Pitcher’S End, Batter’S Start [EN]: Chapter 281

Pitcher done, batter up -280

First, he’d test the waters.

Lee Jung-woo stuck close to the base, as if signaling he wouldn’t risk anything in the World Series.

Despite recording 50 stolen bases during the regular season and adding two more against the Giants in the previous Division Series, proving he was still a threat in the postseason, the Red Sox didn’t let their guard down easily.

But that was fine.

After all, what Lee Jung-woo needed right now wasn’t some grand, sweeping play, but a tiny gap, a thin opening like a scratched line.

The pitcher throws the first pitch.

His windup is relaxed, but he throws to the set position as quickly as possible, conscious of the fast runner.

Even that wasn’t enough to deter Lee Jung-woo, as the first pitch slightly missed the strike zone, and the catcher glanced at first base as soon as he caught the ball. But Lee Jung-woo simply stayed put.

‘Their guard is tighter than I thought, but it’s not impossible. If I really can’t find an opening, I’ll force my way through.’

The catcher’s gaze remains fixed. The pitcher also keeps glancing sideways. And the first baseman looks ready to grab his uniform if he runs.

The layers of gazes tried to bind him like chains, but he didn’t mind. He had been receiving that kind of attention ever since he realized the timing of stealing and started using it effectively.

‘They can’t fully commit to either me or the batter, so they must be frustrated. Even this much is good enough to throw them off.’

The pitcher prepared for the second pitch with a slightly disgruntled expression. Joey’s left cheek twitched slightly as he glared at the pitcher, as if asking if he was being ignored.

If the pitcher focuses only on the batter, the runner is bothersome, and if he pays too much attention to the runner, the batter at the plate is too dangerous.

Although Joey is a player who is gradually declining after reaching his peak, he was still a batter who could aim for at least 4th or 5th place in the National League, following Lee Jung-woo, Harding, and Hunter, at least at this point in time.

Perhaps having made a decision, the pitcher took a firm stance and focused intently on the batter. The moment he threw the ball after a calm, deep breath…

The thing he was so wary of grabbed his ankle.

[Steal! The catcher catches the ball and throws to 2nd base – Safe! Jung-woo Lee steals 2nd base! He instantly becomes a runner in scoring position!]

[It can’t be helped.]

Stolen base to second. The catcher threw the ball from a seated position, accurately and quickly planting it in the second baseman’s glove, but eventually had to concede the base.

His lead wasn’t particularly long, and it wasn’t like his reaction was slow, but the catcher simply chuckled in disbelief, having been stolen from second base right under his nose.

The young punk didn’t like him from the plate, and he was making a fool of himself.

‘I thought I’d get caught. His stolen base defense rate is average, but his reaction is faster than I thought. But… but I was still two steps faster.’

However, Lee Jung-woo’s heart was also pounding.

He had looked down on him a little because of his average stolen base defense rate, but the throw was much faster and more accurate than he thought, as if the World Series stage had awakened him.

He was almost caught stealing in the World Series because of the quick response, and he was about to lose his mind.

The result was a foot that hit the base much faster than the throw. With that, Lee Jung-woo was able to realize that his feet were faster than he thought.

‘Good, good.’

Lee Jung-woo, who straightened his back after catching his breath a little from running, swept his hand across the infield ground.

‘Let’s try some old-school baseball by myself. Even if it’s outdated, it’s okay as long as it works.’

To prove that.

“It’s okay! It’s my mistake!”

“Come on, let’s focus! It’s over if we catch it with a double play.”

He shook the opposing battery [pitcher and catcher], who were blaming each other for their mistakes and trying to regain their focus and concentrate on the game.

The pitcher’s third pitch to Joey.

At the same time, Lee Jung-woo ran and stole third base.

Two stolen bases in three pitches.

Seeing Lee Jung-woo, who hit the base half a step faster even though he threw accurately this time, the catcher could no longer remain calm.

A cold feeling swept past his nape.

####

‘I’m… I’m watching the Braves game in person! Even the World Series!’

Amy Watts still couldn’t quite grasp the reality of the situation.

She was already satisfied enough just to meet Lee in person, see his face, and talk to him.

She was incredibly grateful that she could do something for him.

How did this happen?

With 99 cents, one insignificant thing, she got World Series tickets, even tickets for all games.

With the salary she receives working as a cashier, she can’t even afford tickets for ordinary games, excluding living expenses, and she barely has any free time. She just comes home tired every day and looks for highlights of the games that have already ended, but now she got to see the Braves game in person.

Even in the premium seats right behind the catcher!

Honestly, she thought about selling them.

World Series tickets, especially these seats, would be worth 20,000 or even 30,000 dollars if put up for auction, to exaggerate a bit.

That was more than the annual salary she received working as a cashier at a mart all year round.

It was an amount that could wipe out her remaining student loan in one lump sum.

But in the end, she came.

Because it might be a moment she might never see again in her life.

‘Is this… real?’

Perhaps that’s why she pinched the back of her hand several times because all of this felt like a dream, but it seemed real because it hurt like hell.

The players walking around the ground. The enthusiastic atmosphere of the stadium. Even the young child who looked half her age and the old gentleman who stylishly swept back his white hair all shouted with the same red faces.

“That’s right!”

“Lee! That’s exactly it!”

“Go Braves! Goooo!”

Is this what they were talking about when they said “World Series”?

The Truist Park she experienced firsthand was incomparable to highlights or streaming videos.

The players’ plays unfolding vividly before her eyes were the same.

From the first inning, Lee excited people. He easily caught a powerful hit and finished the inning with his own hands.

That alone was enough to excite people, and everyone talked about what they wanted.

“Please hit a home run!”

What fans want.

In fact, what most fans want from Lee, Lee Jung-woo, is just a home run.

Although he is not the number one in the home run category, regardless of the number, he is the best home run hitter at the current time. His home runs have always brought victory.

That’s why fans want him to lead the team to the World Series championship with a cool home run today, but today, instead, he gradually created victory in a slightly different way.

“That’s right! Where are you trying to catch Lee!”

“Give the Red Sox loser catcher a real taste of it!”

“Wow~ Lee is going to teach the catcher a lesson today.”

Hits and stolen bases. And another stolen base. The sound of applause rang out loudly for Lee Jung-woo, who had achieved one hit and two stolen bases in just one at-bat.

Although it wasn’t as good as a home run, it was one axis of 50-50, so stolen bases based on tremendous running ability were also one of his trademarks, so it was enough to satisfy people.

“Joooooooey!”

“Lee is Lee, but you’re still the best! The best slugger!”

“The Red Sox are nothing special! This is the National League champion, you stupid American League bastards!”

In addition, when they scored a run with Joey’s hit and took the lead from the bottom of the first inning, the atmosphere heated up to the point where it was unstoppable.

Relentless taunts were poured out on the Red Sox visiting fans, who were shouting and provoking the home fans even in someone else’s home.

In that situation, it was difficult for Amy Watts to hold back her voice.

At first, she was just awkward with all of this, but she blended in with the surroundings and properly expressed her emotions.

Other fans who were watching her, who looked a little uncomfortable, smiled contentedly.

The audience, united as one, expressed their joy by putting their arms around each other with strangers as the game progressed. At the center of it was Lee Jung-woo, as always.

His true education (?) for the catcher did not stop in the first inning.

[In the bottom of the 3rd inning, Lee is on second base with no outs. Lee messed up the Red Sox’s ground with a hit and a stolen base in the bottom of the first inning. I’m curious to see what will happen in this at-bat.]

The score is still 1-0.

But because Derek, the captain they loved as much as Lee Jung-woo, was on second base, people thought it would soon be 2-0.

If Derek gets on base, Lee Jung-woo brings him in. It was the basic formula for the Braves this season.

To the point where they say you shouldn’t call yourself a fan if you don’t know.

“Hit a home run, hit a home run!”

“Show us a clean two-run home run today!”

Of course, what they want most is a two-run home run. But not everything goes as planned, so the audience was reasonably satisfied with the long hit that fell between the center fielder and the right fielder.

Because the score went up.

“There are no outs, and Lee is out as a runner? Even if you hit two outfield flies, you’ll get an extra point~”

Although the center fielder who caught the ball wasn’t a Gold Glove winner for nothing, he threw the ball quickly, so Derek couldn’t advance to second base. But there were still plenty of outs left, so people expected additional points.

Amy Watts was the same, but she saw it a little differently.

“I think Lee is going to run again…”

“Hehe, this young lady knows how to watch baseball. Of course, Lee will never leave second base unoccupied in front of him.”

As expected, Lee Jung-woo ran this time as well. The only difference from before was that this time, he ran on the first pitch, not the second.

Everything else was the same.

The catcher couldn’t catch him. The stolen base went up, and the pitcher laughed in vain.

[Unlike the previous games, Jung-woo Lee is shaking the opposing team with his two legs, not his powerful home run power! The Red Sox battery is helpless in front of him!]

It’s already his third stolen base. And another point. The home fans even chuckled at the sight that felt like deja vu [a feeling of having already experienced the present situation].

The visiting fans, who had been shouting “Red Sox” until just now, couldn’t stand it and lashed out at the catcher.

“Aren’t you going to wake up?”

“Be careful! No, how many times are you going to be fooled by the same thing?”

“Do it right! This is the World Series, the World Series!”

In fact, the voices were not heard well. The distance between her seat and the visiting fans’ seats was quite far.

However, judging from the faces that were redder than the home fans, the tilted eyebrows, and the wide eyes, it was clear that they didn’t look very happy.

However, whether that anger worked properly or not, they didn’t give up third base this time. But since they scored more additional points afterwards, it didn’t really matter.

[The Red Sox are being pushed back by the Braves from the beginning of the game. They have already given up 3 points, and the card they believed in, Cliff Kramer, is collapsing earlier than expected.]

[The Braves were rated to be slightly ahead in terms of power, but even considering that, it is certain that the game is more difficult than expected for the Red Sox.]

After that, Lee Jung-woo briefly stepped down from the lead role.

Thanks to the 1 RBI [Run Batted In] and 2 runs he scored, the team continued to maintain the lead, but he hit a ground ball into the shift [a defensive alignment] in the next two at-bats.

The Braves scored only one more point, and the excited audience calmed down for a while.

“This is enough.”

“Lee, you did a good job today too! 3 out of 4 points are yours, that’s enough!”

“Mason is pitching well too, so we’ll win Game 1 without any problems.”

Four at-bats, two hits, one RBI [Run Batted In], two runs scored, and three stolen bases. A stat line that deviated slightly from expectations, yet felt somewhat underwhelming considering it was Lee Jung-woo.

Since 75% of the team’s total score was connected to his performance, the fans were reasonably satisfied and shifted their attention to Mason, who was pitching exceptionally well.

Amy, however, remained focused on Lee Jung-woo. She couldn’t shake the feeling that he had more to offer.

The Lee she knew wasn’t the type of player to settle for just enough, unlike some others.

‘Lee, show me one more time,’ she thought.

She had received a ticket from him, but more than that, she simply wanted to see him perform to his full potential. In what might be her last World Series game, she wanted to eliminate any lingering regrets or disappointments, leaving only cherished memories.

[Hugh Morris! Reviving the team’s flame!]

Meanwhile, Mason was pulled from the game after the 7th inning. Following that, the game took on a strange and unsettling atmosphere.

The bullpen, which they had always trusted implicitly, suddenly faltered. They surrendered two runs in the top of the 8th inning, and then conceded another two runs in the top of the 9th.

A tie game in an instant.

The once-enthusiastic stadium turned as cold as if a blizzard had swept through it, and the Red Sox away fans, who had previously been subjected to jeers, now began singing “Sweet Caroline,” their voices echoing through the stadium.

“Sweet~ Caroline~”, they sang.

“Bap Bap Bah!”

“Uh… this, this shouldn’t be happening…”

“What the F…”

What was going on?

They simply couldn’t believe what they were witnessing.

The Braves struggled to adapt to the rapidly changing circumstances.

Only one thing was certain: they had been leading from the start of the game, but now they were on the verge of losing it all.

The chilling energy felt by the catcher now permeated the stands, and yet, as if refusing to be defeated in spirit, the fans flashed their cell phone lights and waved their tomahawks in time with the bottom of the 9th inning changeover.

Even while struggling to conceal their shock.

“Please… please, Lee, please!”

“Lee is number 1, Lee is number 1! We can still win!”

“Lee will hit a walk-off home run to show them all!”

Hope began to blossom.

It was only a tie game; they hadn’t lost yet, and the first batter in the bottom of the 9th inning was always a player who inspired hope.

That’s why people believed that he would cleanly erase this moment, which threatened to become a nightmare. Amy also clenched her hands tightly.

If they lost the game like this…

She felt like she would regret not selling the ticket like crazy.

“Lee, show them what you’ve got!”

She shouted with a desperate heart. Amidst all the voices, the batter slowly stepped up to the plate with a calm expression, even in this urgent situation where they might suffer a come-from-behind loss in the first game of the World Series.

If he were a lesser player, he might have been criticized for his lack of enthusiasm, but because he was a player who let his skills do the talking, his calm demeanor was simply reassuring.

####

The Red Sox sent out their closer [a relief pitcher who specializes in pitching the final inning of a close game]. It was a decision that demonstrated their determination to drag the game into extra innings no matter what. The pitcher, displayed on the huge electronic screen, faced Lee Jung-woo with a hint of tension etched on his face. The spectators also swallowed hard and tensed up.

“You sons of bitches!”

The curses erupted almost immediately.

The Red Sox intentionally walked Lee Jung-woo as soon as the ball was in play.

It was the bottom of the 9th inning, and considering Lee Jung-woo’s base-running abilities, even a single extra-base hit could lead to an immediate reversal.

People were bewildered by the opponent’s decision to send him to first base, as if they weren’t even afraid of the consequences.

Amy Watts also sank deep into her seat for the first time, as if the perfect ending she desired was now unattainable.

“Ah… Red Sox, you X bastards…”

She didn’t usually swear, but right now, those were the only words that came to mind.

Unlike the spectators, Lee Jung-woo walked quietly to first base.

‘They’re handling me carefully, but they’re walking me at the end,’ he thought.

He was also frustrated, but dwelling on it wouldn’t change anything, so he focused even more.

Because there was still something he could do.

‘Should I… try it? If I get out here, I’ll be branded a traitor immediately. The fans might say it’s okay, but I won’t be able to live with myself.’

Lee Jung-woo glanced at the bench.

When he sent the signal, the response he received was still a green light.

It was perhaps a natural response, as the coaches had a great deal of trust in him, as much as the fans did.

Nevertheless, Lee Jung-woo hesitated for a moment because of the risk and the catcher watching him, but he soon made a decision after Joey struck out.

‘Peterson and Poppin aren’t in good hitting condition. I’m sorry, but I can’t just rely on them.’

I have to do it.

It was a very dangerous mindset, but it felt like it had to be that way right now.

He began to slowly widen his lead. A pick-off throw came immediately as he moved carefully sideways like a crab, but it didn’t matter.

Since they had already conceded three stolen bases anyway, there was no more vigilance to raise.

That’s why he continued to widen the lead, and the pitcher responded by throwing three consecutive pick-off throws, but in the end, he couldn’t keep him pinned down.

“Woo-woo-woo!”

“You chicken bastard! Are you even a man? Cut off your dick!”

“What are you doing? The batter is in front of you! Not next to you!”

The spectators’ curses had no effect, but the pitcher couldn’t just ignore the runner, so he looked at home plate with a sullen expression. The moment he threw the ball, Lee Jung-woo ran without looking back.

The pitcher had anticipated it, so he slightly pulled the ball and shifted his body to make it easier for the catcher to throw.

But Lee Jung-woo had already widened the lead distance enough, so he was safe. Now in scoring position, Lee Jung-woo took another breath.

‘Second base is safe for now. Should I aim for the next one?’

Since it was a steal to third base, the risk was naturally high. He had stolen third base countless times, but even so, he couldn’t be completely certain.

Knowing that, the pitcher was very conscious of him, even checking second base as he slowly widened his lead again. A simulation ran through Lee Jung-woo’s head.

‘He’s more aware than I thought. I’ve never done it before… If I do well—’

“Oops.”

Lee Jung-woo didn’t stop thinking even as he continued to return to the base due to the pitcher’s check, and he soon concluded that there was a possibility.

Lee Jung-woo looked at the bench once more. The bench still gave him the green light.

‘Let’s do it.’

His mouth was parched.

Was it because of the tension?

It could be because he knew it was crazy, even to himself.

However, the feeling that he could do it arose strongly from the depths of his heart, and that premonition was strangely always right, so he couldn’t just ignore it.

Widening the lead again.

The pitcher even checked second base, showing that he was very conscious of him. From that, one simulation went through Lee Jung-woo’s head.

[Steal to 3rd base! Lee! He succeeds in a high-risk steal!]

[This… it looks like Lee is slowly tightening the Red Sox’s grip.]

Steal to 3rd base.

He set a rare record of five stolen bases in one game, and the fans exclaimed even though the game wasn’t over yet. But right now, Lee Jung-woo wasn’t thinking about that.

He was just focused on the pitcher.

‘He’s sensitive to stealing. He’s still very conscious of me. He knows my head isn’t normal.’

Third base. Now that there was only home base in front of him, the pitcher only needed to be minimally vigilant, but he still glanced at him.

You could see his eyes following every time he widened his lead.

“Focus!”

However, the subtle confrontation was temporarily broken by the catcher’s shout.

Soon, Peterson, who was fired up by the opposing battery ignoring him, concentrated on the game and swung at the ball thrown by the pitcher, but was caught by the second baseman and out.

Even the commentators were wiping the sweat from their sleeves in the bottom of the 9th inning with two outs, which was produced from the first game of the World Series.

‘I think the timing is coming…’

Lee Jung-woo also swallowed the saliva that wasn’t in his parched mouth.

Will it come? Is it really possible? Now there are two outs, only three strikes left. Will it really be as expected?

Somehow, it wasn’t very certain.

Even so, as he moved forward little by little again, the pitcher was openly staring at him.

The catcher also watched him with an expression that said, ‘Is that crazy bastard thinking of doing that?’

Whether he had no intention of checking third base, he immediately threw the ball to the 5th batter, Poppin, but he could feel that all his nerves were focused on him. The catcher also aimed the slightly pulled ball at Lee Jung-woo, or rather, at the third baseman, as if to warn him.

But Lee Jung-woo didn’t back down.

‘It’s the World Series; there’s no way I’m going to be intimidated by something like that.’

The catcher was so dumbfounded by Lee Jung-woo, who was staring at him as if to say, ‘What did I do wrong?’ that he even let out a hollow laugh.

The catcher threw the ball back to the pitcher, cursing at him with his eyes.

‘Let’s do it.’

Lee Jung-woo’s mind, who had been slowly widening his lead, was filled with that thought. Yes, it felt like it was now.

‘Ah… I’m screwed—Wait, let’s just run.’

The moment he took a step following that thought, he made eye contact with the pitcher.

Just as the thought that he was screwed sprang up coolly, Lee Jung-woo did not stop walking, reading the bewilderment in the pitcher’s eyes.

“Huh?”

Like the one-word exclamation uttered by a spectator, everyone was just dazed. The slightly shaken pitcher failed to aim, and the zero point was set high.

The catcher, who jumped up and caught the ball, fortunately did not cause a walk-off wild pitch. It wasn’t the worst outcome, but the result was just as bad.

“Safe! Game set!”

The moment Lee Jung-woo touched home base as if passing by, the referee declared loudly as if he had been waiting. The catcher, who barely caught the ball, tagged him almost at the same time. But the referee’s decision was safe.

The Red Sox players ran out from all over the field, and the players from the bench, led by the manager, ran towards the referee like angry bulls, shouting. But the decision did not change.

“You crazy bastard… how could you do this—”

“Ah, Poppin. I know, right? It worked. I must be crazy too.”

Wouldn’t it be a moment that everyone who saw it would remember forever? It was a little embarrassing to say it myself, but I thought it might be.

Lee Jung-woo, who got up and pressed down on home plate again just in case, soon raised his hand high, and the players who ran out after him, including Poppin, who watched it from the best seat, lifted him up like a trophy.

[Jung-woo Lee! He ends the game by succeeding in a World Series home steal for the first time in 80 years since Jackie Robinson! It is the moment when he is recorded as the first walk-off home steal in the World Series!]

Lee Jung-woo, soaring high into the sky thanks to his teammates, scanned the stands, and soon smiled at the faces of his parents, who stood up and shouted at the top of their lungs, and a somewhat familiar woman’s face that fell a little next to them.