The Pitcher Just Hits Home Runs Well [EN]: Chapter 374

374. Solid Pitcher (3)

Shohei Ohtani’s expression was grim as he walked to the on-deck circle. Mookie Betts watched him and muttered to himself.

‘He’s digging his own grave again.’

He was a guy who had it all – skill and personality – but that’s where his weakness stemmed from: ‘main character syndrome.’ What is main character syndrome? It’s an evolved form of the middle school cringe that everyone experiences during their adolescence. Mookie Betts had been there once, so he knew it well.

Usually, it gets crushed after a certain period, but Ohtani is so good that he’s still like that even in his mid-30s. But it’s not like it doesn’t have its advantages. He usually ends up putting on some kind of amazing performance.

Yeah, like a real main character.

So, all you have to do is hold on until then.

One out, runner on first.

Mookie Betts looked at Dylan Lee from the plate.

Whether he’s striking someone out or letting a runner advance, his expression doesn’t change at all. What a great poker face. If this game were poker instead of baseball, he would never play against Dylan Lee.

-Bang!!

“Safe!!”

One pickoff attempt.

It was a surprise pickoff, but Rocky reacted very well. Yeah, right now, one out is precious. 3-0. It’s always a small hole the size of an awl [a small pointed tool used for piercing holes] that breaks down a huge dam. First, one point.

The pitcher wound up.

Outside, low in the zone.

A fastball that wasn’t too fast. A ball that was slightly outside the strike zone.

But it was also a pitch that the umpire was calling a strike today.

-Whoosh!!!!

Damn it······.

I thought it was a fastball, but it was a changeup that drifted a little further away.

Ball count 0-1.

Dylan Lee’s pitching continued.

Solid, annoying types of pitches came in. Just once. Just make one mistake. Mookie Betts persistently tracked Dylan Lee’s pitches.

Before he knew it, the count was full, 3-2.

Dylan Lee shook his head.

And the ball coming in was outside again.

Mookie Betts’ bat moved about halfway.

‘No.’

-Bang!!!

[Mookie Betts checked his swing. Jose Trevino is checking with the first base umpire about the check swing?]

[Well, it doesn’t look like he went around.]

[Ah, yes. The check swing is called. Walk!! It’s a walk.]

[One out, runners on first and second. The Dodgers put runners in scoring position again.]

[The Yankees’ bullpen. You can see the players starting to warm up one by one.]

[I don’t think this is bad. Actually, Dylan Lee has good control, but he’s not the type to avoid walks. Rather, he’s not trying to force the batter to get out in this situation and is protecting his pitching. That’s how I would evaluate it.]

And Shohei Ohtani came up to bat again.

It was his third at-bat.

***

Was shaking his head at the end the right choice? Wouldn’t it have been a better choice to throw a high fastball like Jose suggested?

The score of Game 3 of the World Series is 3-0. With runners on first and second with one out, after holding them scoreless for 4.1 innings so far, and Shohei Ohtani at the plate.

In a situation where he ended up adding more fuel to the fire, it was hard not to think that way. But Dylan Lee soon dismissed his thoughts.

Let’s do what I can do. I’m a carrot. No matter how pretty you cut it, a carrot is still a carrot.

As close to the borderline as possible.

A location where the batter’s bat can be pulled back, but a solid hit can never come out.

-Bang!!

The umpire’s hand didn’t go up.

More precise.

But this time, the ball didn’t go into the desired location.

Sweat dripping from his forearms soaked his long-sleeved undershirt.

He adjusted his hat for a moment and prepared for the next pitch.

-Whoosh!!

“Strike!!”

A changeup got a strike.

-Clack!!!!

And a ball that was a little further outside resulted in a foul that landed in the third base infield stands. The count is 2-2.

He felt Shohei Ohtani’s power anew. What if that swing had connected properly?

He shrank back without realizing it.

-Bang!!

And that hesitation was soon revealed in the location of the ball. Two pitches that were about to barely catch the zone went out of the zone in a row.

[Ah, the Yankees dugout is stirring.]

“It’s okay.”

Manager Jeff Clark checked on Dylan Lee’s condition. Dylan is a man who doesn’t usually say empty words. If he’s okay, he’s usually okay, but considering the importance of today’s game, it wouldn’t be bad to ask one more time.

“Are you really okay?”

“Yes, I’ll try to induce a double play as much as possible.”

Diego Vegas stepped up to the plate.

He is a strong hitter who has recorded more than 40 home runs for two consecutive years while playing at Dodger Stadium. There is a reason why the Dodgers have no choice but to use him as a first baseman, even with his terrible defense.

-Whoosh!!

Full of enthusiasm, a first-pitch swing and a miss.

It felt good.

A little lower and more inside than this. Lower. Lower.

Extreme concentration.

If Dylan himself holds them scoreless for 5 innings, he will have done his job today. The ball he threw was placed exactly where he wanted it to go.

And the huge monster at the plate swung his bat and smashed the ball.

-Clack!!!!

The ball soared.

His heart sank for a moment, but he soon let out a sigh of relief at the direction the ball was flying. A foul ball that clearly went past the foul pole.

Full count again.

‘High fastball.’

Jose was urging him to take a risk.

The swing just now came out because he was sure it was a low ball. Let’s get a strikeout here and change the momentum.

Jose seemed to be suggesting this to him.

You are not a carrot.

Maybe you’re asparagus.

Yes, it was a truly intense temptation.

And in the face of that temptation, Dylan shook his head without even a 0.1-second hesitation. Of course, after shaking his head like that, there was a slight regret, ‘Ah, should I have thought about it a little more?’ But that feeling was fleeting. A carrot is a carrot. He can never be asparagus, which is sometimes more delicious than meat. Just do what you’ve been doing. Let’s focus on the role of highlighting the main dish.

Diego Vegas scooped up the low ball once again.

And one more.

-Bang!!

The umpire’s hand didn’t go up.

Walk-off walk [a walk that forces in the winning run].

The score is 3-1.

Manager Jeff Clark jumped up from his seat and then sat down again.

Dylan Lee’s grip, which he had checked last, still had strength.

The situation is still bases loaded.

If he doesn’t give up even one point here, he will bring out Domingo Rodriguez or Gerrit Cole. Or maybe the closer, Chamberlain. But if you want to end the inning with minimal damage?

There is no pitcher better than Dylan Lee.

He is a man who can always deliver the same pitching, whether there are no runners or the bases are loaded.

Dylan Lee on the mound did not waver.

As if even that walk-off walk was an inevitable tax on his style.

He continued his persistent outside low-course pitching.

Adam Wayne, the Dodgers’ number 6 hitter, hit the ball. It was a pitch that Shohei Ohtani and Diego Vegas had sent flying near the fence earlier. But Adam Wayne was not the same monster as them.

A clean 6-4-3 double play.

The carrot on the mound faithfully played its role until the end.

***

I stood on second base and watched Dylan Lee’s pitching.

It was impressive.

I definitely saw him shaking his head at the catcher’s sign. I’m not sure what kind of pitch the catcher was calling for, but as a result, I could see that he stuck to his pitching until the end.

He was close to being the main character today, but the reason he was close to being the main character was simply because he was faithful to his role.

The Dodgers players who returned to the dugout encouraged each other, saying let’s cheer up.

‘We caught up by 1 point.’ ‘We can do it.’ ‘Yeah, let’s turn it around.’

Bases loaded with runners left on base.

It was a situation that made you grab the back of your neck, but they still raised their voices. But even so, the team’s atmosphere was clearly on the decline. Yeah, it was clear. The only thing that can turn this atmosphere around is the performance of a super ace.

Choi Soo-won’s peak is not today.

Shohei Ohtani’s peak is today.

So, what will determine today’s game is······.

‘Damn it.’

Shohei Ohtani, who was putting down his helmet and protective gear and picking up his glove and hat, finally raised his head and shouted, looking at the players in the dugout.

“Yeah!! We caught up by 1 point. That nasty guy is off the mound now. We can definitely turn it around. From now on, all we have to do is not give up even 1 point. Isn’t that right?”

The players stared blankly at him for a moment at his sudden shout, who had been acting serious all day.

“Yeah, that’s right. A 2-point difference? It’s nothing.”

Mookie Betts was the first to smile and answer his words.

“Our leader is shouting this much. We have to show them. Isn’t that right?”

“That’s right.”

“Of course. I was originally thinking of a reverse sweep [winning a series after losing the first few games], but should we just win today’s game from the start?”

Choi Soo-won’s peak is not today.

Shohei Ohtani’s peak may not be today either.

No, maybe even Shohei Ohtani at his peak is not as good as Choi Soo-won, who still has a long way to go to reach his peak.

So maybe I’m not the main character.

But what does it matter?

The Yankees pitcher, who was closer to being the main character than anyone else in this place today, was just quietly faithful to his role until the last moment without showing off even once.

It’s not one person’s performance that makes victory. It’s a team where everyone plays their part. Today’s game was not a match between Shohei Ohtani and Choi Soo-won. It was a game between the LA Dodgers and the New York Yankees.

And the role that Shohei Ohtani himself had to play was not just a good starter. Encouraging the team and raising the atmosphere. The role that only the leader of the clubhouse can play was also his responsibility.

Shohei Ohtani stood on the mound again.

If reality was like a cartoon, Shohei Ohtani, who had gained a small realization here and thrown away the burden in his heart, would have overwhelmed the Yankees’ lineup. But reality is different from cartoons······.

-Bang!!!

“Strike!! Out!!”

······.

-Tap!!!

[He hit it!! To center right!! To center right!! A huge hit!! Ah!! But Mookie Betts easily handles it and it’s an outfield fly out!!]

-Whoosh!!

“Strike!! Out!!!”

[Dennis Martinez’s bat missed Shohei Ohtani’s splitter!! Strikeout!! Top of the 6th. Shohei Ohtani safely finishes the inning by striking out the Yankees’ 4th, 5th, and 6th hitters with three up, three down.]

Yeah, reality was more than a cartoon.

Game 3.

Shohei Ohtani held them to 3 runs in 8 innings.

In particular, the most impressive part was the 8th pitch splitter he showed against Choi Soo-won in the top of the 8th with one out and no runners.

-Whoosh!!

“Strike!! Out!!!”

It was the first strikeout that Choi Soo-won had recorded since the postseason began.

Shohei Ohtani realized that this game was not a match between Choi Soo-won and himself. But that realization was not necessarily correct. In fact, what was having the biggest impact on the Dodgers’ teammates was the shadow of the giant Choi Soo-won.

Game 3 of the series.

The Dodgers finally won a precious 1 win.

And what was as important to them as that 1 win was that they succeeded in reviving the team’s crumbling atmosphere.

And Game 4 of the series.

Breaking the prediction that Endrick Nava was more likely to come out, the Yankees put Choi Soo-won out as their starting card.

“Okay!! If we break this, Choi Soo-won will take a break in Game 5. Then we can take the lead again 3-2!!”

It was true that Choi Soo-won was a better pitcher than Endrick Nava, but what was even more scary was hitter Choi Soo-won, so the Dodgers fans’ wishful thinking began to burn fiercely, adding to the victory in Game 3.

“How many viewers are watching Game 4 right now?”

“51.71 million!! It’s 51.71 million!!”

“Oh······. 50 million!!!”

And Rob Manfred’s wishful thinking circuit also melted down due to overheating.