Pitcher’S End, Batter’S Start [EN]: Chapter 136

Pitchers Done, Batters Up -135

“Kuhahaha, Lee, you and Alan seem to be a great match. How can you catch everything? They said you were a future Gold Glove winner, and they weren’t wrong. Honestly, I thought the NL [National League] was just hyping you up.”

“It’s because Alan throws so well that it’s easy to catch. If he keeps this up during the regular season, he might even have an ERA [Earned Run Average, a measure of pitching performance] in the 0.00s?”

Lee Jung-woo’s playful remark made Alan O’Donnell laugh heartily with a satisfied smile. After the intra-squad scrimmage that drew admiration and criticism (from the opposing team), Alan O’Donnell’s already smiling face seemed even brighter.

After the minor league camp and games against nearby university league teams, he even looked at Lee Jung-woo with the eyes of a lover. Of course, the other pitchers also almost loved Lee Jung-woo, but Alan was on another level.

It was a little *b 부담스러웠지만* [burdensome], but Lee Jung-woo understood him.

‘He must be happy. He must be confident that he can throw as he wants.’

He seemed to know very well that meeting a catcher who meshed well with him, or to put it crudely, one who took care of things, was a blessing. He treated not only Lee Jung-woo but also Derek with the utmost respect.

‘There’s nothing better than a confident starting pitcher.’

Lee Jung-woo glanced at Derek, who seemed to be thinking the same thing, nodding as if to say they should do well this season. After finishing the practice game on a good note, the Braves, with the Grapefruit League exhibition games just around the corner, were blending together better than expected.

“Oh, that grip is unique. Is that the new weapon?”

“Looks like you knew? I only threw it once during the championship.”

“Even so, we have to know when another team’s ace throws a new variation of fastball, especially since we’re in the same league. Well, it was pretty intense.”

Ian Field, who seemed like he would be at odds with Mason, was now getting along well with his fellow first-line starter. It was great that the two pillars who would support the Braves were getting along, but it caused Lee Jung-woo some unexpected trouble.

“What? Who’s teaching you?”

“Jungwoo Lee. That super rookie over there. It feels a little silly to call him that now.”

“Huh, Mason Looper learned a new pitch from a shortstop? Ah, I get it. You’re messing with me, right?”

“If you don’t believe me, go ask him. He’s the originator.”

“Wait a minute….”

After becoming close, Ian Field showed interest in the centrifuge that Mason had perfected during the offseason and eventually came directly to Lee Jung-woo.

“Mason said you’re the originator of his new pitch. Is that true?”

“Mason’s new pitch? You mean the centrifuge?”

“Centrifuge? Centrifuge, I like it. Four-seam, two-seam, centrifuge. The numbers are decreasing by half? Mathematical. Suits baseball well.”

“Why go so far….”

“If it’s okay with you, can you teach me too? I like it. If not, I can’t help it.”

Lee Jung-woo was a little taken aback by Ian Field asking if he could teach him. He was worried that strange rumors would spread again, like before the home run derby last year.

Once he was happy that his signature pitch was spreading widely, he readily showed him the grip and how to throw it, and only then was he able to be free.

“Amazing. The originator is definitely different. There’s a feel to it.”

“Strictly speaking, there’s probably another originator. I just improved it.”

“If you go that far, where is your pitch? Anyway, thanks. I think I made the right decision coming to the Braves.”

The pitching coach looked *착잡한 표정을 지었다* [had a complicated expression] as he watched him learn a new pitch from a shortstop instead of himself, but the team atmosphere was definitely good. Alan O’Donnell was constantly cheerful and already mingling with the team’s key players. Ian Field also approached comfortably without being stiff.

Seeing the unwavering atmosphere despite the changes, Derek, the captain, looked pleased.

He didn’t need to take care of anything else; the chemistry was working.

“This is perfect for the exhibition games.”

“Yes, if we can turn a good atmosphere into teamwork… this season will be worth watching.”

“That’s true, but I’m more curious about people’s reactions. They’ll probably foam at the mouth and faint, especially the fans.”

When Derek said that with a playful expression, Lee Jung-woo shrugged.

“Maybe for now.”

Lee Jung-woo fiddled with his bat. There were still many parts to fill, but the feeling was good.

####

[Exhibition Game) Lee Jung-woo, 2 at-bats, 2 hitless at-bats.]

[Disappointing at-bats! But stronger defense! Aiming for Gold Glove this season after Rookie of the Year?]

[Exhibition Game) Lee Jung-woo records 1 hit in 3 at-bats against Toronto!]

[‘Lee Jung-woo’s change?’ Changed batting form, new swing. Still adapting…]

[‘Sophomore Jinx!’ MLB [Major League Baseball] experts, ‘Lee’s strengths have disappeared!’]

Contrary to the feeling that things were good, Lee Jung-woo continued his slump in the exhibition games, unlike his amazing performance last year. At first, the fans ignored it, saying he was just getting into form, but they slowly started to worry as he still lacked power. As expected, the beasts in the guise of experts began to show their teeth in earnest.

[‘Sophomore slump coming? No, last year was just a fluke.’]

[‘The end of an arrogant rookie, from league-leading hitter -> defensive replacement. Rapid fall!’]

[‘Lee’s slump is a sign of injury. The cause of his downfall is overwork!’]

[‘An unbelievable accident in modern baseball! ATL’s greed ruins a promising player!’]

They attacked from all directions. Starting with the claim that last year was just a bubble, they blamed Lee Jung-woo’s failure to manage himself due to arrogance. Some even talked about injuries.

Especially since Lee Jung-woo had a history of major injuries that led him to switch from pitcher to hitter, they mentioned the number of games he played last year, attacking Lee Jung-woo and the Braves at the same time, saying that the Braves overworked a *역대급* [unprecedented] prospect.

“He’s injured? Are you hurt?”

“Who’s injured? Lee? Those crazy bastards.”

“At this point, isn’t it just like cursing him to fail?”

“Why? It’s fun. Maybe halfway through the regular season, they’ll shut their mouths like the people who said we couldn’t make the postseason last year? I’m looking forward to it. I wonder what their reaction will be later.”

Naturally, the Braves officials were dumbfounded when they saw it. The players, in particular, even scoffed. Who’s injured now? Lee? That guy in front of us? Are they talking about that monster?

Seeing him with their own eyes and being around him, there was nothing more ridiculous than that.

“Lee, they say you have a sophomore jinx? What do you think?”

“I guess that’s what they think.”

And Lee Jung-woo himself was indifferent. He had already heard these words since last year. Some people were even praying for him to fail.

And Lee Jung-woo admitted to some extent what they said. Last season was really an absurd performance, even he thought so.

‘And it’s not completely wrong. I think there was some luck involved last season.’

Unexpected skill. More power than expected. As a rookie, the unfamiliarity that pitchers felt and some degree of carelessness. And even the fact that he was strong against *종 movement* [vertical movement], which he still didn’t understand well.

It was difficult to see all the results as purely due to skill. But that didn’t mean he completely admitted it.

Among them, arrogance, those two words were not only unacceptable, but he was also dumbfounded by it.

If he was arrogant, he would have stopped right away, instead of trying to make new changes like now.

And the word failure was also ridiculous. How could people who hadn’t even tried it themselves be so sure…

‘There were some *시행착오* [trials and errors], but I’m slowly getting a feel for it. Maybe after a few more games, I’ll get a good feel for it.’

Lee Jung-woo didn’t waver because he was sure of that. Anyway, this was within the expected range, and he felt that the time for a leap forward was slowly coming.

“Leave them alone. They’ll take back their words when I start doing well.”

“Cool.”

“Lee’s being smart. You can’t play baseball if you care about all that stuff.”

Perhaps relieved by Lee Jung-woo’s unexpectedly cool reaction, or perhaps because they lost interest, the players who had been scoffing quickly subsided.

Unexpectedly, Lee Jung-woo kept it all in mind. He didn’t care, but once he heard it, it was unpleasant.

‘I’ll have to give them a good hit, so they don’t talk again.’

Lee Jung-woo’s eyes blazed fiercely as he wiped the sweat from his forehead with a towel around his neck.

The indiscriminate criticism properly touched the pride that had been re-established at the end of last season when he became confident that he was doing well. The words that wished for his downfall had ironically pressed the switch on the detonator.

####

Gold nugget.

Among the minor league pitchers who were on the exhibition game roster, Lee Jung-woo was jokingly called a gold nugget.

He was currently the hottest hitter in the league. Among the pitchers who met him last year, few went down in good shape.

His performance eventually continued into the postseason, making him a new rising star in Major League Baseball.

The moment you catch such Lee Jung-woo, the evaluation of that pitcher goes up at least one level. The expectations of the team’s front office also rise. Fans also pay attention.

In short, he was a treasure goblin who could get everything a minor leaguer needed if he just caught him.

Originally, he should have been called a boss monster, but he was demoted to a treasure goblin as he slumped during the exhibition games.

‘Damn it! Didn’t they say he was resting? The manager definitely said that? Damn it, it’s my first appearance in an exhibition game, and I completely screwed it up.’

Getting a lot doesn’t mean it’s easy. Even if he’s slumping, he’s still a monster who *폭격* [bombed] the league last season.

He was such a *거물* [big shot] that the minor league pitchers’ morale would drop just by facing him.

That’s why he felt a tremendous amount of pressure from the moment he saw his name on the list, but in the end, everyone tended to think only positively.

‘Hoo, no. What can’t I do? If it was Lee last year, it’s me this year. It’s nothing special. After this season, we’ll be in the same position.’

That’s what Johnny Jackson, a rookie pitcher for the Cardinals, thought.

Exhibition game between the Braves and the Cardinals. He was frustrated when he took the mound in the bottom of the 5th inning.

As soon as he came up, Lee Jung-woo, who was not on the starting lineup for today’s game, came out as a pinch hitter.

Contrary to what the manager and coach said that he would rest today, he was *절망했던* [despairing] as he watched him walk out, but the pitcher *스스로 북돋았다* [boosted] his confidence again.

1st round. Even straight from high school, not college league. In that case, no one would *욕* [curse] even if he called himself a genius.

He’s actually good. As per Texas’s *유구한* [long-standing] tradition(?), he’s a left-handed fireballer. After being drafted last year for a whopping $3.21 million,

He went from rookie to Double-A in just one season. What can’t I do?

That thought slowly grew, and the words that the team’s senior pitchers had been constantly saying that they had blocked him last year added to that confidence.

“Lee? He’s nothing special.”

“I don’t understand other teams, why are they so *털린데* [getting beaten]? He’s just a *거품* [bubble, overhyped].”

“He was in a slump when he met us last year? His batting is similar to then and now. So don’t be scared.”

Loud pitchers. To their remarks,

‘To be honest, I’m much better than those old guys. What can’t I do? I’ll catch him coolly, and I’ll get called up right away this year.’

In fact, there was no crazy team that would call up a teenage player who had just been brought in from last year’s draft. He was soaked in the *단꿈* [sweet dream] he had created himself.

He sent a provocative look to the rising hitter with a confident expression and soon regretted it.

‘*빠-* Is he pissed? His eyes are scary? Why did I do this….’

As the hitter came to the plate, an intangible energy that he had never felt from any hitter he had ever met before *덮쳐왔다* [overwhelmed] him. It felt like being thrown naked into a beast cage. He’s never experienced it, but if he did, that’s exactly what it would feel like.

The confidence he had wrapped around his body was instantly *무장해제* [disarmed], but he put on a brave face again at the sight of the catcher hitting his glove hard.

“Hoo. Hoo. Don’t be scared. You can’t be scared. Last year was last year, and now he’s just an ordinary hitter. I’ve faced him a lot, right? I can just strike him out the same way.”

He muttered lowly as if casting a spell. He nodded immediately at the catcher’s sign.

First pitch of the exhibition game. The ball he threw with all the waiting he had was satisfactory.

“Strike!”

“Oh! He’s good!”

“Strike him out, strike him out!”

“Just strike out that *X발새끼* [son of a bitch]! Then I’ll support you from now on!”

Since it was an exhibition game held in Florida, not only Cardinals fans but also multinational, *아니 다주(州)적* [or rather multi-state] baseball fans were cheering him on.

Most of them were probably fans of the team that Lee Jung-woo had *털렸던* [been beaten by]. Those who mixed in *욕설* [swear words] were likely Phillies fans who had their souls *털렸던* [been crushed]. As if to meet their expectations, the second strike went up.

‘What? Was I too scared? He’s just frozen. Well, I wouldn’t have thought I’d see such a fastball in an exhibition game?’

After *몰아넣고* [driving him to] two strikes, he regained confidence. Perhaps, just perhaps, Johnny Jackson had the thought that he was scared *지레* [in advance].

Yes, that was it. He was *지레* [prematurely] scared of last year’s performance and didn’t see the essence. In the end, they were all the same hitters to him.

‘Okay, I’ve *몰아넣었쓰* [driven] him. I’m going to *삼구삼진* [strike him out in three pitches] him. If possible, it would be cool and good to catch him with a *헛스윙* [swing and a miss] like the cheering fans(?) expect. Did they say the slider is weak? Kya~ They think the same as me. Have I been recognized?’

The corners of his mouth went up. The catcher’s lead to strike him out properly felt like he was *인정해주는* [acknowledging] him.

It was very exciting to be *인정받는* [recognized] by the starting catcher, so he *승낙* [accepted] the sign without hesitation.

‘Now, swing the bat coolly!’

A long arm cut through the air coolly. Inverted-W, which he chose because he wanted to be like Mark Prior, whom his father had praised so much when he was young.

Everyone criticized it, but the powerful speed it gave was not only limited to fastballs.

The high-speed slider, which boasted a speed faster than the fastball of a slow pitcher, *꺾여들어갔다* [broke in] from the hitter’s body side. He thought the opponent would be *선풍기질* [swinging wildly], and the posture was almost similar to the *선풍기질* [wild swinging] that hitters showed.

However, the problem was that it was not a fan.

“Huh?”

*빠악-* [Crack! (onomatopoeia for the sound of a bat hitting a ball)]

But an ax.

Like a lumberjack’s ax cutting down a huge tree, a horizontally laid bat properly *찍었다* [chopped] the ball as a tree. A swing that was concise, fast, and had *확실하게* [definite] power.

The new batting form that the media criticized and even his fans were worried about. It was said that it didn’t suit him, but at least not now.

‘X발 They said it was nothing special!’

Johnny Jackson wanted to shout, but his body honestly naturally made the posture that a home run hitter should show. A head that fell on its own and an upper body that was lowered. A posture that curled up on its own as if trying to avoid the hitter who was *유유히* [leisurely] turning the base.

“Fucking Liar”

The *욕* [curse word] came out on its own. There were two types of people he was referring to as liars. The first was the senior pitchers who had *심어 넣었던 헛바람* [planted false hope] in him. The second was the media who had *지껄여댔던 얼토당토않은 소리* [spouted nonsense].

Through this experience, he decided. He would only believe what he saw directly. If I ever believe what others say again, I’ll cut off my fingers.

“Ha, he’s fine, that *개자식* [son of a bitch].”

“He’s back….”

If the pitcher who met Lee Jung-woo for the first time and was *무참히 피폭당한* [brutally bombarded] after he had finished adapting was *억울했다* [resentful], then some of the spectators who had been cheering him on were *허탈했다* [disheartened].

As someone who has been *얻어맞아* [beaten up], he knew. He could tell right away.

That hateful *개자식* [son of a bitch] who seemed to be *빌빌거리는* [struggling] for a while,

He was finally back.