Pitcher’S End, Batter’S Start [EN]: Chapter 167

Having cleanly uprooted the Blue Jays’ last shred of pride in the two games held at home, the Braves immediately set out on another road trip.

Perhaps it was the fatigue from playing games across borders, but everyone, including those who usually played poker, was fast asleep. Amidst this, Lee Jung-woo, who was also trying to catch some sleep, had to hear some rather absurd news.

“Interview? Me? Who decided that? No, why fly all the way to America without permission? And they want an interview but didn’t even check the game schedule properly? It’s an away game, so why to Atlanta…”

The story was that a Korean broadcasting station had sent a crew to Atlanta to conduct an interview with him without any prior notice. Lee Jung-woo, hearing this from Mark, was beyond dumbfounded and couldn’t help but chuckle. However, Mark sounded troubled on the phone.

-Ugh… they’re completely brazen. They say they’ve arrived in Atlanta. They’re saying they’ll wait until we come home and insist on doing the interview. They keep calling and making a fuss. They probably don’t know your home address, but just in case they come looking for you when we get back to Atlanta, don’t ever open the door. Just pretend you’re not there. Or, better yet, call the police.

“Seriously, what kind of interview is done like that…”

-I know, right? Your popularity is no joke in Korea, so they’re probably trying to create some buzz. Anyway, it’s always the ignorant ones who cause trouble… Seriously, if they really wanted an interview, they should have coordinated the schedule in the offseason! What kind of crazy agent would agree to that when they just fly in and give notice? It’s always the same with these hyenas, as soon as someone gets a little famous…

Mark was furious, likely because he thought those morons were disturbing his player’s rest, and Lee Jung-woo didn’t bother to stop him since he felt the same way.

He, too, felt like cursing them out.

‘Is this a side effect of popularity? It’s a pretty big one. Come to think of it, there have been a lot of ridiculous rumors lately.’

As Lee Jung-woo’s popularity and brand value increased, these side effects had recently begun to emerge.

For example, rookie actresses or idol girl groups would specifically mention Lee Jung-woo as their ideal type or someone they wanted to meet. Or the media would write absurd scandal articles claiming a secret affair with Lee Jung-woo whenever someone boarded a plane to America. Or someone he didn’t even remember would claim to be Lee Jung-woo’s former teacher and say they were the one who made him who he is today, in interviews with the press.

He occasionally came across these things while browsing Korean communities or sports articles. They were all absurd, but the real problem was that it wasn’t just happening in Korea.

No, in fact, this was more annoying.

‘A dozen, a whole dozen. It’s a good thing I’m not playing in LA or New York, where Hollywood is.’

Even within the United States, there were many rookie entertainers or celebrities trying to contact Lee Jung-woo to boost their own recognition.

If the Korean side was just annoying internet articles, this side involved more direct action. He often received emails from people he didn’t know, asking to meet, or they would somehow get his phone number through acquaintances.

The secret notes slipped to him by reporters during post-game interviews or team schedules were so numerous that he could have a barbecue party all day long if he burned them all.

‘I heard that players like Hunter and Harding sometimes get unsolicited nude photos via SNS [Social Networking Services]. I definitely shouldn’t get SNS.’

Fortunately, Atlanta itself was quieter compared to other major cities, and the Braves fans practically deified Lee Jung-woo, so other than the annoyance, it didn’t cause any real harm.

These various incidents that kept happening were gradually getting on Lee Jung-woo’s nerves. He could have dismissed it as just the plight of a celebrity, but he felt that they were increasingly crossing the line.

‘I need to take some measures. Soon, there will be guys trying to cozy up to my parents.’

Originally, the first ones to latch onto someone who becomes famous or rich are gigolos or gold diggers, and scammers. The former could be completely shut out if the person had no interest, but the latter could affect his family, so he couldn’t just leave it alone.

Of course, his family consisted only of his parents, excluding relatives he didn’t even remember, and neither of them were the type to be swayed by a scammer’s smooth talk, so he was less worried. However, he was starting to feel uneasy about simply trusting and watching as he had done until now.

He had seen and heard countless stories of what other players had gone through during their professional careers.

“Mark, do you have any contacts in Korea?”

-Is it because of your parents? Don’t worry, I’ve already taken care of it. I’ve given them a proper warning, so at least the media won’t bother them. I’ve also looked into security and bodyguard services just in case. If you’re interested, talk to them directly.

“Thanks.”

-Don’t mention it, taking care of family is a given. Oh, but I’ll be billing you for the expenses, so keep that in mind.

Lee Jung-woo felt a little relieved by Mark’s cheerful words and hung up the phone to get some sleep.

While Lee Jung-woo was acutely aware of the side effects of popularity, the positive effects of popularity were also in motion.

####

“Is everything ready? How did the conversation with the mayor go?”

“They’re very supportive. There are so many Korean-Americans in Atlanta. Now, only the decision remains. The rest of the preparations are complete.”

“Good, very good.”

As the team boarded the plane and flew far away to the west,

The front office was also in the midst of business.

Listening to detailed reports from the operations team to the marketing team, General Manager Pratt wore a satisfied smile. In fact, the preparations for the event he had been most enthusiastic about since taking office as general manager were progressing smoothly and were now almost complete.

“The owner has approved it, right?”

“Absolutely. He was ecstatic. He was raving about how did you come up with such an idea. He was praising it as genius.”

Considering that General Manager Pratt himself was the originator of the event, it was practically self-praise. However, no one in the conference room pointed it out.

There was no need to say unnecessary things and spoil the boss’s good mood. Besides, it was something they had worked very hard to prepare.

“Anyway, continue with the progress. And lastly… will Lee like it?”

The operations team leader couldn’t help but chuckle at the general manager’s very serious words. The general manager trembling at the thoughts of the second-year rookie was almost absurd.

However, soon the operations team leader realized that he was the abnormal one, given the equally serious expressions around him.

“We expect at least a positive reaction.”

“Actually, the event itself is practically tailored for Lee, so wouldn’t he be happy? It means the team cares about him that much.”

“Good, how did it go with Lee’s parents?”

“The response was positive. They seem hesitant about the long trip, but it’s not bad. A little more persuasion should do it.”

“That’s a relief. But don’t be too hasty, and be as careful as possible not to offend them, got it?”

“How long do you think I’ve been doing this…”

The operations team leader was amazed by the passionate and thorough attitude of the people, as if they were in charge of a huge project that would determine the future of the team.

Even the general manager’s assistant, who would immediately put a stop to General Manager Pratt if he seemed to be doing something foolish, had a serious look on his face…

‘Everyone is really serious. Is Lee that important? They don’t put this much effort into Derek…’

The operations team leader was once again struck by Lee Jung-woo’s influence in the Braves team. However, he didn’t know that he, too, had a very serious look on his face.

####

The destination of the plane that flew away despite the slightly absurd news for Lee Jung-woo was Denver, Colorado. The faces of the players stretching their stiff bodies were extremely divided.

“It’s Coors Field, I should get a good feel for it after a long time, right?”

“Hit one or two during this series~ Then Rollins, you’ll reach 30 before you retire.”

“Screw you, Peterson. I’ll reach 50 before I retire.”

“Oh~ Are you planning to play for another 20 years or so? Then it might be possible. No, even if you don’t have power now, you’ll have even less as you get older, so I still think it’s impossible?”

“Get lost, you damn pig.”

They gathered together, talking about home runs and laughing and joking.

“It’s really frustrating every time we come on the road. I mean, why did the league even allow a franchise in a place like this in the first place?”

“They’re telling all the pitchers to die.”

“Ah, damn Coors. My ERA seems to go up by 1 every time I come here.”

“1 is still good.”

“Just strike them all out. What’s the big deal?”

“So, Mason, what are your career stats here?”

“I don’t know about the stats, but I’ve hit well over ten home runs here.”

They were making a fuss about the league or this damn stadium with a look of death on their faces.

The pitching and batting were very clearly divided. Occasionally, there were people who deviated from those two choices.

“Is Coors Field that bad? I didn’t really notice it during interleague play… Isn’t it just the same?”

“Of course, you wouldn’t.”

“You get rotated every time, so what’s strange about it? And don’t talk like that when you’re not even pitching in this series. You’re having it easy.”

“Oh, sorry. Good luck today, Stewart. I’ll cheer you on from the bench.”

Alan O’Donnell.

The naturally gifted ground ball pitcher tilted his head as if he couldn’t understand the complaints of the other pitchers. After receiving glares from the other pitchers, especially from the starting pitcher for this game, Harry Stewart, who looked the most troubled, he quietly stepped back.

As the Braves players were showing various reactions according to their respective positions, Coors Field, which welcomed the Braves, was a little calm.

Lee Jung-woo, who had heard all sorts of things, including ‘ching chong’ and every possible English curse, when he first met them last year, chuckled at the sight of the quiet crowd.

‘Well, this is how it’s supposed to be in the first place. Last year was the strange one.’

The Braves and the Rockies had absolutely no connection. Since they were in the Western and Eastern divisions, there was naturally no rivalry to speak of.

There was nothing particularly bad that tied them together and made them feel bad about each other.

Last year, it was just noisy because of a strange rumor that Lee Jung-woo was taking the place of their franchise star Bernstein in the Home Run Derby. Strictly speaking, this atmosphere was normal.

‘But the embarrassment must last a long time. They still can’t make eye contact.’

Still, when they met last year, they had shown quite a passionate (?) and fiery (?) reaction. The crowd, not forgetting the memories and embarrassment of that time, subtly avoided eye contact with Lee Jung-woo.

They were still ashamed of hurling insults, even involving his family, due to the absurd rumors.

Lee Jung-woo chuckled at the slightly cute sight, but Derek, who had been lumped together and cursed at, still seemed to have some lingering feelings, as he looked around Coors Field with a subtle murderous aura.

‘Anyway, there’s no hope here either. Harding and Hunter, both in the same division.’

In Lee Jung-woo’s opinion, the victims of this 35th season’s free agency market were definitely the NL West division [National League West division].

Arthur Hunter and Vincent Harding, two crazy monsters, had been taken by opposing teams in the same division.

In fact, even looking at the Colorado Rockies alone, they were still holding onto 3rd place just like last year, but their winning percentage had dropped significantly. Not only them, but other teams in the Western Division were also showing a significant drop in their winning percentage.

In the case of the Rockies, the only gain was that they had earned the title of the “Western Division Trio” by tying Bernstein, whom they loved so much, with the two players.

‘I feel like I’m stealing from an already poor household, but I have to win no matter what. Since they’re getting robbed anyway, it doesn’t seem like it’ll make much of a difference if we add one more.’

Lee Jung-woo, thinking outrageous thoughts and looking around, let out a hollow laugh at the sight of Derek suddenly approaching. He scanned the stands and then uttered harsh words that he wouldn’t normally say.

“Lee, let’s smash them today. You can do it like last game. Or you can do it like you did to those Phillies bastards. How about it?”

Lee Jung-woo could tell for sure from his burning eyes. At least for Derek, if not for himself, the resentment from last year still remained.

‘Well, Derek was also unfairly cursed at along with me…’

“I understand, but calm down. They look pretty embarrassed over there.”

“No, even so, how can they touch family? And they even racially discriminated against you. I can’t just let it go because I taught them a lesson once. You should also hit your 15th home run in this series. It’s a 3-game series, so hit one in each game.”

“I’ll try my best.”

The first game began amidst the contrasting scenes of Derek spitting out fierce words and the home fans still looking at the distant mountains, a collection of victims who had been wronged by them, in a slightly comical way.