Pitcher’S End, Batter’S Start [EN]: Chapter 26

Pitcher Done, Batter Up – Episode 25

It was a crushing defeat.

6 innings, 2 earned runs.

A quality start.

The team is also winning.

Didn’t give up many runs.

And reliably ate up innings.

You could say he showed a great performance as a starting pitcher, but.

The pitcher walking off the mound looked like a losing pitcher.

Just like Lee Jung-woo before the game.

His eyes were only fixed on one person.

‘He’s conscious of me. Well, I guess so, after getting hit with two home runs by the same batter…’

3-for-3 with 2 home runs.

Even the single hit was a double.

He got hit with all extra-base hits.

Thanks to handling the other batters well,

He didn’t allow any lead runners, so there weren’t any big scores,

But he was completely defeated by Lee Jung-woo alone.

‘It must sting a bit. He’s never been completely crushed like this before.’

Being a first-round draft pick means.

At least until now, he’s never been completely defeated by anyone.

Because you have to be the best in that farm [minor league system] to make it happen.

But he signed a huge contract and spent the winter with expectations,

Only to have his soul crushed by one batter in an unexpected place.

Of course, it’s going to sting.

‘I’ve been there too. It felt really dirty getting crushed in Single A [lowest level of minor league baseball] after rehab.’

That’s why I can fully understand.

The heart of the pitcher walking off, biting his lip.

‘But he’ll overcome it. He’s got the mental strength to overcome a whole league.’

He’s not the kind of player to fall apart with just this.

Rather, he’s much more likely to use it as a stepping stone to work harder and grow more.

Lee Jung-woo was curious about what he would show after being stimulated for the first time.

He’ll show even more than the unbelievable performance he showed as a rookie in the past.

‘I should watch Korean professional baseball from time to time.’

Unlike Kim Hee-chang, who was hurting.

Lee Jung-woo felt relieved.

He completely shook off the last of his frustrations.

Now he really realized.

Like he said to Sung Young-joon in the first at-bat, he really found his path.

Now that he’s confirmed that they’re going different ways, the pitcher he admired just looked like a cute junior.

And he completely forgot about his past inferiority complex.

So Lee Jung-woo watched the game with a more relieved face than ever before.

Now that he’s erased his personal feelings.

It was time to lead the team to victory with a public mind.

‘The pitcher’s changed, so I’ll start hitting soon.’

“Just pile up some runners in front of me. Then I’ll turn it around.”

“Oh? What’s with the confidence all of a sudden? You’re always so humble.”

“I just feel like doing that now.”

####

Lee Jung-woo kept his promise to his teammates.

Continuing the momentum.

In the bottom of the 8th, with 2 outs and runners on 1st and 3rd, he brought in all the runners.

A 2-RBI [Runs Batted In] game-winning hit.

“He’s a god!”

“He’ll lead the Liga Giants to Valhalla! We’re going to Valhalla!”

Here, Valhalla is the finals.

As Lee Jung-woo slightly raised his fist while stepping on second base in response to the fervent cheers for him.

“Waaaaaaaah!”

“Lee! Lee! Lee!”

“He looked at me! He saw me! That gesture is for me!”

“No! He’s going to crush the opponent with that solid fist!”

The stadium erupted with cheers that seemed like it would explode.

It continued even after he stepped on home plate with the follow-up hitter’s timely hit.

“Lee! Lee! Lee! Lee!”

“Let’s go all the way to the championship! We’re going all the way to the championship! We’re going to crush everything and win the championship!”

The excitement had skyrocketed with the multi-home run, and then he hit the game-winning hit at the end.

Beyond cheering.

The manager, who smiled faintly at the frenzied and crazy fans, pushed Lee Jung-woo out of the dugout before the 9th inning started.

“Go out for a bit. They’re cheering like that, show them your face.”

The manager pushed him like that.

Lee Jung-woo laughed.

Since he regressed [returned to an earlier point in his life/career].

It felt like he was doing all sorts of things.

‘I’m even doing a curtain call.’

Curtain call.

It’s an honorable thing.

It means he’s captivated the audience with his play.

This was the first time this had happened, not only before and after the regression.

Even before the injury, so.

He felt a little dazed as he walked out of the dugout, and the crowd cheered again when they saw him.

Lee Jung-woo, who took off his batting helmet, looked around the stands for a moment.

Thousands of hot eyes only on Lee Jung-woo.

Passionate emotions only for him.

An indescribable feeling welled up from deep down in his gut and spread out as if to burst his body.

‘This is baseball.’

Before the regression, he was too busy trying to survive.

After the regression, he was too busy moving forward to feel the joy of baseball.

Lee Jung-woo, who felt it after a long time, smiled brightly.

As he bowed in a polite posture, a loud noise erupted that vibrated the stadium.

With that as background music, Lee Jung-woo, who went back to the bench, was subtly poked in the waist by his teammates.

“Wow~ you’re so handsome. Sweaty hair, melancholic eyes, you’re just a sex machine?”

“Hey~ those girls over there are smitten? I’m going to get their numbers.”

“Be quiet and get ready for defense. We have to block them well.”

As if he had thrown away his usual smile.

Lee Jung-woo, who had returned to his blunt expression, acted curtly.

As if they had lost interest.

They scattered again.

Only then did Lee Jung-woo smile briefly and grab his glove.

‘It was a happy day, so I have to finish it properly until the end.’

####

There was no bottom of the 9th.

Because the game ended when he cleanly caught the ball hit by the opposing batter.

“Lee Jung-woo catches it. Game over! The Adelaide Giants win a close game with a score of 5 to 3.”

“Lee Jung-woo is a really great player. He was solely responsible for the team’s RBIs [Runs Batted In] and eventually led the game to victory.”

The streaming broadcasters tried to bury the Geelong Korea’s come-from-behind loss with Lee Jung-woo’s performance.

Because the viewers’ reactions weren’t good.

They’re trying to cover it up with another issue.

They praised Lee Jung-woo with all sorts of flowery words, but.

They weren’t just making up words and packaging them.

“He’s really amazing. I heard he’s already got eight home runs.”

“The launch angle is stable. The power is really there. He’s a naturally powerful player.”

“Kim Hee-chang did well too. He was completely shut down. Actually, 6 innings and 2 earned runs isn’t a bad record.”

“He’s a bit of a waste. If it wasn’t for Lee Jung-woo, he could have had a shutout?”

After the game broadcast ended.

The caster and commentator, who stood up hesitantly, shook their heads.

They’re doing internet broadcasts now, but they’ve seen so many players through their long broadcasts that they saw more.

The skill of the player Lee Jung-woo.

“But I heard he used to be a pitcher. Do you know about that?”

“I know. It was such a big deal. How can someone who’s supposedly a senior in the industry and a professional baseball commentator not know?”

I remember.

A pitcher who was more than just good.

I wanted to broadcast him once he went up to the majors.

I never thought I’d see him as a batter in an Australian professional baseball broadcast like this.

“It seems like he showed more talent as a batter, like Choo Jung-soo. I guess that’s why he switched to being a batter. The team is definitely different. It seems like a good choice as a result.”

“Well, even if he showed talent, it wasn’t enough to switch. It’s probably an injury.”

You can tell just by looking.

Unless the whole team is going crazy, that kind of pitcher has to go through something like that to switch to being a batter.

If not, the team would never allow it, even if the player wanted to.

‘He fell all the way here because of one mistake. Thanks to that, I’m seeing a good side of him. I might even see him on a major league broadcast someday.’

Although not as expected.

I’m not a commentator.

And Lee Jung-woo isn’t a pitcher, but.

Anyway, it seemed like I’d be able to see him on a Major League broadcast someday.

“But are you really quitting?”

“I have to quit. There’s no place for me. I’ve gotten a coaching offer, so I’ll figure something out.”

I have a place to go even if I quit. My mentor from my playing days called me.

I’ve already done the hitting coach job before becoming a commentator, so there’s nothing to worry about.

That’s why he didn’t have any regrets. It’s an internet streaming broadcast in the first place.

There was nothing to regret.

“Next time, I’ll have to call you coach. Succeed wonderfully and return in glory as a terrestrial broadcaster.”

“Return in glory? I won’t even look back this way. Let’s go. I’m a little stiff.”

Kim Byung-gyun, the commentator who got up with a snort, stretched his tired body from sitting for so long.

I put one player in my head.

‘Lee Jung-woo, there’s no hope, but I should remember him for now.’

No matter what anyone says, the pitcher’s ability is the most important in a single-game tournament, but.

The existence of a batter with a sure hit is always heavy.

####

After the game.

Lee Jung-woo, who barely escaped the stadium by taking one autograph every three steps due to the crowds, headed to his favorite Indian restaurant.

Because it has a moderate spiciness.

It’s a place I often visit when I get tired of eating Western food.

In front of Lee Jung-woo, who was occupying a table alone and eating sadly, there were two more people.

“Is it good?”

“It’s the best. It’s really the best restaurant besides Korean restaurants.”

“It’s really delicious. Thank you, senior.”

“…Yeah, eat a lot.”

Lee Jung-woo looked at the two people gobbling up the curry with a slightly complicated gaze.

Sung Young-joon, who was burying his nose in the plate and eating so ravenously that the owner of the counter was pleased.

I understand up to this point.

He has a good-natured personality.

He wanted to reunite with his senior whom he hadn’t seen in a while, and he showed that nuance during the game.

The problem is the person next to him.

‘Why did Kim Hee-chang follow me?’

Kim Hee-chang.

The guy who was constantly emptying his plate as if advertising that he was an athlete had a serious face even during the meal.

‘It’s like getting beaten up and paying a settlement.’

I know he’ll overcome it well, but.

Still, I didn’t feel that way, so Lee Jung-woo kept ordering for him, and after emptying the plate cleanly.

I asked Sung Young-joon, who raised his head, what was going on.

“He seemed depressed, so I was encouraging him, and then we talked about you in high school. After hearing that, he got a little….”

Kim Hee-chang, who realized it was his story, also raised his head and looked at Lee Jung-woo.

The eyes looking at him were so sparkling that it was burdensome.

Lee Jung-woo felt strange in his eyes, which didn’t really match the dignified face that the juniors would follow.

“I really wanted to see you. I’m sorry if it’s rude, senior. Ah! I’ll pay for what I ate.”

“I brought you here, so I have to buy it. Does it suit your taste?”

“It’s delicious. And please speak comfortably.”

Lee Jung-woo looked at Sung Young-joon as if asking what the hell he was talking about in words that were more than just polite and full of respect.

He also had a difficult expression on his face.

“I learned a lot from Sung Young-joon’s story. Your pioneering spirit of flying to the United States alone and recovering despite the unfortunate things you experienced. I was impressed.”

‘What did you learn? You have to become a legend in Korean professional baseball.’

Lee Jung-woo, who knew the future, was dumbfounded and let out a hollow laugh, and Kim Hee-chang, who put his hand in his pocket, suddenly held out his cell phone.

“Um, if you don’t mind. Maybe your number….”

‘The world’s Kim Hee-chang gets Lee Jung-woo’s number first. I don’t know anymore.’

I don’t know why, but.

Lee Jung-woo had a complicated face and roughly told him his number in an expression that seemed to be thinking about human victory or something.

Kim Hee-chang also hardened slightly at the not-so-good look.

Sung Young-joon deliberately changed the subject when the atmosphere became strange.

“But what are you going to do about your military service? The next Asian Games? There’s a lot of talk about whether or not baseball will be in the Olympics.”

“I’m still young, so I’ll figure something out. But what about you? The Asian Games story will start coming out soon. I’m in the minors, so it’s difficult, but you can do it, right?”

Asian Games.

The chance for exemption next year. Of course, all the unfulfilled players were only looking at that.

Sung Young-joon was one of them.

He’s often playing in the first team as a backup catcher.

There was enough possibility, but.

The situation was ambiguous.

“I’m a little ambiguous too. We were eliminated in the preliminary rounds last time and the time before, so they’re saying they’re going with an elite member this time.”

‘Come to think of it, that’s right. I remember they only went with pros without amateurs. Was Young-joon included at that time? I don’t know.’

When I was having a headache.

I don’t know all the news, but I remembered that there was all sorts of talk because they were eliminated in the preliminary rounds with elite members.

‘Well, it’s none of my business anyway. It’s impossible to go this time.’

Even if I go up to the majors.

It’s obvious that I’ll need some kind of verification, so Lee Jung-woo gave up early.

What he was aiming for was the next Olympics. If I remember correctly, it was the Australian Olympics, and baseball was definitely included.

“What if you don’t get it this time? You can get an exemption if you go with me later.”

“Ah~ don’t say unlucky things like that. I’m going to get in this time. You do it with him. A good pitcher and a home run hitter. It’s a good picture. You’ll win a gold medal.”

“That would be really nice.”

He changed the subject while saying that, but.

The impact of today’s game flowed into results he didn’t expect.

It was a little later.