Pitcher’S End, Batter’S Start [EN]: Chapter 49

“Lee, you said let’s meet up soon. I didn’t expect it to be this soon.”

As I entered the locker room, Derek greeted me with a slightly awkward expression.

I did tell him to call me up quickly, but I never imagined it would be in June.

“Well, it just happened that way.”

“Haha, the sooner the better. Ah, everyone, no need for introductions, I guess.”

Derek, who was about to introduce me as he would for a new recruit, chuckled awkwardly.

The roster itself hadn’t changed much from the exhibition games.

Even if he didn’t introduce me, Lee and the other teammates already knew each other.

They had already seen each other’s faces for almost two months, from February to the end of March.

“I’m Jungwoo Lee, newly called up. I’ll work hard not to be a burden to the team.”

However, Lee Jungwoo bowed his head as if he were meeting them for the first time.

He needed to have a new mindset. His greeting, born from the idea of starting anew from his actions, made his teammates, who were watching him and Derek from a short distance, smile faintly as they approached.

“Why so stiff? You haven’t forgotten us, have you? Still full of energy, aren’t you?”

“Wow, aren’t you just twenty? And you’re already up here?”

“When did I get called up? I’m sure it wasn’t when I was twenty.”

“I’ll be twenty-one in a few days. My birthday is coming up.”

“Oh~ So we can have a drink together now. So you’re not just a kid anymore?”

“That’s right, you’re not a kid if you drink. You’re an adult now, an adult.”

The players acted playful on purpose, creating a comfortable atmosphere, lest he feel awkward.

Lee Jungwoo felt a little relieved by their actions.

A teammate he had shared hardships with was injured, and a new face had taken his place.

And that guy was still a young rookie.

Because of that, Lee Jungwoo thought there might be some hazing or that the team atmosphere might be bad.

Fortunately, it didn’t seem to be the case.

Lee Jungwoo, who quickly blended into the team thanks to the players’ consideration, soon approached the manager to formally introduce himself.

“I look forward to working with you.”

“Yes, don’t feel too pressured. Take it easy. What’s important for you right now isn’t performance, but experience. Take some rest and adjust during this Cubs series.”

“Yes.”

Lee Jungwoo nodded at the manager’s words.

But he knew.

Even though he was still a young prospect and experience was important above all else.

If he wanted to stay in the majors, he had to put up decent numbers as well.

Therefore, Lee Jungwoo didn’t take Mancini’s words, which were meant to ease his burden, too seriously.

####

Although he had joined the team.

He wasn’t on the roster yet, perhaps to give him time to adjust.

Lee Jungwoo felt the difference in facilities between the minors and the majors, which was like comparing heaven and earth.

He went through his usual training routine to build up his game feel.

“Lee, you haven’t forgotten it’s the middle of the season, have you? Just check your physical condition appropriately.”

“I’m just a little bored. I’m sticking to my usual routine, so don’t worry, Captain.”

Even the training in the minors was almost like voluntary training compared to Korea.

But even that was much tougher compared to the majors.

To be honest, he wasn’t sure if it was training time or tea time.

Instead of practicing together or training vigorously.

The players who were close to each other were chatting and laughing.

So it was a little lacking for Lee Jungwoo, who usually trained more than that.

So he worked out as he always had, but Derek lightly stopped him.

“I know you’re good at taking care of yourself, and it’s important to stick to your routine. But take it easy. You won’t last a full season if you keep pushing yourself like that.”

Lee Jungwoo obediently stopped at Derek’s serious words.

He realized something.

“Yes, thank you for the advice, Derek.”

‘Yeah, I’ve been pushing myself too hard. This is a marathon.’

Lee Jungwoo didn’t know how to last for a long time.

Because he was a fill-in player, he had only played a full season a handful of times.

So he always did his best.

That became a habit, and combined with his desire to do better and the thought that his body could handle it, he realized that he had been too hard on himself.

‘Yeah, it’s good to be fully prepared. But if my stamina drops and I get exhausted, that would be ridiculous. I need to learn this.’

From the end of March to the beginning of April, and including the postseason until the end of October.

To get through the long season while flying around this damn wide America.

Maybe saving as much energy as possible was the answer.

‘Then I’ll sleep a little less. I’ll just reduce the number of reps while keeping the routine.’

He hadn’t been able to rest for a few days since last year.

Now it seemed okay to relieve some fatigue, so Lee Jungwoo quickly adjusted his training schedule.

Derek smiled in relief and disappeared.

‘Still, I’m in a better situation. I’ve had a taste of American baseball.’

Lee Jungwoo himself knew how to take care of his own training routine thanks to his long time in the minors, both before and after his regression.

Thanks to that, he knew how to adjust on his own.

In that respect, Lee Jungwoo was in a better situation than players who came to the majors through posting [transfer system] after playing in Korean or Japanese professional baseball.

People who were used to semi-coercive training were often thrown into the mix and told to take care of themselves.

Most of them had a hard time adapting.

At least Lee Jungwoo wasn’t like that.

‘Hoo, I told Maxon to take the long view. But I wasn’t keeping it myself. Let’s take the long view, the long view.’

That’s how Lee Jungwoo gradually learned about the majors.

####

Lee Jungwoo, who wasn’t on the roster during the three-game series against the Cubs, was busy cheering.

No, to be honest, he wasn’t that busy.

‘I’m suddenly enjoying such luxury.’

Lee Jungwoo, who was enjoying the luxury of watching a major league game from the dugout bench, a seat that could be said to be better than first class, chuckled in disbelief.

“It’s fun to watch the game from here.”

“Yes, the view is amazing. There’s a 40-homer player right in front of me.”

Joey, who had been replaced early due to a slightly lifted fingernail from throwing, approached with an overly white bandage wrapped around his hand.

Lee Jungwoo responded to it with a joke.

“Your body is itching, isn’t it? You feel like you can hit a home run as soon as you go out there. But your body is stuck on the bench.”

“I’m not that ambitious. A home run is a bit much, just a double? Preferably a bases-clearing one.”

“Oh, you’re ambitious. Are you going for Rookie of the Year?”

Lee Jungwoo smiled briefly and then shook his head.

To be honest, he wasn’t even hoping for that much.

He just didn’t want to hit into a double play or strike out looking in his debut game. It would be nice to get on base or get a hit, of course.

‘I need to get into a game to do anything.’

Just sitting and watching the game made him wonder if he was a player or a club employee.

‘Let’s be patient. It’s a privilege just to be sitting here. There’s no second shortstop anyway. I’ll get a chance to play someday.’

Thinking that way, Lee Jungwoo tried to calm himself down and focused on the game again.

The game was slightly in favor of the Cubs, perhaps because the cleanup hitter was missing.

“Go! Cubs go! Go Cubs go!”

Emboldened by that.

A small number of Cubs fans sitting in the visiting fan section cheered with all their might.

‘6 to 4. It’s an ambiguous game.’

There were nine runs in total between both teams, so it wasn’t a pitcher’s duel.

But they weren’t hitting home runs.

They were gradually scoring one point at a time, so it was a bit ambiguous to call it a slugfest.

The crowd seemed a little quiet in what was perhaps a somewhat ordinary and boring game.

But the Braves fans started to move as the game entered the later innings, perhaps stimulated by the Cubs fans who were shouting enthusiastically.

“It’s starting.”

“Huh? Ah, that.”

When the inning changed and runners filled second and third base.

As Derek stepped up to the plate. A picture of an axe appeared on the big screen.

Soon after, an animation of it being swung down was played.

“Whoa~ Whoa-oh-oh, whoa-oh-oh, oh-oh-oh!”

Starting with that, the sound of the song and the voices of the people coming from the speakers combined and echoed throughout the stadium.

“It’s always so cool.”

The Tomahawk Chop.

A traditional cheering method that had been in place since it was officially adopted in ’91, and after being temporarily suspended due to protests from the Native American community.

The cheering method, which was regained through agreement, was unfolded by the hands of 40,000 home fans.

Whether it was waving a sponge axe model, or waving with the flash of a cell phone turned on. If that wasn’t possible, the fans participated one by one by raising the edge of their hands.

Lee Jungwoo swallowed hard at the atmosphere that had suddenly turned into a concert hall.

“It’s cool.”

“Right? It’s even better when you see it in the postseason. It’s a shame we can’t go. I want to see it again someday.”

Then Joey Friedman smiled bitterly.

The Braves hadn’t advanced to the postseason since his third year in the majors, when he was still a rookie.

They had renewed their broadcasting rights deal. The stingy owner with a lot of money opened his wallet and became one of the biggest markets in the league.

But the team was going through a dark age.

So the Tomahawk hadn’t been raised in the postseason for the past few years.

He was disappointed about that.

Even though they were a bit quiet.

They were fans who knew how to be passionate when they were excited.

He felt sorry and disappointed that he hadn’t given them a chance to unleash it until now.

Lee Jungwoo, who glanced at Friedman, who sighed deeply, fixed his gaze on the stands.

He said quietly.

“We’ll have to see it again soon. I want to see it too.”

His heart was pounding.

He didn’t know why. But strangely, he could imagine it.

The sight of tens of thousands of spectators cheering like that when he stepped up to the plate.

His back, fully bearing that burden.

Perhaps because of that imagination, his chest felt a little itchy.

‘Yeah, I’ve come all the way to the majors. I should try to wear a World Series ring once. And be the World Series MVP.’

His immediate goal was to make his big league debut and show good results, becoming a fixed starter.

But having higher dreams in his heart seemed pretty good too.

Thinking that way, Lee Jungwoo briefly took in the waving stands.

####

‘When will I debut? Usually, the next series would be the most likely…’

It varied from team to team and situation to situation.

Occasionally, they would debut a newly called-up rookie during an away series.

Since it was their own team, they were considerate of preventing the rookie from being overwhelmed by the home fans, who would be watching the player with sharp eyes.

Therefore, Lee Jungwoo also expected his debut to be in the away series that would be held after the home series against the Chicago Cubs.

But there was something that bothered him.

‘If I were the general manager, I wouldn’t debut my team’s prospect at the Phillies’ home.’

The next series was against the Phillies.

As a member of the same NL East division [National League East division], they were currently leading the division, and the Philadelphia Phillies, a team that boasted one of the strongest fanbases in Major League Baseball, the Philies.

That alone explained everything.

If you were to pick the most aggressive fandom in Major League Baseball, Lee Jungwoo was sure that everyone would point to Philadelphia.

Booing was basic, and it was commonplace to hurl insults that were too embarrassing to say at the visiting team.

Sometimes they even took over other teams’ homes.

They were perfect for shattering the mentality of a rookie player, even if they were Phillies players, they would hurl insults if they didn’t like their play.

Personally, he also had a bad relationship with Lee Jungwoo.

‘And they love baseball so much that they poured insults at me when I was struggling in BlueClaws [Lakewood BlueClaws, a Single-A team].’

Before his regression, after being released from the Braves.

Unable to let go of his attachment, he played for about a year in the Lakewood BlueClaws, a Single-A team under the Phillies.

Of course, he didn’t do well, and his ERA [Earned Run Average] was over 6, but somehow they found out and came.

He was properly targeted and received a tremendous amount of abuse.

He was mentally shaken quite a bit and was soon released.

But that hadn’t happened in his regression, and Lee Jungwoo’s mentality was stronger than it was then.

‘I want to try getting cursed in a good way at least once.’

If he hit a great home run.

The Phillies fans would probably congratulate (?) him with all sorts of harsh words.

That was quite appealing to Lee Jungwoo, who had only heard insults in a bad way.

####

“When are you planning to put Lee in the game?”

At the head coach’s question, Manager Mancini made a slightly ambiguous expression.

Originally, the best thing to do would have been to send him out as a defensive replacement in the Cubs game to give him a taste of the majors without being too burdensome.

But that had already passed because he had submitted the roster before that.

Clarkson, the backup infielder utility player who had suddenly become the starting shortstop, would be quite burdened both physically and mentally.

The next series would be perfect for his rest.

“The next series would be good, but I’m a little worried that Lee might get eaten alive by the Phillies fans.”

“Ah… that’s true. Then how about the D-backs series after that?”

“That would be fine too, but let’s put him on the roster first and think about it slowly.”

Manager Mancini postponed the decision for a while, but he was struggling.

Even now, the fans were urging him to put him in the game right away.

The front office, or rather, that Pratt bastard, was badgering him about when he would be playing.

He wanted to use him right away, but the problem was that expectations for Lee were too high.

A top-notch shortstop prospect who had appeared in a long time, and even had the potential to be a power hitter.

What if he used such a player thoughtlessly and he failed?

What if Mancini himself was blamed for it?

He probably wouldn’t be able to set foot near Atlanta, or even the state of Georgia.

‘It would be better to wait a little longer until he’s fully adapted to the team… But it’s not good to put too much pressure on Clarkson either. No, Lee seems to be getting a little impatient, should I use him right away? Aren’t the Phillies going to pour cold water on him just because he’s a prospect from the same division rival team? Ha, it’s hard, it’s hard.’

Being a major league manager is a damn dirty job.

He had no authority, his salary was low, and the pressure was high.

Mancini sighed briefly, thinking that he would teach high school students or not even look at this side of the world once his contract was over.