Pitcher’S End, Batter’S Start [EN]: Chapter 53

[ATL] 16-0 Victory! Winning Series Against the Phillies

[ATL] Phillies Crushed in Shutout Loss! Can They Really Contend for the Championship?

[ATL] Was the General Manager’s Decision Correct? Lee is Undoubtedly the Series MVP!

[ATL] Lee Fails to Achieve Cycle with Single! ‘Satisfied with Multi-Homer Game.’

As soon as the game ended, articles flooded in.

Being crushed by a potential championship contender with a 16-point shutout was already huge news.

And there were additional interesting angles to spice things up.

The reporters were gleefully hammering away at their keyboards. This happened both in the United States and Korea.

[Atlanta Braves Win Big Against Phillies by 16 Points! Lee Jung-woo Named MVP.]

[Lee Jung-woo’s Monster Performance: 5 At-Bats, 4 Hits, 2 Home Runs, 6 RBIs, 1 Walk! Just Misses Cycle…]

As the name ‘Lee’ took America by storm, the name ‘Lee Jung-woo’ dominated the sports sections in Korea as well.

[That home run is insane. Just blasting it out of the park.]

[ㄴ He was always known for his strong wrists.]

[ㄴ His batting stance seems more contact-oriented, but maybe it’s because he’s so strong that it goes over when he connectsㅋㅋㅋ]

[It’s my first time seeing someone with that expression after hitting multiple home runs ㅋㅋ]

[ㄴ Lee Jung-woo definitely thought about just stepping on first base and not bothering with the rest for 3 seconds, 인정? (injeong: acknowledgement/agreement)]

[ㄴ 인정, he looked like he lost his country the moment he hit it]

[ㄴ But how strong do you have to be to hit it like that and have it go over? This guy is crazy]

[ㄴ His weird raw power was famous since his minor league days.]

A Korean prospect.

Not like the Korean major leaguer Han Jae-gwan, who people are used to seeing get on base with short hits.

But a home run hitter who sends the ball over the fence with a tremendous swing.

Since they never thought they would see a Korean home run hitter in the major leagues.

The reaction was huge, and as the number of views increased, more and more articles kept fueling the fire.

[That bastard is definitely on drugs. It’s impossible for an Asian to have that kind of power.]

[ㄴ Lee Jung-woo must be good, judging by all the drug accusations.]

[ㄴ Have you seen Lee Jung-woo’s physique? Does that look like a weak body to you?]

[ㄴ A drug accuser + a traitor? What a terrible combination….]

[ㄴ Don’t feed the trolls. Ignore them.]

Of course, some malicious individuals latched onto it.

But there were more people who were purely amazed.

In particular, those who didn’t know Lee Jung-woo very well were surprised by his speed when he recorded a triple.

[But I was surprised by how fast he is. I thought he’d be slow because of his size, but he made it to third base?]

[ㄴ He runs like crazy, like a bull charging.]

[ㄴ Did you see his calves? No joke. He must be doing serious weight training.]

[ㄴ That bulk is muscle. That’s why he’s fast.]

[ㄴ Judging by his base running speed, he could steal bases too.]

[ㄴ 20-20 is possible ㅇㅈ? (acknowledgement)]

[ㄴ Agreed.]

Just like the Korean fans, Lee Jung-woo’s performance caused a huge sensation in the United States.

The Phillies are a championship-caliber team and boast a large fan base, even if they aren’t nationwide.

The Braves are a national team that has swept across the Southeast.

These two teams faced off, and a rookie hit 2 home runs in one game against the Phillies, and 3 home runs throughout the series.

He even had 9 RBIs in 3 games.

He even left viewers with a greater impact because he failed to achieve the cycle with one hit left, hitting a home run instead.

He showed that he had tremendous power that even surprised and frustrated himself.

There were so many exciting elements that it was overflowing.

[Castillo, that X bastard, only knows how to eat money. He can’t even hit as many home runs as a rookie.]

[I knew he’d be a bust, that X bastard.]

[That Asian used drugs! What is the X-ing office doing! Test him now! That kind of bastard should be kicked out.]

[Chinese, go back to your country! Don’t stay in America for nothing.]

[Didn’t you guys do drugs? How else would you lose by 16 points? I don’t understand.]

[16-0 lololololol]

[Lee is Korean, not Chinese. Did you lose your mind from hearing the bell?]

As always, the Phillies fans were lumping together their own underperforming players and the opposing team’s good players and cursing them.

The Braves, who usually wouldn’t fight with the Philly fans, were emboldened and charged at them because they were going after Lee Jung-woo.

The Braves fans were deeply impressed by Lee Jung-woo.

They knew he would do well someday.

But they thought it would take some time since he was still young.

But he was already showing the qualities they wanted.

It’s only been three games, and if you add up the actual playing time, it’s less than two games.

But that was enough for the fans.

####

On the day Atlanta won the winning series thanks to Lee Jung-woo’s performance.

The streets and bars were crowded, and loud noises kept erupting.

Toasts like “For the Braves! For Lee!” were commonly heard.

Some even borrowed the power of alcohol to pray to God for their victory and performance.

A new prospect, perhaps a new franchise star, had appeared.

And with great intensity.

“Lee will hit 50 home runs, and Joey will too because he has Lee. Derek, Peterson, and Poppin will each hit 20 home runs. We’re going to win next year!”

“That’s right!”

The same was true at the Highlander Pub, a small bar in Atlanta’s Peachtree Center.

That place, which is always crowded on Braves game days, was even more so today.

The large, state-of-the-art TVs, booming sound, cold beer, and decent food were perfect for fans who wanted to watch the game together and rejoice together.

It was also a great place to enjoy a drink while reveling in the joy of victory.

The place was packed until quite late.

The fans, excited about the huge win that they would remember even after the season ended, started having another drink.

Among the many people filling the place.

Sanders and Maccloy were also there, wearing Braves uniforms.

“Wow~ Lee is really good. I didn’t think he’d be this good already.”

“I told you, Lee is the real deal! Maccloy, you’re supposed to be a die-hard fan, but you didn’t even know about the prospect until the exhibition game.”

“Why are you bringing up something from so long ago? And even if you say that, I’m the one who has the t-shirt signed by Lee. Just drink, drink.”

Sanders, who was quite drunk, brought up the story from the exhibition game, and Maccloy sighed.

‘He’s usually calm and always stops me, but as soon as he drinks, his eyes change completely.

He sometimes teases me with old stories like this.’

“I happened to see Lee’s Single A game and that’s how I first learned about him. And I realized it right away. That’s the guy! He’s going to be the core of our team! If he grows up well, our team will be able to win someday!”

“That’s right!”

As he gave his long speech, the Braves fans around him, who had also come to get pleasantly drunk, agreed.

People get close quickly when they have the same interests.

Maccloy chuckled as he watched Sanders, who was abandoning his longtime friend and hanging out with people he was seeing for the first time, or rather, people he had seen a few times coming and going since it was a bar where fans gathered when there were Braves games.

“You told me to calm down, but you’re doing even more than I am.”

He stared blankly at his friend, but soon couldn’t contain his excitement and rushed in to join them.

Watching them, like fanatics, mingling together and enthusiastically shouting for the Braves and the player who would become its new franchise star, the owner of the store muttered in a low voice.

“Crazy bastards.”

####

The Braves, having finished their away series against the Phillies and returned home, were preparing for a 4-game series against the Diamondbacks.

Lee Jung-woo, who was heading to the training ground early in the morning as usual, was horrified by the crowd gathered in front of it.

‘Wow, this is no joke. Is this the major leagues?’

There were fans gathered near the training ground in the minor leagues as well.

But not this many.

Perhaps it was because it was a big city, Lee Jung-woo stuck out his tongue at the swarming people.

Those who spotted him suddenly pointed and shouted.

“Oh? It’s Lee!”

People turned their heads in unison as if connected by a hive mind.

Lee Jung-woo, slightly startled by the intimidating sight, scanned them and took out a pen.

“Should I sign autographs?”

At that, people flocked to Lee Jung-woo.

Lee Jung-woo was a little intimidated by the number, which was incomparable to what he had faced so far.

But he worked hard, straining his wrist, and took care of the fans one by one.

‘It’s nothing to me.

But each autograph from a favorite player will remain a memory for the fans. Especially for the young ones.’

Lee Jung-woo himself came to love baseball when a player he met at a baseball field he visited with his father when he was young played catch with him.

And it has come to this.

That feeling is still great and always remains in his memory, so Lee Jung-woo wanted to be a happy memory for the fans as well.

A memory that brings a faint smile just by recalling it.

Lee Jung-woo, who served diligently, entered the training ground only after Joey trudged over.

Joey stared blankly at Lee Jung-woo, who was giving a final autograph to a child who seemed sad that his turn hadn’t come.

“There are a lot of people. I didn’t think there would be this many.”

“Home games are usually like this. But you did well not to ignore them because you found it annoying.”

Joey was satisfied.

It was perhaps natural for a veteran to find a rookie with good skills, a good work ethic, and good fan service to be likable.

He was even more satisfied because he was being compared to some ridiculous guys.

“There are some guys like that sometimes. Guys who think they’re something special just because they’ve made it to the major leagues.”

“Ah, there are people like that.”

Lee Jung-woo also knew a few.

There were quite a few players in Korea who looked down on fans or simply ignored them.

Sometimes they would ignore male fans and give all their attention to female fans, especially pretty women.

‘That’s a stupid thing to do. It’s just eating away at your own flesh.’

Each of those little things adds up and damages a person’s reputation.

Then, at some point, they get labeled as unlikeable.

‘You should be grateful that you have fans right now. You need to know how big that is.’

####

Atlanta Braves vs. Arizona Diamondbacks.

The match between the two teams didn’t really have much significance.

There was no rivalry between the two teams, they were in different divisions, and there were no exciting elements such as a wild card race because they were both in 3rd place.

But it was a little different in Korea.

[ATL vs ARZ Korean Derby Achieved. Who Will Be the Winner?]

[Kwak Hyung-sun ‘I will show the veteran’s side.’ ]

[Lee Jung-woo ‘He is a respected senior, but the Braves will win.’]

As the strongest hitter in Korean professional baseball.

Kwak Hyung-sun, who confidently advanced to the major leagues, and Lee Jung-woo, a rookie who is raising his stock.

The two’s Korean derby was achieved.

Of course, the most exciting thing is when a pitcher and a hitter meet.

Because it is a literal head-to-head match, it stimulates people’s curiosity.

In this case, both are hitters, so it wasn’t like that.

Still, two Koreans were facing off in the major leagues for different teams, so the attention was extraordinary.

The first meeting between the two players, who received such expectations, was during warm-ups before the game.

Lee Jung-woo, who spotted a familiar face among the Diamondbacks players who entered the stadium, approached and greeted him first.

He’s not the type to be overly polite.

But there’s no need to get cursed out for not greeting someone.

Also, Lee Jung-woo personally was a little happy to meet a Korean player in the United States.

“I’m Lee Jung-woo. I look forward to working with you in this game, senior.”

“We’re in America, so you don’t have to go that far. Make yourself comfortable. You said you graduated from high school and came straight to America? If you think about it, you’re the senior here. Just call me hyung [older brother/male friend], that’s easier for both of us.”

The player, smiling kindly and waving his hand, was the same as Lee Jung-woo knew.

‘He’s originally famous for his good personality. They said he was one of the coaches that the players liked when he was a coach. I guess that’s true.’

When Lee Jung-woo played in Korea before his regression, he had already retired and had been a coach for a long time.

When Kwak Hyung-sun heard the stories around him. Kwak Hyung-sun was not a senior with the so-called 꼰대 [Kkondae:꼰대 is a Korean slang term referring to an older person who is condescending and bossy] qualities.

The main assessment was that he was like a neighborhood older brother who took good care of his juniors.

He was similar to that when he actually met him.

He waved his hand as if he was embarrassed and laughed heartily, looking like a good person to anyone.

“Yes, hyung. Then prepare well. I’ll be on my way.”

“Okay, let’s have a fun game. Be gentle when you see my batted balls. You catch them too fiercely.”

With that light greeting, they parted ways.

But neither of them had any intention of being gentle, as they had said.

Attention is attention, and the competitive spirit and desire to win as a professional player do not allow such things.

####

First inning.

Lee Jung-woo, who started as a shortstop, played defense more comfortably than in the previous game against the Phillies.

Unlike that time, when the ball kept coming from the start to the end of the game as if something was possessed.

The ball didn’t come to him in this game.

‘He’s really good.’

The problem was today’s starter.

Mason Looper.

The player who was signed as a free agent and immediately pushed Christensen to the second starter position and became the ace easily caught the Diamondbacks hitters.

He finished the first inning with three batters out, and continued his momentum into the second inning.

After Mason struck out the 4th and 5th batters in a row.

The Korean commentators made a fuss when the next hitter came up.

[The 6th batter, Kwak Hyung-sun, is coming up. He has already hit 8 home runs, boasting great power in the United States, following Korea.]

[He has naturally strong wrists. His stance is consistent, so he is a player who knows how to hit accurately.]

Kwak Hyung-sun trudged up.

Lee Jung-woo watched him.

He was not smiling kindly as he had when he greeted him briefly before the game.

He was coming to the plate with a fierce face.

Unlike when he was struggling a bit during the exhibition game and was being compared to Lee Jung-woo, he was doing quite well.

‘An OPS [On-Base Plus Slugging] hitter who shows precise hitting based on wrist strength. The distribution of batted balls is even, and his power is good.’

Leaving his beloved home.

After tasting humiliation in the exhibition game after challenging the major leagues.

Kwak Hyung-sun, who had been working hard again, was a little different from what Lee Jung-woo remembered.

In the past, when he met as a starting pitcher and an opposing team coach, he boasted a thick build, as all baseball fans remember.

But now, that baseball pouch was gone.

He was just boasting a huge body like a giant.

‘Actually, he seems to have done quite well this season… I was too busy trying to survive at this time, so I don’t remember well.’

Kwak Hyung-sun, who played in the major leagues for exactly two years according to his contract, was among the hitters who transferred through posting.

I remembered that he had the best career.

Lee Jung-woo, who was a left-handed hitter, was very nervous thinking that it could come to him as well, and watched the game.

He told me to be gentle.

But if it comes to him, he was going to do his best to catch it.

That’s his role, and that’s what he’s best at.

Although his condition was not at its peak like in the last game of the series against the Phillies.

He won’t be able to defend as awesomely as he did then.

‘There are still many things lacking in hitting, and I can improve more.

But I am already confident that I can defend better than anyone else in the league.’

Blocking this shortstop position.

His normal condition was enough.