Pitcher’S End, Batter’S Start [EN]: Chapter 142

Pitcher Done, Batter Up – 141

In the final game, Lee Jung-woo was intentionally walked to first base.

The Phillies’ battery [pitcher and catcher] simply refused to pitch to him.

“This is the third time, right? Are you guys okay with this? Looks like you have quite a few visiting fans here.”

“Shut up and get lost.”

“Yes, yes, whatever you say. Thanks for the easy rest. I’ll be on my way then.”

Lee Jung-woo needled the catcher to the very end, despite the catcher’s harsh words. The catcher probably felt the most frustrated having to follow such instructions, which only made Lee Jung-woo’s taunting more effective. Thinking so, Lee Jung-woo, having thoroughly provoked him, shook his head.

‘I’ve really become a seasoned hitter now. I’m even trash-talking. Did I pick up some bad habits in the big leagues, or is this just part of my playing style?’

Perhaps because his identity as a hitter had solidified, Lee Jung-woo couldn’t help but become sly whenever he saw the opposing team’s catcher, his mouth running off without him even realizing it. He avoided the catcher’s murderous glare and made his way to first base.

‘I’m getting plenty of first base. At this rate, they’ll just walk me even if I come to the plate without a bat.’

“What are you smirking at…”

Lee Jung-woo chuckled at the absurd thought, and the Phillies’ first baseman glared at him with a cold look. After facing each other throughout the entire game, Lee Jung-woo felt a sense of familiarity, but the first baseman clearly didn’t feel the same way.

Strictly speaking, Lee Jung-woo was the victim, so he couldn’t help but feel a bit wronged, but he didn’t say anything or make any gestures. His ardent followers, who filled the stadium, would take care of it for him.

“Booooooo!”

“Cut off your balls! Cut off your balls!”

“Don’t you have any balls? No pride? Are you even a man?”

The home crowd booed at the continuous intentional walks. They seemed extremely angry. Most of the fans had come to the stadium wanting to see Lee Jung-woo crush the Phillies with powerful hits, but the player couldn’t even properly get a chance to swing. They had every reason to be furious.

Because there were such fans, Lee Jung-woo didn’t need to take action himself.

They were much angrier than he was, and they were shouting for him.

‘I’ve been on a roll throughout the series, but… I made a mistake. The team was already shaken, and I shouldn’t have done this. I made a mistake out of impatience.’

The Phillies players’ faces twisted, perhaps ashamed of the jeers directed at them and the team’s decision. Seeing this, Lee Jung-woo wanted to sneer at the Phillies’ bench.

The choice they made based solely on what was in front of them had brought about future repercussions.

And he also wanted to thank them.

‘My hitting hasn’t been great today, but they’re increasing my on-base percentage for me. I should gratefully accept it.’

Before the game, he realized during his pre-batting routine that his hitting wasn’t in good shape. So, he was planning to focus on getting on base today, but the opposing team paved the way for him. Lee Jung-woo was genuinely grateful, but he didn’t show it. If he showed that he was happy, he might get more than just curses; he might get punched.

‘And the team is winning, so there’s no need to create trouble.’

Thinking so, Lee Jung-woo quietly stayed on first base… or not.

“Safe.”

“I thought I was going to die. You guys got a good pitcher; his pickoff is great.”

“Just stay put on first base. Don’t be a smartass.”

“Do you think I like doing this? The bench ordered it, and a second-year rookie has to lie low.”

Lee Jung-woo freely increased his lead. He wasn’t seriously trying to steal a base. He just increased his lead. But that alone put enough pressure on the opposing pitcher, who was slowly starting to go crazy.

Even though his success rate had decreased in the second half of the season because they knew his only strength was his speed, Lee Jung-woo had stolen 29 bases last year, so they couldn’t afford to ignore him.

Therefore, the pitcher couldn’t focus on the batter in front of him and kept throwing pickoff attempts. The first baseman glared at him, but his eyes softened a bit at Lee Jung-woo’s words. Just a little.

Still, he felt a faint sense of camaraderie in the glaring eyes. No matter how good you are, you’re still a rookie who has to obey the bench, just like I once did.

Of course, the reality was different.

Lee Jung-woo’s actions were based on his judgment as a former pitcher who knew what pitchers hated.

“Um, there was no such order?”

“If they find out it was my decision, they might really fight me, so please play along.”

Lee Jung-woo asked the first base coach, who was muttering in a laughing tone, and then slowly increased his lead again.

‘Thanks for increasing my on-base percentage, but I still have to do my job.’

The pitcher, unable to concentrate on the game because of Lee Jung-woo’s constant harassment, kept glancing at first base. He finally threw the ball at the catcher’s urging, still keeping one eye on Lee Jung-woo.

“Ah….”

The result was a home run that soared far over the center field fence of Truist Park.

“You’re strong, aren’t you? Do you eat something good?”

“I just gave him a little scolding because he was distracted while I was at the plate.”

Lee Jung-woo high-fived Joey and returned to the bench with a smile. The Phillies’ gazes at him, who had completed his mission, were still cold. However, the visiting fans’ eyes were even colder.

“7 to 4, thanks to you, we’re even further ahead.”

“The Phillies will probably never catch up.”

Even after enduring the humiliation of intentional walks to keep Lee Jung-woo tied up.

The Phillies were still losing today.

####

[He swung! But-]

The batter’s swing. It was the same swing that had produced countless home runs, the swing that had been praised as perfect, but the current hit was far, far away from being a home run.

It barely rolled to the shortstop. No, if it had been weaker, it might have been more effective.

“Out!”

“Game set!”

A clean throw. The batter was out before he could even reach halfway to first base, thanks to the quick throw that experts had praised as a step forward since it was shown in the exhibition game. The opportunity was over.

It was the bottom of the ninth inning.

“Wooooooo!”

“A sweep from the start of the season!”

“It’s obvious, it’s the Phillies, after all? At least a winning series~”

As the game ended, the stadium was filled with lively cheers.

Occasionally, there were moans similar to groans from those in despair, but they were soon drowned out by the overwhelming wave of sound.

The Braves were the winners.

Again.

[The Braves take a pleasant sweep win from the first series of the season.]

[In fact, it was already expected after the crushing defeat in the first game.]

[Yes, the Phillies, whose momentum was broken by the shutout loss. That ultimately tripped them up.]

“Goodbye~ Just keep doing the same when we see you next time!”

“We’re counting on you this year! We’ll leave the second place spot open for you, so have fun fighting with the Mets!”

It was only four games, just the beginning of a long marathon, but the Braves fans couldn’t hide their joy and mocked the Phillies to their heart’s content.

They were happy about the sweep, but more than that, they felt like they were getting revenge.

In the past, even just two years ago, the Braves had been looked down upon by the successful Phillies, not as much as the Mets or Nationals, but still. The tables had turned since last year.

“Ha…”

“Hey- Ugh, I don’t even have the strength to curse.”

“No, they said if we just stop that little bastard… Stop what? Stop my d[ream].”

If the Braves fans were cheering with joy, the visiting fans, who had filled the stands as always during East Division matchups, looked gloomy.

Their appearance was unusual. If the Pirates, Mets, or Nationals fans, who had always been tormented, had seen them, they would have thought, ‘Why are those guys like that?’ They were quieter than expected.

The Phillies, who would usually hurl insults at both the opposing team and their own team, were just sighing and leaving the stadium today, as if the shock was more than they could handle.

“Damn it… Just curse!”

“What the hell have we done? The Phillies are like that? The Phillies?”

“Ha, I never thought the day would come when I’d miss curses….”

The Phillies players were even more afraid of such fans. If they had just hurled insults, they would have thought, ‘That’s just how they always are,’ and ignored it.

But now, they seemed truly disappointed, to the point where they couldn’t even curse.

The silence of such fans weighed heavily on the defeated soldiers. Among them, Lee Jung-woo looked at the Phillies’ first baseman, whom he had seen so much of during today’s game.

‘It’s the same as before the regression. I was worried that last year’s postseason might be the trigger… but I don’t have to worry about that.’

The Phillies’ first baseman, Pedro Castillo. The man who would later be given the title of ‘The Phillies’ Nemesis.’ In fact, that term was already starting to be used.

He recorded no hits throughout the series, crushing the fans’ hearts, and was eventually retired with a ground ball to the infield in the last at-bat of today’s game.

‘Injury, it’s a really s[hitty thing].’

Lee Jung-woo also had experienced it, so he sympathized with him a little. But the Braves fans were a little different.

“Hey Castillo! Keep doing what you’re doing! You’ll be the best forever!”

“Of course! In Atlanta! That much is certain! If you keep playing like today, you’ll be a hero of Atlanta!”

“For General Castillo!”

Pedro Castillo was a symbol of the Phillies’ golden age.

He had consistently achieved 30-30 [30 home runs and 30 stolen bases] since his debut, and he was perhaps the Lee Jung-woo before Lee Jung-woo.

Just like Lee Jung-woo, he had caused a sensation in the league and quickly secured the position of a superstar. Therefore, his downfall seemed like the Phillies’ downfall to the fans of other teams.

‘In the regression, the Phillies won the division title in a row even with such a burden, but now that’s not even the case anymore. Because we’re here. From that point of view, it is a downfall. The disorganized team was maintained by its unique aggressive team color and performance… but this time, it will shake from within.’

It was a curse-like remark to the division rival, but the prediction was accurate.

“Braves… When did they get so strong? No, are they even the Braves?”

“Those sucker bastards are getting cocky just because they got a few good kids…”

The Phillies players grumbled and forcibly criticized the Braves, but the thoughts that came from the depths of their hearts were consuming their minds.

‘Can we win next time? F[uck].’

‘That f[ucking] [Lee] Jung-woo…’

‘Ha, if I had known it would be like this, I would have gone to the Braves back then….’

‘No, Pedro, that bastard, gets paid so much….’

‘Iwakuma’s medicine has worn off, and Torosso only knows how to shout. We’re screwed, we’re screwed.’

The Phillies, filled with fear of the opponent and distrust of each other, left Atlanta with only lonely figures.

####

After the clean sweep against the Phillies, the way people looked at the Braves became a little more serious.

Everyone already knew they were good from before the season started. Most people also predicted good results. But completely crushing their biggest rival, the Phillies, was very impressive.

In particular, unlike the fourth game, where they scored some points, the first to third games, where they achieved perfect victories based on their overwhelming starting lineup, reminded them of the nostalgia of the past.

[‘Again 1990’ Braves, the Rebirth of the Three Musketeers Era? The Braves Win Over the Phillies with an Overwhelming Starting Lineup.]

[‘Blue Streak of 7 Consecutive Wins!’ The Braves Sweep the Cardinals, Showing Overwhelming Firepower…]

[‘The New Braves’ Starting Pitching-Hitting-Defense-Bullpen. A Perfect Team, Still Sailing Smoothly!]

When they swept the Cardinals they met next, many people mentioned the 90s. The media also subtly encouraged it.

Of course, it was true that it was much lacking compared to that time. But the fans’ expectations were that high.

The atmosphere was so different that the term New Braves even came out, and just like Castillo, who was a symbol of the Phillies’ golden age, there was also a symbolic player. That was Lee Jung-woo.

The Braves’ love for him was extreme, and the interest was enormous.

So much so that Mark called.

-You really have some kind of fanatic[al fanbase], how did you know the number, I even got a call at our office thanking you?

“Don’t exaggerate.”

-I’m serious! If I had known it would be like this, I would have waited another year… It was too cheap compared to your current popularity!

“Still, thanks to that, I put together a luxurious training team, right? Let’s think of it as an investment for the future.”

-Anyway, you don’t have to worry about making a living after you retire. If you run for mayor of Atlanta after you retire, you’ll be elected. No, not just the mayor of Atlanta, but the governor of Georgia would be enough. Please give me a position as an aide when that happens.

“Mayor, what are you talking about, stop talking nonsense and hang up.”

Clearly, even though he didn’t do anything great in the Cardinals game, the reaction was even stronger. Lee Jung-woo hung up the phone, thinking that Mark was exaggerating about the harm of fans who had turned from believers to fanatics. But he would soon realize it.

That his popularity exceeded his expectations.