Chapter 731 – Episode 718. Watch Out for That Guy! (5)
“Watch out Ji. Even though he looks stupid based on what he sees in the media, he is much smarter than you think. Do you know what his nickname is in Korea? “It’s the devil who can see through the pitcher’s heart.”
Why do I remember what Choi Joo-tae said before the game? What did he think of himself then?
Rosenberg recalled what had happened before the game, and he was immediately able to think about what he had responded to Choi Joo-tae’s words.
“Here it is Jesus, there it is the devil. There are so many different things.”
‘Yes, I laughed at it.’
At that time, I had laughed at Choi Joo-tae’s words. I thought it was just something I said to encourage my juniors who came from the same hometown.
Of course, he’s currently getting good results, but that’s because the pitchers he faced don’t know who he is. Rosenberg thoroughly prepared for Ji Maeng-ho, and he attacked John An from the first pitch, knowing that he would not hit the first pitch.
But the guy hit the first pitch as if he was reading his thoughts, and produced a hit that hit the wall. Even if the speed at which the ball was hit was a little slower, it would have been a well-hit ball that would have resulted in a double…
Rosenberg was a little creeped out by the hit from the first pitch, wondering if the real guy had read his mind.
But he couldn’t continue to care about Ji Menghao. Because the batter standing in front of him was none other than Judge, the winner of two consecutive American League MVP awards.
‘First, a light change-up…’
And the ball I chose was a change-up. Rosenberg tied up Maeng-ho Ji on first base with his eyes and then took a stance to throw the ball toward the catcher’s mitt.
“Second base!”
But it was his own illusion that he had tied it up with his eyes. As if he knew he wouldn’t be checked, he ran toward second base the moment he turned his head, and Rosenberg, who had started his pitching stance, had no choice but to throw the ball toward the catcher’s mitt while crying. 〉
“Safe!”
And the result is safe.
‘What? Did you know I wouldn’t keep you in check? No, we definitely made eye contact…’
He only threw two balls, resulting in no outs and 2nd base. The sight of the guy acting as if he had read his mind twice in a row sent shivers down Rosenberg’s spine again.
‘Are you really reading minds? Like God or the devil…’
Rosenberg is shaken by Ji Maeng-ho’s every move.
And the fact that the pitcher is shaky against Judge…,
Ta-ah!
[Judge’s blow! This hit goes to the right! See Ya! Aaron Judge turns the 7th gun of the season into a two-run comeback!]
[The competition between Ji and Judge for home run king is heating up? It’s like watching the days when Mantle and Maris competed.]
… It meant a home run.
But fortunately for the Angels, a home run brought Rosenberg to his senses, and he was able to end the bottom of the first inning by throwing out the next three batters.
‘Tch… I was so shaken because of that guy.’
If the team had listened to Choi Joo-tae’s warning and acted more carefully, the team would not have lost the lead. Rosenberg regretted it, but he did not return the time that had passed. Now all Rosenberg can do is trust the hitters and throw the ball.
Fortunately, Rodon, the opponent’s starting pitcher, was the most capable pitcher among the Yankees’ current starting pitchers. Although he had only played two or three games against each pitcher, Rodon was clearly underperforming at 6 points compared to Cole at 2-point range, Gilbert at 3-point range, and Buehler and Singer at 1-point range. Br〉
[… After two outs, Pereira gets on base with a walk. … Humphreys’ hit! The situation becomes 2 outs, 1st and 3rd bases.]
And as Rosenberg expected, the Angels’ batting lineup put pressure on Rodon and created a scoring situation.
[… Choi’s hit is in front of the second baseman. Second baseman Ji catches the ball and throws it slowly. Three out.]
However, the probability that hitters at .100 or .200 would not be out three times was tiny, and Rodon maintained the lead according to those odds until the bottom of the second inning came.
[In the bottom of the second inning, leadoff hitter Stanton comes to the plate.]
The leadoff hitter in the bottom of the second inning was Stanton, who started as a left-handed pitcher.
‘Currently, he has appeared in 7 games and has won 10.1 penny and 1 league. However, his on-base percentage was .308 and his slugging percentage was .404, so his OPS exceeded 0.8. He even had a home run when he started. First, he is still Stanton, so I have to be as careful as possible when dealing with him.’
Rosenberg organized his thoughts by recalling Stanton’s records he had seen in power analysis class.
Stanton was nearing retirement age, hitting. .
“Ball.”
Rosenberg respected Stanton and threw a low curveball for the first pitch.
‘And a fastball.’
And the selected ball is a high fastball that hits the high outside zone. He had no intention of winning easily anyway, so this time he just threw away one ball and chose the ball he wanted to show off. A ball that is good if you swing the bat or not.
Perfect!
And Stanton’s bat came out on that ball. Just looking at it, the hitting sound is not very good.
Rosenberg raised his hand high at the hit. When a pitcher raises his hand, it is a sure sign of an outfield fly.
However, Stanton’s batted ball, which was floating slowly, had no intention of sinking.
[Stanton’s batted ball flies to the right. This batted ball…, Right fielder… Oh! This! Let’s go! See Ya! Stanton hits a home run in his first start in a long time. It really hit like Stanton.]
‘Fuck! What kind of batting lineup… !’
Rosenberg’s suffering was not over, although he cursed under his breath when the ball flew at a slow speed and seemed to have flown 430 feet.
[Now Gerard Kelnick, who played as the 7th batter today, comes to the plate. Kelnick’s performance this season is hitting .317 with 2 home runs and an OPS of 1.050. … This time on the left! Let’s go! See Ya! Score 4:1! Rosenberg is having a hard time today. Haha!]
[It seems like all the batted balls are pushed out, but I think Rosenberg will have to be careful about throwing outside today.]
[… Rosenberg strikes out Hall. One out. Now at bat is Volpi, who appeared as the number 9 hitter today. He hit. A hit in front of right field. Now the situation is one out and first base.]
[This time, you pushed and hit the ball, right? The battery needs to change the ball mix.]
[And this batter is at bat. Maeng-Ho, Ji! The batter who came to the Bronx to relieve the Yankees comes to the plate. He recorded a hit in every at-bat, and his performance this season was .408 with 8 home runs and 12 stolen bases. He is a batsman you can’t help but look forward to.]
[I’m really looking forward to it too. Actually, I’ve never seen a batter like this in my time commentating with baseball players. Pujols in the 00s, Trout in the 10s, and Judge in the 20s. This is all I can think of, right? He is a hitter whose every at-bat is truly anticipated.]
[… Ah, straight walk. Ji gets a walk and the situation changes to 1st and 2nd base with one out.]
[Rosenberg keeps throwing breaking balls near the borderline, but Ji gets on base without swinging the bat. If you look at Ji’s current performance, there is almost no difference between his batting average and on-base percentage, but basically, he was a hitter with a good pitching plan who recorded an on-base percentage of .600 for three consecutive seasons in Korea, right? I wonder what it would have been like if Rosenberg had competed a little more boldly.]
[Haha, I must have been scared to do that. But the Yankees’ batting lineup can’t be stopped like that. Now at bat is Judge, who has hit a home run in every at-bat. … Ah, Judge retiring with a fly to center field. And then Juan Soto comes to bat. Soto’s performance this season is .305 with 6 innings, 5 home runs, and an OPS of 1.286. … Safety! The Yankees add one more point with a hit in front of left field! Score 5:1!]
[This is the scary thing about the Yankees’ batting lineup. Even if you cross Jersey with Ji, Soto is waiting behind you.]
[… Rosenberg strikes out Vientos. But the game seems to have already tilted. Score 5:1. In the top of the third inning, the LA Angels attack.]
Rosenberg threw the ball as best he could, but the Yankees’ batting lineup, which had been on a 12-game winning streak, showed no signs of cooling off, and the score grew to a 4-run gap within the second inning of the game.
Of course, the Angels did not just sit by and watch. Although Trout’s timely hit off Rodon allowed them to score by one run, the Yankees’ batting line continued to display fiery offense in the bottom of the third inning, and they scored three more runs in the third inning, widening the lead.
[Ah, Rosenberg is coming down from here. He gives up 8 runs in 2.2 innings.]
After that, the Angels’ batting line trailed by 5 runs, but the Yankees also ran away with a metallurgical score,
[… In the top of the 9th inning, Yankees closer Miller comes to the mound. … Out! Three outs like this! Mason Miller, the guardian of the Yankees, protects the 3-point lead! We conclude the broadcast of the game by informing you that the Yankees have recorded 13 consecutive wins, tying the record for the most consecutive wins in a major league opening game.]
Game 1 between the Yankees and Angels ended with the Yankees winning after a fierce batting battle.
*
-New York Yankees! 13 consecutive wins! Tie for the most consecutive wins in a major league opening!
… Meanwhile, the Yankees, who led by 8 runs from the 3rd inning…, The Angels continued to score points, but the Yankees ultimately won with a score of 10:7, and succeeded in winning 13 consecutive games, the longest winning streak in a major league opening. Will the Yankees be able to break the Major League Opening record for the most consecutive wins? …
Today’s Korean Leaguer Records
…
Choi Joo-tae 1 hit in 4 at-bats, 1 run, 1 RBI
Ji Maeng-ho had 2 hits in 4 at-bats, 1 walk, 2 runs, and 1 stolen base.
…
…
┗Wow, are the Yankees really going to win? ㄷㄷ
┗How did the Yankees become a strong team?!?!?!?!?!
┗┗Wakeo Riverㄷㄷ
┗I can’t stand it anymore, so I’m declaring an empire. We declare the revival of the empire in 2027~
┗┗It’s April and the declaration has already been made haha
-Recognition of current leaderboards
…
Toronto Blue Jays 4 wins, 11 losses, 0.267
Detroit Tigers 4 wins, 9 losses, 0.308
LA Angels 4 wins, 10 losses, 0.286
-〉ㅎㅎㅎㅎ
┗Hmm… Is the team that Cheekwag met now Trashcan, Kkolrangi, Oronto, Hackathle, Euch? It’s funny that everything except the trash can is stuck at the bottom haha
┗┗Are you going to grab the M-chang team and go out? LOL
┗┗ㅉㅉ I don’t know what, I just got hit by a guy and pushed him down. Haha,
┗┗? For that to happen, they are all a shit team in the first place haha
*
“Meng Hao, we will really win tomorrow. “You know you’re the starting lead tomorrow, right?”
“Who is the lead?”
“Reed Ditmus, don’t you know?”
“This is my first time hearing this.”
“And… Are you really not interested in the major leagues? “He’s a lefty who throws 98 mph.”
“Is the left-handed pitcher that fast? Reed, Ditmus. Spelling… “
“D, e, t, m, e, r, s.”
“Ditmus… 1 win, 2 losses, 19 innings, 16 strikeouts, 5.68 ERA… “Senior, this bastard is a piece of shit?”
“… The record is a bit bad, but it’s no joke if it gets scratched. “I won 16 games last year.”
“Oh… From the Angels?”
“… What does it mean in Angels?”
“It’s nothing. Anyway, try your best tomorrow too. Congratulations on raising your RBI today. Senior. I also ate well.”
“Okay, I bought you food, so be gentle tomorrow.”