Pitcher’S End, Batter’S Start [EN]: Chapter 260

투수 끝, 타자 시작 (2)

While looking at the streets of Atlanta, Lee Jungwoo thought. It was as if Christmas had come a little early. It felt like even the word ‘festival’ was insufficient to describe it.

‘Everywhere is 50% off. It’s not even Black Friday…’

As if matching the rhyme with his achieved 50-50 club, unprecedented sales that you’d only see on Black Friday or Christmas were happening all over the city.

The people walking around such a city seemed to be replacing their shirts with uniforms altogether; about 6 or 7 out of 10 people walking down the street were wearing Braves uniforms. Of course, his name was printed on the back of every one of them.

A silly thought suddenly crossed his mind that the uniform revenue he would receive later might be more than his salary, and after chuckling, Lee Jungwoo focused on driving again as the light changed.

‘It’s not just the uniforms, it’s like the whole city is… If today is Christmas, am I Santa?’

As he continued to drive and encountered the familiar giant electronic billboard filled with his face, Lee Jungwoo couldn’t help but let out a hollow laugh. He felt like he had become the mascot of the entire city.

People were carrying his name on their backs, and his face was plastered on billboards all over the city.

If someone who knew nothing about it saw this, they might think that Lee Jungwoo was the dictator of Atlanta, like the leaders of some northern country. In fact, it was somewhat similar.

‘That’s not entirely wrong either. At this point in time.’

To fans of other teams, he would seem like a dictator, oppressing the good citizens of Major League Baseball and wreaking havoc on the entire league.

The fact that his followers had fanatical faith, revered him, and worshiped him like a god also aligned with that image.

These situations were a bit unfamiliar, but he wasn’t exactly ashamed. Nor was he embarrassed. He just felt a little proud.

‘It’s a relief I achieved it at home.’

The efforts he had desperately made to achieve it at home felt worthwhile. The fact that he had at least not disappointed the expectations of all those people was enough, in fact. Of course, the price for that satisfaction was also harsh.

‘It’s amazing that I can even wake up and move around safely today.’

His body, which had been in such terrible condition that he wondered if he could even hit the ball properly, let alone hit a home run on a curveball, was now scraping the bottom. It was amazing that he could even move.

‘I don’t know how long this state will last, but… let’s think positively, the signs aren’t bad.’

You might wonder what’s not bad about being in such a miserable state, but in reality, this is quite positive. Originally, slumps and physical exhaustion are like roller coasters. Once they start on a downward curve, they hit rock bottom and then rise again. So, the fact that he hit rock bottom sooner than expected was a pretty positive factor. It meant that the rise would be just as fast.

Of course, there are occasionally very boring and uninteresting roller coasters that just keep crawling along the bottom.

‘If the season had ended right here, it would have been a clean and fairytale-like story.’

It would be great if the season ended with his 50-50, with everyone laughing and joking, and then entering a comfortable off-season.

But for the Braves this season, the postseason, which could be considered the real main game, was still ahead, so a little worry grew.

‘I hope I can be back before the postseason starts.’

If his body didn’t recover by the time the postseason started, it would be the worst of the worst.

A slightly selfish thought even crossed his mind: ‘Can’t they just determine the World Series winner by win rate?’ If so, the Braves would win right now, even if they lost all the games.

‘I guess I’ll just have to think of a few games as being dead and just watch.’

Lee Jungwoo, feeling uncomfortable with his stiff body, smacked his lips and thought as he continued to see people outside the car window enjoying the afterglow of the previous day.

‘No one will criticize me for having fun.’

He could work hard and have fun to the fullest.

Just like the other team’s fans were grumbling, it seemed to him that most people in this city were on his side.

After taking in the fans for a moment, Lee Jungwoo set off again. Seeing the faces full of joy, he felt like he could embark on another journey with a more relaxed mind, unlike his body.

####

Lee Jungwoo’s influence was not limited to just Atlanta or even baseball fans. It even affected people who had no particular interest in the sport of baseball.

[Okay, the fifth pitch. The pitcher throws.]

The spacious room was simply furnished, giving it a somewhat empty feel. And it was very quiet. Only the noise coming from the large TV screen and speakers filled the void.

The owner of the cold room, a man with graying hair, scribbled with a pen a few times, but soon, as if he didn’t care, he eventually picked up the remote control and then suddenly turned his gaze to the screen.

[He hit it! Jungwoo Lee! The ball soaring away – goes over the fence! A three-run homer! With this, the first 50-50 in the history of baseball is finally! Finally realized in reality!]

It was a kind of highlight broadcast, replaying important scenes from this round.

One player kept showing his face so much that it was a bit annoying. And the same play was replayed over and over again, as if it was something so amazing.

‘Jungwoo Lee…’

About to turn off the TV, the man put the remote control back down and watched for a while, as if captivated by the video. The player on the screen was quite familiar to him as well. He was one of the best-selling products.

Atlanta Braves. A Major League Baseball team that he, like his father, simply ‘owned.’ The Braves Group, which managed it, naturally fell out of his interest.

He had too much on his shoulders to focus on a Major League Baseball team, and he wasn’t particularly a baseball fan. In the first place, he usually left most of the other things to other executives and didn’t wield his voting rights.

But recently, things have changed a little, or rather, a lot.

A series of moves that couldn’t help but draw attention followed.

At the center of it was that player.

‘Profits have increased a lot since last year. Even though I haven’t made any special investments. That’s why I was willing to take on additional investments.’

The dramatically increased profits were not limited to just uniforms. Issues bring people together, and that goes straight to viewership. And that viewership soon leads to huge amounts of money. As always.

Especially in the huge market of the United States, the economic value of a single superstar was unimaginable. The player on the screen was that kind of superstar. As of now, he was at the peak of it.

Even though he wasn’t American, not even from the familiar North and Central America or the Caribbean, let alone other Western countries. Even though he wasn’t white, black, or Hispanic, the entire United States was chanting his name.

‘Contract extension. There’s been a lot of talk about it already. They say we have to grab him right away.’

The fans who loved such a player have been constantly shouting. Don’t think it’s too early, they say, and get him to sign the contract now. It’s only his second year since his debut. There’s still a lot of time left to use him for free until FA [Free Agency, when a player is eligible to sign with any team], but still.

Especially yesterday, when he achieved that record of 50-50, which was unfamiliar and had to be searched on the internet, those kinds of reactions became even bigger. Fans with their eyes turned upside down often mentioned the man’s name.

Of course, from the perspective of someone who spends money, there’s no such thing as nonsense. Now? Why bother? Why? The free trial period hasn’t even ended yet? So, it was out of the question right now. And it was still unknown. Even if it’s gold now, no one knows how it will corrode over time. Time passes faster than you think, and value also changes arbitrarily over time.

‘If you look at it simply from a marketing perspective, the value right now is quite high.’

According to research, the value of that one player, the so-called price tag, is at least $50 million based on the current standard. It was a level that surpassed most FA-class big fish.

‘The problem is whether that’s a bubble or not.’

It’s a blue-chip stock. A huge blue-chip stock. But no one knows yet whether it will turn out to be a manipulated stock due to a temporary bubble or a promising stock that still has room to grow.

That’s why he had to be careful. No matter how much of a superstar he is, no matter how great his influence is, if he’s priced above his value, it can’t be an investment in the first place.

Investment is always about making more profit than the money you spend. For the shareholders.

‘No, at this point, even if it fails, it should be seen as an overvalued blue-chip stock.’

Of course, this is an old story, and the story has changed since yesterday. The whole world has turned upside down, so why wouldn’t that change?

‘The best season ever. Even Babe Ruth and Barry Bonds are being pushed aside for a year.’

The name Babe Ruth in that catchphrase captivated him. No matter how little interest he had in baseball, he knew it, of course. He had to know it. If you’re American, at least if you live in America, you have to know it.

He made baseball the most popular sport, and to Americans, he’s been regarded as a hero, sometimes as a god, for over a hundred years.

‘He’s being compared to such a person. For this year. Maybe even for his future career.’

If Babe Ruth brought in the crowds, he brought in the viewers.

The sluggish viewership of Major League Baseball showed a huge increase compared to the previous year. And the highest viewership recorded at the moment he hit the home run the day before definitely broke the ceiling.

‘Then it’s worth investing in.’

He asked himself in his heart. If Babe Ruth existed now, how much would he have to pay him? The answer to that question was quite simple, unlike his previous thoughts.

‘Whatever he wants.’

Icons of the era like Babe Ruth and Michael Jordan are mints that move with their mere existence. They spew out money like a cornucopia, making value realization a joke.

Therefore, the answer was soon applied to the name Lee Jungwoo as well.

Of course, he still doesn’t know. Whether he will really become like Ruth or Jordan. Whether he will be evaluated like them. That’s why more investigation is needed, and it has to be verified, but like the Braves fans, Evan Malone, the name Lee Jungwoo was definitely engraved on his chest.

####

Unaware that he had even captivated someone he had never expected, Lee Jungwoo, who had arrived in Washington, was able to vividly feel the on-site reaction that he had not tasted in Atlanta because he had to leave.

“Please keep the order, but we’ll do the kids first, so don’t worry and come on over.”

The moment he arrived at the stadium, people rushed in like crazy. That’s always the case, and there were many Braves fans on the road as usual, but the difference was that there were far more home fans than that.

‘They seemed to be a little conscious before. There’s none of that today.’

In the case of fans of other teams, even if they received an autograph from him on the road, they were mostly careful because they were conscious of the other fans around them, but today they all rushed in together.

As if one autograph or one photo was worth a thousand gold, Lee Jungwoo, seeing the Nationals fans rushing in, thought again that he had done something amazing, and since he wasn’t playing in the game anyway, he diligently engaged in fan service.

“You’re doing a lot of work. How come there are so many people even though it’s not our home territory?”

“That’s what I’m saying.”

“It’s natural. The record that Lee made isn’t an ordinary record. Once you see his face, you have to get an autograph no matter what. Do you have time to stand on ceremony?”

“People are people, but you’re you. You’re doing all that. You’re a guy who’s running out of energy.”

The teammates looked at Lee Jungwoo with satisfaction. It meant that a player who even fans of the opposing team, even the fans of the same district rival team, would rush to him was his teammate.

Of course, some of them sent envious glances at such popularity, but there was no common jealousy. If there was any possibility to some extent, it would be different, but it was a level that had already exceeded imagination, so jealousy was rather suppressed.

With the satisfied gazes of his teammates and the enthusiastic baseball fans behind him, Lee Jungwoo entered the stadium and soon forcibly entered spectator mode.

The coaching staff and trainers who realized his condition prohibited any exercise itself, except for a little warm-up training.

“Don’t move. If possible, just sit down. No, just lie down.”

After a short warm-up, when he took out his bat as usual, the coach forced him to sit on the bench as if he wouldn’t even allow that, and Lee Jungwoo, knowing his inner thoughts well, sat quietly on the bench and just stared blankly at the stadium.

‘I’m not even playing, but all the attention is coming to me.’

Just as he was looking at the people, the people were still looking at him. Even if they weren’t Braves fans, people who were completely intoxicated with the record of the 50-50 club itself looked at him with excited and excited eyes, regardless of the team or whether they were cheering for him. Even though he was excluded from today’s starting lineup and even a pinch hitter-like substitution was thoroughly sealed.

Receiving such a lot of attention made him feel restless even though it wasn’t his home. To restrain it, he fiddled with the bat for no reason.

‘Come to think of it, I was going to send the bat to Korea and give it to my parents. The club took it away. Did they say they were going to display it at Truist Park [The Atlanta Braves’ home stadium]?’

The bat that he hit his 50th home run with and threw coolly was recovered by the club. The exhibition is scheduled for the future. There was a separate intention, but the club asked so earnestly, and the meaning was so deep, so I just donated it. But when I imagined the real exhibition, my face was hot for no reason.

‘By the way, Mark was so excited, did that guy’s unit price go up again? Well, it would be more strange if it didn’t go up. Come to think of it, the contract with Nike hasn’t been finalized yet, is it going to fall apart again? Every time I try to sign, the price keeps going up, so it’s back to square one.’

Lee Jungwoo, who was lost in 잡념 [japnyum, Korean for 잡념], due to boredom, soon regained his mind in the bustling dugout. While he was lost in thought, the game was about to begin.

“Okay, let’s do well today too! You know we’ll be really embarrassed if we lose the game without Lee, right?”

“Get some rest! We’ll take care of everything today.”

“You saw the Phillies getting destroyed even without you, right? Take it easy and watch. If you’re really bored, come out as a pinch hitter and hit a home run.”

“Absolutely not today. Don’t encourage him for no reason, and get out of here quickly.”

The teammates who threw a word or two at Lee Jungwoo, who was sitting blankly, finished preparing for the game. Soon after the game started, Lee Jungwoo stared blankly at them as they walked out to the waiting seats and at-bats one by one.

‘I’m already getting restless.’

The first record in history and the people who are enthusiastic about it. Also, the explosively increased popularity and the 감지덕지 [gamjideokji, Korean for feeling grateful] title of being the best ever. Everything is happy and very proud, but it seems that playing the game is the best.