Pitcher’S End, Batter’S Start [EN]: Chapter 159

Pitcher done, batter up -158

“You were going to hit the Liberty Bell?”

“The angle was off, and the distance was too short. It’s not as easy as I thought.”

Leaving the shaking-eyed first baseman behind, Lee Jung-woo leisurely rounded the bases, high-fived Derek, and shrugged.

Derek seemed to have secretly expected it, since Lee Jung-woo had announced his intention to snipe it in advance. But it wasn’t as easy as he’d hoped.

“If you hit that, it’s practically a home run out of the park. It would be weird if it were easy.”

“If it were easy to hit, it would have been tattered and torn down by now. How many guys in the National League are eyeing that eyesore?”

“Still, you did great. You smashed a board in the stands instead of a neon sign.”

Derek and the rest of his teammates welcomed Lee Jung-woo with satisfied faces, pleased that he had properly punished the Phillies, who had been trying to get under their skin with unpleasant and obscene words since before the game.

Even while lightly high-fiving them, Lee Jung-woo couldn’t shake off a hint of regret, glancing at the Liberty Bell with lingering feelings.

The brilliantly shining neon sign.

The pride of Citizens Bank Park, modeled after the Liberty Bell, the symbol of Philadelphia.

At first, he just thought the fans’ reactions to tormenting the Philigans [a derogatory term for Phillies fans] were funny, and since his hitting was in good shape, he took a shot at it.

But now that he had failed, he felt even more determined.

“You son of a bitch! I’m going to kill you! You hear me? I’m going to kill you!”

“Watch out for your ass at night!”

“I’m going to set fire to your dorm, so keep that in mind. If you want to die quickly, grease yourself up in advance! And apply it directly to your crazy teammates too!”

More than that, he was most curious about the reaction of the Philigans, who hated him so much, when their team’s proud symbol was smashed.

The heinous remarks. Even the other players, who were smiling and teasing Lee Jung-woo, frowned at the excessively violent words, and some teammates momentarily tried to rush out of the dugout, but they barely calmed down with the restraint of Lee Jung-woo and Derek.

While barely calming down his teammates, Lee Jung-woo also shot a slightly different look at the audience.

‘I’d usually just laugh it off, but if I let this go, it’s not being mentally strong, it’s just being a pushover. Even for the sake of the other team members, I can’t just let this one slide.’

Yes, they crossed the line now.

If the ball talk was just passionate provocation for the cheering team, the current screaming out of their minds exceeded the limit to be simply accepted as provocation.

So, a definite punishment was needed. A strong physical response that would make them realize what happens when they cross the line.

“Crazy bastards, there are things you can say and things you can’t.”

“Those kinds of guys should be kicked out and not allowed near the stadium.”

“Lee, don’t worry about it. No, get really worked up and hit another home run. Then they’ll grind their teeth until they break.”

“I’ll try.”

As Lee Jung-woo answered vaguely and suddenly looked at the Liberty Bell again, his teammates widened their eyes. Until now, he had just been joking around. This time, something felt different. To be more precise, he became a little more serious.

“No, are you really going to hit it?”

“Well, I’ll give it a try. They’re shouting so hard. I have to show them something. And if I have a goal, I can concentrate better, right?”

“Huh, even if you get close, they’ll freak out. Lee, you’re not normal either.”

That was actually true.

If that shiny, large neon sign looked like just a common stadium symbol until just now, now it looked like a target for an archer or shooter.

And when he seriously thought about hitting it, his concentration strangely increased. Or maybe his judgment was a little clouded from constantly hearing insults.

But whatever the case, just like they crossed the line, Lee Jung-woo also became a little more serious.

‘It’ll be tough, but like Peterson said, even if I get close, they’ll freak out. It’s worth aiming for.’

Lee Jung-woo, who had been staring at it for a moment, soon averted his lingering gaze. The series was still a long way off, and there were countless at-bats for him to take.

‘I’ll have another chance. My condition is good, so if the timing is right…’

Lee Jung-woo, who had a thought that would have horrified the Phillies and made them tie him up and kick him out of the stadium right away, sat down on the bench chair, trudgingly.

The first baseman’s eyes, who was looking at him, were still shaking violently.

####

“Fuck Braves! Fuck and Korean!”

“Even if you got lucky and hit one, you’re still a Fucking Motherfucker!”

“Is that all you got, you stupid bastard?”

In the two at-bats after the first inning, Lee Jung-woo recorded a slightly disappointing long hit. Both were shots that would have been home runs if they had gone just a little further, so the crowd was startled, but the spectators screamed even louder.

“F” this, “F” that, the clear F-word was heard from all over the place, trying to rattle him, but Lee Jung-woo faced the game with the same unchanging face as usual.

It was ridiculous to react in the first place.

‘They’ve given up 4 RBIs [Runs Batted In] and they’re still talking so much.’

All sacrifices. Lee Jung-woo, who had not added a hit but added 2 RBIs, their words were empty.

Also, the game had already tilted so much towards the Braves that the Phillies were getting beaten up, so it was even more so.

Also, the insults were too weak to penetrate the iron wall that had been cast over Lee Jung-woo’s ears due to the bigger goal.

So Lee Jung-woo just faced the plate with the same face without any reaction.

[Hit! Runner scores! The batter went to second base. The score is now 9 to 3! A huge big game is being made at Citizens Bank Park.]

[He scored another RBI. It’s rather fortunate for the Phillies. If it had been a little higher, oh, it would have gone over enough.]

[Only 1 inch short of a multi-homerun.]

In the fourth at-bat, which came much earlier than usual in the top of the 6th inning, Lee Jung-woo recorded another hit. Lee Jung-woo, who hit a double, watched the ball until the end.

At least, in his opinion, the angle and course were properly set.

‘All that’s left is the distance.’

He made a RBI, and the Phillies fans, who were worried about a home run, breathed a sigh of relief for a moment. Still, he had an indifferent face.

Perhaps it was because such an appearance further stimulated the audience, the voice continued to grow, and the number of people screaming as if spitting blood increased. The fear was getting darker and darker for the Phillies.

“He’s crazy, really.”

“Did you see the Liberty Bell this time too?”

“Yeah, definitely.”

“Is he really going to hit it?”

“There’s no way that’s possible.”

“If he hits it… I think we’ll have to leave Philadelphia for now.”

Lee Jung-woo blatantly looks at the Liberty Bell throughout the at-bat following the first inning.

The Phillies players, who grasped the situation, laughed in vain or shook their heads as if they were dumbfounded, but on the other hand, they could not erase the fear in one corner of their hearts.

They would have thought it was absurd if it were other guys, but the thought suddenly came to them that it might really be possible for that crazy guy who becomes better than any other player in the world when facing only the Phillies.

“Haa… This is all- no, never mind.”

“No, why do you keep scratching a monster-like bastard? That’s why that bastard’s eyes are turning.”

Perhaps because of such fear. The players rather resented the fans for the constant swearing even now.

The audience is scratching the opponent by raising the level more and more. When they do well, there was no more reliable support than that, but now it just felt like an unpleasant scream.

They hoped that the audience would be quiet as soon as possible, but the decibel did not decrease even if their throats were hoarse. Even when they attacked.

“Dropped Ball! Dropped Ball!”

Following the various ball chants that rang out before the game, the audience is now pouring out all kinds of curses to drop the ball.

They sincerely hoped. Lee Jung-woo, who had already wreaked havoc on the Phillies throughout the game, hoped that he would make a mistake just once.

If they did, they were confident that they would tease him to their heart’s content. Then, the already festering heart would be soothed a little.

It was too foolish an expectation to expect from Lee Jung-woo, who had never been lacking in defense since his debut.

In fact, all that was piling up was the Phillies’ frustration. It was the same with this attack.

‘He grabbed the bat short. He’s usually a hitter who pulls it long to aim for a long hit, is he faking it? No, the angle of his feet is a little different. He’s going to hit it short.’

Perhaps because his condition was good not only at the plate but also during defense, Lee Jung-woo, who predicted the opponent’s batter’s hit at the level of almost future prediction, showed a defense that was half a beat faster than usual during this game.

The Phillies’ hardship could be seen just by the fact that they only took 3 points from Brian Holsey, a starting pitcher who has been in poor form recently.

‘He’s aiming for something. Curve? No, fastball. He read the fastball timing. Brian’s ball distribution usually throws a fastball at this timing, so the probability is 50%. Four-seam and two-seam. Which one is he aiming for? No, it doesn’t matter. I’ll catch it.’

As he expected, when the pitcher threw the ball, the batter pushed the bat without any hesitation.

Simply tap, which batting coaches say with blood in their necks when teaching young players.

The hit that properly showed it broke through the 50% probability. The pitcher quickly reached out his glove to catch the ball, but it had the opposite effect.

The ball that hit the end of the glove and bounced off deviated from its original course, turned strangely, and rolled quickly. It would have been difficult to catch normally.

Lee Jung-woo, who was preparing in advance, reacted a little faster than others to the unexpected situation.

“마이! Get out of the way!”

Lee Jung-woo, who stopped third baseman Popin, who was flustered and trying to chase the ground ball after grasping the situation, ran up and caught the ground ball.

Afterwards, he only swung his arm in the same posture as he ran towards third base, as if it was a waste to turn around, and sent the ball to second base. Other second basemen would have missed it, but Derek, who was already accustomed to his partner’s acrobatic defense, caught it lightly and immediately sent it to first base.

Double play.

Once again, when Lee Jung-woo blocked the attack, Citizens Bank Park was filled with swear words again.

Lee Jung-woo would have just passed it off with an indifferent face this time as he had always done, but this time it was a little different.

“That- that-”

“Dare you laugh in Philadelphia? Laughing? Are you trying to die?”

“Do something about that son of a bitch!”

Lee Jung-woo suddenly scanned the stands and smiled as he walked towards the dugout to change offense and defense.

The audience was simply angry at his provocation, but the Phillies players, who knew what he was thinking, felt a chill.

‘I’ve got a feel for it. Next at-bat, if a good ball comes, at least a home run is possible.’

####

Top of the 8th inning.

The Braves’ attack started from the 9th at-bat. Since it was a pitcher’s at-bat, a pinch hitter went up. He was struck out. The next first batter, Derek, also struck out.

And the second batter. Lee Jung-woo, who faced his fifth at-bat of the game and the fateful at-bat, walked up with a great sense of intimidation as usual.

‘The series is still left, but I don’t know if my condition will be the same as today tomorrow or the day after tomorrow. So, I’ll finish it today.’

Probably the last at-bat of this game. He had enough stamina. He had enough strength. Also, the hitting ability that had been rising throughout the game was perfect.

It was truly the best opportunity. The double-digit number was already on the scoreboard. The Phillies’ defeat was 99% certain, but the Philigans, who had not left their seats, or rather, had stayed in their seats until the end because of their pride, shouted even louder than in the first inning with their voices that were already hoarse.

From now on, it was just stubbornness.

There may be a fan spirit towards the Phillies. The hatred towards Lee Jung-woo is even greater.

The audience is shouting until the end like an obsession because they are upset that they are losing to such a guy.

But soon they realized from Lee Jung-woo’s actions. They should have just left the stadium quietly when they sensed defeat.

[Uh… is it stretching?]

[It just looks like he turned the bat slightly… It’s a bit ambiguous.]

[Looking at the direction, it seems like… the Liberty Bell….]

Lee Jung-woo pointed to the outfield with his bat and then took his stance again. The shouting subsided as if the audience was stunned for a moment. Soon, they grasped the situation and shouted even louder.

A pre-announced home run, whatever his intention was, the audience accepted it as a pre-announced home run.

Even a pre-announced home run that openly points to their pride, the Liberty Bell.

They shouted in anger. Lee Jung-woo, who had been calm and motionless as he had been throughout this game, gestured to the frozen pitcher.

Asking if he wasn’t going to throw.

The pitcher, whose face was red, urged the catcher, and the catcher, who glared at Lee Jung-woo, quietly closed his mouth and communicated with the pitcher.

‘Surely they won’t walk me [intentionally give me a base]?’

Lee Jung-woo, who waited for the choice with a hint of worry, smiled again at the ball that came soon after.

‘Yeah, if you have pride, you have to do this.’

A ball that boldly pierced the center. A clear strike unless the umpire’s eyes are out of whack. Lee Jung-woo nodded to the pitcher who chose to face him head-on and calmly organized his body and mind.

Controlling his body completely with the concentration that had already risen to the extreme. He waited. The most perfect one.

1st ball, 2nd ball, 3rd ball. And cut.

The number of pitches gradually increased.

Since there were already two outs, the pitcher poured all his strength into every ball as if he was going to catch him no matter what.

The fastball speed, which was much higher than before, pointed to 96 miles. The control became more and more accurate. Lee Jung-woo, who cut the ball that sharply cut through the strike zone again, soon gripped the bat tightly.

It’s here, the timing.

Normally, he would have stepped back for a moment to perform his routine, but because his concentration had risen to the extreme to the point where even that was a pity, he just stood firmly at the plate in the same posture.

“Time!”

The catcher called time as if trying to break the batter’s rhythm. Lee Jung-woo was a little deflated. Still, he didn’t let go of his senses.

The catcher, who went up to the mound for a while and communicated with each other by mixing gestures several times, returned with a confident gait.

It seemed like they had created some kind of secret weapon, but Lee Jung-woo thoroughly ignored it. That could be a psychological warfare. The pitcher’s ball has already been revealed.

‘Four-seam changeup slider. It doesn’t matter if there’s a hidden pitch here. It doesn’t matter if you have a winning shot. I’m going to hit it no matter what.’

A chilling tension flows to the point where even the Philigans become quiet. The pitcher, who hesitated several times, soon threw the ball. Lee Jung-woo received the sensation that everything was slowing down, like the hitters in the best condition.

The ball is flying slowly.

First of all, it was a fastball.

But a slightly different change from what I’ve seen so far. Not just the degree of tailing, but the level of clearly breaking.

‘Two-seam. So you had this.’

The sensation faded.

The slow ball became fast again. The bat that had already been extended from the moment he checked the ball also became faster.

‘Home run. The problem is what’s next.’

He hadn’t even received the ball yet, but Lee Jung-woo predicted a home run. He looked beyond that.

The ball that hit the bat in an instant rose like a rocket. The ball, which stretches straight as if flying as Lee Jung-woo pointed with his bat, only continues to accelerate as if an engine was attached.

By the time the pitcher turned his head, it had already passed the fence. The ball, which had been rising endlessly, hit something and fell.

“Fuck.”

“Tsk.”

The catcher cursed, and Lee Jung-woo clicked his tongue. Both failed to achieve their goals. The catcher failed to catch Lee Jung-woo. Lee Jung-woo failed to hit the neon sign of the Liberty Bell model.

But anyone could see that Lee Jung-woo was in a much better situation.

‘As expected, I can’t hit that unless I’m high on drugs.’

“Good luck.”

“Don’t scratch me and get out… I don’t even have the strength to respond.”

“Take good care of the pitcher.”

Citizens Bank Park.

The batted ball that hit the “P” among the green letters located under the Liberty Bell and fell back into the stands. The surrounding spectators moved away from it as if looking at a dirty eyesore.

Perhaps they were running away because they were afraid that the letters hit by the batted ball would fall off.

Although Lee Jung-woo did not achieve his original goal.

Looking at the audience seats that had become as quiet as an opera house. He was satisfied enough.

‘This isn’t bad. It seems like their mentality is properly broken.’

The three-game series between the Braves and the Phillies.

The result of that magnificent confrontation was a first-round KO [Knock Out]. Just like always. However, the difference from a boxing match is that. Even though he was already knocked out. They have to get hit more during the remaining two rounds.