Pitcher’S End, Batter’S Start [EN]: Chapter 12

End of Pitching, Start of Hitting – Episode 11

After finishing the away series.

The day after returning to Rome, Georgia.

Lee Jungwoo headed downtown at Pajaro’s urging.

He was invited to that Rabbit House that Pajaro had been singing praises about.

‘If it’s not amazingly delicious, I’ll be honestly disappointed.’

He had heard so much about it.

Lee Jungwoo’s expectations were high.

If those tacos didn’t live up to the hype, Lee Jungwoo was willing to smack Pajaro.

Of course, he wouldn’t actually do it because even that was too much of a hassle.

‘It’s been a while since I’ve been downtown… no, it’s my first time.’

It was refreshing, and the surrounding scenery was nice.

Before the injury, he hadn’t bothered to look around, assuming he would be leaving soon. After the injury, he didn’t have the luxury to take walks, so even though he had lived there for a while, he didn’t know the place well.

Rome was a pretty decent town.

‘This is that Rabbit House.’

Lee Jungwoo sighed.

The exterior looked like a family restaurant geared towards kids.

A large rabbit picture was plastered right at the entrance.

“Lee! Over here!”

As he entered the restaurant, Pajaro was yelling and waving at him, and Lee Jungwoo sincerely wanted to shut his mouth.

But he held back with an effort.

‘He got hammered in his first starting game, and I’m the only person he’s close to on the team.’

In a way, he felt a sense of camaraderie.

Although he wasn’t injured himself, Pajaro’s situation was almost the same as his.

In a place where he had no one to rely on, fighting alone.

It was like seeing his past self.

If it weren’t for that, no matter how much he was being treated, he wouldn’t have bothered to come.

‘Well, it’s not like I have any close friends either. Actually, that guy might be even more outgoing than me.’

Even though he had been in Rome much longer than Pajaro, Lee Jungwoo himself didn’t have a single close teammate.

He wondered who was worrying about whom.

He awkwardly scratched the back of his neck.

Then he focused on the meal in front of him because of the strong aroma.

The scent coming from the kitchen was superb, especially compared to the meals provided by the team, which were just bread and a few kinds of jam.

It was much better than eating roughly at restaurants near the dorm.

“Let’s see how great it is that you’ve been raving about. Let’s give it a try.”

“You’ll be surprised when you eat it. It’s really authentic.”

If a Mexican [Pajaro] was saying that himself, it had to be good.

Lee Jungwoo also smacked his lips a little.

The dish that followed satisfied him.

He didn’t know what the real thing tasted like, but it was very different from what Lee Jungwoo had eaten at Taco Bell.

The quality was good. The taste was much better.

He didn’t really enjoy eating in general, but as an athlete, he devoured several servings ravenously.

Then he nodded in satisfaction with the meal.

He suddenly looked at Pajaro.

As usual, he was talking non-stop, but his eyes were deep.

It seemed like they were a little teary.

‘Well, he’s only twenty-one. It would be strange if he had a strong mentality.’

Right after his first start was decided, he was so excited that he talked about it for days.

But Pajaro, who started in the last game against Greenville, gave up 6 runs in 5 innings.

After that, he was taken off the mound without even completing the 6th inning.

He had pitched well until the 3rd inning, but after the batting order had gone around once, the hitters easily attacked his two pitches.

It seemed like his repertoire had been read.

But he couldn’t say anything other than he was just unlucky.

‘He must be relieving his stress like this.’

Lee Jungwoo thought that he might be covering up his wounds by eating this soul food.

So, he quietly listened to his rambling, even though he would have been annoyed usually.

Then he suddenly thought, ‘If he adds just one more pitch, he’ll be fine….’

Should I teach him?

Lee Jungwoo’s heart was moved, but he soon dismissed the thought.

It was still on hold.

####

Time flies quickly.

His first start, which made his heart race, was now weeks ago.

August was also coming to an end.

‘It’s time to start preparing for winter.’

Winter is important for baseball players.

For some, it can be a stepping stone for a leap forward, but for others, it can be the prelude to collapse.

If you’re in the majors, even a backup player has enough money, so it’s easy to plan a training schedule.

But minor leaguers have to do most things on their own from start to finish.

“I’m going to train in Australia. What about you?”

“I have an uncle in Phoenix. I’m going to train there and join spring camp.”

“Phoenix? Won’t you die from the heat if you train there?”

“It’s not that bad in the winter, you idiot. It might be possible in the summer, though.”

As the season neared its end, the players gathered and talked about the off-season as much as the game content.

If the league ranking was high, the focus would have been on the Single-A [the lowest level of minor league baseball] postseason, but the Rome Braves were far from that.

‘They’re still in 4th place. I understand why their minds are wandering. I would have been the same if I didn’t have Mark [his agent].’

The players started talking about training locations.

Places like Florida, which are usually famous for winter training, were rarely mentioned.

A place with no connections meant the living expenses alone would be quite a burden.

It’s hard to afford that with a Single-A salary, especially if you include training equipment.

So, most players go to places where they have acquaintances or relatives, or they go back to their hometown and train at their alma mater.

They adapt the situation to the environment.

This is why winter is a harsh time for the minors.

‘It’s all about money in the end.’

A player’s growth is greatly influenced by the environment. During the season, everyone is similar because they belong to a team, but during the off-season, the training environment changes depending on the signing bonus they received.

That’s why Lee Jungwoo was in a good situation.

‘I received a generous signing bonus, and I have a good agent who takes care of everything from the location to the trainer.’

So, he was in a good situation.

His training location was already set in Miami.

Lee Jungwoo, who was watching from a distance, saw Pajaro, who still looked depressed.

‘He said he received a signing bonus of $1 million.’

It’s not a small amount of money, but it depends on the family situation.

Players with families to support put most of their signing bonus into it, and they train while starving.

“Pajaro, where are you going to go?”

“Me? I don’t know. I’m going to stay in the United States for now. If that doesn’t work, I’ll have to go to Mexico. I can see my family while I’m at it.”

It seemed like Pajaro was one of those cases.

He hadn’t found a training location yet.

A blank face.

Lee Jungwoo smacked his lips.

‘It would be nice if I had a pitcher to throw to me….’

Even if Andrew Lavin fixes his batting form, there’s a huge difference between having a pitcher to throw to and not having one.

The time it takes to adapt to a new stance is different.

So, Pajaro spoke first to Lee Jungwoo, who was about to open his mouth.

“Lee, would you like to have a mini-game with me? I’m begging you.”

“A mini-game?”

####

Lee Jungwoo, who had agreed because it was a day off without a game, watched Pajaro bring his equipment.

A mini-game.

He didn’t understand the intention.

“But why a mini-game all of a sudden?”

“I told you before. I’m going to try throwing a horizontal slider.”

Come to think of it, he seemed to have said that.

He talks so much that he mostly ignores it, so he doesn’t remember well.

“A horizontal slider? Let me see the grip for a second.”

“I hold it like this, and it breaks horizontally.”

Lee Jungwoo slightly frowned at Pajaro’s grip, then returned to his original expression.

The grip Pajaro was holding was a little different from a typical slider grip.

“How do you hold the one you used to throw?”

“Like this.”

‘This one is more orthodox.’

They say that if a pitcher throws a breaking ball, 100 people throw 100 different balls.

Lee Jungwoo thought that that saying must be true.

Pajaro throws a vertical slider with an orthodox grip, and he throws a horizontal slider with a variant grip.

‘Well, it’s different for everyone.’

“So, you want me to watch from the plate?”

“I’m begging you. Watch and give me a proper evaluation.”

Lee Jungwoo sighed at his earnest expression and eventually headed to the plate.

His earnestness was conveyed.

His repertoire was read, and he was hammered, ruining his first Single-A start.

He must be getting impatient.

‘Honestly, I don’t know if throwing to me is meaningful… but he’ll do what he wants.’

He understood his feelings, but to be honest, he was a little doubtful.

Lee Jungwoo is not a strikeout hitter.

He’s more of a swing-and-miss hitter.

He just swings wildly at horizontal breaking balls, and he just swings and misses.

‘Well, he must feel like I’m more reliable because I’m a former pitcher.’

Lee Jungwoo thought so and stepped into the batter’s box and looked at Pajaro.

The guy took a deep breath with an unusually nervous face and threw.

Lee Jungwoo wasn’t focusing on hitting.

He was watching the ball as closely as possible, focusing on the pitcher.

He can’t see the ball well anyway, but he can see the pitcher’s movements.

After watching a few times, Lee Jungwoo shook his head.

‘His form is consistent. That’s a big strength.’

No matter what he throws, throwing with a consistent form is a great advantage as a pitcher.

At least the pitch won’t be read by the pitching form.

A ball coming from a consistent timing is considered tricky for hitters.

‘But… the ball itself isn’t good.’

However, just because his pitching form is the same doesn’t mean the ball is good.

Is this what it feels like when a kid learns a breaking ball for the first time and throws it?

Lee Jungwoo can hit that kind of slider well enough.

‘Of course, it’ll get better if he adapts after learning it for a while, but it doesn’t seem to suit him in the first place.’

First of all, his control was bad.

He kept throwing, but it seemed like he couldn’t get his bearings.

Only balls kept coming out.

If it were an actual game, he would have already walked [issued a base on balls] someone.

‘And it’s not consistent either.’

The horizontal slider that Pajaro throws lacks consistency.

It doesn’t mean that good balls come occasionally; most of them are bad.

And sometimes, exceptionally bad balls come in.

It’s to the point where you wonder if this is any different from a mediocre fastball.

Lee Jungwoo knew this kind of ball.

‘It’s a batting practice ball.’

A ball similar to batting practice pitchers.

Lee Jungwoo watched Pajaro, who couldn’t get his bearings until the end, and pondered.

It’s a little annoying, but he’s the first guy he became friends with after regressing [returning to the minor leagues].

He didn’t know his name or face until he became friends.

Maybe he didn’t make it to the majors, or even if he did, he wouldn’t have been a starter.

He might have disappeared after going through a similar transition period.

So, his heart went out to him.

‘Should I teach him?’

Lee Jungwoo looked down at his hand.

He had a weapon that allowed a broken pitcher to last for more than ten years in the pros.

If a normal guy throws it, it’ll be better than that.

If it’s a ball that’s going to disappear anyway, it would be nice to teach it to someone.

‘The conditions aren’t bad either. The length and thickness are almost the same.’

There may be differences in grip strength and flexibility, but Pajaro’s and Lee Jungwoo’s fingers were roughly similar.

His hand itself isn’t big, but his palm is short, and his fingers are long, which is almost identical.

But he still couldn’t make up his mind.

If he saw his ball being thrown from another pitcher’s hand, he wouldn’t feel very good.

“Pajaro, are you throwing that kind of thing at me? I almost got hit.”

“Sorry, sorry. I can’t get my bearings. So, how is it?”

While asking how it is, Pajaro’s face is showing that he lacks confidence himself.

Lee Jungwoo finally made a decision.

‘Is it because my mind is old? Sigh.’

He hated himself for falling for that kind of expression, but Lee Jungwoo made up his mind.

‘Yeah, I can’t throw it anyway. Let’s just get vicarious satisfaction instead. If I hadn’t been injured… No, if my rehabilitation had been somewhat successful, I wonder how far I would have gone.’

“Pajaro, do you want to learn a two-seamer [a type of fastball]?”

“A two-seamer?”

Pajaro’s eyes widened at the word two-seamer.

Lee Jungwoo, who was making eye contact with him, added a word as if he had intended to do so from the beginning.

“I’ll teach you during the winter when the season is over. How about it?”

‘Well, it would be nice for me to use him as a pitcher to throw to me during the off-season.’

He has a great desire to help a young (?) pitcher, but it’s better to get something in return than just giving it away.

If he gives a two-seamer that he can’t use anymore and gets a slave to help him train during the winter, Lee Jungwoo was sure that it would be a clear profit.

As the season was coming to an end, Lee Jungwoo also began to prepare for winter in earnest.