Pitcher’S End, Batter’S Start [EN]: Chapter 268

Pitchers Done, Batters Up – 267

As the pennant race neared its end, baseball fans focused on two main topics:

* Who are the favorites to win the 2035 MLB World Series?
* Which team will be the new champion?
* Interviews with the leading World Series contenders!

The biggest point of interest was, of course, the postseason, especially regarding the World Series champion.

* Who do you think will win the World Series?
* Braves.
* Braves.
* Braves.
* It’s confirmed, three votes for the Braves to win.
* What about the Red Sox? They’re not bad either.
* Just look at the Braves’ record.

While the Braves were arguably the strongest team in history, the strongest doesn’t always win, and the challengers were formidable.

* The Braves’ record is amazing, but doing well in the pennant race doesn’t guarantee a World Series win, right?
* Ignore them, they’re Braves fans. It’s a short tournament; why are they even talking about the pennant race record?
* The Dodgers are also pretty strong. Their pitching is solid, and with Arthur Hunter on the offense, there’s nothing more to say.
* In the NL [National League], the Braves and Dodgers are the top contenders. Can’t ignore the Giants either. They have a reliable ace [a team’s best pitcher].
* In the AL [American League], it’s the Red Sox and Indians, right? Can’t ignore the Rangers either.
* It’s practically the Red Sox’s to lose.

Alongside the Braves, the Dodgers, boasting the next-best record, the defending champion Red Sox, and dark horse contenders like the Giants and Rangers were frequently mentioned.

Especially the Dodgers, having built a roster as strong as the Braves in both pitching and hitting, were expected to wash away the disappointment of last year’s World Series.

Just like the crowded field of World Series contenders, opinions on individual player awards were also somewhat divided.

For the Cy Young Award [given to the best pitcher in each league], Mason Looper, the absolute favorite in the NL, saw his performance dip slightly in the second half, allowing other candidates to rise and making the outcome uncertain until the vote.

In the AL, Red Sox ace Christian Gomez posted excellent numbers, virtually securing the award.

* Cy Young, who are the final two winners of the prestigious award?
* Is Mason Looper a lock for the NL? ‘Don’t underestimate the challengers!’
* Will Aidan Styles quench the Dodgers fans’ long-standing thirst [for a championship]?
* Ilya Danilov, the Tsar’s second coronation [referencing his dominance]?
* Christian Gomez, preparing to sweep both the Cy Young and MVP awards?

* For the Cy Young, Mason is the favorite, but Ilya and Aidan also did pretty well, right?
* Those are the three leading candidates.
* Mason lost some ground in the second half, while Aidan racked up good stats, so we’ll have to see the votes.
* Christian Gomez is pretty much a lock for the AL, right?
* You could say that. Kyle Callaway had a good season too, but he’s a bit short.

Additionally, Kyle Callaway of the Athletics, jokingly referred to as the A’s Ace, also emerged as a candidate in the AL with his powerful pitching centered around overwhelming velocity, but few saw his chances as high.

Lastly, the MVP [Most Valuable Player award].

* The AL MVP is still up in the air, right?
* It’s a complete mess since Hunter left. The hitters are all about the same.
* There’s also talk that Gomez might win the MVP. Is that too much?
* It’s not impossible. There isn’t a dominant frontrunner.

The AL had the most divided MVP race. With Arthur Hunter moving to the National League after winning it twice, there was no clear favorite.

As a result, there was even talk that Cy Young candidate Christian Gomez might become the first player since Kershaw to win the MVP as well.

Unlike the ambiguous AL race, the NL was united.

It didn’t matter which team you supported, which player you liked, or what stats you valued in a baseball player.

* Jungwoo Lee, a unanimous winner? Insiders say, ‘Highly likely.’
* Jungwoo Lee, sweeping all first-place votes, MVP award ‘virtually certain.’
* Arthur Hunter and Vincent Harding shedding tears because of Lee Jungwoo?

* NL is… Lee, right?
* Absolutely.
* It’s only Lee.
* Sorry to Harding and Hunter, but this year it’s just Lee.
* 50-50. A .400 batting average. A .500 on-base percentage. An OPS [On-Base Plus Slugging] over 1.3. Any one of those would make you a shoo-in for MVP, but he did it all…
* He’s the overwhelming leader in every category except home runs. It would be ridiculous not to give him the MVP.
* Hunter hit 55 home runs, but he can’t win the MVP.
* Harding is batting .330 with a .400 on-base percentage and a .600 slugging percentage, which would be a Triple Crown [leading the league in batting average, home runs, and RBIs] in the AL…

The media seriously speculated that Lee Jungwoo would sweep all the first-place votes, and many viewed the race as a battle for second place behind him.

In fact, selecting the first place was quite easy, and the selection committee members admitted that things got complicated after that.

* Lee also crushed the AL; shouldn’t we just give him the MVP in the AL too? It’s a shame to settle for just one MVP.
* Aren’t there any legends? Since Lee is a shortstop, shouldn’t we create a Honus Wagner Award [named after a legendary shortstop] or something and give it to him?
* Who knows? Maybe after Lee retires, there will be a Jungwoo Lee Award created.

It was such a dominant, even legendary season that some suggested that the MVP was a given, and they should create something new to give him.

Calling him the Most Valuable Player wasn’t enough to describe his performance.

Therefore, unlike other awards with divided opinions, the NL saw a phenomenon where the candidates for the MVP and other offensive awards were virtually unified.

Even the most critical fans, who are generous to their own team or favorite players and have strong opinions, did not question it.

* The Braves are crooks. How much is this guy’s salary?
* His current salary is the highest for a second-year player, but it’s still really cheap.
* Even if you conservatively estimate it at $3.5 million per WAR [Wins Above Replacement] per year, how much is that?
* If they have any conscience, they’ll double or triple it next season. If he plays this well and gets paid that little… I wouldn’t play baseball if I were him.
* His agent is probably just waiting for salary arbitration [a process to determine a player’s salary]. It wouldn’t be strange to get $30 million. It’s important to maintain his performance until then, though.

There were jokes criticizing the Braves’ stinginess regarding his salary, which was so disproportionate to his performance. Braves fans couldn’t argue with that.

They were practically using a player performing at an MVP level for free, which was an understatement.

As the regular season drew to a close, the stories of multiple candidates and one overwhelming favorite heated up.

####

The Braves’ final opponent of the 2035 regular season was, ironically, the unrelated Cincinnati Reds.

It was just one game, nothing more or less than completing the final schedule, but regardless, the stadium was already buzzing with excitement.

“MVP! MVP! MVP!”

“Let’s go to the World Series!”

“This year is the year to win!”

It was a postseason send-off.

Many were loudly chanting for the MVP, which was virtually confirmed, and Lee Jungwoo, the protagonist of this symphony, looked back on the year as he heard the sounds from outside the locker room.

‘It was a crazy year.’

That’s the only way to describe it.

Moments so great that he could only think of them as a crazy season. It was simply amazing that he had created them with his own hands and strength.

‘Is this my career high? Maybe it’s all downhill from here. Even if it’s downhill, if the decline isn’t too steep, it’s still an MVP-caliber season every year.’

He was a little scared.

Just like when he was a pitcher, he had used up all the power he was allowed in high school and the very early minor leagues. He worried that he might have poured everything that Lee Jungwoo the hitter could create into this year.

The fear that an even more severe drop than after the injury might be waiting for him crept in, but he shook it off as if brushing dust off his hair.

‘I have to believe. In myself.’

‘My massive arms and powerful body. I created these. The concise and powerful swing and the excellent wrist strength are definitely mine. So, I have no choice but to believe in what I have and work hard.’

After all, all players are doing that. Always having a fear of the future is what it means to be a sports player.

Therefore, Lee Jungwoo, who quickly shook off the dark energy, got up from his seat. Clubby’s freshly ironed uniform always gave him a feeling of a new beginning, but today is truly a new beginning.

‘Postseason, and the World Series. I have to go this year.’

He had no intention of ending it as futilely as last year. If this year was his last peak as a hitter, as he feared, he wanted to take one more thing besides the many records that would remain in history.

“Are you ready?”

“Yes, win. Today too. No, at least until the end of this year.”

“That’s a given.”

Derek smiled brightly at Lee Jungwoo, who seemed to have finished all preparations both outwardly and inwardly, and Lee Jungwoo also smiled faintly as he walked out of the locker room.

For a new beginning, to end the end beautifully.

####

[The Braves are showing a strong performance, just like the season…]

[Lee is showing his power at the plate…]

The game could be described as a Braves’ rout. That’s because the difference in capabilities between the two teams was significant.

The Braves are a team that could compete with any in history, but the Reds were not. They, a team fighting for last place in their division, showed a rather listless performance.

“Leeeeee!”

“MVP!”

However, apart from that, Lee Jungwoo seemed to be underperforming, despite having the right mindset.

So much so that the voices of the fans who had been chanting MVP before the game gradually died down.

Even though the postseason was still ahead, the fans seemed to be increasingly terrified that something might have happened to him. The coaches’ expressions also became slightly distorted.

‘He’s not hitting well. Everyone else is hitting well, though.’

Lee Jungwoo was also a little worried about it. There didn’t seem to be any problems with his hitting cycle or condition, but he just wasn’t hitting the ball well.

Could it be that what he had really worried about had already come? Now that he’s had his fill of hitting, should he not aim for the postseason?

As he was thinking such thoughts, he leaned against the bench railing in frustration and scanned the stands.

“Lee’s expression isn’t good… he looks a little dark.”

“He’s usually expressionless, but he’s not usually like that… is there really something wrong?”

“It’s okay! Lee, you’re doing great right now! There are days like this!”

“It’s enough if you just play well on defense, so don’t overdo it!”

“Lee! You’re the MVP! One game? What if you mess up? You’re already the best ever!”

People shouting encouragement.

Were they trying to comfort him? Or were they trying to calm him down, telling him not to feel pressured by his poor hitting? Probably both.

Lee Jungwoo chuckled at their faces, which seemed to be filled with fear even as they shouted like that. Had he pretended to shake it off, but couldn’t even manage his expression?

‘What are you doing right now? The fans are like this.’

The fans seemed to have read his thoughts a little. He usually didn’t show much change in expression, but these were people who had become accustomed to even that.

That’s why they were shouting like that to cheer him up, forcibly stuffing in their own fears.

Just as they had glimpsed his emotions, Lee Jungwoo, who had also noticed it, gave them a slight smile and waved his hand slightly to those who were looking at him.

“Waaaaaaa!”

Then they cheered. They were ecstatic at a slight change in expression and a meaningless gesture. They were also a little relieved.

Seeing that, Lee Jungwoo also felt a little more at ease.

‘How can I make the fans worry?’

“Did you do some fan service?”

“A little. Everyone seemed too nervous.”

“Good job, sometimes you need that. Well, your performance is always enough, though.”

“Hey, that’s enough~ If it were Lee, they wouldn’t say anything even if he used the F-word to the fans, right?”

“Would I ever do that?”

“Absolutely not.”

“If he was that kind of guy, he would have done that to Phil Regan a long time ago.”

As he returned to his seat, his teammates, who had been pounding the opponent hard but had been a little awkward, smiled at him, as if they had read his relaxed demeanor, and the coaches also seemed relieved.

Lee Jungwoo, who had returned the team atmosphere to normal with such a small action, soon picked up his bat.

‘With this feeling, let’s decorate the end.’

Because he was greedy, apart from simply feeling comfortable, he wanted to show a clear sign that he was fine.

And in the bottom of the 8th inning, with the score at 7 to 1, a moment when it could be said that the victory or defeat had already been decided, his at-bat gradually approached.

[Derek Hunter gets a hit and reaches base! Two outs in the bottom of the 8th! Jungwoo Lee comes to the plate.]

[He’s been showing a slightly disappointing performance in today’s game, right? But he’s a player who can hit a home run at any time, so you have to keep that in mind.]

[Ah, the fans in the stadium are already buzzing. Yes, that’s right. He’s a player you can’t help but expect, regardless of his performance.]

Various kinds of shouts whispered in his ears with every step he took towards the plate, but because of the concentration he had already built up, he couldn’t hear them well.

Regardless of today’s performance, the pitcher greeted him with a face that clearly showed some nervousness, and the catcher flinched without realizing it.

Perhaps it was the feeling that the player Lee Jungwoo exuded as he walked, the chilling gaze flowing from his eyes, that was weighing them down.

The destination of his confident stride, which didn’t make him think of him as a hitter who had recorded 4 hitless at-bats and two strikeouts, was always inside the batter’s box.

‘The center field fence would be good.’

Normally, he would think about the pitcher’s pitch, consider his condition today, and think about velocity, power, control, ball distribution, psychology, etc. But now, the Truist Park fences visible behind him filled his head.

Which one would be the best?

If the pitcher knew, he would have grabbed him by the collar, asking if he was ignoring him, but ironically, Lee Jungwoo was seriously considering it.

“Strike!”

While he was lost in thought, two balls had already been thrown, and the count was one strike and one ball, but it didn’t matter.

Just like the pitcher’s information, he didn’t have to consider such things.

“Hmph-”

Because all the preparations were already finished. The straight, level swing was more powerful and heavier than any hit he had had today.

The concise movements seemed casual, but no one took them lightly. Because there were results that they had created, and were still creating.

[Swing! Here it goes! Here it goes! To the center field fence! It goes over! Jungwoo Lee! Two-run home run! His 53rd home run of the season!]

The ball went over. The pitcher only let out a hollow laugh as if he had lost his soul. Unlike when he walked to the plate, the hitter hadn’t exuded any emotion or energy in the batter’s box.

He just swung and created an incredible hit.

Lee Jungwoo, leaving such a pitcher behind, threw down his bat and thought as he walked to first base.

‘The center field fence was the right choice after all.’

He thought the choice was right.

The batted ball, which split the center of the stadium in half and flew far away, looked great even to him.

The last at-bat of the regular season.

Lee Jungwoo, who decorated it with a home run, lightly extended his hand towards the fans, just like he had done in the dugout earlier. With that, all the worries and concerns that had been hanging over the stadium disappeared.

“I was going to comfort you if you didn’t hit it this time… aren’t you being too much? Let me show you a cool side as a senior.”

“Captain is already cool enough, so it’s okay. And if possible, we should go with a good feeling.”

“Where to?”

“World Series.”

239 hits, 125 walks, 53 home runs, 191 RBIs, 50 stolen bases.

A batting average of 0.413, an on-base percentage of 0.5178, and a slugging percentage of 0.817. OPS 1.3348.

With a WAR of 18.3354, surpassing Babe Ruth’s 15 in 1923, and a wRC+ [Weighted Runs Created Plus] of 276, surpassing Barry Bonds’ 244 in 2001. And leaving behind several all-time records that he renewed in his own name.

Lee Jungwoo passed the great regular season and opened the door to the postseason.