Pitcher’S End, Batter’S Start [EN]: Chapter 225

Pitchers Done, Hitters Up – 224

The Braves’ first opponent in August was the Milwaukee Brewers, in what was effectively their last showdown of the season.

This 4-game series concluded all remaining games between the two teams, meaning they wouldn’t meet again unless it was the postseason. Unlike the Braves, the Brewers were practically out of the postseason race.

‘Overall, it’s pretty smooth. Well, we’re focused on our game, but from their perspective, this isn’t a particularly meaningful game either.’

The first game against the Brewers was a typical Major League game. Both teams played hard, but they weren’t rivals, and there wasn’t anything significant at stake. They weren’t at each other’s throats, just playing a decent game.

And when the game unfolded like that, the Braves were in good spirits. In a smooth game, defense is what determines the winner.

“Lee!”

[Caught and thrown! Out at second! Derek Hunt and Jungwoo Lee combine for another double play.]

The Braves’ defense was the best in Major League Baseball.

Typically, the central infield, anchored by Lee Jungwoo and Derek Hunt, was an impenetrable fortress unless a hitter exerted all their strength to hit a powerful ball.

Unless they were truly skilled spray hitters [hitters who can direct the ball to any part of the field], the two of them would scoop up any mediocre ground balls from hitters lacking power.

The Brewers, whose batting lineup wasn’t particularly strong, continued to record disappointing ground outs.

[It feels like the chemistry between these two players is getting better and better. They’ve always made great plays together, but these days, they seem even more stable. Super plays aren’t even necessary.]

The commentators were amazed by how easily the two turned double plays and erased innings.

They were making high-level plays look easy. They caught the balls so effortlessly that it almost diminished the spectacle.

If the Braves’ defense, which stifled the opponent’s offense, erased the possibility of “defeat,” then their ability to score in any situation guaranteed victory.

‘So far, it’s 2-2. We’ve traded blows once each. Now it’s time to widen the gap.’

In the bottom of the 6th inning, Lee Jungwoo, stepping up to his third at-bat, surveyed the field. He noticed the fielders scattered around, shifting to match him, and he visualized the gaps between them in his mind.

It wasn’t a new ability. As a hitter, he was still a rookie with limited experience, but as a pitcher, he was an old veteran who had wandered the baseball world for a long time, so this was easy for him. The only difference was that now he also had the ability to easily exploit those gaps.

‘They must be wary of a big hit at this point. Is that why they’re focusing on pull hitting [hitting the ball to the opposite field]? Well, even though I’ve developed some spray hitting tendencies, my decisive hits still mostly come down the right field line. They’ve completely shut it down.’

The outfield, which seemed to have shifted slightly to the right overall, gave a rough idea of how the opponent viewed Lee Jungwoo as a player. It was impressive to see the shortstop positioned further to the right than usual, as if they had an extra insurance policy, and the empty left field line.

Combining that positioning, Lee Jungwoo could guess the opponent’s intentions.

‘They’ll give up a single, but they’ll prevent runs and extra-base hits. Should I call it an honor, or should I feel burdened?’

With a runner on first and two outs, they would rather give up a single to the left fielder, but they were determined to limit the score as much as possible and try to win later. Lee Jungwoo, who was scanning the field with a slightly troubled expression, finally stepped into the batter’s box properly when the umpire gave him a look that seemed to say he was taking too long.

‘It’s hard to break through the right line. If there’s a gap, it’s on the left, which the opponent is clearly showing. It would be fine to just record a single as they want, but I can’t just play along with their wishes. I need to aim for something one step higher than their intentions.’

If they wanted the runner to score, it would be better to aim for the right line, but the center fielder, right fielder, and shortstop were thickly surrounding that area, so it would be difficult unless he hit it over them. Their coverage would be quick.

So, that left only one place.

‘Deep to left-center. I need to precisely thread the gap between the left fielder and the center fielder.’

It was a difficult task. He had to hit it well to the opposite field while still generating power. He was a player who could hit a home run with a slight push, but that wasn’t the case in every situation.

After all, even the best contact hitters find it much easier and more powerful to pull the ball.

‘But I have to try. Well, even if it doesn’t work out, they’ll take care of it from behind.’

Lee Jungwoo emptied his mind and focused on the game. Perhaps because he had taken so long to decide, the umpire, who had glanced at him slightly, soon started the game.

The Milwaukee Brewers’ pitcher was their ace, and he was essentially maintaining the balance of the game. Thanks to his ability to keep the Braves’ batting lineup in check, the precarious 2-2 tie was being maintained.

‘He’s thrown 89 pitches, no, was it 91? If he throws any more, the next inning will be his last… If he’s trying to conserve energy, he’ll pace himself. If he thinks this inning is his last, he’ll throw with all his might. Obviously. I’ll watch and see.’

For a hitter, facing a team’s ace throwing with all their might is quite intimidating. It doesn’t matter if the pitcher is Top-tier or A-tier. Being the ace means they’re the best pitcher on that team. To exaggerate a bit, it means they’re at least a top 30 pitcher in the Major League.

‘Well, there are teams like us where both the 1st and 2nd starters are ace-level, so it’s not a perfect comparison. But anyway, they’re definitely very good.’

So, Lee Jungwoo watched his opponent carefully, being as cautious as possible, and let the first pitch go by. A slight tilt of the head. And then, on the second pitch, Lee Jungwoo paused to think.

‘Impressive?’

Two sliders in a row. Throwing a breaking ball [a pitch that curves or moves erratically] as the first pitch, and then throwing the same breaking ball twice in a row, both require a lot of guts. It’s almost crazy. Having overcome that obstacle, and after much deliberation, throwing that pitch to get ahead in the count, it was now the hitter’s turn to think.

‘It’s the same slider, but subtly different. The first one had a shorter break. The second one was longer but slower. No, that’s not important. The important thing is that both of them were strikes. Two strikes. I’m in a tough spot all of a sudden. I was just standing here trying to see if he was going all out, and I got caught.’

Perhaps he had fallen into self-contradiction, so Lee Jungwoo clicked his tongue slightly and decided on a location instead of choosing a pitch. He imagined the strike zone in his head, believing it to be a perfect rectangle. He divided it into five equal parts vertically. From the top, number 1, to the bottom, number 5.

The divisions weren’t equal. After all, the ratio of courses he could hit well to courses he couldn’t hit well couldn’t be the same. A slightly irregular strike zone. Lee Jungwoo chose one of them.

‘In situations like this, you have to trust the information in front of you. The opponent is trying to prevent me from hitting an extra-base hit. Even if they have to give up a single. In that situation… the upper part of the strike zone. There’s a high chance of a high fastball.’

It was a risky choice. He was excluding everything below that. But it was the orthodox choice. One of the most common courses after a breaking ball, the course that a confident pitcher throws most often when trying to get a hitter out is a high fastball.

So, Lee Jungwoo trusted the data and the information that the opponent had shown him directly. After briefly adjusting his bat grip, Lee Jungwoo stared intently at the pitcher.

“Lee! Knock it out of here!”

The cheers were subdued. The home fans were trying to suppress themselves as much as possible so as not to break Lee Jungwoo’s concentration. They were just sending him fervent looks.

Shouldering that, Lee Jungwoo watched the end of the pitcher’s arm, carrying the fans who were watching on TV and had come all the way to this enemy territory.

And he held his breath.

‘High. It’s high…’

Floating. Lee Jungwoo watched the ball all the way. In the past, he would have just swung, but now he could trust his bat speed, which was among the best in the league, and he could take a quick look at the ball.

And he thought. It feels like they’re focusing too much on me lately.

“Hmph-”

Thwack-

A thrilling jolt of electricity shot up from his fingertips, and the bullet-like hit pierced the gap between 2nd and 3rd base. Changeup [a very slow pitch]. The pitcher’s choice was a changeup. A high changeup was a truly insane choice.

It was a slightly shocking choice for Lee Jungwoo, who had been seeing all sorts of strange things lately as pitchers were throwing all sorts of unusual pitches at him. However, as with most unusual pitches, the result was not good.

“It’s not going over! Run!”

“Huh? Uh oh!”

At Lee Jungwoo’s shout, Rollins, the runner on 1st base who had been running a little leisurely, was startled and ran hastily. Lee Jungwoo licked his dry lips.

‘They must have predicted that I would expect a high fastball. If I had swung at the fastball timing, it would have been a guaranteed swing and a miss.’

Still, because it was a slow changeup, he was able to confirm the pitch at a glance and his bat wasn’t late, so he achieved half of his goal. He accurately split the gap between the left fielder and the center fielder that he was aiming for. But if you ask why only half, it was because the runner, who had misjudged the situation after seeing how good the hit was, had been slacking off a bit.

“Stop, stop!”

Rollins’ advance stopped at 3rd base due to the 3rd base coach’s urgent dissuasion, who was mindful of the potential assist, and Lee Jungwoo was also satisfied with 2nd base.

[A run could have scored, but the problem was that Rollins was a little late.]

[The difference was because of that slight hesitation. Still, they could have tried for home, but they didn’t bother to gamble.]

[It seems they judged that it was more likely to rely on the next hitter than to force a run home in an ambiguous situation.]

Lee Jungwoo, who stepped on 2nd base, scratched the back of his head, and Rollins, who was watching him from 3rd base, lowered his head as if he was sorry. It was a minor thing, but the team had lost a run and Lee Jungwoo had lost an RBI due to his base-running mistake.

Lee Jungwoo waved his hand to say it was okay, but the disappointment was unavoidable. It wasn’t so much disappointment about the RBI, but disappointment about not being able to completely crush the opponent’s intentions.

‘If we had scored here, they would have been completely mentally broken.’

Lee Jungwoo couldn’t shake off his disappointment, but it must have made their hearts sink, as the opposing bench was bustling, and Lee Jungwoo guessed that they were probably preparing for a substitution.

‘The pitcher’s choice. The hitter’s choice. Next is the bench’s choice?’

It was an ambiguous situation. Joey, who was coming up to bat, had been showing some ups and downs in this game, with 2 at-bats, no hits, and 2 strikeouts. He had allowed the pitcher on the mound to strike him out twice.

In fact, even the most successful hitters inevitably strike out from time to time. Arthur Hunter also sometimes records 4 strikeouts and has a disappointing game. Sometimes slugger-type hitters seem to show that tendency a little more.

‘It must be a headache. No matter how good their immediate performance is, they can’t ignore him.’

Third at-bat. The previous two strikeouts. He may have caught the timing in between. So, they could make a substitution. But on the other hand, maybe the current pitcher is just doing a good job, and they could ruin it by substituting the pitcher for no reason.

In that dilemma, the Brewers’ choice was to keep the pitcher. The pitching coach who had come up went down alone, and the catcher bumped gloves with the pitcher as if to say, “Let’s do our best,” and returned to his position.

The result of that choice was.

[He hit it!]

“Waaaaaaaaaaaa!”

A huge hit that slammed into the fence. Lee Jungwoo, who followed Rollins and entered home with ease, looked at the Brewers. A gloomy expression. They seemed to have completely lost their momentum. Perhaps this was the difference that separated the two teams.

‘Even if they block me well, the next one is the problem. And the one after that is also a problem. I don’t even have to explode, and they explode on their own.’

Not long after returning to the dugout, receiving the welcome of his teammates, and sitting on the bench, the pitcher was replaced, and once again a heavy hitting sound echoed through the stadium.

A big hit that added a point. Peterson threw his bat down, and the score, which had been tied at 2-2, was now 6-2. In an instant, it had transformed into a 4-point lead.

It was a game that had maintained a precarious tie until the 6th inning, but the Braves didn’t hesitate to sink their teeth in the moment the opponent exposed their neck.

[The balance collapses. It’s a result-oriented statement, but the problem was that the pitcher substitution was late.]

[It can’t be helped. It’s a little ambiguous to take down a pitcher who’s pitching well. And he’s their ace. From the Brewers’ point of view, they must have felt it was worth trusting him.]

Even after the momentum had completely shifted, the Braves added 3 more points, and the Brewers also added 1 more point, but inevitably the result was 9-3, a landslide victory for the Braves.

[Jungwoo Lee, with 5 plate appearances, 4 at-bats, 3 hits, 1 walk, and 2 RBIs in today’s game. He had a great performance, right?]

[Yes, if I were to pick the MVP of this game, I would pick Lee along with Joey Freeman. Although Joey Freeman is the protagonist of the comeback and game-winning hit, Lee shook the starting pitcher’s mentality properly in the top of the 6th inning.]

[Based on the fact that all three of his hits were extra-base hits with solid contact, I cautiously predict that his performance will not decline significantly in August either.]

Lee Jungwoo also had a great performance, and the first game of the new August came to an end.