The Pitcher Just Hits Home Runs Well [EN]: Chapter 395

395. Extra Story 6) Recruiting Party Members (3)

Before the World Series began, the collective intelligence of gamblers around the world, including Las Vegas, predicted the Mets and Yankees’ chances of winning at 1.40 to 3.75.

“This kind of thing is meaningless. After all, we were underdogs last year, and the same before that. But each time, we lifted the championship trophy. As you all know, I was the 514th pick in the 17th round. That means I was the 514th player drafted that year. No one thought I would make it to the majors. Maybe even the team officials who drafted me didn’t think so. But I made it to the majors, was selected as an All-Star, and I’m still playing in the major leagues at this age. Odds don’t matter. What matters is how much we believe in ourselves. Go Yankees!!!”

─Go Yankees!!!

To think that Oswald, who was always insecure and clumsy, has grown into such a great clubhouse leader, I can’t help but feel the weight of the past 14 years. Of course, Oswald wasn’t the only one making me feel the weight of time.

[Okay, New York Mets versus New York Yankees. The first game of the World Series between the New York Yankees and the New York Mets. We’re here at Citi Field.]

[The New York Mets are probably the strongest team this season. They had the best overall record with 103 wins and 59 losses, and they faced the formidable Dodgers in the Championship Series, but contrary to expectations of a close game, they won overwhelmingly with a series score of 4-0. On the other hand, the Yankees barely managed to defeat the White Sox after a close game that went to the 7th game.]

[But still, isn’t the unpredictable nature of baseball part of its charm? Besides, the Yankees, well… you could say they’re a team that’s just meant to win? Ah, of course, this might sound a bit much, but it’s hard to imagine the Yankees, especially with a fully healthy Choi Su-won, failing to win the championship.]

[Haha, I feel the same way. So, will the Mets be able to inflict Choi Su-won’s first World Series defeat? Or will Choi Su-won’s jinx, that he has never failed to become champion once the postseason starts, even if he fails to advance to the postseason, continue this time? The game begins!!]

A burly man resembling a mountain bandit climbed onto the mound. He wasn’t very tall, about 180cm (5’11”), and his torso was so thick that he looked like a square from above.

That’s right, it’s Hyung-min hyung.

Hyeong-min hyung had been bulking up steadily since his days in the KBO [Korean Baseball Organization]. But in reality, there wasn’t that much of a dramatic change there. At most, 2 or 3kg [4-7 lbs] a year? Even then, it was a body that would lose weight again if he wasn’t careful, making it even harder for him to gain weight than it was for me.

But after coming to the United States, he seemed to like the food, and his weight soared. During his year off due to injury, his weight increased even more, and now he’s close to 120kg [265 lbs]. Of course, not all 120kg of a 180cm man could be muscle, and unlike before, he had a rather thick belly, but anyway, it was hard to find any trace of Hyeong-min hyung, who William used to call a glass cannon [a player with great offensive abilities but is fragile defensively].

[Today’s starting pitcher for the Mets is Baek Ha-min. Baek Ha-min. He’s thirty-five years old this year. Not a young age for a pitcher, but this year is his prime.]

[Yes, his fastest fastball throughout his career was 98.7 miles, but this season he broke the 99-mile barrier for the first time, with an average season speed of 95.7 miles. That was the 27th highest in the league. Moreover, it wasn’t just his speed that improved, but his pitching was excellent overall. Along with James Newberg of the Dodgers, he is the strongest Cy Young [award for the best pitcher] candidate this season. It’s safe to say that this player’s growth has played a big role in the Mets’ success this season.]

[The Yankees’ starter against him is George Cooper Jr. He’s a decent starter who recorded a 4.17 ERA [Earned Run Average, a measure of pitching performance] in 161.2 innings this season, but he’s not as imposing.]

The Hyeong-min hyung on the mound no longer showed the tearful face he used to have. The tears of a man in his mid-30s with a scruffy beard are incomparably uglier than those of a teenage boy.

-Whoosh!

“Strike!! Out!!”

It was a tricky ball.

Just watching from the on-deck circle, I could feel the power of that ball. Thanks to the fact that my slider was attacked relatively often this season, I fell from 1st to 2nd in total slider value for the first time in three years, and that ball is what took its place.

[Two outs, no runners. Choi Su-won, the 3rd batter, is at the plate.]

[Well, Choi Su-won is famous for not being able to swing his bat in the postseason, right?]

[Yes, that’s right. His regular season batting average is an absurd .370, but when limited to the postseason, it boasts an average of over .401. He’s obviously a batter you shouldn’t face.]

Automatic intentional walk.

It was a familiar development. It was also familiar to see the resentment dripping from Baek Ha-min’s eyes. Looking back, that hyung has always looked at me with those eyes. From high school until now. And that includes his time with the Marines, when we played on the same team.

“Anyway, that old man who’s already halfway through his thirties still has the mind of a boy from those days. I don’t know if that’s a good thing or a bad thing. Is it because he can’t get married? Alex, what do you think?”

“······.”

Alexander McDowell at first base didn’t answer. Come to think of it, it’s already been two years since this guy, who I thought would be an outfielder forever, moved to first base. It makes me feel like we’re all getting old.

“Su-won.”

“Huh?”

“I’m going to win this series no matter what.”

“Why are you talking about something so obvious so seriously? I feel the same way.”

Two and a half steps.

Hyeong-min hyung threw a pickoff.

“Safe!!!”

It was a gap that didn’t even require a slide. Well, if I had to put it into words, it’s a complaint. I didn’t want to send you away. I wanted to compete. A complaint full of that feeling.

“Besides, how many times have I told you? If you want to win, just come to the Yankees. You’re going to end up like Mike, coming to our team at the end of your career to achieve enlightenment, you know?”

“Unfortunately, I think you’re the one who’s going to have to hear that from me now? As things stand, we’re going to keep bringing home the trophy for at least the next few years.”

Looking at the squad, it was easy to see why he was so confident. But even so, I didn’t feel like we were going to lose. Well, it’s not like I only feel that way this year, I’ve always played with that thought in mind.

“Alex.”

“Huh?”

“Someone told me. You guys have no romance.”

“I don’t think you’re the ones to talk. The Yankees also won the championship in 2028 without any romance. And that’s how it started. Right?”

What?

Alex is putting up a fight with facts. It’s true that we didn’t have any romance from the start. While I was thinking about how to counterattack,

-Whoosh!!!

“Strike!! Out!!!”

Hyeong-min hyung on the mound let out a scream that suited his face. And Alex patted my butt a couple of times with his gloved hand and went back to his dugout, pretending to be cool.

Game 1.

Hyeong-min hyung allowed only 1 run on 6 hits in 8 innings, while our George Cooper Jr. allowed 6 runs in just 5 innings.

─World Series!! A great start for the New York Mets!! A 9-2 victory in Game 1!!

Game 2.

We put Yoo Joon on the mound as our starting card. This guy, whose contract expires at the end of this year, has settled into the major leagues very safely, as you can see from the fact that he’s still with our team as a starter. He has consistently pitched more than 170 innings over the past three years, recording a very decent ERA of 4.22 in a total of 531.2 innings, which is a great record that would be enough to play the role of a 3rd or 4th starter on any team.

However, the opponent was not good.

Brian Wilcock.

A young two-way ace who just turned 27 years old. His performance this season was truly amazing. Of course, if he had stayed in the AL [American League], it would have been a little difficult for him to win the MVP [Most Valuable Player award] because he would have been pushed back by me, but conversely, if he had stayed in the AL, I would have had to give up about 10 first-place votes.

2.23 ERA in 161.2 innings.

.282/.345/.587 with 51 home runs.

His batting average was a little lower than last year, but he surpassed 50 home runs for the first time in his career, and above all, his ERA improved noticeably to the low 2s. If he had pitched about 30 more innings, he might have been a stronger Cy Young Award candidate than Hyeong-min hyung.

And the miracle of FA [Free Agency] roids began.

If you don’t use the word miracle to describe a 4-point ERA pitcher shutting out the strongest team this season, allowing only 4 hits in 8 innings, what else can you use the word miracle for?

“Call me a big game pitcher. Big game pitcher. As you can see, my postseason record wasn’t bad last year or the year before. Of course, today’s game felt like I broke through another shell. What should I say? It feels like the world is expanding? Ah, Emily. Please translate what I just said a little more metaphorically. In a way that’s mainly used in English.”

This brazen appearance of the guy, who was selected as the MVP of the second game, was broadcast worldwide beyond national broadcasts. He later said that he had earned at least $10 million more with that one interview, and I honestly agreed to some extent that it was an interview that clearly showed the craziness that people want from a starter.

─Yankees win a close 4-2 victory in Game 2 of the series!!

─From New York to New York. The World Series is heating up in Game 3. The stage is now Yankee Stadium!!

─A long-standing rivalry!! Choi Su-won and Domingo Rodriguez!!

And Game 3 of the series.

Finally, it was my turn.

***

“How are you feeling?”

“I’m fine. I’m very fine. I got plenty of rest. And the stage is where I’ve pitched the longest.”

“We can win, right?”

Domingo Rodriguez stared straight at Alexander McDowell at that question, not hiding his anxiety, as if the confident appearance he had when he was encouraging the young players in the clubhouse a little while ago was all acting.

I could understand. That batter, who had been at the top of the league for a very long time, was an unlucky man who had never worn a single ring [championship ring] despite his amazing career. Just because he was playing in the same era as Choi Su-won.

So, just as he had encouraged the young players,

Domingo Rodriguez decided to give him strength as well.

“I have a good feeling.”

“About what?”

“Originally, the guy who best fits the word miracle in the Yankees is that guy Choi Su-won. Looking at his record, he always does something absurd when the team is on a losing streak. It’s proof that he has a serious case of main character syndrome [a trope where the main character is destined for greatness]. In that sense, isn’t today after the Yankees have lost two in a row? At least Choi Su-won, who’s lost his main character buff, is the opponent, so there’s a much better chance.”

Top of the 1st inning.

Choi Su-won went up on the mound.