcher’s park, because there are so many doubles and triples due to the wide outfield. If you only look at the home run park factor, it competes for 1st and 2nd place from the bottom with Oracle Park [home of the San Francisco Giants, known for suppressing home runs].

In other words, it means that it is a stadium where a ‘ttokttaki’ [Korean slang for a player who only hits singles] would have a hard time hitting a home run in their entire life.

And now Anthony has recorded that once-in-a-lifetime home run.

1:0.

Rick Winters’ expression hardened slightly.