Pitcher’S End, Batter’S Start [EN]: Chapter 4

Pitcher Over, Batter Up – Part 3 (4/287)

The endless grind.

The man, barely able to lift his head, eventually slumped over his work.

‘This damn work never ends.’

Pratt, the Atlanta Braves’ general manager, felt the job was impossible.

“Ha, damn it.”

“Is something wrong?”

“No, I’m just a little tired.”

“Take breaks now and then. You’ll be more efficient.”

His assistant looked up, surprised by the sudden curse, but Pratt waved it off and sank into his plush chair.

Being the Braves’ general manager isn’t easy. Though that’s probably true for all professional sports teams.

Maybe it’s just because it’s my job, but Pratt thought it was especially difficult.

‘One wrong step and you’re showered with insults. If the owner’s in a bad mood, you’re immediately fired. There’s a ton of work, and the players whine like little kids over the smallest things… it’s really not something a person should do.’

To top it off, the previous general manager had made a mess of things.

‘That damn idiot.’

What was wrong with that guy’s brain?

He only brought in pitchers in the draft, free agency, and trades.

It seemed like he was trying to build a pitching dynasty like the Braves had in the ’90s with the Maddux-Glavine-Smoltz trio.

The problem was that all the starting pitchers he brought in flopped. All that’s left is a bullpen that somehow survived.

So the position players and starters are nothing special.

It created a bizarre roster where only the bullpen is at a World Series, major league level.

The funny thing is that the farm system is still overflowing with pitchers, even after Pratt himself has been actively trading them away.

They’re short on catchers, infielders, and outfielders.

Soon there will be free agent big names available.

Like Pittsburgh’s Flying Dutchman, Harding, or the Tigers’ Hunter. He’s aiming for those kinds of big shots.

But will I still have a job by then?

It’s uncertain in the current situation. Pratt shook his head again.

‘That’s an obsession on the level of a pervert. That son of a b- no, no. It’s funny that I’m even cursing him out.’

Pratt ground his teeth thinking about the previous general manager who had run away after making a mess, as if to say, ‘You take care of the rest.’ Then he shook his head.

Come to think of it, he himself had been bringing in pitchers since he took office.

Even spending $2.5 million to do so.

‘And he even got injured.’

Jungwoo Lee. The player who was expected to become a key part of the starting rotation in short order had missed a year due to a shoulder injury.

And his rehab progress wasn’t great, so he was still in Single-A [the lowest level of minor league baseball].

His performance was so bad he might as well have been in rookie ball [a league for players with very little professional experience].

He’s still young, so we’ll have to see, but honestly, I’m a little nervous.

$2.5 million isn’t an unbearable amount of money, but it’s a lot to spend on some random Asian prospect.

So, as far as the team’s overflowing pitchers are concerned, he has no right to criticize the previous general manager.

‘But at least I brought in a starter….’

Muttering to himself as if making excuses, he went back to work.

Then he found something that had come up from Single-A.

He read through it with a serious expression, then let out a hollow laugh.

“Are these people crazy?”

“What is it now?”

His assistant approached and asked as he shouted again, and he handed over what he was looking at with a touchy gesture.

“Jungwoo Lee, position change to hitter?”

“We went through the trouble of bringing him in, and now they want to switch him to a hitter. It must be time for a shakeup of the coaching staff in Rome [the Braves’ Single-A affiliate].”

Pratt muttered with a cynical look on his face.

Change him to a hitter? No way.

It was a proposal that had already been brought up once, but Pratt himself had vehemently rejected it.

He couldn’t understand what the field staff was thinking, bringing it up again.

Of course, even expensive prospects sometimes change positions.

But that’s usually when they have some kind of record as a hitter.

Pratt remembered everything about the player he had put so much effort into.

The stats he had as a hitter in high school. The scout’s evaluation and expectations.

If he developed really well, he’d be a starting hitter. Not an All-Star, MVP [Most Valuable Player], or Silver Slugger [an award for the best offensive player at each position], but a hitter who could barely make the 25-man roster if he was lucky.

‘Absolutely not.’

Pratt was firm.

To be honest, the evaluation wasn’t bad.

Most players end up not even making the starting lineup in the major leagues, let alone the second team in other professional leagues.

But compared to the expectations for him as a pitcher, it was a big drop.

No idiot would take a player they brought in expecting him to be a number two starter, or even an ace if he developed well, and switch him to a hitter just because his Single-A performance in his first year back from injury was bad.

That’s why he wore an unpleasant expression.

But the assistant general manager’s thoughts were different.

He read the report carefully.

The scout team’s concerns that Lee seemed to be lost and that his skills weren’t improving.

The player’s reaction, as if he had given up on everything. And even the expectations if he switched to being a hitter.

He didn’t miss a single thing.

Then he nodded.

“It might not be a bad idea.”

“What are you talking about? Are you crazy too?”

Pratt said irritably, but the assistant general manager spoke calmly as usual.

“Lee’s skills haven’t improved as much as we thought they would.”

“That’s….”

“It’s summer now, so his velocity should be at least 90 mph as originally expected, but it’s still in the low 80s. Judging by the number of extra-base hits and home runs he’s given up, his stuff is weak too. And his breaking balls are being easily exploited.”

In fact, all the indicators were bottoming out.

Earned run average, home runs allowed, hits allowed, on-base percentage per inning. And so on.

Everything related to pitching.

If he was just some mediocre player, he would have been sent down to rookie ball right away.

And he would have been released before long.

The only reason he’s still clinging to Single-A is because of the money and expectations that have been invested in him.

“So you really want to switch him?”

“I think it would be good to gauge the player’s feelings. He’s going through a lot mentally, so it would be good to make him aware that there’s another path and reduce the pressure on him.”

Pratt closed his mouth tightly.

That meant he was considering it.

Reduce the pressure on the prospect.

The intention wasn’t bad.

It could have a positive impact.

“…Just bringing it up wouldn’t hurt, I guess.”

####

While someone was making an unsatisfactory decision, Lee Jungwoo was also trying to make a decision.

“I’ll take care of turning off the lights. And I’ll clean up the training facility too.”

“Thank you for that. Well, good work, and don’t stay too late.”

It was late, and the players had left the training facility. Lee Jungwoo, having gotten permission from the staff, grabbed a bat.

He felt uneasy because of the hitting coach who was testing him.

He wanted to calm it down.

‘Do I have any talent as a hitter?’

For Lee Jungwoo, hitting was simple.

If you hit it, great, if not, oh well. Just throw the ball well.

That was Lee Jungwoo’s mindset when he stepped into the batter’s box.

Until now.

But now that might not be the case.

‘I have no hope as a pitcher. I know it well because I’ve already experienced it.’

He’ll end up as a third-rate pitcher.

The number of losses will be the square of the number of wins.

It’ll probably be the same this time.

So if he wants to keep playing baseball. If he doesn’t want to repeat failure.

He has to find a new path.

He has to change his crude mindset of ‘good or bad’.

To do that, Lee Jungwoo wanted to see his own abilities.

He went into the batting cage.

He wasn’t properly prepared, so he couldn’t do free batting using the pitching machine.

Pepe game. In Korea, it’s commonly called toss batting, but there’s no one to throw the ball to him, so that’s impossible too.

So Lee Jungwoo chose tee batting.

It’ll be hard to see my skills with that, but.

He can do it alone. And he can do some simple batting.

‘It’s the best option in the current situation.’

After setting up the tee to place the ball on, he brought the ball basket and placed it next to the batter’s box.

A basket full of balls.

Lee Jungwoo clumsily picked one up and placed it on the tee.

He had never done it before in his life, so his touch was awkward, and he dropped the ball several times before finally getting it on the tee properly.

‘Relax. Naturally. Use your lower body. Impact at the end.’

Lee Jungwoo stood in the batter’s box, repeating like a mantra what he had heard from the baseball coach a long time ago, when his memory was already fading.

Then he batted.

‘Can I really become a hitter? Leaving the mound I’ve been throwing from for decades?’

A swing swung haphazardly.

Unlike his body, his mind hadn’t hit in so long.

The ball hit by the bat rolled on the ground.

But Lee Jungwoo silently put the ball back on the tee.

Was it his instinct as a baseball player?

His mind was clearly a mess, but his body roughly went through the swing.

So he swung again and again.

‘But what if I can’t? Am I going to repeat it again? Failure and frustration?’

The weak sound of the bat hitting the ball gradually grew louder.

‘Then are you going to give up baseball? Quit and find something else to do?’

The swing must be getting closer to the center of the ball as time goes on.

He gave the impact properly at the end too.

‘You want to be cheered by people, don’t you? You want to hear applause, don’t you?’

He batted in a trance.

Sweat poured from his body.

The muscles he hadn’t used in a while were screaming.

Lee Jungwoo finished batting when he was pushed to his limit.

His body was a little sore, but he wouldn’t be injured.

He doesn’t know much about hitting, but he has enough experience to gauge his injuries.

The basket was completely empty.

The questions he had been asking himself also stopped.

He still couldn’t see the possibility.

He might not have the talent.

But he steeled his heart.

‘I want to keep playing baseball. But I don’t want to walk the muddy road I’ve already walked. Then there’s only one thing left.’

Lee Jungwoo wiped the sweat from his forehead.

He had made up his mind.

‘Let’s do it, hitter.’

He didn’t want to fidget, waiting for an offer that might never come.

Rather than accepting the offer as if he were being forced to, he wanted to move forward and choose for himself.

Now that he had made up his mind, it was time to move.

####

The manager of the Rome Braves was a little embarrassed.

Just as he was gauging the timing after getting approval from above.

Lee, who had appeared early in the morning, suddenly requested an interview.

He hadn’t expected this at all.

“Can I talk to you for a moment?”

“I have to accept interviews with players at any time. That’s what managers are for. Have a seat.”

The manager sat him down in a chair and tried to gauge Lee’s feelings.

What was he trying to say?

What was he thinking?

‘Maybe he wants to quit baseball….’

Unless he’s released.

It’s impossible for a contracted player to quit baseball on a whim.

And there’s no way for the team to stop him.

He could just slack off.

That’s why the manager couldn’t help but be nervous.

‘Maybe it’s already too late?’

Maybe he’s already given up, like the hitting coach said.

If that’s the case, he should have made the offer sooner.

Just as he was about to sweat under his white hair from the negative thoughts that kept coming to mind.

Lee Jungwoo opened his mouth.

“I want to switch to being a hitter.”

“Huh?”

Unexpected words came out.

Because he hadn’t expected it at all, the manager wore a surprised expression, unlike usual.

For the player to say something like that himself.

‘Where did the story leak from? Scott isn’t someone who blabs lightly. Did the pitching coach give him a hint?’

His head became very complicated.

The player has to choose for himself.

If he switches as if he’s being pushed, he’ll fail one hundred percent of the time.

That’s why the manager wondered if the story had leaked from somewhere.

But he soon dismissed his suspicions.

A serious face. A firm mouth. The look in his eyes as he looked at himself.

Everything was his own will.

If so, he shouldn’t be grilling innocent people.

He should ask the player why he made that choice.

“Why did you have that thought?”

“I know my own body. My skills won’t come back.”

That’s what actually happened.

“There’s still plenty of time. You don’t need to worry about that right after rehab.”

“Even though it’s been a little less than two months since I finished rehab, my velocity hasn’t increased by even 1 mph. And the same goes for my stuff. At this rate, unless I learn to throw a knuckleball or something and throw it exceptionally well, it’s impossible for me to become a good pitcher. So rather than clinging to something that won’t work, I’d rather try a new challenge.”

“…”

The manager narrowed his brow.

He sighed.

How much thought must a promising prospect have put into making such a decision?

How much must he have agonized alone?

Even though he was a minor league manager with very little authority.

He felt stupid for not even realizing the concerns of his own player.

“Have you thought it through enough?”

“Yes.”

“It’s going to be a tough time. You might have to invest even more time than you did in rehab. You’ll have to endure all of that alone. And the team won’t give you as much support as they used to.”

“It doesn’t matter. I’m… already prepared for that.”

A face so firm it was frightening.

He didn’t know what kind of process he had gone through.

Or how he saw his future.

But Lee had already let go of himself.

Of being a prospect the team was paying attention to.

Or a pitcher who was guaranteed to succeed.

Or the flashy spotlight of a bonus baby who had crossed the Pacific.

‘Pratt won’t like it very much, but if he’s made up his mind, it’s our job to push him.’

He’ll probably be furious.

He might even yell that the coaches forced the player to do it.

But if you’re sitting in this position, you have to endure that much.

Those who are looking out for their own interests won’t try to create unnecessary trouble.

But he wasn’t that kind of person.

Even if he got fired and ended up teaching high school or middle school students.

He didn’t really care.

“I understand your decision. I’ll have to call Scott.”

He nodded.

If so, now is the time when a hitting coach is needed.

He just had to step back and listen to the general manager’s yelling.