Pitcher’S End, Batter’S Start [EN]: Chapter 278

Pitcher Over, Batter Up (2)

Unlike the typically sunny days in LA during the previous games, the sky over the 5th game was gradually filling with dark clouds.

It wasn’t very noticeable because it was an evening game, but it was enough for the people who came to the stadium to feel the humidity.

Perhaps because of that, or perhaps because of the mood of the people, a gloomy atmosphere hung over Dodger Stadium.

The Braves’ visiting fans, who had been busy rejoicing and cheering throughout the series, entered with subdued expressions, and the Dodgers fans who greeted them didn’t seem to be in a good mood either.

The disappointing record of 1 win and 3 losses saddened them, and the fact that even that one win wasn’t entirely honorable stung them like salt rubbed into a wound.

The thought that a terrible price might follow also played a part.

‘It’s a bit dark.’

Lee Jung-woo, who was walking around the field, also sensed that atmosphere.

It wasn’t just because it was an evening game; the stadium itself felt dim. Even though the bright lights should have been blinding.

‘Still one step away. To the World Series.’

Just one step away from the biggest stage. It was one step yesterday too, and I wanted to close the gap, but I failed in the end. But now it was really the end.

‘I’ll finish it today.’

If the championship goes on for too long, it wouldn’t be very fun.

The locker room, which he returned to after checking the atmosphere, was quiet yet bustling.

The noise from the players preparing for the game filled the locker room. Usually, you could hear the TV, but today even that was off.

Because it was an important game, the power cord was even unplugged to avoid distracting the team.

“Today’s starting lineup is…”

The Braves were at a crossroads.

Having lost one game. No matter what method the opponent used, the fact that they had lost once remained unchanged.

That one loss slightly modified the plans they had made so far.

So, they had to make a choice. Should they put in their ace, Mason, to win the game decisively and end the series here?

Or should they hold back?

If they use him today, Mason’s appearance in Game 1 of the World Series becomes uncertain.

Conversely, if they save him today, he can pitch with a more rested body, but they might lose today’s game and the series might be a little longer than initially expected.

If they lose this game, the Dodgers, who were thought to be dead, might revive.

“Holsey is starting, so let’s have the fielders help out…”

At that crossroads, the Braves’ decision was to save their ace and instead pour in all the remaining pitchers.

Brian Holsey, the Braves’ 5th starting pitcher, was scheduled to start, but although he was a starter, he wasn’t really a complete starting pitcher.

The Braves’ plan for today was for him to pitch 3 innings, then for Harry Stewart, the 6th starter, to pitch another 3 innings, and then to close out the rest with other bullpen pitchers.

Since the Braves had rotated with a 6-man rotation during the regular season, they could do what is called ‘swarm pitching’ [using multiple pitchers for short stints] in the postseason, where they could rotate with a slightly tighter 4-man rotation. There was no need to save anyone.

After the game plan that had already been heard once was replayed, the players spurred on the final preparations for the game.

With a more serious look than usual, captain Derek shouted.

“Let’s end the series today and go to the World Series.”

It was just a short remark to slightly awaken the team’s will to win, but the meaning was amplified because it included the words ‘World Series.’

That alone was enough to raise the players’ concentration.

Lee Jung-woo, who was silently listening while choosing today’s bat after returning to the locker room, also nodded briefly. He had made his choice.

“You’re going to use that? It’s light, right?”

“Yes, I think this will be good today.”

Among the bats he had, it was the lightest one within the regulations. He mainly used it when his condition or stamina was low and his bat speed wasn’t good, or when accuracy was more important than power. It was perfect to use today.

‘If I get intentionally walked again today, there’s nothing I can do, but if they give me even a little to work with, conscious of the eyes of others… I’ll force even the ones that fall to the ground to fly.’

Perhaps because the power he hadn’t been able to release due to being walked throughout yesterday’s game carried over to today, he had a lot of strength left in his body.

There was no need to add anything more here.

So, all he had to do was hit it.

High or low, far or near. A breaking ball close to a wild pitch, a powerful fastball. It didn’t matter what it was.

‘Because if I hit it, it’ll go over.’

####

The main point in this game, as pointed out by each broadcasting station that was broadcasting the 5th game, was Lee Jung-woo.

Lee Jung-woo, who had been thoroughly neutralized in the previous day’s game, and they were curious whether the Dodgers would stick to that strategy today.

Since the game was won thanks to that, the effect was certain, but the problem was people’s reactions.

Criticism beyond description had already poured out on the Dodgers, and many experts besides baseball fans had also expressed their discomfort.

Of course, there were quite a few people who praised them, saying that walking a good hitter was a perfectly reasonable method.

“It’s the postseason, who cares about being cowardly? You have to win first!”

“Even so… I’d rather get eliminated than be this embarrassed.”

“What’s the point of pride? All you have to do is win anyway! People only care about records!”

“You’re right, that record will remain! That record that we walked Lee in every at-bat will remain!”

As a result, opinions were divided even among Dodgers fans, and just as a slight internal strife was occurring, the 5th game began.

The atmosphere in the stadium became serious in an instant. Because Lee Jung-woo appeared. While also showing a very threatening swing.

[The Braves’ batting order is a little different today, right? Jung-woo Lee is in the 1st spot. He switched places with Derek. The rest is the same as before.]

[It’s a silent pressure tactic. If the Dodgers walk him again today, it’s a silent pressure that we’ll put Lee out there for even one more at-bat.]

Lee Jung-woo, the leadoff hitter. It wasn’t a very fitting description.

If you look at his batting average and on-base percentage, there is no better leadoff hitter than him, but because he has the second-highest RBI [Runs Batted In] ability of all time, the 4th-highest slugging percentage, and is even a hitter who hits 50 home runs, the effect would rather be diminished.

But even so, the Braves chose him as the first hitter of the game, and that was pressure, no, blackmail, towards the Dodgers.

That’s why people’s faces were slightly strained, and even the Dodgers players glanced at their dugout, gauging the bench’s thoughts.

The game started with Lee Jung-woo confidently walking to the plate. As he walked to the batter’s box, Lee Jung-woo looked at the Dodgers’ manager.

‘Are you going to walk me again?’

A noticeably shaking face. As if it didn’t hurt, he bit his lower lip so hard he looked like he was about to cut it off. Lee Jung-woo, who calmly stepped into the batter’s box, waited for his fate.

And there was no intentional walk.

“Yes! Let’s just compete!”

“He rested all day yesterday, so his hitting feel must have dropped, right?”

“Strike him out, strike him out!”

Then some Dodgers fans welcomed and rejoiced even more, and the visiting fans finally relaxed their strained expressions a little.

The pitcher’s complexion also improved.

‘It’s not a pleasant thing for the battery [pitcher and catcher] either. No matter how strong the hitter is, to go in with your belly exposed from the beginning. Aidan Styles, who endured that, is rather amazing.’

Lee Jung-woo, nodding his head, greeted the strangely welcome plate and slowly took his batting stance.

As if the batting stance he hadn’t seen for only a day was so welcome, the fans were already shaking their shoulders.

The Dodgers fans shouted to win fairly today.

“Ah…”

The pupils of their eyes shook severely at the batted ball that flew over in an instant. As if a spasm had occurred, both cheeks trembled.

First pitch, it’s just the first pitch. It doesn’t seem like even a minute has passed since the game started, but the home run flew over as it was.

The only one who reacted to that was Lee Jung-woo, who tossed his bat and leisurely circled the bases.

“It went over… right?”

“I didn’t see it…”

“Was that really the first pitch? Why is he suddenly circling the bases?”

Was it cognitive dissonance? As if they couldn’t believe the reality unfolding before their eyes, people muttered, and asked the person next to them what had happened, but they hadn’t seen it either.

Even the pitcher was doubtful whether he had been hit by a home run or not, so it was perhaps natural for the spectators to be confused.

[Uh… Jung-woo Lee hits a leadoff home run, and the Braves score from the start of the 5th game. Um… yes. The ball was too fast, so I didn’t see it. It seems to have gone over.]

[It has been confirmed by Statcast [baseball statistics tracking system] that it is a home run. The launch speed of the ball is… 123.1 miles per hour. This is 1.5 miles faster than Giancarlo Stanton’s 121.7 miles, which was the previous record since the introduction of Statcast.]

It was a moment when everyone was bewildered, but the viewers watching the broadcast nodded. It was natural that they couldn’t see it.

If you could follow a 123-mile ball with your eyes, you were no longer human.

Instead of wasting your precious talent, you should challenge yourself as a sports player right now.

But because they didn’t know that fact, the inside of Dodger Stadium, who only knew that it was a home run, was still dumbfounded.

Even in the midst of that, Lee Jung-woo, who had leisurely finished his base running, firmly stamped on home base. Derek, who seemed to have lost his soul, awkwardly high-fived Lee Jung-woo, who suddenly reached out his hand, but his reaction wasn’t great either.

“Waaaaaaaaa!”

“Lee! Lee! Lee! Lee!”

“I didn’t see it, but who cares! It’s a home run!”

The cheers were about four beats late. The visiting fans shouted after Lee Jung-woo went into the dugout. Still, they were better than the Braves players.

Even though they hit a home run, the players went out and leisurely returned after a while, and then just stared blankly at Lee Jung-woo, who was sitting back in his seat, with eyes that said, ‘What the heck is that?’

“Joey, aren’t you going to go to the on-deck circle? It’s your next at-bat.”

“Huh? Uh… I should. Um, yeah. Congratulations on the home run.”

Joey, who was blankly standing there, was pushed out of the dugout by Lee Jung-woo and congratulated him, but the rest remained the same.

Lee Jung-woo might have been a little sad about the meager reaction even though he had hit a home run, but he just sat down and glared at the ground.

As if saying that he couldn’t be satisfied with just one home run.

That’s how the end of the Dodgers was slowly approaching.

####

After Lee Jung-woo’s home run, Derek and Joey collaborated to add another RBI, and the top of the 1st inning ended.

After that, in the top of the 3rd inning, Lee Jung-woo went out again as the first hitter of the inning, and people widened their eyes, wondering if there would be another leadoff home run this time, but the result was a walk.

Although it wasn’t an intentional walk, Lee Jung-woo didn’t bother to swing his bat because the pitcher avoided the match, and walked to first base.

“Woooooooo!”

Naturally, criticism poured out.

It wasn’t an automatic intentional walk, but avoiding the match was the same, and the afterimage of the home run from earlier was still in their heads, so they were disappointed.

However, on the other hand, there were also reactions that understood the pitcher.

Not many people were brave enough to throw the ball against a hitter with those eyes.

Lee Jung-woo also knew the pitcher’s heart well, so he walked quietly to first base, but that was all he could bear.

[In the top of the 5th inning, with one out and a runner on first base, the 1st batter, Jung-woo Lee, comes to his third at-bat. With 2 at-bats, 1 hit, 1 home run, and 1 walk, he is showing explosive hitting from the start of the game.]

[The Braves are currently leading by one point with a score of 2 to 1. If Lee is walked here, the Dodgers may be in danger of leading to a large number of runs, and the gap may widen further, so they will be careful.]

Unlike before, Lee Jung-woo came to his third at-bat in a situation where a runner was on base.

Because it was a tight situation with a score of 2 to 1, the Dodgers were conflicted. Because they were conscious of the two hitters, the choice was a match.

As he stepped onto the plate, Lee Jung-woo scanned the field. Faces that reflected a desperate will to somehow drag the series further, as their pride had already been hurt enough.

The starting pitcher, who had not allowed any runs except for the top of the 1st inning, also had a strong will.

Although he had been hit by a home run, his eyes were alive, perhaps because the surprise attack was so ambiguous that he himself was not seriously hurt.

‘It might be dangerous if we drag it out for too long.’

Because that kind of determination sometimes creates miracles, they couldn’t just sit back and watch in a situation where the score difference wasn’t big. They had to thoroughly trample on them.

‘He used a lot of changeups in today’s game. He only threw balls to me, so I don’t know what the ball is like. Will he really come in to challenge me?’

Lee Jung-woo licked his lips. A pitcher who mixes in slow curves or sliders, but mainly relies on fastballs and changeups.

If you exclude the slow curve, which he won’t throw, there are three options. But the location doesn’t matter, the pitch doesn’t really matter.

Even if it doesn’t come inside, if I can just make contact with the bat.

‘It’s coming.’

That’s enough.

After letting the 1st and 2nd balls pass, the swing exploded on the 3rd ball. The batted ball, which hit the end of the bat, soared frighteningly.

Unlike the solo home run that started the game, this time people could see it clearly.

The launch speed was a little slower than before. The tension had also risen to the point where a reaction could come out immediately.

[Two-run! Jung-woo Lee records a two-run home run in his third at-bat, following the solo home run in his first at-bat! With his consecutive home runs, the score is now 4 to 1! The gap widens to 3 points!]

[And! With this home run! Lee records his seventh home run! Breaking the record for the most home runs in a single championship series!]

Most of the people who watched the ball go over clearly covered their heads. The rest raised both arms.

Is it going to end like this?

Is the championship series going to end like this? Dodgers fans hoped it wouldn’t.

They had been cursed and ridiculed, and they had been forced to drag the series on. If it ended like this, it would be incredibly unfair.

That was the same for the players.

They had continued their will even by throwing away their pride, but they couldn’t end it like this.

They gritted their teeth and threw the ball, swung the bat, and resisted fiercely.

[Arthur Hunter! Two-run! The score is back to a 1-point difference!]

Arthur Hunter’s home run in the 6th inning seemed to revive the embers of hope.

[Three-run! Jung-woo Lee! He hits three home runs! Leading the Braves to victory!]

As if saying that such resistance was futile, the monster crushed them more brutally than before.

Should they have endured the shame and just walked him again today? The belated regret had already come, but it was just a late regret.

The score on the scoreboard had already gone up, and defeat had already drawn closer and reached the door.

[The second baseman caught it and threw it to first base! Out! Game set! Score 8 to 5! The Braves record 4 wins and 1 loss in the NLCS [National League Championship Series]! They advance to the World Series as champions of the National League!]

If it hadn’t just been cloudy and it had rained, they could have soaked in the gloom with relief.

People just lowered their heads to the still gloomy sky. On the ground they couldn’t bear to see, the players ran out. Peterson caught Derek’s throw, and at the moment the game ended, Lee Jung-woo suddenly looked up at the sky.

‘World Series…’

A space I had only seen on TV.

A stage where I couldn’t even watch the first game because I knew I couldn’t step on it.

I threw open the door to that dream stage. With my own hands, very confidently as the champion of one league.

“World Series!”

“Lee, where’s Lee!”

“Catch him, catch him!”

“Don’t catch him! It’ll be a big deal if he gets hurt, so don’t catch him! You idiots!”

“Don’t even think about touching Lee! If you touch even a hair on his body, you’re dead!”

Lee Jung-woo smiled brightly as he watched the sky gradually clear up and his teammates running towards him as if to celebrate it. But he didn’t use up all his emotions as it was.

Because there was still one bigger thing left, so he had to save some.