Pitcher’S End, Batter’S Start [EN]: Chapter 60

End of Pitching, Start of Hitting – Episode 59

The first game between the San Francisco Giants and the Atlanta Braves moved quickly after the long first inning.

Because it was their home stadium.

Even though they had been shaken initially.

The Giants actively used the weather to their advantage. Because of that, the Braves, who scored 4 runs in the first inning alone,

After that, they barely managed to score only one run.

Considering they were initially rattled, the Giants defended more easily than expected.

The problem was that their offense also sputtered.

Even after the Braves scored an additional run in the top of the 5th inning with Joey’s timely hit.

The Giants’ scoreboard still showed 0, unchanged.

[Mason Looper is demonstrating skillful game management.]

[Yes, he’s easily handling the Giants’ hitters, who are first in the Western Division.]

Because it was their home stadium.

The San Francisco Giants, who quickly adjusted, defended easily and built a wall.

But ridiculously, the Braves did the same.

To be precise, Mason, the starting pitcher for today’s game, showed skillful game management suited to the peculiar weather.

That’s because.

“Get lost, you traitor!”

“How could you betray us after playing so well at Oracle Park [the Giants’ home stadium]? Do you love money that much!”

“Mason! Just take a rest there for a while! We’ll bring you back!”

He was a veteran pitcher who had played for 7 years only at Oracle Park until his free agency [when a player is eligible to sign with any team].

As such, he had a lot of experience at Oracle Park.

Originally, he was good, but with added familiarity, he swept up outs like a fish in water.

Derek and Lee Jung-woo also helped him diligently.

Tak-

Bottom of the 7th inning, one out, runner on first.

The batter, aiming for the first pitch, swung low and rolled the ball.

Today, the sea breeze was so strong that high hits were pushed back, resulting in a quick ground ball.

Unfortunately, it didn’t work.

“Mine!”

The batted ball rolled on an ambiguous course.

Lee Jung-woo, who quickly called for it, ran out and caught the ground ball as he fell.

[He gets it! Lee Jung-woo catches the ball rolling between 2nd and shortstop and tosses it to the second baseman! Throws to 1st base as is – out! The Braves’ keystone combo [the shortstop and second baseman] turns another double play.]

The spectators, wrapped in windbreakers, looked down at the ground with bewildered faces at the quickly progressing situation.

It’s that guy again.

All three double plays recorded by the Giants in today’s game started with the same player.

“Jung-woo Lee? What the hell is that guy?”

“No, how can he do that…”

“Just loft the ball instead!”

“Are you crazy? Loft it in this weather? It’s definitely an outfield fly.”

“Then what are we supposed to do?”

A spectator muttered with all his heart.

It won’t fly even if you loft it. But if you roll it, that son of a bitch catches it.

What the hell are we supposed to do?

He couldn’t understand.

“Nice play.”

“Derek’s cover was good too.”

He didn’t record a splash hit as expected. There were no RBIs either.

Still, he executed two huge defensive plays that made his heart flutter and scored 1 run.

Lee Jung-woo, who showed his properly blooming offensive power at the plate,

He also assisted Mason’s game management with Derek in defense.

For him, who intentionally induced ground balls to match the weather,

They mercilessly caught infield ground balls, including the one just now.

The two of them have combined for three double plays in this game.

[There’s a saying that it’s hard to win for a team that hits into three double plays. It looks like it’s going to be true this time too.]

[Lee Jung-woo and Derek Hunt have completely suppressed them.]

Watching them appear every time they tried to seize an opportunity and pour cold water on them,

When the spectators raised question marks in their heads, wondering what the hell that guy was doing,

Derek, who briefly praised him, approached Lee Jung-woo and helped him up.

“Are you okay? It looked like you rolled pretty hard.”

“I took a proper fall.”

“I’m glad you’re okay then. But Lee, your defense is really on point these days. The way you ran and caught that…”

“I’ve always been good at defense, right? It’s basic now.”

Lee Jung-woo acted as if it was nothing to Derek’s praise.

Actually, it wasn’t that difficult. This level of defense was too natural for Lee Jung-woo.

Derek scratched his chin for a moment at the sight of him showing off a great play and acting like it was nothing.

Soon, he asked playfully.

“But when is the splash hit coming out? Do we have to wait a little longer?”

Lee Jung-woo let out a short sigh at the playful question.

It’s not that he doesn’t want to do it.

He made proper contact with the ball in the second at-bat that was handled as a ground ball and in the second at-bat that recorded another double.

It hit the sweet spot properly like the first at-bat, and the impact was sufficient.

But it didn’t go over, so there was nothing he could do.

“Wait, my sense has definitely returned. There’s still one more at-bat left.”

‘If I keep hitting like this, it’ll explode once. If not today, then in the next game.’

Lee Jung-woo’s eyes were filled with strange obsession as he muttered.

Rather, he kept failing narrowly. His desire to win rose even more.

####

[It went deep inside – Lee Jung-woo hit it! A ball stretching to the right! Is it going over this time?]

Top of the 8th inning, two outs.

When Lee Jung-woo, who was at bat again, pulled the slow first pitch, the caster jumped up and shouted.

The batted ball, flying close to the foul line on the first base side, seemed like it would go straight over the right fence, which was only 94m away.

The height was right, and the wind had subsided a little.

“No!”

However, instead of clearing the short distance, the high right fence became the Giants’ last outfielder as always.

The batted ball narrowly hit the edge of the fence and returned to the ground.

The right fielder’s cover was fast, and his arm was good, so Lee Jung-woo, who stopped at first base, wore a slightly more sullen expression than usual.

‘It really won’t go over. Why is the fence so high?’

Seeing the batted ball caught on the right fence, which was strangely high compared to the left fence,

He was frustrated.

The wind was weak, and the trajectory was good, so he expected a home run and his face lit up.

But the batted ball betrayed him again.

Lee Jung-woo stomped on first base for no reason and took a deep breath to soothe his frustration.

“It’s not easy, is it?”

“Well, I’ve got the feel for it now. Look forward to the next time. I’m going to send one into the sea.”

“Oh, your confidence is amazing. I like it. Come to our team when you become a free agent. I’ll be waiting until then.”

Lee Jung-woo, annoyed by the first baseman who was unnecessarily provoking him, responded with even more bravado.

But there was some sincerity mixed in.

After about four attempts.

He got the feel for it.

‘Assuming the weather is normal, I just need to increase the launch angle a bit more than usual. Easy peasy.’

It was by no means an easy task.

But Lee Jung-woo thought of it as easy.

It might be arrogance.

But there was no reason he couldn’t do it.

####

[A swing and a miss~ Strikeout! Game set! The Braves take the first game of the series with a score of 6 to 0.]

[Their momentum is terrifying these days, especially Lee Jung-woo, who has regained his form. He had three hits in today’s game, you know? Viewers may not know, but the wind was quite strong today, and if it weren’t for that, he would have definitely hit at least one home run. Maybe even a splash hit.]

[Yes, that’s right. It seemed like Lee Jung-woo was going through a bit of a slump, but he found his pace like a ghost.]

The winner of the first game of the series was the Braves.

Mason came out after the 7th inning. But the bullpen that followed showed why they are the best in the league.

They shut down the Giants until the end, and Lee Jung-woo himself was a little disappointed.

Still, he recorded an excellent performance of 3 hits in 4 at-bats against the Giants, the top team in the Western Division.

And he imprinted his name in people’s minds once again.

[Lee is back! Now get ready to be destroyed! You bastards!]

[He seems to have really gotten the feel for it. I’m so glad. I was honestly a little worried.]

[Do not doubt. If you have faith, you will be rewarded.]

[Oracle Park is really dogshit. It would have been at least 2 home runs in another stadium.]

[Thanks to that, we didn’t give up any runs, right?]

[That’s true. Mason is really good. I guess his old home is different.]

The Braves fans, who were worried about Lee Jung-woo falling into a slump, cheered greatly at his return to form.

And the collaboration between Mason and the bullpen to shut out the Giants gave them great joy.

But the Giants fans’ reaction was more or less indifferent.

[It’s a shame we lost, but the Dodgers also lost. So it’s not bad.]

[We can give up one game. We just need to win the rest.]

The fact that the Dodgers also lost to the Pirates, which had no impact on the standings, softened their disappointment.

Also, they had used Mason as their second starter until last year, so they acknowledged his skills.

[The opposing starter was Mason, right? He played for our team for 7 years. Mason will definitely win against a guy like Jeff.]

[He seems to have gotten even better. I’m honestly a little jealous.]

[Mason is good, but the shortstop and second baseman were crazy. Where did Atlanta pick up those guys?]

[They should have just given him 5 million more dollars. They have so much money, but they cut it and created this mess.]

And decisively, they thought they would win the next game no matter what, so today’s loss didn’t matter much.

[Ilya is pitching tomorrow, right? Then we’ll win.]

[Jeff only gave up one run, except for the first inning. Ilya will have a shutout, right?]

[If the wind is like today, a perfect game is possible.]

The next game’s starter was their ace and franchise star.

San Francisco’s ‘Tsar’ Ilya Danilov.

Because they were fans with a strong faith in him, they did not doubt victory.

In fact, experts also predicted the Giants’ victory.

But a variable occurred.

####

“I’m starting today? What about Clarkson?”

Before the game started the next day,

Lee Jung-woo, who was simply warming up because Clarkson was scheduled to start, was urgently called over and tilted his head at the manager’s words to prepare to start.

Just yesterday in the locker room, he encouraged Clarkson to do well.

What’s going on all of a sudden?

As Lee Jung-woo made a bewildered expression, Manager Mancini sighed deeply and explained the reason.

“Clarkson has a stomachache. He’s leaking.”

“Leaking, what… ah.”

Lee Jung-woo, recalling Clarkson who had hurriedly run away from warming up, let out a low exclamation.

If that’s the reason, he can understand.

It wasn’t the postseason, and there was no reason to play while dealing with that during the game.

“Haa, what did he pick up and eat during the night… Anyway, get ready.”

“Yes, I understand.”

“Lee, are you okay? Tell me if you have any problems.”

“I’m perfectly fine.”

“Okay, that’s a relief. Then warm up well and get your game sense up.”

After nodding his head.

Lee Jung-woo quickly came out of the dugout again and warmed up as usual.

There was still plenty of time until the game, but it was better to warm up a little more.

‘I never thought I’d face him like this…’

Lee Jung-woo, who started warming up with a light run, ran a long distance on the ground.

Suddenly, he turned his gaze to the striking blonde hair.

‘Ah, come to think of it, Ilya Danilov was the starter today. I never thought I’d face him like this.’

Ilya Danilov.

He was curious about how good a player of that caliber was.

He wanted to face him at least once.

He had a chance to see him in a slightly funny way.

‘He’s a great player. And unique.’

Ilya Danilov.

Today’s game starter and the Giants’ ace was unique in many ways.

First of all, as you can tell from his name, it is unusual to see a Russian in Major League Baseball.

The strange hair dyed bright yellow and the pink manicure on his nails maximized his personality.

Sometimes, when he strikes out an opponent, he even pretends to shoot them with both hands.

Based on such unique charm, he made a name for himself and was one of the undisputed superstars of this generation.

That doesn’t mean he’s just eccentric.

‘In the first place, if his skills weren’t good, he wouldn’t be able to play the role of ace in a big market like the Giants.’

First of all, he wins more than 15 games every year.

He also strikes out around 250 batters and has a low walk rate.

His career ERA [Earned Run Average, a measure of pitching performance] is also low at just over 2, even considering Oracle Park.

Thanks to such skills, he also has one Cy Young Award [Award given annually to the best pitchers in Major League Baseball].

The Giants fans often called him ‘Tsar’, which means emperor in Russian.

“How is it? Can you do it today? That guy is your opponent.”

He had to face such a player in this game.

Lee Jung-woo was not afraid or nervous.

Just a strong desire to win and a dark desire to hit a home run against such a great pitcher filled him.

Filled with such emotions, Lee Jung-woo answered Derek, who asked jokingly, with a confident face.

“The weather is nice, and the wind is moderate. There’s no reason why I can’t. If possible, it’s better to face such a great pitcher. It tastes better, doesn’t it?”