The Pitcher Just Hits Home Runs Well [EN]: Chapter 392

392. Side Story 5) What Does Batman Do in the Justice League?

Looking back, I was lucky.

I think anyone who played with me would agree.

The Justice League said you can’t save the world alone.

Baseball is a team sport. You can’t win a championship alone.

But Superman saved the world alone. Honestly, what could Aquaman, the fish translator, do when aliens invaded the Justice League?

Yeah, Choi Soo-won was like Superman, a guy who could win a championship on his own. And I, Anthony Volpi, was Aquaman… No, that’s too pathetic, let’s just say I was more like Batman. Unlike Aquaman, the fish translator, Batman had a very important role: watching Superman fight and eating popcorn.

Damn it, I’ve only had a five-game hitless streak, and my mental state is already this bad. Of course, I had an error in there too, but it didn’t lead to a run, so it wasn’t a big deal. The real problem was that my name was missing from the starting lineup.

“You’ve looked tired lately, so let’s take a break.”

“I’m not tired.”

“Your left wrist isn’t feeling good, is it?”

“……”

“Volpi, it’s normal at your age. Well, I was a nobody, so I never played until your age, but all the players who did say the same thing. So, just rest for a few days. Get your condition back up. You’re past the point of getting excited or upset over one or two games, right?”

Jeff is a great manager.

I’m not being sarcastic; I really think so. Look at him now. I thought I was hiding it well, but he has an uncanny eye. Well, it’s obvious that you can’t manage a team like the Yankees for so long without ability.

Some even say he surpasses Joe McCarthy, Casey Stengel, and Joe Torre, but it’s hard to directly compare managers from different eras because the skills required are different. Anyway, there’s no disagreement that Jeff will go straight to the Hall of Fame as a manager when he retires.

But that’s that, and frankly, Jeff wasn’t a great player as a player. He thinks he’s using it as irony, but that’s only for the youngsters. Surviving 15 ballots in the Hall of Fame voting is amazing, and even more so because he only played 11 seasons due to a late debut, but I’m a player who deserves to be in the Hall of Fame even if I retire right now. Ah, of course, these days, the modifier ‘even if I retire right now’ tends to be replaced with ‘should retire right now,’ but anyway, that’s the case.

In conclusion, Manager Jeff doesn’t understand the mind of a player like me at all.

Past the point of getting excited or upset over one or two games? No. If it were 6 or 7 years ago, maybe, but now those one or two chances feel so desperate.

‘See, what did I tell you? Retirement? Let’s play for another 2 or 3 years!’

If that damn Kryptonian alien knew how I felt, he’d be grinning and saying something like that.

“Volpi? Volpi!!”

“Ah, yes.”

“What are you thinking about so hard? Anyway, refrain from batting practice for the time being and get some rest. I think you just need to clear your head and rest for a few days.”

“I understand.”

As soon as I left the building, the scorching sunlight greeted me.

Damn weather.

It wasn’t the season when the heat was gradually cooling down. It was the time when the full-blown heat was just beginning. Yeah, it’s only July. God help me. This damn body is already exhausted in July.

Everyone else is doing batting practice, conditioning training, and weight training, but I’m spending my time getting massages.

‘What’s wrong, old man? Already tired?’

I didn’t say it out loud, but I could feel that emotion in their eyes. Ah, of course, I know it could be paranoia. I’m extremely sensitive right now.

“Anthony, breathe deeply and have a relaxed mind. Don’t try to control what you can’t control.”

I increased my consultation time with my psychiatrist.

Ah, there was another doctor whose meetings increased.

“Hmm… It’s caused by stress.”

“Rick, I know that without you telling me. Just prescribe me some medicine. I heard there’s a new one out.”

“You can’t use that. It contains steroids.”

“Oh, God. Please…”

The bald spot on my head is growing from a dime to a quarter size. Dealing with the receding hairline is hard enough, but now I have to worry about the one starting from the top of my head.

“Hahahaha. What? Anthony. You have alopecia areata [an autoimmune disorder that causes hair loss]?”

“Yeah, laugh. Laugh.”

15 years.

A colleague I’ve spent almost half my life with. If I was threatened, he’d retaliate for me, and if it looked like a fight was going to break out, he’d run over and block it with his body. We couldn’t help but become close. Moreover, they were always on winning teams.

“A trick… Well, I guess you could say there is one.”

“So, what is it?”

“Giving up.”

“Giving up?”

“Why are you so surprised? It’s natural for people to know when to give up as they get older.”

“No, I never thought I’d hear that from you, Domingo.”

“Tsk, whatever. Just like a batter who mindlessly swings his bat.”

A pitcher who reverses his retirement every year. Domingo Rodriguez, who is still playing at the age of 42, is talking about giving up. In terms of evolution, the batters who use the tool called a bat have evolved much more than the pitchers who throw balls with their bare hands, but I held back. Instead, I asked.

“Domingo, did you give up on your performance? Is that the secret to your mentality?”

“What are you talking about, you idiot? If I were going to give up on my performance, I’d retire.”

“You said you gave up.”

“I gave up on forcing fastballs on guys who are obviously looking for them. I gave up on trying to strike everyone out. I gave up on wanting to go to the mound every four days. I gave up on arguing with the manager that I would take responsibility for the game even after giving up two hits in 5 innings in the World Series.”

No, shouldn’t you not have those thoughts in the first place, rather than giving them up as you get older? For a moment, I thought that. But from the clear ‘resentment’ in Domingo’s eyes, I could tell that all of his ridiculous stories were ‘genuine’.

Choi Soo-won, that guy. Even though he’s a starting pitcher, he says every day,

‘It’s rare to see a sane guy among the proper starters. In a way, I think only crazy guys can stand alone on this mound. Honestly, putting a 160 km/h ball [approximately 99.4 mph] in that small space, and potentially hitting someone in the head and sending them to heaven, and doing that all year long, is something you can’t do without being mentally ill.’

I definitely agree with that story.

“So, Domingo, what do you think I should give up?”

“You?”

He scanned me up and down. It was a strangely unpleasant gaze.

“I don’t think you should give up on anything?”

“Huh?”

“If you give up on anything there, it’s a declaration of giving up your career.”

Is this guy?

“Don’t give up on anything. Just do your best. Anthony, you’ve lasted this long because of that personality. A personality that’s so serious about baseball that you get alopecia areata. Right?”

I’m annoyed, but I can’t even get annoyed.

I knew he was like this, and it was a sincere piece of advice in his own way. I just nodded in agreement. Yeah, it’s my fault for asking this guy for advice in the first place. He’s like the Flash in the Justice League. Not as strong as Superman, but still the strongest among the meta-humans. He’s not someone to ask for advice.

“Anthony, I heard from Domingo. You’re worried about a lot.”

“Huh?”

Damn it.

The Flash brought Superman.

Choi Soo-won, after suffering some injuries here and there in recent years and showing a human side, is throwing the ball while saying, ‘Hahaha, I tricked you guys! If I can’t beat you with hitting, I’ll beat you with pitching.’

Still, the inhuman ERA [Earned Run Average, a measure of pitching performance] of 0.69 in April and May went up to a relatively human ERA of 1.17 after ruining one game. Of course, that’s still almost a full point difference from the second-place in the league.

He gave me all sorts of advice.

Honestly, I didn’t hear a single thing. Most of the stories were just, ‘Huh? Why can’t you do that? If you go shoo-shook, it’ll be seuk-bbak, so boom!!! Success!!! How easy is that?’

I was a little, well, not a lot, just a little angry.

July passed. Half of August passed. I rested well during the All-Star break. If you’re asking if I wasn’t selected as an All-Star, that’s not the case. A player with my career is retiring this year, so of course, I was proudly ranked first in the All-Star voting. But I just declined. I know the All-Star Game is a popularity vote, but I didn’t want to go to the All-Star Game with such a messed-up record.

First game after the All-Star break.

Did I rest well? My condition wasn’t bad.

-Clang!!!

I pulled the pitcher’s first pitch.

A hit that pierced between 2nd and 3rd base.

I ran quickly towards first base. I felt like first base was getting closer.

Could I make it to second base?

At that moment, Domingo’s story came to mind.

─Give up.

I put more strength into my left foot.

The image of Choi Soo-won giving me all sorts of advice flashed before my eyes.

You son of a bitch.

I threw my body as I ran.

Yeah, I’m Anthony Volpi.

I’ve been playing in the major leagues for 18 years, and I’ve been to 10 All-Star Games, won three Gold Gloves, and one Silver Slugger [awards given to the best defensive and offensive players, respectively]. I’ve even been ranked as high as 6th in the MVP [Most Valuable Player] voting.

Anyway, this guy and that guy.

Yeah, you guys are good at baseball.

Superman flies in the sky, and the Flash runs faster than time. Wonder Woman throws the Lasso of Truth, and Cyborg controls all the machines in the world.

But Batman also has his own role. Well, if you ask what that role is, it’s hard to say exactly. Anyway, Batman is the center of the Justice League. He doesn’t save the world like Superman, who saves the world alone, but Batman is always at the beginning of the Justice League.

“Safe!!!!!”

I clenched my fist while standing on second base.

39 years old.

There were still two months left in the season.