Pitcher’S End, Batter’S Start [EN]: Chapter 101

Pitcher Over, Batter Up – Episode 100

[2034 Manila Asian Games Baseball Team Roster]

[Can Coach Do Myeong-woon Erase Past Humiliation?]

[Do Myeong-woon (National Baseball Team Manager): ‘We’ve gathered only the best players. Our goal is unconditionally winning.’]

[All of Asia’s Criticism? South Korea Has No Amateurism!]

[Association: ‘To unite, we will improve the team with a horizontal atmosphere rather than seniority.’]

[Team’s Key Card Lee Jung-woo, Will He Show the Class of the Majors?]

[A Tournament Where Victory Is Practically Guaranteed, Is Lee Jung-woo’s Only Goal Military Exemption?]

As the players gathered on the call-up date, the Korean media displayed a variety of reactions, attracting considerable attention.

Most other national teams consist primarily of amateur or social baseball players.

In Korea’s case, there were criticisms regarding the selection of only professional players.

However, most fans shared a single, fervent wish:

[Please, I beg you. I really don’t want to see those Japanese bastards acting up again. Win no matter what.]

[If we fail again this time, I can already see the Japanese guys running their mouths.]

[If you’re going to worry about your pride, winning is how you protect it. Even if it’s embarrassing, you have to win the gold medal.]

The overwhelming desire among Korean baseball fans was to secure victory.

Repeated failures in the group stage at past Olympics and Asian Games had left them with painful memories.

In particular, the gloating reaction of Japan, the gold medalists, had fueled their frustration.

Thus, fans expressed a willingness to endure criticism if it meant achieving victory.

They simply wanted to win, regardless of the cost.

The humiliation had been more than enough.

[Lee Jung-woo has joined, let’s go for patriotic betting!]

[Let’s go for a huge surge! Jung-woo! Show them what you’ve got!]

[Are there any fools betting against us in this tournament? Believe that God Jung-woo will take care of everything.]

Of course, some supported the national team with a different kind of fervor, placing bets on their success.

In any case, the Asian Games baseball team received more favorable support than expected, a departure from past criticisms related to various incidents and accidents.

Expectations were particularly high for Lee Jung-woo, the national team’s star player.

The hopeful protagonist was diligently preparing himself.

####

“Is this the last one? Geez, you came back to your hometown after a long time; you should just stay at home. You’re really diligent,” Mark grumbled, having driven Lee Jung-woo to his alma mater and various little league clubs.

If Lee Jung-woo had filmed even one commercial during this time, he could have earned a significant amount of money.

This player doesn’t even think about his agency.

Since coming to Korea, he had been diligently spending money instead of earning it.

“You’ve been saving your signing bonus carefully. Is this what you were planning to do?”

“Well, it’s killing two birds with one stone. Like you said, Mark, I’m a star now, right? I have to do this much.”

“Anyway, you talk a good game. Okay, we’re here. Get out.”

Mark grumbled, but couldn’t hide the happy smile on his face.

Because Lee Jung-woo was making donations, Mark had to refuse all the schedules he had planned in Korea.

Honestly, Mark himself felt better this way.

At least his player wasn’t a complete delinquent like some other young rookies.

“The school is nice. It’s so clean; the students must study well.”

“It is nice, except for that banner.”

Lee Jung-woo cringed at the banner hanging on the school gate that read, ‘Proud Alumnus! XXXth Graduate Major Leaguer Lee Jung-woo! Selected for the National Team!’

Mark didn’t even notice Lee Jung-woo’s reaction and was simply admiring the school.

“Is this a public school? The facilities are great.”

“Is it? Isn’t it normal?”

“That’s because you haven’t been to South America or Cuba. This is better than most private schools.”

Lee Jung-woo nodded.

Certainly, the facilities were impressive.

Even the baseball team, which hadn’t been successful before Lee Jung-woo’s time, received generous support.

There was never a shortage of baseball equipment.

Lee Jung-woo suddenly looked up at the school he used to attend and was lost in thought for a moment.

At that time, he had nothing to envy.

He often played in games even as a freshman. From his sophomore year onward, he surpassed the seniors and became a starter.

After that, he led the team to victory as a starting pitcher.

At that time, Lee Jung-woo truly believed he was the strongest pitcher in the world, and that it would last forever.

‘He came as a hitter. In the end, the coach was right. He had talent as a hitter too.’

“Take a good look, Mark.”

“Why?”

“I became a left-handed hitter here. Back then, the coach told me to hit with the opposite hand because I was a pitcher. Well, I learned basic hitting too.”

At those words, Mark’s eyes widened.

It was the first time he had heard this story.

In fact, Lee Jung-woo had never really told this story to anyone except the Single-A [Minor League Baseball level] hitting coach who had watched him occasionally when he was relieving stress before his injury.

“Oh? Our monster was born here. He must have been a good coach?”

“He was a good coach. That’s why he’s still a coach. Mark, tell the people to unload the equipment.”

At Lee Jung-woo’s words, Mark immediately made a phone call.

Soon, several trucks appeared with loud noises.

The sudden commotion caused the few people who were there during the summer vacation to gather around, buzzing.

The baseball team members, who had been lined up on the field in advance, watched with sparkling eyes, as if they had been waiting.

“The kids are grinning from ear to ear.”

“They’re young, but they’re still baseball players, right? They know the value of equipment.”

As Lee Jung-woo felt proud, a man who didn’t seem very old, but was balding and looked rather pitiful, ran over.

“Oh, you’re already here? You could have come slowly. Haha, thank you so much for donating to the baseball team, Lee Jung-woo. Ah, I’m the head of the administration office who received the call earlier. Haha, I’m getting to see something good thanks to being assigned to this school.”

“Ah, yes, nice to meet you. I hope you use it well.”

“Oh, of course. Ah, the principal and vice-principal are also waiting.”

“I want to see the baseball team members first, is that okay?”

“Oh, yes, of course. The students will be very happy too. He’s a school senior and a major leaguer.”

As the head of the administration office said, the students were staring at Lee Jung-woo as much as the baseball equipment they were carrying.

Judging from their lip movements, they seemed to be saying to each other that they couldn’t believe it or asking to be pinched to confirm it was real.

Lee Jung-woo found that quite cute.

Now, the age difference was like that of a big brother.

But if you calculated their mental age, they were practically his sons.

So, Lee Jung-woo approached the hesitant children first and greeted them.

“Are you all doing well in baseball?”

“Yes!”

“I’m glad to hear that. When I played baseball, I felt like equipment was the most precious thing. So, after you’re done carrying everything, don’t hesitate to take care of it without worrying about what others think.”

“Thank you!”

Lee Jung-woo also looked awkwardly at the children who answered like soldiers.

Their eyes were full of respect and envy for him.

He had already seen this scene when he visited elementary and high schools earlier and delivered equipment.

But perhaps because of his experience before regression [referring to a past life or timeline].

He couldn’t easily get used to being respected by someone.

“Do you have any questions? Pitchers can ask anything too. I’m a hitter now, but I used to be a pretty good pitcher.”

Lee Jung-woo said to lighten the atmosphere.

But the children only looked at their coaches and each other, twitching.

Lee Jung-woo smiled and pulled out his trump card.

“Don’t you have any questions about the Major League?”

Then their eyes changed.

The Major League, the dream and final destination of all baseball players. There is no one who is not curious about it.

At least not someone who is not an active major leaguer.

In the end, Lee Jung-woo nodded at the children who were flocking to him, setting aside their shyness and awkwardness.

‘It’s still a surefire card.’

Lee Jung-woo, recalling the juniors who had shown the same reaction at the alma maters he had visited earlier, forced his stiff face to relax.

He answered the questions sincerely.

Mark, who was watching the situation from a distance, felt a pang of regret.

“If I had called a few reporters, the news would have spread. It’s a shame, it’s a shame.”

The phone numbers of the reporters that Mark couldn’t call because Lee Jung-woo had strongly refused, saying he didn’t want to make the juniors feel uncomfortable, flashed through Mark’s mind.

Soon, he smiled softly and said to the children in clumsy Korean, which he had been practicing to work with Lee Jung-woo and negotiate with the association.

“Lee give you gift. Take care, a lot.”

He didn’t feel too bad either.

“When Lee retires, should I build a school in South America?”

“Excuse me?”

“No, I wasn’t talking to you, student.”

####

After spending a fulfilling day, Lee Jung-woo returned home and reunited with his family again.

He fell asleep right away.

The next morning, he woke up early and immediately got ready.

It was the national team call-up.

“Did you sleep well? Just make it simple. I have to leave soon.”

“You finally came back to Korea, but you don’t even see your mom? Eat a lot of rice before you go. You need to be full.”

“Wow~ my son is going to the national team. Dad is so proud.”

His mother scolded Lee Jung-woo as if she was dissatisfied, but behind it was pride in her son, who was now in a position to give.

Not to mention his father, who openly expressed his joy.

“I came back after a long time, so I have a lot to do. I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay, just keep coming back often. By the way, are you Santa Claus? The rumors have spread. They say you’re giving gifts to every school. Even the kindergarten you used to go to contacted me.”

“My relatives are going crazy. You know your uncles’ sons, right? They were begging for an autograph.”

“I’ll sign everything before I leave the country. But the rumors?”

Lee Jung-woo frowned.

He wondered if Mark had called the reporters even though he had objected.

As if realizing his thoughts.

His mother chuckled at her son, who seemed to have grown up a lot but still didn’t know much.

“You don’t know how fast information travels in the parents’ community. Rumors spread quickly among mothers. There’s nothing more pleasing than taking care of my child.”

Lee Jung-woo nodded at the words that were like the insight of a seasoned sage.

He still had a lot to learn from his parents. Even if it was trivial.

“By the way, why are they calling you up so early? You can’t even sleep properly.”

“I’m going a little early on purpose. I’m the youngest, and I don’t want to be caught doing anything wrong.”

“Hey, you’re not playing in Korea, so what’s the youngest? You have to judge by your skills.”

Lee Jung-woo chuckled at his father’s sly words.

If you judged by skills, Lee Jung-woo was the most senior, frankly speaking.

But the reality is not like that.

He didn’t particularly like being mindful of others.

But he thought it was better to go early than to be branded as rude by the national team or the public.

And maybe the reporters would be all over the place as time went on.

He didn’t want to waste his energy.

“You’re going to warm up anyway, so let’s just think of it as going early to warm up.”

“Well, if that’s what you think. By the way, there won’t be any hazing, right? That would be annoying.”

“Well, I don’t know. It probably depends on the person. If there’s someone who cares a lot about seniority, it might be a little tiring. But there won’t be anything to worry about.”

Mark frowned at Lee Jung-woo’s vague answer.

But Lee Jung-woo was serious.

In the first place, there couldn’t be any hazing or power struggles for him now.

‘It’s not the Olympics; it’s the Asian Games. Most of the players are young, and there are no players with overwhelming careers. There might be some minor checks, but a direct power struggle can’t be established in the first place.’

Unlike before the regression, Lee Jung-woo now had a weapon that could devour everything.

‘Right now, I have the title of Major Leaguer. And I have the skills.’

Frankly speaking.

There was not a single player in the current national team roster who could act like a senior to Lee Jung-woo.