Pitcher’S End, Batter’S Start [EN]: Chapter 156

End of Pitching, Start of Hitting – Episode 155

Having defeated the juggernauts of the Dodgers and Arthur Hunter at the end of April, the Braves embarked on a road trip from the start of the new month.

“They were grinding their teeth this year. Saying they’re going to the postseason no matter what.”

“The Pirates are washed up, so they might be able to make it if they do well. Well, after that, who knows.”

The Chicago Cubs, a team with a strong tradition, were aiming for the postseason this year with the Pirates weakened.

“Wrigley Field is amazing every time I see it. It’s amazing that a stadium over 100 years old is still running well….”

“They poured enough money into remodeling it to build a decent stadium, so it has to run well.”

The players, having arrived at the sacred grounds of the Chicago Cubs, stared with weary eyes at the home crowd that had already filled the seats.

The Braves were also a very popular team, but the Cubs were somehow a little different. It felt like looking at the crazy guys from the same division.

‘I’m going to hear all the insults I can handle today.’

Seeing the fans who seemed to be fully prepared, Lee Jungwoo was the first to calmly shut his ears.

Last year, when he faced the Cubs, he was tied to their promising prospect, Jeff Shelton, in the Rookie of the Year race, and he remembered being subjected to insane abuse.

Lee Jungwoo, who was warming up with a resigned look, soon tilted his head.

“It’s quieter than I thought?”

“They’re embarrassed, they’re embarrassed. They were screaming that Jeff Shelton was ROY [Rookie of the Year] no matter what. How embarrassing would it be to be caught by a guy who debuted two months late?”

“I guess so.”

“And… they might be trying to manage their image from now on.”

Lee Jungwoo could fully understand Derek’s explanation, but he didn’t understand the latter.

When he sent a look asking what he meant, Derek scanned the crowd with slightly fierce eyes, and then shrugged.

“That team’s starting shortstop is about the same age as me. They’re saying they’re going to take you as their next shortstop. So they’re managing their image.”

“No, there’s still a long way to go until FA [Free Agency], but already…”

Lee Jungwoo shook his head as if he was dumbfounded. Unlike before, the eyes of the Cubs fans, who were so kind, made the back of his neck feel chilly for a moment.

The sight of bearded men looking at him with sparkling eyes like children was not very welcome.

“Lee, crush them properly today. So they can’t dream those kinds of dreams again. Let them know that the Cubs aren’t even in your sights.”

“Why do you have to go that far….”

Lee Jungwoo let out a hollow laugh at Derek’s extreme words, as if he was upset that anyone would dare to covet Lee Jungwoo.

The Braves fans who had become his fanatics, Derek who went crazy whenever someone coveted him, and the opposing team with their disgusting glares. Somehow, it felt like people were starting to go crazy around him.

‘It’s not bad. Let’s think positively. I’ll probably stay with the Braves if possible. But there are always more options the better.’

Lee Jungwoo, thinking of what Derek would have said if he knew, tried to accept the disgusting gaze as a favor. Having resolved his slight doubts, Lee Jungwoo soon focused purely on the game. The Chicago Cubs are not an easy opponent.

‘But, that doesn’t mean they’re an incredibly difficult opponent either.’

In the FA [Free Agency] market before the season, the Cubs also naturally aimed for Hunter and Harding. They did their best, but in the end, they failed to win them over. Consequently, they missed out on other suitable players and finished the transfer market with ambiguous reinforcements.

‘So, the team itself is just… mediocre. Moderately strong. Good enough to win the division if they do well.’

Still, thanks to the Pirates’ weakening, the Cubs were vying for first place in the division, just like the Braves. But the difference in the team’s strength was clear.

While the Cubs were wasting time, the Braves properly reinforced what they needed.

‘Winning, or more than that. If we stay focused… it’s not impossible.’

It may have been complacent, but Lee Jungwoo seriously thought so. A monstrous starting rotation starting with the first starter, Mason Looper, was waiting.

‘And fortunately, my condition has recovered again.’

Lee Jungwoo scanned the Cubs fans who were still looking at him with clear eyes, and smiling when their eyes met.

It was a sight he wouldn’t be able to see once the game started. He wanted to keep this strange sight in his eyes as much as possible.

####

“Go! Cubs, go! Go! Cubs, go!”

The crowd filling Wrigley Field was chanting their famous slogan, “Go Cubs.”

If it was a cheer that came from a happy heart, it would have been nothing but happiness. Unfortunately, the “Go Cubs” that was ringing now was full of bitterness.

‘Mason’s really going to win the Cy Young [Award for the best pitcher], isn’t he?’

Mason Looper. The Cubs recorded only one hit against the Braves’ starting pitcher for today’s game. They were being completely dominated.

The deciding pitch of this game was the centrifuge [a type of breaking ball], like in the previous games. The Cubs hitters could not attack it, which was thrown with the same posture as the four-seam fastball.

Last year, Mason was evaluated as a well-balanced, complete pitcher who was not biased towards anything. But this year, he was different.

[Strike! The eleventh strikeout of this game is recorded!]

[This season, Mason Looper is showing tremendous strikeout ability. His K/BB [strikeout-to-walk ratio] is over 6. At this rate, he seems capable of over 250 strikeouts this season.]

[His ERA [Earned Run Average] is also slightly behind Ilya Danilov, currently ranking second in the league.]

Overwhelming strikeout ability.

Mason Looper, who recorded at least 9 strikeouts every game, was cutting down hitters like crazy, like a pitcher who had reached his prime. The Cubs hitters caught by such Mason were all futile swings. Even if the ball happened to get caught in the swing.

” মাই! Gary, don’t come!”

Ambiguous hits could not cross the Braves’ defensive line. In particular, the center line from 3rd base to 1st base, guarded by Lee Jungwoo and Derek, swept up the batted balls like a net.

The defense, which was worthy of the nickname of the best partner in the league, was very admirable. But from the perspective of watching it, it was a sight that made you shiver and tremble.

“Go Cubs go, you X발새끼들아 [You son of a bitches]! Let’s go, let’s go, you X발 [fuck]!”

“You X새끼야아아아악 [You son of a bitch]!”

The Cubs fans couldn’t stand Lee Jungwoo, who chased after a decent hit to the end and eventually blocked a hit.

The home crowd, who eventually spewed out the insults they had been holding back to lay the groundwork for the future, even slammed the back of the front seat in anger.

When they were only dreaming sweet dreams, they had never been short of praise for his defensive skills. But when they were on the receiving end, there was nothing more unpleasant than that.

“It’s a relief that Jeff hit one….”

“At least there won’t be a no-hitter. Let’s be satisfied with that.”

“Are you crazy? He’s about to pitch a shutout, and you’re satisfied with just that?”

When the attack was frustrated once again, the Cubs fans were so desperate that they were satisfied that there was no no-hitter. Lee Jungwoo, who had created this mess, soon clearly showed his face at the plate as well.

[Lee is coming to the plate for the third time. He has 2 hits and 1 stolen base in 2 at-bats in this game.]

[He hasn’t hit any cool home runs. But he is steadily leading the team’s gains.]

The Cubs, who had already been thoroughly dominated in the previous at-bats, greeted Lee Jungwoo with great tension.

He had multiple hits and caused a big fuss in defense, so the Cubs hoped that he would be satisfied with that now. But what came back was a snort.

‘3-0. The score is a little lacking. Even if we’re getting beaten up a lot, we don’t know what will happen once we get some momentum. Let’s get at least one more point.’

Lee Jungwoo, who was determined to win with a tenacious mindset, pulled the fastball on the body that the pitcher, who had forcibly created confidence, threw.

The ball, properly caught on the long bat like a fish caught on a fishing rod, stretched out along the foul line.

“Go out! Go out! Go out, you X발 [fuck]!”

“No, why is that fair! Referees, you X발놈들아 [you sons of bitches]!”

“What are you doing not catching it! X발 [fuck] what are you doing! Why aren’t you throwing it quickly?”

As the fallen ball continued to roll, the fans, worn out by the sight of the hitter running like a madman, whipped the right fielder, mixing the F-word with every syllable.

When the right fielder barely caught up and caught the ball that had rolled far into the corner, the fans were making a fuss again. But it had the opposite effect.

[Okay, throw to 3rd base. Oh, oh oh, this is too high- the 3rd baseman couldn’t catch it! The right fielder’s throwing error!]

[He’s not going to miss this opportunity! Passing 3rd base and rushing home! The 3rd baseman belatedly tries to catch the ball- but it’s too late.]

3rd base throwing error and the hitter’s home-in. It was such a miserable and absurd sight that a hollow laugh came out. Silence fell on Wrigley Field.

[It’s not an inside park home run, it seems like- it will be recognized as a triple and a fielder’s choice.]

[With the absurd error, the score is 4-0. The Cubs are collapsing.]

‘It’s a mess, it’s a mess.’

It was such a disconcerting situation that even Lee Jungwoo, who scored the point, shook his head. When Lee Jungwoo’s smirking face was caught on camera and appeared on the screen, the audience was momentarily choked up. But soon, they drooped like exhausted people.

They didn’t have the strength to get angry anymore. To be honest, that damn bastard was just too damn fast to curse at.

Of course, strong criticism continued to pour out towards the right fielder. But they had to admit his tremendous running ability. Even if the throw had gone in properly, the fact that a triple was certain.

“Anyway, it’s a runner on 3rd base with no outs… just count it as a run given up- what the hell, why aren’t you defending properly? Do you want to die!”

“He’s fast….”

“Arthur Hunter is slow, but what the hell is that guy? Is he really natural?”

“No, what kind of guy is that? X발 [fuck] wouldn’t other teams be sad to watch baseball without him.”

“If we offer to trade him for Jeff, they won’t trade him, right?”

“Not Jeff, even if we give them the whole team, they’ll tell us to go to hell, right?”

That’s why they were even more attracted. If a guy who is so fast is in the Cubs, endless attack routes would be created.

If it doesn’t work out, he even has the ability to hit home runs on his own. He was the best merchandise if he was on the market.

“There are about 6 years left until FA [Free Agency], right?”

“X발 [fuck] it’s so damn long…”

“What is the general manager doing not bringing in a guy like that? X발 [fuck] he’s Korean, right? Tell him to search! Who knows, there might be one more!”

“Did you see that? Lee was injured when he was a pitcher, right? At that time, Atlanta was going to trade him, but we refused?”

“That’s what a guy with a bullet in his head would do… What has that guy done properly besides bringing in Jeff? If he couldn’t bring in a guy like that, he should have brought in a decent right fielder!”

Eventually, the focus shifted to the general manager, who always gets beaten up when something like this happens.

The atmosphere was so fierce that even groundless rumors were circulating. Even in such Wrigley Field, there were people who bravely cheered.

“This is Lee! This is the king of Atlanta!”

“Cubs, you don’t have a player like this, right? No, why are you playing baseball without Lee?”

“크핳핳하하하핳 Go Cubs? 하하하하핳 [laughing]. Aren’t you going too much? How far are you going to go, the throw passed the 3rd baseman?”

“They’re having a field day, those guys.”

“저저 [Those], dare to provoke us at Wrigley Field? Where did I put my shotgun… I remember putting it in the back seat of the car. I’ll have to shoot one shot after the game.”

“Are you going to have a gunfight with southern hicks? Are you crazy? Those redneck guys will shoot a machine gun, not a shotgun.”

The Cubs fans looked at the away fans, who were pitifully huddled in the corner of Wrigley Field and cheering, with envious eyes.

They were overwhelming the surrounding home crowd like a hundred men, and even their proud chant was reduced to a laughing stock. But at this moment, they were as envious as someone who had won the lottery. No, it was actually a lottery.

They scratched only $2.5 million and snagged a shortstop worth at least $250 million. No, he was even a pitcher when they brought him in!

As a result, the Braves felt like true winners to the teams that had faced Lee Jungwoo.

“Was the Braves’ general manager Pratt? He told Lee to switch to hitter?”

“Really? Then… how long is his contract? He seems to have a good eye for players. Let’s replace the general manager this time.”

“What’s a general manager? He creates players like that, he should be generously appointed as president. Who knows? He might bring the World Series right in front of us like Theo [referring to Theo Epstein, who helped break the Cubs’ curse].”

The Cubs, who were eyeing not only the player but also the Braves’ general manager, just remained silent after realizing that their appearance was miserable.

But they didn’t erase their greedy gaze towards Lee Jungwoo.

“Good job, go and rest. You can even lie down on the bench and sleep. If anyone says anything, I’ll block them for you.”

“Stop it, it’s burdensome. Captain.”

After enjoying the welcome of his teammates, Lee Jungwoo, who returned to the dugout with Derek’s excessive escort, sat on the bench and soon shivered.

“I want to go back to Atlanta soon.”

“응? [Huh?] Why suddenly? Haha, Atlanta is the best, right? Of course, Chicago can’t be compared.”

“It’s not that, I think I’m really going to be kidnapped if I stay here.”

Lee Jungwoo shuddered at the tens of thousands of sticky gazes towards him.

Like Arthur Hunter said, it seemed like something was changing.

The eyes looking at him were getting crazier and crazier.