Pitcher’S End, Batter’S Start [EN]: Chapter 213

End of Pitching, Beginning of Hitting – Episode 212

“He’s starting to show his age, definitely not what he used to be, huh? I thought he’d throw over thirty. Even the great Friedman is getting old.”

Joey Friedman chuckled at his old friend’s words. If he had heard such words from fans, he would have been displeased. But knowing it was a joke, he didn’t feel bad.

“Ugh, it’s funny for me to say anything to you. I’m dying after throwing just a few batting practice balls. If we make it to the finals, I think my shoulder will fall off.”

“But you still have some heat left. Why didn’t you keep playing baseball? You could have made it to the majors.”

“I sometimes think about that too. What if I had continued playing baseball? But I’m doing pretty well, right?”

“That’s true.”

The two men on the Home Run Derby stage felt a strange sense of nostalgia. Once, they had dominated the college league together. Joey continued with baseball and the majors, while he aimed for a new life, and they drifted apart.

And now, they were reunited on the fairly prestigious stage of the Home Run Derby, as if they had returned to their childhood. Lost in that subtle emotion, the man watched the player stepping up to the plate after them, their turn already over.

“Come to think of it, Lee is really young. Isn’t he about the same age as when you went to the draft? As someone who used to play baseball, it feels a bit bitter. I ran away in the middle, but you, watching from the side, must feel a bit jealous?”

The player, similar in age to their youthful memories that stirred nostalgia, was already being praised as the best player. Every time he felt that, a new shock came over him, like now. With a tingling back of his head, the man pursed his lips and widened his eyes at the words he heard from the side.

“He has incredible talent. Even I at that age can’t compare.”

Unlike his quiet appearance, his friend was full of self-esteem. It was a little strange to hear him rate someone higher than himself. It made him feel annoyed.

Even though he had said earlier that he wasn’t as good as he used to be, he was still proud of his friend. He didn’t like the way he was acting like an old player watching a younger player, looking forward to retirement.

“Oh really? Are you about to retire? No wonder you canceled our fishing trip in the offseason. You’re not that diligent.”

As he grumbled, Joey chuckled again. Certainly, even he himself thought that Joey Friedman wasn’t the diligent type. However, he wasn’t one of those lazy geniuses who only relied on talent, but he wasn’t the type to train all through the offseason either.

He always went on fishing trips with his friend.

But this year was different.

“I want to play a little longer, so I’m starting to take care of myself.”

“How much longer are you going to play? The great Joey is taking care of himself? You’re still in your prime.”

When his friend asked, Joey tried to open his mouth but closed it again. A home run flew. It was such a massive home run that it easily exceeded 450 feet, and since he had already recorded a similar distance home run, the 30-second time limit was extended according to the rules. The batter, as if he had no emotions, continued to silently stare at the mound.

‘He’s an amazing guy. Really.’

He wasn’t ordinary when he first saw him either. He had already heard that he had switched from pitching. It was also well known that the manager was paying attention to him enough to drool. But the player named Lee, whom he met in person, was definitely different.

At first glance, he showed a fresh, chick-like appearance, but in between, there was a strange, bitter aura of an adult.

His skills were also extraordinary. Not to mention the defense that captivated the manager from the start. The guy whose batting was in the upper ranks of Double-A had jumped to the major league level during the exhibition game, showing tremendous growth.

‘How many times in my life will I see someone like that?’

Probably very rarely. Maybe that guy is the last one. At least I haven’t experienced it so far. So a new desire grew.

Joey Friedman, he had a glorious career, and even if he retired right now, he would probably be remembered forever by the Braves fans. And that was the end.

He didn’t have the defensive skills to receive a Gold Glove. He always swept the Silver Slugger, but the MVP was only a disappointing second place at best. The Hank Aaron Award was also only once, pushed back by Pedro Castillo and Vincent Harding, who had their prime before they went downhill.

‘And that’s probably the limit of my personal career. The cumulative stats will increase, but the titles are difficult. Now there’s Harding, Hunter, and Lee.’

He felt it while playing alongside the guy who debuted like a comet last year and shook the entire league. He realized that personal awards were almost out of the question. Because that guy will take them all in the future. But instead of the deprivation and frustration that such a fact brought, a new desire arose.

“I was originally going to play for about five more years, but now I’m going to play for about ten more years. I have a desire.”

“What desire? Are you finally going to win an MVP?”

“That’s hard now. Because that guy is there. It’s nothing much. I just thought I could fill one hand with rings. Because that guy is there.”

“That’s nothing much?”

At Joey’s words, his friend made a deflated sound. Joey wasn’t a playboy, so it couldn’t be a wedding ring. Then the only ring left was the World Series championship ring.

The man shook his head at his friend’s desire to have five of them, filling one hand, but soon realized that it was sincere, filled with confidence in Joey’s eyes.

“Because that guy is there.”

With one second left, the ball goes over the fence. A whopping 32nd home run. He broke the record again.

“A great genius has appeared. Can’t I walk along with him and pick up some crumbs from the side?”

“If those crumbs are the World Series championship, then it’s worth offering the Home Run Derby.”

The result of the Home Run Derby, the first game of the semi-final, the Braves civil war, was 32 to 24, with Lee Jung-woo’s victory.

####

“Well done! Really well done!”

“Joey! You’re still the best!”

The unfortunate Braves’ infighting ended with the victory of the new franchise star. Some Braves fans who came to the stadium to see them also gave generous applause to the defeated Joey.

Whatever it was, a Braves player went to the finals, and although the number of home runs was somewhat different, Joey also showed great power, just like when he won last year.

As the first game ended with countless applause, people filled with even more anticipation waited for the second game with excitement.

Vincent Harding and Arthur Hunter. Lee Jung-woo suddenly emerged, turning it into a kind of three-way battle, but these two were the players who had maintained a traditional rivalry for years.

Now they are both playing in the NL [National League], but just last year, they were the best players representing each league.

That’s why people couldn’t help but look forward to the two of them facing off in the Home Run Derby. Perhaps because of the bloody rivalry between the Dodgers and the Giants, quite strong cheers erupted.

“Show those LA [Los Angeles] bastards! That your players are trash!”

“Show those Giants idiots clearly! That they can’t compete with you in home runs!”

They were just a handful of voices, but the sound was so loud that even unrelated spectators watched the cheering competition between rivals with interest. Soon, the semi-final that started properly satisfied that excitement.

[Arthur Hunter! Records 30 home runs even in the semi-final! Ah, it’s a really amazing pace, isn’t it?]

People were enthusiastic about Arthur Hunter’s preemptive attack, which scored 30 home runs, just like in the first round. They also cheered for the showmanship he showed once again.

[Oh! Arthur Hunter pointed somewhere with his bat as he stepped down from the plate. I think I saw it right, didn’t I?]

[Yes, he targeted Lee. He’s saying he’ll get to the finals somehow and have a good fight. He’s definitely a good performer.]

“That’s right! Just easily step on Harding and have fun with Lee!”

“Hey, Harding! Don’t you still know what Hunter is saying? He’s saying that you, a scrub who can’t even hit 30 home runs in the first half, should get out! Yes, I’m talking about you!”

The Hunter’s fans shouted at Harding with high spirits at the preemptive attack that properly suppressed the opponent, but a few minutes later, they just nervously chewed their nails.

“He hit it!”

“Go over, go over, go over!”

[The ball goes over the fence! Vincent Harding! 30th home run! Finally makes it a tie!]

[Ah, really, both players are not the best players for nothing. It’s fierce. Then the winner will be decided with three swings now.]

Harding eventually tied the score within the regular time. According to the rules revised after 2015, both players were given three swing opportunities each along with 90 seconds. The stadium was filled with tension, as if it were a regular season game, in the much fiercer second game than expected.

In the end, the winner was Hunter, who connected all three swings with home runs. But no one threw unnecessary ridicule at the loser Harding as they did when it started.

Because it was a great game where they both did their best, they knew very well that they would become ugly themselves if they said anything there.

As the semi-final ended and the final match was completed, only applause flowed through Kauffman Stadium. Perhaps because of the great semi-final, the excitement was naturally at its peak.

[The league’s best home run hitters finally meet in the final. It can be said that it was an expected result. But the process was extraordinary.]

[At least so far, it has met the expectations of the fans by 120%. I’ll have to wait and see if that satisfaction will continue until the final.]

Lee Jung-woo and Arthur Hunter. The match between the two players who ranked 1st and 2nd in the NL home runs in the first half was concluded, and the Home Run Derby was heading towards the end.

####

“Aren’t you tired? You threw a lot.”

“I threw everything without strength, but if I’m tired from throwing that, how do you do bullpen pitching? This, this, aren’t you seeing me as too old?”

Right before the final, Lee Jung-woo looked at Pennington with worried eyes. He brought him in because of his greed, but it felt like he was doing something he shouldn’t do to a pitcher.

But Roy Pennington just chuckled with a fresh face, as if he hadn’t shed a single drop of sweat. Rather, he was worried about Lee Jung-woo.

“Are you okay? Should I check your swing form? If your batting gets weird, you know we’re in big trouble, right? The fans will rise up tremendously.”

“I didn’t do it so violently that my batting form would be twisted.”

While waving his hand as if it was nothing to Pennington, who was worried about the aftereffects of the Home Run Derby, Lee Jung-woo thoroughly checked his batting form.

Greed grew and he became greedy for the championship, but he didn’t want to ruin the second half just to win one Home Run Derby.

Swinging slowly and confirming his form, Lee Jung-woo nodded with a little relief only when he was finally convinced. Now that the last bit of worry had disappeared. Now all that was left was to hit a home run.

“How many are you going to hit this time? About 40? How about trying to break the junior record?”

“I have to try. I’ve come this far.”

When Lee Jung-woo revealed his ambition without hiding it, Pennington smiled as if that was it. The two men, armed with a body recharged after the last preparation and rest, set out for the final battle.

[The 2035 Major League Home Run Derby final is finally starting!]

[Arthur Hunter and Jung-woo Lee, both showed good power in the previous rounds, right? I’m curious about what it will be like in the final.]

[Since both of them are tired, I guess they will record a slightly smaller number than before.]

Usually, the final has the fewest home runs in the Home Run Derby. As stamina decreases, power decreases. That’s why people expected that both of them would record only about 20 in this final as well. But Lee Jung-woo shattered that thought from the beginning.

[The first ball as it is! It stretches out- it’s over! The distance is 449 feet! Unfortunately, it didn’t exceed 450 feet- but the speed of the ball was quite fast.]

[Oh, the power is just… still there. He’s already hit 58 home runs, but the power is still there.]

The first home run that flew like a bullet and crashed into the audience seats. Starting with that, Lee Jung-woo sent home runs in a trance.

Tuk-

“It’s over!”

Tuk-

“Again?”

Tuk-

“Huh? What?”

Lee Jung-woo’s appearance, maintaining the rhythm and connecting almost all the balls with home runs, made it easy to hit home runs even for the fans who supported him. There were no balls that floated up and barely crossed the fence by a few centimeters. Everything flew like a jet taking off and crashed into the audience seats.

‘Lightly. Lightly. Lightly. Keep the rhythm.’

The home run rhythm that has been built up little by little from the beginning. Lee Jung-woo maintained it as much as possible, like an instant that can only be used in the Home Run Derby, not in an actual game.

There was no need to force himself. Since the balls that are flying are batting practice balls, it is enough to put strength only at the last moment. Realizing that, Lee Jung-woo literally just made home runs. He just kept printing them out. Like a conveyor belt in a factory with a well-established automation.

[He’s definitely a genius hitter. He knows exactly what to do. He uses his wrist strength to gently lift the ball. If you look here, you can see him giving the impact properly with his wrist at the last moment.]

[Yes, he’s really like a machine. There are fans who often say that Lee looks like a well-made baseball robot, but from today, I actively agree.]

The reaction of the audience went beyond admiration and cheers to shock. An elderly man raised his glasses as if doubting whether he was seeing it properly.

Eventually, Lee Jung-woo’s home run, which recorded two 450-foot home runs and earned 30 seconds more, reached 40 with 10 seconds left. When he stopped for the first time and took a long breath.

The stadium and the viewers’ homes were filled with explosive cheers, just as the secretariat had hoped.

As all kinds of noise poured out towards him, and feeling the stadium full of praise and worship as if it was already over without seeing more, Lee Jung-woo thought.

‘There’s still one more left.’

As he took his stance again, the ball flew back as if waiting. Looking at it clearly, Lee Jung-woo put all his strength into the last ball instead of the rhythm he had maintained so far.

The ball endlessly soaring high.

Finally, when it hit the scoreboard, Lee Jung-woo threw his bat as if he had no regrets.

[Jung-woo Lee! Breaks the most records for a single Home Run Derby and the most records for a single round! He dethrones Vladimir Guerrero Jr., who has been in the throne for 16 years!]

The last match of the Home Run Derby, which gathered everyone’s expectations and maintained the highest level of attention. From the beginning of the final, Lee Jung-woo threw a checkmate. As if telling the opponent to try if they could. But.

[Arthur Hunter! He showed great power throughout, but eventually misses the championship with 29. He must be dumbfounded. To be the runner-up even after hitting 29!]

[With a total of 89, it would have been the 2nd highest record in a single derby if it were the original record- but he records 3rd place because the opponent broke the 1st place record.]

Of course, once the checkmate was in place, the result could not be changed no matter what he did. Even if it was a professional player considered the best.

The final ended with new records like the previous first half. The protagonist of this year’s $1 million (championship prize) was Lee Jung-woo.