Pitcher’S End, Batter’S Start [EN]: Chapter 133

Pitcher done, batter up -132

The first day of batting practice. Hank Raleigh and Andrew Rubin had an explanation first.

“Lee hit a total of 28 home runs this season. The average distance of those home runs is…”

“415.6ft.”

“You know that.”

“I can’t help but know because the media is making a fuss about him having the best power in the league and hitting the farthest.”

“Then it’ll be easier to talk. Anyway, Lee’s distance is considerable. This is an average trap, and Lee is very extreme. Of course, excluding inside-the-park home runs.”

Extreme. That’s what he claimed. Lee Jung-woo tilted his head, but Andrew Rubin and Hank Raleigh, who exchanged glances, played the video.

And after watching it, Lee Jung-woo understood what the word extreme meant.

“Some are so big that it’s strange they don’t go out of the stadium. But on the other hand, some barely go over the fence.”

Lee Jung-woo remembered all the home runs he had hit in the big leagues. There were only 28 in the first place. It’s harder not to remember.

So Lee Jung-woo had a rough idea of what he was trying to say.

“The ones with high flight distances are the ones that hit the sweet spot accurately. On the other hand, the short ones are…”

“You forced it over.”

“That’s right. To put it simply, Lee is a batter who is strong enough to force a home run…”

He soon replayed Lee Jung-woo’s batting stance. Lee Jung-woo made eye contact with Rubin after confirming it.

It was a topic they had discussed with each other since they created a new batting form. It was his power.

“Does Raleigh think my power is too much?”

“To be exact. Considering Lee’s punching power, the current form is too much. It’s okay to be more concise and simpler. Also… there’s no need to just lift it up.”

“I misjudged it; Lee’s power was better than I thought. You can see it in the data.”

The data showed how much Lee Jung-woo’s performance could improve if he hit faster.

There were downsides. There was a warning that if it didn’t fit, it could ruin everything, and there was a risk that his power would drop and his slugging percentage would plummet.

‘Power. It’s seriously good. Too much.’

Lee Jung-woo was recognized for his power when he first learned to hit.

I thought it was thanks to the extreme slugging-oriented batting form. It was thanks to his monstrous wrist strength.

So last year, Andrew Rubin and I created a new batting form. Even that was too much. The current batting form is also easier to make contact than before. Experts praised it as a beautiful posture.

The main point was to leave such a batting form almost as it is.

However, the main point was to fix it a little.

“When I saw it, Lee can get the ball over the fence just by hitting it properly without having to force it up.”

“And Lee grips the bat too long. If you grip it a little shorter and increase the bat speed even more, you can produce better quality hits.”

“You can see the ball more. Your eye for the ball will get better. We’re not trying to reduce home runs. Rather, we want to use accurate power to hit consistent and efficient home runs.”

“There’s one player that comes to mind. Is it possible? He is…”

At Lee Jung-woo’s words, the two nodded with serious expressions.

“Lee can do it. If you can hit more accurately and faster than now, your overall hitting will improve.”

“And instead of pulling home runs like this season, you can easily push them and make home runs.”

After the batting stance, they argued about his swing. Lee Jung-woo lifted up in almost every situation.

Andrew Rubin pointed out that he not only lifted it up but also straightened the bat and stretched it out.

Their commonality.

‘Slider. It seems difficult with an upper swing. I unconsciously hit it closer to a level swing.’

Slider.

At least in the 2034 season, Lee Jung-woo’s only weakness, which was overwhelming, was the slider. It was almost the same when they attacked it.

I seemed to have unconsciously found a comfortable posture to hit.

Using that as a reason, they argued that Lee Jung-woo was also good at level swings.

Perhaps if several experts had seen them, they would have pointed fingers, saying that they were ruining an already perfect hitter. Lee Jung-woo, who knew how to hit effective long hits mainly with fly balls, was a player who fit well with modern baseball.

But they were very serious. They talked about many other things.

After hearing all the explanations, Lee Jung-woo asked them.

“Is there a similar batter? Someone to use as a motif.”

At Lee Jung-woo’s question, the two hesitated for a moment and carefully replayed the next video.

Several batters appeared. Lee Jung-woo licked his lips after seeing the last batter among them.

It was the person he expected. A man that any baseball player would know, a player that they would have met at least once in a player training video.

“Drug addict… it was him.”

Barry Bonds.

A batting that inspires admiration. But the moment Lee Jung-woo saw his face, he made an unpleasant expression.

It couldn’t be helped. Lee Jung-woo basically hated roiders [steroid users].

Anyone normal would, but he hated them even more.

He didn’t take drugs even when he fell to the bottom of the abyss due to injury.

Even though direct offers poured in and people secretly put samples and business cards in his mailbox, he endured to the end.

But those guys who were perfectly healthy, especially that damn bastard, were already the best in the league even before the drugs. And yet he did such a dirty thing.

Lee Jung-woo felt disgusted, and when he couldn’t stand his displeasure, Andrew Rubin said with a firm expression.

“He needed drugs to complete his batting, but Lee doesn’t need it.”

“Hoo… I don’t know. Even such a great piece of trash could only do it through drugs…”

“You can do it. We’ll make it happen. Me and Hank here.”

“Please believe us.”

A solemn face. Lee Jung-woo tilted his head for a moment and then looked at them again and said.

“First, let’s take a look. There’s still time left. Let’s start with what’s urgent.”

It was an ambiguous acceptance. The two nodded happily, as if they had expected this reaction.

A new evolution, a very annoying pioneer caught my eye. Lee Jung-woo believed. The two of them, and himself.

‘If it goes as expected, the drug addict theory about me will accelerate.’

####

While Lee Jung-woo was working hard to train and prepare for the early season, the Braves went through several things.

First, unnecessary players were released or traded. People who saw it sensed it. The Braves were stretching.

[Braves’ goal, ‘King of Detroit’ Arthur Hunter, going to the Braves?]

[Arthur Hunter, close to signing with the Braves! If successful, ‘the strongest lineup ever’]

The first name that came out was Arthur Hunter. Third baseman Popin is a good hitter. It was true that he was the worst among the Braves’ top hitters.

It was expected that Arthur Hunter’s acquisition would create a perfect core lineup.

In fact, Arthur Hunter himself was such a big deal that he had contact with all the big market teams.

[Rollins put his house up for rent, the Braves’ goal is left fielder.]

[‘Flying Dutchman’ Vincent Harding, the same league is comfortable. ‘Meaningful remarks’]

Next was Vincent Harding, who was also the best free agent on the market this season.

Like Arthur Hunter, all the big market teams were drooling over him, so the Braves were expected to be the same.

In fact, the free agent market itself was completely focused on those two people.

Everyone predicted that the Braves, who had been promised a large sum of money from the owner, would also aim for them.

The Braves front office, which was so much in the spotlight, was working hard.

“Try to push for a contract as quickly as possible. Is the exhibition game preparation going well?”

“Yes, but are we really going to prepare like this?”

“It’s the president’s order. Equipment, accommodation, training ground. Set it up to the highest level. They’ve achieved better-than-expected results. We have to treat them the best.”

The operations team employee nodded and left at President Pratt’s cool words. Pratt had a smile on his face.

What he wanted was a big free agent. But the president promised more than that.

‘No, it’s not the president, it’s the owner’s intention. He liked it.’

The Braves caused a sensation this season. It raised a lot of unit prices. It generated operating profit.

The owner probably liked that. Such direct value would have been more appealing to the chairman, who inherited it from his father and leads a giant media empire.

‘Good, very good.’

But those things were all secondary. President Pratt saw through the essence. He was able to confirm with this support.

The owner’s wallet, which had been closed for a long time, was properly opened.

‘Win now, it starts now.’

President Pratt turned his head slightly and looked at the newspaper on his desk.

[Atlanta Braves’ goal is always starting pitcher!]

Among the various rumors spread by the media, this was the closest to the truth.

There were definitely starting pitchers among the people he was aiming for.

‘The decline in the lineup’s concentration was also a cause. The fundamental problem is the lack of starting pitchers. Even though the overall performance has improved thanks to the strong center line, it’s still not enough.’

President Pratt wanted to win. Not just an unexpected postseason appearance. He desperately wanted real glory.

‘If I fail with this much support, I’ll be fired. I don’t care.’

He believed this was a golden opportunity. A lineup completed with solid veterans and legendary prospects. A great ace and a still-ironclad bullpen [group of relief pitchers].

All that’s left is one masterpiece.

‘Next season, we’ll win the championship.’

####

“A little faster!”

“That’s easier said than done-”

Under the blazing Miami sunlight, Lee Jung-woo rolled hard.

Considering his current position, it was already past the time to roll. He rolled as hard as if he were a wheel.

“Ah, good. You were very fast just now. Let’s do a little more with that feeling.”

“Tell me the exact number. It’s getting hard.”

“Hahaha, Mrs. Flemmens is here, what are you worried about? She’ll stop you.”

Defense was improving the fastest. The defense trainer, who at first acted like he didn’t know why he was hired, was whipping Lee Jung-woo hard as if he had changed.

Thanks to that, or perhaps because of the power of talent, Lee Jung-woo quickly fired a throw as he argued.

The speed didn’t seem to have increased yet. At least the movement itself was very concise and continued at a considerable speed.

‘I’ll have to see the real thing to know. The effect is good for now. The accuracy is the same, but I can throw faster.’

It was still limited to throwing towards first base. That was enough. Second base has more tosses than throws anyway. In the end, the place where you throw the most is first base.

‘The batting motion itself has become familiar. The effect is not much different from before.’

The same was true for such a concise movement in batting. What Lee Jung-woo focused on during this off-season was, in a way, ‘conciseness’.

Defense, batting, and even physique to increase muscle density. Most of them were about condensing existing things.

It’s harder to reduce than to increase. The training itself was not easy.

‘He doesn’t say anything anymore.’

Lee Jung-woo looked at Mark, who was standing on one side of the training ground, talking on the phone and watching him.

At first, he conflicted with the trainers and interrupted them. It seemed like he was making a good player suffer for no reason.

But as the effects gradually became apparent, he quietly followed the trainers like Lee Jung-woo.

He still glared at the batting practice from afar with untrustworthy eyes. Anyway, he became very quiet.

‘Batting, batting is the problem after all. The simplification of movements and selection and concentration have been achieved to some extent. But… will the effect really be as good as expected?’

There was a feeling that the movement itself had been reduced, making it comfortable. The time it took to swing was also reduced.

That alone was already a great effect. I wasn’t sure if I could reach the same level as the two of them said.

‘Hoo. If I keep doing it, I’ll get a feel for it-‘

“It’s a big deal if you look away during training?”

Lee Jung-woo barely caught the flying ball and nodded as he threw it habitually. It was very fast thanks to repetitive learning. Honestly, my heart fluttered.

Lee Jung-woo cleared his mind at the trainer’s words.

‘Don’t be greedy. If it doesn’t work this time, I can do it next time, and the time after that.’

Lee Jung-woo took a defensive stance again. Time passed quickly, perhaps because there was something to focus on.