Talented FA Catcher - Chapter 355
Only Krnovel
Again 2001 – 2
#
I felt this way during my time with the Marines, but the postseason feels completely different from the regular season.
The regular season includes:
Since there are 144 games in the KBO and 162 games in the Major League, many players thought that even if they lost today, they could win tomorrow.
In fact, that was a healthy thought for a long season.
Players are also people, so if they focus too much on one game, they can get tired quickly.
But the postseason was different.
Revenge? Tomorrow? There’s no such thing here.
It took the Yankees 38 years to meet the Diamondbacks again in the World Series after losing to them in 2001.
The New York press says that every day is an opportunity to get revenge for 2001, to get revenge for that humiliation, but how many people actually remember the emotions they felt at that moment?
In the end, all that remains is the result.
Victory and defeat, I just try my best to win.
Now the preparations are complete.
I’ve seen the Yankees players’ information so much that it comes to mind automatically when I close my eyes, whether they’re pitchers or batters, and I’ve finished preparing for it.
The thing I was most concerned about was the home run.
Needless to say, the Yankees are a team that can’t be beaten when it comes to home runs.
There’s Chase Field, Yankee Stadium, which has an open roof, and is famous for its home runs.
A home run has the power to sweep away the atmosphere at any time and at any timing, so you can’t be at ease until the end of the game no matter how many points you have.
Preparing doesn’t mean you’re prepared, but it’s better than not preparing at all.
The fact that there are a lot of home runs is good news for us too.
Our team has over 200 home runs.
Even though Bryant, McCoy, Willis and I hit 170, guys like Jackson can hit a home run at any time.
In fact, everyone intentionally increased the launch angle during training.
Another thing to worry about is mistakes.
Since this is a big game that I have never experienced before, there may be variables from the inexperienced Jackson and Ryan.
Fortunately, McCoy and Willis were there to keep marking that part, but once the game started, it was something I had to worry about.
The beasts are done for now, now all that’s left are the pitchers.
Actually, there’s not much to worry about here.
There’s a misunderstanding that many people have, but if we really have to be specific, we’re a team that relies more on pitchers than hitters.
You might wonder what he’s talking about after hitting over 200 home runs, but it’s true.
The league’s only six starters, three sure-winners, and pitchers like Cup and Donald to back them up.
No matter how strong the Yankees’ batting lineup is, it’s not easy to get through these pitchers.
However, in a short-term battle, the quality of the entire pitchers is important, but more important than that is the presence or absence of an ace.
A pitcher who can definitely win the first game, especially the most important one.
If Jun Nakamura was the Yankees’ pitcher, he was Sneakers for us.
“Remember, this World Series starts with me winning and ends with Long winning.”
Seeing him speak like that without fail, it seems like he has a lot of confidence and is in good condition.
Actually, when I think about Sneakers’ lack of confidence, I can’t really remember anything.
I heard that Long would sometimes waver before he came to the Diamondbacks, but I haven’t seen anything like that since I came to the Diamondbacks.
“Winning the first World Series with Long···.”
Of course, I sometimes muttered to myself like that and my eyes sparkled, but I understood.
Long is such a my-pace person that we don’t know when he will retire.
It could be right after this World Series, or it could be a few more years down the road.
As this could be Long’s last World Series, Snickers’ determination was firm.
“Long, please watch over me from there. I will definitely win and come back.”
…If anyone heard, they’d think Long had gone to a strange place.
Well, I’m a little worried, but the good news is that Yankees starting pitcher Jun Nakamura is probably not in top condition right now.
I haven’t seen or heard it myself, but I think he’s probably saying something like, ‘Hehehe, today has finally come, Kim Soo Ho.’
#
A room filled with silence.
Something unusual was happening there.
A man sitting with his eyes closed for hours, and a man doing his own thing in front of him as if it were familiar.
After a while, the man who had his eyes closed, Jun Nakamura, opened his eyes and Mike White finally looked at Jun Nakamura.
“Are you done?”
Mike White saw Jun Nakamura nod slightly and handed him the materials he had been looking at.
But after briefly looking over the data, Jun Nakamura closed his eyes again.
“I know it all without even seeing it.”
“This?”
It could be said that this is because the owner of the data belongs to Kim Su-ho, the player that the Diamondbacks must be most wary of.
But this is a record from Kim Su-ho’s KBO days.
Although it is a record limited to the postseason, Mike White, who I never thought would know this, brought back the data.
‘Well, that’s because the other person is Kim.’
There is no player on the Yankees who doesn’t know what Jun Nakamura thinks of Su-ho Kim.
The same goes for Mike White, who joined mid-season.
‘No matter what, I didn’t know it would be this bad.’
When I first came to the Yankees and met Jun Nakamura, Mike White brought up the story of Kim Su-ho.
And that was a mistake.
‘I didn’t expect you to be talking about Kim for over an hour.’
Mike White shook his head and asked as memories of that time came to mind.
“So is there any way to deal with Kim?”
Only then did Nakamura Jun open his eyes again.
“does not exist.”
Jun Nakamura, the best pitcher among those proud major league pitchers.
It was a rather shocking answer for him to have given.
But Mike White nodded as if he knew.
Kim Soo-ho was that kind of player.
“You don’t intend to do it intentionally, do you?”
Mike White looked at him with a nervous expression as he brought up the question the director had asked him to ask subtly.
No matter how much Nakamura Jun respects Kim Soo-ho, this was a very sensitive issue.
But Nakamura Jun’s answer came without hesitation.
“Anytime you need it.”
“…really?”
“okay.”
Jun Nakamura was sincere.
‘I thought I could beat Kim Soo-ho.’
From the Brisbane Olympics until I met Kim Su-ho again in the major leagues, that thought never changed.
But when he met Kim Soo-ho again after five years, he had to admit it.
‘I lost.’
In both player versus player and team versus team.
‘It was my greed.’
Man-Yong’s ambition to get everything from Kim Soo-Ho.
Jun Nakamura admitted that he had been struggling for five years.
‘Kim Soo-ho, I couldn’t beat you. But.’
On the day the World Series ends, the person smiling that day will be Jun Nakamura himself.
With that determination, I closed my eyes again.
But Jun Nakamura was so absorbed in his thoughts that he didn’t notice.
I’m talking about a fist that is clenched so tightly that blood rushes to it without you even knowing it.
#
Now I hear the familiar American national anthem.
“Waaaaaaaaaaaaah!”
We each dispersed to our seats while listening to the fans’ cheers.
First baseman Willis, second baseman Mondtom, third baseman Ryan, and shortstop Allen.
Left fielder Jackson, center fielder McCoy, right fielder Flacco.
Finally, sneakers on the mound and me behind home plate.
There was no change in our lineup.
We’ve already played many games with this lineup, and it’s been enough even without any changes.
It seems that the same goes for the Yankees, with no major changes to their lineup.
The Yankees’ No. 1 was, as always, Don Riley.
Don Riley was a difficult player in his own right, but there was something else that made him even more difficult.
Pedro Sanchez, who has already been showing his presence from the standby batter’s box.
“Hey, pay attention to me.”
“Don’t worry. I’ve prepared everything.”
“Are you looking forward to it?”
I got some new information.
Don Riley is more resilient than you might think, to show such composure in this situation.
Well, that means he’ll be playing number one for the Yankees.
No matter how much I look at information about Yankees players, there are some things you can only know by actually playing against them.
If they were in the same district and national league, I would have already figured out what their tendencies were, but 3 or 4 games was too short a time to figure out a player.
Still, I did find out something from our last encounter.
Unlike his usual stance of batting while taking advantage of Pedro Sanchez’s presence behind him, his first-pitch swing rate increases sharply in games with a lot of hits.
And Snickers also doesn’t hesitate to win in matches like this.
So, let’s start with a fastball for the first pitch.
-Pfft!
“strike!”
The referee’s loud call to start the game was heard, followed immediately by Don Riley’s sigh of regret.
98 mph body high fastball.
“How is it? I prepared it with care.”
“Okay. One more time.”
This isn’t a refill house restaurant, and there was no profit to justify that statement.
But, if it’s a wish, there’s no reason I can’t grant it.
I sent the same sign to Snickers and he started pitching without hesitation this time too.
-Wow!
“Foul!”
This time the speed was increased to 99 miles.
But 98 miles and 99 miles are speeds that are difficult for the human eye to distinguish.
On the other hand, the course came in almost the same as the first pitch.
The point is, if Don Riley had been prepared, he could have done it.
“What? You said one more time?”
“…Ugh, really, can you give me just one more time?”
How desperate must one be to make such a request?
As if his earnest wish had been conveyed, Snickers nodded again.
-Pfft!
“Strike out!”
High again, and this time a 101 mph fastball that’s right up on the body.
I quickly tried to stop the bat that came out in a panic, but it was already too late.
Don Riley, who seemed to like the course, glanced at me and Snickers before leaving the batter’s box.
Even if I do what you ask, you’re still dissatisfied.
Still, the harvest was great.
He struck out a tough hitter with the same pitch and course, so it will have an impact on his next at-bat, and even throughout today’s game.
By the way, this is just the real beginning.
The American League home run leader and the Yankees’ best hitter.
Pedro Sanchez, who hit .283/.389/.634 with a 1.023 OPS and 48 home runs, steps up to the plate.
Unlike Don Riley, Pedro Sanchez didn’t even glance at me and immediately took a batting stance.
I have no idea what he’s thinking.
But that’s okay.
Because you can find out from now on.
First, an outside fastball to test the intention.
The sneakers paused for a moment as if they were dissatisfied, but soon continued their stance.
Pedro Sanchez’s bat moves at a rapid pace as the ball appears to be about to cross the zone.
-Taaaaak!
“Foul!”
Chase Field just became quiet with this Paulo.
The fans were amazed by the incredible strength with which he pushed the ball over the right field fence, even though it was out of bounds.
But whether it went over the fence or split the fence, if it was out of bounds, it was a foul, that was what mattered.
Sneakers never flinch in these situations.
Rather, the pitcher who has the guts to throw the same ball multiple times as if to ask you to hit it more is Snicker.
I didn’t specifically ask who taught it to me, but the answer came quickly.
Who the hell is that? It must be Santa Claus, the guy the Yankees hate.
As expected from a pitcher who has been taught by Santa Claus, Snickers’ pitches are unstoppable.
“cheek!”
The second ball became a ball.
-Ta-aak!
“Foul!”
In the 3rd inning, he fouls the ball back into the zone.
Now 1-2.
We had a favorable count against Pedro Sanchez, but he’s not a hitter we feel we have an advantage against, even in these situations.
But no matter what.
“Strike out!”
He couldn’t hit Snickers’ slider, which had a terrible trajectory for a batter, in his first at-bat.
After that, he struck out Richard Rogers, who came up to bat, and KKK.
Then a player came out of the Yankees’ dugout.
Jun Nakamura, a player who represents the Yankees along with Pedro Sanchez.
He calmly went up to the mound despite the sneaker’s pitching and started to warm up by throwing the ball to White.
Our first inning attack started like that.
The leadoff hitter was Bryant.
And it only took three balls to decide the game.
“Strike out!”
He calmly received the ball and looked at McCoy, who was at bat, and at me, who was on standby.
Jun Nakamura seemed to be saying this.
The game has just begun.