Pitcher’S End, Batter’S Start [EN]: Chapter 126

Pitcher Done, Batter Up – 125

After the game.

After finishing the schedule.

Lee Jung-woo, who had collapsed into bed as soon as he got home, woke up but just stared blankly at the ceiling.

It was starting to sink in, little by little.

And feelings of wanting to ask himself, ‘What have I done?’ started to surface.

But there was also a strange sense of lethargy.

He thought it was just because he was tired and would get better after sleeping.

Even though he had a good night’s sleep and his body felt refreshed, the feeling hadn’t disappeared much.

‘I’ve got so many messages.’

Lee Jung-woo picked up his phone and shook his head at the endless stream of messages.

Whenever he did well in a game.

It was always like this.

But this time, it seemed particularly excessive.

‘It’s the postseason. It’s bound to feel different.’

It was a great achievement.

Many teams hadn’t even been close to the postseason for a long time.

Similarly, there were countless players who retired without experiencing it.

‘But we still have a long way to go.’

Now the real postseason was starting.

Even that was just the second gateway to the massive battleground that was the World Series.

Even if they reached that battlefield, there was a boss monster.

‘This season, the Red Sox will definitely win and establish a dynasty.’

The Boston Red Sox.

For the next five years.

They would build a dynasty so great that their rivals, the Yankees, would clutch their aching stomachs and be rushed to the emergency room.

Including this season, they would advance to the postseason every season for five years.

Experiencing three World Series and three championships.

It was such an absurd record that it sent shivers down his spine. Perhaps it was because those guys were at the very top.

Somehow, the congratulatory words and the cheering voices he heard last night didn’t resonate much.

‘There’s still a long way to go. If we go all the way to the World Series, it’s at least eleven more games, right?’

Suddenly, he felt overwhelmed.

He had run quite a bit.

And received cheers.

He had crushed strong opponents, ones he couldn’t even dream of in his past life, opponents that made his heart race.

And eventually, he had made it to the Division Series.

But before his eyes, there were even stronger and more daunting games waiting.

‘Burnout?’

Lee Jung-woo chuckled.

A rookie having burnout.

It was a story that anyone would scoff at if they heard it.

‘But I have run a lot, from before the regression until now, for decades, for thousands of games.’

But if you looked at the inside.

It was only natural.

Baseball, which he had done habitually.

Coming back in time again.

Even though he had a younger body, his mind had been running non-stop.

The first postseason he had ever experienced.

The shock of realizing that its value wasn’t as great as he thought, that it wasn’t the end, was enough to be a catalyst.

But Lee Jung-woo got up.

‘If I was going to collapse from something like this, I wouldn’t have played baseball so desperately in the first place.’

It wasn’t anything serious.

He wasn’t so lighthearted that he would be buried by a temporary feeling of emptiness.

‘And my dream is too big. It’s just the Division Series. Why am I worrying about the World Series? I need to focus on what I have to do right now.’

Lee Jung-woo neatly made his bed and got up to act as usual.

‘Besides, the opponent in front of me is good, too.’

Lee Jung-woo smiled unconsciously. The smile came naturally.

‘The compatibility isn’t good. Curves, splitters, even sinkers and forkballs. They all throw downward breaking balls. Even if that weren’t the case, I strangely hit the ball well. And on top of that…’

If the memories of the future gave him an unpleasant fear, they also gave him advantages.

As he remembered, the Phillies.

‘Didn’t even get close to the World Series this season. They were eliminated early in the Division Series.’

He didn’t remember who their opponent was. He only remembered that they were ridiculed for their early elimination.

But what was certain was.

That those ridicules, like the many things that had disappeared due to his regression, would not become a non-existent story this time either.

‘Even if the opponent is different, the result will be the same this time as well.’

####

The night before Game 1 of the Division Series.

Videos predicting the remaining games were uploaded to various video streaming sites.

Some of them were just nonsense filled with fans’ hopes.

But there were also videos uploaded by fairly prominent experts.

One of them was Baseball Story.

A channel where an unknown stand-up comedian invited famous baseball columnists as guests to discuss hidden stories and predict games that the public didn’t know about.

It had quite a few viewers due to its decent hosting skills and high prediction accuracy.

As people’s attention was focused on the Division Series, which was essentially the start of the real postseason, they also predicted the Division Series.

And they uploaded a video to explain the already finished Wild Card Game, or rather, to explain what the subscribers were curious about.

“Yes, all the Wild Card Games have ended. Now we have the Division Series left. What do you think about the Wild Card Games?”

“I want to say it was as expected.”

“Why is that?”

“Both the Atlanta Braves and the Detroit Tigers were teams that were expected to be superior before the game. And in the end, those two teams defeated their opponents and advanced.”

It wasn’t wrong.

In the case of the Braves and the Giants, there were many opinions that it was a 50-50 chance, but there were also views that the Braves were superior.

The Detroit Tigers were treated as a team expected to advance to the Division Series from the start.

Starting with those words, stories about the game’s content flowed from the guests’ mouths.

The last story about the Wild Card Game was to scratch the itch of some subscribers, the fans of the winning teams.

“Who do you think was the MVP of each Wild Card Game?”

The performers shrugged.

They had expressions that asked, “Why are you asking such an obvious question?”

“Um… I think everyone else has the same thought as me. It’s Jung-woo Lee and Arthur Hunter.”

“Yes, I definitely agree. Arthur Hunter properly showed the aspect of being the American League’s home run leader this season. And Jung-woo Lee also properly confirmed why he is considered the next-generation number one against the best pitcher.”

“In Lee’s case, he showed a solid performance not only in offense but also in defense. As you can see here…”

Since it was Lee Jung-woo with 2 home runs and Arthur Hunter with a grand slam.

It was a natural claim, so there was no particular objection.

Since the Wild Card Game, like the Division Series, didn’t have a separate MVP.

It was just a showmanship to scratch the itch of both teams’ fans.

There was no reason to object and spoil the mood, causing bad words to come out.

After finishing the story about the Wild Card Game, the people brought up the main topic.

“Yes, this is the Division Series bracket, and it’s quite interesting just to take a look.”

“First, looking at the American League, the Red Sox, who had the highest winning percentage in the major leagues this season, are facing the Tigers, who overwhelmingly won the Wild Card and advanced.”

“It’s an interesting matchup. The Red Sox had a really great regular season this season, and every expert has picked them as the team closest to winning the World Series, but…”

“The Tigers have the upper hand in the regular season head-to-head record.”

“That’s right. The Red Sox, who have the upper hand against every team in the American League and the Interleague, only have a bad record against the Tigers.”

Red Sox and Tigers.

Starting with those two teams.

After finishing their predictions and forecasts for the Indians and Angels games, they licked their lips.

The ALDS [American League Division Series] was also interesting.

But if you only consider the box office appeal.

The National League was better.

Although the possibility that the Giants could face their worst rival in the National League, the Dodgers, in the Championship Series had disappeared as the Braves crushed the Giants.

On the contrary, as the Braves advanced, a definite box office element was created.

“The National League has teams from the same division facing each other.”

“Yes, from both teams’ perspectives, they will see the same boring faces they saw throughout the regular season again in the fall.”

Braves and Phillies.

The two teams’ matchup was interesting.

Like Yankees and Red Sox.

Like Giants and Dodgers.

There wasn’t even a rivalry as intense as killing each other.

But as far as the National League was concerned, the Phillies were like a public enemy, and the Braves happened to be in the same division as them.

Naturally, their relationship wasn’t good.

On top of that, both teams boasted solid fandoms.

Of course, if you talk about box office appeal, the Dodgers are also one of the top teams in the league.

The Pirates, though not as much as the three teams mentioned earlier.

They boasted a solid fandom with the team’s unique character and Vincent Harding, an all-time hitter.

But inevitably, the fact was that this side had more box office appeal.

The host put the Phillies and Braves on hold for a moment and brought up the Dodgers and Pirates first.

“Dodgers and Pirates. What do you think about the two teams’ matchup?”

“In short, it’s a spear versus shield.”

“First of all, the Dodgers have an overwhelming advantage in pitching. On the other hand, Pittsburgh’s hitting is much stronger.”

“However, the Dodgers’ recent problem, the absence of a definite ace, seems to be holding them back again this time.”

“It’s too difficult to stop with a starting lineup without an ace… Pittsburgh’s firepower is too strong.”

“But the Dodgers also…”

The story never stopped.

Only after the host gestured to reduce the talking did the guests’ mouths become a little, just a little, quieter.

It was that difficult to predict the matchup.

Even though the teams had extremely different tendencies, the weight of both teams was in perfect balance.

In other words, it was a matchup that you wouldn’t know until you opened it up, so the story became longer.

Eventually, after the host intervened, people came to a conclusion.

“I think we can only know after watching the first game.”

“I agree.”

After it was settled like that.

The host brought up the main dish in earnest.

The previous discussion was so intense.

The host’s face was filled with anticipation for securing content, thinking that it would be the same this time.

“Yes, so let’s just leave the Dodgers and Pirates’ match at that. What about the Phillies and Braves?”

Unfortunately, the answer that came back was very short.

“The Braves will win overwhelmingly.”

“I agree.”

“I think the same.”

“Oh, it’s too different from the previous predictions. Is there a reason?”

The flustered host hurriedly asked back, and the guests shrugged.

It wasn’t that they favored the Braves or hated the Phillies, so they said that.

It was an inevitable fact.

Of course, at first glance, you might feel that the Phillies are ahead.

Unlike the Braves, who had already used their first starter in the Wild Card Game, they were fine.

They had rested longer.

And they were the division champions in the first place.

And there was also the advantage that the first and second games would be played at their home.

But there was a definite reason that could eat all those things up and just burn them away.

“Um… I’ll say it briefly. 45 at-bats, 22 hits, 6 home runs, 22 RBIs [Runs Batted In], 7 walks, 1 hit by pitch. Is that enough explanation?”

“…Yes, I think it’s enough.”

The host admitted it.

Among those who watched the video, the Phillies fans were frustrated.

But from the depths of their hearts, they understood the commentators’ judgments.

The Braves’ first starter would come out late.

But Lee Jung-woo, the Phillies’ grim reaper this season, was healthy from the first game.

And this prediction wasn’t just in that video.

Most of the videos, even several sports channels on TV, gave similar opinions.

The Phillies, who had a beautiful season.

They were nurturing their dream of the World Series.

Unfortunately, their first opponent in the postseason was too dirty.

####

Before Game 1 was held.

The press conference rooms in each stadium were full of people.

The reporters hoped that good sources would come out.

But at least the reporters who headed to Philadelphia weren’t that desperate.

Since the match itself was already a sufficient story.

Even if there were no news stories, the box office was guaranteed.

“What are your thoughts on the pitcher management in this game?”

“I’ll do it in a common sense way.”

“Don’t you think it’s too complacent since it’s the postseason?”

“I’m wondering how the word ‘common sense’ is connected to ‘complacent.’”

Manager Mancini skillfully swept away the reporters’ questions.

The reporters who wanted a provocative response were disappointed.

But they didn’t ask even stronger questions.

There were quite a few Asians in the quiet press conference room.

Perhaps it was a natural story.

The Phillies’ first starter was Japanese.

The Braves’ core was Korean.

The Japanese reporters hoped that Manager Mancini would say even a little bit about being wary of the opposing starter.

Or that he was threatening….

“What do you think of Takeshi Iwakuma, who is likely to be the starting pitcher for Game 1?”

“Well, we don’t know yet until the list comes out.”

“How do you usually evaluate him?”

“I evaluate him as the opposing team’s starting pitcher.”

“He’s a player who is expected to be a Cy Young finalist. Aren’t you ignoring him too much?”

“That’s also something we don’t know yet.”

There was no way.

Manager Mancini had no intention of raising the spirits of the opposing team’s starting pitcher by speaking well of him.

No, rather, he was only thinking of scratching him up as much as possible.

“Then, assuming that Iwakuma comes out as the starting pitcher, what are you going to do?”

“Our hitters have already shown good performances against Iwakuma during the regular season. In particular, Lee has already completely defeated him. I think, no, I’m sure it won’t be any different this time.”

The Japanese reporters and pro-Phillies reporters gnashed their teeth at Manager Mancini’s confident remarks.

The Korean reporters eagerly wrote it down with expressions of “What a windfall.”

But Manager Mancini didn’t end it there. He wanted to deliver a definite blow.

“I hope the Phillies don’t misinterpret this as just a provocation, because I’m serious.”

With Manager Mancini’s declaration of war as the beginning, the Division Series began.