Pitcher’S End, Batter’S Start [EN]: Chapter 177

End of Pitcher, Start of Batter – Episode 176 (177/287)

After finishing the series against the Washington Nationals, which was marked by Lee Jung-woo’s slump and numerous controversies, Pratt had a phone call with Mark, Lee Jung-woo’s agent, before heading out for the away games.

“We really need to respond now. Waiting for the right moment is good, but being too passive isn’t ideal, is it? Let’s sue one media outlet as an example. Those guys who are blabbing about interviewing a broker. Seems perfect.”

Mark couldn’t help but chuckle at Pratt’s seemingly impatient words.

‘He must be anxious. His beloved player is caught up in a scandal. I can only imagine how he feels.’

Lee Jung-woo’s influence in the Braves is significant. No, it’s bigger than anyone can imagine.

He exerts his influence in various areas, including offense, defense, and even the mental control of the pitchers.

You might ask if it’s too much for just one player, but Mark thought there was a visible truth, so no one could deny it.

Also, to Pratt, Lee Jung-woo wasn’t just another player on the team. He was the symbol of the Braves’ glory, personally discovered by Pratt himself. Just looking at the fans, they were already praising Pratt for signing Lee Jung-woo. With such a symbol being tarnished, he couldn’t help but feel uneasy.

“But it’s not time yet.”

“Mark.”

“I know you’re anxious, Pratt. You’re angry, and you’re worried. But you know it’s not the right timing yet, don’t you?”

“If the public opinion cools down suddenly, no one will listen to us no matter what we say. We need to respond when there’s still some reaction.”

Despite his blunt words, Mark simply flipped through the documents with a calm face. As if he found a reason in that silence, a long sigh was heard over the phone.

“It’s not just an issue. It’s becoming a foregone conclusion that Lee did doping [using performance-enhancing drugs]. The media, netizens [internet users], fans. They all suspect it. Finding the optimal timing is important, but… if we’re not careful, some weirdo might show up with some fake evidence claiming he did drugs, and then we won’t be able to control it. You know how many fame-hungry morons there are in this industry, Mark.”

Mark sighed.

He knew it all too well.

As an agent lurking in the baseball scene, he encountered such crazy people dozens of times a day. Even though he remained calm, Mark couldn’t help but feel bitter inside. The fact that this much talk was coming out in just a few days meant that they had been suspecting him all along.

And it was obvious that the source of such suspicion stemmed from the racist view that ‘Asians can’t be that strong.’

‘He’s been doing seriously well. Even as his agent, it’s unbelievable. Actually, I still can’t believe it… it must have been even more suspicious in other people’s eyes.’

Mark himself had been watching him train and seeing the results of various medical tests, so he knew that Lee Jung-woo’s natural punching power and wrist strength were beyond imagination. But the public couldn’t know that…

It was only natural that these suspicions were arising. Those who had already been suspicious easily believed it.

That’s why Mark was initially as anxious as Pratt. He urged Lee to respond immediately and sue a few tabloid newspapers as well. But now it was different.

‘There’s no need to strike first. Because we have the strongest card.’

Mark couldn’t help but smile. Really, no matter how he thought about it, his player didn’t seem like an ordinary guy.

He willingly did something that even the cleanest athletes would generally avoid.

‘That means he’s that confident. Well, if he was going to dope, he wouldn’t have bothered with the risky transition to hitter; he would have just taken drugs and continued pitching.’

In a way, he was the perfect player. At least from an agent’s perspective. He had top-notch skills, outstanding performance, and didn’t even have unnecessary pride. Even when viewed as an individual rather than agent versus player, he was a trustworthy guy.

‘Since that grateful guy created the opportunity himself, I need to take care of the rest.’

“No lawsuits.”

“Mark, I’m telling you again, the situation is serious. The league is also watching-”

“I know. I have eyes too, and I’m an agent, how could I not know? Probably half of the baseball fans who have seen the controversy already see Lee as a drug user. The other half believes him but is also suspicious. Well, it seems like the Braves fans are working hard to defend him.”

Mark knew America well.

He couldn’t not know. He was basically American, and although he had spent a considerable amount of time abroad scouting players, he had ultimately lived most of his life in this land. That’s why he knew what people, average Americans, wanted from a hero named sports player.

‘They always want them to be confident, honest, and face hardships head-on without lying. Even though they know it’s a damn hard thing to do.’

Lee, Lee Jung-woo. He was definitely Korean, but he knew those American habits too well. Just looking at what he had asked of him.

He wasn’t very interested in popularity, but once he became interested, he knew how to gather it in an amazing way.

That’s why Lee Jung-woo also knew that he had to go ‘American’ now. And he ordered his agent, Mark, to do so.

Just like how Asians can’t be strong, this too might be a prejudice. But Mark admitted it. This still works really well.

“There’s no need for lawsuits right now. We need to change the order. Suing now won’t make people see it in a good light anyway. Before that, we need to change public opinion.”

“…It sounds like you have a good plan.”

Mark smiled at Pratt’s cautious question. He was a grateful person who followed their requests even though he didn’t have to. It seemed okay to reveal their hand at this point. At least he would be the strongest ally as long as Lee Jung-woo remained with the Braves.

‘And I can also put the team in debt. We’re taking care of something they can’t do.’

Having finished his calculations, Mark put on a confident expression, even though Pratt couldn’t see it because it wasn’t a video call, and opened his mouth.

“Lee requested it. He wants to hold a press conference when he returns to Atlanta after the away series. The location… he said Emory University Hospital would be good.”

“Surely… you know, if it’s that, the team can’t help. Is that okay?”

“Yes, I know. We could get a bad reputation for the team pressuring the player. It doesn’t matter, we’ve already coordinated with the hospital and the preparations are complete. The team just needs to take follow-up measures after the fact.”

Because it was a winnable game, Mark ended the call with a more confident face than ever.

‘Let’s start turning the tables. And root out those damn rumors this time.’

Now that Rotifol [presumably a key piece of evidence or strategy] was in his hands, all that was left was to expand the game. To completely wipe out the doping rumors this time, so that they would never dare to come at him again.

‘Although Lee will take care of that himself.’

Mark thought of Lee Jung-woo, who was leaving for San Francisco, and earnestly hoped that he would cause another refreshing accident there, just like he had been doing. So that people’s attention could be drawn for sure.

####

The Braves’ last series in May, which felt very long, was a two-game series against the San Francisco Giants. The journey to Oracle Park was comfortable, and Lee Jung-woo also set off on the trip looking no different from usual.

His indifferent appearance, which was more noticeable to the surrounding players, was so comfortable that it reassured those who saw him.

“I wish the sea breeze wouldn’t blow so much during this series.”

“I need to hit a splash hit for the first time in a while. Then my face will be plastered all over the newspaper.”

“You’re out of the question. Maybe Lee or Joey. Peterson, you’re too old.”

“Shut up, Poppin. I’m still fine.”

As the worried teammate showed a very calm appearance, the conscious players also joked and looked forward to the away game as usual. Lee Jung-woo, who was spending time listening to music and meditating as usual, suddenly approached Derek in the front seat.

“Captain.”

“Oh, Lee. Why? Is there a problem?”

“I have something to discuss.”

Derek’s eyebrows twitched at Lee Jung-woo’s words. Lee Jung-woo shook his head as if it was nothing, at his slightly embarrassed appearance.

“Captain, you have some connections with the players’ union, right?”

“I do, because of my experience. I’m not an executive, though.”

“I have something to discuss with them.”

Derek narrowed his eyes at Lee Jung-woo’s words. He had a rough idea of what was coming.

“Are you finally responding? A statement? Or an announcement? Thinking about it, the response has been too late so far. Even now-”

Lee Jung-woo waved his hand as if that wasn’t the case. In fact, Lee Jung-woo didn’t want anything from the players’ union.

Even without their support, things were already progressing smoothly. What Lee Jung-woo wanted was ‘understanding.’

Derek’s face changed from moment to moment at Lee Jung-woo’s next words.

“It’s definitely not something the team forced you to do, right? If the front office is involved, the union will have to say something. It could be the start of another war.”

“It’s my will.”

“Then it’s okay, but if the team is involved, they probably won’t say good things. But if that’s not the case, it doesn’t matter. The player is going to respond on his own, so there’s no reason to say anything about it. Okay, then I’ll make some calls. Anyway, that’s a relief. I heard it from Joey, but honestly, I was worried that you were too out of it. Are you going to give them a good punch [strong response]?”

After the conversation, Derek had a very refreshing expression. Lee Jung-woo could understand his feelings.

‘He must feel relieved. Preparing this far means he really didn’t do it. He must have believed in me all along, but now that even the last bit of worry has disappeared, he must feel relieved.’

Even though it was Lee Jung-woo’s personal matter, he couldn’t help but be concerned as the captain. Now that it was neatly resolved, Lee Jung-woo thought it was natural for his expression to brighten.

Lee Jung-woo, who had cleared away even the last bit of worry, also sat down with a softer face than before. Now that all the preparations were complete, all that was left was to return to being a player and play hard.

####

Oracle Park, which he visited again, boasted a very clear day. The players, who came down to the city where the sun shines, which is often associated with California, climbed onto the team bus with their bodies stretched out from the long flight.

And on the way to Oracle Park. Lee Jung-woo saw a face that filled a large billboard along the way.

‘Vincent Harding, he’s really a Giant. Seeing his face on the billboard.’

Lee Jung-woo looked at Vincent Harding on the billboard, smiling in the Giants uniform, with slightly bitter eyes.

If you were to pick the most influential of the butterfly effects caused by his return [to baseball/the team], it would undoubtedly be that.

The player who should have flown to the Yankees and dominated the American League went to the San Francisco Giants and was turning the Western Division into a sea of fire with rival Arthur Hunter.

‘The state of the Western Division is not good, but the biggest thing is that the status has been… disrupted.’

Arthur Hunter and Vincent Harding should have originally existed in different leagues. By doing so, they had to create their own world and look down on other players.

But now they were in the same National League, even in the same division’s famous rival teams, and were in conflict.

The difference that gave was simple.

‘Neither of them can be winners.’

Before the regression, there was a difference between the two leagues, and they didn’t face each other often, so no one could be a clear winner in this rivalry. But now there was bound to be a clear winner.

Lee Jung-woo, who had been watching it until the team bus passed the billboard, soon burst out laughing. Come to think of it, people now included one more in the existing rivalry between Arthur Hunter and Vincent Harding.

Jungwoo Lee. It’s Lee Jung-woo himself.

‘It’s still true that I’m far behind… but since I’ve regressed, let’s mess things up a bit.’

The gap was still too far to catch up, and somehow he barely managed to squeeze into the gap, but in the end, didn’t he come this far? It was a game that could not be decided until the end anyway. There was no reason why the final winner could not be Lee Jung-woo himself.

‘I caught Hunter in the Dodgers game. Let’s catch Harding in this series.’

With a firm determination, Lee Jung-woo entered Oracle Park.