Chapter 833 – Episode 819. Toward a New Record! (4)
-Ji Maeng-ho hits his 74th home run, a new major league home run record!
… The Yankees won 10:7 over the Tampa Bay Rays with Ji Maeng-ho’s home run, Volpi’s multiple home runs, and Soto’s home run…
Meanwhile, Ji Maeng-ho’s 74th home run is a new major league record for most home runs in a single season…
Ji Maeng-ho’s sportsmanship also shined in this game. Ji Maeng-ho, who got a straight walk in his first at-bat, showed sportsmanship by calming down the boos pouring at the pitcher…
┗Wow, a Korean can write a record like this… It’s amazing
┗EPL scoring champion vs. Major League home run champion, which is greater?
┗┗EPL top scorer haha
┗┗How can we rub the major home run king?
┗┗Fact) Baseball is a league of its own haha Among the soccer games enjoyed by people all over the world, being the top scorer in the EPL, the highest league, is the greatest record
┗┗No, why fight over this;;
┗┗So you’re setting a new scoring record? It’s a new record that only one person in the world has a record.
┗Sportsmanship? LOL
┗Sportsmanship is a fierce warrior haha
┗Wasn’t it a provocation? LOL
┗No. 80 home run, let’s go~~~~!!!!!!!
*
Perfect!
The batted ball falls in front of the fence and is caught by the center fielder. With this, my score today is 1 hit in 5 at-bats.
‘Oh, shit, I’m not feeling well today.’
I drank everything to drink, but this is the result.
Well, I don’t usually believe in superstitions like jinxes, but I couldn’t help but feel disappointed that my home run record was broken.
Fortunately, Judge, who came in after a break yesterday, hit a home run, putting us ahead, but we were ahead by two points, so we couldn’t let down our guard.
However, our setup man and closing pitcher were among the best in the major leagues, so there were no frustrating situations.
Camacho, who came on in the bottom of the 8th inning, ended the inning with no runs, and in the bottom of the 9th, Miller ended the inning with a three-way strike, resulting in a 6-4 win for us.
After ending the three-game series against Tampa Bay with a clean win, we flew to Toronto to prepare for the four-game series against Toronto, and in the first game, I was able to meet a familiar face and face an opponent.
“Hey, I usually get number 13 with Toronto, so how can this be my first time with you?”
“Haha. I know. Out of luck. “I also wanted to hang out with Ji.”
Crongs, a familiar face, was playing as an ace in Toronto. Although he appeared in 31 games and had 8 wins and 13 losses, his average ERA was 4.18, which was the best among Toronto’s starting pitchers.
To be honest, while playing with Crongs for almost 3 years, he often carried me in the Korean Series, so I had quite a desire to face him, so I felt a little disappointed that we had to face him in the final series.
“Let’s stick together more next year.”
“Haha, unfortunately I can’t do that.”
“Huh? Why?”
“I plan on requesting a trade after this season. Now I have to play for a team that is aiming for the championship.”
“Okay? Where do you want to go?”
“Maybe…, I think I might go to the national league.”
Well, since Crongs is now in his early 30s, he would like to win at least once before he retires.
It was a little disappointing to see Crongs leave the American League East Division, but it was inevitable for the sake of his dream. Still, I felt a little sad that I couldn’t see him often since he was a close friend of mine as we walked around Itaewon together.
“Well, if you’re skilled, you’ll be able to rotate wherever you go.”
“Okay, maybe this could be our first and last fight.”
“Is that so? Well, if we go to nationals, it will be difficult to meet because there are only three games a year.”
“Ji. Haha, I wish I had played for the Yankees too.”
“Well, you’re better than Rodon, but…”
What are the odds of Crongs joining the Yankees? There was almost no such thing. Although Crongs played the role of a tank general in Toronto, we also had a functioning 5th starter, and the Yankees were the team that would spend more money to recruit better players on the market by recruiting Crongs.
Well, Singer, the team’s 5th starter, came to the Yankees after playing a tanking general role in Kansas City, similar to Cronks, but Singer was proven enough to win 10 games twice in Kansas City while playing in the major league for 7 years. Because he was a player, the situation was different from Crongs.
“Anyway, let’s have a good fight today. “Isn’t this the first time you’ve faced something like this in real life?”
“I see…”
“Okay, what does it mean to be a good friend? “Give me a home run today.”
“Haha, I’ll try.”
The game started after a brief chat with today’s starter, Crongs.
“Base on balls!”
Crongs, who had been as cautious as possible in the game, gave up a walk from the start, allowing me to advance to first base.
‘Sseuup, should you have just hit it?’
I thought I should have just hit it, but I couldn’t because I felt like Crongs would make fun of me if I hit a ball like this and get out.
And then came the second at-bat.
“Base on balls.”
“… Hey! “Aren’t you going to compete?”
There was a walk in the second at-bat, so I complained to Crongs while unpacking my equipment, but Crongs was busy avoiding my eyes.
And the third at-bat.
Perfect!
‘Ah! Fuck!’
I also tried to forcibly catch Crongs’ ball that was trying to avoid me, but the ball went towards the shortstop and the out count went up.
‘No, why is that bastard like that? The team is also ruined, so let’s just give it some competition.’
Fortunately, in the fourth at-bat, Swanson came up instead of Crongs and competed with me,
Ta – Aak!
I hit a two-run home run against Swanson, widening the lead to 3:0.
However, in the bottom of the 7th inning, Buehler, who came back to the mound, suddenly collapsed, and the score changed to 3:3, and senior Woo Seong came on the mound.
‘But I can trust Senior Woosung.’
Since Woosung was recruited to our team, he has been playing the role of a key player. The manager always kept raising Woosung up as if he thought he was a player that would last for just one season, and he played in 20 games and pitched over 40 innings in almost two months.
Fortunately, the coach’s appointment suited Senior Woosung’s constitution, and Senior Woosung had already won five games and was performing quite well.
And today, as if repaying the coach’s trust, he finished the remaining inning without allowing a run, and came on the mound in the bottom of the 8th inning to end the inning with a scoreless score.
The game is now in the top of the 9th inning.
‘I have to give senior Woosung a win.’
Even though it was one out, one home run was all it took to gift senior Woosung victory.
I turned the bat with all my might,
“Out!”
As the batted ball is caught in front of the fence, the out count goes up.
‘Fuck, I put in too much effort for no reason. After all, this kind of thing doesn’t suit me.’
Does it feel like I’m wasting my energy trying to do something nice for someone else?
But fortunately, Judge and Soto got on base and Stanton hit a home run, putting the game on our side. Honestly, looking at his recent form, it felt like Stanton was more reliable than Judge or Soto.
“Wow, Stanton. But there are already 47? Isn’t this almost a career high? What is the secret to playing so well at that age?”
To be honest, when I first saw Stanton, I thought he was a throwback, but seeing him in action like this made me curious about the secret to his hitting so well.
Because I wanted to play in the major league even after I was older.
“That’s right. Well, there are a lot of good hitters in front of me, so it’s great that the game is going well for me.”
Well, this is because Jin-cheol and Sang-ju, who were talking behind me, also said this. But despite all that, Stanton was playing so well that I looked at him intently to see if he had any other secrets.
Then, Stanton opened his mouth with a shy smile.
“… And, what should I say? Do you feel like your body is in sync with the blow? Maybe it’s because I’m getting older, but I’m gaining some fat and losing some muscle. I’m not sure, but my coach said yes.”
“… Really?”
Stanton’s secret to playing well even in his old age seemed to have nothing to do with me.
Anyway, Stanton’s home run allowed us to win the first game against Toronto, and unexpectedly, I was selected as the Distinguished Player.
‘Why am I born? ‘Isn’t Stanton the main character today?’
Although I had a bit of a hard time understanding why I was selected as the Distinguished Player, I had no reason to refuse the interview, so I stayed and prepared for the interview, and I immediately learned why I had been selected.
“Ji! Today, you achieved Ji’s world record of 75 home runs in a season, which was set by Ji. How do you feel?”
“Oh, that’s why. Well, I don’t really care. “My goal for this season is 80.”
“Oh! Okay! So, are you saying you are confident of hitting 5 home runs in the next 9 games?”
“Well, it’s difficult, but I’ll give it a try.”
“Oh, I think this is almost my first time seeing Ji like this?”
“Well, if the opposing pitchers avoid it like they did today, it will be difficult for even me to hit a home run. Crongs, are you watching? “If you’re scared, you shouldn’t have said you’re scared.”
“Ahaha, haha, ha. As expected, this is a confident Ji-like statement. Oh, and currently, with a batting average of .407, we are on the verge of becoming the first hitter to hit .400 in 84 years since Josh Gibson in 1943. How do you feel?”
“Huh? Wasn’t the last .400 hitter Ted Williams? Who is Gibson?”
“Ah… Gibson is a player who played in the Negro Leagues, not the Major Leagues, and with the Negro Leagues being incorporated into the Major Leagues in 2020…”
“Ah… Negro League… Yes. Well, I’ve hit .400 many times in Korea, so I don’t really have anything to say about how I feel. “I feel like I’m just doing my thing?”
“Okay. Then…”
*
-Hmm… Isn’t what Ji said in today’s interview disrespectful of black people? It felt like he didn’t approve of Gibson.
┗ㅉㅉ I live in an uncomfortable world. He just doesn’t know the history of the major league.
┗Is it okay to accuse one person of being a racist like this?
┗Ji is not that kind of player! Ji is also a discriminated minority!
┗ㅉㅉ How much Ji hates racial discrimination. Did he forget that he kicked out San Francisco’s general manager from the recruiting auction because he ignored him because of his tone?
┗┗I didn’t like the joining auction either. That scene reminded me of our ancestors who were sold as slaves. Does that make sense in the 21st century? Ji made us laugh. Ji needs to be kicked out of the baseball world!
┗┗There are a lot of people who are uncomfortable with everything lol! I know you don’t like the Yankees.
-Ji Maeng-ho, controversy over racial discrimination?
… Meanwhile, in an interview with Seungri that day, Ji Maeng-ho made a remark that seemed to disparage Josh Gibson, who was a player in the Negro Leagues…
┗You bastards are a legend haha. You might not even know, it’s so damn bad haha
┗┗This is exactly the level of racism. How are you any different from those black bastards?
┗┗You? Are you a raceist too?
┗But am I the only one who thinks Ji Maeng-ho would be racist?
┗┗ㄴㄴ Maeng Ho-shin is sensitive to such things. Even in Korea, he had a ban with a racist.
-Ji Maeng-ho overcomes controversy and achieves his 76th home run!
… In an interview before the start of the game, Ji Maeng-ho asked about the racial discrimination controversy that had occurred the previous day, “Was there such a controversy? Is it racist to not know a single baseball player? Haha, that’s funny. Probably, the person who created that controversy is not a Yankees fan. Also, there are many people who are jealous when they see my grades. In Korea, fans of 9 teams hated me, and now fans of 29 teams will hate me, so I expected a lot of such unreasonable controversies to arise.” …
Although there was controversy, Ji Maeng-ho showed his best by adding one home run to his new home run record
…
Meanwhile, the team lost to Toronto…
┗ㅋㅋㅋ You can’t say anything to Meng Ho-shin’s words, right? LOL
┗The interview is legendary haha
┗As expected, he’s a superstar, Maeng Ho-shin haha
┗Are the fans of other teams idiots? Haha. If you want to use Fierce Protectors in 3 years, you have to make a good movie now. Haha,
┗┗ㄹㅇ LOL