Pitcher’S End, Batter’S Start [EN]: Chapter 220

Pitcher Over, Hitter Begins – Episode 219

-The next opponent is Texas? Is Lee Jung-woo going to get assassinated?

-For real, just being Korean is enough for the Texas people to want him dead, lol.

-Texas + Korean Major Leaguer? Ooh…

-After Han Man-doo, it’s Texas… Is it just me, or does this feel like déjà vu?

-Ah, come to think of it, the Cardinals were… quite a coincidence.

-Quiet, you national traitors. Where are you fabricating this from? Are you saying that Mr. Park got hit with two grand slams by one batter in one inning against the Cardinals?

-???: We brought the best hitter to Texas…

-Thankfully, this time it’s not a recruitment.

-???: Destroying Texas, who ruined my seniors… That’s all I’ve been thinking from the start.

-Seniors ‘who’ ruined, not ‘ruined seniors’?

-Jung-woo, seriously, take my advice. If you hear a chainsaw, run away. Those are Rangers fans. I heard Texas rednecks dismember Koreans.

In the United States, the matchup didn’t receive much attention, except that the Braves were playing an interleague game, offering a brief respite.

Aside from being Southern teams, there was no real connection. Even as Southern teams, the Western and Eastern divisions have no regional contact. However, the reaction in Korea was different. Actually, it would have been meaningful even if it wasn’t Lee Jung-woo, but another Korean Major Leaguer.

Texas was like a graveyard for Korean Major Leaguers. Of course, the Rangers were the victims. That’s why Korean fans had strange expectations for what was just a normal interleague game.

-If Lee Jung-woo does well against Texas, the Texas guys will get pissed off.

-???: The Koreans we recruited weren’t like this, what the hell?

-Fact) The Rangers fandom is expecting him in free agency. They’re saying if Lee Jung-woo has any conscience, he’ll come to the Rangers during free agency. Potential for the third Korea-hate generator has emerged.

-Their heads haven’t been smashed enough yet.

-They keep getting fooled…

-Honestly, once or twice is understandable, but getting fooled three times is the victim’s fault.

Actually, most of it was close to mockery. The Texas Rangers had been burned so many times by Korean Major Leaguers that they were being teased about it.

However, contrary to that perception, Lee Jung-woo was surprisingly well-regarded within Texas. Even with the nationality debuff, he was exactly the style they wanted.

-If a guy like Lee came to our team, that would be the best. It would fit our team color perfectly.

-He looks cool and refreshing. His play is exactly like that too. If you’re a hitter, if you’re a man, you should aim for something big like that.

-A trade is absolutely impossible unless the other team’s general manager gets shot in the head. Free agency is worth a shot, isn’t it?

-Well, his price will be too high in free agency. It’s worth a shot, but there are many other guys too. Fortunately, the Giants and Dodgers will have a hard time because of Harding and Hunter.

-He’ll be around twenty-eight even when he becomes a free agent. It’s not super early, but it’s the perfect age to get paid a lot.

-I heard he’ll go for at least 500 million. Even so, we should try. It’s not like we’re poor.

Strong power centered around his unique power. Home runs flying left and right. Even if you exclude all the other advantages, those two alone were exactly the style that Rangers fans liked.

In fact, he was a player that most Major League teams were eyeing. That’s why the atmosphere of the Rangers fandom ahead of the interleague game was generally smooth and favorable, contrary to the expectations of Korean netizens.

Also, after seeing him overwhelmingly crush their pride, Todd Baker, in the first round of the Home Run Derby, they wanted to see him properly.

Of course, there were those who showed the reactions that Korean fans wanted.

-Are you guys crazy? You want to recruit another Korean? Are you all on drugs? Don’t say such ridiculous things, you morons.

-Look at the past examples. His performance will be cut in half if he comes to our team too. Just like his seniors did.

-That would be interesting in its own way. If such a monstrous guy’s performance plummeted just because he came to the Rangers.

-It’s a curse, a curse. At that point, you can just call it a curse.

With such strange expectations from Korean, Atlanta, and Texas fans, Lee Jung-woo and the Braves flew to Dallas-Fort Worth Airport in Texas.

####

July in Texas is disgustingly hot. Arlington, the Rangers’ home, which feels like an appendage to the big cities of Dallas and Fort Worth, is also a place that boasts tremendous heat.

Especially during the hottest time of the year, the temperature easily exceeds 40 degrees Celsius, so even if it’s less than Phoenix, it boasts a heat that makes it easy to understand why it’s called the home of rednecks.

‘Living in a place like this, it’s understandable even if your neck burns up, not just turns red.’

Looking at the heat haze visible through the window of the team bus, Lee Jung-woo could fully understand why the word redneck was coined.

Of course, heat haze is something you can often see in Korea or Atlanta, which are also quite hot, but still, the feeling was different.

‘But I heard it sometimes pours rain. This series is ruined.’

Lee Jung-woo glanced up at the bright blue sky but immediately turned his gaze away from the sunlight that seemed to blind him.

As befitting the name Texas, the climate was terrifying, but the heat itself wasn’t a big concern.

Like the home stadiums of the Diamondbacks (Chase Field), or the Marlins (Miller Park), which are in the same division and have hot climates, Globe Life Field is also a dome stadium.

Except for training and games, they would mostly be holed up in the hotel, so there would be no time to feel the hot climate. So, the real worry was something else.

‘The problem is the right fence. 125 meters [410 feet]. Compared to Truist Park, is that a difference of 3 to 11 meters [10 to 36 feet]?’

It was the structure of the stadium.

The center, right-center, and left-center fences are quite far, with a slightly recessed structure in some places. In addition to the central part, there are corners in various places, so the actual distance is longer than the marked distance on both foul lines.

And unlike the common misconception about the barren landscape of Texas, Arlington and Dallas, where Globe Life Field is located, have a decent amount of rainfall, so it’s not just a dry climate, and there’s no humidor [a device used to regulate humidity], so there’s no extra-base hit buff.

In other words.

‘It’s a pitcher-friendly stadium. A stadium built to prevent home runs. I heard that in the previous stadium, fly balls often became home runs due to the air currents, so it was hitter-friendly. Now it’s the opposite.’

And because of this home stadium, Texas is considered the strongest batting lineup in the AL [American League]. To be clear, the Yankees and Cleveland are slightly higher in terms of performance. But they are even more praised because they are achieving such results with this home stadium.

Fortunately, the height of the fence is 2.4 meters [approximately 8 feet], which is a reasonable height, so if the distance is sufficient, it can be easily cleared.

After changing his batting form, Lee Jung-woo, whose home run distances decreased but increased contact, creating home runs with definite speed and angle, closer to a power hitter than a traditional slugger, might lack that distance.

‘And it’s terrible to play defense. Because it’s artificial turf. It can’t be helped in a hot place.’

Because of those things, the scouting team advised him to focus on creating line drives rather than fly balls for home runs, returning to the past.

Especially for Lee Jung-woo, who often makes hustle plays in defense, he was given additional advice to wear long sleeves inside whenever possible and be careful not to get his skin rubbed.

Lee Jung-woo, who was mulling over those things in the quiet team bus, licked his lips slightly. He hadn’t seen it directly yet, but somehow it seemed like a place that didn’t suit him in many ways.

But even so, he didn’t think he couldn’t do it. If the batting form change gave him a slight debuff of reduced distance compared to last year’s extreme pull.

‘Let’s think simply. If home runs are difficult, I just have to do everything else.’

Because it gave him everything else.

####

“Whee-ik! Whoosh! Show us a cool one like you did in the Home Run Derby!”

“Hey, kid! We like you except for your country, so do your best.”

Arriving at the stadium and looking around as usual, Lee Jung-woo couldn’t help but laugh at the sight of the Rangers fans whistling at him.

It was such a friendly reaction that anyone would mistake him for a player of the home team Rangers, not the visiting team Braves.

Clearly, based on past examples, they shouldn’t like him, but Lee Jung-woo was puzzled by the much more welcoming atmosphere. Someone who had approached Lee Jung-woo gave him the answer.

“Everyone’s thirsty for home runs. I don’t know much, but they don’t like that it’s decreased a lot since the new stadium was built. That’s why they like players like you who can hit them anywhere.”

“Ah, that, Mr. Baker?”

“Call me Todd. Being called Mr. Baker makes me feel like you’re calling my father.”

Todd Baker. Lee Jung-woo’s opponent in the first round of the Home Run Derby and the Texas Rangers’ franchise star. Lee Jung-woo’s doubts about why the crowd was acting like that were resolved. But another question arose.

‘He didn’t seem to like me very much. Why is he suddenly acting friendly?’

To be honest, he wasn’t absolutely friendly to Lee Jung-woo when they met at the Home Run Derby. He seemed very proud.

In fact, even if Lee Jung-woo himself was in his position, he would have been annoyed to be used as a tool to promote a two-year player who had barely filled one year in service time, just because he was much more popular.

That’s why his words, which were more friendly than the crowd, made him feel a little wary. But he acted as if he was pure.

“I lost in the Home Run Derby. But it’ll be different here, so let’s have another friendly competition.”

“Ah, yes. Let’s do well.”

Then he turned around and walked away. Lee Jung-woo licked his lips slightly. He didn’t know what he was thinking. It seems like he’s treating this game as an extension of the Home Run Derby. He nodded and said formal words, but there will be no friendly competition in this game as Todd Baker wants. Until now, Lee Jung-woo’s batting was like a slugger and a contact hitter mixed slightly, but today he was going to pursue a traditional contact hitter.

‘If you really wanted an extension of the Home Run Derby, I’m sorry, but aim for next time. When we have an interleague game at our home again in about three years. Is this unintentionally screwing him over?’

He didn’t know if the other person was saying those words sincerely. If that’s really the case, it seemed like he had accidentally started a psychological warfare.

####

#

Todd Baker believed in himself. He believed in the Texas Rangers fans who loved him. And he wanted to show them.

‘Let’s see if you can hit those great home runs here too.’

Globe Life Field. A stadium tilted towards the pitcher’s side, perhaps in response to the past home stadium being hitter-friendly. He, who has this place as his home, has recorded twenty home runs this season.

He exceeded 30 home runs last year and the year before, and he probably will again this time. Of course, more than half of them were taken at other stadiums.

That’s why he had pride. He was pushed back to second place by Arthur Hunter, and even after he left, he wasn’t recognized as the overwhelming number one, but he had confidence that he was the best.

That’s why he was even more proud. After all, it was just an event, a game, but he was annoyed that he became a supporting role for the guy from the neighborhood next door because he was much more popular, and he ended up losing.

So, he wanted to show them this opportunity. The sight of him defeating the young player that Major League Baseball fans and the front office loved so much in his home stadium.

‘I’m more familiar with this place. Because it’s my home stadium. How to hit it a little easier, and how to adjust the zero point and angle.’

Yes, it’s a base jealousy. He knows that it’s an unfair match because he’s much more familiar with the place. But he didn’t care about that. All he wanted was to restore his diminished pride.

‘He must have a strong pride. Because he has established such a position at such a young age. And he will also have a competitive spirit.’

Keeping that in mind, he deliberately provoked him. To draw the guy out. He had already learned the habit of looking around the stadium before the game, and he had seen him at the All-Star Game, so it was easy to approach him in advance.

Todd Baker, who had laid the groundwork like that, smiled at the umpire’s declaration of play. Coincidentally, the guy is a left-handed hitter, and he is a right fielder, so he might be able to catch the ball directly.

Expecting that, he watched the plate intently, slightly backing away, conscious of extra-base hits. He focused all his senses on his eyes and ears.

‘It’s coming.’

When leadoff hitter Derek Hunt was retired with a ground ball to second base, and the next hitter came up. He exerted more powerful concentration than ever before, raising his eyesight a little more.

And the game was a little precarious from the start. Continued fouls. Whether he was catching the hitting timing, the guy nodded after cutting the first and second pitches in a row. The moment he saw that, Todd Baker felt that it was time to move.

And the third pitch. Ignoring the slightly missed ball, the guy reacted to the next fourth pitch without waiting. The moment a sharp hitting sound rang out, he tried to move his body. But he faltered for a moment.

Full hit. But a light tugging swing. The ball was far from an extra-base hit that crossed the outfield, as expected by the crowd and Todd Baker.

‘Short.’

Despite backing away, the ball rolled lightly past the first baseman. Todd Baker, who had been momentarily staggered by the sudden change in direction, forced himself to run, grabbed the rolling ground ball, and threw it as it was. But at the moment of throwing, the guy had already passed half of first base.

“Safe!”

[Jung-woo Lee! It was a clean hit! The right fielder’s judgment of the ball was late. He got caught in a reverse motion. As a result, he goes to second base. He’s definitely a very fast player.]

[He’s a player who’s good at not only extra-base hits and home runs, but also these light hits. The problem was that the position was pushed back a little.]

Lee Jung-woo, who lightly stepped on the base, having given a grand slap in the face to those who expected extra-base hits from the start of the game. The eyes of the people looking at him became a little stiff.