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Wu Huilin: Cheers and salutes for “Judge” Jia Ji | Major League Baseball (MLB) event | Home run

[Epoch Times, October 12, 2022]At 8:00 a.m. Taipei time on October 5, 2022, click on Sports TV, which is broadcasting the Major League Baseball (MLB) game live across the ocean. It is the New York Yankees’ visit to Texas. The last second of the cavalry’s four consecutive battles was also the second of the day’s double competition. The TV screen showed a full audience, and the focus was on Aaron Judge, who was the Yankees’ first club. I saw him standing and ready to swing. He heard the applause from the audience, looked up and saw that Jia Ji was jogging around the bases. It turned out to be a “home run”. This was his 62nd home run of the season, breaking the AL record of 61 years (since 1961). The shocking bang is the one that everyone has been waiting for for a long time. The magnitude of the blow is evident from the fact that the ball was valued at as high as 2 million US dollars, and the fans who received the ball were immediately taken by security to be certified. Electric congratulations and congratulations by lighting up the Empire State Building.

Record-breaking 62 hits

The MLB regular season starts at the beginning of April and ends at the beginning of October. There are 162 games for half a year. There are games almost every day, and half of the games (81 games) are played in other cities in the United States. The schedule is tight. It is known that the fatigue and injuries of the players can already be imagined. This year, Jia Ji played 157 games in total, which is considered to be a frequent game. It seems that he has never been injured. Compared with the past few years, he has had a very smooth and complete season, and because of his frequent appearances, he has the opportunity to hit so many home runs. When more and more home runs are accumulated, the topic of “record breaking” emerges, and it is talked about more frequently and hotter. After 50 hits, the topic of when the record will be broken and how many hits will eventually become hotter. After Jagie hit the 60th home run to tie the Babe Ruth record on September 20, he was unable to hit a home run for 7 consecutive games, even though the Yankees head coach specially arranged for Jagie to hit the first hit, allowing him to have more times. Attacking the opportunity is still a tortoise. Because of Jaggie’s chasing record, the Yankees’ game audience was full. First, everyone wanted to personally participate in the historical moment, and second, to see if they were lucky enough to receive a record-tie or record-breaking ball.

Move forward with exhaustion

Although the enthusiasm of the audience can stimulate the players’ fighting spirit, it also puts pressure on those who are preparing to set a record. After all, no matter how good the athletes are, they are still mortals with emotions and desires. It is inevitable that they will still be nervous and disordered. , especially the pitchers who encounter Jagie, are not willing to be recorded in the history books, so the number of four-ball walks has increased, and the pitchers will be more careful and concentrate more on dealing with Jagie, and Jagie will inevitably recover physically and mentally. Getting more and more tired, it was really hard work. Finally, on September 29 at the Blue Jays’ home court, he played the 61 homers that tied Maris 61 years ago.

I thought that everything would turn out smoothly after the record was tied, and the critics also believed that in the remaining seven games, there should be a 62nd homecoming soon. But the Yankees’ three home games were quiet, and they flew to the Texas Rangers’ home for the last four games. Jagie still couldn’t hit a home run in the first two games, and the batting rate also fell to the second place, “Triple Crown” farther and farther. Fortunately, God knows, after five games, finally in the last second game on October 5th, the first hit at the Rangers’ home court took the pitcher Jesus Tinoco. The third ball hit the stands, and the 62nd home run was released, breaking the AL record for most home runs in a single season, and Jagie also retired, no longer trying to build a high record, and can only look forward to Jagie or others after next year Come sprint, will you wait another 60 years or more?

A real new record

The 30-year-old Jaggi has a big breakout this season. He is the sixth player in MLB history to hit 60 home runs in a single season, and then tied Maris’ record of 61 home runs in a single season for 61 years, and finally 62 home runs. set a new record. Although three National League players have a record of more than 62 homers, they were all questioned during the doping era, and Maris’s son publicly called to admit that Jaggie’s 62 homers were the real MLB record. Jaggie, who has exploded this season, ranks first with 133 points, 131 RBIs, and 111 walks, while his 311 batting average is a career high and ranks second. He and the Japanese “two swordsman” star Otani Shohei are competing for the AL Most Valuable Player of the Year (MVP), and it seems that the sky-high contract is waiting for him next year!

Jaggi was selected by the Yankees with the 32nd overall pick in the first round of the draft in 2013. He made his debut on the major league stage in 2016 and hit a home run in the first-rounder, a blockbuster. In 2017, he got a full opportunity to play, played 155 games throughout the year, hit a record 52 home runs for a major league rookie, and was voted unanimously to become the Rookie of the Year.

Jaggi from a traditional family

After becoming famous, Jia Ji became the target of media pursuit, and his life experience was also reported. He was abandoned after birth, and his parents are now his adoptive parents. It was only when he was 10 years old that he learned his true life, and the retired teacher couple from California, USA, gave Jaggie endless love and proper discipline. Jia Ji once said that during high school, his parents’ education was very strict, and he would be required to do his homework before going out to play with friends. He imagined a very traditional family.

With a tall stature, Jia Ji’s first sport was baseball. He often hit home runs and showed his talent since he was a child. With the support of his adoptive parents, he joined the little baseball team. In high school, in addition to the baseball team, Jaggi also participated in the basketball and American football varsity teams. He performed very well, but based on his love for baseball, he chose to go to baseball. Due to his tall stature, he was considered more suitable as a pitcher, because when the striker’s strike belt was too wide, he could easily be struck out, but he overcame the difficulties and achieved today’s achievements.

As we all know, the Yankees are a traditional team and a well-known brand in the world. They have simple and clear striped jerseys. Players can’t grow long hair, keep their faces clean and can’t grow beards. They attach importance to morality, and they must show good performance. The most terrifying thing is that New York fans have a clear love-hate relationship, ridiculing and even humiliating players who perform poorly. We’ve seen a lot of players who played very well on other teams get completely out of shape when they came to the Yankees, and then went back to normal when they left. Therefore, it is even more valuable to be able to survive in the Yankees and maintain a good performance, and Jaggie is of course even more prominent.

Before the start of this year’s season, the media reported that Judge had rejected a seven-year, $213.5 million extension offered by the Yankees. At the time, a reporter mocked: “Confidence is a good thing, but let’s face it, he’s not Mike Trout. Angels star player).” Facing doubts from the outside world, Jia Ji did not defend himself, but silently spoke with excellent performance and played a fantastic season. Home runs, RBIs, points, and long hits are the first in the league, and the first in the major leagues in 66 years, but he still maintains his modesty and gives credit to his family. He said: “My family is everything to me. , they’re the reason I’m here and have all this.” Congratulations and salute to you! Jagi!

The author is a special researcher of the China Economic Research Institute

Responsible editor: Zhu Ying

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