Pitcher’S End, Batter’S Start [EN]: Chapter 54

End of Pitcher, Start of Batter – Episode 53

‘The Braves, their momentum has been building lately. Is it because of that guy?’

Kwak Hyung-sun, stepping up to the plate, subtly glanced towards the shortstop position.

He had sensed it when he came to greet them, but the presence was immense.

Even when he was expressionless, it was there, but now, staring with such intensity, he didn’t seem like a twenty-year-old kid.

‘I heard he switched from pitcher to batter due to an injury? He’s something else.’

Kwak Hyung-sun knew Lee Jung-woo.

He couldn’t help but know, with all the noise surrounding him, and he had been compared to him since the exhibition games.

He couldn’t help but hear about him.

Whenever Lee Jung-woo showed something amazing, it caused a stir on social media.

Lee Jung-woo, whom he had heard of through rumors and seen with his own eyes, was, simply put, good.

His defense was untouchable, and his hitting clearly showed tremendous power.

His contact seemed excellent as well.

‘Still, I can’t afford to be pushed aside by a rookie.’

But he was good too.

He had proudly made it onto the 25-man roster, not as a platoon or backup player.

He had secured a spot as a starting player.

In fact, his performance was even better than he had expected.

Therefore, he didn’t want to be pushed aside by a young player who wasn’t even born when he first started playing baseball.

He felt admiration and acknowledged him as a player, but that was a different story.

‘Mason Roper, the Braves’ ace. He mainly aims for strikeouts, and today’s game is no different.’

A fastball with a top speed of 99 mph, one mile faster than last year.

Along with a changeup that was almost the same speed but with tricky timing, and a decent curveball.

This three-pitch mix was formidable, but the key was Mason’s fastball control.

‘Moderately fast, fast, very fast. Then suddenly, a changeup or curveball.’

A pitcher who knew how to use quick and slow accurately was challenging.

Therefore, Kwak Hyung-sun, shifting his gaze from the shortstop back to the pitcher, tensed up.

The battle began.

Mason, as if aiming for an easy win, didn’t hesitate and threw the ball with force.

Fastballs at 94-96-99 mph pounded the inside of the zone.

Kwak Hyung-sun didn’t fall for the last high fastball, bringing the count to two and one.

‘His pitches are definitely good; I almost got my hands broken.’

It was a relief he barely managed to hold back.

Otherwise, he would have either struck out swinging or made weak contact, resulting in a ground ball.

After catching his breath, Kwak Hyung-sun started thinking hard.

He had seen three fastballs already.

It was about time for a breaking ball.

‘He’s a smart pitcher….’

As he looked at the pitcher with a troubled expression, the pitcher, having already gone through his windup, powerfully threw the ball.

The ball soared towards him.

Kwak Hyung-sun grinned.

He had been waiting for it.

‘It’s another fastball.’

Clang!

Kwak Hyung-sun, pushing through the slight recoil of the bat, was about to throw the bat and run, but.

He soon stopped and stared blankly at the shortstop.

“Wow, is he insane?”

He didn’t mean to curse; it just came out as an exclamation.

To be honest, he did seem insane.

Lee Jung-woo, the shortstop who dove to catch the slightly bouncing ball and then threw it to first base while still lying down, was exactly as he had heard.

It seemed that what he had seen in the scouting reports wasn’t just highlights.

His skills were genuinely that good.

‘And he’s good at hitting too?’

The home run he showed in the Phillies series clearly had an ideal launch angle and considerable distance, truly showcasing the batter’s power.

He possessed that kind of defensive ability and that kind of hitting.

And a guy who had been a pitcher just a year or two ago was already….

“The world is so unfair.”

The words that other players often said when looking at Kwak Hyung-sun came out of his mouth.

He, too, had received the blessing of talent.

He had been called a natural-born genius hitter and eventually stepped onto the dream stage.

But it was the first time he was looking up like this, and he felt a bit dazed.

‘Ugh, this is stressful. People are going to go crazy again.’

The thought of people yelling that he was being pushed aside by a younger player made him shudder.

He didn’t think he could show the composure of a veteran.

####

After finishing the second inning of defense, as they were leaving the field for the changeover.

The starting pitcher, Mason, casually said to Lee Jung-woo.

“Your condition seems good today?”

Lee Jung-woo shook his head at his words, which seemed to be referring to the previous play.

Today was just normal.

This play was something he always did.

“No, I’m just average.”

“Oh… impressive.”

Mason nodded, genuinely impressed by his words.

“Take care of the remaining innings too. I’ll try to send it your way as much as possible.”

“Unless it’s a pop-up, I’ll catch everything.”

“Alright, I trust you.”

A shortstop with good defensive skills is loved by pitchers.

Thanks to such a shortstop, their earned run average can drop surprisingly.

That’s why Mason liked Lee Jung-woo.

He already knew he was good from seeing it, but experiencing it firsthand gave him an indescribable sense of security.

Having instilled trust in the pitcher, Lee Jung-woo soon focused on his at-bat in the next inning.

The Braves were retired in order in the bottom of the first, so the batting order naturally started with the cleanup hitter.

Lee Jung-woo’s batting order was the same as last time, sixth, so he would definitely have an at-bat this inning.

Therefore, Lee Jung-woo eagerly warmed up and checked his swing one last time.

“Are you going to hit a home run today too?”

“I don’t know, I’m a bit weak against sliders.”

“Really? Well, you have to have some weaknesses.”

Derek chuckled.

Seeing a guy who seemed to have been born perfect from the way he played admit to having weaknesses made him seem more human.

“Don’t completely avoid what you’re weak at. Aim for it moderately. You’ll improve eventually.”

That was true.

If you just give up because you can’t do it, you’ll never improve.

Lee Jung-woo nodded and soon picked up his bat.

The cleanup hitter Peterson struck out looking on a backdoor slider.

Lee Jung-woo, going up to the on-deck circle after Poppin, scanned the field.

Kwak Hyung-sun on third base was grinning as if he would catch any ball that came his way, but.

Lee Jung-woo focused on the pitcher.

Ian Field, the Diamondbacks’ number two starter.

He looked down at the batter with his characteristic orange hair gleaming and playful eyes.

‘His slider is deadly.’

One of the Diamondbacks’ prized one-two punch, he had started to take off three years ago.

He had been an average pitcher in the league, but after changing his pitching form from overhand to three-quarters.

Whether it suited him well or not, he suddenly started beating up the league’s hitters.

As a result, with free agency approaching, he was actively courted by teams with weak starting rotations or those wanting to build an impenetrable lineup.

‘Bob Fosse’s shadow is too big. He’d be the ace on any other team.’

Due to Bob Fosse, a former Cy Young winner and a star who was like the team’s symbol.

Although he didn’t take the number one starter spot, he would be called an ace on any other team. He was a pitcher who struck out batters with his devastating slider.

His slider, thrown with a three-quarters delivery and a long arm whipping like a whip, was always ranked high in pitch value.

Last year, it was even ranked fourth.

‘So, it’s the best slider in the league….’

Lee Jung-woo scratched the back of his head and then shook his head vigorously.

He hadn’t even stepped into the batter’s box yet, and he was already intimidated.

‘Okay, let’s think positively. It’s an opportunity to witness a high-level slider, right? It’ll all be experience and help me grow.’

Lee Jung-woo glanced at the stands.

The fans were generously applauding and cheering for the players.

They were clearly well-disposed towards Lee Jung-woo.

‘Right, I’m still a prospect, not a washed-up veteran. I have plenty of time.’

Thinking that way calmed him down, and his unnecessary impatience disappeared.

Lee Jung-woo tapped the ground with his bat and soon asked Poppin, who was coming down after striking out.

“How is he?”

“How is he? He’s awful. It feels like the first baseman is throwing the ball. It feels terrible every time I see it.”

Poppin shook his head at Lee Jung-woo’s question, looking as if he couldn’t handle it.

Even a big league regular-level hitter was saying that, so Lee Jung-woo focused even more.

“Don’t just swing upward, try to keep your swing level and hit it to the opposite field. That might work too.”

“Thank you.”

With that, Poppin turned around.

Lee Jung-woo, watching him go, clicked his tongue.

‘Seeing it from the batter’s box, I can really feel it. His reach is ridiculously long.’

According to the data, he was 6.6 feet tall, which was already tall.

But he had an overwhelming reach even compared to that height.

With good deception on top of that, that left-handed pitcher reigned like a god over same-handed hitters.

Unfortunately, Lee Jung-woo was also a left-handed hitter.

‘Okay, when have I ever looked and hit? I just hit it. I just need to do what I always do.’

Lee Jung-woo muttered to himself, bounced his body as usual, and looked at the pitcher with a composed expression.

Ian Field, amused by the sight of a rookie who seemed to know how to control his mind, wiggled his eyebrows and his large ears.

Lee Jung-woo swallowed hard, but he didn’t look away first.

The two players, looking at each other for a moment, ended their psychological warfare when Ian Field looked away first.

‘I have a bad feeling about this.’

Although the other side looked away first.

He didn’t feel like he had won.

Instead, he felt a bit uneasy.

And that became reality.

The pitcher, striding onto the mound with his long legs, moved his body flexibly like a mollusk.

Bang!

“Strike!”

The ball was deeply inside.

It seemed a bit outside, but the umpire called it decisively.

‘They said it feels like he’s throwing from first base….’

It felt like he was secretly hiding the ball, and the first baseman was pitching instead.

That was already challenging, but even the velocity was quite fast.

The scoreboard showed 97 mph, and it felt even faster than that.

‘And it seemed a bit low… but the location where it landed is high. His vertical movement is excellent.’

His horizontal movement was average.

But his vertical movement was so good that it almost looked like the ball was rising if you didn’t pay attention.

Lee Jung-woo stepped out of the batter’s box for a moment and tapped his helmet with his bat.

He couldn’t get a feel for it.

‘The problem isn’t just the slider.’

After swinging a few times, Lee Jung-woo stepped back into the batter’s box and cleared his head.

When he was a pitcher, he used to think busily, but now, calmly clearing his head suited Lee Jung-woo better.

The results were also better.

Therefore, Lee Jung-woo, intentionally calming down, looked at the pitcher with an indifferent face again.

The pitcher smiled broadly.

‘He’s a weirdo. Seeing him smile on the mound.’

Whether it was because of the pressure or because he was just naturally stoic.

Pitchers usually try to keep a poker face.

But Ian Field had many expressions.

That sometimes provoked the batter, causing fights.

‘I’ll swing, thinking it’s higher than what I see.’

Lee Jung-woo, setting his sights on the fastball, gently twirled his bat and waited for the pitcher.

Soon, he swung at the incoming ball.

A concise and quick swing.

But he was fooled.

The pitcher had thrown a changeup.

‘They said his changeup usage rate is in the single digits. Why is he only throwing it to me?’

Lee Jung-woo looked at the pitcher with a slightly aggrieved expression, as he hardly ever threw changeups, almost like a two-pitch pitcher.

But he soon refocused on the battle.

‘They said he usually throws a slider at this timing. Let’s see this great pitch.’

He didn’t want to be easily dismissed, so he glared fiercely at the pitcher.

Then, Poppin’s words suddenly came to mind.

‘Poppin told me to try a level swing. He also told me to try hitting it to the opposite field.’

After facing him directly.

He understood what he meant.

It seemed like the timing would be a bit late if he pulled and lifted the ball.

Lee Jung-woo organized his thoughts and soon got back into position.

The pitcher looked down at him and then wound up greatly, as if trying to end the battle.

Lee Jung-woo swallowed hard, watching it all.

He still couldn’t see the trajectory of his arm, perhaps because of the good deception.

But he somehow had a feeling of what kind of ball was coming.

‘Come on.’

Slider.

Lee Jung-woo mentally drew the trajectory of the invisible ball.

Instead of pulling it long as usual, he pushed it horizontally and short.

He felt the sensation of the ball hitting the bat.

The sound of the hit, which seemed a bit weaker than usual, sharply pierced his ears.

“Wow! Aaaah….”

The fans, who had jumped up cheering, trailed off in disappointment and sat back down.

[Lee Jung-woo hit it! Ah! The pitcher caught the ball as it was. This is how the bottom of the second inning ends.]

[The result is a bit disappointing. But it’s not bad. The ball shot straight out, right? He used a level swing, unlike usual. It’s better than I thought.]

Ian Field stretched out his long arm and caught the ball that was hit squarely and shooting straight out.

Lee Jung-woo clicked his tongue, feeling a bit disappointed because the course was good, and it could have broken through the 3-4 gap if he was lucky.

But his face was slightly satisfied.

The result is a bit disappointing.

‘A level swing, it’s better than I thought?’

He had found a clue for a higher leap.