Pitcher’S End, Batter’S Start [EN]: Chapter 62

Pitcher Done, Batter Up – 61

Lee Jung-woo, having touched home base, instinctively braced himself for the impending celebration.

But the players who had rushed out from the bench just stared at him, dumbfounded. He gave an awkward smile and stretched.

“What’s this? No congratulations?”

“Are you even human?”

“Seriously, how can you pull off something new every series?”

“He really fell into the bay, right? I’m not seeing things, am I?”

The players genuinely seemed to find Lee Jung-woo a bit strange.

How could a rookie be this good? It just didn’t make sense.

What on earth *was* this guy?

Overcoming the pressure and breaking the no-hitter was impressive enough. But a splash hit? From a newly called-up player? Against a top-tier pitcher in the league?

This had to be insane.

Either he was crazy, or this kid was amazing.

“Glad you listened to me, right? You’ll be making some money.”

Amidst the dazed players, Lee Jung-woo spotted Derek chuckling to himself and quietly approached him.

Only then did Derek snap out of it and heartily smack Lee Jung-woo on the back.

“Yeah, you did damn well. Thanks to you, I can finally take my wife out for a fancy meal. No, you’re coming with us. I’ll treat you to a full course.”

“Only if it’s dinner without alcohol. I could use a break from cooking.”

“Yeah, eat that and stay here forever. At least until I retire.”

Lee Jung-woo couldn’t help but laugh at Derek’s earnest words.

It was funny that he was trying to tie him down with just one meal, as if he were Persephone [In Greek mythology, Persephone was abducted by Hades and forced to live in the underworld].

But it also meant he had done that well, so he didn’t feel too bad.

“Alright, we’ve tied the score. Might as well win this.”

“Yeah, that’s right. We need to win the game to make it perfect.”

“Everyone heard Lee! Let’s turn this around!”

As if everything that had been suppressed until now was exploding.

The players exuded a fiery energy, ready to burn everything down.

The 7th inning might have been the Giants and Danilov’s time.

But not anymore.

The Braves had kicked it into high gear.

Watching this, Manager Mancini felt it.

‘This game. We absolutely have to win it.’

The crucial point of this series had arrived. If they could finish this game with a victory.

The Braves’ momentum would reignite. And the next step would be a leap to a higher position.

“Get Pennington and Stevenson ready. Becker’s already warming up, right?”

“Yes, he went to the bullpen in the 6th.”

“Good, let’s go all the way.”

Manager Mancini issued immediate instructions.

Even though the Braves had plenty of bullpen options left, the players’ morale had been completely crushed.

He had been planning to conserve them this time. But now that things had come to this, he had to commit the must-win group.

They had to go all in.

####

No additional hits came in the 7th, but Gary Winters battled as tenaciously as possible.

Showing the changed atmosphere.

Ilya Danilov, who had been quickly wrapping up innings until now, struck out Gary Winters on the 9th pitch, finishing the 7th and heading down.

But even though it was 9 pitches, the amount of time he spent during the at-bat was similar to or longer than the time he had spent per inning until now.

And in the bottom of the 7th, reliever Stefan Becker came to the mound, replacing Christensen, who was running out of stamina.

“Don’t be intimidated, just play comfortably! We’re hotter than they are!”

Derek shouted with all his might.

Stefan Becker nodded, rotating his shoulder.

“Turn it around again! Protect Ilya’s win!”

“Boo! Booo! You’re only tied, don’t act like you’ve already won!”

“You guys are going to lose. Why? Because this is Oracle [Oracle Park, the home field of the San Francisco Giants]!”

The jeers spewed out by the numerous spectators echoed loudly.

But no Brave player was intimidated by it anymore.

Lee Jung-woo also ignored the noise. He just watched the pitcher on the mound, Stefan Becker.

‘Keeping them scoreless is the best, but giving up 1-2 runs is okay too. We’ve got the momentum.’

The momentum had shifted to their side.

As long as Christensen didn’t give up a lot of runs, like 3 or more, the atmosphere would be maintained. And they would definitely score more runs.

That’s why Lee Jung-woo was looking forward to his efforts. Stefan Becker allowed a double and was shaken, giving up 1 point.

“It’s a turnaround!”

“We’re going to win, so save your bullpen! Dumbasses!”

But his wandering ended there.

Regaining his composure, he finished the inning with a double play and a strikeout.

Although the Braves had given up the lead again, this time it was their turn.

“Let’s retake the lead!”

“Giants, you guys are flinching, unlike your name! What’s with just 1 point! We’re going for at least 3!”

In the top of the 8th, Ilya Danilov didn’t come up anymore.

The no-hitter was broken, and they were tied. The Giants were managing his stamina.

The reliever who came up instead showed that Manager Mancini and the Giants’ manager shared the same thought.

He was also one of the core members of the Giants’ bullpen.

“They’re desperate too.”

“If they lose even after putting Danilov out there, they know they can’t control the situation anymore.”

The Giants couldn’t afford to be relaxed anymore.

They were sure they would win no matter what. But if they lost this game and gave up another game, resulting in a losing series, from then on, their ranking could really slip.

That’s why they also brought up a setup man to take the victory by any means possible.

The situation seemed to improve as the leadoff hitter of the inning, 8th batter Lipton, was struck out.

“Pinch hitter Schultz.”

Schultz, who went out as a pinch hitter in the pitcher’s at-bat, transformed a weakly hit ground ball into an infield hit with his pure speed. Immediately after Rollins added oxygen with a hit to center field. Derek hit a go-ahead RBI double to center field, bringing Schultz in.

“It’s tied again!”

“You guys are screwed now! You know that!”

As Schultz came in, the players who came out to greet him enthusiastically pounded him.

The game was tied again at 3-3. But it was still the Braves’ turn.

And the hope was great.

Because the best card the Braves could play in a situation with runners on second and third with one out had come up.

“Joey! Knock it over!”

“Joey! Joey!”

“Let’s get the lead!”

The small number of Braves fans who were huddled in one corner of Oracle Park, facing the batter, shouted with all their might.

It was quickly drowned out by the noise made by the home team fans.

But the will was definitely conveyed. And Joey responded with a short wave.

The at-bat that started with people’s expectations.

Everyone’s eyes were on Joey’s bat.

Not just the stadium, but everyone watching on TV broadcasts or streaming.

[This is the turning point of the game. If Joey can get the go-ahead here,]

[The Braves’ chances of winning become very high. Because the Braves have an iron wall.]

[Okay, first pitch, outside to the batter – Joey watches it go by lightly. He took one.]

The pitcher threw slightly far to the outside, testing him. But Joey just watched it.

He stared at the consecutively thrown balls, then slightly raised one corner of his mouth.

Watching this, hitting coach Colson clenched both fists tightly.

“That’s it.”

Joey is a batter who hits only with instinct, without thinking.

So his sense of hitting is often revealed on the outside.

Whenever he makes that twisted smile.

Thwack-

The sweet spot was hit.

Instead of pulling it as usual, a swing that just pushed the incoming ball as it was.

The batted ball flew to the right field fence. The right fielder chased it, but the batted ball passed him and then fell.

[Joey Freeman’s 2-RBI go-ahead hit!]

[The Braves finally manage to take the lead!]

A sweeping double.

Joey, who stepped on second base, roared towards the area where the visiting fans were gathered. Lee Jung-woo also wore a faint smile.

Game score 5-3.

It was the Braves’ lead.

Of course, 2 points is not a big difference in baseball, and it can always be reversed.

In addition, Peterson and Poppin were struck out and grounded out, respectively, so no additional points were scored.

But after the top of the 8th ended, when the offense and defense changed, the Braves players and viewers, and even President Pratt, who was watching from the president’s office, everyone related to the Braves was convinced.

‘We won.’

Roy Pennington.

Last year, he recorded 71 innings, ERA [Earned Run Average] 2.12, 29 holds, and 69 strikeouts.

A player who is raising similar momentum and accumulating results this year is evaluated as a closer if he was not on the Braves.

And Warren Stevenson.

Last year, he won the Trevor Hoffman Award [Award given to the best relief pitcher in the National League] with 70 innings, ERA 1.76, 40 saves, and 98 strikeouts.

Because it was the turn of the Braves’ closer and guardian to come up.

The Braves lost when the two players pitched in a leading situation.

‘At least not this season.’

As expected, Roy erased the 8th inning with two strikeouts and one line drive to second base.

On top of that, there was more good news.

[Lee is coming up again. He is virtually the MVP of this game.]

[Yes, he broke the no-hitter and tied the score at the same time.]

In the top of the 9th inning, Lee Jung-woo, who came to the plate again as the leadoff hitter, thought, ‘If possible, I’ll add one more point.’

[He aimed for the first pitch – he hit it! A quickly extending batted ball! How far will it go this time? Will it go over again?]

[He aimed properly. This one went over.]

He added another point with a solo home run.

Although this time it slightly crossed the fence and fell into the stands, it didn’t become a splash hit.

“Damn it, it’s over.”

Like one spectator said, it was enough to decide the victory of the game and virtually end it.

####

The Braves took the game as everyone expected, and Lee Jung-woo became the MVP.

“You have been selected as the MVP today. How do you feel?”

“First of all, I’m happy that the team won. And I’m glad I hit a game-tying home run against Ilya Danilov, a top-tier pitcher in the league.”

Even to the questions of the slender reporter, Lee Jung-woo interviewed in an extremely uninteresting manner with a stiff face as usual, but at least his face softened a little.

‘Splash hit, I really did it.’

Thinking about doing what he had only heard about made him laugh naturally.

Lee Jung-woo finished the MVP interview with a slightly smiling face.

But the interviews left for him were not the end of it.

The moment he left the stadium, a huge crowd of people flocked to him.

“Lee! Were you aiming for a home run?”

“You recorded the 60th splash hit among visiting players. How do you feel?”

“When you hit the second home run, did you predict the first pitch in advance?”

“Lee Jung-woo! I’m from Korea! Please say a word!”

Reporters flocked to him and simultaneously held out their microphones.

Among them were interview teams that had flown in from Korea.

Lee Jung-woo answered lightly and returned to the accommodation.

But of course, the reaction did not end there.

[Lee Splash Hit! Unfortunately, the record is X because he is a visiting player.]

[Lee’s two-run home run breaks the no-hitter! (Video)]

[The Braves’ perfect come-from-behind victory. A victory achieved together with the perfect harmony of pitching and hitting at the last moment!]

[A dynamic swing that reminds me of someone. Lee’s home run contains the romance of the past.]

[Lee Jung-woo is still hungry, ‘Trying to work harder’]

The number of people who watched this game was much larger than expected.

Ilya Danilov, one of the major league’s superstars, was reportedly recording a no-hitter, no less.

People who heard that flocked in front of the TV, even if they weren’t fans of the Braves and Giants. And when so much attention was focused, Lee Jung-woo broke the no-hitter, even dropping the batted ball into McCovey Cove [Area of San Francisco Bay beyond the right field wall of Oracle Park].

Although it will not be officially recognized as a record because he is not a Giants player, that alone is great enough. On top of that, he added another home run at the end.

The reaction was more amazing than Lee Jung-woo had imagined, and it created unexpected by-products.

Typically, it was a nickname.

[Isn’t he totally Guerrero Sr.? We talked about it last time, but he really seems a bit similar.]

[Only Guerrero can scoop up something like that. He’s Guerrero.]

[Then is Lee the Third Guerrero?]

[That’s funny. Like the Guerreros, they’re disgustingly good.]

The first nickname that came out was the connection with Vladimir Guerrero, which had been consistently claimed before.

The batting that scoops up low balls like golf stimulated the nostalgia of the past.

Some fans referred to him as the Third Guerrero.

Unfortunately for Lee Jung-woo, the most popular one was different, and it stemmed from Manager Mancini’s interview.

[Braves manager Mancini, ‘The Tsar is always chased out by a new era.’]

Manager Mancini said that in the sense that he had overthrown the Tsar of San Francisco.

But some fans misinterpreted it, and the Braves’ home alternate uniform happened to be red, causing a perfect misunderstanding.

[Manager Mancini is right. The Tsar is always swept away by the red wave of a new era.]

[From now on, call him Leenin. Because he is the man who will cause a red revolution in MLB [Major League Baseball].]

[After Stalin and Castro, is a new revolutionary finally appearing in the major leagues?]

[You said he’s the Third Guerrero? Then Lee is also Vladimir. Vladimir Leenin.]

[Are you a genius?]

[I thought Lee was South Korean, but it turns out he was a little further north.]

[Braves, we seriously demand you. If you truly love him, hand Lee over to our Reds. That will make him perfect.]

[No, Lee is already complete with the Braves. (Photo) Look at this! Look at this red uniform! Is this still not enough?]

[I admit it, Braves. He is already a perfect revolutionary warrior.]

[The Soviet still exists! Even in the middle of America!]

Coincidentally, the nuance was good, and his always serious face boasted a strange fit. And since only one E had to be added to Lenin, it soon replaced boring things like Supernova or Third Guerrero.

It became the nickname of the player Lee Jung-woo.

-Comrade Leenin, did you sleep well?

“What the hell is that….”

The next day, he woke up after a good night’s sleep and heard it directly from Mark, but he didn’t like it very much.