Pitcher’S End, Batter’S Start [EN]: Chapter 162

With the pitchers spent and hitters stepping up, the Braves clinched a 6-4 victory in the final Game 3, escaping Philadelphia amidst a still-hostile atmosphere, having achieved their targeted series sweep.

A mere sweep would be humiliating enough for the proud Phillies fans.

But they had inflicted so much humiliation throughout the series that the sweep felt almost secondary. They needed to leave quickly, fearing retaliation.

Thus, after the eventful Phillies series, the plane ride back home was quiet as usual. The players, safe from immediate danger, spent their time as they always did until the flight ended.

‘Don’t they ever get tired of it? How much is that ‘mill money’ [small bonus money] even worth? They’re acting like professional gamblers.’

Lee Jung-woo watched the players huddled together, playing poker with their road trip per diem, with a slightly disdainful look, before returning to his usual meditation and music.

‘I’m getting a lot out of this. The fans’ reactions are getting better, and I’ve made an impact. My personal stats are piling up nicely too.’

Calmly closing his eyes, Lee Jung-woo reviewed the series.

It was a fruitful series, for better or for worse.

There were many takeaways, and Lee Jung-woo gained a lot from them. Through this series, Lee Jung-woo’s unique star quality was undeniable. The sporadic buzz he had been generating was now coalescing into a solid wave of attention.

As a result, a considerable number of people, beyond just Braves fans, were now supporting Lee Jung-woo. Many were captivated by his refreshing demeanor.

‘Conservative baseball fans might not like it much, but I’ve been prepared for that since I started hanging out with Arthur Hunter.’

Frankly, conservative people were never particularly fond of Lee Jung-woo anyway.

Many disliked the sight of a young player confidently performing bat flips, or the ‘arrogant genius’ image the media had created, which seemed to disrespect veterans and tradition.

Of course, in the back of their minds, there might also be a reluctance to see an Asian, not even an American, ‘daring’ to cause trouble and shake up the league.

So, since he was already at odds with people of that disposition, Lee Jung-woo was content with simply building his own image.

‘Even though popularity isn’t important outside of business, it ultimately affects many things more than you think. If you’re popular, you’re less likely to suffer unfair treatment, at least.’

In the end, Lee Jung-woo belonged to a minority in this vast league.

He had a different skin color and a different nationality from most players.

The most effective way to mitigate the disadvantages that came with that was, after all, popularity.

Star power wasn’t always positive, but it was definitely a good thing to have.

However, when it became excessive, unpleasant things sometimes happened. Like right now.

“He’s just so sexy~ I’m so proud of you, Lee. Come to think of it, Lee is quite handsome.”

“Not like a Russian mafia boss from a movie?”

“Well, that’s kind of cool in its own way, isn’t it?”

“Lee! Isn’t that too much? Why are you the only one getting awards?”

“Why are you suddenly talking nonsense—no, gibberish?”

Lee Jung-woo, who had been calmly lost in thought, frowned when the people who had been playing poker just moments ago suddenly swarmed around him, spouting incomprehensible words.

Their faces were slightly smiling. Suspecting another prank, he scanned them, and Peterson, who had subtly approached, held up his phone screen to him.

‘Is it that damn ‘Crazy Ball’ thing again?’

‘Crazy Ball’ was a nickname that had been newly attached to him due to an article posted by some sensationalist media outlet. That was also one of the unpleasant things born from his star power. Even that wasn’t as absurd as what was happening now, though.

With a nonchalant look, Lee Jung-woo checked the phone screen and felt so dumbfounded that he felt like he was disappearing.

“…What is this—”

‘What the hell—’

Lee Jung-woo barely managed to hold back the curse. Peterson, either not noticing or pretending not to, continued to tease him in a playful tone.

“Wow~ you make good money, you’re physically fit, you’re sexy. And even manly with a ‘Big Ball,’ no, a ‘Crazy Ball.’ Women must be lining up for you?”

What he showed was the result of a survey conducted by a magazine.

Lee Jung-woo’s name was proudly listed in second place in that poll. If it were MVP predictions or All-Star voting rankings, Lee Jung-woo would have gladly accepted it. But it was a little different.

No, it was actually very different.

“Why is my name even here….”

The first-place winner wasn’t even a baseball player, let alone an athlete, and the magazine itself was a women’s magazine.

[Top 10 Sexiest Superstars Chosen by Single Women Aged 20-40]

In that magazine’s internet survey of its subscribers, with a very grand title, Lee Jung-woo was ranked second.

The two scenes that perhaps symbolized this Phillies series—the home run call and the rough spitting of blood—were plastered above his name and brief profile.

‘Should I sue them for violating my portrait rights? If I ask Mark, he’ll take care of it somehow.’

Lee Jung-woo even had such thoughts as his cheeks twitched. But whether they didn’t know or knew too well, his teammates maintained a festive atmosphere to tease him. If someone who didn’t know the situation saw this scene, they might think Lee Jung-woo had won some great award.

“I knew it all along, Lee is the hottest guy in Atlanta. Just look at the female fans, they’re going crazy for you.”

“It’s not just women, but men too. No, actually, there are more men. And most of them have beards and look like Vikings.”

“Wow~ Lee, aren’t you going to get interview requests? What’s your acceptance speech?”

“Since you got second place, they’ll have to feature you properly in the next issue, for sure~ That’s what the subscribers want~ You’re not going to back out after winning an award, are you?”

“Lee, I’m always proud of you.”

People were eagerly teasing him at this opportunity. Even the coaches smiled or gave him a thumbs up when their eyes met. Seeing that, Lee Jung-woo roughly swept back his hair.

The Phillies series was more than satisfactory in terms of game play, so much so that he thought it was perfect. He also accumulated personal stats to his satisfaction. But along with that, unnecessary byproducts followed. Unlike when he arrived, when he left, his name was followed by a bunch of useless titles.

‘It’s my fault, my fault. Why did I do that?’

Since he was the cause of everything, Lee Jung-woo couldn’t blame anyone but himself. The three-game series against the Phillies. It was a series that brought many things in various senses.

####

[‘Raging Storm’ Braves, Resuming Winning Streak? Padres Swept!]

[‘Endless Ascent’ Even the Marlins Swept! ‘Strongest Team’ Braves!]

The media continued to praise the Braves every day. Some were pro-Braves cheerleaders, but even those who weren’t admitted that the Braves were different this season. And so was Lee Jung-woo.

[‘Great Balls of Fire!’ Jung-woo Lee, Contributes 4 RBIs Against Padres! Season’s 12th Home Run Unfortunately for Next Time…]

[Continuous Performance! Jung-woo Lee, Multi-Hit in 5 Consecutive Games!]

[‘Gold Glove & Silver Slugger Confirmed?’ Best Shortstop at This Point!]

[Jung-woo Lee is a ‘Perfect 5-Tool Player’ Manager Mancini, Beaming at Lee’s Performance]

A player who hit 12 home runs in less than two months. Even more so as a shortstop. He also plays good defense. On top of that, his percentage stats are among the best in the league, and his speed is ridiculously fast. He had all the elements to be noticed.

So, at this point, he was shining on his own without having to be deliberately highlighted. And there was no reason not to shine a spotlight on him in the first place.

In such a good atmosphere, a matchup that could fuel this craze came along.

-Now it’s your turn to taste it.

-You guys laughed so hard, right? How could you get beaten so badly by a 21-year-old punk. Experience it for yourself. See how much of a bastard this guy is.

-At least we won’t get called for a home run.

-What the hell, why bring that up suddenly? You son of a bitch! I was barely forgetting about it…

It was the interleague exchange game.

Interleague play.

This season, the Braves’ interleague opponents were the Toronto Blue Jays and the AL West, according to the split rivalry and division rotation.

The first opponent they met was the Toronto Blue Jays, a team they meet every odd year. With the Montreal Expos becoming the Washington Nationals, they were now the only Canadian team in the MLB.

[‘Lee? I know he’s a good player. But he’s still a rookie.’ Jordan Nash, Expressing Confidence…]

[‘We’ll Show the AL’s Power to the NL.’ Blue Jays with Bold Ambitions!]

[‘Blue Jays are Not Even on Our Radar. The Red Sox Would Have Been a Better Opponent’ Manager Mancini, an Outburst of Arrogance?]

[‘Jordan Nash? He’s Good. But Lee is Better. It’s Just a Fact.’ James Peterson, Praising His Teammate!]

[‘Lee and Nash? What a Joke!’ Braves Fans Scoff at the Comparison of the Two Players.]

Beyond team versus team, it was a game with the pride of both leagues on the line, so provocative words towards each other continued even before the match.

In particular, Toronto fans naturally latched onto Lee Jung-woo, who was a person of interest. He was the most dangerous player, and their pride was also at stake.

Of course, it didn’t have much effect. No matter how much they tried to drag him down, the name Lee Jung-woo was already infinitely heavy.

-You’ll see when you see him in person. How scary Lee is.

-The Canadian losers will probably piss their pants? It feels different when you experience it firsthand! It’ll be a very good experience.

In such sharp exchanges, the Braves crossed the border first.

####

“Why the hell does Canada play baseball? They should just focus on ice hockey, which they like so much. Making people come all this way for nothing.”

“Yeah, they should have moved to the US with Montreal when they relocated. They bother people every two years.”

The Braves players, visiting the Rogers Centre, were quite annoyed.

The road trip across the border made them uncomfortable.

In fact, strictly speaking, the distance wasn’t that far.

From Atlanta to Toronto was only approximately 1200 miles, so it wasn’t a long distance for them, as they often covered over 3000 miles on road trips to the Western Division.

However, despite the distance not being that long, the unique burden of crossing the border made those who went on the road trip feel like it was farther than it actually was.

Among the grumbling players, Lee Jung-woo, with his usual calm face, lightly ran and jogged around the stadium. No matter how much data he received, it was his first time here, so he wanted to observe it with his own eyes.

‘It looks ordinary on the outside. But the artificial turf definitely feels different. I need to be careful when defending. It’ll be helpful when hitting, though.’

The Rogers Centre, the sacred ground of Toronto baseball, is known as a home run-friendly stadium, and ground balls are fast and bounce sharply due to the artificial turf.

Especially since it’s said to be advantageous for left-handed hitters, Lee Jung-woo, feeling both the joy as a hitter and the dissatisfaction as a shortstop, soon discovered a player staring intently at him.

He was a little worried that it might be another case like Arthur Hunter, but fortunately it wasn’t that kind of thing. It was intense competitiveness. Feeling that in the gaze coming at him, Lee Jung-woo soon identified the other person and became even more puzzled.

‘Jordan Nash, Canada’s idol. But why is he like that?’

Jordan Nash.

He was a figure who couldn’t help but be loved by fans.

First of all, he was a rare Canadian national and the starting shortstop for the Toronto Blue Jays.

Even excluding a kind of local bonus, his decent defensive skills, good hitting ability, and power to hit over 10 home runs every year made him, jokingly, the best idol Canada boasts.

Such a famous franchise star was suddenly staring at him intently. Lee Jung-woo tilted his head.

‘It feels a bit uncomfortable… well, the pitchers are the ones I’m dealing with anyway.’

Lee Jung-woo lightly dismissed it and soon cut off his attention from him, trying to gauge the opposing team’s strength.

‘The Blue Jays aren’t a weak team. No, to be precise, they can be called a strong team. The team’s overall strength is good. The problem is that they happen to be in the AL East.’

Due to various problems such as taxes and the Canadian dollar being worth less than the US dollar, it’s a place that big-name players don’t really welcome. Nevertheless, the Toronto Blue Jays, with the players they’ve gathered as much as possible and local players who receive enthusiastic love from local fans, have established themselves as a dark horse in the AL despite such adverse conditions.

Although their ranking was 3rd in the AL East, it wasn’t because the Blue Jays were bad, but simply because their opponents were bad. In the original history, the Red Sox, who would build their own dynasty in Major League Baseball for the next few years, and the Yankees, who were anxious about the progress of such rivals and strengthened their power, happened to be in the same division.

The team itself was a hitting powerhouse with a strong lineup, in line with the characteristics of the Eastern Division, commonly called the AL East. They weren’t an easy opponent. If they gained momentum, they could easily sweep.

The Blue Jays were a considerably good team compared to their ranking.

But if you ask if they were a very scary team.

‘Not really. If I had to compare, this side is the superior version.’

The first opponent he faced since his debut. It was a slightly unfamiliar and strange opponent, but Lee Jung-woo didn’t assume defeat in this game either. As a team, and as an individual.