Pitcher’S End, Batter’S Start [EN]: Chapter 269

Pitcher Over, Batter Up – 268

[120 wins and 42 losses. The Atlanta Braves finish the regular season with the best record ever!]

[Jungwoo Lee, leading in batting average, on-base percentage, slugging percentage, hits, RBIs, runs, and stolen bases. Number 1 in 7 categories! But narrowly misses the Triple Crown with 2nd place in home runs…]

As the regular season ended, people didn’t reminisce about the past but were simply astonished by the coronation of a new king.

Babe Ruth. The emperor who seemed destined to shine forever in the hundreds of years of baseball history relinquished his throne after 111 years.

[Lee Jungwoo changes the history of American baseball! Establishes himself as the greatest player in baseball history!]

[Lee Jungwoo surpasses even ‘God of Baseball’ Babe Ruth! Highest WAR [Wins Above Replacement, a comprehensive baseball statistic] of all time.]

Naturally, Korea, which produced such a player, was in a festive mood. In fact, it had been a constant celebration since Lee Jungwoo’s debut.

The media, as always, spammed adjectives like ‘proud son of Korea’ or ‘proving the remarkable development of Korean baseball.’

Even those who usually frowned at such nationalistic remarks were now loosening their belts and joining in.

-Is Lee Jungwoo a possible candidate for the ‘Do You Know’ club [a hypothetical collection of famous Koreans]?

-Definitely a center position.

-Will Lee Jungwoo appear when the national anthem is played now?

-I think I’ve already seen it once.

-I must have lived a long life. Seeing a Korean major leaguer push out Babe Ruth.

-How old are you?

-I’m a senior in high school.

-Study, the college entrance exam is just around the corner…

-I already ruined it because of Lee Jungwoo lol

-People called him ‘God Jungwoo,’ and he really became ‘GOD.’

-He’s just the only god.

Photos replacing all other figures in the bizarre ‘Do You Know’ club photos with only Lee Jungwoo circulated across various sites.

Some even replaced saints with Lee Jungwoo’s face on religious images. And these things weren’t limited to Korea.

-His WAR is 3 higher than Babe Ruth’s… Is this even possible?

-More than that, he surpassed Bonds in 2001, who was at his peak with performance-enhancing drugs, in terms of hitting ability…

-Just for a single season… he’s really a god. A god.

-I found out that in Korea, they pronounce god as ‘Sin,’ so respecting that, let’s call Lee ‘Lee Sin’ from now on.

-You’re crazy.

American netizens also didn’t hesitate to call him a god, which led to the creation of a slightly comical nickname.

Also, seeing Lee Jungwoo, who also tied for first place in stolen bases, topping all batting categories except for home runs, some people even divided him in two like Solomon.

-Roughly estimating his WAR at 18. If you split him in half and divide him into AL [American League] and NL [National League], he’d win MVP [Most Valuable Player award] in both.

-Right, a WAR of 8 is usually considered MVP-level.

-If you split him in half, his rate stats would drop a lot, but he’d still be hitting 26 home runs each. Including defense, he’s definitely A-class, if not MVP.

-Batting average in the very low .200s, on-base percentage in the mid .200s. Slugging percentage in the .400s. But he’s also getting 20-20 [20 home runs and 20 stolen bases] and 95 RBIs [Runs Batted In] each… what is this? It’s very bizarre.

-If he does really well, he might even go to the All-Star game?

-Let me know if there’s a player like this. I’ll use him as my team’s shortstop.

Aside from the significantly lower rate stats, even if cut in half, he would have considerable stats. Comparing him to Rickey Henderson, who would enter the Hall of Fame, there were talks that even if cut in half, both would make it to the All-Star game.

Thus, commemorating the end of the regular season, people simply savored the records Lee Jungwoo had set and admired him again. Even those who didn’t particularly like Lee Jungwoo had no choice but to bow their heads.

[Jungwoo Lee showed all baseball fans what ‘the greatest of all time’ is. People decades from now will probably envy you just for having seen his 35 years in person.]

Because it was such a glorious year, those who watched him naturally shifted their gaze to the last remaining piece. The World Series, the final gateway where countless legends had shed tears, remained.

[Jungwoo Lee finishes a perfect year in ‘his own way.’ All that’s left is the World Series! Will the emperor’s coronation take place?]

[The pennant race and the postseason are different stories! The World Series requires heaven’s permission!]

[The best player isn’t always the ultimate winner!]

Many people hoped that Lee Jungwoo would complete the last piece, and this great story would end as a perfect fairy tale, while others wanted it to be a tragic epic.

-If he wins the World Series now. It’ll be a truly perfect year. And if he gets the World Series MVP, it’ll be quite dramatic.

-No, it’s more dramatic if he fails. Think about it, how fun would it be? He did so well, but ultimately couldn’t win the World Series.

-I can tell you’re a Phillies fan. Probably a loser.

-Do you know how many people in the Hall of Fame don’t have a World Series ring?

-Just look at Ted Williams, he doesn’t have a ring? You never know…

The victory of a glorious hero at the end would also be a great story, but failing to fill the last piece was also quite interesting.

Therefore, people looked forward to the upcoming postseason and World Series for slightly different reasons. But there were also those who hadn’t made it there yet.

[MLB [Major League Baseball] Regular Season Ends? ‘One More Game!’ Pittsburgh Pirates vs. Philadelphia Phillies, Tie-Breaker to Determine the Final Entrant!]

[Everyone’s Excited for Autumn, Are the Pirates and Phillies Sulking?]

The butterfly effect caused by the Braves, by Lee Jungwoo, created a proper storm.

####

‘I was too hasty. Well, it’s understandable to be nervous. It’s not just any game, but a Wild Card on the line.’

As the regular season ended, the Braves players also enjoyed their time, taking advantage of the short break.

Most spent time with family or loved ones, but since Lee Jungwoo had neither, he watched TV alone.

The screen broadcast the sight of two teams engaged in a fierce battle, just the two of them, while others were playing.

Philadelphia Phillies and Pittsburgh Pirates. While everyone else’s regular season was over, they were playing their ‘163rd’ game.

Because their win rates were tied, a tie-breaker was held.

Watching their game, Lee Jungwoo frowned slightly. The game was heading in a direction he didn’t want.

‘Iwakuma is doing better than I thought. He’s living up to his ace status.’

The score was 4-0 by the 5th inning. The Phillies had silenced the Pirates’ powerful bats. More precisely, Iwakuma Takeshi, whom they had reluctantly sent out, was putting on a great performance.

He had shown somewhat lacking performances this season, seeming to have lost his former super ace status, but at the most important moment, he properly fulfilled the fans’ expectations.

And that wasn’t a good thing for Lee Jungwoo, and for the Braves.

‘It’ll be a bit difficult if the Phillies make it to the Division Series.’

If the Phillies win the tie-breaker and advance to the Division Series via the Wild Card, their opponent is the Braves.

Because of the match-up system, the team with the best overall win rate faces the Wild Card team.

The Phillies fans’ hatred towards the Braves, who had taken all the wins against them and played a big part in pushing them into the tie-breaker, was considerable.

‘If we sweep them again this time… it’ll be hell.’

And if they sweep them in the Division Series like last year, the gates of hell would open.

The 1st, 2nd, and 5th games would be at Truist Park, and the 3rd and 4th games would be at Citizens Bank Park. If that really happened, it wouldn’t be strange if the team bus was shot at.

Probably Lee Jungwoo’s name would be at the very top of the kill list.

That’s why Lee Jungwoo was a little worried, but soon the Pirates’ counterattack began.

[Iwakuma Takeshi is coming down after the 6th inning. He showed a great pitching performance in today’s game.]

[He underperformed somewhat this season, causing disappointment, but he ultimately made the fans smile.]

Iwakuma Takeshi, who had tightly shut down the Pirates, came down after the 6th inning. The Phillies, confident of victory, made the choice to save his stamina.

It could be seen as appropriate pitcher management, but in the end, it was the worst decision. The Pirates began to batter the Phillies’ mound after the ace came down.

[It goes over! Two-run homer! The Pittsburgh Pirates chase after 2 points! The game falls into a maze!]

[This is the team. This is the team with potential. Vincent Harding, the cornerstone, is gone, but they are still strong!]

The Pirates, who opened the silent gate with a cool two-run homer, followed closely and eventually.

[Third base runner scores! Second base runner scores! First base runner also turns third – scores! Reversal sweep hit! The Pittsburgh Pirates reverse the game!]

The game turned upside down.

The Pirates cheered. Even the caster couldn’t help but praise the amazing comeback, but the stadium was silent, as much as it could be felt through the TV screen.

The Phillies uniforms that had filled the stadium until just now were cheerfully waving, but now only a cold chill was circulating.

[The reversal started the moment Iwakuma Takeshi came down. It was the right choice, but it seems like responsibility will be placed on him as a result.]

The broadcast camera caught the Phillies manager, and with that cruel act, he simply shed a drop of sweat under his sunglasses. Seeing that, Lee Jungwoo thought.

‘If there’s a Philadelphia away game, I should pack a bulletproof vest first.’

He often jokingly shouted that he would shoot him, but now it didn’t seem like a joke anymore. His share in this disaster was quite large.

As the game ended, the Wild Card game advancing team was decided, and Lee Jungwoo, feeling a strange chill at the sight of the screaming Phillies fans, turned off the TV as if running away.

####

[Pirates without Harding lose to Giants with Harding in the ‘Harding Derby’ [a playful name for the game between the Pirates and Giants, both teams connected to Vincent Harding]!]

The Wild Card game, held after the shocking tie-breaker. Because they were two teams that had taken and lost Harding, the media gave the relationship the name Harding Derby.

In the end, the Pirates, unable to overcome the leakage of key power, gave their former hero Harding a home run, three hits, and 5 RBIs, and lost.

The Pirates swallowed tears mixed with bitterness, sadly ending their first year of the postseason challenge without Harding. Watching that, Phillies fans grumbled, saying, ‘If we were going to lose anyway, it would have been better for us to go up.’

But no one would listen to the words of the losers who had already lost. They were just paying attention to the ‘real’ postseason to come.

“Woo~ Wooooo~!”

“Just like last year! Just like last year! We’ve already won once!”

Truist Park, which was welcoming the postseason, welcomed the Giants with a makeover. The atmosphere was calmer than expected, as the two teams had no particular relationship other than last year’s Wild Card.

Lee Jungwoo, who entered such a stadium after a short break, chuckled at the banner hanging on the outer wall of the stadium.

‘It’s a bit embarrassing.’

It had a picture of him swinging. It seemed to be a home run scene. It was quite a powerful banner, but it was still a bit embarrassing from the person’s point of view.

But the fans seemed to like it quite a bit, taking pictures with it as the background. Some even prayed in front of it, as if it were a religious image.

“Lee will take care of everything!”

“I believe! I believe in Lee!”

He felt a bit strange, as if he had suddenly become the leader of a new religion, but when he thought about it, it didn’t seem that different.

“Um…”

“I’ll do it for you, just wait your turn.”

Just his appearance caused the crowd to rush in. Everyone had a blush on their cheeks.

Lee Jungwoo, who humbly accepted that he was a cult leader to those who didn’t know, had a short autograph session as usual. He then entered the stadium in earnest.

“Everyone seems a bit nervous? I thought you’d be relaxed.”

“How can we be relaxed? We were arrogant and suffered a complete disgrace last year.”

The locker room, which had shown a near-arrogant relaxation in the last game against the Cincinnati Reds and the previous game against the Phillies a few days ago, was filled with tension.

Even playful players like Rollins and Peterson had serious expressions on their faces, and some stroked rosaries or crosses, reciting different prayers from the fanatics outside.

‘It’s not good to be too nervous, but this is just right. It’s better than being overly relaxed.’

The trauma of being arrogant in last year’s overwhelming postseason and being brutally defeated by the Dodgers at the threshold of the World Series still remained.

Lee Jungwoo, nodding at Derek’s explanation that it was just the right level of tension, blended in with them and calmly raised his concentration.

He didn’t believe in any particular religion, so he didn’t pray to anyone like the other players. He just used the bat as the Bible and the glove as the rosary, praying to himself.

The head coach, who came in to explain today’s lineup and tactics to the players in the seemingly reverent atmosphere of the locker room, was slightly surprised, but soon wore a faint smile.

They were perfectly prepared enough that there was no need to say anything more.

“The lineup is the same as usual…”

After the coach’s explanation. The players left the locker room for the final warm-up, and one player caught Lee Jungwoo’s eye as he walked onto the ground to look around the stadium as usual.

‘Harding… he should have gone to the Yankees originally.’

Vincent Harding. Perhaps because of the guilt of dropping his former team with his own hands, he had a slightly stiff expression. He was wearing a Giants jersey, and it was still a bit awkward. The Harding that Lee Jungwoo knew at this time should have been wearing pinstripes [the Yankees’ uniform].

He had suffered the misfortune of not reaching the World Series during his prime, blocked by Boston.

But now he’s still in the NL, wearing the San Francisco Giants uniform. Many things have changed compared to the pre-regression that he remembers.

But at least one thing was the same as before the regression.

‘Whether he’s wearing a Yankees or Giants uniform, Harding won’t be in the World Series this year.’

Because of him, the Irregular, many things have already changed. But wouldn’t it be okay if that one thing was the same as the original history?