Pitcher’S End, Batter’S Start [EN]: Chapter 41

Pitchers Done, Batters Up – 40

The exhibition games flew by.

Northport, which is relatively cool for Florida, heated up as it approached the end of March, as if it had never been cool at all.

In contrast to the weather, the camp became noticeably empty.

Many players had been sent down to the minor leagues.

“Lee, I’ll go ahead and wait, so take your time as much as possible. Try to play until the very end if you can.”

“Well, I’ll do that if I can. Go ahead and wait.”

Even Desmond, drafted last year, who had dominated Double-A and was considered one of the promising prospects the club was paying attention to, had been sent down to the minor league camp, leaving the locker room feeling deserted.

Looking around, Lee Jung-woo felt a bit strange.

It really felt like spring training was over.

‘There are a lot of empty spaces. That means a lot of people have been sent down. My turn is coming too.’

Only on the first day of camp, the existing roster players and invited players were packed in, with no room to step.

Now, Lee Jung-woo nodded in the locker room, which had become spacious enough to run around in.

Now it was his turn.

‘I need to prepare too. Only roster members are left, so no matter how well I did, it’s impossible to go straight to the majors.’

Double-A or Triple-A.

Although a little slower than others, he would eventually have to go down someday.

‘Still, I can say it was quite successful.’

He was able to show much more than he had originally aimed for and left a deeper impression, so there were no regrets.

As he carefully packed all his belongings, the manager called him.

“Lee, the manager is calling for you.”

‘Is today finally the day? It’s been about a month in terms of time.’

Lee Jung-woo realized that his turn had come, that his month-long taste of the major leagues was over.

Still, the club had given him quite a bit of consideration, even though he wasn’t on the 40-man roster [a list of players eligible to play for the major league team].

It was rare to stay in spring training for this long.

He could tell how much the club valued him.

So he opened the manager’s office door with a slightly more relaxed mind.

The manager greeted him warmly.

“Welcome, Lee. Is this the first time we’ve seen each other alone like this?”

“Yes, there were always coaches with us.”

The manager nodded and started with praise, saying that his continuous growth was impressive, that his diligence was good to see, and so on.

After talking around for a while, the manager finally got to the point.

“You’ve worked hard during spring training. You did very well, and it was a satisfactory performance. I’d like to keep you until the opening game, but… you’ll be going down for a while.”

“Pearl or Lawrenceville? Which one is it?” [Referring to the locations of the Braves’ Double-A and Triple-A affiliates, respectively.]

The expected words came out.

He had already prepared himself, so he wasn’t particularly shocked.

Still, he couldn’t help but feel a little disappointed.

Lee Jung-woo, who sighed briefly, asked with a calm face as usual.

The manager smiled kindly and said, “It’s Pearl. Just do as well there as you did in the exhibition games, and we’ll see you again soon.”

“Should I go to the minor league camp?”

“The Southern League is about to open, so go straight to Mississippi.”

Double-A. This was also expected, so Lee Jung-woo nodded briefly and left the office.

As he walked back to his accommodation to pack his bags, he muttered the words the manager had said.

‘Yeah, let’s stay for a while, just a very short while.’

Like babbling, Lee Jung-woo, who repeated the word “a while,” went to the locker room to get his bat and uniform.

Derek approached him.

“Lee, are you leaving?”

“Yes. It’s time to go. To be exact, the club is sending me.”

Derek looked disappointed.

His well-coordinated partner and one of the best hitters in the team was going down.

He seemed quite disappointed.

‘He seems more disappointed than I am.’

He himself was not particularly bothered.

Lee Jung-woo, who thought he was a very transparent captain, smiled faintly.

“See you at Truist Park next time, Captain” [The Atlanta Braves’ Major League stadium].

“Yeah, come up as soon as possible. Crush Double-A.”

“Of course, I have to. Then I’ll be waiting.”

Lee Jung-woo turned away from Derek.

He left CoolToday Park [The Atlanta Braves’ Spring Training facility] and looked back for a moment.

He looked at the stadium for a while.

There was no regret or disappointment.

What he aimed for wasn’t this moderately sized spring training stadium, but a major league stadium where tens of thousands of fans cheered.

‘Next is Atlanta.’

35 at-bats, 12 hits, 4 walks, 4 home runs, 15 RBIs. Batting average 0.343, on-base percentage 0.372, slugging percentage 0.771.

And without recording a single error, he left a clean fielding percentage of 1.000.

Lee Jung-woo left for the minor league camp.

####

“You’re here? You’re a bit late today?”

“I just had a bad dream. I woke up a bit late.”

“Lee, let’s work on our chemistry after the warm-up.”

“Okay. I’ll be waiting.”

Arriving in Pearl, Mississippi, after taking a short break at the accommodation Mark had secured in advance, Lee Jung-woo immediately joined his new team, the Mississippi Braves.

Desmond, who had only been in Double-A for a month last year, took the lead and introduced him to other teammates.

Thanks to him, Lee Jung-woo easily made relationships with several players and quickly blended into the team.

‘Of course, it’s not all smiles and laughter.’

Lee Jung-woo, who had an overwhelming performance in the exhibition games, was closest to being called up.

His skills were good, and his position was as good as vacant.

In fact, he was standing at the doorstep of the big leagues.

As such, there were many players who wanted to build a relationship with him, even intentionally.

But as always, there were also those who were jealous.

“Living the good life, just because you did well in the exhibition games, you’re slacking off.”

“You’d think he’s already been called up.”

“Isn’t he a great person? He can sleep in a bit.”

A typical person was the existing starting shortstop of the Mississippi Braves and his group.

The shortstop, whose position was threatened to the point of being pushed out and becoming a backup, naturally didn’t look kindly on Lee Jung-woo.

Other players who were close to him also participated.

They thought that a rolling stone had kicked out the embedded stone [an idiom meaning a newcomer displaced an established person].

They would taunt him in a way that everyone could hear, scratching his nerves.

‘It’s been a while since I’ve been envied like this. It’s not that bad.’

Honestly, he didn’t care. No, he was rather pleased.

Envy has the prerequisite that you have to be better than that person. At least that’s what Lee Jung-woo thought.

So, the envy he had received from someone after a long time since his shoulder injury gave Lee Jung-woo strength.

‘They’re cheering me on so hard. I have to meet their expectations.’

Lee Jung-woo had a mindset that the people involved would not want at all.

He used the stinging gaze towards him as a driving force.

He once again refined what he had learned in the exhibition games, and he slowly prepared for the regular league.

The manager of the Mississippi Braves watched the scene closely.

“I thought he would be arrogant because he flew in the exhibition games, but he’s as diligent as I’ve heard.”

“That’s usually the case with Asian players. Diligent and humble.”

“That’s racism. Not all of them are like that. Anyway, Lee would be better as the starting shortstop, right?”

“Of course, if you only look at the skills. And there’s also an order from above.”

“I don’t like interfering with the roster, even in the minor leagues… but let’s make an exception this time.”

He liked him. His skills were good, and the higher-ups were pushing to use him.

There was no reason not to use him.

He felt a little sorry for the existing shortstop, but to be cold, it was natural for a better player to get the opportunity.

“And since we can’t use him for long anyway, we should get the most out of him while he’s here.”

####

Double-A is different.

It was a common saying among minor leaguers that explained the league level that suddenly increased.

Promising prospects who had high expectations would collapse in Double-A.

Some players stumbled several times because they couldn’t adapt to the suddenly increased skills.

But it was a story that had nothing to do with Lee Jung-woo.

His skills had long surpassed Double-A.

April 3rd.

The Southern League opened.

The Trustmark Park, the home stadium of the Mississippi Braves, who were facing the Jacksonville Suns, was full of empty seats.

Pearl itself had a population of less than 30,000, so it was perhaps natural.

Jackson, the largest city and capital of Mississippi, was 3 miles away, but it also boasted a small population of less than 200,000.

The second baseman approached Lee Jung-woo, who was slightly scanning the hole-filled stands.

“Let’s do well, Lee.”

“Just do as well as you did in training, Gordon.”

“Don’t worry. I can do some defense, even if it’s not as good as you. You know that, right?”

He was actually good.

Lee Jung-woo nodded as if acknowledging it.

After lightly bumping gloves with Perry Gordon, who would be his partner for the next few months, the two moved away.

He had a calm expression as usual, taking his position, but his two eyes were burning with hot enthusiasm.

Leaving CoolToday Park, as he had vowed to himself, he had no intention of staying here for long.

It was as if a higher place, a bigger stage, was calling him.

“I’ll break through everything that stands in my way.”

Lee Jung-woo, who muttered in a low voice, kept the words he had spoken.

“Spears!”

Top of the first inning.

Lee Jung-woo, who dove to catch a ball that was getting past the third baseman and shortstop, announced his first start by throwing the ball while lying down to get the batter out.

Soon after, in the bottom of the first inning, Lee Jung-woo looked at the pitcher.

It’s a face he doesn’t know.

In fact, it doesn’t matter if he knows his face now. He had no intention of being intimidated by the name value that didn’t even exist yet.

‘Adam Straight gave up a home run. Now it doesn’t matter who the opponent is.’

Lee Jung-woo waited patiently.

He lifted the fastball he threw on the 7th pitch as it was.

The pitcher dropped his head in resentment.

Unfortunately, his misfortune did not end there.

Lee Jung-woo’s record in the opening game was 4 hits in 4 at-bats, 2 home runs, and 6 RBIs.

4 of them were RBIs given up by the pitcher.

####

After the overwhelming opening game, Lee Jung-woo smoothly destroyed the Southern League.

To be more precise, he smashed the pitchers he met.

Among them were players he didn’t know, like the pitcher in the opening game.

There were also future stars whose names he seemed to know roughly, but he treated everyone equally.

‘He’s frozen. Do I look scary? No, no. He must be crushed by the pressure.’

Standing in the batter’s box, the pitcher’s appearance, which seemed very nervous when he looked up at the mound, greeted him.

That told him about Lee Jung-woo’s record in Double-A.

‘Elvin Sink. The pitches are fastball, sinker, circle changeup. The average fastball speed is early 90 mph. Low ERA [Earned Run Average], few strikeouts, a typical ground baller.’

Looking at the pitcher, Lee Jung-woo, who recalled his information, pondered for a moment and wondered what he should aim for.

‘Aim for the fastball. Whether it’s a fastball or a sinker, let’s hit it first.’

Lee Jung-woo, who made a decision, made eye contact with the pitcher and sent a hot gaze.

Then the pitcher, who had been frozen since he entered the batter’s box, seemed to have a brief staring contest. Soon he lowered his eyes first.

Lee Jung-woo, who made a hissing sound, gripped his bat tightly.

He tried to look at the distant mountains.

The pitcher wound up vigorously.

Lee Jung-woo, who watched him clearly, drew the trajectory of the flying ball. He swung smoothly.

“Hup-”

Bang-

A clear hitting sound echoed through the stadium.

The ball flew with heavy power and an ideal launch angle.

Lee Jung-woo, who watched it for a while, threw his bat away.

The bat flew artistically like a perfect hit.

The catcher glared at him.

The pitcher, whose pride was hurt, seriously thought about a headshot, but he turned the base leisurely.

‘When I see hitters who are good at bat flips, I honestly felt a bit annoyed. This is why I do it.’

In Single-A, he was too busy adapting to the batter to even think about doing something like a bat flip.

In Australia, he didn’t do it because he was afraid of being told that a guy who had just converted to a batter was showing off in someone else’s house.

In the exhibition games, he held back because he didn’t want to leave a bad impression from the start by doing a bat flip as a rookie.

But here, everyone is in a similar situation anyway. Minor league players don’t care about seniority.

So Lee Jung-woo, who had loosened the reins he had tightened himself, sometimes did a fancy bat flip like now when a big home run came out.

As he finished his baserunning, the players waiting behind the home plate ran out.

“Hey, look at the pitcher. Aren’t you going to get a headshot in the next at-bat?”

“I’ll just avoid it.”

“Ah, yeah. Somehow I think you can do it.”

“Lee, I’m seriously asking. How can you hit five home runs in ten games?”

“It’s nothing special. Just give it the right impact.”

“So, how do you give that impact well?”

“Just do it well according to your feeling.”

“Let’s not talk, let’s not talk.”