The Pitcher Just Hits a Home Run - Chapter 403
Only Ranovel
Episode 403 Side Story 7) Over there, Choi Soo-won is passing by (2)
There were several players around me who had already successfully overcome ‘aging’. But even if you put all the rest together, it wouldn’t be as good as this man in front of you. Yes, it’s Domingo Rodriguez. And as soon as he saw me, he started whimpering non-stop as if he had wind in his lungs.
─Kkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkk
It took a little longer than I expected for the guy who was laughing so hard to almost lose his breath to calm down.
“Sorry sorry. “Did I laugh too much?”
“If you knew that, would you take that smile off your face right now?”
“Haha, this isn’t easy. Even Choi Soo-won of the world is now at an age where he is worried about his gray hair. If you look at his face, it doesn’t look like he’s changed much from the shiny look he had when he was 20.”
“That’s because Domingo, then and now, is nine years older than me.”
“That’s right, that’s why I came here because I needed the wisdom of the old man.”
“So are you going to help me?”
“Hmm, what should I do? I have a lot of personal things to do these days. “I’m so busy, I don’t know if I’ll have time for this.”
Certainly, time may be limited for a legendary player who has just retired from the major leagues. Under normal circumstances, a player with a career like Domingo Rodriguez would be eager to be hired as a commentator or panelist by paying a large sum of money to any broadcasting station.
Yes, under normal circumstances.
This guy. He was a legendary pitcher who boasted a strong fandom based on the Yankees, and was like a public enemy to 29 major teams. Of course, since the fandom of the Yankees team was so huge, it would not have mattered even if fans of the other 29 teams were unfavorable.
The problem is that in his later years, he went to the Mets and played for three years, ultimately playing the most decisive role in our failure to win the championship, and said, ‘I won a championship with a team other than the Yankees, so I think I’ve done everything I can in the majors. ‘I will retire.’ In the same words, he actually retired after attracting aggro from Yankees fans.
Thanks to this, there were fewer people looking for him than expected. Well, there was this or that, but I heard that Anthony received only disastrous offers that can’t even be compared to the 7-year, 200 million dollar offer he received to become a commentator.
Thanks to you, I end up doing a personal broadcast rather than going on that type of broadcast!! They are so angry that they are actually broadcasting on the Internet…
“Are you Godslayer?”
“Keuhum… No, that’s because I got a little angry while broadcasting… But Suwon is good for you too, right?”
“What is good? I suddenly became a dead person in November of last year. Oh my. Now that you think about it, is it okay for me to walk around like this? Already dead? No, no. I guess it’ll be okay. Because he is not a person but a god. “I might die and come back to life.”
Domingo gave a weak excuse. Yes, he would be embarrassed if he were human too.
This person was broadcasting on the internet a while ago and became so angry that he asked, ‘Giant killing? No, the thing I defeated wasn’t just a giant!! He is the god of baseball!! Yes, if I had to say it, I would have to say God Slayer.’ His statement took the world by storm again.
“Keuhum… No, that’s because I got a little angry. Anyway, I feel sorry.”
“So, please stop making unnecessary fuss on internet broadcasts and come and help me. Since you won in the end and ran away, I can do this much.”
“Running away!! “I’m just retired because I’m getting too old and I don’t have anywhere to go!!”
“Did you know that I was offered $8 million a year?”
“······. “Alex is such a traitor.”
“It’s a bit refreshing to hear that the icon of betrayal is a traitor to others. Anyway, will you help me? “Are you going to tell me?”
Domingo was lost in thought for a moment with a serious expression.
And I asked back.
“Honestly, I don’t know if I can be of help. “Well, there wasn’t a special method, it just happened to be that way.”
“That ‘just so happens’ is ultimately the trick and method. Besides, you can’t just do personal broadcasts like this forever. Honestly, Domingo’s fandom is all about the Yankees, so they need to clean up their image right now. If it ends like this, in the worst case scenario, you could end up in the Hall of Fame but not have your Yankees number retired. “You know, right?”
“······. “Will helping you solve it?”
“I’m Choi Soo-won.”
“Okay, I guess it will be resolved. okay. okay. “Let me help you.”
Retired player Domingo Rodriguez has been added to the staff that I personally lead.
“Oh, that’s right, this is how much I will pay you weekly.”
“to? Hey, wait a minute. “I got a one-year, $8 million offer from the Mets?”
“That’s what I’m talking about when I was playing as a player. “Right now, I’m a new instructor with no experience.”
“No, wait a minute. Anyway, that’s true.”
“no, I do not want? Are you going to leave the Yankees forever? For only a few hundred thousand dollars? “The guy who accepted $3 million to become the ‘God Slayer’?”
“······. Okay deal.”
And that too with the lowest salary.
***
People had expectations.
As always, Choi Soo-won will show a magical miracle. Although they suffered an unexpected blow in the 2044 season, the Yankees are a young team and will be able to rise again like a phoenix.
-Boo!!
“Street!! out!!!”
The last ball ended up in the catcher’s mitt.
And that was the end.
Season 45.
The Yankees finished the regular season in second place in the American League East and advanced through the wild card, but fell short in the division series.
“It feels so strange?”
“what?”
“No, that’s right. It feels like the Yankees definitely have to make it to the World Series. “Because I just fell out of the division.”
“There was a time when the Yankees didn’t even make it to the postseason.”
“That’s true, but it was obvious that there was a problem with the team even during the season. But this time, it was okay without any special issues…”
Is it because we’ve been watching the Yankees play in November for too long? Many people felt empty when the Yankees’ season ended in October.
Clearly, the postseason is not over yet. No, far from being over, there were more important series left: the Championship and the World Series. But somehow they felt like the postseason was already over.
Yes, just like the failed movie franchise of the 2020s that was forced to stay on for over a decade even though the main characters, Iron Man and Captain America, left the show.
In a market where content providers and consumers communicate two-way, consumers’ needs are very immediately reflected by providers.
Traditional media still focused a little more on the remaining Championship Series and World Series, but non-traditional media focused on the Yankees’ season and beyond. And we focused more on the reasons why the Yankees failed to win the regular season and why they failed to advance beyond the division series.
“In my opinion, the biggest reason is Choi Soo-won’s aging.”
“However, Choi Soo-won is said to be aging, so the number of innings he has played is also the same. In particular, didn’t the blow rebound slightly compared to last year and the year before?”
“Of course, if you just look at the numbers, you can see it that way. But we have to look at the details. Strikeouts were down significantly and BABIP was a little lower than normal. This season, the Yankees’ defense was second out of 30 teams, so it’s not unusual. In addition, as you can see in the case of batting, walks have decreased significantly. Of course, although the walks decreased, the on-base percentage actually went up slightly, but the slugging percentage decreased slightly. In terms of net slugging percentage, the decline is significant. This is evidence that teams in the league are starting to gradually overcome their fear of ‘Batterer Choi Soo-won’. “I think that’s why the Yankees couldn’t get past the White Sox in this division series.”
There were many stories, but the most talked about story was about Choi Soo-won’s aging. In fact, the team called the Yankees itself felt close to being a team of Choi Soo-won, by Choi Soo-won, and for Choi Soo-won, so it was something that could not be helped.
And that was something Choi Soo-won himself felt keenly.
“I’m sorry, but I think I’ll have to focus on training a little more this winter. “Winter vacation travel…”
“okay.”
“uh?”
“I understand. I’m going to Miami for this winter vacation trip. I’m training myself. We spent some time there. “Let’s go eat something delicious together in our spare time.”
“Are you going to be okay?”
“It’s okay then. You’re saying that because it’s an important time right now. Oh, mom and dad instead. And let’s invite your father to Miami too. “The kids will miss their grandfather and grandmother, too.”
“okay.”
“Oh right. Should I call your father’s girlfriend too? “It seems like you’ve been dating for a while this time.”
“Eunjin… “That’s a little too Hollywood.”
“It’s not that I’m too Hollywood, it’s that you’re too conservative, right? Actually, Korean people are a bit more open-minded about this kind of thing now. For no reason do I listen to American movies… “Anyway, then, I’ll leave it to you to take care of your father’s girlfriend.”
Winter season of 2045.
Choi Soo-won decided to make a ‘very special effort.’
Of course, Choi Su-won never prepared for the offseason. But this time, he had an even more special winter with the help of people around him.
“yes?”
“sorry.”
“Wait. This is an area where I already had surgery once. It hasn’t even been 10 years yet. “Didn’t the test result come out wrong?”
In 2044 and 1945, Choi Soo-won played more innings than usual. And as a result of his extra-special efforts during the winter season, he was diagnosed with a ruptured elbow ligament during spring training in the 46th season.
“There are two ways. “Surgical and non-surgical therapies.”
He was given an absurdly difficult choice.
If he had been three years younger, he would have chosen surgery without any hesitation. But the year is 2046. Choi Soo-won is now 38 years old. Assuming he plays for another five years, one year is a whopping 20 percent of his remaining career. It wasn’t an easy choice.
“What do you think should be done?”
“Well, that’s fine. Hey, wait a minute. But for this kind of thing, it’s a family or agency. No, shouldn’t you ask a psychologist? I’m an instructor. Instructor.”
“The weekly salary I pay includes consulting fees for listening to the experiences of seniors who went before me.”
“Are you really trying to be too frugal with the minimum wage?”
“In return, I appeared on the broadcast three times for free. Honestly, my one-time appearance fee is several times the salary of a decent instructor.”
“I think it would be best for you to rest.”
“They’re telling me to get the surgery and rest this season.”
Surely 38 is still young in the eyes of Domingo, who played until the age of 45?
“No, that’s not what I meant.”
Domingo shook his head.
“Take it as a non-surgical treatment. “How precious is each year in your late 30s, so why waste a whole year?”
“yes? “Are you sure you should get some rest just now?”
“That means pitchers should get some rest. “You’re better at things than throwing a ball.”
Full-time hitter.
Domingo Rodriguez brought out an option that Choi Soo-won had momentarily forgotten because he had been working as a pitcher for so long.
***
The deepest part of the dresser.
Hank Aaron’s autograph card, which said NEW ALL-TIME HOME RUN KING, sparkled a little.