Pitcher’S End, Batter’S Start [EN]: Chapter 70

End of Pitcher, Start of Batter

Lee Jung-woo stepped up to the plate in the 9th inning, adding another RBI to his record.

With an incredible performance of 3 hits, 1 home run, 2 RBIs, 2 walks, and 1 stolen base in 5 plate appearances, he was rightfully selected as the MVP.

He was, in effect, the player who turned the tide of this game.

Perhaps it was the obvious outcome.

“It’s becoming quite familiar now. I’ve seen it so many times. You’ve been selected as the MVP again. How do you feel?”

“I’ve been selected so many times that I don’t really have anything special to say. I’ll just say something typical. I’m happy that the team won and that we’ve moved up to second place.”

“Haha, you’re getting more humorous. You’re considered the frontrunner for this week’s Player of the Week. What are your thoughts?”

“The award itself would be great, but I think it’s an honor just to be competing with such amazing players. And honestly, I think I’m going to win.”

Unlike his usual stiff demeanor during interviews, Lee Jung-woo now even joked around, causing the reporter to smile and continue the interview.

‘Come to think of it, this is America, isn’t it? I should tailor my interviews to where I am.’

Being humble is good, but America prefers someone who confidently states their ambitions.

Much like what they expect from heroes in movies or comics.

They want a similar image from their sports stars.

Knowing this, Lee Jung-woo conducted the interview as a form of fan service.

And, to be honest, there was some sincerity in it.

‘I did play well. From the Giants game until now, I’ve definitely done enough to be Player of the Week.’

Frankly speaking,

No one in the National League has come close to Lee Jung-woo’s performance this week.

I can say that with certainty.

Of course, there are a few players with somewhat similar batting stats, but Lee Jung-woo had something they didn’t.

The title of ‘a shortstop with great defense,’ which is enough to make a name for oneself in the major leagues.

Combined with the hot streak he’s been on since the Giants game.

His selection as Player of the Week was almost a given.

[ATL) If Lee doesn’t get it, they should just abolish it. He’s been playing out of his mind.]

[WAS) I don’t really like the Braves, but I have to admit, his performance is insane.]

[PIT) Are you guys talking about someone other than Harding? I don’t know how well that kid has been doing, but it has to be Harding.]

[ATL) Is your Harding a shortstop? Does he have a 100% fielding percentage? If so, then I’ll acknowledge it.]

[LAD) Why are you guys like this? Let them enjoy it. He’s going to leave next year anyway. They should enjoy it while he’s here.]

[ATL) What Lee should be aiming for isn’t just Player of the Week, but Rookie of the Year.]

In reality, the reactions of National League fans weren’t much different.

Everyone wants their player to be glorified, but they need something to argue with.

This was just too overwhelming.

Only the Pirates fans pushed for their pride, Harding, but they were quickly suppressed.

The atmosphere leaned towards Lee Jung-woo winning, and the actual result was the same.

####

“Huh?”

“What’s wrong? Don’t you like the food?”

“Ah, it’s not that. I’m apparently the Player of the Week.”

Lee Jung-woo furrowed his brow as he checked the messages on his loudly buzzing phone.

They were congratulatory messages from acquaintances, all celebrating his Player of the Week award.

Seeing this, Lee Jung-woo smiled and put his phone down again.

He was very happy, but since it was something he had already expected, he wasn’t overly thrilled.

“Oh! Congratulations, Lee. Or, was it obvious? You must have played incredibly well. Still, that’s really amazing. Why don’t you aim for the Rookie of the Year award while you’re at it? I think it’s possible.”

“Congratulations, Lee.”

However, Derek in the front seat congratulated him as if it were his own accomplishment.

His wife, sitting next to him, also smiled brightly and clapped briefly.

The child, sitting separately in a child seat, giggled, sensing their parents’ joy.

“By the way, I never expected to be treated to such a wonderful meal.”

“I earned it thanks to you, didn’t I? It’s a bit late, but this is to celebrate your birthday as well. It has to be this much. Although, there’s one more thing to celebrate now.”

“I don’t know if the food suits your taste. I’m still lacking.”

“No, it’s really delicious, Mrs. Hunter. Can I have another serving?”

“Of course! As much as you want. Wait a moment.”

After returning to Atlanta, Lee Jung-woo was invited to dinner by Derek.

When he hit the splash hit [a long hit that scores multiple runs], Derek had promised to treat him grandly, and he invited Lee Jung-woo to his home.

Instead of eating the meals provided by the team or buying food at restaurants near his rented house,

Lee Jung-woo, who had a hearty home-cooked meal for the first time in a while, was satisfied with the dinner.

And not only his stomach but also his heart felt full.

“Oh, our princess. Are you done eating? You’ve got it all over your face. Daddy will wipe it off.”

‘That’s nice to see.’

Starting as a campus couple,

Derek, who eventually formed a family and had a child, seemed like he was looking at an ideal family.

It was a bit unfamiliar to Lee Jung-woo.

For him, who couldn’t let go of his attachment to failing baseball and was obsessively focused on it, romance and family were too distant.

It was already difficult for him to focus all his attention on baseball,

He was too lacking to find family or love on top of that.

“Aren’t you envious? You look really envious.”

Perhaps he didn’t expect to hear such an honest answer to his question.

Derek chuckled awkwardly and then asked with a lecherous uncle-like expression.

“So, do you have anyone?”

“Me?”

“You’re at your prime age. You’re not ugly, you’re handsome. Don’t you have anyone you’re seeing or anything like that?”

“No, I don’t. I don’t have time for that.”

“What about the new reporter girl? You got her number, didn’t you?”

“She’s not my type.”

Lee Jung-woo said bluntly, and Derek muttered that he was a boring guy.

Then, with a serious expression, he advised.

“Honestly, as a captain, I really like that you’re focused on baseball, but as a senior in the same industry, I’m a little worried. It’s good to work hard, but you need other outlets to breathe. You can’t just do baseball your whole life.”

Lee Jung-woo nodded.

Like he said, Lee Jung-woo himself lacked that outlet to breathe.

He didn’t know how to make one.

At least before his regression, his hobby was occasionally chugging bottles of soju [a Korean distilled beverage], but there was nothing else.

‘I didn’t have the luxury.’

It was always a series of anxieties.

If he got released again, he would have to find another team,

And to do that, he needed a minimum level of skill.

He was always focused on training.

And that was the same even now.

Although the situation had changed a lot, a sense of anxiety still remained in his heart,

And he also had a desire to do better.

He always spent his time living a life that was no different from before his regression.

But he also knew that he had to change eventually.

Because people need to rest a little in the end.

“Of course, I know you’ve been through a tough time, but you’re a major leaguer now, Lee. You’ve secured a starting position. So now you need to find stability. Have some leisure.”

At Derek’s sincere advice, Lee Jung-woo just gulped down water.

Considering his age before the regression, he was talking to someone much younger than himself,

But something resonated with him.

“After I’m somewhat satisfied, I’ll have to look for it. For now… I’m just going to focus on baseball.”

“Okay, if that’s what you think, then you should. Just win the MVP.”

Lee Jung-woo smiled briefly at Derek, who was trying to change the atmosphere playfully.

This meal was satisfying.

As always, Lee Jung-woo still wanted to focus more on baseball, but he also kept the next step in mind.

Because he had changed.

Like Derek said, he was now a major leaguer, a starting player.

Not a backup pitcher who was being released here and there.

‘Leisure….’

####

“Kahahahahahahahaha.”

“Are you still laughing?”

President Pratt’s laughter echoed loudly in his office,

And even with his assistant’s disgusted look, he couldn’t stop laughing.

He had been drinking soda lately, but yesterday he felt like he had drunk a whole truckload of it.

Even though he had enough money to chew up and swallow most major league owners, the owner was always dissatisfied with the team, even though he didn’t invest well.

He was put in charge of a team with a rebuilding mandate, a money-guzzling hippo [referring to the team’s financial burden], a shortstop who couldn’t produce runs, a weak starting lineup, and a broken farm system.

Ironically, the owner was hinting that he would fire the president for poor performance.

All the time he was in office.

But for the first time, there was a positive reaction.

He felt like a long-standing indigestion was going away.

“Ha, ha. Ha… Whew.”

President Pratt, who had been rolling around for a long time, finally stopped laughing as his stomach pulled.

He had been happy enough, now it was time to work.

“Have you calmed down a bit now?”

“Yeah, I feel better after laughing a bit.”

“Then tell me the result? Go? Or Stop?”

“Go. They told me to proceed no matter what. They even said they’d invest a bit for once.”

President Pratt’s eyes sparkled.

The owner’s satisfaction and the president’s encouragement.

Of course, he wouldn’t be so happy if it was just that.

What really made him happy was their support.

President Pratt didn’t just want to rebuild in Atlanta and leave.

At least for the sake of his career and reputation,

He wanted to create tangible results during his tenure.

So, while diligently gathering prospects,

He always made plans and sent them upstairs,

But the result was always NO, rejected for lack of certainty.

To put it bluntly, President Pratt was nervous.

When the FA [Free Agent] market opened at the end of this season,

Monsters who dominated the league would come out,

And even if they weren’t as good, there would be a lot of big names who could become the team’s pillars.

If he couldn’t aim for that time,

The Braves’ leap forward would be virtually impossible.

That’s why he was trying to persuade them somehow, and then they jumped to second place.

They swept two series in a row.

So now the higher-ups were convinced.

The Braves had really changed, and the constitution was almost finished.

The team president called him right after the game ended.

He would give him plenty of support.

The owner also said OK.

“I was worried about how to persuade them, ha. You never know what will happen in the world.”

“You’ve shown a clear core, so you’ve gained persuasiveness.”

“Yeah, that’s right. Lee made things easier. Tell the scouting team and the power analysis team to keep writing up the recruitment list. Tell them to watch with their eyes peeled. I said they can exceed the luxury tax [a penalty for exceeding the salary cap] if they can really win the championship, but I still have to crunch some numbers.”

President Pratt thought of Lee Jung-woo as the angel of fortune that God had sent him.

The sore spot that was sure to become his mistake suddenly switched to a hitter.

Because he cleared all the obstacles.

The fans who had been boiling since he appeared were patient,

The immediate results were good,

And the team’s income, such as uniform sales, increased.

Eventually, even the higher-ups let go.

“Let’s proceed as planned.”

President Pratt, who smiled, ignored the now familiar ringtone.

These guys can’t stand to see anyone happy and always try to ruin it.

“At this point, you’re trying to annoy me on purpose, right? I’d rather die than give up Lee….”

“Oh, speaking of Lee, I remembered something. There’s talk going around.”

“What talk?”

President Pratt tilted his head at the sudden remark and then nodded as if he understood.

“Ah~ what about the Asian Games? Is that just for Korean fans? The association hasn’t even asked for him yet, right? That’s just public opinion, ignore it.”

Of course, if an offer came, he would be happy to send him.

It would take a little less than a month.

In the meantime, the team’s performance would be slightly affected by Lee’s absence,

But he wasn’t aiming for the championship this season anyway.

And if Lee got his military exemption [mandatory military service in South Korea], the team would be relieved early on.

Anyway, if he maintained his current performance, he was definitely going to stay with him until the end.

But it didn’t feel like they really wanted it.

It wasn’t being done seriously, and there was no offer.

President Pratt was lukewarm, but

The assistant shook his head as if that wasn’t the case.

“No, not that, but the Rookie of the Year award. There’s talk about that too. The fans seem to be expecting it.”

Rookie of the Year

President Pratt’s eyes widened when he heard that.

That’s a different story.

“Rookie of the Year? Didn’t they say it would be difficult originally? Because he debuted late.”

“That’s true, but his performance is so good, isn’t it?”

Until now, Lee Jung-woo’s challenge for the Rookie of the Year award was absurd.

It wasn’t because he wasn’t good, but because he had too little time.

The other competitors had already started playing in April, but Lee Jung-woo started a month later.

That’s why it was only talked about occasionally among Atlanta fans.

The other teams were just laughing, but now the atmosphere has changed.

“Is that so? Let’s see, Lee’s stats….”

President Pratt’s eyes widened as he checked Lee Jung-woo’s stats.

He already knew he was good, but it felt different when he saw the stats directly.

Lee Jung-woo, who played in a total of 18 games from the Phillies to the recent Mets game, had 25 hits, 8 home runs, 29 RBIs, 10 walks, and 1 stolen base in 62 plate appearances.

The ratio stats were a batting average of 0.481, an on-base percentage of 0.486, a slugging percentage of 1.365, and an OPS of 1.851.

There were many games he didn’t play in, and among the games he did play in, there were quite a few games where he came on as a substitute.

Because the sample was small, the overall stats were excessively high,

But the slugging percentage, which was well over 1, and the overwhelming RBIs showed how monstrous Lee Jung-woo’s performance had been during June since he was called up.

In particular, the perfect fielding percentage recorded as a shortstop was also amazing.

“Huh, if I had known this would happen, should I have pushed him harder from the beginning? If he had played a little more, he could have beaten Harding and won Player of the Month?”

“The number of games played is small, so it’s undervalued, but it’s still crazy stats.”

“Rookie of the Year… if there’s a possibility, we should let everyone know. Lee has already set the stage, so we should take advantage of the momentum and push him all the way?”

President Pratt immediately contacted the PR team.

A prospect that fans love is challenging for the Rookie of the Year award.

It’s right for the team to benefit from it and promote it.

Therefore, as Lee Jung-woo confidently joined the Rookie of the Year race,

The battlefield, which was already chaotic due to the proliferation of various prospects, underwent a new change due to the emergence of a new challenger.

Pitcher’S End, Batter’S Start [EN]

Pitcher’S End, Batter’S Start [EN]

투수 끝, 타자 시작
Status: Completed Author: Native Language: Korean
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[English Translation] Imagine a life spiraling downwards, hitting rock bottom in the most agonizing way possible. Now, picture a second chance, a clean slate to rewrite your destiny. 'Pitcher's End, Batter's Start' plunges you into the heart of this transformative journey. Witness the rebirth of a shattered soul as they trade the mound for the plate, embarking on an entirely new path filled with unexpected challenges and thrilling possibilities. Will they rise to the occasion and conquer their past, or will the weight of their previous failures hold them back? Prepare for a gripping tale of redemption, resilience, and the unwavering pursuit of a brighter future.

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