Pitcher’S End, Batter’S Start [EN]: Chapter 190

Pitcher Done, Batter Up – 189

In the US, the internet reaction was mostly lukewarm, and even Braves fans seemed indifferent. However, the local Atlanta fans felt differently.

While Korea was reveling in national pride and “Lee Jung-woo mania” during this event, the local fans felt that the team was making a greater effort to connect with Lee Jung-woo.

“Of course, they should. Liga [referring to Lee Jung-woo] is some player. And Atlanta has a lot of Koreans anyway, right?”

“At first, I thought GM [General Manager] Pratt was as dense as Stone, but I’m starting to like him more and more.”

“When the Captain retires, Lee will be the new captain. And when he retires later, he should enter the Hall of Fame wearing a Braves cap. They need to take care of him this much. If they keep doing that, Lee will love the Braves even more.”

In short, if they could just win Lee Jung-woo’s heart, Braves fans would be okay with whatever the team did.

Even if it seemed insignificant, ridiculous from the outside, or somewhat demeaning. It might seem surprising for Americans, especially those in the South like Atlanta, who value their pride, but that’s how sincere they were about Lee Jung-woo.

And frankly, they weren’t inclined to criticize the team’s event in the current situation. First, the team was doing well; second, the team was doing incredibly well; and third, as the fans put it, the team was doing damn well. Even though they had more losses recently, they had already hit 50 wins in May. So, the fans didn’t really care.

Thus, the Korean Night event itself was accepted without much resistance among Atlanta’s local fans, and it made the Koreans’ shoulders feel a bit broader. But it also had an unexpected, or perhaps intended, effect.

“So, Korea, you mean North, right? Lee’s hometown. There are two Koreas, right?”

“Huh? Aren’t there three? North, South, and Center. That’s what I thought… or am I wrong?”

“There are two, two. North and South. And Lee is from the South! Not the North!”

It was about correcting the perception of South Korea in most people’s minds.

The local fans spent time learning about Korea, which they hadn’t been very familiar with, in preparation for the upcoming event.

“DPRK, you know? Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. Lee is from that country. Korea.”

“Democratic People’s Republic? Is that right? Doesn’t sound right? Was it that long?”

“It’s a democracy, and a republic. Since we’re friendly with that Korea, isn’t it a democratic country? You know, the North is a dictatorship.”

“No, the broadcast notation was shorter than that, wasn’t it? I think ‘Republic’ was in there…”

“Don’t say such outrageous things, you idiots. Lee is from ROK [Republic of Korea]. DPRK is where that pig is the leader, the one you see on the news often.”

Occasionally, there were those who were confidently armed with very wrong information, but they were suppressed by the disapproving looks around them and the rebuttals from people who sensed something was off.

Lee Jung-woo was subjected to completely unexpected torment because of this event.

####

“…This is the snack we’re going to showcase at the Korean Night event. What do you think? Since we ‘matchwoda’ [tailored/customized] it to have a Korean feel, I wanted to get Lee’s approval one last time.”

Before the game, Lee Jung-woo, who had come to the clubhouse and changed into his uniform, was momentarily speechless at the food brought by the team staff.

At first glance, it looked ordinary, but there was a sandwich with bright red kimchi in the middle, kimchi that seemed to be raw without being stir-fried or anything.

A hamburger with a gochujang [Korean chili paste]-based sauce, but with strawberry seeds visible here and there, as if they had mixed it with strawberry jam to add a sweet taste.

If it were just gochujang, it would be like ordinary seasoned chicken, but this was doenjang [Korean soybean paste] chicken with a familiar pungent smell and a yellowish-brown color.

Among them, the most ordinary-looking was the bibimbap [Korean mixed rice dish] in a cup form.

Lee Jung-woo felt like he was suffocating when he saw the ‘special snack’ that sounded ominous when he heard the explanation.

‘…Are they telling me to eat this? Me? Why? No, there are tons of Koreans in Atlanta, didn’t they even test it properly?’

Those words were on the tip of his tongue, but Lee Jung-woo forced a smile at the confident look in their eyes, wondering what kind of guts they had.

“Haha… As you know, I have a game today, and I need to warm up now, so I’ll have to pass for now. Eating greasy food before exercising can upset my stomach.”

“Ah… I guess so. We weren’t thinking clearly.”

“Yes, then I’ll be going-”

“We’ll pack it for you after the game, so please take it home and try it as a snack, and give us your feedback. Haha, it’s been a while since you’ve had hometown food, so it’ll be to your liking. It tastes so good that you might even feel your mother’s touch. Hahahaha.”

‘No, no. That can’t be. Don’t insult my hometown. And my mom doesn’t make this kind of thing.’

Lee Jung-woo was furious at the sight of them trying to feed him that thing until the end, but he held back again, just nodding his head and leaving the place. If he escaped from the visual torture, the next was auditory torture. Because, as expected, his teammates were making a fuss.

“Oh~ is that it? The snack that’s coming out at Korean Night. The stuff on the chicken smells a little weird…”

“Anyway, Lee is amazing, isn’t he? The team is even celebrating his heritage so grandly. I’m going to be so jealous.”

“Yeah, he’s just on a different level than us. He’s going to be the next captain. Of course, they have to take care of him.”

‘I knew it.’

Lee Jung-woo sighed as his teammates, as if they had been waiting for it, giggled and made a fuss.

Lee Jung-woo forced himself to close his ears and focus on exercising, but they seemed to be even more fired up by his bland reaction and kept chattering next to him.

It was fortunate that at least no players outwardly expressed their disappointment or distanced themselves, as the media had attacked or the fans had worried, but it wasn’t any less difficult for Lee Jung-woo personally.

Even amidst the teammates who were talking so loudly that his ears hurt, Lee Jung-woo calmly blocked out the noise and just focused on baseball as he always did.

####

Arriving at the stadium, Lee Jung-woo briefly scanned the more visible Asians, probably Koreans, and the Korean flags, perhaps because of the Korean Night news, before watching the opposing team’s players as usual.

Like the Braves players, who had practically secured a spot in the postseason, the opponents also had mostly bright faces. Like the Braves, they were also doing well. Especially recently.

‘Cincinnati Reds. They’ve been doing great this month. They’re really on a roll.’

The Cincinnati Reds, as befitting a founding team of Major League Baseball, had a fairly decent championship record for a small-market team. They were one of the teams that had been doing well recently.

Unlike the Braves, who dominated April and May and then entered a stabilization mode from mid-June, the Reds had been on a tear, going 10 wins and 0 losses in the last 10 games and 15 wins and 5 losses in the last 20 games, chasing the Pirates in second place in the Central Division by just two games.

Many people believed that if they maintained their current momentum, they could even take the first-place spot in the division, currently held by the Cubs. The driving force behind the team was the sudden surge in form of their pitching staff.

‘Their ERA [Earned Run Average] this month is in the low 3s. Especially the starting pitchers, even the 4th and 5th starters are easily throwing quality starts.’

Just as a stadium can erupt with explosive scoring when hitters get into a rhythm, a chilling cold can envelop the stadium when pitchers maintain their rhythm.

So, considering the current league situation, which seems to be maintaining some neutrality but is slightly leaning towards pitching, the Reds’ momentum could be described as very cold.

‘Either way, they’re not a pleasant opponent.’

The Braves were consistently accumulating losses, although they rarely suffered complete defeats. No matter how many wins they had accumulated, they could lose the momentum they needed to maintain throughout the season if they didn’t cut it off properly.

So, they needed to cut it off appropriately, but they happened to be facing a team that was doing well in the league while their entire lineup was in a slump. It wasn’t a very ideal matchup.

‘It would have been perfect if we had met the Phillies instead. Beat them easily and recover our momentum.’

If a Phillie heard Lee Jung-woo even say “Lee,” they would clutch the back of their necks and gurgle. But Lee Jung-woo was serious.

In times like these, you have to beat the guys you can beat to get your feel back.

‘Their pitching staff was definitely good. When we played them last time, my record was 3 hits? During the 3-game series.’

Lee Jung-woo nodded, recalling his performance and licking his lips.

A threatening momentum. A strong winning mentality evident on their faces. Players riding the momentum. In many ways, they were a difficult opponent.

‘Then it’s about time for something to explode.’

They weren’t terribly threatening. Even if the Braves had become a bit quieter, they were still seriously strong.

And even though they were on such a good run, they had already taken a winning record in the first 3-game series in June, inflicting two losses on them.

Also, Lee Jung-woo didn’t have a great record, but that’s why he knew well. The cooldown was over. And since his recent performance wasn’t very good, it was the perfect time to explode.

After finishing his thoughts, Lee Jung-woo thoroughly warmed up again. As always, to beat the enemy in front of him coolly.

‘It’s a bit unsettling, but it’s an event that’s practically got my face on it. I need to shake up the fans a bit first. So they can enjoy it comfortably.’

####

To the Cincinnati Reds, the Braves were the ‘thugs next door.’ Vicious thugs with ominous rumors and actual experience.

Lee Jung-woo, who could be said to be the center of such Braves, was like the ‘chief enforcer.’ The chief enforcer who goes in and causes a ruckus before the thugs start their rampage.

[Hit it, between 3rd and SS [Shortstop]. But, yes. As expected, Lee catches it easily.]

[Now he just snatches those kinds of balls as if it’s nothing. It’s embarrassing for the batter.]

“His defense is really amazing.”

“Can’t you do that much?”

“If I could defend like him, why would I be here? I would have gone to a big market like the Dodgers or Yankees a long time ago.”

“They said his performance has dropped, but his defense is just the same. What is that…”

“But his bat seems to have quieted down a bit? His performance isn’t good. What’s it like?”

“It’s been dropping since we played Oakland. He’s got 9 hits in nine games. Seven walks.”

“Is that dropping?”

“If you look at his overall performance, it’s a big drop. He’s such a crazy guy.”

“Isn’t he worse than last year? When I saw him last year, he seemed really crazy. Didn’t we give up a bunch of walks then?”

“That’s because we were scared.”

However, even so, he wasn’t just a scary presence. Last year, they endured the shame of giving the rookie 7 walks during the series, but this season, they didn’t need to do that and blocked him appropriately with 3 hits and 2 walks in 15 at-bats in the first match.

Therefore, the Cincinnati Reds players saw Lee Jung-woo as a player who was very good, but not to the extent of being compared to Harding or Hunter, as the media said.

No matter who says what next to you, people ultimately judge based on what they see with their own eyes.

“His batting sense isn’t good, they say. Should we test him a bit in advance?”

“Are you crazy? If you get one caught, it’ll definitely go over. It’s better to just get rid of him quickly.”

Of course, the pitchers who were directly facing him didn’t really care about recent performance, batting sense, bubbles, or anything like that.

The pitcher, who lightly glared at the catcher who was saying such easygoing things, slightly turned his eyes to check the opposing bench, which was crowded with players returning after finishing the top of the 1st inning. Among the batters grabbing their bats one by one, there was one player who stood out strangely.

‘Jung-woo Lee, tsk, I have a bad feeling about this. Two home runs this month…’

The most annoying hitters for pitchers are those with good contact and speed, and the most threatening hitters are those who can hit one over the fence. He was both of those.

But recently, one more thing has been added to that. The keyword ‘cold cannon.’ Only two home runs this month. The last home run goes all the way back to the Athletics game. His home run pace has noticeably dropped, and if there was a fluke in the past and this is normal, then we would be happy, but all the data evaluating him was telling us. No matter what else, at least his defense and home runs, that is, his power, are definitely not a fluke.

That means…

‘It’s about time for him to explode. Damn it, this isn’t some kind of bomb to pass around…’

The pitcher deeply hoped, although he felt sorry for his teammates behind him. He hoped that the moment of explosion would not be his turn. No matter how good his recent performance was, the opponent was the opponent, and he was still a dangerous guy, so he deeply hoped and prayed. But unfortunately, like most pitchers who faced Lee Jung-woo, his prayer was not answered.