Pitcher’S End, Batter’S Start [EN]: Chapter 144

After the initial shock, people began to grapple with the reality of the situation. Fortunately, since I wasn’t placed on the injured list (IL), everyone expected a quick return. But, regardless, a key player was missing right now.

-It’s a relief it’s early in the season. Imagine if this happened before the postseason…

-Nightmare fuel.

-I’m realizing Lee’s importance all over again. And it’s only been two games!

-I feel bad for Clarkson, but he’s just not cutting it, honestly.

-We won both games, but it didn’t feel as solid as it did against the Phillies or Cardinals.

The first thing people noticed was the defense. Clarkson, as a backup, was decent, but Braves fans, spoiled by Lee Jung-woo’s defense, found it lacking.

There weren’t any glaring errors like back when Darren Gibson was a gaping hole, but something was missing.

While the defense was merely disappointing, the offense was a bigger problem.

[Braves narrowly defeat Padres 4-3.]

[‘Lacking firepower’ misses crucial opportunities but secures the win…]

If the defense was just a letdown, the offense had clear issues.

With Lee Jung-woo, one of the team’s main hitters and a great table-setter, out of the lineup, the offense noticeably weakened, even in just two games. Watching the team fail in clutch situations, Braves fans couldn’t help but chant Lee Jung-woo’s name.

And all the shortcomings exposed by Lee Jung-woo’s absence were on full display in the third game of the series against the Padres.

[Oh, a good opportunity… but the Braves fail to capitalize.]

[Too bad.]

[He hits it! A ground ball heading between third and short! It’s a bit high, but the shortstop—ah! He misses it! Fair ball! The runner on third scores! The Padres take the lead.]

“Why couldn’t he catch that!”

“Jump, damn it, jump! Can’t even do that! And why is he so slow!”

“Clarkson’s reaction time is surprisingly bad. Has he always been this slow?”

After the first run, the crowd sighed in disappointment, and complaints about the shortstop echoed from all directions.

It was a tricky ball, making it hard for the shortstop to catch, and it wasn’t exactly an error, but the fans blamed Clarkson.

It wasn’t fair to him. It was a standard play, and he wasn’t noticeably worse than other shortstops, yet he was getting all the flak.

But the fans were comparing him to Lee Jung-woo, so it was perhaps an inevitable reaction.

Ever since Lee Jung-woo took over as shortstop, those kinds of tricky balls were never a problem for the Braves.

“Lee would’ve caught that, right?”

“Definitely. He probably would’ve just jumped and caught it.”

“Ugh… it stings even more now that he’s gone… When is Lee coming back? He has to be back by the next series. Will he be?”

“Don’t be so impatient. He needs to rest as much as possible. We have to be patient, even if it takes a while. Are you going to ruin everything by just focusing on the short term?”

Lee Jung-woo was on the fans’ minds, and when the team lost 1-0 due to the main hitters’ slump, it only intensified.

####

While fans chanted his name like a mantra, Lee Jung-woo was living like he was on a summer vacation.

‘It’s nice to rest, but the team lost, so I feel uneasy.’

Lee Jung-woo clicked his tongue. He had already been cleared by the doctors, and he felt fine himself. But Mark insisted that he rest to ensure complete recovery.

It felt like he was committing a sin.

‘I was a little worried, but I’m glad it was just a simple matter.’

Lee Jung-woo had been worried. He had experienced something extraordinary—regression—so he feared that an expert might find something wrong with him. He was reluctant to get counseling, but thankfully, his slightly unusual mental state was attributed to the mental growth resulting from the life changes caused by the injury.

‘Well, that’s not a small thing either. At least, to others, it would seem like a huge mental shift.’

A person who had lived solely for pitching suffered a severe injury and then suddenly chose a radical change and a new goal.

This was also not a common occurrence, so it seemed to be explained reasonably well.

‘That’s a relief, and I’m glad, but… what the heck is that?’

As Lee Jung-woo watched the Braves game, relieved, his face slightly contorted when something appeared on the screen.

During his brief rest, he could truly feel the fervent love of the fans. People comforted and supported him as if he had been the victim of a terrible incident, and those he encountered tried their best not to bother him.

Up to that point, it was a beautiful story.

But there were always those who went too far.

“It’s not like I was attacked by terrorists… What’s with this fuss over one paparazzo?”

The broadcast frequently showed fans holding signs that read “Pray For Lee,” which were so cheesy they were embarrassing. They held the signs with solemn faces, like mourners. The bizarre spectacle made Lee Jung-woo chuckle wryly.

“Look at it positively. They just want to show you how much the fans love you.”

“Still…”

In fact, the excessive behavior wasn’t limited to the fans. As Mark had predicted, Derek and other teammates bombarded him with calls.

They also comforted and encouraged Lee Jung-woo with worried tones, and some even expressed anger towards the paparazzo. Similarly, the media worried about Lee Jung-woo or made predictions, bordering on curses, that he might collapse due to this incident.

“It’s not like I’m a child. There’s no way I’d be shaken by something like this.”

Lee Jung-woo sneered, recalling one article that had been particularly loud. He found such predictions absurd, but his perspective and the outside view were bound to differ.

“You’re not a child, but you are young, aren’t you? You’re only twenty-one. Anyone would think you were forty.”

“Ah, right.”

From the outside, Lee Jung-woo was just a young man of twenty-one, barely past boyhood. It was already well-established how easily such young players could be swayed, so the predictions weren’t entirely unfounded.

Lee Jung-woo nodded briefly at Mark’s comment, but he didn’t hide his sneer.

[‘Castles always crumble in mouse holes.’ Negative impact on Lee.]

[‘Significant mental shock?’ Could be a catalyst for Lee…]

[‘Lee is still a Rookie.’ Experts unanimously highlight the seriousness…]

Mentions of negative speculation always trailed off, to avoid future backlash.

The articles predicting Lee Jung-woo’s future after the incident were exactly like that. It was as if they had created imaginary experts, and the articles expressing all sorts of negative opinions became a catalyst for Lee, just as they had said.

He rushed his return.

“Are you sure you’re okay to play in the next series? You might still be shaken up…”

“I’m fine. The doctors said I’m fine, right? If I had such a fragile mentality, I would’ve retired when I got injured.”

Mark smiled wryly at Lee Jung-woo’s jest, as if agreeing that it was true. In his view, Lee Jung-woo had experienced greater pain and overcome it.

“And everyone keeps making a fuss. I’m getting antsy just listening.”

To be honest, Lee Jung-woo found the situation awkward. He was truly grateful for the fans’ fervent love and concern, and he appreciated his teammates’ encouragement, but the media’s fanning of the flames was annoying.

It seemed like the pack of wolves that had been silent after the impressive opening game and the subsequent winning streak were now stirring, thinking it was their chance. Lee Jung-woo wanted to wipe them all out again.

Just like the Braves had eliminated all the paparazzi.

“Sigh… Since your will is firm… and the doctor’s opinion was good… The Mets must be upset. They were celebrating your absence.”

“They should be grateful. They’d lose anyway, even if I wasn’t there. Now they can blame it on me.”

After it was announced that he would miss the entire Padres series, the Mets, the next opponent, didn’t show it, but they were secretly celebrating. Even though he wasn’t on the IL [injured list], he didn’t attend the games or even come to the dugout, which made the situation seem serious. They thought he wouldn’t play in the games against them either.

Some former Mets players even made provocative statements like, ‘The Braves are weak without Lee.’ Even though they were retired players, it was clear that the team was behind them. Lee Jung-woo wanted to crush their joy.

“We already beat the Phillies early on. We need to take down all the other teams in the same division.”

Watching Lee Jung-woo’s face turn serious again, Mark thought he was glad he wasn’t a Mets fan.

####

As Lee Jung-woo thought, the Mets were lost in a sweet dream.

-The beginning is what determines the season. We need to rack up wins when we have the chance, so it’ll be easier later.

-The timing is perfect.

-It’s the best opportunity. Both the Phillies and the Braves are in bad shape.

After the crushing defeat against the Braves, the Phillies seemed to have completely lost their way.

Unlike the pitchers, who had somewhat regained their senses, the hitters’ slump continued, and they had only managed to win one game so far.

The Braves, who had put the Phillies in that state, also seemed to have lost some momentum in the Padres series. They lost one game and then lost the final game, resulting in a disappointing 2-2 record against the relatively easy Padres.

On the other hand, the Mets were on a roll.

Although they didn’t sweep any series, they won every series, accumulating wins and ranking second in the Eastern Division. Therefore, the Mets saw this as an opportune moment to shake up their competitors as much as possible.

However, they didn’t think it would last long.

“Honestly, even if we falter now, the Braves are already on a roll, so it’ll be hard to win the championship.”

“What we need to aim for is a high win rate. The best thing to do is to accumulate wins early on and increase our win rate.”

“We need to push forward this time. At least until the first half of the season, we need to be on par with the Braves. Then it’s a battle of management.”

They knew that the Braves, who had shed their underdog image, were strong contenders for the championship. Therefore, the Mets’ goal for this season was a wild card [a playoff spot awarded to the best teams that didn’t win their division]. From that perspective, now was the perfect time, as all their competitors seemed to be in bad shape.

The Mets were dreaming of defeating the Braves in this series, no matter what. However, amidst all their good judgment, there was something they didn’t anticipate.

[Manager Mancini, ‘Will travel to New York with Lee’]

[‘Misjudgment blinded by victory!’ Promising player ruined again by the team’s greed!]

[‘Mentality as solid as his defense?’ Lee dismisses the criticism and insists he is a strong player]

Lee Jung-woo’s return was faster than expected.

After the Padres series, when a reporter asked Manager Mancini about the Mets away game, he stated his position. The media then criticized, supported, or praised Lee Jung-woo’s strong mentality(?), and various arguments erupted.

But none of that mattered.

At least not to the Mets fans who saw it.

-Wait, wasn’t he supposed to miss this series?

-There were a lot of speculations, but I guess not.

-Damn it, I knew it. That damn Korean wouldn’t be shaken by something like that…

-Ugh… I thought this series would be doable, but it’s ruined.

As a team in the same division, the Mets had been tormented by Lee Jung-woo as much as the Phillies.

Therefore, what mattered to them was the possibility of Lee Jung-woo playing. The Mets had hoped that he wouldn’t come to New York and would rest comfortably in Atlanta, but the best-case scenario had fallen apart.

The slightly increased possibility of his appearance made the Mets, who had been filled with anticipation, feel depressed. But until the very end, people couldn’t let go of hope.

-He’s just coming to New York. He didn’t say he’d play.

-It’s just a scare tactic. A threat that Lee might play.

-The media was making a fuss about it, right? Saying he was quite shocked. Even if he does come out, he probably won’t be in normal condition. He’s still young, so the shock must be significant.

-This is a mistake by the Braves. Even if immediate results are important, they should protect a young player! The Braves will regret this decision for a long time.

-It’s better this way. We can break his mentality for good this time.

The Mets fans believed the media. The media, which had been exaggerating and overinterpreting, portrayed Lee Jung-woo as a pitiful rookie whose mentality had been shattered by an unexpected incident. Therefore, they thought that even if he did play, he wouldn’t be in normal condition.

Ironically, the media that had tried to shake Lee Jung-woo had tricked the Mets.

-Why are they making such a fuss about that guy? It’s nothing. We just need to win, whether he’s there or not.

Therefore, the Mets fans, filled with hope, shouted as if to convince themselves. But this time, their sweet dream didn’t last long either.