Pitcher’S End, Batter’S Start [EN]: Chapter 263

Pitcher Done, Batter Up – 262

The rookie pitcher’s Herculean display. The rest of the game could be summarized roughly like that.

Although he was a promising player the team had high hopes for, he was still a rookie, and his current skills weren’t exceptionally outstanding. Yet, he was silencing the Braves, currently hailed as the strongest team in the National League (NL), if not all of Major League Baseball (MLB).

“Ah, this isn’t working, really.”

“Is he really a rookie?”

“He gave up 3 runs in 5 innings last game, why is he like this today? No, why is he doing this to us?”

The batters grumbled, filled with frustration. They flipped through the data again, and after seeing his performance from the last game, they let out hollow laughs.

Naturally, the home crowd also wore annoyed expressions. They came to see the Braves win, to see them tie the record for most wins, but instead, their batters were getting shut down by some unknown rookie.

However, for those separate from the Braves, like the commentators, the media, and fans of other teams, it was an interesting sight.

[The center fielder—caught it! Three outs! Jason Pick! He erases the bottom of the 5th with a three-up, three-down!]

[Jason Pick is dominating the game, showcasing skills beyond imagination. Today’s stellar performance proves how much influence a well-performing pitcher can have in a single game.]

Just looking at the commentator exclaiming in amazement at the stellar pitching that erased the 5th inning with a three-up, three-down showed it all. Either way, the fact that the current strongest team was being defeated by a rookie was quite intriguing. Of course, it was still only the 5th inning, so anything could happen.

After the offense ended futilely once again, Lee Jung-woo, who watched it from the bench, focused his eyes on the pitcher’s face. The pitcher on the mound seemed to have completely erased the tense look from the beginning of the game, replaced with a confident and proud expression, smiling contentedly.

‘His confidence is overflowing, about to burst.’

He felt a bit uneasy knowing he had contributed to that pitcher’s state. It was Lee Jung-woo who made the pitcher realize it was his day, and the confidence that arose from that only solidified further because he recorded a ground ball in his second at-bat.

It wasn’t good if a well-performing pitcher also had confidence. That confident face scratched at the home crowd’s pride, but even so, there weren’t as many jeers or criticisms as one might expect.

[However, since the Angels are also being consistently blocked by the Braves, the outcome of the game is still uncertain.]

[Yes, the fielders are tightly covering the ground, crushing the Angels’ offense. If they fail to score in the next inning as well, the game will become difficult for the Angels.]

Despite the pitcher’s stellar performance, the momentum was still slightly in favor of the Braves. Unless it was a shutout, the worst-case scenario, the pitcher would eventually have to come down, no matter how well he pitched.

Especially if he was a promising prospect who needed to be protected and watched over, the possibility of a complete game was almost nonexistent.

‘In the end, it’s over once he comes down. Their batters are also competing to see who can die the fastest [fail to get a hit].’

So, if they continued to maintain the 0-0 tie until then, the Braves’ strong bullpen would be even more powerful, so the fans just gnashed their teeth.

‘Anyway, team aside, it’s about time I started worrying about myself….’

However, separately from that, Lee Jung-woo was a bit concerned. Seven hitless at-bats since the last game. If this continued, his batting cycle could be shaken.

He had barely recovered his stamina, and now a slump in his batting was threatening to ruin his autumn, which would be absurd, so he was worried, but not too much.

‘Still, thanks to the deception [pitching technique], he’s not easy to target. And now I’ve got the timing down.’

He was confident that he could break down even such a solid pitcher. Just looking at his ground ball in the second at-bat, it would have been a hit if not for the center fielder’s quick catch.

So, he was slightly worried, but he didn’t dwell on it. He just stared intently at the pitcher. The pitcher, already intoxicated by his own power, didn’t notice his gaze. He was happily chatting with his teammates, enjoying the moment.

‘Next at-bat. Let’s see what you’ve got.’

That could be a misfortune or a stroke of luck for the pitcher. If he had met Lee Jung-woo’s eyes right now, he would have either raised his guard even higher or extinguished the confidence that had just grown, one of the two.

####

Apart from his two unsuccessful at-bats, Lee Jung-woo in defense was the same as usual, the way baseball fans knew him. No, from the opposing team’s perspective, he was a bit more annoying than usual.

[Haha, as if avenging his previous at-bat, he snatches Henry Schmidt’s hit.]

[The Braves’ offense isn’t effective, but neither is the Angels’. However, the ending is a bit different.]

[Yes, the Angels’ scoreless streak is thanks to the pitcher’s ability, while the Braves’ is thanks to the fielders’ strength.]

As if saying, ‘If I can’t hit, neither can you,’ Lee Jung-woo caught every ball that came even slightly close to his position, making the Angels’ batters groan involuntarily.

The crowd, relieved that his condition seemed to have improved, just cheered.

[The Braves also record a three-up, three-down without falling behind, and the 0-0 march continues.]

[Both teams are capable of a big hit at any moment, so the current standoff feels even more tense. The Angels especially need to be careful in the Braves’ next attack.]

And that went for his teammates as well. After the inning ended, people naturally gathered around Lee Jung-woo, who had been running around energetically again.

“Are you really okay? You’re flying around like you’re brand new.”

“Would I lie to you?”

“I thought you were just too restless to stay still and ran out here.”

His teammates, especially the pitcher and his partner Derek, smiled contentedly at his return and fully enjoyed that privilege. Just having a player who single-handedly covered more than half of the infield and had a wide-ranging influence even in the nearby outfield was a very comfortable thing.

“Thanks to you, calling pitches is really easy. I just have to send it your way, what’s there to worry about? Keep doing this every time I’m out here.”

Desmond, who was in the starting lineup as the catcher for this game, also smiled contentedly and subtly gave a thumbs up. So, the atmosphere itself was quite good. Considering they were a team being suppressed by a rookie pitcher.

Of course, it was only ‘quite good,’ and it was still a bit unsettling, so they needed to make it perfect, at least for the fans.

“How’s your bat? It was almost a hit earlier, right? Will it be possible this time too?”

“It’s possible, but it shouldn’t be. It’s just a ground ball anyway. I need to hit it more spectacularly, don’t I?”

“You talk a good game. Then get ready, we have our pride too, it’s embarrassing to get shut down by a rookie, right? I’ll get on base first, so you take care of the rest.”

So, after they all returned to the dugout, Derek carefully asked, since the offense would start from number 8, and it could connect to Lee Jung-woo. He smiled contentedly at the spirited answer and picked up his bat.

“Stewart, Lee is going to make you the winning pitcher?”

“He’s in full condition, so that’s a given. It has to be a shutout at least. How about it? Lee, want to taste a shutout for the first time in a while? Can you run even harder?”

Not only Derek, but the other players also chuckled, but they showed firm belief. He was a player who had never messed up after saying something like that.

Stewart, the starting pitcher who was virtually being dragged along by the defense, just like the opponent, and was recording a scoreless game, even revealed his greed.

Lee Jung-woo just shrugged at those reactions, but he wasn’t making up stories just to boost the team’s morale.

‘It’s not like I’m running out of stamina, so getting the first run is definitely possible.’

Just as people believed in him, Lee Jung-woo himself firmly believed in himself.

After the change of offense and defense passed in a slightly pleasant atmosphere, numbers 8 and 9 recorded ground balls and three-pitch strikeouts, respectively, and stepped down from the plate. As soon as two outs were up, the good atmosphere turned a bit chilly.

“Why is he still so energetic? He’s no different from the beginning of the game.”

“He saved his pitches. We were just swinging blindly. We should have taken longer breaths.”

“What a joke. Getting shut down by a guy who debuted less than a month ago.”

The players grumbled as if lamenting the current situation, but their eyes were alive. Lee Jung-woo was the same.

‘Deception [pitching technique]… I can see the ball a bit better. It’ll be even more so for veterans like the Captain [Derek].’

For now, the weakness was clear. It wasn’t a problem right now because the ball was good enough to offset it, but if it wavered even a little, it could immediately bring the pitcher down.

Especially for veterans like Derek who had accumulated experience for a long time, that weakness would probably look like the Arc de Triomphe [famous monument in Paris], not just a small hole. He’s already been given three at-bats, so he’s seen the ball well enough, he’s probably got the timing down.

“Waaaaa!”

As expected, a hit came out in an instant. It wasn’t a big hit or an accurate line drive, but the ball that lightly passed over the first baseman’s head was enough for even the slowest hitter to reach first base. Not to mention a player with good speed like Derek.

Lee Jung-woo, who watched the series of events from the on-deck circle, trudged to the plate. He subtly looked at the pitcher. He was still fine, and his confident demeanor was truly welcome.

‘At least he won’t avoid the match.’

It was enough as long as he didn’t avoid the showdown. So, the pitcher who hadn’t lost his confidence was a welcome presence in the current situation. He tried to hide his expression and entered the batter’s box, and he couldn’t help but smile faintly at the sight of the crowd, who seemed very excited but were also hiding their expressions and suppressing their voices.

“Is the pitcher tired?”

“Maybe? He’s probably running out of stamina. Now Lee will hit a home run-”

“Shh! Don’t put pressure on Lee and break his concentration, just watch quietly.”

‘I can shout now, you know.’

Maybe they thought that Lee Jung-woo had taken a break because they had expected too much of him. They were strangely silent, which didn’t suit them at all. He wanted to gesture for them to enjoy it comfortably, but he tried to hold back because the pitcher and catcher were staring intently.

If he just fulfilled their expectations, they would shout on their own, even if he had to forcibly shut their mouths.

‘The fastball speed in this inning is around 95-97 mph. The power is still the same. The breaking balls are also similar to the beginning.’

The pitcher’s forehead, visible under the brim of his cap, was still fresh because he wasn’t even sweating. His cheeks and balls were the same. So, it didn’t seem like he was running out of stamina, as the home fans had hoped.

The first pitch he watched quietly. The four-seamer [type of fastball] that went up as a strike because it was slightly on the edge accurately hit his prediction.

‘The ball is good. If he showed something like this only once a year, the club and the scouting team would go crazy.’

When evaluating the potential of a prospect, the most important thing is, of course, the high point. That’s the limit that the player has. Just like houses with high ceilings are mostly expensive, baseball players also need to have a high high point to be expected. From that point of view, the current pitcher is showing the potential of a mansion with chandeliers shaking.

‘After the four-seam, it’s either another four-seam or a slider [type of breaking ball]. There aren’t many cutters [another type of fastball]. It’s one of the two, but let’s just hold back.’

However, unfortunately for that pitcher, the batter at the plate right now was a player who had been showing a high point at the level of the Empire State Building [famous skyscraper in New York City] throughout this season.

Lee Jung-woo, who calmly narrowed down his options, lightly let the second pitch go as well, and the pitcher threw a four-seam again, boldly this time, but the result was a ball. Lee Jung-woo didn’t even flinch.

‘The second one is a ball. And a four-seam. And inside. When he throws a four-seam inside, it’s either a slider that goes outside or a cutter that comes in similarly again. It’s one of the two. Since the opponent is the opponent, the catcher might tell him to take it slow, so a slider? No, but it’s a bit different now.’

The hitless streak since his return. Even in this game, he’s recorded only two ground balls, no matter how unfortunate they were. And the pitcher is having a great day. It was worth aiming for boldly, so the options were ambiguous.

Lee Jung-woo’s choice, who hesitated between the two for a moment, was not to choose.

‘I’ve read the timing, so let’s just go with it.’

It could be an irresponsible decision. But since he was already familiar with the pitches and his bat speed was fine, it was better than getting caught up in a mental battle and getting tangled up on his own. If he accurately determined one of the two, he might even hit a home run, but he didn’t even expect that much.

Lee Jung-woo, who had finished thinking, just took a firm stance, and the battery [pitcher and catcher], who hesitated for a moment for the first time since the bottom of the 1st inning, soon called a time, but the worry was still there even after that. He was even more pressured because of Lee Jung-woo, who didn’t waver even after the time call and still looked solid.

[The 3rd pitch, he throws.]

Maybe they thought there was no point in worrying any more, so they eventually threw one after much deliberation. Even though he had thrown a lot of pitches, and it was about time he got tired, a still powerful one came flying. Well, that’s why it’s his day.

‘This is…’

The pitch was ambiguous. Even though he could see the ball well because of the bad deception, it was a bit ambiguous. It didn’t seem like a four-seam, and it wasn’t clear whether it was a cutter or a slider. And that uncertainty had produced countless ground balls in this game.

The Angels’ battery had been mixing sliders and cutters freely, constantly crushing the batter’s options and accumulating outs.

‘Inside, he came in boldly. Is it a cutter…?’

So, Lee Jung-woo was a bit dangerous if he thought about the other matches so far. Because he wasn’t sure about the pitch. But soon, he was able to make a choice thanks to figuring out the course.

‘Inside. It’s a cutter.’

Eventually, a cutter. A pitch that hadn’t produced a good hit because of its good power. He didn’t have the luxury of drawing the trajectory of it in his head, the one that was thrown straight inside and made an angle diagonally.

There was no need to waste the time that had already been shortened by thinking for a moment, and anyway, it was the body that moved, not the head.

‘I’ll hit it.’

A light swing. There was no firm determination to definitely hit it over the fence, as the home crowd had hoped. Anyway, all that was needed for victory was a single point. And what Lee Jung-woo wanted was…

“Hmph-”

To settle the score.

Because of me, the pitcher realized his condition, and as a result, he found confidence and composure, and it became thicker thanks to the unfortunate ground balls that followed. The result of that was the 0-0 march that had continued until now.

Breaking that. And bringing the team’s victory. That was enough for Lee Jung-woo. The bat he swung with such a calm mindset didn’t have the power to split the sky, but instead, it hit the ball much more easily.

‘Simply- tap. There won’t be a fifth time.’

If he just added the right impact, his job was done. If he had tried to put more power into it, the timing would have been a bit late and he would have mis-hit it. It was easier to make contact because he had lightly reached out early on.

[He hit it! Jung-woo Lee! To the right-center!]

The ball stretched out, and the angle was low, so people didn’t shout for a home run either. Lee Jung-woo himself already knew that well.

So, he just ran as hard as he could, and Derek, who was the first base runner, didn’t even look back the moment he heard the sound of the hit and just moved his feet.

The ball that tapped the deepest part of the right-center field in this stadium rolled on the ground, and that was already the end. The last hope given to the pitcher was the center fielder’s or right fielder’s catch, like in the previous at-bat. But that was gone.

‘Even if that had happened, the score would have gone up. The response was a bit slow. The distance was also deep. Considering the Captain’s speed, it’s ambiguous but enough.’

No, even if that had happened, the score would have gone up if you looked at the distance of the hit. There might not have been any hope left for the pitcher from the moment the ball was hit.

As if proving that, the pitcher, who had already dropped his head before Lee Jung-woo put down his bat, still couldn’t lift his face. Only his slightly trembling shoulders proved that he wasn’t dead.

‘It’s over.’

The team is being blocked with a scoreless game. There are only three hits in total. In that situation, even the starting pitcher who had been protecting them well collapsed. It was enough to break the momentum. On the other hand, for the Braves, the barrier that had been suppressing them had collapsed, so it was enough to solidify their victory. Knowing that well, Lee Jung-woo raised his hand with a satisfied expression.

There were still more innings left before the game was over. But no matter how he thought about it, it seemed like this moment was the moment when the league’s most wins record was tied.