Pitcher’S End, Batter’S Start [EN]: Chapter 67

Kim Byung-gyun ran a hand roughly through his hair.

“Agh, these sons of bitches, it’s already half cursing anyway…”

Truly, nothing had gone right since he retired.

The business he started with his savings failed after his partner ran off in the night, leaving him unable to recover even his initial investment.

Trying to earn a living, he obtained coaching qualifications and became the coach of his alma mater’s team, but he was forced out when the baseball team was disbanded due to the parents’ demands.

After that, he barely managed to get a job as a hitting coach for the minor league team of his former club, diligently teaching the younger players.

He built a decent reputation and even became a first-team coach, but he was swept out when the manager was fired due to poor performance.

Next, he barely got into a broadcasting station as a commentator, but he ended up ruining it with one ridiculous slip of the tongue.

‘I thought I was getting back into the field smoothly for once.’

Still, thanks to the reputation he had built as a coach and the call from Director Do Myung-woon, who had been his mentor as a player, he was appointed as the national team’s hitting coach, but even that didn’t go smoothly, as always.

As much as people were paying attention, all sorts of comments came out about the player selection.

From the start, fans didn’t look kindly on his coaching position, saying it was a selection based on personal connections.

Still, he somehow pushed through and finished the selection without incident, and now only the competition remained.

Then, an accident happened.

‘Ha, this is driving me crazy.’

Three players from the same team who were included in the final Asian Games roster caused a major accident, and Kim Byung-gyun received a call a little while ago telling him to find replacements immediately and prepare for the backlash.

‘It seems the reporters don’t know yet… but it’ll break today. They’re fast.’

If this is revealed to the public, the repercussions will be enormous.

‘This is no joke. They’re already full of animosity.’

It’s not just anything, but players included in the final Asian Games national team roster caused an accident.

This will be a good excuse for those who are already looking at the national team with sharp eyes.

They’ll probably pounce on it like a pack of wild dogs and tear it apart.

The media, always wanting a story, will eagerly incite them.

“No, why did these bastards have to do it at a time like this… sigh, what is my fate?”

Annoyed, Kim Byung-gyun slumped on the sofa, wanting to escape from this news even for a moment.

He fiddled with the remote control that was lying around.

He wanted to check the news in case it had already broken.

After flipping through several channels, the channel where he had been kicked out in the past appeared.

‘Ugh, how annoying….’

The channel was broadcasting a game from early in the morning.

It was his fault, but he didn’t have good feelings left after being kicked out.

Also, he didn’t want to watch baseball in his current mood.

He reached for the remote control again to change the channel, but then he put it down.

The player on the screen caught Kim Byung-gyun’s attention.

‘He’s doing well. Well, he was unusual from the first time I saw him.’

The screen showed a broadcast of a game between the Atlanta Braves and the New York Mets, and there was a face in his memory.

It was a player he had first seen more than half a year ago, or even longer if you count the time he knew about him.

But he became interested when he was demoted and put into the Australian Professional Baseball League [ABL] broadcast last year as a temporary replacement.

‘I didn’t think he would become a major leaguer this quickly.’

The player he saw for the first time back then stood out much more strongly than the Korean professional baseball players of Geelong Korea, which was the purpose of the ABL broadcast, and stuck in his mind.

From the moment Kim Byung-gyun saw his overwhelming power, excellent hitting ability, and perfect defense, he knew.

That he would see that guy in a Major League broadcast someday.

And it became a reality.

Lee Jung-woo, an ultra-high-class pitching prospect who once held the expectations of high school baseball fans, was now a current Major League hitter prospect.

He was receiving attention from everyone who knew Korean baseball, not just high school baseball fans.

‘He’s had a lot of luck. But he’s also good.’

It might be a bit much to say he was lucky, considering the injury that changed his life’s choices.

But Kim Byung-gyun thought Lee Jung-woo was definitely lucky.

It was the Braves who had a hole in the shortstop position, and it just so happened that the starting shortstop tripped over his own feet and was out of the game when Lee Jung-woo was at his best.

As a result, Lee Jung-woo was called up much earlier in June, contrary to the evaluation that he should aim for this fall or next year at the earliest, and now he has almost 80% of the starting shortstop position.

‘It would be really nice to have a guy like that….’

Kim Byung-gyun smacked his lips as he watched Lee Jung-woo’s unique quick defense based on his natural athletic ability.

He was a hitting coach, but even without thinking about hitting, Lee Jung-woo was a very desirable player.

Just having a shortstop like that would change the class of the team’s defense.

“Now that it’s come to this, should I just go for it?”

Kim Byung-gyun shook his head at the words he blurted out without realizing it, but his eyes were still fixed on the screen.

Lee Jung-woo, he hadn’t ruled him out.

Although he wasn’t playing in Korea, the fact that he was a young player and had not yet completed his military service would be a sufficient reason for fans to select him.

Frankly, his skills were better than most top-class professional baseball hitters from the demonstration game.

However, he didn’t have a career built up, and even though he was good, it wasn’t enough to break the habit of taking care of the domestic league.

He just kept it in his mind and didn’t include him in the preliminary roster, but he was a little tempted.

‘Now that it’s come to this, it might be better to get some results… to put it bluntly, isn’t he the best card? He’s a major leaguer, isn’t he? What better proof is there than that?’

The title of a current player in the Major League, which all baseball players admire, is enough to ignore other conditions.

At least it means he’s one of the best baseball players in the world.

‘Since he’s a player who’s getting a lot of attention, if I say I’m selecting him, I can water down the bad reactions.’

Political considerations were mixed in, and the plan became more and more plausible.

Kim Byung-gyun was tempted, but he shook his head.

‘I must be having a hard time. I’m thinking all sorts of strange things. He’s not even on the preliminary roster. It’s absolutely impossible. And there’s no guarantee that the Braves will send him.’

Thinking that, Kim Byung-gyun chuckled and watched the game purely with a light heart.

But soon his desire flared up again like an unquenchable flame.

Because Lee Jung-woo’s super play had broken out.

‘I don’t care, those are the kind of kids who should be on the national team. I’m going all in.’

####

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

As the batter came up, the Mets fans watched with anxious eyes.

“Please do well!”

“We can’t lose again!”

The batter, filled with their wishes, hit the ball thrown by starting pitcher Mason.

The ball, flying low, hit the mound directly and bounced up between third and shortstop.

Mason quickly reached out his glove, but the bounced ball went over him.

[He hit it! It’s a little low – the ball hits the mound and bounces up!]

[It’s possible enough… but we don’t know. We don’t know yet.]

It wasn’t as cool as they wanted, but it was enough to be a hit, so the Mets fans shouted enthusiastically.

But the player who had repeatedly cut off the Mets’ attack yesterday and today showed up again.

Lee Jung-woo, that is.

“Mikey!”

Staring intently at the floating ball, he started running.

He stared blankly and thought.

‘I can catch it. The ball speed is a little slow… if I do well, I can even make a double play.’

Once he had a rough estimate, he jumped towards the floating ball and shouted at the same time.

“Derek!”

“Throw it right away!”

Derek, already used to playing with him, seemed to have expected Lee Jung-woo to catch it.

He quickly covered second base, and Lee Jung-woo, hearing his voice, stretched out his arm and caught the ball, immediately rotating his body and throwing it as is.

[Lee’s super catch! Derek catches the throw and the runner is out! Throws to first base as is – the batter is also out! The Mets’ attack fails to break through the iron wall again. It comes to an end.]

[Yes, this is why I said we don’t know. It would have been a hit for a normal team. But the Braves have Lee.]

[Yes, that’s right. It’s the combination play between Derek and Lee, which can be said to be the Braves’ recent victory formula, that has unfolded properly.]

As the attack ended futilely again, the home crowd seemed to have lost their minds.

They laughed blankly or tore at their hair, expressing their emotions violently.

“You son of a bitch!”

“Oh, get out of here!”

“How many times is this, how many times!”

“Hitters, you freeloading bastards! Are you really going to get swept! At Citi Field!”

The sweep, which was only a concern, was getting closer and closer.

The Mets only had three innings left to attack.

The game score was already 8 to 1. There were still a lot of points left to catch up.

Fortunately, they avoided being shut out like the day before.

But if they lose the game in the end, that kind of thing doesn’t mean anything.

“Are you hurt anywhere?”

While they were shouting enthusiastically.

Lee Jung-woo, who was going down to the dugout after finishing his defense, asked Mason.

He asked because it would be a big deal if Mason, the team’s ace, was injured by a batted ball.

Mason smiled when he heard that.

“I’m fine. Are you okay? You jumped so high. Didn’t you sprain your ankle when you landed?”

“Well, I do it all the time. I’m fine.”

Lee Jung-woo shrugged his shoulders and rotated his ankle as if to show off.

As expected, it’s good to be young. If it was before the regression, his knees would have been a little sore even if he had landed properly.

Now he was just full of energy.

Even though he had been playing for six innings already.

Mason smiled and patted him on the shoulder when he saw that gesture.

“Yeah, thanks for blocking it well.”

“Let’s go comfortably until the 9th inning.”

“Well, I’m not as young as you. My body is already aching all over the place. So today is impossible.”

Whether he liked the good defense or not.
Mason expressed his joy by even making jokes that he had never made before.

But like he said, it was impossible for Mason to throw any more.

To be exact, it was impossible from the team’s point of view.

“Mason, let’s stop here. Let’s leave the rest to the bullpen.”

As soon as he entered the dugout, the pitching coach greeted him and said.

The score was an overwhelming 8 to 1.
The opposing team’s hitters had completely lost their sense.

There was no record at stake.

There was no need to waste the ace’s shoulder.

Mason would have thrown more if he had seen even a little bit of a sign.

But in the eyes of the Mets hitters he saw, there was no desire or anger for victory.

He just wanted the game to end as soon as possible.

He didn’t refuse.

Even if they were in good spirits, it didn’t seem like they would be able to overcome the strong bullpen.

“Yes, I’ll have to leave the rest to the bullpen. I’ll ice it.”

“Okay, you’ve worked hard. Watch comfortably from now on.”

Mason, who had easily shut down the Mets hitters, went down.

But that didn’t mean the game was over.
The Mets’ humiliation didn’t end there.

‘I have one at-bat left, or maybe I can come up one more time if I do well.’

Lee Jung-woo was still not satisfied.

Lee Jung-woo, who led the Braves to victory with 2 hits, 1 walk, and 4 RBIs in 3 at-bats in today’s game, wanted an even more overwhelming and certain victory.

‘If you push them down when they’re doing well, that momentum will continue. If they get completely destroyed in this game, it will affect tomorrow’s game.’

Before going out as the lead batter in the top of the 8th inning.

Lee Jung-woo armed himself with a grim mindset that would have terrified the Mets’ pitchers and fans if they had heard it.

He headed to his fourth at-bat.

Perhaps because he had a good record in today’s game.
The newly promoted relief pitcher looked down at him with a nervous face.

He took a deep breath and slowly moved his body to shoot the ball.

‘97 miles [~156 km/h]. The speed is high, but it doesn’t feel that fast.’

The ball thrown with a slow pitch that filled the pitch clock to the fullest was clearly fast, unlike the pitcher’s movements.

If you ask anyone, 97 miles is a fastball.

But from the hitter’s point of view, it wasn’t that threatening.

‘It’s only fast. The movement isn’t good either. The power is also low. He’s a player with a bad record… the Mets have basically thrown in the towel.’

Lee Jung-woo, who understood the opposing team’s bench’s intentions, tapped his helmet with his bat and took his stance again.

‘Okay, they sent me out to get hit, so I should hit hard.’

Lee Jung-woo looked at the outfield for a moment and thought about where to send the ball.

The outfielders also seemed to have decided to save their energy since the game was already tilted, so they didn’t do a defensive shift this time.

Everyone was in a normal position, so Lee Jung-woo’s choices became simple.

‘Let’s just pull it as usual.’

It’s not easy to go over because of the length.

But there are many places to send it thanks to the wide area.

Lee Jung-woo swung as usual without giving any variation to the ball thrown by the pitcher.

The ball that was hit properly stretched out to the outfield again.

‘It’s deep? If I do well….’

Lee Jung-woo, who was running on the base and chasing the ball with his eyes, licked his tongue once.

He sped up even more and ran across the ground.

Although it’s not a home run.

If he does well, he can deliver a perfect KO punch to the Mets.

“Run! Keep running!”

As if his judgment was correct.
The 3rd base coach gestured to him as if to come and shouted at him.

The Mets fans cursed at Lee Jung-woo, who had passed 2nd base.

“Fall over! Fall over!”

“Just trip over your own feet and fall down!”

“It would be nice if your legs were smashed at the same time!”

Despite their fervent prayers, God did not answer.

Maybe he loved Lee Jung-woo more than them.

The right fielder caught the ball that fell deeply and rolled to the sunken center-right fence unique to Citi Field and threw it.

But Lee Jung-woo achieved his goal.

“Good job, Lee. You’re so fast, why can’t you steal bases?”

“I wonder that too.”

The 3rd base coach patted Lee Jung-woo on the back as if he was admirable.

Lee Jung-woo smiled at those who were still venting their anger at him as if to show off.

It was simply a provocative meaning.

But he also had that much confidence.

The audience’s hearts seemed to drop at the smile that clearly revealed it and shut their mouths.

####

Mark called Lee Jung-woo like crazy early the next morning.

“Why? From early in the morning. Is there something going on?”

-Are you awake now? Then you haven’t seen the article?

“What article? Did someone have an accident? Is it our team?”

-No, it’s not the Braves. There’s a big fuss in Korea.

“Korea?”

Lee Jung-woo tilted his head.

Why is he telling me now that there’s a fuss in Korea?

What connection does it have?

He couldn’t understand.

Mark kindly explained to him.

-Three players who were on the Asian Games roster were caught drunk driving. One was driving. The other two who were in the car were said to have aided and abetted.

It’s a very shocking thing.

But it was still a story that had nothing to do with Lee Jung-woo himself.

But he had a good feeling for some reason.

Lee Jung-woo carefully asked.

“So? You’re not calling me just because someone in Korea was drunk driving, are you?”

-Of course not. It’s related to you too. One is a shortstop, and the other is an infielder utility.

“Then….”

-According to the media, you’re being mentioned as one of the replacements.

“Explain slowly and in detail.”

The drowsy mind that had just woken up was wide awake.

Lee Jung-woo was making a more serious expression than ever before.