Pitcher’S End, Batter’S Start [EN]: Chapter 100

End of Pitchers, Start of Hitters – Episode 99

This year, the Atlanta Braves’ interleague matchups were against the American League Central Division and the Toronto Blue Jays.

Although the Braves had already played most of their interleague games, a few remained, one of which was today’s game against the Chicago White Sox.

“Nobody wants to lose to those fake league guys, right? Especially since they’re in last place? Seriously?”

Manager Mancini’s lighthearted opening remark brought smiles to the faces of the Braves players.

The Chicago White Sox.

Frankly, they were too weak to challenge the Braves’ current momentum.

Unlike their neighbors, the Chicago Cubs, who were fiercely competing for the top spot, the White Sox were currently in a distant last place in the AL Central.

“Last time, we had a winning series. Let’s aim for a clean sweep this time. We just need to win twice, right? Oh, except for Lee. You’re going to Korea tomorrow, right? Take care and come back safely. Since you can’t play today, work extra hard.”

“Yes, Sir.”

Lee Jung-woo shrugged at the manager’s joke.

“You’re not planning on staying in Korea and not coming back, are you? Like getting drafted right away.”

“That’s not likely. Of course, if I don’t win a gold medal, I can’t guarantee anything. If that happens, I’ll take a picture and send it to you. Write me a letter.”

Lee Jung-woo’s joke made the players laugh, but the pitchers shook their heads as if they were having a nightmare.

Especially Christensen, who was scheduled to start tomorrow, sighed as if he were about to die.

“Lee, I’ll buy you anything you want, so just play tomorrow’s game and go.”

“Clarkson will do a good job while I’m gone. Don’t worry too much.”

“Yeah, don’t make Lee feel too bad. It’s not like he wants to go.”

“Damn it, Mason, it’s easy for you to say since you’re pitching today! You lucky bastard.”

The pitchers were already gloomy, imagining the field without Lee Jung-woo.

However, the Braves’ overall atmosphere was at its peak.

They had won most of their recent games.

They were now truly within reach of the postseason.

The players were confident they could do anything to win.

And Lee Jung-woo felt the same way.

‘I’ve already got 7 wins. If I win just today, that’ll be exactly 8. I’ve set a goal, so I need to achieve it to feel comfortable before I leave.’

Lee Jung-woo was eager.

He was just starting to truly experience the majors, and the thought of not being able to taste it even for a short time filled his heart with regret. Especially since he couldn’t play in the last game against the Marlins due to the team’s rest schedule, and he had to watch the team lose.

He also felt sorry that he, a key player in both hitting and fielding, was missing in such a good atmosphere.

‘I’ll win and go. No, I’ll crush them properly and go. So that at least the White Sox can be swept even after I leave.’

Perhaps thanks to Lee Jung-woo’s determination, the game leaned towards the Braves from the start.

[He hits it! Oh, but Lee catches it again. Three up, three down! Jung-woo Lee shows perfect defense again today.]

[When he was first called up, the Atlanta Braves fans, having been burned before, just asked him to play average defense. But so far, he’s exceeded expectations by at least 300%.]

[It’s a slightly unpleasant start for the White Sox. They all hit good balls, but they were all caught. By Lee, just one man.]

“Wowwwww!”

“Lee! You’re the best!”

Lee Jung-woo quickly ran to catch a slow ground ball and made a clean throw to get the batter out, and Truist Park heated up a little early.

The fans were thrilled with the three up, three down, which was virtually created by Lee Jung-woo alone.

Lee Jung-woo also had a good start, as he wanted to handle the ball as much as possible.

Smiling, he returned to the bench and soon spotted something.

‘Huh? Those guys are already drunk.’

The fans with familiar faces.

The large men with beards grown long to their chests, like Vikings in a movie, were quite famous among the Braves players because of their unique appearance.

They were passionate about cheering, and seeing them enthusiastically waving small rubber axes that didn’t suit their large size, it was impossible not to remember them.

But today was a little different from usual.

They were usually close together, but today there was an Asian man wedged between them, even with his arms around their shoulders.

The man was also already drunk, with his face flushed red, clapping incessantly.

‘A Korean flag, is he Korean? Or a Korean tourist? I should give him an autograph later.’

Lee Jung-woo tilted his head and waved slightly, and the stands went wild.

“Oooooooooh!”

“Lee looked over here!”

“Hahaha, aren’t you jealous, you guys! I’m Park Myung-sun! I finally made it here! Braves forever! Lee! Forever!”

They stood up, splashing beer everywhere, and shouted.

In particular, the man who seemed to be Korean for sure waved the Taegeukgi [Korean flag], shouting his name loudly.

[Oh? Could he be Korean? He’s waving the flag. Haha, judging by how he’s assimilating into the surroundings, it seems he was a Braves fan to begin with.]

[Recently, there have been many Korean tourists in Atlanta thanks to Lee, so he might be Korean. That’s how much he’s loved as a player.]

[He’s going to Korea for the Asian Games this time, so I hope he comes back safely. He’s the core of the Braves.]

In that slightly more heated atmosphere than usual, the game gradually progressed.

####

‘They’re cheering me on this much. I should do something for them.’

Lee Jung-woo wanted to respond to the enthusiastic support.

Not just the fans at Truist Park, but also the fans cheering him on from outside the stadium.

Even to the people cheering from his homeland across the Pacific.

Lee Jung-woo knew what they wanted.

‘A home run, and 20-20 [20 home runs and 20 stolen bases]. I’ll achieve it today. I should do it before going to Korea if possible.’

He didn’t want to drag out the time.

Because the fans would feel the same way he did.

That’s why Lee Jung-woo wanted to achieve it today.

‘I’m confident. The pitchers are manageable.’

By the 8th inning, his record was 3 at-bats, 2 hits, 1 RBI. All the hits he had today had good distances.

It was a shame that none of them became home runs.

In fact, he almost did a bat flip because he felt it so well in his hands.

‘Just need to raise the angle a little more. I have enough power.’

The pitcher who had been hit by him had been replaced, and a powerful pitcher had come up, but.

It didn’t matter.

Lee Jung-woo lightly swung his bat a few times and nodded in satisfaction.

He went up from the on-deck circle.

“ROY! ROY! ROY!” [Rookie of the Year]

[His appearance alone heats up Truist. Haha, judging by the atmosphere, it seems like the Rookie of the Year has already been awarded.]

[He’s actually leading in several indicators. Even if he maintains his current momentum moderately, winning the award is almost certain.]

[Yes, with everyone’s cheers, Jung-woo Lee steps into his last at-bat.]

After bowing lightly to the audience, Lee Jung-woo ignored the catcher who was glaring at him.

He stood in the batter’s box with a nonchalant expression, as usual, and glared at the pitcher.

‘Overhand. Left-handed, with a similar usage rate of two-seam and cutter. The two-seam has an average speed of 95 mph, with a maximum of 98 mph. The cutter is similar to that. The quality is also quite good.’

His ERA [Earned Run Average] is low, and his strikeouts per inning are high. So it goes without saying that he has few walks.

He was a pitcher full of strengths like this, and it wouldn’t be strange if he became one of the league’s leading closers right away, but.

He wasn’t a very strong pitcher in the White Sox.

His skills were great, but everything else was a problem.

‘He’s a case where the hardware is good, but the software is ruined.’

His ball distribution is obvious and often read, but he openly ignores the catcher’s signs, clashes with the manager, and is so stubborn and only knows himself that his pride is terribly strong.

But even worse, his mentality often breaks down.

A player who would never be entrusted with the closer role unless the team’s bullpen is weak, as you never know when he’ll explode.

The pitcher that the Braves’ scouting team described to him was exactly like that.

‘So even though he’s good, I don’t know his name. Because he’s a pitcher who could disappear at any time.’

A good way to deal with him came to Lee Jung-woo’s mind.

‘I have to use everything I can, even if he’s an enemy.’

Lee Jung-woo bounced his body and glared at the pitcher.

He twitched his eyebrows and soon threw the ball with a confident face.

“Ball.”

‘The ball is definitely good. That’s why the team can’t get rid of him even though his personality is terrible.’

The 98 mph two-seam was considerable.

The angle at which it broke was unusual, and it was powerful enough to become a bat breaker.

But it was quite powerful.

But that doesn’t mean Lee Jung-woo himself can’t hit it.

‘Let’s shake his mentality.’

Lee Jung-woo spun his bat and waited for the pitcher’s ball.

And he focused all his energy on his two eyes to catch the pitcher.

‘He’s putting them all in the zone. He’s trying to overwhelm me.’

Two strikes were caught in an instant. Lee Jung-woo wasn’t too happy with the pitcher’s satisfied face.

‘The changes in emotion are so rapid.’

‘Outside two-seam, then inside cutter, and then another low cutter. This time, a high and fast two-seam.’

Thinking of the obvious ball distribution, Lee Jung-woo swung his bat without hesitation.

“Foul.”

The result was a foul.

Perhaps he was thinking of striking out with this, the pitcher soon made a dissatisfied face.

The changes in emotion are so rapid.

‘He’s going to stick it close to the body for the fifth time.’

Lee Jung-woo continued to make fouls while memorizing his data like a mantra.

One thing that was different did come in, but fortunately, he barely cut it off with the end of his bat.

From then on, he became familiar with the timing, so he didn’t need to think about the ball distribution.

“Lee’s making the pitcher angry?”

“Doesn’t it feel good?”

“He’s going to hit one soon.”

“He’s used to the timing. If a good course comes in, he’s going to do it right.”

As the number of pitches increased to 12, the audience began to get excited.

Even to them, the timing was getting closer and closer.

As anticipation gradually filled the faces of the audience, the pitcher’s face turned into a demonic visage on the contrary.

He looked like he was going to kill Lee Jung-woo right away.

So Lee Jung-woo realized.

‘Good, he’s starting to shake.’

That he was starting to go crazy.

Lee Jung-woo smiled at the pitcher who was glaring at him as if he was going to kill him.

Even if his mentality is weak.

I didn’t think he would fall for this low-level provocation, but I mocked him just in case.

‘Jackpot.’

The pitcher, exhaling through his nose, threw the ball with his eyes flashing.

Perhaps he was mentally shaken properly.

Even though he usually tried to attack the corners, this time the ball came in properly.

Especially since it would have missed if it had been a cutter, so it would have gone out of the zone, but this time it was a two-seam.

“Ah-”

As if predicting the future.

The catcher’s exclamation is heard.

In the end, the ball thrown by the pitcher who was out of his control was a two-seam that came right into the middle.

Lee Jung-woo didn’t hesitate.

*Crack!*

This time, he didn’t hold back the bat flip. There was no reason to hold back.

How strongly did he throw it.

The pitcher stared blankly at the bat that flew far to the front of the dugout and rolled on the floor.

‘It’s ruined.’

Lee Jung-woo thought.

That at least he was going to ruin one of the White Sox’s pitchers before he left.

Even though his position is unstable, he had ruined the pitcher who was the closer, so.

He felt much more comfortable, and he smiled faintly and slowly turned the base.

With each step Lee Jung-woo took, a thousand cheers were added, and when everyone in the stadium finally opened their mouths.

Lee Jung-woo also raised his hand high.

“Leeeeeeee!”

[Lee Jung-woo finally! Finally achieves 20-20!]

[Ah, it’s really amazing. It’s amazing! There were many concerns that his home runs had decreased a little, but he hit it as if to show off!]

The farewell party for a very short farewell was more wonderful than expected.

####

“Lee! Do well in Korea and come back! And definitely! Definitely come back!”

“If you suddenly get drafted… contact the US Embassy right away! I’ll get you out somehow!”

“Lee! You have to come back! If you leave forever, I’ll follow you!”

“Huh, did the news get out wrong that I’m being dispatched? It’s almost that kind of atmosphere?”

“That means you’re an important player in Atlanta. Think of it positively.”

Lee Jung-woo, who was leaving on the 14th, earlier than the call-up date, to adjust to the time difference and rest, was speechless at the airport scene that Mark’s car arrived at.

The fans wearing Braves uniforms were gathered together to see him off.

The atmosphere was so gloomy that it felt like a funeral home, and Lee Jung-woo was able to realize definitively what kind of existence and player he was to the fans.

“I’ll do well and come back. It won’t take long. After I come back… I’ll run all the way to the World Series.”

After expressing his ambitions for the fans in an interview with the reporters surrounding him.

Lee Jung-woo boarded the plane.

He was looking forward to it. The scenery of Korea, which he was visiting for the first time since his regression.

‘Will it be similar? There’s a difference in time, so it might be a little different. Back then, I returned like a defeated soldier, but now I’m returning in triumph. It doesn’t feel bad.’

“Is this your first time going to Korea since you came to America? Prepare yourself. It’s probably going to be no joke.”

When Lee Jung-woo was lost in thought.

Mark smiled and scared him, but Lee Jung-woo was nonchalant.

Frankly, even if he was popular in Korea.

It didn’t really hit him as much as Atlanta, which he had seen and felt directly.

He anticipated that no matter how good it was, it would only be that much.

“Well, I just have to do it as usual.”

“Well, it’s because you haven’t been to Korea. Don’t be surprised later.”

Lee Jung-woo, who ignored Mark’s warning and fell asleep, finally wanted to slap himself on the cheek, which he had taken so lightly, when he got off the airport after a long flight.

“Oh! It’s Lee Jung-woo! What are you doing! Camera! Camera!”

“Lee Jung-woo! Please look over here! Lee Jung-woo!”

“How do you feel about returning to Korea?”

“The Japanese national team called out Lee Jung-woo. What do you think?”

“What’s the first thing you want to do in Korea?”

The overwhelming wave of people.

A terrifying crowd of people was greeting him, so much so that he thought all the Korean reporters had been rounded up.

Lee Jung-woo couldn’t come to his senses.

That wasn’t the end of it.

“Oh? Oh, it’s Lee Jung-woo!”

“Where? Oh, it’s really Lee Jung-woo!”

“Isn’t that Lee Jung-woo over there?”

“I heard Lee Jung-woo is over there?”

Little by little, more people gathered.

Even the people around him came and joined the group one by one.

Perhaps they had been waiting in advance.

There were quite a few people wearing his uniform.

“What, what is it? Is some Hollywood actor visiting? Did it happen to overlap?”

Lee Jung-woo, who even backpedaled without realizing it, whispered slightly to Mark.

Mark shrugged.

“Why? You were nonchalant earlier. I told you to prepare yourself.”

“Yeah, seeing it in person is no joke.”

‘Am I this popular?’

A hollow laugh came out automatically.

Perhaps because he was so out of it, Lee Jung-woo, who finished the interview with a little more rambling than usual, soon came to his senses at the last interview.

“Do you have any ambitions for the Asian Games? I heard you said you were going to the World Series when you left the United States.”

It was a formal question, but.

Strangely, Lee Jung-woo said with confidence, filled with confidence, to the question that came to his ears the most.

“Of course, it’s winning. I will try to show all the fans and the people what they expect from me.”

It was a formal question and a canned answer, but.

It was not light to feel when he heard it.

The record that Lee Jung-woo was recording added weight to it.

People thought.

That at least he was the most trustworthy among the players who had given the same answer so far.

That’s how Lee Jung-woo entered Korea.

With the goal of not just the gold medal level. With the goal of dominating the Asian Games altogether.