Chapter 836 – Episode 822. Toward a New Record! (7)
“Whoa…”
“Hey, Cole. Why are you sighing? Did you see that I scored 15 points yesterday? “They say they will definitely take care of you if you win multiple times.”
“Tsk. Anyway, if Alcantara wins, it’s tied, but I don’t really care about records like that.”
Cole’s face, which said he didn’t really care about records, was clearly someone who was paying attention.
If you don’t get a win today, and Alcantara wins and becomes the Major League’s most wins leader, will you look like you’ll go home and cry alone?
‘Anyway, what’s important about records?’
They say that as you get older, you become more greedy, and that was the same for Cole and Judge, who was aiming for the RBI title, and it was his strategy because he was old.
‘Did that guy run away to number 3?’
‘Hey! I’m trying to set a new record that hasn’t been established in 100 years, and 20 wins isn’t a record worth worrying about.’
‘Hehe, that’s right. In our time, you had to win about 30 games to be called a pitcher.’
To be honest, seeing as he is barely competing for the most wins with such a strong hitter, Cole would not be in a position to be annoyed even if he lost today. Our current batting lineup, from numbers 1 to 4, has only 4 hitters with 40 home runs and 2 with 50 home runs.
To put it bluntly, if Trilling, Alcantara, and McClanahan, the current major league aces, were on our team, wouldn’t it be a batting lineup that would have already won 30 games?
‘Well, since I’m still struggling even at my old age, I guess I should give him a win.’
If the pitcher so desperately wants it, it is the batter’s job to grant that wish. Today’s Baltimore starter, Kremer, had faced him a few times, so he seemed like he would have to work hard to make the call.
‘Mr. Rossby, then let’s do some training before the game. Cole wants it so badly, I have to work hard.’
‘I just want to raise my RBI, but I’m making excuses.’
‘… Let’s just train.’
After spending time training with Mr. Rossby, it was time for the game to begin.
“Out!”
“Strike! Out!”
“Out!”
And as if to show his earnestness, Cole silently protested by throwing out his first three batters.
Now it’s the batter’s turn to respond!
“Base on balls!”
As if living up to my expectations, Soto got a walk in his first at-bat and advanced to first base.
‘Yes, this is it! Well, Soto is definitely good at getting on base.’
Now, if Judge advances or gets on base here, it’s exactly what I expected… !
Ta – Aak!
‘Ah…’
“Great! After all, it’s Jersey!”
Cole’s favorite sound can be heard from the dugout all the way to the waiting stand. And then, like a triumphant general, Judge walks home with confident steps.
“Open your expression. “Who would know that the opponent hit a home run?”
“… “Is this a happy expression?”
“Okay? I thought so too. However…”
“Yes? What else?”
“Congratulations?”
“… Congratulations on the home run.”
Ugh… Should they have just asked him to put the jersey at number 9? But no matter how much I asked, I didn’t think the director would listen to that.
‘Ugh, I just have to do my best. Anyway, if I hit a home run, it’s 1 RBI.’
Anyway, baseball is a 1:1 sport where a batter and a pitcher compete. There was no need to worry about other players.
“Base on balls!”
But the result was a walk. I decided to swing somehow, but if I did, I couldn’t put out the bat because the balls would fly and people would criticize me for game-fixing.
“… Fuck, really. “The season is coming to an end, so why not avoid it?”
“You’re avoiding it, you just skipped it.”
“You have to give it to me, so I can hit it.”
“Haha, I guess you’re anxious because you’re about to set a record? This series will go easily.”
I’m quick to notice… If things continued like this, Lutchman wearing the catcher’s mask wouldn’t give me good balls throughout the series, so I calmed down my irritated mind and answered with a grin.
“… Not at all? You’re not aiming for a record? “I’m happy to go out with a walk.”
“I see.”
But he didn’t seem to believe it at all. … Fuck.
‘Ah…, If this happens, the series will be a bit difficult, right?’
In times like this, the only thing I can do is to remind him that if he carelessly gives me a walk, he gets to third base for free.
“Safe!”
After stealing second base, I tried to run to third base,
Perfect!
With Stanton swinging the bat, I was able to get home easily.
‘… Yes, but if the score difference widens a bit, you’ll throw it into the zone, right? Please give me some points!’
And as if my earnest prayers were heard, Hall and Vientos were out, but Ohapi, Verdugo, and Volpi hit three hits in a row, bringing the score to 5:0.
‘After all, baseball is a team sport!’
Soto is at bat for only the second time in the first inning.
Ta – Aak!
‘This is it! … But don’t fall for it.’
Soto’s batted ball flies quickly toward the fence. For some reason, it seemed like if a home run was hit here, Judge would be out due to the flow of the sport called baseball, so I hoped it wouldn’t go over the fence, and fortunately, Soto’s batted ball hit the fence and fell.
Since the speed of the ball was quite fast, the runners are now on 1st and 2nd base.
“Jersey. Take it easy, just get on base comfortably.”
“Let’s try.”
Now, as long as the judge gets on base, my at-bat will have runners on base… ! In that case, it was a situation where you couldn’t skip it even if you wanted to.
‘If I do well at this, I might be able to break the RBI record today, right?’
“Strike! Out!”
‘What the fuck… !’
But the result was a strikeout.
“… “You didn’t do that on purpose, right?”
“… The ball was good.”
The long first inning ended with 6 runs scored. And perhaps because the tension was relieved by giving up 6 runs, the top of the 2nd inning ended with Cole giving up 1 run, and once again it was my turn to bat with no runners on base.
‘I changed it to number 3, but it’s no different from number 1… It would be better if I were the first batter today…’
“Ugh.”
Even if I regretted it, it was already too late, so I shook it off in one sigh and focused on winning against the pitcher.
Perfect!
‘Fuck you…’
But Lutchman didn’t give me a good ball, and I tried swinging to somehow increase the RBI, but the result was a hit in front of left field. Even though I got on base twice in two at-bats, I still felt a bit bitter.
After that, we took advantage of Hall’s hit to get back to home.
‘No, I give good balls to other batters…’
When competing with me, he didn’t throw any balls in the zone, but seeing him keep getting hit by other batters made me think for a moment that he was being unfair to me, but this is the fate of a slugger.
‘Ugh, I have to endure it.’
Ta – Aak!
‘No, but Verdugo’s home run is a bit… !’
But seeing Verdugo, who only hit 9 home runs, hit a home run, makes me feel bad for the guys who grit their teeth and get away with it.
‘After… But since it’s still 10 points, I won’t skip it anymore.’
Still, the score is now 10 points lower. Since the game was already over, I didn’t think he would avoid me in the next at-bat.
‘… Even if you are down by 10 points, you won’t suffer any damage, right? Oh, no way…’
*
[Ji Maeng-ho takes his third at-bat in the bottom of the third inning. Wells, a changed pitcher, comes on the mound. … Ah! You hit it! This ball is hit high! … But you get caught in front of the fence! Ji Maeng-ho is very disappointed!]
[Oh, I was a little in a hurry. Actually, Ji Maeng-ho is not the kind of player who would necessarily touch a ball like this, right? However, as he is on the verge of setting a new RBI record and becoming the first player in baseball history to hit 80 home runs, it is obvious that he is in a hurry to compete.]
…
…
[In the bottom of the 5th inning, a new pitcher, Weston, comes on the mound.]
[Today, Baltimore’s pitching staff was hit hard, and a fourth pitcher has already been brought up. Weston appeared in 50 games this season…]
[The Yankees’ leadoff hitter facing him is Juan Soto, who is on base 3 today including a home run. … Soto hit, and this ball hit right field. One out. Now it’s Judge at bat. … Ah! You hit it! Judge’s hit! Cut left and center! But you can’t get to second base.]
[The hitting speed was fast, right? I don’t overdo it for any reason.]
[Aaron Judge gets on base with one out. And now Ji Maeng-ho comes to bat.]
[If we add just two more RBIs, we’ll tie Wilson’s record of 191 RBIs, right? However, I hope Ji Maeng-ho will not be conscious of this record and show his usual hitting. Even if Ji Maeng-ho is not conscious of these records, he is a batsman who can do it well.]
*
‘Sweet, I’m a little nervous.’
Is it because he failed to score an RBI in all at-bats with runners on base? I felt like my hands were sweating a little because with just one home run, 80 home runs and 191 RBIs were right in front of me.
‘Let’s not be nervous. It’s just one at-bat in a game that’s already tilted. Not the Olympic finals, the WBC finals, or the Korean series.’
I close my eyes and think about international finals or the Korean Series. When I think about it, I don’t think I was that nervous at the time, but it was ridiculous that my hands were sweating because of records that were just numbers.
‘Let’s go! Mr. Rossby!’
‘Relax, you brat.’
‘Yes!’
As Mr. Rossby said, he goes to bat with his body relaxed. The pitcher standing on the mound is Weston. A pitcher in his mid to late 20s who debuted this season, he was an unremarkable pitcher who appeared in 35 games and recorded an ERA in the mid-5 range.
A garbage game that has no effect on the rankings, a score gap that has already widened, and a pitcher who you wouldn’t even know who he was if you hadn’t heard the explanation during the power analysis.
No matter how much I thought about it, there was no reason to be nervous.
‘It’s a curve. Outside, low.’
‘Okay.’
His first pitch was a curveball. Since no pitcher could hit a curveball against me in the zone anyway, I watch his first pitch.
“Ball.”
“You’re still avoiding it, right? “I got 10 points.”
“…”
Unlike at the beginning of the game, seeing Lurchman not answering, it didn’t seem like he was avoiding it on purpose. Then, there is a chance that the ball will be thrown into the zone. Unless it was a curveball or changeup, as soon as I got near the zone, I decided to swing the bat and waited for the next ball.
‘It’s a fastball. Outward and high.’
‘Okay.’
And the second ball he chose was a fastball. It was very obvious that he intended to fool my eyes with a low curve and then throw a high fastball to create a swing.
‘Then there’s a chance it won’t be in the zone.’
Well, even if it didn’t go into the zone, it was a high ball, so I was confident it would go over the fence as long as it wasn’t too outrageous. Even though I am weak against high pitches outside, I have passed many of the mid-140 pitches that Weston throws, even in Korea.
‘… Come!’
The ball leaves the guy’s hand. The trajectory of the ball is as high as Mr. Rossby said!
I swung the bat without hesitation, holding the bat lightly,
Perfect!
The ball flew higher, perhaps slightly higher than I expected.
However, the direction of the hit is to the right, which has a short distance from the fence!
‘If this is enough… ! … Please, please, please!’
The batted ball sinks gently. The right fielder jumps high. And it went into that guy’s glove… Everything?
‘… ‘Huh?’
-Waaaaa!!!!
However, the ball, which was thought to go into the glove, hits the right fielder’s glove and goes over the fence.
“Aaaaah!!!!”
‘You’re lucky.’
Mr. Rossby spewed out slanderous remarks as usual, but I laughed them off.
Why?
Because I held the major league record for most RBIs in a single season and was the first man in the world to hit 80 home runs!
‘Well, if Mr. Rossby felt that way.’
‘… ‘Tch.’
The jealousy of ordinary people was truly sweet.
*
“Hello! Ji! First, congratulations on your victory today.”
“Ah, thank you.”
“And there was something else to celebrate today, right? He achieved his 80th home run of the season and tied the major league record of 191 RBIs in a single season. How do you feel?”
“Well, I’m happier that the team won because I don’t play baseball for records. “I think records follow you if you just walk step by step.”
“Wow! Isn’t this kind of detachment what creates the big hitter? “I really want to learn about mind control, right?”
“Haha. A professional must remain aloof in any situation. As I said before, I play baseball to win, not to make records.”
“This is truly amazing! Still, the 80th home run has a lot of meaning, right? “You promised in an interview in the first half of the year that you would hit your 80th home run. Did you keep that promise?”
“Haha, well, of course. It’s a promise to the fans. We will continue to strive to create many good things to see for our fans… Wow! [Fuck you! What?!]”
Haha, colleagues are showering Ji with water to celebrate his record! It looks really nice, right? Ji is happy too. But what did you just say? I think it was Korean… Oh, anyway, congratulations on creating a new milestone in the Major League! Ji!]