Pitcher’S End, Batter’S Start [EN]: Chapter 194

Pitcher done, batter up – Episode 193

At the top of the 3rd inning, Lee Jung-woo, positioned at shortstop, scanned the Mariners’ batters approaching the plate. There had been a lot going on, and he hadn’t properly assessed the opponents due to the excitement of hitting a home run for his parents right after the game. However, the Seattle Mariners, who had already conceded a home run to him, were a good team.

Seattle, with its location in the market near Seattle and the major city of Portland, boasts considerable popularity within the region, even if it’s not a national sensation. The team itself is quite established.

However, when it comes to payroll, it’s a bit ambiguous. Ranking 15th in Major League Baseball, it’s definitely not a small market, but it’s also a bit difficult to consider it a big market.

‘It feels similar to us. A big market with money, but the owner doesn’t open his wallet. And the bullpen is strong too. Or is that just how most mid-tier teams are?’

In that regard, the current Braves resembled the future the Mariners’ fans desired for their team. A prospect who hit it big, an owner who started spending money after a long time, and a sudden leap in performance.

‘The difference is whether they can deliver a decisive blow.’

The difference between the Braves of the past and the Mariners of the present was the absence of a decisive blow. The Braves, in the past and now, had a powerful lineup with sluggers like Joey Fredman and the now-departed Ray Garza.

On the other hand, the Mariners had a good team batting average and on-base percentage, but they lacked that one big hit.

Instead, they secured victories by skillfully managing their bullpen to shut down opponents. In that respect, they were not a good match for the current Braves. Once a big hit occurred and the score difference widened, it was difficult for the Mariners, lacking a game-changing hit, to catch up.

‘But when the Braves were stuck in 3rd place, the Mariners actually had better records. They even made it to the postseason just two years ago.’

It was a strange situation in many ways, but now the two teams, once similar, were incomparable. The Mariners remained the same, clinging to 2nd place and fighting for a wild card spot, while the Braves had made remarkable progress in all areas, becoming the strongest team in Major League Baseball.

‘They’re not a great team, but they’re tricky to defend against. They often attempt unexpected bunts, and even though they lack home runs, their lineup itself is decent.’

To put it nicely, they were a team full of spray hitters; to put it bluntly, they were full of singles hitters. As a result, the defense always needed to be alert.

Even if they lacked power, like any baseball team’s lineup, the Mariners could start a rally and score a lot of runs by swarming the pitcher.

Therefore, Lee Jung-woo, remaining vigilant in his defense, tilted his head slightly at the sight of the batter approaching the plate.

It was a bit strange.

‘Matt Bowman, I remember him. When I was in high school, they kept talking about the imminent birth of a Korean-American Major League player.’

When Lee Jung-woo was just a baseball-loving kid who hadn’t even graduated from high school league, let alone gone to America, Bowman was quite famous.

Even though he was only a quarter Korean, he was still a player with Korean blood, and he was occasionally shown on TV having fluent conversations in Korean with interview teams.

It was shortly after the posting conditions were eased [rules allowing international players to be scouted and signed], and many professional baseball players were knocking on the door of Major League Baseball. He garnered even more attention due to the traditional route of entering MLB through the draft.

In particular, he became a promising prospect in the Mariners organization through his powerful hitting and was occasionally used in platoons [alternating players based on matchups].

However, he eventually failed to make a significant impact and was pushed out of the 25-man roster [the active roster of players allowed to play in MLB games], gradually fading from the spotlight.

Lee Jung-woo, recalling his image of him, couldn’t help but feel a bit puzzled.

‘But why is he here now? Even if I don’t know much, shouldn’t he have been completely pushed out of the backup competition and be in the minors by now? Then he would have turned to a foreign player contract and gone to Korea.’

It was a somewhat newsworthy event as a Korean-American foreign player, so even though he was busy trying to recover his skills, he had vague memories of it.

For such a player to be starting in June, before the expansion roster [the period when teams can expand their rosters] opened, Lee Jung-woo tilted his head, then dismissed it as a misremembered memory. This was one of the butterfly effects that Lee Jung-woo was unaware of.

Last year, Lee Jung-woo suddenly exploded, shaking up the league and leading the team to the postseason, which increased Major League Baseball’s interest in Korea.

Major League Baseball general managers began to share the thought, ‘Could he be another one?’ Korean-American minor leaguers or AAAA leaguers [players who are too good for Triple-A but not good enough for the major leagues] who would have been released or forgotten were now being re-evaluated.

The beneficiary of this was Matt Bowman. He was a player with good power who had been used in platoons in the past, but as he got older and his potential didn’t materialize, he was gradually pushed out and almost released.

Not long after, Lee Jung-woo started hitting home runs like a madman, and he started getting attention again.

So, in some ways, the current Matt Bowman was one of the seeds that Lee Jung-woo’s emergence had sown in Major League Baseball, but perhaps the person who should be grateful and the person who should receive it were simply looking at each other without emotion.

It was Korean Night, and Matt Bowman was starting as the right fielder because he had Korean blood, but he didn’t have the luxury to pay attention to Lee Jung-woo because of his precarious position. And for Lee Jung-woo, Matt Bowman wasn’t an important player to pay attention to.

‘He has good power, so he might get a lucky hit. It’s best to be as careful as possible.’

With that bit of caution and deep indifference, the attack began. Matt Bowman, the seventh batter and leadoff hitter of the inning, watched the mound with eyes full of desperation.

Lee Jung-woo observed Matt Bowman with the same venomous eyes he had shown the Mariners so far.

[Hopefully, Matt Bowman, a Korean-American player, will also hit a home run like Lee Jung-woo did earlier.]

[Yes, he was originally a player who received attention for his good bat speed and strong power, but he hasn’t really broken out yet. So his position within the team has weakened. Hopefully, he’ll use this start as an opportunity to regain his place.]

The Korean commentators’ words were full of personal desires. It was quite amusing to see them cheering, even mentioning his Korean name, but it was certain that their expectations would be most helpful for viewership ratings.

It was a game titled Korean Night. Ideally, the Korean and Korean-American players on both teams would do well.

But it was Lee Jung-woo who thwarted those expectations once again.

[He hits it!]

[The course is goo-]

*Crack!*

A refreshing sound of the bat hitting the ball.

The batter quickly threw away his bat and ran. Similarly, Lee Jung-woo also moved his body following the trajectory of the ball.

‘He hit it low. It’s a bit fast, but I can catch it.’

[It was a good hit, but unfortunately, it went straight to shortstop Lee Jung-woo.]

[Yes, he catches it. Tsk, even though it was low, it had a lot of power, so it could have been a long hit. It’s a shame.]

The announcer clicked his tongue and continued with a lot of regret. With Korean Major Leaguers almost wiped out, Lee Jung-woo was practically their lifeline, but at this moment, he was slightly, just slightly, resentful.

He hit a home run himself, but he didn’t even allow the person they were expecting to get a hit.

Lee Jung-woo, who easily picked up the ball that was flying low, almost scraping the ground, also showed thoroughness by throwing it to first base just in case.

The commentators couldn’t hide their disappointment at the end of the at-bat. But as if giving medicine after causing the illness, Lee Jung-woo immediately gave them another gift.

####

At the bottom of the 3rd inning, when both teams switched sides, Lee Jung-woo, who had safely completed his defense and returned to the bench, sat down with a towel over his head, his eyes burning fiercely as he looked at the field. At first glance, he looked like a losing pitcher, but the reality was different. He had hit a home run on the very first pitch of his first at-bat and was flying around in defense as usual, a triumphant returning hero in every sense of the word.

Even so, the Braves players around him whispered among themselves at his still venomous appearance.

“He’s really fired up, isn’t he?”

“Yeah, he’s really burning.”

“Did the Mariners provoke him or something while I wasn’t looking? Like, something racist or something.”

“Not really? Rather, they’re probably dying of unfairness.”

“Is he doing that because his parents came? If we keep bringing them, he’ll get not just 40-40, but 50-50?” [referring to 40 home runs and 40 stolen bases in a season]

Lee Jung-woo, who seemed to be extremely angry for some reason, was already a familiar sight to the Braves players who had experienced it several times. Whenever he looked like that, the Braves always won, and he always shone as the main character and protagonist of that victory.

They thought it probably wouldn’t be much different this time either. The only question was how high his goal was.

Thus, if the Braves had some idea of Lee Jung-woo’s condition.

The Mariners, who were receiving his gaze, were simply frustrated.

“He hits a home run and flies around in defense, why is he glaring at us?”

“He’s crazy, he’s crazy. Do you have to be a little crazy to have that kind of skill?”

“Hey, batters. Are you going to keep talking like that? Just focus on defense.”

In the Mariners’ position, it was absurd. They had politely watched the opposing team’s event, didn’t say anything, and even watched the first pitch.

Suddenly, the player at the center of the event was looking at them as if he wanted to kill them. And he was even celebrating his birthday today, a young kid who had just turned twenty-two.

It was a situation that made the Mariners laugh in disbelief, and the starting pitcher, who had already given up a big home run and had to face such a player directly, grumbled at the fielders who were making carefree remarks.

The cries of the innocent victimized Mariners seemed to be heard everywhere in the stadium, but even at that moment, Lee Jung-woo was just watching the field, waiting for his turn.

‘Home runs feel easy today. It’s always been like that when I’m in good condition.’

Others might have pointed fingers at him for being overly self-conscious, but at least the spectators didn’t. They were sharing the same thoughts as Lee Jung-woo. The Braves were already leading 2-0 with a two-run home run, but the spectators weren’t satisfied with that.

“Lee isn’t someone who would be satisfied with just one home run on a day like today!”

“That’s right, that’s right, I’m expecting at least a multi-homer, or even three.”

“What kind of person is Lee? Would he be satisfied with just 20-20 in the first half? He’d at least pretend to be happy if he got 30-30, right? So, he’ll hit more home runs when he’s on a roll.”

The spectators, who were so familiar with Lee Jung-woo, simply watched the game with anticipation. Similarly, his parents, swept away by the surrounding atmosphere, also smacked their lips and watched the field. And then, the bottom of the 3rd inning began. After the change of sides, the Braves’ attack began with the umpire’s play ball call.

The batting order started with the 9th batter. Even though it was an interleague game, since it was being played at the Braves’ home, the pitcher’s at-bat would come up, so it was practically as good as one out already.

However, there was already a widespread belief in the stadium that Derek would get on base and Lee Jung-woo would hit another two-run home run. There was even hope that the pitcher might get on base, and this time it might be a three-run home run.

But unfortunately, the immediate situation didn’t look so good.

“Strikeout!”

First of all, as everyone had expected, the pitcher gave the opposing starting pitcher a free at-bat and was chased away from the plate with a three-pitch strikeout.

“He hit it- Ouch! He caught that.”

Even Derek, who had been expected to get on base, had to retreat after recording a disappointing ground ball.

In an instant, two outs were recorded, but the anticipation remained. After all, the main focus of the spectators at today’s game was Lee Jung-woo.

As his second at-bat approached, people watched Lee Jung-woo, who was coming to the plate, in silence, cheering only with their eyes.

Knowing that there were eyes watching, they tried to protect Lee Jung-woo’s concentration as much as possible, as his hitting feel had already reached its limit.

[Second batter, Jung! Woo! Lee!]

Along with the stadium announcer’s refreshing introduction, each of the commentators also added to the viewers’ excitement by offering their own opinions.

It goes without saying that the Korean side was always full of praise, but this time, the American broadcast was also taking a favorable stance on Lee Jung-woo, raising expectations.

‘He’s a powerful pitcher. He hardly ever pitches a complete game throughout the season. He almost always only pitches 6 innings, or even just 5 innings. It’s not that he lacks stamina, it’s probably because of the team’s pitching management style. But thanks to that, he’s almost always pitching at full power while he’s on the mound.’

Instead of pitching for a long time, he puts more power into each pitch. His stuff [a pitcher’s repertoire and quality of pitches] was quite impressive, as seen in the bottom of the 2nd inning and just now in Derek’s at-bat.

Stuff is perhaps one of the most special skills a pitcher can have, so he can have good matchups against most batters. But Lee Jung-woo was just calm.

It would be ridiculous to be intimidated by a pitcher who had just given up a home run in the previous at-bat, and such a pitcher type wasn’t very effective for Lee Jung-woo in the first place.

‘Since I switched to being a batter, I don’t really remember being overpowered. Especially on a day like today.’

Although his career wasn’t long, the only time Lee Jung-woo felt truly overpowered by an opponent was during his first encounter with Ilya Danilov last year.

The tyrant ‘Tsar,’ who dominated the league with his fast speed and overwhelming stuff, was truly amazing.

But even Ilya Danilov only had the upper hand over Lee Jung-woo when they first met, and even then, it was only for a few at-bats that day.

‘If he’s thinking of catching me with his stuff this time, he should give up on that idea. My wrists won’t even get scratched by an ordinary pitch.’

The experts said there were two ways to attack batter Lee Jung-woo: overwhelming control or overwhelming pitches. And both meant the same thing: ‘It shouldn’t even graze the bat.’

And since the opposing pitcher was far from that type, Lee Jung-woo became even more calm from the opposing point of view.

‘If I just perform to my full potential, I can win this time too.’

As he took his batting stance, the pitcher looked at Lee Jung-woo for a long time, maintaining a motionless posture despite the umpire’s play ball call. For some reason, Lee Jung-woo felt the pitcher’s heart. If he were a pitcher, he would feel very helpless. He was already a crazy player, and today he was in particularly good condition, so there was really no answer.

‘So, don’t worry about it, let’s just go quickly.’

As if tempting such a pitcher, he twirled the bat he was holding, and the pitcher’s eyes twitched, and he soon took his stance as well.

And then the first pitch came. A course far away. Lee Jung-woo looked at the pitcher as if to say, ‘Are you really going to do that?’ at the absurd pitch that was close to a mistake.

The pitcher didn’t even make eye contact and immediately received the ball from the catcher and threw the second pitch, and this time it was a similar type of evasive pitching.

‘Is he thinking of walking me?’

If so, it was unfair.

He was in such good shape, but he could only hit one home run and rot.

When Lee Jung-woo glared again, the pitcher’s eyes twitched again, and he threw the ball.

This time too, it was a ball. Lee Jung-woo stepped back from the plate and shook his head.

‘He’s going to draw a pentagram, he’s going to draw a pentagram. He’d rather send me out with an automatic intentional walk, he’s stabbing me all over the place.’

The pitcher’s will was conveyed.

You have to avoid the typhoon, and the pitcher chose to avoid the storm named Lee Jung-woo.

It wouldn’t be a big deal for him to just walk out like this, and he could get a free on-base percentage and walk.

Lee Jung-woo, who had been practicing his swing a few times, came back to the plate and looked at the pitcher even closer, as if he would hit no matter where he threw it, no matter how far he threw it.

Whether it was because he was pressured, the pitcher, who had been throwing lightly, was in trouble again. Lee Jung-woo hoped that he would change his mind.

“Time.”

The catcher’s timeout. When the referee allowed it, he immediately ran to the pitcher. Lee Jung-woo thought that it was the turning point of this at-bat. The pitcher’s choice would change depending on the catcher’s persuasion.

If the catcher also chose to avoid it, the pitcher would gladly give up a straight walk. If it was the opposite, the battery [pitcher and catcher] would have a bit of a headache.

If the latter was the case, even if the catcher failed to persuade him, Lee Jung-woo would be at an advantage because the pitcher’s thoughts would be somewhat cracked. But he didn’t believe it.

‘There’s no way the pitcher was just scared and avoided the game. It’s the catcher, or rather, the order from the bench behind him. The base is clean, so it doesn’t matter if we send out one runner.’

He was about to lose his energy, but he couldn’t let go of his hope until the end because his hitting feel was so good. It felt like he could hit any ball, like a top-notch bad ball hitter.

‘Come to think of it, I was briefly called the third Guerrero last year.’

It was a nickname that old baseball fans called him, saying that the way he hit low balls, mainly curves or splitters, with a golf swing was like watching Vladimir Guerrero Sr. Lee Jung-woo hoped that his blessing would be with him. Soon, the catcher, who had finished coordinating his opinions, came down from the mound.

‘Should I ask?’

Lee Jung-woo, who had squeezed his huge body back into the home plate, glanced at the catcher, but soon shook his head.

Judging from the fact that he maintained a stoic poker face, he wasn’t the kind to talk cheap. He didn’t even trash talk at all, either in the first at-bat or now.

Lee Jung-woo, who was worried alone because there was no clue, shook his head violently and took a calm stance as usual.

‘There’s no answer anyway.’

A short confrontation. And the batter and pitcher did their own thing as if ignoring each other.

The pitcher wound up and threw the ball, and the batter watched the tip of his hand as it was, and then estimated the course as it was.

Again. Not just one or half a ball, but more than two balls out of the zone. The battery’s choice was ultimately a straight walk.

He might have been disappointed, but rather, Lee Jung-woo’s face brightened slightly. Although the dream of a head-to-head match with the pitcher who had changed his mind was not realized.

Whether it was because his long-awaited wish had reached the sky, or because Guerrero’s blessing had come down.

‘It’s low.’

A slightly outside and very low ball. In most cases, even the best bad ball hitters wouldn’t even look at this kind of course. But for Lee Jung-woo now, it was a blessing in disguise.

First of all, compared to the previous balls, it wasn’t far to the outside, and the speed and stuff didn’t seem that strong. And decisively.

‘This much-‘

He could hit it.

‘Season 21st. And is it the 49th of his career?’

*Bang*- a ringing sound.

There is no need to say that it is the sound of a home run. That’s what everyone in the stadium wanted.

Lee Jung-woo, who lifted the low ball with the end of his bat like a drive shot from a first-class golfer, threw his bat away as if celebrating his solo home run himself, and thought.

‘Now that it’s like this, let’s hit the 50th of my career today.’

As expected, it didn’t seem impossible.