novelraw Chapter 677 24: Movers and Shakers
Chapter 677 24: Movers and Shakers
[Errata: In the previous chapter, the defensive positions of Jose Altuve and Correa were mistakenly swapped; the former is a second baseman, the latter is a shortstop. Additionally, readers have pointed out in the comments that Hinch played an opposing role in the Astros cheating scandal. The author has made some modifications at the end of the last chapter, and hereby explains.]
After defeating the Houston Astros, the New York Yankees, greatly boosted in morale, welcomed a sweet schedule.
In the remaining half-month of May's schedule, their next four round series opponents are not considered strong:
Besides the Kansas City Royals in the American League Central Division, which are relatively decent, the other teams like the Tampa Bay Rays and Oakland Athletics are now at the fish belly level, and the Yankees continue to harvest victories from these teams.
However, it's worth mentioning that after overcoming the impact of the early-season World Baseball Classic, the Yankees' divisional arch-rival Boston Red Sox have gradually warmed up, climbing back to second place in the American League East Division, with the victory gap between them and the Yankees slowly closing.
Apart from the excellent performance of lineup members like Mookie Betts and Xander Bogaerts, the Red Sox's standout performer is their ace left-handed pitcher Chris Sale.
Last winter, the Boston Red Sox paid a package worth approximately $110 million US dollars, including three top ten farm rookies and a mid-level rookie, snatching this ace from the Washington Nationals, bringing him to Boston.
This is undoubtedly a typical case of betting on the present with the future, and judging from Chris Sale's performance since the new season, he has indeed lived up to the Red Sox's price:
With David Price missing the opening schedule due to elbow injury and Rick Porcello's extremely poor performance, with a season record of 3 wins, 8 losses, and an ERA of 4.46, Sale has won 7 games, almost single-handedly carrying the Red Sox's starting rotation.
In categories including wins, strikeouts, and innings pitched, Chris Sale ranks at the forefront of all Major League; he is also currently ranked third in the American League Cy Young Award predictions, second only to Corey Kluber from the Cleveland Indians and Lin Guanglai from the New York Yankees.
Yes, if we were to choose the top contender for this season's American League Cy Young Award, it would be none other than Lin Guanglai:
Since the start of the season, Lin Guanglai has started 15 games, achieving 9 wins, 2 losses, and 4 no-decisions, with a remarkable quality start rate of 100%; in the key statistics of wins, ERA, and strikeouts, he leads the charts.
Moreover, he boasts the lowest walk rate in all Major League, and two of his signature pitches have a swing-and-miss rate reaching or nearing 40%, making him the opponent many Major League batters agree they most dread facing.
Top hitters including Jose Altuve of the Astros, Khris Davis of the Athletics, and Joey Gallo of the Rangers, who performed excellently this season, have all expressed their feelings towards Lin Guanglai's "nasty" pitches;
Even his teammate, Aaron Judge, who currently leads the home run lists in both leagues by a wide margin, has repeatedly stated in media interviews, "Luckily, Lin and I are teammates, aside from training we don't need to face off — believe me, no batter would want to encounter this kind of pitcher!"
In addition to the most direct data, his top-notch performance on the field has brought rapidly increasing fan numbers and a plethora of sponsors drawn to him; particularly considering Lin Guanglai's outstanding qualities extend beyond the field, his physique and appearance also make him a hot commodity in the market.
As his agent, Nomura Katsuhiko has been under quite a bit of pressure recently — to handle matters related to Lin Guanglai, he has even delegated the work involving Yu Darvish and Maeda Kenta and others to his subordinates, showing just how busy he is.
Baseball players are extremely busy during the season; from Monday to Sunday, filled with training and games, and endless commutes across the United States, already consume a great deal of their energy, hence as a professional manager, Nomura Katsuhiko always adhered to a "no unnecessary disturbance" policy during the season.
But things have now reached this point, he clearly cannot continue with that:
With more and more sponsors from all over the world waving cash at their door, and a large number of media from all across the U.S. and Asia sending invitations... dragging this on any longer would significantly impact both Nomura Katsuhiko's interests and Lin Guanglai's own commercial value.
Just in time, after the Yankees' home game against the Toronto Blue Jays ended, the team's coach Girardi, after reviewing the medical department's evaluation of Lin Guanglai's physical condition, granted him a short three-day vacation before the New York Yankees embarked on a 10-game road trip to the American West — this gave Nomura Katsuhiko the opportunity to properly discuss the commercial operations surrounding him with his client.
"So, is this where I'll be staying next?" Lin Guanglai asked, looking at the massive mansion before him with Nomura Katsuhiko accompanying him; behind him, his assistant Tanada, who takes care of his life, was moving his not-so-many luggage into the house from the car.