Pitcher’S End, Batter’S Start [EN]: Chapter 22

End of Pitching, Beginning of Hitting – Episode 21

‘Huh? What’s this, an Asian? Too muscular to be a tourist… Is he a player trying out?’

The stadium manager, who had been relaxing, tilted his head, puzzled by the muscular Asian man and the man beside him wandering around the stadium.

He hadn’t heard anything about new players or scouts coming.

He guessed the man was a tryout hopeful.

“We’re about to have training, so you can’t just come in here. And the tryouts already ended in September. Maybe next time…”

‘Whoa, he’s incredibly intimidating up close?’

The manager, who was about to send him away, swallowed hard, feeling the pressure increasing as he approached.

He was a little intimidated by the man’s physique, which looked like he could send anyone flying with one hit.

He summoned his professional spirit and explained again.

He spoke as slowly as possible, wondering if the man didn’t understand English.

“So, I’m asking you to leave now-”

“Ah, I’m sorry. I should have contacted you first. I forgot. I’m Jungwoo Lee, joining the team this time. And I’m Mark, his agent.”

“Ah, I’m Jefferson, the stadium manager. Is this the guy who’s coming from Atlanta…?”

“I’m Jungwoo Lee. I look forward to working with you.”

Lee Jungwoo gave a short greeting.

The manager looked at Lee Jungwoo with slightly favorable eyes.

‘I’m not sure exactly because he’s Asian, but he seems quite young. He has a good personality.’

Usually, young players think of stadium managers as mere laborers.

So they either talk down to them or look down on them, but he didn’t see any of that in him.

‘Asians are said to be humble. I guess that’s not entirely wrong.’

“If you’re looking around, I can give you a tour.”

It wasn’t that big to call it a tour, but he didn’t refuse the offer.

“Diamond Stadium is the best stadium in Australia. Well, Auckland’s home stadium is bigger than this. But that’s in New Zealand, and it was originally used as a rugby field, so it doesn’t count.”

The manager explained with a proud expression. And the stadium was indeed quite decent.

It wasn’t as grand and impressive as a major league stadium.

But it was cozy and had everything it needed, giving it its own charm.

In particular, the surrounding scenery was open on all sides without large buildings, which made him feel mentally stable.

And above all, the field condition was good.

‘The stadium environment isn’t bad. Honestly, it’s better than Mutual.’

Lee Jungwoo nodded as if satisfied with the better-than-expected environment.

The stadium manager saw this and began to guide him with an even more excited expression.

He felt good as if the stadium he directly managed was being praised.

“And this is-”

Lee Jungwoo listened to the stadium manager and thought.

It might be better than he thought.

####

“Okay, this is Jung-woo Lee. He’s a teammate who will be playing with us this season. Everyone, give him a warm welcome. Lee, I hope you work hard while you’re here.”

It was a short introduction from the manager.

But the players were indifferent.

In the case of the ABL [Australian Baseball League], it was a winter league.

There were so many players coming and going.

The existing players didn’t really care who came.

After all, they would only see each other until February at the latest and then never again.

However, some players showed interest in him.

First of all, he was Asian.

And since he was a shortstop, the pitchers couldn’t help but be interested.

“You said your name is Lee? You came from America? Are you American?”

“I played there. But my nationality is South Korean.”

“Korean?”

The players who had approached to talk to him raised their eyebrows at the word Korean.

A slightly curious expression.

Lee Jungwoo wondered why they were like that.

He soon realized the reason.

‘Ah, come to think of it… there’s Geelong Korea.’

Geelong Korea.

A team belonging to the ABL South Division, mainly composed of Koreans.

Usually, KBO [Korean Baseball Organization] players played there during the winter, but occasionally Korean minor leaguers chose it as their winter league.

Thus, Korean players belonging to the ABL almost always played for Geelong Korea.

So, it was no wonder that the players were curious when Lee Jungwoo, who was Korean, suddenly appeared in the Adelaide Giants.

“Don’t Koreans go to Geelong? Why did you come here?”

“The club sent me here because this is a better team.”

Then the surrounding players wore satisfied expressions, and even those who were not interested nodded.

They smiled contentedly.

“I don’t know where, but your club knows what’s up. We’re much better.”

“We’re the Giants, after all? The bigger, the better. You can tell just by looking at our lower halves.”

“Anyway, let’s work well together in the future. Cover me if I mess up.”

The players, who had been indifferent, approached him, acting friendly.

Lee Jungwoo easily mingled with them and praised his choice.

‘I bought their favor with just a few simple words. It’s a much better deal. Well, there’s a bit of a lie mixed in. But these guys won’t check separately. It was a good choice.’

In fact, Lee Jungwoo was also scheduled to be sent to Geelong.

But as the Devils sent a shortstop prospect, the shortstop T/O [table of organization, meaning roster spot] was full, so he came to the Giants.

So it was a little different from the truth. But who cares?

Even if it’s just a team he’s passing through.

It’s a place where he’ll be playing 40 games together.

Since they can’t really check it properly anyway, he could give them enough lip service.

####

Lee Jungwoo, who had bought the favor of his teammates with a few words, attracted people even during the training that started soon after.

Tak- Tak- Tak-

Free batting.

Lee Jungwoo relentlessly hammered the balls thrown by the coach.

The balls hit by the lightning-like swing from his upright posture invariably went over the fence.

Overwhelming power in his hitting.

The players, who wanted to see the skills of the new face, were speechless.

“Didn’t they say he was Single A? He’s really good.”

“If he’s that good, I’d believe he came from Triple A, not Single A.”

“Wow, how far is that going? Isn’t he going to hit someone passing by?”

The players admired.

The coaching staff, who were watching from behind, shared their opinions.

“I thought his hitting would be weak because he’s a shortstop… but it wasn’t.”

“His form seems a little awkward. But overall, it’s smooth. It’s fun to watch that kind of batting form.”

“I feel sorry for Marcus, but we could put him at number 3?”

“It’s just free batting, so we don’t know yet. But it’s refreshing.”

Adelaide Giants, unlike its name, didn’t have a definite slugger.

The mainstays of the team’s batting lineup were hitters who were commonly called riflemen in Korea [contact hitters who focus on getting on base].

None of the cleanup trio had more than 5 home runs in a season.

As a result, despite a decent pitching staff, they failed to advance to the postseason due to the lack of a definite home run.

Their performance had been consistently poor.

But a perfect player appeared.

“We need to watch a little more, but his hitting itself isn’t bad. Even if his defense is below expectations, he’ll earn his keep as a designated hitter.”

It was a surprising hitting practice for everyone, but the shock didn’t end there.

Lee Jungwoo, who focused on changing his batting form, didn’t neglect defensive training.

In the ensuing defensive training, he showed off the good defensive skills he had shown during the previous season.

He stood out.

In particular, based on his natural athletic ability.

The players couldn’t close their mouths as he easily handled difficult balls with diving.

“Huh, he’s good at defense too? He’s Single A? Were all the guys who came here rookies?”

“There’s no way the Single A level has risen that much. Is he a draft pick?”

“Even if he’s a draft pick, he’s a high-round pick. Why would they send a player like that to Australia…?”

They couldn’t understand.

Why would they send a player like that to Australia?

It was a little pride-hurting.

There were more high-level and higher-paying Central and South American leagues.

There was even the Arizona Fall League, which was still in season.

They were rather embarrassed by the unexpected windfall.

But one thing was certain.

“Anyway, it seems like we drew the best card.”

They hit the jackpot.

It didn’t matter who the other teams signed or who came over.

If he showed that performance in the game, one thing was certain: this season belonged to the Giants.

####

November 3rd.

The protagonists of the ABL 33/34 season’s opening game were the Adelaide Giants and the Melbourne Aces.

The stadium, visited by numerous spectators, was filled with 5,000 seats, not ashamed of Adelaide’s population of 1.2 million.

“Giants! Crush them!”

“Win this season! I’m tired of only seeing Melbourne in February!”

The fans who filled the stadium cheered or scolded, encouraging the players.

A slightly agitated atmosphere.

The reason for that was the away team.

Melbourne Aces.

The team based in Melbourne, a major city representing Australia along with Sydney.

As is usually the case with big city teams, they reigned as a strong team in the league.

They had a record of advancing to the postseason for four consecutive years.

Of course, they didn’t want to talk about the number of championships.

“Melbourne always beats us up, but I don’t know why they can’t win the championship.”

“They’re thugs, thugs. Thugs who are only strong in their own neighborhood.”

Because of that.

Naturally, other clubs didn’t like them very much.

It was understandable that they lost because they lacked skills.

But they reigned like a tyrant in the division and couldn’t win the championship properly.

It was inevitable that they would be seen as somewhat unpleasant.

As a result, the Giants players, with the fans cheering them on, watched the opposing team with highly excited faces.

“We have to go up instead this time. Right?”

“If we go, we’ll definitely win the championship. At least we won’t be runners-up three times in a row like those Melbourne bastards.”

The players were full of determination.

They had the goal of raising the spirit of the Southwest instead of those guys who were tarnishing the face of the Southwest.

Among the Adelaide Giants players who were shouting with determination.

Lee Jungwoo was silently preparing for the game with a calm expression.

There were ears to hear.

There were eyes to see.

He knew the general situation.

But honestly, it felt like someone else’s business.

‘I don’t even have affection for the Rome Braves, let alone….’

There was no way he could feel anything for a club he had been with for less than a week.

So Lee Jungwoo had a calm face alone.

But other teammates glared at the entering Aces players or made some gestures.

Melbourne just ignored those reactions as if they were ridiculous.

The game started in a situation full of one-sided animosity.

Top of the 1st inning.

The Melbourne Aces’ attack was not threatening.

Mis-hit balls continued to be produced, and the Giants easily handled them.

“Good, good! Let’s keep going like this!”

“Those guys are nothing! They’ve only gained weight during the summer!”

‘They’re all Pahares [a derogatory term for loudmouths or show-offs]. They talk so much during the game.’

Lee Jungwoo, shaking his head at the noisy field atmosphere, quickly caught a fast ground ball rolling towards him.

He then threw the ball to first base with a concise motion, getting the batter out.

It was then.

That a round of applause came flying.

“Wow!”

“Nice play! Lee, you’re as good as you were in training!”

“Good, good! Let’s keep going like this!”

‘Why are they suddenly doing this?’

He was embarrassed.

Honestly, it didn’t seem like a great play to deserve this kind of praise.

The atmosphere was as if he had hit a home run.

Lee Jungwoo, who came out to attack with a dazed face, wore a slightly strange expression at the enthusiastic cheers in the attack at the bottom of the 1st inning that followed.

‘It’s somewhere in between Korea and America.’

Korea, which is so noisy that the cheering is excessive, and America, which is so quiet that it’s a bit much.

The atmosphere, which seemed to have found a moderate midpoint between them, pricked his heart.

Because he was from Korea and had played in Korean professional baseball for a long time in the past.

He preferred this feeling to a silent stadium like a park in the early morning unless it was an amazing super play.

‘It’s good to be quiet and concentrate. But the baseball stadium should be like this.’

Lee Jungwoo, cracking his neck once in the waiting seat, had a similar look to the other players.

He scanned the ground, shining his eyes like the hot sun unique to the Southern Hemisphere.

His batting order was 3rd.

The table setter [leadoff hitters] set up a delicious table with runners on 1st and 2nd base.

‘Hoo. Okay, they’re cheering so hard. I have to at least live up to that.’

That’s the player’s role.

And the pitcher is manageable.

The pitcher, who was frowning as if annoyed by continuously putting runners on base, was not very skilled.

It’s quite threatening to have a fastball that goes back and forth in the late 90s mph with a left-handed pitcher.

But the only changeups were a slow slider and a changeup, and his control was not good.

You can see that he walked the 2nd batter.

‘So it’s better to wait if possible…’

The fastball, which was controlled a little bit inward as if conscious of the previous walk, was quite fast.

If you were to measure the speed, it would probably be around 95~6 mph.

A fairly heavy fastball.

‘It’s best to hit it if you can.’

“Hoo-”

But his bat was faster.

Ppak-

As if to repay the enthusiastic cheers.

The gracefully swung swing hit the ball accurately in the center of the bat.

“Wow!”

“It’s going over! It’s going over!”

A refreshing feeling in his hands.

A 쭉뻗는 타구 [a line drive].

A loud cheer.

A bat thrown casually.

A light base running.

The players who ran out enthusiastically.

Everything was perfect. The three-run home run decorated the first start of the league’s opening game and the footsteps that a player named Lee Jungwoo would leave behind.