The Pitcher Just Hits Home Runs Well [EN]: Chapter 382

─Thud!

The unexpected bunt on the first pitch from the 2-meter-tall muscular giant. That surprise bunt finally broke David Steele’s no-hitter.

It was the moment the tense balance of the game shattered.

[Good heavens!! Aaron Judge!! A bunt!! He’s bunting!!]

It was a bunt no one anticipated.

No, it was a bunt that shouldn’t have been anticipated.

Top of the 8th. A bunt with a no-hitter in progress in real-time.

─Wooooooo!!!!

A tremendous wave of boos filled Dodger Stadium.

Curses erupted from everywhere. David Steele on the mound looked toward first base with an incredulous expression.

The only thing that should break a record in the making is a fair and square play.

It was a famous unwritten rule of baseball.

Aaron Judge’s bunt completely violated that unwritten rule. But what surprised people wasn’t simply that Aaron Judge broke such a rule.

Before the draft, Aaron Judge played both American football and basketball in college. Despite his towering height of 2 meters (6’7″), his overwhelming athletic ability stemmed from those experiences.

He was, without a doubt, a baseball player with the athleticism to play competent defense, unlike other typical giants, and the agility to steal double-digit bases.

But even so, he had never recorded a single ‘bunt’ in his entire career. It’s not just that he had never gotten a hit with a bunt. Literally, he had never even attempted a bunt in any situation throughout his 13-year career.

In the KBO [Korean Baseball Organization], people often jokingly say, ‘Lee Gyu-man is stealing a base,’ or ‘Lee Jung-hoon is hitting a home run.’ But surprisingly, both Lee Gyu-man and Lee Jung-hoon have recorded more than 10 stolen bases and home runs throughout their careers.

“Senior, the chat window is going crazy right now.”

“Really? Well, even so, a bunt in the 8th with a no-hitter in progress is a bit…”

“No, that’s not all. Um… there’s some talk about you, senior.”

“Huh? My story is coming up? Why all of a sudden?”

[So, to put it in perspective. Ah!! Yes, it’s like Lee Gyu-man, who retired last year, hitting a triple.]

─Lee Gyu-man triple, lol

─Gyu-man went to LA and is watching this live in the US?

─I can understand the feelings of the foreigners a little. I would have suspected a hidden camera if Lee Gyu-man had hit a triple.

“······.”

In fact, Korea was naturally cheering for Choi Soo-won, so bunting in a situation where a no-hitter was being recorded wasn’t much of a topic. Moreover, even if that wasn’t the case, the prevailing attitude in Korea was that such unwritten rules should be tolerated to some extent if it was the 8th inning of a postseason game with a tight 0-0 score.

What was surprising was the reaction of the Americans watching the game. They clearly hated breaking a great record in a crucial moment with a ‘cowardly’ method. However, apart from the fans cheering for the Dodgers and some Yankees’ anti-fans, including Boston, others weren’t showing much aversion to Aaron Judge’s bunt.

“This is revenge. Yeah, one hit-by-pitch wasn’t enough.”

“Revenge? What do you mean?”

“Why, you know, the time the Dodgers broke Swan’s consecutive hit record last time.”

“Swan’s consecutive record was broken? What nonsense. He succeeded in getting on base in the previous game.”

“No, not that. I’m talking about the consecutive hit record. The Dodgers broke it with a walk.”

“Ah!!”

The Dodgers had already broken a Yankees’ record once before. A World Series no-hitter is definitely a great record that has never existed before, but in fact, it is less significant compared to a 77-game consecutive hit record.

More than anything…

[Ah!! What’s going on at first base?]

[Injury, is it an injury?]

[Ah, Aaron Judge. He’s complaining of discomfort in his knee.]

The Aaron Judge who bunted was complaining of physical problems.

Clearly, Aaron Judge possessed excellent physical abilities, having played basketball and American football in college. But that was already 18 years ago. The 36-year-old Aaron Judge has weakened after experiencing major and minor injuries in his 13 years as a player.

[Aaron Judge is leaving with assistance. Following Mookie Betts, this is the second injury. I hope it’s not a serious injury.]

[Now, the Yankees are sending in Jake Domingo as a pinch runner.]

No outs, runner on 1st.

David Steele, whose no-hitter was broken, faltered. Austin Battle, the 6th batter, didn’t miss that opportunity.

-Clang!!!!

A hit that split the gap between 2nd and 3rd base.

Jake Domingo passed 2nd base and landed on 3rd base.

[No outs, runners on 1st and 3rd. Dodgers in great danger!!]

[Dodgers manager Sanchez is going to the mound.]

A brief conversation.

David Steele was adamant. He was just briefly rattled. He would calm down and calmly handle the opposing batters. However, the Dodgers already knew through several experiences how dangerous it is to trust a super ace on the mound until the end in this situation.

Finally, David Steele came down from the mound.

And Dodgers’ setup man Luis Stone took his place.

-Whoosh!!!!

“Strike! Out!!”

Angel Cabrera’s swinging strikeout.

And it was the turn of the 8th batter, Oswald Wells.

“Oswald.”

“Huh?”

Choi Soo-won called out to Oswald as he walked to the plate.

A desire to show something here.

What if I ruin everything? Wouldn’t I get less criticism if I just struck out?

Choi Soo-won offered a word to Oswald Wells.

“Just do what you always practice.”

Practice like it’s real. Real like it’s practice.

It was an easy and common saying, but that’s what made it so difficult. But at this moment, it was also the most appropriate advice for Oswald, who was struggling with all sorts of worries.

Luis Stone on the mound confidently threw the ball.

He didn’t have the heart of a lion, but the opponent at the plate was a rookie catcher who had just debuted in the majors, so he was good enough even without that.

-Clang!!!!

A 103.1 mph fastball.

But like many talented young hitters, Oswald Wells’ weakness was breaking balls, not fastballs.

The result was a huge foul.

The ball went over the first base infield net.

The second and third.

Oswald Wells hit Luis Stone’s ball in succession.

[Ah!!! That’s a pity. A ball that slightly deviates from the foul pole!! If it had come in just 30 centimeters inside, it would have gone over. That’s a shame.]

[Still, Oswald Wells is getting his timing right.]

Luis Stone was a very good pitcher, but he wasn’t a closer. He didn’t have a big, solid heart that wasn’t afraid of losing.

A breaking ball.

And another breaking ball.

A breaking ball at a 0-2 count was perhaps an obvious choice. But those two balls seemed more like running away than enticing.

And one more.

A breaking ball.

The Dodgers’ dugout stirred once again.

[Ricky Gonzales. Ricky Gonzales is coming up.]

[Top of the 8th. One out, runners on 1st and 3rd. Manager Sanchez is making a very bold choice.]

[It’s the watershed moment of the game. Giving up a run here is the worst, and after that, it’s the Yankees’ top of the order starting with Choi Soo-won.]

3-2 full count.

Attack the first pitch of the changed pitcher.

Oswald Wells moved according to that saying.

-Swoosh!!!

Of course, his attack wasn’t swinging the bat, but calmly watching the ball as much as possible, abandoning any thoughts of being a hero. A ball that barely escaped the zone.

The umpire’s hand didn’t go up.

[Good heavens!! A walk!! It’s a walk!!!]

Top of the 8th.

The score is 0-0, one out, bases loaded.

Choi Soo-won came to the plate.

***

Fortunately, Judge’s knee injury wasn’t serious. Of course, even if it’s not serious, it’s an injury that means he can’t play in this series anymore.

The center of our team is me.

That’s an undeniable fact. But Aaron Judge’s contribution is by no means small. He is a franchise player who has led the Yankees for nearly 10 years. To put it in terms of my time with the Marlins, he was like Senior Gyu-man. Such a player revealed his desire to win for the team even by sacrificing his knee with a questionable play. And that sacrifice eventually led to a situation of one out and bases loaded.

It was a perfectly set stage.

It didn’t matter what happened. If they walk me here, an unprecedented situation of a bases-loaded walk in the 8th inning of Game 4 of the World Series with a score of 0-0 will occur, and if they choose to compete…

[Dodgers. They’re not walking Choi Soo-won.]

[This is an obvious choice. A bases-loaded walk with an automatic intentional walk in the 8th inning with a score of 0-0? That’s a truly unimaginable choice.]

I had that thought when I was on the mound. What if the batter at the plate was me? I really hated just imagining it, but for Ricky Gonzales on the mound now, it was a reality.

Of course, considering my physical condition, I’m not in top shape.

Starting is really hard. It’s unrealistic to expect the body that threw nearly 100 balls on the mound to be the same as the body that comes out after resting comfortably in the dugout.

But what does that matter?

I have already experienced these tiring situations full-time last year and this year.

My identity is a batter who throws surprisingly well.

Or a pitcher who hits home runs surprisingly well.

Yes, my position is a two-way player.

-Clang!!!!

And a superstar who always delivers at a crucial moment.

[The fence!!! The fence!!! It went over!!!]

Our victory in Game 4.

No, it was a grand slam that could be said to have determined the victory of this World Series itself.

***

The MVP announcement in Major League Baseball is a little different from the KBO.

Unlike the KBO, which proceeds almost like a broadcasting station awards ceremony from the Gold Glove, the Major League announcement is closer to an election announcement. Like that election where you wait for the results while watching the vote count broadcast waiting in their respective offices.

Basically, the announcements themselves aren’t made on the same day.

The Gold Glove and Silver Slugger are announced before the final nominees for Rookie of the Year, Cy Young, Manager of the Year, and MVP are announced, and the Rookie of the Year to MVP are also announced with a day’s interval.

“Soo-won, relax. I’ve seen all the internet articles and various public opinions. They say you’re definitely going to receive it. 100 percent.”

“It seems like Eun-jin is more nervous? I’m really okay.”

No, honestly, I was a little nervous.

Logically speaking, it’s too obvious that I’m receiving the MVP. This season, I was perfect in every way to the point where there were no competitors.

“Yes, Soo-won. I looked it up, and it’s not an MVP competition, but the 30 MVP first-place votes have been decided for Choi Soo-won. The remaining two are fighting over who gets more second-place votes. What did they say? If you receive even one less first-place vote, it’s a fraudulent vote. Or is it at a level where you have to question the credibility of the MVP award itself?”

“Haha, Father. I really wasn’t nervous.”

Again, I was nervous. It’s obvious, but the reason why I’m still nervous is probably because it’s that valuable.

“1st place in all 30 ballots. 268 times on base in 130 games as a hitter. 51 home runs. 0.412/0.502/0.864 [Batting Average/On-Base Percentage/Slugging Percentage]. And 25 starts as a pitcher. 159.1 innings. ERA [Earned Run Average] 3.67. The 2028 AL MVP is New York Yankees. Choi Soo-won.”