Pitcher’S End, Batter’S Start [EN]: Chapter 261

Pitchers Done, Batters Up – 260

After resting for three straight games during the four-game series against the Nationals, Lee Jung-woo felt not just restless, but increasingly frustrated. This was especially true given the team’s slightly disappointing record of 1 win and 2 losses.

“Is Lee really that essential…”

“Ah… this is so embarrassing. Everyone was expecting us to break the most wins record, but what is this? And against the Nationals of all teams.”

Perhaps because they felt they hadn’t lived up to the fans’ expectations of breaking the Mariners’ record of 116 wins (they were currently at 114), the team’s morale, which had been soaring, seemed to falter. Some players even wore bitter expressions, seemingly disgusted with themselves.

Of course, the Nationals, with their 2 wins and 1 loss, were also complaining. They had asked for their win rate to be lowered, but instead, it had jumped up.

“Win today, just win!”

“Why are you doing this! Do you dislike us that much? Lee! Just come out and play! Damn it, we’re going to fall to the 6th pick!”

Perhaps it was the somewhat bizarre pleas from the home fans and the downcast atmosphere of his teammates that sped up Lee Jung-woo’s recovery. He started to feel energized. Of course, having had enough rest also played a role.

‘My form is coming back much faster than expected. It’s still far from perfect, but I should be grateful for this much.’

The sluggish movements regained their speed, and the erratic batting practice started to produce strong and accurate line drives, just like usual.

Watching this, Lee Jung-woo felt a sense of relief and hope, while his teammates who watched from the side simply chuckled in disbelief.

The guy who had been struggling to move just a few days ago had recovered in the blink of an eye, which was beyond baffling and even bizarre. The older Peterson seemed envious of his recovery ability and subtly asked for his secret.

“What do you eat? What do you eat to make your body like that? Share some with me.”

“Just the power of rice, the power of rice.”

“Rice-power? Rice—you mean like, rice? Then what’s ‘power’? Is that something you eat with it?”

“There is such a thing.”

Receiving only incomprehensible answers, Peterson, thinking he was being teased, sullenly shook his head and left. The coaches, who had been watching, seemed to take it positively and added Lee’s name to the starting lineup.

It seemed a bit early, but Lee Jung-woo readily agreed, as he needed to get his game sense back to some extent rather than continuing to sit out in his current condition.

‘Inside, high. Fastball.’

[A swing and a miss! Jung-woo Lee strikes out swinging!]

He tasted the bitter reality.

His athletic ability was one thing, and his basic senses were also excellent, making him decent on defense, but hitting was the problem.

He wondered if his condition had actually recovered. He could see the ball properly, but the problem was that his bat couldn’t keep up.

As a result, he swung and missed for a clean strikeout in his first at-bat. In his second at-bat, he swung and missed twice, putting him in a bad count again.

‘This is tough. If it were a curveball, I could force myself to hit it.’

The only possibility was, as always, a curveball. He felt like he couldn’t even keep up with the speed of his confident splitter [a type of fastball with a sharp downward break] in his current condition.

That’s why he wanted the pitcher to throw a curveball, which he also knew how to throw…

[Lee is down to two strikes. He’s usually a batter you can’t relax against regardless of the count, but he’s struggling today.]

[Lee has missed three games due to a sudden drop in stamina, and it doesn’t seem like he’s fully recovered. He’s usually impressive with his quick bat speed, but he’s a bit late.]

‘That guy is smart.’

Unlike the pitcher he faced in his last game against the Phillies, the pitcher in front of him didn’t seem as provocative.

Judging by his smirking face, it was clear he intended to toy with him. Why wouldn’t he be happy? It was a chance to utterly crush a batter who was a shoo-in for MVP [Most Valuable Player], no less.

Regardless of the fans who were burning inside as the Nationals took the lead, the pitcher’s face was bright. The catcher was the same.

“You guys are having fun today?”

“Hehe. When else would we get a chance to catch you like this? You’ve put up quite a record against us, so you need to pay us back sometime.”

Instead of reacting sensitively as he usually did, the catcher chuckled and expressed his joy at the grumbling words. Lee Jung-woo didn’t feel great about being ignored by the opposing battery [pitcher and catcher], but there wasn’t much he could do.

‘Probably a fastball. I won’t be able to hit it if he throws it with all his power. But I have to try, what else can I do.’

All he could do was grip the bat tightly. Still, he could see the ball well, so he felt more at ease. It was even easier because he knew what kind of pitch would be thrown.

Lee Jung-woo, determined to at least make contact and improve his hitting feel, moved his eyes following the pitcher’s motion. The moment a round dot was imprinted in his eyes from the pitcher’s fingertips, he immediately swung the bat.

‘Ah, you son of a b—’

He barely swallowed the curse that was about to come out. As if he really wanted to mess with him, the pitcher threw a changeup [a slow pitch designed to look like a fastball] instead of a fastball that he couldn’t keep up with.

He had anticipated a fastball and started his swing quickly, so seeing the slowly flying ball made him feel a surge of anger. Perhaps because of his frustration, the whole situation felt like it was in slow motion.

‘Force a hit.’

He would definitely swing and miss again if he stayed like this. He wanted to avoid that at all costs, so he forcibly twisted his trajectory and followed the ball. It was just a stubborn act.

‘Crack?’

That insignificant stubbornness produced a better result than expected. It was a mis-hit, and the pitcher, who had been smug, looked horrified, his eyes bulging. But the force of the hit was weak, so the second baseman easily fielded the ground ball and threw it to first base to end the play.

The pitcher’s face seemed relieved. The last act of desperation ended up being a futile struggle, and he was dismissed in his second at-bat, but it wasn’t bad.

‘My hitting feel is definitely improving.’

He had confirmed that he was gradually getting better. That was enough. He had identified the potential for improvement, so all that was left was the effort.

####

The atmosphere among Korean fans heated up due to Lee Jung-woo’s appearance after three games. The broadcasting station proudly displayed the title ‘Lee Jung-woo Starts,’ but the reaction gradually cooled down as the game progressed.

-Lee Jung-woo seems to be running out of stamina. He doesn’t usually miss those kinds of pitches.

-I agree. If it were a month ago, he would have at least hit the fence, if not over the wall.

-You can definitely see he’s tired. Even in defense, he doesn’t seem as energetic as usual.

They didn’t expect Lee Jung-woo, who had reappeared, to hit a home run as powerfully as he did in the last game against the Phillies. They knew he was already very tired.

But they hoped he would show at least a decent performance. However, he didn’t seem to stand out much in either defense or at-bats, so the excitement cooled down.

As a result, the troublemakers, who had disappeared when the season was entering its final stretch and evaluations of it being the best season ever began to emerge, reappeared.

-Other players are doing full-time just fine. Why is Lee Jung-woo like that? He rested for three games, but he’s still like that. He needs to do some stamina training.

-Are you stupid? Lee Jung-woo has played almost all the games except for a few. Plus, his position is shortstop, and his defensive style is very physically demanding. It’s amazing that he’s not crawling right now.

-Did I even say anything bad? You’re getting so worked up. Is Lee Jung-woo your parent or something?

-They were making a fuss about the Braves breaking the most wins record. The reality is they’re getting crushed by the Nationals, lol [laughing out loud].

-Lee Jung-woo is so greedy. He even did 50-50 [referring to achieving a .500 batting average and 50 stolen bases in a season], but if his condition is bad, he shouldn’t come out. He’s just hurting the team.

-I agree with that. Honestly, the Braves’ offense isn’t working because Lee Jung-woo is cutting off the flow. What’s the point if the batters in front of him do well? The number 2 batter is just fanning all the time.

He was showing a sluggish performance, recording a shallow fly to center-right field that the second baseman barely caught in his third at-bat, so critical and demeaning words followed people’s glares. Intense debates arose on various sites.

Meanwhile, the Braves were barely losing 4 to 3, so the fans who had been shouting that they would surpass the Mariners and rise to a new record for most wins were also being ridiculed.

-I just hope Lee Jung-woo hits one. I want to see those bastards shut their mouths, more than the record.

-They’re just crazy. Seeing them criticize a batter who slashes .4-5-.8 [batting average, on-base percentage, and slugging percentage] and does 50-50.

-Is a .4 batting average almost guaranteed now? Even if he cuts it down a bit in this game.

-Yeah, it’s pretty much over.

-Seriously crazy… He’s not even a contact hitter, he’s an incredibly amazing power hitter, and his batting average is like that, it’s insane.

-There’s a reason why he’s called the best single-season player of all time. In terms of short-term impact, Lee Jung-woo is unmatched.

Lee Jung-woo had already recorded a season that was more than great, it was legendary, so the fans didn’t expect much. They just wanted him to show a slightly recovered appearance and shut up the trolls.

-He hit it!

-Ah, the right fielder caught it, damn it.

-Wow, it was definitely a hit. His defense is amazing.

-If they had always played like that, the Nationals would have been at least 3rd place. Agree?

-Looking at their reaction, they actually hate winning. They’re a doomed team anyway, they need to sweep up prospects in the draft for a few years to have a chance.

-But Lee Jung-woo’s hitting feel seems to be slowly improving? The hits are getting farther and farther. The first at-bat was a swing and a miss, the second was a ground ball to the second baseman, the third broke through the infield, and the fourth went deep into the outfield.

When he was dismissed with a fly out in the fourth at-bat, they expressed their disappointment and poured criticism on the right fielder who had dived to catch the good hit. Nevertheless, the atmosphere improved.

The hits were getting farther and farther back. The quality was also continuously improving. It meant that he had risen to the point where he could produce powerful and fast hits, so people had expectations, and then the last at-bat approached.

####

‘Is it about 60% compared to usual? At this point, you can say I’ve almost fully recovered.’

Before going to the plate, Lee Jung-woo looked back at his own body while practicing his swing in the on-deck circle. Ironically, the game was now in its final stages, but his body felt lighter than at the beginning. His senses had improved along with it.

To compare, it was similar to the body on a day when he wasn’t in good condition, so it could be said that he was recovering quite quickly with only a few days of rest.

It was a bit strange to Lee Jung-woo himself, as well as his other teammates, but it made him realize how important rest was.

‘It wasn’t a slump, it was just a lack of stamina. If I just replenish my stamina while resting, the recovery will be fast.’

If it had been a problem with his hitting cycle or senses, that is, a real slump, it would have taken even longer. At least a week, or even two weeks longer.

But this time, the problem was just that his stamina was depleted, and there were no injuries, so sufficient rest was a great help.

‘Even if a home run is impossible, I can make a hit. My bat speed has also increased a lot.’

Lee Jung-woo swept the ground with a more intense gaze than before. The team is still losing. They scored two more points, making it five, but the bullpen [relief pitchers] unexpectedly got hammered, giving up two more points, so the score is now 6 to 5. Still only a one-point difference. So it was still within reach.

‘It would be nice if Derek could get on base… but Derek is also struggling.’

Derek, who was also feeling the effects of stamina depletion at the end of the season due to his age and being a second baseman who consumes stamina similarly to a shortstop, eventually struck out swinging and sadly left the plate.

“Tsk, Lee, your hitting feel has improved, so I should have at least gotten on base. Sorry.”

“There’s no need to be sorry, you did much better than me today. 1 hit and 1 walk. And one RBI [Runs Batted In]. Good job.”

“If you say that, I have nothing to say. He’s a sidearm pitcher, and he throws his arm out a lot, so his deception is tricky. He’s a new guy, but he’s pretty good. Those Washington guys, it looks like their tanking [purposefully losing games to secure a better draft pick] was worth it.”

“I’ll be careful.”

Lee Jung-woo, who had comforted the seemingly disappointed Derek, headed to the plate with a relaxed face. It was a slightly strange expression for a batter who was 0 for 4, so the pitcher tilted his head.

He was a little worried that he might be the one to face his comeback while he was on the mound. In a way, he had a good sense. He had actually come back, even if not completely.

‘His fastball speed is around 96 mph [miles per hour]. It would have been hard to keep up with at the beginning of the game, but it’s possible now. His breaking balls are a circle change [a type of changeup] and a slider [a pitch that breaks laterally]. It’s a shame he doesn’t have a curveball, but it doesn’t matter since he won’t throw it anyway. He’s a lefty, and they said his deception is good? Tricky. His stuff looks good too.’

And Lee Jung-woo was also wary of the pitcher. He was a rookie who had just been called up with the expanded roster [when teams are allowed to add more players to their roster in September], but he seemed quite skilled. Derek had said something similar.

In particular, he was wary of the large break of his pitches. Lee Jung-woo, filling the plate with tension, slyly asked the catcher.

“You were smirking until just now. Why are you like that now?”

“Shut up.”

“It’s not like you have bipolar disorder…”

He was dumbfounded by the catcher’s curse, but on the other hand, he was quite impressed. It meant that he had properly caught on that his senses had improved quite a bit compared to the beginning of the game.

As if to prove that he wasn’t a Major Leaguer for nothing, Lee Jung-woo wet his lips and increased his tension at the catcher’s quick grasp of the situation.

‘It would have been better if they had just tried to take advantage of me with a head-on match. I shouldn’t have provoked him.’

He regretted provoking him, but he couldn’t undo what had already happened, so he just focused on the task at hand.

The pitcher was nervous. He was probably older than him, although it was a bit hazy. He probably played in a college league like other players and was drafted.

However, regardless of age, there was a big gap in their careers, so the pitcher seemed noticeably nervous, which was a pretty positive factor. He would rely on the catcher as much as he was nervous, but that’s what rookie pitchers usually do.

‘Let’s see it directly.’

Trying to watch the first pitch with a calm mind, he tried to grip the bat loosely, but suddenly had a feeling and gripped it again. And the first pitch. The pitcher, who had used almost all of the pitch clock [the time limit a pitcher has to throw a pitch], threw the ball that stretched out.

A fastball with a strong tailing characteristic of a sidearm pitcher [a pitcher who throws with a low arm angle]. It was the kind of ball that is often called a *shoot* in Japanese baseball. At that moment, Lee Jung-woo swung the bat.

Whether it was to relieve the pitcher’s tension, or whether he expected Lee Jung-woo to watch once, or whether he was still looking down on him even though he was nervous.

‘Inside, high.’

The course was good.

The speed was fast. The distance narrowed in an instant. He said the maximum speed was 96 mph, so probably around that. So Lee Jung-woo also swung quickly.

The bat speed, which had increased through sufficient rest and proper practice, just like his hitting feel, game sense, and stamina, shined properly for the first time in this game.

He accurately followed the ball that stretched straight inside, slightly changing and leaking out.

‘One- two.’

“Hmph-”

A moment of breathlessness. His whole body, which had been compressed to match the timing, exerted force and put power into the bat, and a drop of cold sweat dripped from the face of the pitcher, who was already nervous.

“Agh!”

Some home fans screamed, perhaps because they had already given up on the season and wanted the win rate to drop, but they also didn’t like seeing their team get hit.

The hit that was pulled straight, the right fielder retreated madly following the ball, and Lee Jung-woo, who had thrown the bat away haphazardly, also left home plate.

[It’s going! It’s going! It’s quite big! The hit keeps going-]

[It’s low, it’s too low to go over. But it looks like it can hit the fence-]

The caster raised his voice as the hit, which was perhaps the best in this game, continued to fly, and the right fielder, who was chasing it with both eyes, stopped retreating at the hard touch behind his back and jumped up with his face flushed red.

[He caught it! He caught it! A great catch at the moment of crisis! It could have been a runner in scoring position, and if that had happened, the score could have been tied depending on the subsequent attack. He blocked it!]

The pure white ball was strongly embedded in the glove that was stretched out high. He almost dropped it even after catching it due to the force of the ball that made his hand tingle for a moment, but the right fielder, who had barely closed his glove, proudly raised his hand, and Lee Jung-woo, who had advanced to the front of second base in that short time, put his hand on his waist and stuck out his tongue.

“He caught that.”

“That’s what I’m saying.”

The second baseman also seemed to feel the same way, agreeing with a smirk. Lee Jung-woo, who glanced at the right fielder with lingering eyes for a moment, shrugged his shoulders at the second baseman’s subtle glance and left the ground.

It was the top of the 8th inning, so it would probably be his last at-bat. Even that ended with a ground ball, so today’s result was 0 for 5. It was a bit embarrassing considering that he had raised expectations by playing again,

‘But this is pretty good. I cut down my stats a bit, but I raised my form instead. Now I just need to fill it in a little more.’

It was enough to be a stepping stone for the next day.

After that, they failed to score any points during the remaining innings, and the last series with the Nationals ended with a result that was unsatisfactory to both sides: the Braves’ defeat and a losing series.