Pitcher’S End, Batter’S Start [EN]: Chapter 79

After the pleasant(?) series against the Colorado Rockies ended, the players boarded the plane again, a little gloomy, for a four-game series against the San Diego Padres.

“Ah… I want to go home.”

“Which bastard scheduled this? I don’t know who it is, but they did a shitty job.”

The plane was as noisy as usual, but the players’ faces showed fatigue.

They were tired not only from playing at Coors Field, which is at a high altitude, but also because they had been on the road since the two-game series against the Nationals last month.

The players were extremely exhausted by that grueling stretch.

The dark future ahead frustrated them even more.

“It would be one thing if it were close… This time it’s San Diego, next is Milwaukee? What is this schedule?”

“Wow, I’m gonna puke. How many miles are we flying around this July?”

In response to Peterson’s exaggerated vomiting gesture, Popin replied with an annoyed expression.

“If you include the series after next, it’ll be about 8,000 miles.”

“This is the league office’s trickery.”

Lee Jung-woo, who was sitting quietly and meditating, couldn’t help but chuckle when he heard that.

He thought they were really being sent all over the place.

From Atlanta to Miami, then Denver, San Diego, Milwaukee, and back to Atlanta.

It was almost like they had circled the entire United States.

The players’ fatigue and frustration were inevitable.

‘It’s a relief that there’s the All-Star break. Otherwise, many would get injured.’

Lee Jung-woo was also taken aback by the relentless schedule, but he soon fell into other thoughts.

Something more important than that fatigue was on his mind.

‘My stamina is definitely fine…’

Since the second game against the Rockies, his batting timing had been a little off.

Even during the pre-batting warm-up, the timing was subtly off, and he was only making weak contact.

If it was a physical problem,

it would be a big deal for Lee Jung-woo personally, as well as for the Braves as a team, since the season was still long.

Fortunately, that wasn’t the case.

To be honest, he had never lacked stamina, even before his regression [referring to a past decline in his career].

But that’s why he was frustrated.

‘It’s not an injury either. My body is fine. No, it’s more than fine. This is the best physical condition I’ve ever been in.’

Because it was the major league,

he was receiving treatment that couldn’t even be compared to the care he had received before his regression.

His physical condition was the best it had ever been in his life.

So it’s not an injury.

‘Is it just accumulated fatigue?’

From the series against the Giants last month to the second game against the Colorado Rockies this time,

Lee Jung-woo had been starting and playing full-time.

It was a glorious thing, a symbol of winning the starting competition, but…

‘Maybe that’s why fatigue has been accumulating in my body little by little.’

It was the most plausible reason, but Lee Jung-woo just tilted his head because he didn’t really feel that way.

The problem that plagued him soon materialized and revealed itself in the next series.

####

“How’s your condition today? Are you at your peak again today?”

“Just so-so, average. Enough to hit a home run?”

The hitting coach chuckled at Lee Jung-woo’s jest, as if hitting a home run was a matter of course.

He was a player with a great sense of the game, having hit four home runs in the previous series alone.

So the joke even felt a bit realistic.

“Do you know that because of you, the number of cities where I can wear a Braves uniform is decreasing these days? Just hit one today. For our away fans.”

The Colson hitting coach, who also made a joke, patted Lee Jung-woo’s shoulder briefly and then turned his gaze away from him.

“But don’t put too much power into it. Just focus on the timing.”

“Yes, I’m just going to warm up a bit.”

Lee Jung-woo, who entered the batting cage, did some free batting to warm up.

He felt a refreshing sensation in his hands as he hit the balls from the pitching machine, but his expression gradually soured as he took more swings.

‘Something’s wrong.’

Crisp, long hits kept coming, but that was because it was a batting machine without any real pitching.

Something was bothering him.

What could it be?

When an unpleasant feeling crept up from behind and hit him in the back of the head,

“Lee! Get ready!”

Lee Jung-woo put down his bat at the voice calling him, but that didn’t make the strange feeling disappear.

It was just pushed back for a moment.

But it soon became apparent in the game.

####

[Lee Jung-woo is hitting again today! Lee Jung-woo’s RBI double!]

[His skills are truly on the rise. If he continues this, he might really be able to win the Player of the Month award this time.]

First game of the series against the San Diego Padres. He went up to bat in the top of the second inning.

The announcers showered Lee Jung-woo, who cleanly hit the pitch thrown by the pitcher and brought Peterson, who was on second base, home with plenty of room, with praise.

Adding words such as perfect, destructive, and effective.

In particular, in connection with the previous series, they also gave him the evaluation that his skills were on the rise, but Lee Jung-woo’s own thoughts were a little different.

‘I understand that it’s less extended because the Coors Field effect [referring to the ballpark’s reputation for high-scoring games due to its altitude] has disappeared, but the timing is just off. It’s a good thing the second baseman couldn’t catch it, or it would have been a ground ball double play.’

It was a double, a good result, but the batting timing was off again this time.

Even though it was a curveball that he loved so much.

If it was a different pitch,

he would have just let it go, but this was serious.

Because his greatest strength was his ability to adjust.

‘It was like this during free batting too… I think there’s something wrong…’

It was exactly like this when he did free batting as a warm-up before the game.

So, since it was happening even in the actual game,

Lee Jung-woo’s head became complicated.

He was lost in thought for a moment, but soon focused on the game again.

‘Well, the result is good, so let’s focus on the game for now.’

Lee Jung-woo thought so and moved on, but the next result was not good either.

“Damn it.”

Lee Jung-woo, who came up to bat for the second time, pulled the ball as usual when the expected ball came in, but unlike his expectations, the batted ball did not travel all the way to the outfield.

After hitting the ground in front of the plate, it rolled to the mound so that the pitcher could catch it easily.

Lee Jung-woo let out a low exclamation because he realized that the feeling was not good at the moment of impact.

Even so, he ran like crazy to avoid a double play.

[Ah, Lee Jung-woo hits into a double play. That’s a shame.]

[The bat timing was a little off, right? The swing trajectory was slightly high.]

Soon he had to leave the field with the runner.

Lee Jung-woo lowered his head slightly as if he was sorry, and Joey, who was the runner, waved his hand as if to say it was okay, but somehow the feeling was a bit strange.

‘A double play…’

He felt a strange feeling.

It was so long ago that he couldn’t even remember the last time he hit into a double play,

so the current result was unfamiliar.

‘I’ll watch it a little more, and if it keeps happening, I’ll have to contact Levin [likely referring to a coach or trainer].’

The thought that it might be the beginning of a slump crept into him.

####

Third at-bat.

Lee Jung-woo, who was walking in slowly, frowned at the catcher’s strange gaze at him.

He felt bad for no reason because it seemed like he was looking at him as if to say, ‘That’s what I thought,’ but he didn’t show it on the outside.

Lee Jung-woo, who stood at the plate with a calm face as usual, looked up at the mound.

Instead of the starting pitcher who had induced him to hit into a double play earlier, there was a new long reliever [a relief pitcher who can pitch multiple innings].

Lee Jung-woo knew him.

To be exact, he knew his future.

‘Ryan Otter. He came to the Hawks about six years later. He was the second starter at the time, but now he’s a long reliever who’s been pushed out of the starting competition.’

Enough to forget the unpleasant feeling.

He felt a sense of novelty.

When he was playing for the Hawks as a foreign pitcher, he was a second starter pitcher with a multi-million dollar salary.

He was mainly playing in the minor leagues.

Occasionally, he was a 1.5-level player who went up to fill the missing starting rotation.

There was a difference in position to the extent that they had never had a proper conversation.

But now that position has completely changed.

He met a long relief pitcher with an ERA [Earned Run Average, a measure of pitching performance] of 6 points, who could be sent down to the minors at any time, and a regular shortstop that everyone recognized.

Lee Jung-woo often felt a sense of déjà vu when he met someone he knew like this,

but he soon sorted out his emotions.

‘Let’s focus on the game now. The pitches are fastball, two-seam, slider. He also knows how to throw a knuckle curve… As I recall, he said he learned that just before coming to Korea. That’s a little disappointing.’

A three-pitch pitcher.

One pitch was missing from what he remembered, but the speed was faster than then.

The maximum speed is 148km/h, which is 91.9 miles, but let’s say 94 miles.

Of course, even if the speed is faster than then, considering his current skills,

it was certain that he was a pitcher he could handle.

Of course, that’s assuming his skills are normal.

‘There’s no such thing as unconditional in baseball, but I can still handle it if it’s normal. But…’

Lee Jung-woo swallowed and glared at the pitcher.

The pitcher frowned as if he was embarrassed by his behavior of being happy for some reason and then suddenly glaring at him.

He stared at him straight for a while and then threw the ball.

‘Is it a control disorder?’

The game was ambiguous.

Because he couldn’t figure out the pitcher’s control.

Lee Jung-woo couldn’t easily swing his bat at the ball that went in and out of the zone at will.

His patience and the pitcher’s wild throws created a full count [three balls and two strikes].

Lee Jung-woo felt that the time was coming.

‘He’s not in a good position right now. He wouldn’t want to walk [allowing a batter to reach first base after four balls] the first batter. At the same time, he’ll be conscious of my long hitting power. It’s a two-seamer [a type of fastball with slight horizontal movement].’

Lee Jung-woo, who predicted that, bounced his body once as a routine and then gripped his bat tightly.

Soon he watched the pitcher’s fingertips straight.

‘First, a fastball. I’ll hit it no matter what.’

A fastball that is packed tightly inside the zone.

Whether it was a two-seamer as expected.

Or, it wasn’t clear whether it was a four-seamer [a type of fastball with backspin], but it was clear that it was a fastball.

There’s no way he’d suddenly throw a changeup [a slow pitch designed to deceive the batter] that he hadn’t thrown throughout his career, even a changeup that he wouldn’t throw after a long time,

especially a changeup that was so good that it could be confused with a fastball.

“Hmph-”

Lee Jung-woo took a deep breath and swung his bat along the trajectory of the fastball,

matching the incoming fastball.

He swung it with all his might.

He longed to hear a clear sound of contact, and he felt the sensation in his hands properly.

But.

“Foul.”

The ball hit by the bat did not travel straight, but flew behind home plate.

‘The ball was pushed?’

Lee Jung-woo’s eyes widened.

He was embarrassed.

In fact, that’s how he felt inside, but on the outside, he was nothing but calm.

At least, there was a huge confusion in his mind.

He clearly predicted the ball properly, his batting speed was good, and the trajectory was perfect.

But the ball was pushed back.

Lee Jung-woo, who came out of the batter’s box slightly and swung his bat several times, soon tilted his head.

He wondered if he was simply losing strength, but when he did a practice swing again,

power was properly put into the bat.

Just like usual.

‘What the hell?’

Lee Jung-woo, who was rolling his eyes, soon came back to the plate at the umpire’s prompting.

He alternately hit the four-seam, two-seam, and slider that the pitcher threw after taking a deep breath.

He also hit it backwards once each.

“Aren’t you going out!”

“Just get out of here quickly!”

“Ah, you’re really wasting time!”

The spectators shouted at Lee Jung-woo, who had unintentionally committed a pitch count terror [forcing the pitcher to throw many pitches] with seven consecutive foul balls.

But it didn’t reach him.

‘Something’s wrong. This isn’t the feeling.’

Lee Jung-woo couldn’t come to his senses after coming to the plate with a troubled mind.

As a result, he couldn’t react to the last ball the pitcher threw.

“Base on balls. Batter on base.”

Lee Jung-woo, who was stiff, walked quietly to first base only after the umpire shouted.

“What’s your concept today? Playing Van Lingle Mungo [a reference to a baseball player known for his long at-bats]? Thanks to you, only the batters behind you will be happy.”

The first base coach praised him, presuming that Lee Jung-woo had done team batting without knowing his heart.

Soon, Lee Jung-woo’s serious expression made him realize something strange.

“Why? Is there something wrong? Did you hurt your wrist while swinging?”

At his low whisper, Lee Jung-woo also asked quietly so that the first baseman couldn’t hear.

He had a hunch.

“How was my swing when you saw it from here?”

“What do you mean how’s your swing? Is there really something wrong?”

“Just compared to usual. Is there anything different?”

“Not really?”

The first base coach, who was shaking his head, let out a short exclamation and then came to him and whispered.

“I’m not a hitting coach, so I don’t know the mechanism well, but it seemed like you were putting a little more strength into it than usual.”

“I knew it…”

Lee Jung-woo realized for sure at the first base coach’s answer.

The cause of the ordeal that had come to him.

“I think my swing got bigger because I hit a home run at Coors Field.”

“What? No, well, I guess that’s possible.”

Throughout his time playing at Coors Field, Lee Jung-woo almost only aimed for long hits.

In fact, he mostly only hit long hits.

He had four home runs alone.

So.

It seemed that he had encountered something of the kind that the batters who participated in the Home Run Derby experienced.

His swing became bigger to match the home run, and his batting mechanism was messed up.

‘There’s no easy fix for this. If there is, it’s time. This is difficult.’

Lee Jung-woo scratched the back of his head for no reason.

He would have to request video footage after the game to properly check his swing, but if that was really the case,

there was no easy fix for this.

There was nothing but to diligently maintain his batting form again and bat steadily.

“What are you going to do?”

“Well, it’s just ruined.”

The first base coach was even more surprised by the cynical reaction.

Lee Jung-woo was more calm than he thought.

He knew why he wasn’t batting well.

He knew how to go back to it.

He also knew that it was difficult right now.

There’s no need to focus on it.

Just focus on what you can do right now.

Fortunately, Lee Jung-woo had other advantages.

“I have a green light, right?”

“Almost. He told me to do it myself depending on the judgment.”

Whether he was trying to improve the timing of stealing bases, which was not increasing easily, through practical experience,

Lee Jung-woo had a green light on a regular basis [permission to steal a base whenever he sees an opportunity].

He wanted to use it.

Lee Jung-woo, who gave his gaze to the first base coach and the base running coach, soon widened his lead [the distance he takes off first base].

He looked around the entire ground as much as possible.

‘Since one of the original weapons is gone, I have to swing something else while I fix it.’

Even if the shortstop is good at defense, he is well treated.

Lee Jung-woo had no intention of being satisfied with just that.