Pitcher’S End, Batter’S Start [EN]: Chapter 138

[He hit it, Arthur Hunter! The ball soars! Its destination – over the fence again!]

[Arthur Hunter is showing tremendous power from the exhibition games. He’s the MVP!]

[Arthur Hunter, 2 hits in 2 at-bats, multi-homeruns against the Seattle Mariners!]

The atmosphere was building slowly but surely.

[Vincent Harding! Wow, his form is already on point. Vincent Harding with 6 RBIs already in today’s game.]

[It’s too early to judge based on exhibition games, but the atmosphere this season is quite good. He seems to be getting along well with his teammates.]

[Vincent Harding, 3 hits in 3 at-bats, 6 RBIs in 4 plate appearances, clutch hitting at its peak?]

So that people wouldn’t notice. The subtle buzz grew, gathering momentum like a snowball rolling downhill.

Two players who had each won MVP in the National League (NL) and American League (AL). Coincidentally, they joined rival teams as free agents. With both the Dodgers and Giants in the Cactus League [pre-season training league in Arizona], matchups between the two teams were set even before the regular season. From the start, the hype was extraordinary.

Immediately after the transfers, friction arose between fans.

[‘A preview of the MVP race?’ Harding VS Hunter! Fierce performance from the exhibition games!]

[‘A head-to-head match with the pride of both leagues’ MVPs’]

[‘Is all the attention on Arizona?’ Exhibition game viewership is being renewed every day!]

Since it was just the exhibition season, the arguments remained mostly good-natured. But when the media chimed in, the slow-burning flames erupted. Subtly instigated by commentators, experts, and the media, the rivalry began to ignite in earnest.

The effect was significant, with viewership increasing even for exhibition games. To exaggerate only slightly, any game featuring these two players rivaled the viewership of regular-season games between less popular teams.

As the unprecedentedly high-profile exhibition season neared its end, many Major League Baseball fans were already debating and evaluating the two players, passionately voicing their opinions based on their preferences and favorite teams.

-Did you see Hunter? If he keeps this up from the exhibition game, he might seriously hit 60 home runs this season?

-He could have last year, too, if he hadn’t missed two weeks due to injury.

-Admittedly, Harding is the better all-around baseball player, but Hunter is the better pure hitter.

-Hunter won the Hank Aaron Award [awarded annually to the best offensive player in each league] last year, right? That settles it.

The main argument of Hunter’s supporters, of course, revolved around home runs.

Home runs, highly valued in the past, are even more so after the rise of sabermetrics [the empirical analysis of baseball]. He hit 50 home runs last year, the most in the American League, so they argued that he was superior to Harding as a hitter.

In fact, he beat his rival Harding to win the Hank Aaron Award last year. It wasn’t entirely wrong, but it drew strong backlash.

-You’re crazy. Hunter hit 50 home runs last year, and you’re projecting 60 home runs based on two more weeks?

-Okay, I admit Hunter’s hitting was good last year. But, what about WAR [Wins Above Replacement, a comprehensive baseball statistic]? Do you know that Harding is higher in both last year and cumulatively?

-It’s not Hunter; Harding is really something else. I thought last year was a fluke. Seems like it will be the same this year?

-Honestly, if they both perform the same as last year, isn’t Harding more likely to be MVP? Even if he has fewer home runs, there’s a difference in other stats. Did Hunter bat over .300?

-A little? Is .307 a little? Harding fans are hopeless. Or is it because they’re stupid Giants fans?

People were dumbfounded to see fans from both sides passionately arguing about the MVP even before the regular season started. It’s too early to talk about it even after the season starts, but they’re already doing this…

-Are you guys stupid? Talk about MVP at least after the second half. You crazy bastards!

-What if they both fail after the regular season starts? Why are you guys already doing this?

-Are you cursing us, you son of a bitch? Who’s going to fail? Harding is going to fail? Do you even watch the NL? Maybe Hunter.

Even when they stated the obvious, they were met with harsh swearing, so others could only sigh and watch. As the atmosphere overheated as the front office wanted, and attention was rapidly focused, the situation did not end there.

Before long, a third force other than Hunter and Harding, the Dodgers and Giants, joined in.

####

“MVP! MVP!”

“MVP! MVP!”

Before the game, just as the players were preparing.

Some of the fans who had already filled the seats shouted MVP loudly.

The Braves players, as well as the Red Sox, who were the opponents in this game, tilted their heads in disbelief. Ian Field, a rookie, twitched his eyebrows and asked the surrounding players with a subtle smile.

“What’s going on? Looking at the uniforms, they’re our fans, but did someone win MVP?”

Then the players glanced at one spot, and Ian Field looked back and forth between Joey and Lee Jung-woo, the likely suspects (?) located at that spot.

In response to the look asking for an answer, Joey subtly stepped back, getting out of the line of suspicion, and he also raised the corners of his mouth very slightly and said.

“They’re telling Lee, not me. That he’s going to be MVP.”

“No, already from the exhibition game?”

“Our team’s fans are originally crazy about anything this guy is involved in. It’s a mess these days because of Harding and Hunter, right? They’re telling Lee not to be discouraged.”

“Hoo, this, this, I thought he was just good, but he’s also popular? Whoever takes him, the woman will be very tired?”

After hearing the answer, Ian Field, who also had a smile on his face, teased him subtly, and Lee Jung-woo shrugged his shoulders.

At first, he didn’t understand such an excessive reaction. But after being called up last year, it was like that throughout the season. Now he’s quite used to it. His skin has gotten quite thick too.

“They’re expecting so much, so I’ll do well today, right? Especially since I’m starting as a pitcher. I’m scheduled to throw a whopping 4 innings.”

“You don’t have to put so much pressure on me; I’ll do well on my own, so don’t worry too much.”

“Okay, I’ll trust you. Catch them like Allen does when he pitches.”

Lee Jung-woo, who was released from the conversation, sighed, but on the other hand, his heart was proud. Even though he was used to it, it meant that he had performed well enough to hear such chants. A strange excitement filled him.

Of course, in addition to the already passionate fans, what excited him was the opponent in this game.

‘Red Sox, I met them at just the right time.’

Today’s exhibition game opponent, boasting a bright red top and pure white bottoms, was the Boston Red Sox.

Lee Jung-woo’s eyes burned with determination as he looked at them, full of confidence befitting the defending champion. It was a perfect opponent.

‘I think I’ve got the feel perfectly, so I need to check it properly. Whether it works for those people too.’

Due to the various butterfly effects caused by his regression, Boston may not make it to the World Series this season. At least Lee Jung-woo set them as his ultimate goal this season.

That’s why I wanted to know. Whether the changed self would work against them.

‘I played against them in the exhibition game last year, but at that time, it was far from the real Red Sox.’

The roster was filled with minor league players, and most of the major leaguers were not in shape, so the results at that time were meaningless. But now, as the end of the season approaches, most of the fringe players have been weeded out, and most of the roster is real regulars.

So their game sense must be almost at its peak. Lee Jung-woo wanted to feel the Red Sox, who were so close to the real thing. No, to be more honest.

‘Let’s crush them properly.’

I wanted to crush them once.

To satisfy the fans who support him.

To have confidence in himself.

####

[Yes, the starting lineup is out. Lee Jung-woo is in the 2nd spot in the batting order today. Lee Jung-woo was mainly in the 5th or 4th spot during the regular season last year. In this exhibition game, he often plays as the 2nd batter, just like in the postseason?]

[Yes, it’s the strong 2nd batter theory. Derek Hunt is a player with a good batting average and on-base percentage. If he gets on base, Lee Jung-woo will capitalize. Even if he doesn’t, there’s Joey Freeman, a top-class hitter in the league, behind him.]

-Did Gae Jung-woo get kicked out of the cleanup spot?

-They judged that the bubble had burst on its own~

-I knew it would happen when he changed his batting form. He should have silently honed what he has now. He’s trying to be clever, so he’s in that state.

The anti-fans sneered and tried to find something to criticize when they saw the lineup. But no one took it seriously. In the first place, if you watch the exhibition game and participate in online communities, you know baseball to some extent, so you’re not attracted to such sloppy trolling.

-It’s not being pushed out; it’s closer to being promoted.

-Yeah, it means they’ll use him for one more at-bat rather than putting him in the cleanup spot. It’s more like being recognized.

-If you don’t know, search the internet a bit and come back. Don’t be a hater.

-Are the guys who foam at the mouth and rant about Lee Jung-woo Japanese or Toto [sports betting] addicts?

The trolling disappeared in the face of sharp criticism, but the anti-fans snorted and waited for an opportunity. If Lee Jung-woo makes even a small mistake, they’d try to regain control of the narrative.

During that brief truce, all the players finished positioning.

The game started with the Braves’ attack.

[Derek Hunt, the 1st batter, is at the plate. He is recording 63 plate appearances, 54 at-bats, 15 hits, and 9 walks in the exhibition game. Whether his form has improved, his performance has improved a lot compared to the beginning of the exhibition game.]

-I believe in Captain. I bet my emergency fund. Just get on base for Lee Jung-woo.

-Don’t you know Jung-woo always loses? If you bet on the Braves believing in Lee Jung-woo, you’ll mostly win.

Derek, who came up as the first batter of the game, took first base with a simple swing, as expected, fulfilling the expectations of fans (?) in a foreign country. Then people anticipated.

A runner was on base in front of Lee Jung-woo, who was improving again after shaking off his ambiguous slump.

“Lee! Lee! Lee!”

“MVP! MVP!”

-Wow, the cheering is no joke for an exhibition game. Is Lee Jung-woo popular locally?

-He’s a franchise star in Atlanta. He’s set a lot of records, so he has some fans nationwide.

-What’s MVP? Did the opposing pitcher win MVP? Not Lee Jung-woo.

-I think they’re doing it for Lee Jung-woo? To win MVP this year.

-You’re all excited; Gae Jung-woo is MVP?zzz It’s a good thing if he plays a full season this year.

-There are a lot of hot takes over there too.

The anti-fans were rampant as if they had caught a case in the loud MVP chants of the local fans. It was something they never wanted, so they poured out all kinds of ridicule, saying they were getting ahead of themselves. When Lee Jung-woo swung and missed on the first pitch, they became even more emboldened.

-Huh? I heard Lee Jung-woo changed to a contact hitter? It’s not a contact type; it’s like a bluff? The fan is amazing. The pitcher must be cool~

-It’s Nugu Jung-woo style contactㅋㅋㅋ [Nugu means “who” in Korean, implying he’s an unknown player]

-He’s contacting the strike zone. Don’t make fun of him.

They ridiculed him for being overhyped with just one swing, but when Lee Jung-woo watched the next pitch quietly, they went the other way and drove him as if he was scared.

It was an absurd act, but of course it didn’t reach Lee Jung-woo, so Lee Jung-woo just silently focused on his timing.

[Okay, 3rd ball. It’s a ball. The count is two and one.]

[4th ball, Lee Jung-woo swings – but foul! He cut it slightly. The count is still two and one.]

Immediately after the foul, Lee Jung-woo watched the ball that the pitcher threw without resting. Two and two. The pendulum is in a precarious situation. The anti-fans shouted strikeout. Those who knew Lee Jung-woo expected a big hit.

-Did he nod just now?

-Yeah, he nodded slightly. He also tapped the floor with his bat. He also bounced his waist. He’s got the feel.

It was Lee Jung-woo’s routine. After clearly assessing the 5th ball, Lee Jung-woo stepped back from the plate for a moment and nodded. When he came back, he lightly tapped the floor with the end of his bat and bounced his body once.

It was a gesture that was so often featured in the media because of his great performance last year, so fans who knew it sensed that the time had come. Of course, the anti-fans refuted such predictions with foam in their mouths. Soon they shut their mouths.

[This is just my personal opinion. His eye for the ball has definitely improved compared to last year. He watched the ball properly throughout the game.]

[Yes, it seems like he’s got the timing now, now the 6th ball, the pitcher threw – Ah! He hit it!]

A lightning-like swing. It was a phrase often used to describe a swing when it produced good results. Lee Jung-woo was exactly like that now. In an instant, the bat passed by with a whoosh, and the only thing left in the place where it was was the catcher’s mitt.

####

“Walk slowly; why are you running so fast? I was surprised when I looked back.”

“Well, it’s an exhibition game, so there’s no need to get emotional.”

Derek, who came home first, joked. The two trudged back to the bench.

Because it was an exhibition game, people lightly patted Lee Jung-woo’s shoulder when he returned, but Lee Jung-woo was already happy enough.

‘That’s it. It’s complete.’

The ball was clearly visible in both eyes, and the bat moved freely. Even though I made simple contact, the batted ball went over the fence.

And during that process, without any unfamiliarity or awkwardness, it felt natural and stuck to my body like the original.

It was only one at-bat, but that was enough for Lee Jung-woo.

New hitting, new change, that’s what the media called it. Now Lee Jung-woo could say for sure.

That it’s not a change, but an evolution.

“You son of a bitch! This year’s MVP is definitely Lee, you!”

“Damn it, what’s this year! The next 10 years are definitely MVP!”

“What is Pratt doing! Get the extension contract right away!”

The fans are going crazy and running around. Whether they’re tired of it or not, the voices that still shout MVP to him were clearly heard even inside the dugout. When I first heard it a while ago, I just laughed it off. When I heard it when I was sure, it felt different.

‘MVP….’

Lee Jung-woo, who was thinking about the letters in his heart, smiled.

“Should I really try it once?”

Simply fanning the flames at the office level to promote the league. The third force that the office wanted so much has joined the competition that is still burning fiercely.