Pitcher’S End, Batter’S Start [EN]: Chapter 119

Harding’s ominous premonition was spot on.

Ironically, Harding himself, who had foreseen it, wished his insight as a Pirates player would be wrong.

Unfortunately, it wasn’t.

Even after racking up 3 RBIs [Runs Batted In, a baseball statistic] yesterday, it was just a taste, as he swung his bat like crazy, just as Harding had predicted.

[Top of the 4th inning, 1 out, runners on 1st and 2nd. With the score tied 3-3, cleanup hitter Jungwoo Lee steps up to the plate for his second at-bat.]

[He already hit a double in the top of the 2nd. Judging by his light movements during defensive plays, he seems to be in good condition.]

Lee Jungwoo, walking to the plate with light steps, glanced at the catcher with a hardened face.

Then, he immediately got into his stance.

Lee Jungwoo was so confident today that he didn’t want to waste any time.

‘Paul Maxson. He’s technically a 4th starter, but… with the Pirates, you can’t really differentiate below the 3rd starter. They’re all about the same.’

The Pirates had the most changes in starting pitchers over the past three seasons.

If it were due to the club actively recruiting and bringing in good pitchers, it would be great for the fans.

Unfortunately, it was all self-supplied [meaning they were promoting from within their own system, rather than acquiring talent from outside].

To be more precise.

All the starting pitchers below McCubby, who were criticized for relying on hitters, were basically just fill-ins.

‘His ERA [Earned Run Average, a key pitching statistic] is around 7 so far. The Pirates aren’t a team with weak defense, and their errors are in the middle to lower ranks of the league, and it’s even a pitcher-friendly ballpark, which means it’s his own ability without any excuses.’

True to that assessment, the starting pitcher in front of him was not major league caliber.

It’s not about looking down on the opponent.

It was just an objective evaluation.

Giving up 3 runs already by the top of the 4th, it could be said that he’s doing his best lately.

Compared to such a pitcher, Lee Jungwoo, on the other hand, was a league-leading hitter with his skills in full bloom.

He had gone through an awakening once. That’s why Lee Jungwoo didn’t hesitate.

He didn’t wait either.

If he were a finesse pitcher with a good head on his shoulders, even if his pitches or velocity weren’t great, he could have hidden a trick up his sleeve. But at least according to the data, the opposing pitcher didn’t have that kind of cunning.

‘Four-seam fastball, changeup, slider, cutter. Doesn’t matter what it is.’

The veins in his forearm, gripping the bat tightly, throbbed like a live fish, showing their presence.

His lower body was rooted to the ground like a tree, firmly supporting his body.

The pitcher, constantly glancing around, conscious of the runners, finally released the ball with a three-quarter delivery [a specific arm angle used when pitching] almost as the pitch clock was about to expire.

Cutter.

He knew it as soon as he saw it.

The cutter, hastily added to his repertoire due to his declining performance, had a strange angle in his elbow, just as he had heard.

Because the pitching form was different from the other pitches the pitcher had.

As if there was nothing more to see.

Lee Jungwoo rotated his waist as it was.

Experts assessed that.

The short but correct simple leg kick was the foundation of Lee Jungwoo’s proud, fluid batting form.

Using that as a pillar, his body rotated dynamically, and he hit the incoming ball as it was.

The lightly pulled hit passed over the second baseman’s head.

It flew to the right-center field between the center fielder and the right fielder.

“Ahhhh-”

The low sighs of the home fans were heard.

It echoed through the stadium like background music.

Gloomy and dark.

At least for the Braves, it was like a fanfare.

[Lee connects! First pitch attack! It gets past the second baseman and flies deeper – the 달려온 [running] center fielder stretched out his arm, but couldn’t catch it! A hit!]

[It broke through right-center field cleanly. While the ball goes to the fence, the runner on 2nd scores, and the runner on 1st also comes in. They pick it up and throw it to 2nd, but he’s safe.]

[Lee’s timely 2-RBI double puts the score at 5-3! The Braves take the lead again.]

“Yes!”

“Fucking, it’s so frustrating, really. Ptooey.”

Lee Jungwoo looked at the cheering away fans and raised his hand towards them.

Whether he didn’t like that.

The second baseman spat out a low curse and spat for no reason.

It represented the Pirates’ feelings.

He probably wanted to spit a bucket of saliva at Lee Jungwoo if he could.

[Jungwoo Lee records multiple hits in today’s game already. He’s already driven in 2 runs.]

[Lee is properly showing why he was given the important task of being the 4th hitter. Very excellent.]

A timely hit that regains the lead in a tie situation.

The Pittsburgh Pirates’ manager rubbed his face with his dry hands.

The head coach seemed to have a ringing in the back of his head.

He grabbed the back of his neck and looked up at the sky for no reason.

They felt really… shitty.

“Hoo. Really, he’s not helping at all. He keeps bothering us in defense too….”

“If it weren’t for that guy… we would have scored more points than we have now.”

The Pirates’ head coach sighed deeply. Clearly, the atmosphere wasn’t bad before the game, despite losing the previous day.

Now it felt like they were wallowing in the mud.

Except for Harding, who had predicted Lee Jungwoo’s performance, most of them sighed or gritted their teeth.

Considering that it was only the 4th inning, the remaining innings felt daunting.

The score was still close.

Considering the Pirates’ powerful hitting, it wouldn’t be strange if they came back at any time.

But the momentum already seemed to be slightly leaning towards the Braves.

However, the bigger problem for the Pirates than that was.

‘We’ve taken the lead again for now. But if they start to gain momentum again, anything can happen. We need to suppress them firmly before that.’

Lee Jungwoo himself, who had gained momentum, wasn’t satisfied with just a slight advantage.

He wanted a definite knockout.

To maintain this feeling, this spirit, as if he had returned to the past.

Lee Jungwoo wanted to exert his best power in today’s game.

The opportunity came quickly.

####

“You’re totally flying today! Are you going to hit a home run like the fans are expecting?”

“If a good ball comes, I can definitely hit it.”

“Haha, yeah! You’re the cleanup hitter, you have to have that much confidence.”

The Braves’ hitting coach Colson smiled contentedly at Lee Jungwoo’s confident words.

His momentum was so good.

And even though he was a cleanup hitter, it seemed like he was wasting that great power as the 5th hitter at the end.

Because Soo-ba was under a lot of pressure, he was going to keep him at 5th unless something special happened.

He kept suggesting it and eventually properly raised him to the 4th batting order.

It seemed to have worked well.

‘He doesn’t seem to feel any pressure, and it seems to have stimulated him instead. Right now, Lee is full of confidence in his own swing. It’s a good attitude for a core hitter.’

Colson thought it was better to swing big even if he struck out, rather than hesitating with excessive thoughts and missing opportunities.

He praised himself.

It seemed like his gamble-like decision had paid off.

Actually, there was another reason, but Lee Jungwoo was somehow different today, to the point where even the coaches thought this way.

And to mark the peak of such performance, he went out of the dugout again.

‘My body feels great. My condition is normal. Is it because the hesitation has disappeared and I’m playing with more confidence than usual?’

Strangely, he felt that his body was getting lighter and lighter as the game went on.

Lee Jungwoo saw it positively. Whatever it was, confident play wasn’t bad.

If a player with no skill is just full of confidence, it can be a nuisance to the team.

At least he wasn’t in that category. He could only feel the advantages.

Watching Lee Jungwoo walk to the on-deck circle with a thin smile on his face with satisfaction.

The players on the bench quietly whispered among themselves.

“Look at that, look at that. He’s smiling again?”

“How come, I think I’m seeing him smile more today than I’ve seen him smile while playing together so far?”

“I think something really good happened to Lee, right?”

“100%. There’s no other explanation. He’s in a good mood, so his body is lighter.”

“As expected, that slender reporter from yesterday…”

If Lee Jungwoo had heard it.

He would have looked at them with pity again. But he had already gone to the on-deck circle, so he didn’t hear it.

Lee Jungwoo, unaware of what his teammates were saying about him, tapped his bat on the ground and pondered.

‘If it becomes a bases-loaded situation, the pitcher will probably be replaced. I wonder who will come up as the closer?’

Top of the 6th, no outs, runners on 2nd and 3rd.

Joey at the plate was facing a straight walk with a no-strike, three-ball count [meaning the pitcher had thrown three balls and no strikes, guaranteeing a walk to first base].

If that happened, it would be bases loaded. In that situation, they wouldn’t keep using the same pitcher.

Probably a new pitcher would come up. Lee Jungwoo thought it would probably be one of the pitchers who came up on the expanded roster.

‘They were worn out in yesterday’s game. But rather than using the existing main bullpen, they’re already trailing by 3 points. So there’s a high possibility they’ll use an unimportant player.’

When he checked the Pirates’ roster, there were no players he knew among the rookies.

Probably they had built a smooth career without much difference. Or they wouldn’t have left a name like most of the players.

Of course, even so.

You can’t just look down on them.

He’s doing well now.

In the future, other factors, such as injuries like Lee Jungwoo, may have prevented him from making a name for himself.

Even if not.

Since there is no data.

There may be one hidden weapon that he hasn’t caught.

That’s why Lee Jungwoo prepared himself firmly. Following Joey, who walked to first base as expected, he went up to the plate.

“Time.”

As soon as Joey walked out.

The pitching coach, who quickly ran out, ran to the mound. The pitcher bit his lip.

He was dragged off the mound with a face like a cow being dragged to the slaughterhouse.

He passed the baton to the pitcher who had run from the bullpen in the distance.

‘Tony Cash. AAAA leaguer [a player in the highest level of minor league baseball]. A left-handed sidearm pitcher. He had a two-seam fastball, slider, and splitter for a three-pitch mix. His fastball velocity is 92-95 mph.’

Again, a pitcher he didn’t know.

Still, if he’s a AAAA leaguer.

As he comes to the majors often.

Lee Jungwoo carefully watched the pitcher’s practice pitches because he had his own know-how.

‘His deception isn’t bad. I’ll have to stand in the box to know for sure… but it’ll probably feel like it’s popping out suddenly.’

His arm was a little short for a pitcher, so it seemed like it would come in easily.

The pitching form that hid it until the end was quite impressive.

If he were a pitcher.

He would have learned it to some extent.

But he is a hitter.

He has to attack it.

‘Let’s watch and decide for now, so that we don’t carelessly waste this precious bases-loaded chance.’

After the practice pitches were over.

Unlike the previous at-bat where he hit the first pitch right away, Lee Jungwoo acted a little leisurely.

Lee Jungwoo turned his neck from side to side, letting the pitcher’s first three pitches go by.

Two balls and one strike. The count was high because he was waiting. But the purpose was achieved.

‘As expected, the deception is good. But… the ball is still ordinary.’

If a pitcher with good deception also has good velocity, he can make a living with just two pitches.

But if the ball isn’t good apart from the deception.

It’s hard with just that.

‘Deception shines more when the ball is good. But if the quality of the pitch is poor, the solution is simpler than you think.’

Seeing the two-seam fastball and slider, which recorded the highest speeds of 95 mph and 81 mph respectively, it seemed like he was in good condition.

Both were a little bland. The changeup combined with the deception was sharp, so a swing and a miss could easily come out.

But right now, there was no ball that was so threatening that Lee Jungwoo couldn’t hit it.

He doesn’t know about the splitter because he didn’t see it. He probably won’t see it until the end.

Because the coaches over there must have firmly instructed the pitcher.

Having finished identifying the new pitcher, Lee Jungwoo properly adjusted his bat.

There was greed in the pitcher’s eyes looking at him.

‘Yeah, I’m used to that now. Come to think of it, the hitters I faced before I got injured were just like that. They were greedy to somehow catch me.’

A successful player becomes a target for others.

Just catching him is enough self-promotion. Players who are insecure or want to make a name for themselves drool.

The pitcher on the mound right now was exactly like that.

He was full of the will to knock down the outstanding rookie Lee Jungwoo and take root as a real major leaguer, not a AAAA leaguer.

One pitch, one pitch.

With will.

A pitch thrown with all his might.

Based on the second strike he caught with the changeup.

Whether he was trying to strike him out with a two-seam fastball. A two-seam fastball that looked similar to the two-seam fastball he threw as the first pitch.

The two-seam fastball, which seemed to be about to reach its highest speed, flew quickly.

Like a beast biting the neck of its prey. The only problem was.

The opponent was not prey.

[Ah- it’s gone.]

[Yes, it’s gone. It’s a grand slam.]

[Lee’s 25th home run of the season easily clears the 21-foot-high Clemente Wall! The score is now 11-5, and the Braves are far ahead.]

The pitcher lowered his head, and Lee Jungwoo, who threw his bat away, turned the base with a cheerful step.

PNC Park was silent again. Except for the home plate.

“That crazy bastard, really.”

“Are you going to hit 30 home runs like this?”

“Hey, if that happens, shouldn’t we seriously protest to the league office as a team? Even if he doesn’t fill the required plate appearances, ask for the MVP [Most Valuable Player award].”

“Hit it! Hit it! He meets girls and hits home runs! You’re a bad guy.”

“What kind of nonsense is that-”

The players who ran out pounded Lee Jungwoo’s back and helmet with fierce hand movements as always.

Lee Jungwoo tried to refute the absurd delusion. But he quietly lowered his body to the hail of hands.

‘Somehow, getting hit with home run punches is harder than hitting home runs.’