The Pitcher Just Hits Home Runs Well [EN]: Chapter 390

390. Side Story 4) Injury, Part Two.

As I’ve said before, and it’s important so I’ll emphasize it again: being a professional baseball player means you’re always carrying some kind of injury.

From the exhibition games in March to the Korean Series in November, you play nearly 200 games over nine months. Office workers on a five-day week, excluding vacation days, work about 230 days a year, so we’re playing games almost as often as they go to work. Actually, during the season, there are almost no days off, so if you only count the days we actually work, it’s more like 270 days. We get a lot of rest in the winter, but it’s still a pretty tough job. Oh, but I’m not complaining. Honestly, playing baseball is fun.

So, the reason I’m going on about this isn’t to whine about how hard it is, but to explain that our culture is to play unless an ache or pain is so bad that you can’t play at all.

We’re not like the old-timers from the 20th century who played with broken bones or fractures, but everyone just puts up with minor muscle strains or sprained joints. I was the same way in the 2039 season.

Last year was the first time since my debut that I didn’t win a championship. We didn’t even make it to the postseason. Everyone made a fuss and analyzed the reasons, but to be honest, I think the fact that the media was analyzing why we ‘failed’ to win the championship proves how great our decade had been.

Anyway, from the winter after our 10th consecutive World Series win to last winter, our team went through a series of changes that could only be described as a ‘shake-up.’

─Yankees’ Mistake? The noticeable void left by Tyler Beat.

─Has he decided to retire after next year? What does Anthony Volpi’s one-year contract mean?

─Oswald Wells rejects contract extension!!

Ten years is a very long time.

The players who were in their early to mid-20s were now nearing the end of their careers, and most of the players who were in their late 20s to early 30s, the prime of their careers, had retired. Playing as a starter in the majors until you’re almost 40 is incredibly difficult.

─Domingo Rodriguez signs a 1+1 year extension!!

Plus, my personal batting stats were a bit sluggish last season. Well, I didn’t fail to hit .300 like I did in the 37 season, but the team was in a bit of disarray, and there weren’t many players behind me to back me up, so opposing teams were giving me automatic intentional walks without hesitation, which made it hard to maintain my batting average.

On the bright side, I pitched 193.2 innings with an ERA of 2.98, which was a career high. It was a bit disappointing that I finished second in the Cy Young Award voting without a single first-place vote because of some crazy pitcher who appeared in the league.

Anyway, after winning the World Series for 10 consecutive years, the team went crazy after failing to even make the postseason in the 11th year.

─Yankees’ aggressive acquisition without worrying about luxury taxes?

─New York Yankees admit that their youth-oriented rebuild failed after just one year. Are they in contact with Josh Walcher, the biggest free agent in the winter market?

─Japan’s special Moriyama Shunsuke ‘The Yankees are my preferred team.’

─Dolphins’ Park Yu-joon to challenge MLB? ‘The Yankees, where my Suwon senior plays, are my dream team.’

─New York Yankees considering Marines’ Cho Yu-jin as a replacement for Oswald Wells?

─Who is Choi Su-won’s longtime friend, Cho Yu-jin?

“But why are you making such a fuss just because we didn’t make the postseason for one year? I mean, it’s MLB, not KBO [Korean Baseball Organization], and there are 30 teams. Only 8 of them make it to the postseason, so it’s not like we can’t miss it. Our Marines, uh? Last year was the first time we made the postseason in six years, and it was a celebration.”

“The Yankees aren’t the same as the Marines. They’re the best team in the world. And even if that weren’t the case, they’re in a desperate situation right now.”

“So, why?”

“Choi Su-won’s contract was 7+5 years with a mutual option. And this year is exactly the 7th year. Considering his performance this year, he’s definitely going to opt-out and try to get a long-term contract, but if the Yankees are still in this situation, would they even want to sign him? Especially since the Mets are trying to create a super team right now. Think about it. Alexander McDowell and Choi Su-won on the same team. The ownership of New York might change.”

Since I was also planning to opt-out at the end of this year, I needed to improve my performance. My skills and marketability had already been proven, but my batting stats from the past two years were significantly below my career average, so my market value had also dropped a bit.

I played a little harder.

Maybe half a step more?

Especially in pitching, I felt that if I could just step up half a step from last year, I might even be able to win the Cy Young Award for the first time in my career.

And now, lying here thinking about it, I shouldn’t have done that.

In baseball, where you have to play so many games without much rest throughout the year, consistency is more important than shining in a game or two. Besides, I pitched the most innings of my career last year.

Actually, until the middle of the season, I didn’t have any major injuries.

I had some back pain, my balance was off, I sprained my ankle and missed a game, and I tweaked my wrist while batting. Oh, and one of my molars broke while I was pitching, which messed up my pitching a bit.

But the decisive injury came during a run, not batting or pitching.

When Austin hit a long hit that went all the way to the warning track, I felt something was wrong as I rounded second base, stepped on third, and turned towards home. I should have stopped there, but honestly, it was hard to do that in that situation. I ran all the way home and slid successfully.

─Choi Su-won on 15-day IL [Injured List] with a groin injury.

─MRI results suggest possible season-ending injury?

─Manager Jeff Clark: “A very unfortunate situation. But he has always shown amazing miracles. I can only hope that he can show us that again this time.”

─Choi Su-won, who is about to opt-out, placed on the 60-day IL!! Effectively out for the season.

It was a torn groin muscle.

“The good news is that it’s a tear in the left groin muscle, not the right.”

You might wonder how that’s good news, but it is. Groin muscle tears are a common injury for pitchers and have a high recurrence rate, and they usually involve the groin muscle on the landing leg side. But in my case, it was an injury I sustained while running the bases, when I stepped on the base with my left foot and turned, so it wasn’t a muscle I used when pitching, which was definitely a stroke of luck.

This didn’t require surgery. The only solution was to get shots, do physical therapy, and rehabilitate well. In other words, time was the only cure.

The media was as noisy as ever.

Since I was planning to opt-out at the end of this winter season, it was clear that my injury would be a major variable.

─5 years remaining on his contract. $295 million in remaining salary. Will Choi Su-won exercise his opt-out?

“In my opinion, it’s definitely more advantageous for him to just stay. I mean, Alexander McDowell is the highest-paid player right now besides Choi Su-won, and he’s making $44 million a year. And that was only possible because it was the Mets. But Choi Su-won is making $60 million a year? I guarantee that if he opts-out, he’ll be lucky to get $40 million with his current skills.”

“What’s wrong with Choi Su-won’s skills? He was second in the Cy Young voting last year. And this year, his ERA was 2.94 before the injury. Plus, he was batting .357/.549/.788 with 43 home runs. Who wouldn’t say he’s the best in the major leagues?”

“Yeah, no one’s denying that Choi Su-won is the best in the major leagues. But he’s getting old, you know, old. And he’s been playing hard since he was young, so he’s been getting a lot of injuries lately.”

“Choi Su-won is only thirty, what do you mean old? I guarantee he’ll get a 10-year contract if he goes on the market.”

“Okay, he might get a 10-year contract. But how much do you think the total amount will be? I think $500 million is absolutely impossible, and he’ll be lucky to get $450 million? And that’s only if the Mets do something amazing again. But Choi Su-won is already getting $295 million for 5 years. Extend for 5 years to get $100 million more? He’d be better off playing for 5 more years and then coming out at 35, and if he maintains his skills, he’ll definitely get a 3-4 year contract for $150 million?”

These weren’t just stories coming out of bars in New York.

They were even being discussed on the biggest baseball shows, like Baseball Tonight.

I also thought about it for a long time.

And finally, I made a decision.

─Choi Su-won to part ways with James Corporation?

─James Miller: “It’s almost impossible to please him.”

─Choi Su-won: “I don’t need someone to mediate between the team and me. I need someone who will thoroughly represent my interests.”

─’Opt-out Declaration’ Choi Su-won appoints Boras Corporation!!

─Ryan Mark: “He is the best player. And the best player deserves the best treatment. Our Boras Corporation will do its best for him.”

─Finally to the market!! Choi Su-won’s upcoming opt-out. What will the New York Yankees choose?

It was a difficult decision to fire the agency that I had been with for so long.

But it was also necessary.

“Is it really necessary to go to the market? If there’s a problem with the term and amount, we can just talk it over and resolve it.”

“Well, my client wants to see what kind of offers he can get on the market. But I guess we could listen to the team he’s been with for a long time first.”

“Ryan. That sounds like you’re asking me to write a blank check? Since when does the buyer suggest the price of an item? The seller decides how much to sell it for first.”

“That’s only for mass-produced goods, isn’t it? If it’s a one-of-a-kind product in the world, then those who want it should pay the maximum amount they can afford. Oh, I mean, we should listen to the best offers.”

If I had continued my contract with James, the Yankees wouldn’t have taken my opt-out seriously. But the moment I signed with Boras Corporation, which is known for being the most ruthless when it comes to money, the Yankees began to take my decision very seriously.

I continued my rehabilitation with my family in a warm place. And my agent was working very hard in New York on my behalf.

“Hey, are you really thinking about coming to our team?”

“Well, that depends on how much effort your team puts in, doesn’t it?”

“The old man seems to be willing to pull out all the stops to get you… Looking at your expression, I should stop you?”

Alex, who had flown all the way to Miami, quickly realized my intentions, but it was too late.

─Yankees succeed in re-signing Choi Su-won!! 10 years, $580 million.

A new extension contract obtained amidst injuries and slumps.