Pitcher’S End, Batter’S Start [EN]: Chapter 113

End of Pitchers, Beginning of Hitters – Episode 112

Their prized prospect and temporary ace.

Though the Dodgers were disappointed by the unfortunate collapse of their Aidan Styles card,
considering their presumed ace had lost, the impact wasn’t too severe.

Watching Aidan get thoroughly dominated by Lee Jungwoo,
they were momentarily stunned,
but Dodgers fans didn’t show much reaction beyond that.

Even with their loss in the first game,
they seemed somewhat composed.

“Their reaction makes me uneasy, even after winning.”

“They’re just showing off, saying they have plenty of starters.”

“Looking at them, they don’t even have a proper ace, yet their pride is through the roof.”

The Braves players were taken aback by the Dodgers fans’ attitude.

As a team that prides itself on being the best in the National League,
their pride was exceptional.

If it were unfounded confidence, it would be laughable, but
luckily for their fans, the Dodgers had the skill to back it up.

[Ah, another swing and a miss! Lee Jungwoo swings at the slider breaking away outside! Now it’s two and one. The count is against him.]

‘Ugh, this damn slider. I need to fix this eventually.’

Lee Jungwoo had a thought that would make pitchers grab him by the collar and shake him, but he was serious.

Unlike the league’s best curveball, which he easily turns into extra-base hits or home runs,
Lee Jungwoo didn’t have a good track record against sliders.

The horizontal movement he saw from the plate always felt a bit strange.

‘Cutters don’t feel like this, but only sliders do. Tsk.’

Lee Jungwoo clicked his tongue.

Even though the Dodgers lost the first game with their presumed ace, the second starter in the second game wasn’t much worse than the previous day’s starter.

No, they were about the same. To Lee Jungwoo, it felt like he was doing even better.

As if proving that the Dodgers don’t have a clear ace, but most of their starters are at least second or third-tier,
today’s starting pitcher showed good skill.

[Lee Jungwoo virtually decided the game yesterday, but he seems to be struggling today. His defense is as great as usual, but his hitting is a bit off.]

[If yesterday’s game favored Lee Jungwoo, today it’s the pitcher’s turn.]

[Yes, they’re actively using sliders against Lee Jungwoo.]

Especially against the high-speed slider, Lee Jungwoo looked different from the previous day.

‘Hoo. What should I expect next? They showed me the slider first. Not as a finisher, but I think they’ll still try to get me with it. Fastball? Or two-seamer? Maybe a changeup.’

Lee Jungwoo’s mind was racing.

He was facing a more troublesome pitcher than Aidan Styles, who had only used two pitches in the first at-bat and one pitch afterward.

After pondering alone, Lee Jungwoo finally made a decision. His choice was the fastball.

He thought they would come at him aggressively.

He didn’t think they would throw a changeup again after the breaking ball.

He wasn’t sure whether it would be a two-seamer or a four-seamer,
so Lee Jungwoo timed his swing for the fastball and stepped back into the batter’s box.

‘I’ll hit one for sure.’

The pitcher, unflinching under Lee Jungwoo’s intense gaze, slightly rotated his shoulder and
surprisingly threw the ball.

Even though there were no runners, he threw from the set position. The timing was slightly off,
but Lee Jungwoo swung as planned.

‘Come on, fastball.’

With that wish in mind,
Lee Jungwoo expected to feel the impact as the ball approached the end of his bat,
but the ball cruelly broke horizontally and dropped again.

Two sliders in a row.

Lee Jungwoo wanted to applaud the bold choice,
if he hadn’t just struck out.

“Strike out!”

[Swing and a miss, Lee Jungwoo strikes out again this at-bat.]

[Ah… it looks like he barely touched the end of the bat. The timing was a bit awkward.]

[Well, these things happen. It’s impossible to always do well in baseball. Isn’t that the charm of baseball?]

[That’s right. A pitcher who throws a perfect game can get shelled in the next game.]

The commentators tried to sugarcoat Lee Jungwoo’s strikeout, saying it was just part of baseball, as if he had fanned himself with a powerful electric fan.

What they said was true. Even legendary players don’t always perform well.

However, the intention behind their words was a bit too obvious.

‘Slider, I was on top of it yesterday, but today I got played.’

However, even if the commentators’ sugarcoating worked on the viewers,
Lee Jungwoo certainly didn’t hear it.

Lee Jungwoo struck out three times against the slider, and he wore a bitter smile, feeling like he was getting played in today’s game.

“What’s this? The media was calling him a five-tool rookie, but he’s just a curveball hitter?”

“Yeah, he can’t hit sliders at all. Tell the pitcher he did a good job.”

Seizing the opportunity, the catcher started trash-talking with a slightly excited tone,
but Lee Jungwoo responded nonchalantly and trudged back to the bench.

His usual stoic face was filled with worry.

‘My condition is fine, but if my performance is like this, either my hitting cycle is declining again, or I just can’t hit sliders. Which one is it?’

Unlike the previous day, when he had a great performance with 2 hits, 1 home run, 2 RBIs, and 1 walk in 3 at-bats out of 4,
his performance today was 3 strikeouts, completely shut down by the well-timed sliders.

Lee Jungwoo was a little worried that his hitting or stamina might be declining,
but honestly, that was just an excuse.

Lee Jungwoo knew the real reason.

‘I just… got shut down by the slider. The rookie buff is gone. They’re starting to time their pitches perfectly.’

He used to be able to hit sliders well when many pitchers underestimated him,
but now that he was a player to watch, even as a rookie,
they were pitching with proper ball distribution, making it difficult to hit.

Especially today, they were targeting the right moments and catching him off guard, so he was completely shut down.

‘Well, what can I do? These things happen. Let’s just play good defense. If I can get a hit after the starter comes down, that’s enough.’

Like the Dodgers fans accepting their defeat yesterday, Lee Jungwoo lightly brushed off today’s disappointment.

However, even while acting nonchalant, he made one firm decision.

‘When the season ends, I need to seriously work on dealing with sliders.’

With that, Lee Jungwoo added one more thing to his off-season training plan and returned to the bench with a slightly lonely look.

####

The Dodgers won the second game of the series.

To be honest, they won with more difficulty than their confidence from the previous day suggested.

They barely managed to win a somewhat timid slugfest with a score of 5-4.

They had taken a 5-1 lead by battering the Braves’ starter,
but they almost allowed a comeback in the late innings,
so it wasn’t the impressive victory they had hoped for.

And that ambiguous performance was repeated in the final game of the series.

[Many predicted that the showdown would be a battle between the Braves’ spear and the Dodgers’ shield, but it turned out that both sides were equipped with both swords and shields throughout the series.]

[Yes, like yesterday, it’s definitely not a pitching duel today either. But it’s also hard to call it a slugfest. The game continues with neither team gaining a clear advantage.]

An ambiguous slugfest.

Like the second game held the previous day,
the Braves and the Dodgers only inflicted minor wounds on each other.

The score was 4-4 through the 7th inning.

There were a decent number of runs,
but neither team managed to knock out the other, and neither team gained momentum.

If this was the same as the previous day,
Lee Jungwoo’s situation was also similar to yesterday.

‘Is this why the Dodgers have such good results?’

Lee Jungwoo was shut down again today.

He managed to get one walk, which was better than yesterday when he was completely shut down,
but his bat still wasn’t firing on all cylinders.

‘It’s definitely not a high-level slider… but the timing is perfect.’

It seemed like they had analyzed him properly. They were pitching mainly in the cold zone, even if it meant giving up walks, which made it difficult.

Especially since the opposing bench or catcher seemed to have realized something in yesterday’s game,
they were throwing slightly lower-quality sliders at the right time.

Lee Jungwoo easily gave up strikes and strikeouts.

With added performance.

‘That’s a slider.’

“Thanks for the breeze since yesterday!”

“The pitchers told me to thank you for keeping them cool!”

“Good job, Lee! You’re doing great! Keep it up!”

Lee Jungwoo swung and missed at the slider breaking outside again.

The Dodgers fans showered him with kind compliments (?) as he struck out.

They had seen signs of it since yesterday,
and today Lee Jungwoo was providing a strong breeze with his powerful swings, so
the spectators showed their deep gratitude by applauding as if they were giving him a curtain call.

It was heartwarming to see them encourage and praise the opposing team’s hitter,
but of course, it was just on the surface.

In reality, it was just mockery.

“They’re having fun. They’re really having fun.”

“Lee, just ignore those idiots. They’ll be shaking in their boots if you get a hit.”

“Yes, I will.”

“Are those guys stupid? What’s his batting average right now… a power hitter? That’s ridiculous. How can they say that after seeing this monster’s batting average?”

“They’re just stupid. Stupid. Ah, we need to shut them up properly today so they’ll keep their mouths shut next time.”

When Lee Jungwoo returned to the bench, his teammates who encouraged him looked at the people in the stands as if they were dumbfounded.

A power hitter for Lee? That was nonsense.

He definitely wouldn’t meet the required plate appearances, so it wouldn’t be recognized as an official record,
but at least during this season, Lee Jungwoo boasted the highest batting average, or simply the best.

Ignoring all of that and calling him that way only made them look stupid.

‘A power hitter… if you limit it to this series, it’s kind of similar.’

Except for the first game,
he hadn’t been hitting properly and had been striking out with big swings,
so he could see why they would think that way.

‘I’m getting a little impatient.’

It was his fault too.

If he had hit calmly,
he might have gotten a hit. But his slump continued, so he couldn’t be patient.

He made the wrong decision that a short slump could ruin his hitting cycle and cause a full-blown slump, so he struck out when he didn’t have to.

It was his own fault, so no one else was to blame.

Lee Jungwoo didn’t get annoyed by their mockery.

He just accepted it calmly.

‘I acted stupid, and it’s the audience’s privilege to laugh at the loser. But there’s no guarantee that this will last forever.’

Just because they’re doing that doesn’t mean the records he’s set so far will disappear.

And even though he’s not hitting well,
his hitting feel and condition are still good, at least for now.

At least in today’s game,
he could definitely be a power hitter, as they said.

‘If I connect, it’ll go over. Let’s wait and see. There’s still a chance left.’

Lee Jungwoo looked at the field with cold eyes.

Fortunately, there was still a chance left. Maybe they could even win the game.

[Fifth batter Poppin is out, and the Braves unfortunately miss their chance.]

[The tie continues.]

####

“Just fan the air for us again. It’s hot, so don’t run around and sweat.”

“Just rest today and work hard from tomorrow. Just do what you’ve been doing. Don’t worry too much.”

The Dodgers fans welcomed Lee Jungwoo, who was coming up to bat again in the top of the 9th inning with two outs and the score tied, with words that sounded like encouragement if you only heard them briefly.

To put it nicely, that’s what it sounded like.

Looking at the content, it was no different from what other teams’ fans always shout: ‘Strike out and get out!’

But Lee Jungwoo calmly entered the batter’s box and tried to calm his mind as much as possible.

‘This is a dangerous situation. If I strike out again, my hitting feel might really be shaken.’

He knew that hitting feel was a sensitive area and that a short slump could be the starting point of a full-blown slump,
so Lee Jungwoo thought he had to stop it here, but he tried to calm himself as much as possible.

‘Don’t be impatient. Trying to maintain my feel and recklessly hitting will only make things worse. Let’s stay calm.’

Holding the bat loosely, Lee Jungwoo had the patience of a leadoff hitter.

The pressure of being in the top of the 9th inning with two outs, possibly the team’s last batter, tried to weigh him down, but Lee Jungwoo waited with a calm mind like still water.

The sight of Lee Jungwoo standing still without moving was like a monk in ascetic practice,
but his poor performance in the previous at-bats stripped away that facade.

They were mistaken.

They thought he was scared because he hadn’t been doing well since the first game and was coming up as the last batter. In other words, he was intimidated.

In fact, he had intended it slightly.

The weaker he looked,
the better the pitch they would throw.

He had often used this method before his regression to make a weak opponent look even weaker,
and it seemed to work well.

The opposing battery was completely fooled.

“Don’t be too stressed. It’s just one game, right? You have to be confident.”

The catcher thought that the rookie, who was receiving too much attention, was scared by the sudden slump,
so he even gave him a word of advice.

It seemed to be an act of kindness from a senior player with a generous heart,
so Lee Jungwoo felt uneasy for no reason, but he didn’t deny it.

Instead, he nodded slightly as if to say thank you.

If the catcher had ever exchanged trash talk with Lee Jungwoo,
he would have had a rough idea of what kind of person he was and wouldn’t have believed him so easily.

Unfortunately, this was the first series the Dodgers had played against Lee Jungwoo,
and the only trash talk was the catcher talking alone to Lee Jungwoo, who was swinging and missing at the slider.

The catcher, who had misunderstood Lee Jungwoo, was easily fooled by his actions,
and that had an impact on the pitcher as well.

‘Four-seamer… perfect. Here it comes.’

He knew it as soon as he saw it.

The ball was different enough that even with his mediocre eye for the ball, he could tell.

Until now, the pitchers had been focusing on control, so the ball had been slightly on the edge of the strike zone or far outside,
but now the ball was being thrown with full power.

Of course, the control was slightly weaker, so it was coming into the strike zone,
and Lee Jungwoo didn’t miss the chance to hit it, as it was coming in close to the perfect spot to hit.

It was the opportunity he had been waiting for.

“Hoo-”

The catcher’s eyes widened.

His eyes were filled with betrayal. It was hard to believe that he was a nervous rookie.

The swing was so light and natural, and the swing followed the four-seamer as if he had been waiting for it, and he finally realized.

That he had been fooled.

Lee Jungwoo, who had lightly put down his bat, started running to first base with a light step like his swing. The ball had already gone over the fence.

The catcher’s eyes, filled with betrayal, stabbed at his departing back like knives,
and the Dodgers fans, who had been betrayed (?), finally reacted with anger.

Lee Jungwoo shrugged his shoulders.

‘That’s right, you shouldn’t trust people so easily. Especially the other team.’

He felt a little guilty himself,
and the catcher might criticize him for being a dirty player,
but if that happened, Lee Jungwoo was confident that he would laugh at him with pleasure.

In the first place, it was stupid of him to trust the opponent on the battlefield.

He had just used every method he could.

‘At least I stopped the cycle from breaking down before it happened. And I even turned the game around.’

And more important to Lee Jungwoo than those eyes or the opponent’s betrayal
was that he had stopped the short slump early and contributed to the team’s victory.

‘That’s enough with the Dodgers. The next game is the real problem.’

With that, Lee Jungwoo finished the last game against the Dodgers by adding one more enemy and prepared for the next game.

The Pittsburgh Pirates.

It was the game he had been looking forward to the most among the long series of away games.