Pitcher’S End, Batter’S Start [EN]: Chapter 115

End of Pitchers, Start of Batters – Episode 114

The interview was very short and polite, almost as if it had been prearranged.

The reporter was courteous and tried his best not to intrude on Lee Jung-woo’s routine. The questions were mostly designed to praise Lee Jung-woo.

‘This is new. Well, with this kind of treatment, there’s not much to dislike.’

Such small gestures.

Lee Jung-woo liked it.

After his regression [returning to an earlier point in his career with retained knowledge], he had often been interviewed when selected as the MVP or after a good performance.

But this was his first formal interview since his return.

Lee Jung-woo remembered similar formal interviews from his time in professional baseball before his regression.

And those were, of course, rude.

They were often critical of a washed-up pitcher whose retirement was always imminent.

They would ask very provocative questions, subtly provoke him, or try to evoke sympathy by highlighting past injuries.

He didn’t do many interviews, but the ones he had were all like that.

So, Lee Jung-woo, who had initially been annoyed, found the considerate interview quite pleasing.

‘This is how it should be. It will be like this from now on. Here, I’m a top-class hitter in the league.’

He was now used to this difference and didn’t find it too unfamiliar.

He simply praised himself for earning the respect of the reporter and the broadcasting station.

He adopted the attitude that the current him should have.

“Thank you for the short interview. Is there anything else you would like to say?”

“It’s a cliché, but I will do my best. I know that the Braves and the fans in Korea have high expectations for me and for this game. To meet those expectations, I won’t play a disappointing game. I will win.”

Lee Jung-woo gave a confident smile.

He knew that the image of a spirited rookie was always well-received when the player was young, and that was what his fans and those watching the game wanted.

‘Now that the attention is different, I need to show some showmanship to match. That’s why I agreed to the interview.’

It was also to show consideration for the team, but the words and expressions were also sincere.

He was confident.

To be honest.

For Lee Jung-woo, this game.

The highly anticipated match against Vincent Harding wasn’t particularly risky.

If he did better than Harding, it would be a huge success.

Even if he didn’t, it was no loss.

Because here, he was young.

With a relaxed attitude.

The reporter watched Lee Jung-woo smile for a moment with a strange look even after the interview ended.

She thanked him for his time and walked away with the cameraman.

Lee Jung-woo, who caught her fleeting expression, smacked his lips.

‘I’ll have to flush it down the toilet this time [referring to unwanted advances or propositions].’

Judging by the look of things.

Whether he did well in today’s game.

Or fell short of expectations.

He would probably receive a note.

Most likely, the small piece of paper would have a number and a message asking him to call.

This was also something he had often experienced since his regression, and he had been teased a few times for being caught throwing them away.

Lee Jung-woo decided to be more thorough this time and focused on warming up again.

‘The weather is nice. Let’s have a proper showdown in this highly anticipated match.’

####

The field was filled with players.

The Pirates players, living up to their nickname, boasted a fearsome appearance, and it was jokingly said that their faces alone could overwhelm pitchers.

Of course, it was just a joke.

What was truly fearsome.

Wasn’t their faces, but.

Their bats.

‘Seeing their faces up close, I’m not disappointed, but rather relieved that I’m not a pitcher. They’re incredible.’

Every hitter except the pitcher had reached the 10-homer mark.

And three of them had 20 homers.

Among those three, Vincent Harding had already surpassed 30 home runs this season.

A truly insane lineup.

It was questionable how they could have such destructive power despite the unfavorable conditions of PNC Park [home stadium of the Pittsburgh Pirates, known to be pitcher-friendly].

Lee Jung-woo, looking around at them, folded away his regret at not being able to face Harding as a pitcher.

Because unless he was really, really good, he would probably get mercilessly crushed.

‘But our side isn’t weak either. If it turns into a slugfest, we might have a chance.’

“Let’s get the first hit and start. You know it’s no joke once Pittsburgh gets into a rhythm, right? Let’s step on them before that happens.”

Poppin, who had been complaining about PNC Park, said that to Rollins, the leadoff hitter, as if he had never complained, and the faces of several other players showed confidence that they wouldn’t lose.

‘The hitters are like that, but the pitchers look a little uneasy. Holsey is trembling.’

Unlike the hitters, who had gotten into the habit of winning and only thought about overwhelming the opponent to seize victory.

The pitchers, especially Brian Holsey, the starter for today’s game, looked troubled.

He seemed to be thinking, ‘Why do I have to start against those guys?’

Even before he had pitched, the burden he was feeling could be guessed from the sunflower seeds he had chewed and spat out around him.

‘The more he’s like that, the better the hitters have to do. That’s the only way he’ll feel a little relieved.’

Rollins had only just stepped into the batter’s box, but Lee Jung-woo was already preparing to go to the plate.

He wanted to be fully prepared, and he would be up to bat sooner than usual.

‘I’m finally batting cleanup [fourth in the batting order, typically reserved for the best hitters].’

Today, Lee Jung-woo was the Braves’ cleanup hitter.

If the opposing team frequently walked him intentionally, he would often be placed at number 4 with Peterson behind him.

But today, for the first game of the series, it wasn’t for strategic reasons. Lee Jung-woo had essentially pushed Peterson out.

It also meant adding symbolism to the player who was receiving attention.

Even if that wasn’t the case.

It wasn’t an incomprehensible decision.

Looking at his performance alone.

Lee Jung-woo had already earned the right to bat cleanup.

It had only been delayed due to Peterson’s dedication and whether he would adapt to the new batting order.

‘Not bad. There will be more runners ahead of me, and the back is solid.’

He wasn’t the type to place much significance on the batting order.

Instead of feeling burdened by being the cleanup hitter, Lee Jung-woo felt relieved that the back was solid.

Having finished his preparations, Lee Jung-woo watched the game with sharp eyes.

‘The Pittsburgh pitchers… to be honest, they’re not great.’

He knew that even the worst pitcher here was on a different level compared to himself before his regression.

Lee Jung-woo was someone who didn’t underestimate any pitcher and always did his best, but even he thought that the Pittsburgh pitchers were lacking.

‘Rollins is dragging it out. There’s no way to get him out. He’s cutting everything off. Is this what their third starter is like?’

The third starter, who didn’t have a decisive pitch to get the leadoff hitter out right away, was like that.

Right-hander Kieran McCubbin was currently the Pirates’ third starting pitcher.

But he was evaluated as having nothing but stamina and the ability to pitch innings.

In another team, he wouldn’t even be a third starter, let alone a fifth starter, and if the team had a strong starting lineup, he would have a hard time competing for a spot.

Still, he had already earned 7 wins this season and looked like he could get 10 wins if he did well…

But no one saw that as McCubbin’s skill, and Lee Jung-woo, who was finally seeing him in person, agreed.

‘The wins are just because of the hitters.’

As he said, it was the Pirates hitters who were madly hitting and feeding him wins while he was giving up a ton of runs but still pitching at least 6 innings.

He was being tormented by Rollins, the Braves’ and the entire game’s number one hitter.

Some players, watching him persistently cut the ball and maximize his pitch count from the perspective of a fellow pitcher, felt sorry for him.

Eventually, he gave up and walked Rollins, and the Braves hitters and the away fans who had traveled a long distance smiled.

“The Pirates are annoying, but thankfully, the Navy is still going strong today.”

“Hey! Kieran! Thank you for your service!”

“Navy” was a derogatory term for the Pirates’ pitching staff.

It was given to them because they played the role of shackling the pirates who were bombing the league.

The Pirates’ pitching and hitting were in stark contrast, so it fit surprisingly well and was often used.

Judging by the game so far.

It seemed like Kieran McCubbin, the starting pitcher for today’s game, would show that side of himself again in this game.

‘I already expected this. A slugfest will happen anyway. The side that hits more wins.’

Some away fans even shouted and saluted as if they were talking to real soldiers.

Whether that put a lot of pressure on him.

Kieran, who even walked Derrick, eventually allowed a one-RBI hit to Joey.

He gave up the first run.

It was already a desperate situation, having sent three hitters in a row to the plate right after the start of the game.

Unfortunately, the worst opponent of this game was coming up to the empty batter’s box.

“Boooooooooooo!”

“Go drink your mommy’s milk, you little brat!”

“Just because they’re hyping you up, do you think you’re really Harding? You’ll disappear without a name next season!”

“How dare you compare yourself to the Flying Dutchman [nickname for Vincent Harding]?”

An overwhelming barrage of boos erupted, which hadn’t been heard when the previous hitters entered.

Unlike the fact that the match between Lee Jung-woo and Vincent Harding had become an interesting topic.

The fans of the Pittsburgh Pirates were very unhappy that the Flying Dutchman and such a brat were even mentioned in the same breath.

Even if he transferred to another team through free agency.

Harding was already a legend of the Pirates.

‘This is about what I expected, no, maybe even better?’

The fact that 38,000 people were booing with one heart and one mind would already be enough pressure for the hitter.

Lee Jung-woo was calm.

He had already prepared for the boos he received when he hit a home run and did a cool bat flip in his debut game against the Phillies.

Or when he brutally crushed the Cubs at Wrigley Field.

This was about the same level.

No, the hostility was similar.

But maybe because the size of the stands was a little smaller.

It was better than he thought.

‘This is like a classical concert hall. The background music is playing. Let’s hit one.’

Lee Jung-woo stepped into the batter’s box.

The catcher glared at him.

He had heard from his teammates that he was a player who trash-talked a bit, so he had expected it, but he didn’t say anything because he was more concerned about the pitcher who was losing his grip and shaking.

‘His pitches are two-seam fastball, changeup, slider, and curveball. A typical classic pitcher. But his control is lacking, and his speed isn’t very fast.’

Thankful for the quieter-than-expected stadium, Lee Jung-woo recalled the pitcher’s information as much as possible to be sure until the end, even after seeing him throw awkwardly.

The player who avoided eye contact first clearly didn’t seem normal.

Looking down on the hitter was literally the pitcher’s pride, and the fact that he didn’t even have that last bit of pride.

‘His two-seam fastball rate is about 60 percent. Curve and slider are each 12-14 percent. The rest is changeup rate. Among them, the first pitch is usually a two-seam.’

Lee Jung-woo scratched his itchy nose and then stepped into the batter’s box and took his stance.

Still unable to make eye contact.

McCubbin suddenly and confidently turned his body as if he had made up his mind, and he quickly threw the ball.

‘It looks like a two-seam. Then it’s either a two-seam or a changeup.’

In a short time.

Lee Jung-woo made a decision and swung his bat. The outfielders were generally skewed to the right fence.

I guess they were targeting it.

Lee Jung-woo’s power was enough to easily break such a timid shift.

Thwack-

“You son of a biiiiiiiiiitch!”

Without paying attention, he pulled the batted ball.

The right fielder ran back hard, and in the meantime, Lee Jung-woo and the runners ran like crazy.

“Come in! Come in!”

Derrick, who was at second base first, glanced at the outfield and then shouted loudly.

He waved Joey home.

Even though he wasn’t as fat as Peterson or Poppin, Joey, who was quite large, gasped and stepped on the base one step ahead.

“Hoo. One for now.”

Lee Jung-woo, seeing the second baseman and right fielder who had made the relay play but couldn’t bring themselves to throw, turned his eyes again.

He saw the opposing left fielder, Harding, glaring at him with burning eyes.

Whether he was angry at giving up the first run, or whether he was unhappy that the brat who was compared to him had gotten a hit and an RBI first.

Lee Jung-woo didn’t turn his gaze away from Harding, who was staring at him intently.

That was Lee Jung-woo’s declaration of war. A declaration of war admitting that he had hit first.

Lee Jung-woo, who turned his body slightly to look at the left fielder, and Vincent Harding, who was caught in the distance.

A reporter took a picture of the exquisitely perfect two-shot. It was a scene that could be used no matter who won today’s game.

Thus, the match between the strongest players of this season, which had been attracting attention from before, created a plausible picture from the very beginning.