Became the Problem Child of MLB - Chapter 221



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Episode 221: Not World Class (7)

Bottom of the second. Mikey O’Brien, who had allowed one hit but closed out the inning with no runs this time, came down from the mound with his head down.

And then he sat on the dugout bench and burst into laughter until the pitching coach glanced over.

‘Just wait a moment, I’ll come back with one quickly.’

The more I thought about it, the more ridiculous it became. How many batters in the league could say something like that to a starting pitcher without hesitation? In my long career as a player, I’ve only seen one.

‘I’m so glad he’s on the same team as me.’

Another fortunate thing was that the shaking gear was slowly coming into control.

As Mikey O’Brien pondered the next game, Kyle Elias, the leadoff hitter of the inning, came to the plate.

Since it was a weekday night game, the game was played at 10 AM Korean time. The biased commentator who started broadcasting early in the morning raised his voice.

“Guys, the run is over, and you know who the scariest hitter on the Cubs is? Hanjei in scoring position? Victor Aroswell, who blocks Hanjei and faces him? None of them.”

└Then who is it?

└Okay, take a seat~~~

└Sit down~~~

└Here we go againㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

└Nonsense ‘ON’

└ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

“That’s right… Kyle Elias after the season standings were finalized! Cubs fans will agree with me. S… The chat room is a public space, so please don’t say bad things. Yes, please.”

└Why can’t you say anything, why can’t you say anything when that kid is acting up!!!

└But your defense is top notch~ Let’s have a drink~~

└What do you guys mean by “ssijil”?

└I’m just saying that you manage your personal stats after all the results come outㅋㅋㅋ

└It’s about time for the water bottle to burst, really ㅋㅋ

└Why are you careful with your words, hyung? You made money but lost your original intention.

“I always keep my original intention. I love baseball! My original intention is to contribute to the baseball world!”

└(=Collaboration proposals are always open. Cubs, contact me.)

└(=My love for baseball and money is my original intention. Cubs, contact me.)

“Hahaha, well. If a good opportunity comes along, I’ll run barefoot… Wow, wow, hit it! Hit it! Everyone, didn’t I tell you? After the rankings are confirmed, you can trust Kyle Elias! If you look, he pushed it really well with a 2-Yu gap. I’ll be doing this kind of thing in the summer.”

└So the last one is the real one?

└Yes, yes

└ㅇㅇㅇ

“Today’s Red Sox starting pitcher Ben Rober is a player who can handle a variety of pitches at a high level, but I think he lost focus a little bit. It was a 100% mistake. I think he’s probably regretting it. He’ll think about it when he gets home.”

└Don’t be excited

└How far can you go with just one hit? LOL

“Hey guys, one hit? The big inning of every game starts with the ninth hitter, not the fourth. Especially in a lineup as dense as the Cubs’ with so many problem solvers! And… Jose Flores calmly walks, with runners on first and second! The snowball is rolling. It’s getting close.”

└The Indian rain system seems less strict than this;

└Compare what you can compareㅡㅡ They just quit when it rains

└ㅅㅂㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

└That’s right… Yappas are like people with amnesia, repeating the same thing every day.

The time called ‘the time of promise’ among Cubs fans was approaching. Han Je-yi in scoring position is a hitter who no longer needs to be verified. And the middle of the batting lineup has recently been improving its batting sense.

Even if Han Je-yi’s at-bats don’t produce results, the frequency of subsequent batters getting one has increased significantly. This was ultimately a good thing for Han Je-yi as well.

“Ball! Straight ball! Sezai, chi, chi, calmly watched the ball. Wow, bases loaded! Hanje with bases loaded? Doesn’t that just mean we’re going to lose?”

└Hyung, calm down pleaseㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

└ Are these people by any chance Han Jae-yi’s direct family?

└You don’t know what I mean. Han Je-i’s immediate family seems to be less desperate than that;

└The family that the bankbook creates is thicker than blood… … .

└Really lol

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“It’s ambiguous to intentionally throw a pitch to a pitcher, it’s ambiguous. You saw what happened to the Marlins that way a while ago! Now, let’s see what kind of signals come out of the Red Sox bench!”

* * *

The Red Sox called a mound meeting just before my at-bat. The pitching coach and catcher came to the mound to calm the pitcher down. It seemed like there would be no intentional walks.

“JAY! JAY! JA…….”

In the meantime, I stood still at the plate and looked at the ground for a moment. I took a breath, exhaled again, and gradually increased the interval between my breaths at a faster rate. This is the process of artificially increasing concentration by controlling my breathing.

The son-in-law becomes quiet. It is entirely my realm of senses, for the tens of thousands of spectators who fill Fenway Park cannot be silent at the same time.

My own time that no one can disturb.

In his first at-bat, he was out on a flyout to left field, and this was his second at-bat. No outs, bases loaded. This was clearly going to be the turning point of the game.

Pitcher Ben Rober throws a fairly heavy fastball. The end of the ball is dirty, and his control is good if you want to be specific. He also handles the splitter and cutter as well as the fastball. And the curve that comes at a crucial moment has made Ben Rober a starter for the team.

Any ball can fly. There’s no guarantee that the straight ball that was thrown to Sezai will fly to me. In any case, it’s better to move forward assuming the worst case scenario.

The pitcher shook his head at the catcher’s sign, then nodded four times. The pitcher paused for a moment, holding both hands together in front of his chest. Then he began to pitch gently.

The ball was shot out of the pitcher’s hand. It just felt like it was going slightly from the outside to the inside. With just this much information, I started hitting.

It’s impossible to stand at the plate and think about what the pitcher is throwing, or to know exactly what it is. Sometimes, very occasionally, I get a feeling of certainty, but that wasn’t the case right now.

In this case, I have no choice but to rely on my intuition as a typist, or luck. And I have pretty good intuition.

Boo-

The swing motion may seem like a simple swing of the bat with the arms, but it is a much more complex process. The power to hit the ball comes from the lower body. That power is transmitted to the waist, and the arms are almost the last to inevitably turn.

An extreme upper swing that transfers the power placed on the right foot to the opposite side and rotates from the hips.

From the outside in. And hit with all your might the surface where you expect the ball to come.

Taaaaaaaaaaaaaah-!

When the bat achieves its intended purpose, a clear sound resonates throughout the stadium. I felt no sensation at all in my fingertips. I can’t even look at a ball like this.

I flicked the bat behind my back at the end of the follow-through and started running toward first base without bothering to check the direction of the ball. The silence I had created gradually broke, and the cheers of the fans filled the place.

“##%#$*@$%$#$!@$!!”

I couldn’t understand what the fans were saying, but I could tell from their expressions that they were happy as they shouted at the top of their lungs.

Okay, that’s fine. What else can I do?

* * *

-Jay! Wait a minute! Jay! He yanked the first pitch! He yanked it up with determination! He tied it in front of his eyes and hit it! It looked like it was going to slip out as it dug in slightly, but Jay didn’t let go of it! And where will it fly? It doesn’t even think about dropping! And finally, this hit… disappears over the Green Monster at Fenway Park! His 70th home run of the season! Jay finally records his 70th home run of the season! Damn, who wouldn’t love that kid? At least I don’t know how! From Sammy Sosa to Mark McGwire! Now a 20-year-old boy is summoning up memorable characters from that era one by one! A new major league history! It’s being written by this man’s fingertips!

The broadcast camera took a long close-up of Hanjei’s face as he circled the bases. He had a carefree smile and an arrogant expression. The Cubs fans cheered loudly at his face, which seemed to know exactly what he had done.

In the outfield of Fenway Park, a battle was fought over who would hit the 70th home run in 34 years, and one fan even ripped a placard with the words “Seventy!” written on it with his own hands.

Another commentator who was watching the scene said with a look of bewilderment.

-Ha, hahaha. That’s amazing. To pass that ball. And to pass it in this stadium. He’s an amazing player in many ways. I’m speechless. He’s really amazing.

* * *

The Red Sox fans didn’t boo me for hitting a home run. They just looked at me with a somewhat bored expression. They might have been disappointed because I had turned the score around with a grand slam after the Red Sox had hit back-to-back home runs.

And in fact, aside from all that, as a major league fan, I just wanted to congratulate the hitter who was approaching the record.

The third inning attack ended after we added one more point. The score was now 5 to 3.

Back in the dugout, Victor chuckled as he watched the applauding Red Sox fans with a composed expression.

“Why are you laughing?”

“Hey, you rascal. Let’s see what they’re thinking.”

“Victor… I didn’t know, but now you’re using mind control?”

Victor responded without even pretending to hear me.

“I think they’re lucky that they still have a few games left. At least the Red Sox are unlikely to be the team with the greatest record.”

“Hmm. But there’s a chance that today will be the last day for home runs.”

“That could be true, baseballs are round.”

Victor smiled kindly, like a wise man. To be honest, I get a little scared every time I see Victor with this expression. I wonder what he’ll say next.

“But, look at the expressions on our fans’ faces. If they complained that the ball was round, wouldn’t they have to personally cut off the corners and give it to us?”

“Yes… That’s a very believable statement. It’s a valid statement. So why are you telling me that now?”

Then Victor pressed his hand like a pot lid against my head.

“You should start by putting on your World Series ring, you idiot. The time I’ve been waiting for hasn’t even come yet.”

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