Pitcher’S End, Batter’S Start [EN]: Chapter 219

[Base on balls. Jungwoo Lee walks to first base in his third at-bat.]

[Not quite an intentional walk, but it was a similar kind of matchup.]

[Just looking at him heading to first, you can’t tell who’s at a loss. Lee seems disappointed, furrowing his brow, but the pitcher looks much more relieved.]

After giving up the second home run, the Cardinals’ starting pitcher opted to walk Lee Jungwoo intentionally, who was up to bat for his third time in the bottom of the 5th inning.

The pitcher carefully guided Lee Jungwoo to first base, prioritizing balls outside the strike zone – swing if it looks good, otherwise, let it pass. The pitcher seemed relieved initially, but quickly hung his head in disappointment.

[He hit it! Joey Fredman! Two-run homer! The Atlanta Braves record three home runs by the 5th inning!]

[Ah, that’s the finishing blow. Yes, that was a definite knockout punch.]

A crushing blow landed on the already struggling pitcher. As soon as the baserunning was complete, the pitcher was immediately pulled from the mound. If he was dazed before, he was now definitively knocked down.

He must have been aiming for at least a quality start [a start in which a pitcher pitches at least six innings and allows no more than three earned runs], but he looked defeated as he walked off, having given up three home runs without even completing five innings.

With the starting pitcher’s slumped shoulders signaling the end, the visiting fans, who had completely lost hope, also began to leave their seats. Winning was no longer a possibility. They didn’t seem to have any fight left in them and didn’t want to endure watching the game any longer.

Thus, only the Braves faithful remained in the Truist Park stands. But the game was far from over. Even with the starter gone, there was still a long way to go.

[KKK! Mason Looper!]

[Continuing with three strikeouts!]

[He hit it!]

[The Braves score additional points again! The score is now 9 to 0!]

What unfolded at Truist Park afterward was a brutal beatdown, a horror show for what was supposed to be an exciting first game of the second half for baseball fans. And in that horror movie, Lee Jungwoo’s role was the executioner’s axe.

“Are you really going to hit another one?”

“I’m in great hitting condition. It’s too good to waste by being satisfied with just two.”

“You’re really… I’m glad you’re on our team.”

Held in the hand of a merciless slaughterer in a slasher film.

The axe that fells the heads of innocent victims.

Even though the team was winning by a large margin, and he himself had already put up excellent stats with 4 plate appearances, 3 at-bats, 3 hits, 2 home runs, and 1 walk, his teammates shook their heads, calling him a cruel bastard, as they watched Lee Jungwoo check his swing at the last possible moment.

Lee Jungwoo, who simply shrugged at their stares, soon came to the plate for his fifth appearance in the bottom of the 8th inning, likely his last at-bat of the game.

“I don’t want to see him anymore…”

“Haa… Is this how the Phillies felt? I can kind of relate now. Why they foam at the mouth whenever they see that guy.”

“It’s sickening, just sickening.”

The faces of the Cardinals players greeting him were grim. In particular, the pitcher on the mound couldn’t bear it any longer at the sight of Lee Jungwoo, who looked no different from the beginning of the game, or rather, seemed even more focused, and finally let out a long sigh.

It was a very emotional reaction for a pitcher who was supposed to maintain a poker face, but no one said anything to him. They would have felt the same way if they were in that position.

‘Even if he’s used to being a workhorse, his stamina will gradually decrease. Looking at last year, he became a little less effective after August. Let’s get as much out of him as possible while he’s still in good shape.’

And Lee Jungwoo, who didn’t care at all about the reactions of the opposing team’s players, just silently stepped into the batter’s box. At the sight of him taking his batting stance, the Cardinals’ catcher barely suppressed the urge to punch his brazen face.

He had already recorded two home runs, one walk, and one double, but seeing him act as if the game had just started made him feel a surge of anger.

Thus, Lee Jungwoo, who shook the opposing team’s mentality just by appearing, was committed to his role in this game.

‘His control isn’t that great, so if I make solid contact, I can get it over even if the location isn’t perfect. Whether I pull it or push it. So instead of trying to crush it, I’ll focus on making contact.’

As mentioned earlier, the axe.

Maintaining his identity as a weapon in the hands of a villain, Lee Jungwoo, who was sharply honed until the very end, soon…

‘Two-seam fastball. Outside. Slightly high. Just adjust the angle and tap it quickly.’

Bang-!

In accordance with his duty, he once again chopped down the head of a new victim.

The ball, flying back in the opposite direction with the sound of wood cracking, was a textbook line drive.

The left fielder chased the straight line drive to the end, inwardly pleading for it to fall. As if to mock him, who had followed it to the edge of the fence, the batted ball sailed just an inch over the wall.

[Jung! Woo! Lee! Third home run! He hits a home run to the opposite field! He renews his season’s 33rd home run again in this game!]

[His power is still there even near the end of the game. He pushed it, but it just went over. I thought it would get caught on the fence because it was a little low. But the batted ball maintained its power until the end.]

With his third home run, Lee Jungwoo completed an insane stat line of 5 plate appearances, 4 at-bats, 4 hits, 3 home runs, 5 RBIs, and 1 walk, finally smiling with relief. The crowd seemed to feel the same way. Even after his baserunning was over and his teammates’ celebration had subsided, the applause continued.

Smiles lingered in the dugout at the passionate applause, as if demanding he come out. Some players whistled playfully.

“Wow~ He’s something else. He’s worthy of being Atlanta’s best superstar.”

“He hit three home runs. A curtain call is only right.”

“Go out there. They love you. You should at least say hello.”

When the manager’s instructions came down, Lee Jungwoo, practically pushed out of the dugout, walked out, took off his hat, and slightly bowed to greet the fans, like a stage actor who had just finished a performance. The applause and cheers grew even louder.

“Waaaaaaaah!”

“Lee! Lee! Lee! Lee!”

In particular, the children from the orphanage, who were sitting close to the field thanks to the club’s generosity, jumped and shouted with ear-splitting enthusiasm, as if begging him to notice them. When Lee Jungwoo saw them and waved in their direction, the reaction became even more intense.

No, not just the children, but also the regular home fans who he often saw, couldn’t contain their excitement, as if they were going to make up for the silence at the beginning twice as much. They chanted Lee Jungwoo’s name, ready to bring the stadium down.

‘This is the real thrill of baseball.’

Lee Jungwoo, who felt the true excitement of baseball once again at the crowd’s reaction, gave a rare, bright smile. Of course, it was chosen as the title of an article. Along with a picture of the dejected Cardinals players next to him.

It was a scene where the victim and the perpetrator were exquisitely juxtaposed.

####

[‘Bad Axe’ Braves Show Off Axe Power From the Start of the Second Half!]

[’27vs1′ Cardinals, Shutout Loss With 1 Hit From the Start of the Second Half. Still Sluggish Batting Line & Even Pitching Staff Collapses?]

[Lee, Who Gave ‘The Best Day’ in Front of Children, 5 Plate Appearances, 4 At-Bats, 4 Hits, 3 Home Runs, 1 Walk.]

[‘Jinx Breaker?’ Jungwoo Lee, Who Broke the Home Run Derby Jinx Following the Sophomore Jinx!]

[‘Perfectionist’ Lee, in the MVP Interview, ‘I Didn’t Want to Be Satisfied With Two.’ An Outburst of Arrogance?]

[’31-32-33′ Lee, Who Added Three More in One Game, Is the Goal Really 50 Home Runs?]

As it was the second half that everyone had been eagerly awaiting, articles pouring out with various evaluations, impressions, or simply listing his stats were to be expected. There were quite a few games with lopsided victories, but the most notable was the Braves vs. Cardinals game.

It was a game that defied the predictions that they would falter in the second half or that they would perform slightly worse than in the first half.

Even though the opponent was the worst team in another division, the Braves’ continued dominance was enough to elicit sighs from other teams’ fans.

The cartoon included in the article titled “Bad Axe,” a play on words combining “Bad Ass” and “Axe,” in which Lee Jungwoo chops the head off a cardinal with the tomahawk on the Braves logo and then scans the logos of other teams, perfectly captured the general sentiment.

Those crazy bastards, especially the craziest bastard (Lee Jungwoo), seemed to be planning to continue their reign of terror in the second half as well.

-Oh please, just take it easy. Why are you still playing so well in the second half? Let the Home Run Derby jinx kick in or something.

-The sophomore jinx doesn’t work. The Home Run Derby jinx doesn’t work either. Does he have any lucky socks that he likes to wear? If I steal them, will he play a little worse? Or a bat? A glove?

-He’s a thief. I also recommend socks. He must have a pair that he’s attached to.

-Is the only solution to just leave Lee alone? Jinx or whatever, nothing works.

-Why don’t you do it like in 2004? It’s a proven method [referring to Barry Bonds, who was intentionally walked a record number of times].

-If you’re talking about Bonds, he steals bases, unlike Bonds back then. It’ll be less effective.

-If you give Lee 200 walks, he’ll record 30 home runs, 100 stolen bases, and 100 RBIs instead of 40-40 or 50-50 [referring to seasons with 40 home runs and 40 stolen bases or 50 home runs and 50 stolen bases].

-That’s as ridiculous as 50-50, but it’s scary because it seems like he could seriously do it.

-The more I think about it, the more he’s a freaking guy. A very freaking Korean.

-I heard you were talking about Lee and came. How dare you make such blasphemous remarks. Do you want to die? Apologize immediately.

-Let’s just stop talking here. A fanatic has appeared.

-These crazy bastards aren’t even drug enforcement officers.

-They’re closer to addicts than enforcement officers. Lee is the drug.

-That makes sense.

When even the faint hope of a Home Run Derby jinx faded, fans of other teams despaired and searched for solutions. Occasionally, radical comments were suppressed by the Braves fanatics who had recently started to make a name for themselves.

There were also those who diligently translated such frustrating reactions into Korean.

-Lee is a drug. The Yankees gave it to him after seeing the Braves fans go crazy for Lee Jungwoo.

-It’s a legal drug allowed by the country, no, the league office.

-If Lee is a drug, then it’s mari’Lee’juana.

-Marijuana. That sounds familiar.

-Fans of teams other than the Braves are currently frustratedㅋㅋㅋㅋ He’s still playing well in the second half.

-There are some guys in Korea who say that his stamina will drop in the second half and he’ll be a flop. Yeah~ The reality is 3 home runs in one game~ Yeah~ Curtain call~

-If God Jungwoo comes to Korea, is it seriously possible to hit 100 home runs?

-100 home runs and 100 stolen bases are possible.

-144 consecutive home runs are also possible.

-He’ll get about 400 walks?

-Exactly.

-If he plays in the majors for about 20 more years and comes over after 40, he’ll still do 40-40.

Thus, various reactions swept through all Internet sites related to baseball, including those in the United States and Korea. On the contrary, the Cardinals fandom showed a calmer reaction than expected. They simply regretted the defeat but also praised the opposing team, the Braves, and Lee Jungwoo.

Originally, they weren’t as radical as the Red Sox or Phillies fandom, but now the Cardinals fans were acting like saints, which surprised other teams’ fans, including the Braves. The reason was simple.

-I’m rather grateful to the Braves. They crushed my last hope. Yes, this year is not our year. Since it’s not going to work anyway, let’s just aim for next year, or even later.

-Let’s think positively, we’re closer to our original goal of getting the first pick in the draft.

-From now on, I think I’ll be able to enjoy watching baseball for the first time in a long time. Without worrying about winning or losing.

-Why are the Cardinals like that?

-The Braves hit them hard with reality. They just decided to give up and enjoy it.

-That’s very wise. Should we just do that too…

-Who are you cheering for?

-The Diamondbacks.

-You guys should have given up a long time ago. You’re stuck between the Giants and the Dodgers.

To avoid disappointing the fans’ newfound acceptance, the Braves won the second game as well. The first series of the second half ended. The message that the Braves sent to all Major League Baseball fans through it was simple.

Abandon all hope. We’re fine. So you’ll be like this soon too.

If there was anything fortunate for other teams in the National League, it was that they were safe from those ruthless guys for the time being.

[TEX vs ATL, a Match Between the Pride of Both League’s Strongest Batting Lineups!]

-I wish they would just go to the American League. Seriously.

-It would be better to send them and bring the Yankees or Red Sox from the same East Division.

-Of course. At least they don’t have Lee. It’s much easier. At least they’re sensible guys.

-Instead of 20 interleague games, why don’t we increase it to 60 games? The American bastards should taste it properly so they won’t say that the National League is low-level.

-But there’s almost none of that these days. Thanks to Lee beating up American pitchers in interleague games and the All-Star Game.

-That’s the only thing Lee has done well.

The Braves’ next opponent, who mercilessly assaulted the Cardinals, was the Texas Rangers, who also boasted a strong batting lineup. Watching the Braves ahead of their three-game interleague road trip against them, the National League fans desperately hoped: While they’re over there, I hope they never come back.