Pitcher’S End, Batter’S Start [EN]: Chapter 238

Pitcher Done, Batter Up – 237

– Today is the day the trash can gets destroyed, agreed [Injeong is a Korean word for agreement]?

– God Jungwoo will just smash the trash can! Lee Jungwoo has already destroyed several Philadelphia trash cans!

– It’s not just Philadelphia, right? I’m sure he’s smashed several trash cans in New York this year too.

– Houston is getting endlessly trashed for one stupid act.

– Seriously, are you still bringing up something from almost 20 years ago? And everyone does sign stealing anyway, so what’s the big deal?

– The league office just let it slide, and there’s not much talk about it in the US, but the Korean guys are making a bigger fuss.

– Not much talk in the US? Don’t spout nonsense without knowing. He still gets booed when he goes on the road.

Before the game, Korean fans were also filled with anticipation. Or rather, they were hoping Lee Jungwoo would crush the Houston Astros.

The feelings of Korean netizens towards the Astros, whom they referred to as ‘trash cans’—a somewhat derogatory nickname referencing past events—were even more intense than those of the local Atlanta Braves fans.

– There are still so many Dodgers fans. But the Dodgers aren’t even using any East Asians [Dongyangin refers to East Asians].

– It’s pathetic. Who do they think they are, local LA residents?

– When did the ‘Guk-Dodgers’ meme start? They just hate seeing the trash cans. Don’t miss the point.

Traditionally, there have been many Dodgers fans in Korea, and even now, many Major League fans in Korea still support the Dodgers, regardless of Lee Jungwoo.

The Dodgers currently hold a record of nine World Series wins, and if they had won in 2017, they would have reached ten, so they have a particularly unfavorable view of the Astros.

In particular, there were many who watched the Dodgers’ World Series challenge when a Korean major leaguer was playing for them at the time, and although he didn’t play in the postseason due to poor condition after returning from injury, it was still his team, so the antipathy was even greater.

Therefore, Dodgers fans in Korea wanted Lee Jungwoo to thoroughly beat up those Houston Astros, and in fact, there were also those who just wanted to mock the Astros as a team and curse at them.

But whatever the reason, Korean fans all expected Lee Jungwoo to perform well, and the cheers when the home run was hit were fitting.

– SSSSSSS [Laughing sounds] Lee Jungwoo solo home run in the first inning! Trash can destroyed!

– Yooksi [Yooksi, meaning “as expected” in Korean] God Jungwoo. It’s really amazing that he brings his own swing even against a very difficult pitcher. That’s how we can see it.

– Season 42nd home run. Is he really going to hit 50? His home run pace in the second half is crazy.

– Lee Jungwoo seems to hit home runs well in his first at-bat?

– Experts say that because he was a pitcher himself, he seems to be able to identify and adapt to pitchers faster than other players.

– Lee Jungwoo is originally good at beating up trash. He also beat up the Red Sox pitchers at the All-Star game, right? Not to mention the Phillies.

– Actually, if you look at Reddit, other teams’ fans also like Lee Jungwoo. Especially NL fans. When Lee Jungwoo beats the Phillies, the Philly fans shut their mouths and become quiet that day, lol.

– At this point, Lee Jungwoo is the Major League environmental cleanup crew. Agreed [Injeong is a Korean word for agreement]?

– Ppoosyoong Ppasyoong [Sound effect]. There’s an environmental cleanup crew in America that destroys trash cans?!

Even netizens who praised Lee Jungwoo to mock the Houston Astros, liking to curse at someone rather than expecting good results, were shocked by the home run that came in the first at-bat, which they really didn’t expect.

After the second half, contrary to expectations that his pace would drop due to a decline in stamina, they were shocked to see Lee Jungwoo hitting home runs at a pace that was not much different from the first half.

Like this, it was a home run that brought joy and happiness not only to the Atlanta Braves fans, but also to the Korean fans. But the situation that followed was a bit unexpected.

– What’s up with Peter Hicks? Is he usually this good? Why is Houston’s record so bad when they have a guy like that?

– But the pitcher seems to be throwing well too? I heard he’s a guy they’re raising in the trash can. The Braves hitters are getting cut down one after another. Except for Lee Jungwoo.

– The fact that a left-hander throws 100 miles itself means that he definitely has potential. And it’s not like his movement is a stick.

Contrary to what they thought, that the pitcher who was hit by a home run from the start would collapse, he showed tremendous pitching and blocked the Braves’ lineup one after another.

– Wow, that splitter is amazing. How did Lee Jungwoo hit that? Other hitters can’t even touch it.

– It’s a splitter, so yeah. You just can’t throw a vertical movement to Lee Jungwoo. The pitcher got pissed and threw it, but he got hit hard.

– There are no other hitters who got a hit besides Lee Jungwoo, right? Braves. It’s no joke. Isn’t the Braves’ lineup considered the best in Major League Baseball?

– It’s the best. They’re first in scoring and batting average. And their on-base percentage and slugging percentage are also in the top ranks. He’s the real deal.

In particular, the sight of the splitter, which led to a home run, being regarded as a magical pitch in the game and causing the Braves’ hitters to swing and miss, gave the viewers something beyond shock.

At least in today’s performance, Peter Hicks showed such overwhelming power that he could be regarded as a mature ace pitcher, not a promising prospect who might explode someday, and shocked people.

And the better the pitcher did, the deeper the feelings for Lee Jungwoo became. Because the pitcher, who was pitching so well, allowed Lee Jungwoo a home run and a huge line drive that hit the fence in his second at-bat.

– I feel like Lee Jungwoo is a scam again. The pitcher is so good, but he takes out a long hit from his pocket like his school bully [Dangban Iljin is a Korean term for school bully].

– At this point, isn’t he just the official Major League pitcher school bully [Dangban Iljin is a Korean term for school bully]? Cy Young pitchers have been beaten up, not to mention prospects. Seriously, NL’s ERA probably rose overall because of Lee Jungwoo alone.

– That’s right. Lee Jungwoo, Harding, and Hunter are so good that it seems like a hitter’s paradise, but if you take out those three’s records, this year’s NL is slightly more pitcher-friendly, lol.

No matter how great a pitcher is, the fans felt more than joy; they felt a heavy sense of pressure from Lee Jungwoo’s appearance, who reigned like a huge wall in front of him and thoroughly beat them up [Teol-eo-ga-neun means to thoroughly beat up in Korean].

In particular, those who empathized with the position of the pitchers who had to face Lee Jungwoo directly shook their heads without realizing it.

– If I were a pitcher, I would never go to the National League even if I became a free agent.

– Actually, American League pitchers are using their no-trade clauses whenever they try to trade to the NL this season. They say it ruins their careers. The funny thing is that the fans understand.

– That’s why the Phillies tried to bring in a White Sox pitcher in July, but it fell through. His agent made a mess. I understand him honestly.

– I acknowledge the true agent who knows how to protect his players.

– Wow, he struck him out again. 5 consecutive strikeouts.

– Yeah~ Lee Jungwoo~ Consecutive strikeouts don’t mean anything~.

– Oh, Lee Jungwoo, welcome~.

– ???: The trash can is making me angry [X-bal is a Korean swear word, equivalent to the F-word].

– ???: Want to hit a home run?

– ???: You got a lot of strikeouts, so I’ll take one more home run. No complaints, right? What are you glaring at?

– Ah… PTSD… Trauma…

So when Lee Jungwoo’s third at-bat came around, people hoped and hoped that Lee Jungwoo would keep this overwhelming feeling going.

####

‘Why is his at-bat coming around so quickly? Damn it [X-bal is a Korean swear word, equivalent to the F-word], is something wrong?’

Looking at the batter coming up, Peter Hicks scratched the mound with the bottom of his shoe for no reason. Just looking at his face made him annoyed.

‘If it weren’t for that bastard, I could have had a shutout. Damn [X gateun means X-like or Damn in Korean] bastard… No, but damn it [X-bal is a Korean swear word, equivalent to the F-word], why can’t the hitters score any runs? If I’m holding them to one point, they should at least tie the game!’

The stolen home run. The stolen double. And even the culprit of the still frozen score of 1-0. Lee Jungwoo, as seen by the pitcher, was the epitome of everything he hated.

It was annoying that he was beaten up, but he was also flying around in defense, catching the hitters, so he couldn’t even rest properly after pitching, let alone tie or reverse the score.

“Damn it [X-bal is a Korean swear word, equivalent to the F-word], some people are stuck on the same team with these idiots [X-sin means X-god or idiot in Korean] and are about to become a losing pitcher with one run allowed, and some guy [X-do means X-also or nothing in Korean] is getting a shutout because he has a good shortstop.”

Even though his tone was a bit strong, Peter Hicks’ reaction was not much different compared to other pitchers.

The envy of the Braves pitchers who have such a shortstop, a teammate next to them. The self-disgust of having to face such a guy directly.

It was a thought that pitchers who faced Lee Jungwoo and experienced him had in common, so in a way, he was no different from other pitchers, but even so, he believed in himself. That he would at least be different from the guys next door who were miserably [Cheo-cham-ha-ge means miserably in Korean] beaten up.

‘But what should I throw? No, why is he nagging so much when he doesn’t have a good idea himself? Does he think he’s my dad or something?’

Because of this situation, he felt unpleasant even with the strong demands of the catcher he had been following well. He wasn’t very close to the catcher since the minors, so he was famous for ignoring the leads quite often, and the catcher who the team had forcibly attached to him like a nanny right after the call-up was especially annoying now.

No, in fact, he was just unhappy with the situation itself.

Why did my splitter get hit for a home run? Why did the slider I threw following instructions become a double? I struck out 10 in 6 innings, but why don’t I still have the requirements to be a winning pitcher? And why does that damn bastard’s at-bat come around so quickly?

Everything in front of him made him annoyed. So the footwork to harden the mound was a little heavier than usual, and the spit he spat out was also rougher.

‘Okay, damn it [X-bal is a Korean swear word, equivalent to the F-word]. Let’s do it. What, 40-40? MVP practically confirmed? Home runs this and that, slugging percentage this and that, OPS this and that, bullshit [Kka-go it-ne means bullshit in Korean]. Do you think I’m going to be scared of that?’

But that’s why he wasn’t afraid. Rather, there was even greater anger, and that’s why he didn’t back down. It could be said that he had the fighting spirit necessary for first-class talents.

Having finished all the preparations, he bit his lower lip slightly as he continued his movements, looking at the batter who was already taking a batting stance and staring at him as if asking what he was doing.

A steep windup. It was a pitching form with somewhat large movements, as if throwing with brute force, but just looking at the fact that he was throwing 100 miles and was still fine, it was a pitching form that suited him well. It was also perfect for hiding the ball.

‘Here – hit it!’

The ball he threw with his teeth clenched as if chewing on the emotions inside, the 100-mile fastball that his still fresh arm spewed out, landed right in the center of the strike zone.

“Strike!”

Even after throwing a great pitch, he was still annoyed. The umpire’s loud strike call tried to ease his mood, but the batter’s nodding as if he had seen it well took it away again.

Annoying guy. Damn guy. The pitcher, muttering as if chewing on it, fiddled with the ball he received from the catcher, glared at the catcher again, and this time, they agreed with each other, so the pitch was fast.

“Strike!”

[Ah, this one went in properly, right? He threw fastballs in a row, and it’s a tremendous full-power throw. Another 100 miles!]

[He changed his route. If he had previously used a ball combination that used the pitches reliably as usual, he is trying to overwhelm him with power in this at-bat. In particular, Lee seems to be slightly less able to cope with fastballs over 100 miles, so he seems to have taken a chance.]

[If you get two strikes with one pitch like this, the battery feels comfortable.]

Not at all. The catcher Marquez didn’t know, but the pitcher Peter Hicks’ head became complicated. Because of the catcher, not the batter. The third fastball. And again into the zone. He frowned at the catcher’s sign asking for it.

‘Another fastball? Is that old man senile? Are you telling me to keep throwing the same thing at that bastard?’

He didn’t like it. No, to be honest, he was anxious. He had overcome it with dignity, but he was trying to overcome it, but he was anxious about that damn bastard who was nodding calmly even though two strikes had been called.

Are you telling me to throw the same thing three times at a guy like that? He doubted the catcher’s sign, and asked again in case he had seen it wrong, but the answer that came back was the same.

‘Let’s throw something else, let’s throw a slider! That bastard can’t hit that well! That’s better!’

Continued refusal. At that, the catcher Gabriel Marquez shook his head. He glared with a firm look.

“What are you doing?”

“No, Gabi, aren’t you going too far? Do you know who that bastard is? I’m good at throwing fastballs, but are you really okay with this? Even three in a similar course? Damn it [X-bal is a Korean swear word, equivalent to the F-word], you saw the other guys getting struck out, and you still don’t believe it? Damn it [X-bal is a Korean swear word, equivalent to the F-word], I’m the one catching, and I’m saying it’s good, so why can’t you believe it? Do you think I’m doing something idiotic [X-sin means X-god or idiot in Korean] to ruin a kid like you’s record? Do you think I’m getting paid so much money to do that?”

Words that could be unpleasant depending on the angle you listen to them. But ironically, it worked well. Maybe Marquez knows how to handle him well. He liked being driven [Mol-a-chi-neun means driven in Korean] with a lot of swearing rather than rambling [Ju-jeol-geo-ri-neun means rambling in Korean] with embarrassing words.

The confidence that had been about to break for a moment rose again, and he regained his desire to win against the batter over the catcher’s shoulder, who had only felt awkward.

As if to finish it, the catcher nodded slightly to the umpire who was subtly giving him a look, and before going down, the catcher hit his chest quite heavily with his glove.

“That bastard won’t hit it, and even if he does, your ball is so good that it will never be a clean hit. At best, it’ll be a foul. Even if it’s just that, we’re at an advantage. You’re doing well now, so please don’t be a son of a bitch [X-sae-kki means X-bird or son of a bitch in Korean] and be scared.”

Peter Hicks, who saw the catcher off by smiling and patting him on the back with the cool [Hwa-kkeun-han means cool in Korean] words, was armed with strong confidence again, and this time nodded at the catcher’s sign that he showed again.

3rd ball [3-gu refers to the 3rd ball in Korean]. The third fastball. As it landed high after being thrown with all his might again, the batter swung his bat, and a weak hitting sound brushed past his ears.

“Foul.”

There was no strikeout. As he had feared, the batter timed it properly. But his confidence rose.

‘What, he really can’t hit it? The bat was pushed back properly.’

At least in his eyes, this foul was not a mis-hit, but his ball had won against the batter’s bat with force. The confidence that gave him was greater than he thought. The relief that the batter could not hit his ball properly even if he hit it was indescribable as a pitcher.

Growing confidence, the catcher sending a sign right away as if that was it. The pitcher, who was about to nod at his sign asking him to throw a slider as quickly as possible, soon licked his lips.

‘Three four-seamers. The batter is already used to it. Wouldn’t it be better to throw a slow changeup at this timing? Or a splitter that flies similarly. He seems like he’d be fooled well.’

Quick and slow is, of course, the basics [Jeong-seok means basics in Korean] of pitching, and the splitter thrown after the four-seam was always the winning formula in today’s game as it had always been. The confidence that he could really catch him this time. It felt good. When he thought back to his previous experiences, that feeling always came true.

‘I’m never going to listen…’

But at the catcher’s sign, which was demanding only a slider as if he was firmly [Dan-ho-ha-ri-man-chi means firmly in Korean], an angel and a devil whispered in his ear for a moment. The funny thing is that neither of those voices told him to follow the catcher’s lead. The devil whispered the splitter, and the angel only whispered the changeup.

‘Today my splitter is… the best. At least the best of what I’ve thrown in the games so far.’

Splitter. A reliable guy anytime, anywhere. Although he was hit for a home run today, that guy also got six strikeouts. Since there are 10 strikeouts in total, that’s 60%. At that rate, shouldn’t he forget about one mistake?

‘Damn it [X-bal is a Korean swear word, equivalent to the F-word], only the result matters. After all, what’s recorded later is the stats. If I strike him out, what would they say?’

On the one hand, there was also greed. A guy who has hit all the balls of the best guys. There is no splitter or curve that is considered great in the NL that that guy hasn’t hit.

If he catches such a batter with his own hands, with his splitter? Excitement ran through his body like a bug crawling.

‘Okay, I’m going. Slider or splitter. They’re both changeups anyway, right? In some ways, the meanings are the same. Let’s say I saw the sign wrong. And today’s slider is not good. It’s less bent than usual, and the speed doesn’t come out well anyway.’

Muttering as if excusing himself, he took a stance at the catcher who was urging him at the decreasing pitch clock, and shot the ball with full earnestness. Hiding it thoroughly until the end.

‘Scratched!’

The moment the ball, which had been placed [Geol-chyeo-jyeot-deon means placed in Korean] on his opened [Beol-lin means opened in Korean] fingers, left his hand and rotated, the feeling that he had scratched it properly struck his head. Even today, when he had been catching the hitters well, there was nothing that he thought was dare [Gam-hi means dare in Korean] similar to what he had just thrown.

Whether it’s Arthur Hunter, Vincent Harding, or even Jungwoo Lee, if the best drug addict like Barry Bonds came back, he thought he could catch him enough right now, a powerful winning shot.
A smile bloomed like a flower on his face, and his raised lips waited for the umpire’s call sign, but right then, the ball flew over his head. No, it returned to the port [Hoe-hang-haet-da means returned to the port in Korean]. Judging by the speed at which it was flying, it was no longer a ball but a jet, so return to the port [Hoe-hang means return to the port in Korean] would be correct.

“Huh?”

If he had uttered all sorts of unspeakable curses when he was hit by a home run in the bottom of the first inning, now only a stupid exclamation flowed out.

He just didn’t understand. Why? Why is that bastard throwing his bat? Why is that bastard walking? Why is he suddenly looking at the distant mountains? As if he’s watching the batted ball [Ta-gu means batted ball in Korean].

The time that had flowed slowly returned, and only then did his eardrums convey the sound he had heard a little while ago to his brain. The sound of hitting the ball.

The two pupils, which had not been able to capture it because it had passed so quickly, also reported to his head that they had seen the swing that had passed as if it had teleported. Along with the catcher’s face with his mask off.

‘Ah, damn it [X-bal is a Korean swear word, equivalent to the F-word], I’m screwed.’

Although he kept his mouth shut, the catcher shouted at him with his facial expression instead. ‘You son of a bitch [X-bal-sae-kki means X-bird or son of a bitch in Korean]!’ Yes, it was a home run.