Pitcher’S End, Batter’S Start [EN]: Chapter 109

Training had Lee Jung-woo at the field, but he wasn’t playing. For the first time in a long while, he was watching the game as a pure spectator.

It was the club’s consideration.

He was a promising player who could lead them for at least the next 10 years, so they were managing him thoroughly.

Knowing their intentions, Lee Jung-woo obediently sat in the stands.

‘There are so many people.’

Truist Park was packed with spectators. Even from the ground, the bustling crowd was quite intimidating.

Becoming one of those people, he realized just how popular the Braves were.

‘They’re such a beloved team, but it seems like they’re looking at me more.’

Lee Jung-woo felt a little self-conscious.

Even though the game had started.

The surrounding spectators weren’t watching the field; they were turning their heads to look at Lee Jung-woo.

They seemed unable to believe that they were sitting in the same section as Lee Jung-woo.

They shook their heads in disbelief, some shivered with excitement, and others were simply admiring Lee Jung-woo as if they were watching a great movie.

‘A handshake isn’t enough. Should I sign autographs later?’

Lee Jung-woo had already shaken hands with almost everyone he met on the way to his seat, but it seemed that wasn’t enough.

He nodded, considering signing autographs, and soon focused intently on the game.

Today, the Braves were playing against the Milwaukee Brewers, a team in the NL Central division struggling against the Cubs and Pirates.

Against them, the Braves presented a slightly different roster than usual.

Some positions were filled with players newly called up from the expanded roster, rather than the usual starters.

It was to ensure the existing players had stamina for a strong end to the season, rather than focusing on immediate results.

Among them, two caught Lee Jung-woo’s attention.

‘The shortstop who was just called up. He’s from Triple-A [the highest level of minor league baseball]. His name is Sammy Brown, I think. They told me to call him Sammy.’

First was shortstop Sammy Brown. Lee Jung-woo paid attention to him because he could be a competitor.

As soon as the defense started, Sammy Brown showed energetic defense, trying to impress as much as possible.

However, Lee Jung-woo soon turned his attention elsewhere.

It was as if the Braves had placed all their hopes on Lee Jung-woo for the shortstop position for a reason.

His defense, except for the hustle, was lacking.

And there was something more interesting than that competitor.

‘He’s playing for the first time today, but he’s doing better than I thought. He’s handling it well.’

The second person who caught Lee Jung-woo’s attention was Desmond Leach. He was doing quite well despite it being his debut.

At the start of the game, he was so nervous that it was visible from here.

In fact, he still seemed a bit nervous. But even so, he was doing his job well.

‘He was average when we practiced stealing bases, but his throwing to second base has gotten quite good.’

Months ago, when Lee Jung-woo was practicing stealing bases as a new skill to develop,

Desmond Leach was his main partner in the exhibition games and Double-A [the second-highest level of minor league baseball].

He had an average caught stealing percentage, making him a suitable opponent for evaluation.

He still does now, but back then, his timing for stealing bases was terrible, so he often got caught. It wasn’t that Desmond was good, but rather that Lee Jung-woo was bad.

But now, he was clearly doing well.

‘And decisively, his receiving posture has improved since the last time I saw him. He’s catching the ball stably.’

It might sound funny to praise a catcher for catching well, but that’s only for those who don’t know.

In reality, there’s nothing more important than catching in a catcher’s defensive ability.

It’s easily related to the reason for a catcher’s existence.

‘Sometimes, when they have experience and build a career, and their skills are recognized, the catcher overwhelms the pitcher. But he’s still closer to a target. He’s a rookie.’

So, from the receiving end, he needs to reassure the pitcher.

Desmond’s catching was exactly like that. Maintaining a stable, still posture, the target that catches the ball well reassures the pitcher just by its presence.

‘And because his posture is stable, he has some leeway. He’s subtly framing the pitches.’

As strike zone detection devices began to be used in earnest,

The umpire’s authority wasn’t what it used to be.

Still, machines couldn’t do everything, so calls that didn’t cause controversy depended on the umpire’s judgment.

Therefore, framing [the art of subtly influencing the umpire’s call by how the catcher presents the ball] was still an important virtue for catchers, and Desmond knew how to stay within the lines.

He couldn’t turn a completely out-of-zone ball into a strike,

But he knew how to make something slightly ambiguous lean towards a strike.

‘At this rate, he’s better than the backup, Jackie, and almost as good as the starter, Lipton… Hitting will be key. It’ll be hard to push out Lipton, but if his hitting is good, he might be able to get past Jackie.’

Thinking that, Lee Jung-woo shook his head. It was funny to think about it.

A rookie who’s only been in the majors for three months evaluating someone.

‘Well, enough with the veteran act. Let’s just relax and watch the game.’

####

The Braves lost the game. Stuart was knocked out earlier than expected,

Initially tilting the game towards a loss, but the hitters soon made up for it.

After that, the newly called-up pitchers did quite well, shutting them down properly.

But in the end, they failed to come back, and the game ended with a bittersweet victory for the Milwaukee Brewers.

‘They saved the starting bullpen until the end. Well, that’s to be expected. They have to use them tomorrow.’

He had already expected it.

Because from any point of view, that was the right thing to do.

They send out the must-win group to be perfect when they can win for sure.

It was right to send them out in a different game than this one, which was about giving the starters stamina and sorting out the rookies.

And that sure-win game was what all Braves fans wanted tomorrow.

They didn’t need anything else; Lee Jung-woo was coming out.

‘I’m a little restless, but it’s still pretty good. Sometimes it’s nice to watch the game as a third party.’

He was also relieved.

It was a bit mean to the competitors, but he was able to confirm once again that his starting position was solid.

He also learned that some new faces could be new fuel.

“Desmond! We’re rooting for you!”

“We want you to play with Lee for about 10 years!”

“I’ve been supporting you since the beginning! I don’t expect you to be as good as Lee, but just hold down your position!”

‘At this rate, it was a pretty good debut for him. He’s captured the hearts of the home fans, not completely, but moderately.’

Despite the loss, the fans weren’t angry; they were clapping and encouraging.

Especially Desmond, who showed stable catching ability and a solid performance of 1 hit and 2 RBIs in 4 at-bats in today’s game,

He received generous praise for properly showing that the Braves’ young blood wasn’t just Lee Jung-woo.

‘Now it’s my turn.’

Lee Jung-woo grinned.

The rookies had set the mood, so now it was time for the three-month franchise star to explode.

With this, the Brewers series was over. It was a losing series, but the Atlanta fans were in a better mood than ever.

“Lee, it was an honor to watch the game with you.”

“No, the pleasure was all mine. It was great to be able to cheer with the fans. It’s a shame the team didn’t win…”

Lee Jung-woo gave the surrounding spectators confidence with a confident face.

“Tomorrow will be different. Please come and watch.”

The people who saw his face and heard his words nodded as if they were possessed.

####

[ATL) Hey, Phillies! Ready to get crushed?]

[PHI) I don’t talk to losers who are 8 games behind, so get lost. Go play with the Mets losers.]

[ATL) Are you serious? Don’t you know who’s coming out tomorrow?]

[ATL) I guess not? Judging by how stupid they’re acting.]

Immediately after the Brewers game.

During the long night, the Phillies fans had suddenly lost their minds,

They had to suffer from the Braves fandom, who were running wild everywhere.

They kept repeating the same thing like they were on drugs, getting on their nerves.

It might have been better to just turn off the computer and throw the phone on the table,

But the Phillies had won today’s game, and their performance was so good that they couldn’t run away because they had so much to say, so they had to suffer.

[PHI) Haha, the National League is so weak. Everyone’s a loser.]

[PHI) We cleanly beat the Cubs losers, and it would be great to kill the Atlanta losers too. 8 games behind? It’ll be 11 games behind in a few days.]

[PHI) I heard the yellow-haired boss is back. I heard he was so bad that he was watching from the stands.]

[PHI) We need to deflate that bubble properly.]

In fact, the Phillies had provided the spark. Drunk with the joy of victory,

They said something to the Braves fans, who were their next opponents, that would make them even more angry than insulting their parents.

Not only did they dare to call Lee a bubble, but they also made racist remarks?

Usually, they would have retaliated with insults, but there was a joy as great as, or perhaps even greater than, anger.

It was a bit of a bizarre reaction mixed with that.

[ATL) Phillies, do you guys know that? Do you know?]

[PHI) What? That we’re going to win? And crush you guys?]

[ATL) No, that Lee is finally coming back tomorrow. How about it? Aren’t you happy?]

[PHI) F*** off, I don’t care if that yellow-haired bastard comes back.]

[ATL) Oh! That’s harsh. Should I show you something fun? (vs Phillies head-to-head record) Lee did so well against you guys.]

[PHI) Get lost, that record is going to be the last.]

This would have been just simple teasing, but the problem was that it was repeated infinitely.

The Braves fans showed the same questions, the same answers, and the same stats to an unspecified number of Phillies fans who came to the site.

At first, the Phillies fans just retaliated with ruthless insults as usual,

But they eventually got tired of the procession of madness that seemed almost reverent, like fanatics of a pseudo-religion.

[ATL) Don’t you guys know?]

[PHI) F***, you f***ing losers. I’m about to get calluses on my ears because you guys keep talking about it. Just get lost. I know, I know! I know it well, so you guys better prepare to get your asses kicked!]

[ATL) Oh? Do you really know? That’s not the reaction of someone who knows. If you knew, you should be scared, not angry. I’ll explain it again just in case.]

[ATL) Tomorrow, Lee is finally coming back. Lee is playing. He’s even coming back with championship experience, you know?]

[PHI) Yeah, yeah, I know that the yellow-haired boss who won a tournament that’s not even a tournament is coming out, so get lost. He’s going to get his ass kicked anyway.]

Whether it was just their personality,

Or whether they were just too tired of it, the Phillies fan was angry with racism again, but the Braves fans, who had already lost their minds, didn’t care.

[ATL) Oh, no. Racism. You guys missed your last chance. You need to get some real education from Lee.]

[ATL) I brought this just in case! This is what Lee recorded against you guys this season! Take a look! Isn’t it amazing?]

[vs Philadelphia Phillies – 19 plate appearances, 15 at-bats, 12 hits, 4 home runs, 14 RBIs, 4 walks, 1 HBP, 4 stolen bases]

[ATL) How about it? Amazing, right?]

It was a monstrous record.

In fact, there were hardly any teams that Lee Jung-woo hadn’t beaten up this season,

But the Phillies had been beaten up a bit mercilessly in just two series.

Of course, the Cubs, who had been hit with 4 consecutive home runs, would laugh at that story.

Anyway, they had been beaten up a lot. So, even though they had seen the opponent’s record several times,

The Phillies fans shuddered without realizing it.

[PHI) F***, is that even human?]

[PHI) Ha, f***. We really got screwed over properly. I hope his legs get broken.]

[PHI) If that f***er went back once, he should have lived in his country for the rest of his life. Why is he coming back again?]

Thanks to the efforts of the diligent Braves fans, the Phillies fans who visited the site that night suffered from nightmares.

Late at night, in their dreams, Lee Jung-woo proudly showed them a panel with his record against the Phillies,

Then he even took it to the plate and hit home runs with it.

And each time one flew away, the numbers on the panel went up.

“Ugh- ugh!”

“Darling? Darling! Does your heart hurt? Are you uncomfortable somewhere? Are you okay?”

“Hoo. I’m okay- no, I’m not okay. Damn it, damn it.”

“You seem very tired these days. I told you to quit drinking.”

The damn nightmare was so terrible that they groaned all night just from that.

What tormented them the most was something else.

‘Damn it! We haven’t even met yet.’

That the real game hadn’t even started yet.

Even though they had repeatedly watched Lee Jung-woo get beaten up for at least dozens of games.

In this way, Lee Jung-woo, who unintentionally inflicted trauma on many Phillies fans, made it a reality.

####

As Lee Jung-woo stepped up to the plate,

Truist Park shook.

The stadium was already noisy enough when he was on the starting list and came out to the ground as a shortstop,

But now it was magnificent and huge beyond comparison.

[As a Korean, it’s a touching sight. Atlanta is already cheering as if they’ve won the game just because of Lee Jung-woo’s return.]

[That’s how important he is. It was only a short time of about 2 weeks, but the Braves were able to fully taste how much Lee Jung-woo’s absence affected them.]

“F***, it’s so noisy.”

“I don’t think the Phillies have anything to say? I thought my eardrums were going to burst when he debuted. And this is pure cheering, but yours is all swearing? No matter how you look at it, we’re much more gentlemanly.”

“You’re kidding me.”

“And don’t worry about anything else, just control the pitcher well. Don’t let that guy hit him in the head again. Let’s go fair and square. This time, I’ll knock him out with a swing, not a foot.”

Lee Jung-woo, who coolly rebuked the grumbling catcher, ignored the catcher’s rebuttal.

He just took his batting stance and looked at the pitcher, and the catcher muttered something, but there was no reaction, so he eventually backed down. The complexion of the umpire, who seemed annoyed by this argument itself, also played a part.

It wasn’t the same person, but the umpire for today’s game seemed to have learned from the last game.

He was thinking of blocking the bench clearing [when players from both teams rush onto the field, usually after a fight or heated incident] in advance.

“Both of you, that’s enough. If the atmosphere gets heated today, I won’t hesitate to eject you. Be careful.”

“Yes, it’s just that guy started it first. Complaining that the fans are noisy…”

Lee Jung-woo, who answered kindly, left the catcher, who looked dumbfounded, behind and focused only on the pitcher on the mound again.

Giovanni Tuchi. He was the pitcher he was facing for the third time today.

Funnily enough, even if you add up the previous two times, he had only faced him in three plate appearances.

When they first met, he had his debut as a substitute in the middle of the game, so he only faced him in his debut plate appearance. He hit a home run. The pitcher he faced in the second plate appearance that day was a different pitcher.

And when they met for the second time, he was a starter, but as all Major League fans know, he didn’t face him for long.

In a way, that’s why Giovanni Tuchi had the best head-to-head record against Lee Jung-woo among the Phillies starting lineup.

But Lee Jung-woo thought that was over now.

‘Yeah, this is the Major League air. This is the atmosphere.’

Lee Jung-woo was in a good mood.

Not his condition, but his mood. Thanks to the underwhelming Asian Games games, his thirst for the majors had grown.

It had become even stronger yesterday just from watching in the stands.

That’s why he was in a better mood now than ever before when he stepped up to the plate.

‘Come on. Throw anything.’

As Lee Jung-woo stared intently, the pitcher, who snorted once, moved.

The power coming from his large body was no joke. If he was an inexperienced hitter, he would have been overwhelmed by that pressure and unable to swing.

In fact, the ball itself was also powerful.

But Lee Jung-woo didn’t hesitate.

‘Yeah, I knew you would.’

The fastball that was full inside. The speed is fast and the quality is good. He had tried to have a battle of nerves once.

Lee Jung-woo took his swing as it was the course he had already expected.

The ball was good, and the course was more difficult than he thought, so the possibility of a mis-hit was a bit high,

But that didn’t stop Lee Jung-woo from swinging.

“Yessssss!”

A powerful hitting sound rings out.

Giovanni couldn’t hold back his anger.

He threw his glove away and went wild, and the batted ball that flew over his head as if mocking him stretched out.

Watching Giovanni, who was running wild, and Lee Jung-woo, who threw his bat as if showing off to him,

Something suddenly came to mind in the heads of the Phillies visiting fans, who had always occupied the stands as if they were the home crowd.

The sound they had been hearing since last night.

Lee Jung-woo is back. He’s going to crush you guys. The neurotic words came to mind.

And they thought.

‘Yeah, he’s really back.’

“You f***ing son of a b****!”

Lee Jung-woo mercilessly beat up the Phillies to the point where he elicited such a reaction from the Phillies fans who had come all the way,

He announced to everyone once again.

That he had really returned after a short farewell. And unlike the expectations of fans from other clubs,

Whether he didn’t use much stamina, he was still damn good.