Pitcher’S End, Batter’S Start [EN]: Chapter 86

End of Pitchers, Start of Hitters – Episode 85

After all the first-half games concluded, Major League Baseball entered its All-Star break.

But it wasn’t just a pause.

On the contrary, team front offices engaged in a strategic game, seeking to build an even stronger team for the second half of the season.

“Sir? A call from Pittsburgh.”

“Connect me.”

Teams with standout players were immediately flooded with calls.

Some proactively initiated contact or made offers.

However, teams content with their current roster and not eager to lose players found the inquiries unwelcome.

The Atlanta Braves and their General Manager, Pratt, were among the latter.

“Lowden, what’s up? If you’re calling to ask us to take it easy on you next time, I’m sorry, but I’ll have to decline.”

“I’m calling on business today. Pratt, is this a good time?”

“Well… I have a rough idea of what kind of business it is, but go ahead.”

Lowden, the general manager of the Pittsburgh Pirates, was one of the few GMs in the majors that Pratt genuinely got along with.

It was unfortunate that they were in the same league, but their different divisions made things easier.

Unlike other GMs who were just trying to fleece him.

At least Lowden knew how to stay within the bounds of reason.

But not today.

“I’ve been watching the Braves, and they’re really good, aren’t they? If you keep it up, you might even make it to the postseason.”

“Yeah, yeah, I know that better than anyone else, so get to the point.”

“If you want to keep being a general manager, Pratt, you need to start producing results now, right? Now is the perfect time.”

“So?”

“I’ll give you the best player in the league. Use him to win the championship this season.”

The only player that came to mind when you combined the Pirates and “best player in the league” was Vincent Harding, the Pirates’ current star hitter, nicknamed the “Flying Dutchman.”

The offer to directly mention him was quite tempting to General Manager Pratt, who didn’t particularly want a trade, but of course, it wasn’t free.

And the price was seriously high.

“Just give me Lee, Desmond in Double-A, Jake, Tyler, Dawson in Triple-A, and Porter and Cain in Single-A. I’ll wrap Harding up nicely and put him on a plane right away.”

“Oh~ that’s tempting, isn’t it? To get the best player in the league who will be a free agent next season! Uproot the farm system [minor league teams used for player development] that I’ve been working so hard to cultivate since I took office with my own hands? That’s a really beneficial offer! Very beneficial! It’s a really grateful offer, but… my answer is simple.”

Putting Lee aside.

‘Fuck You’ was on the tip of his tongue at the ridiculous offer to take only the core prospects, six of them, but General Manager Pratt barely held back and answered to get lost after softening it a little, feeling betrayed.

He never thought that even Lowden would make such a dog-like offer.

This is completely selling off all the future without leaving a single blade of grass.

What did he think of himself?

A fool who sells the team’s future for his own sake? Is that how he’s been seen all this time?

He felt dirty.

“Haa, everyone wants Lee. Even if there’s next year, I was going to collect a little more starting pitchers… damn it.”

It couldn’t be helped.

After being called up in June. He played 34 games during the first half.

He recorded 129 plate appearances, 103 at-bats, 48 hits, 13 home runs, 55 RBIs [runs batted in], 24 walks, 2 HBP [hit by pitch], and 2 stolen bases.

He recorded monstrous percentage stats of a batting average of 0.466, an on-base percentage of 0.474, a slugging percentage of 1.068, and an OPS [on-base plus slugging] of 1.542.

He was expected to achieve at least 20-20 this season [20 home runs and 20 stolen bases].

He was the best player in the first half.

On top of that, he was still seriously young at twenty-one.

Anyone with a brain would have no choice but to smack their lips.

But General Manager Pratt didn’t want it.

The moment he puts Lee on the market, everyone would bow down and give him all their players.

Lee’s value wasn’t just that much.

‘Unless I’m getting a shortstop with Gold Glove-level defense [award for best defensive player] and Silver Slugger-level hitting [award for best offensive player]. Unless I can use it for at least three more years. I can never sell Lee.’

Of course, prospects can fail at any time. Asians always have a tail that they are weak in durability.

General Manager Pratt only looked at the present.

From the moment he sells Lee, he will have to live under the threat of being seriously fired.

It would be better to open a new office in the city where the club that sold Lee is located and work there.

‘At least as long as he keeps doing well like now. Lee is an object to be recruited, not sold.’

Fortunately, General Manager Pratt wasn’t stupid.

Instead of immediate results.

To have him for longer. He prepared a proper reward for his performance so far.

“Is the work going well? Are there any problems? Did you ask Lee?”

“Yes, Lee’s agent says that he has a good relationship with his family. He talks to them once every two days. It’s just an ordinary family.”

“The seats? No problem?”

“We’ve assigned him the best seats with Lee. The same goes for the plane.”

General Manager Pratt, who had blown away the annoying offer, thought.

Of course, he was going to give him direct benefits.

I hope he likes this too. When I hand over the contract, whether it’s a free agent or an extension contract. To the extent that he would stamp it within a reasonable line.

As such, General Manager Pratt prepared a reward, but an unexpected reward also flew in.

“Sir?”

“What is it now? If it’s from another general manager’s office, just hang up.”

“No, it’s not that, but an official letter has arrived.”

“An official letter? What official letter? Is it the secretariat?”

General Manager Pratt tilted his head.

The secretariat usually doesn’t issue official letters unless there’s a huge scandal or an epidemic.

As far as he remembers, there hasn’t been anything like that recently.

So he asked his secretary, but soon he heard an unexpected answer.

“No, it’s not the secretariat, but it’s from Korea? The Korea Baseball Association.”

“Association?”

Why would the Korea Baseball Association send him an official letter?

General Manager Pratt still furrowed his eyebrows as if he didn’t understand.

Soon, he exclaimed, “Ah.”

Come to think of it, he hadn’t heard from them as expected, so he had half forgotten about it.

It seemed like what was coming had come.

“Bring it to me first.”

General Manager Pratt, who instructed his secretary, hoped.

I hope that Lee, whom he and the fans love so much, will shake off even the last shackle.

####

When the All-Star break came.

Most major leaguers enjoyed a short break.

Lee Jung-woo didn’t have time for that.

He had to fly straight to LA, where the All-Star Game was being held, with Derek, Joey, and the team staff who were going with him for the performance.

[Don’t overdo it. Take care of your body as much as possible. A $1 million prize is nothing to a player like Joey Fredman. If you calculate that friend’s bank interest, it’ll easily exceed $1 million, right? Oh, and don’t be too surprised later! :)]

After the plane took off.

Lee Jung-woo, who was rummaging through his cell phone in case there was any contact, found a message left by Mark.

Lee Jung-woo smiled at the joking words that seemed to be heard in his ear.

He soon tilted his head at the last words that he didn’t understand.

On top of that.

He had to hear similar words from Derek after getting off the plane.

After a long flight.

In the car heading to the hotel. Derek gave Lee Jung-woo a short piece of advice.

“It’s an exhibition game, but you should still pay attention. When you watch the plays of All-Star players when you’re young, sometimes you get a flash of realization.”

“Yes, I should.”

Lee Jung-woo agreed.

After the World Series benefits disappeared, the All-Star Game became purely an event game for the fans.

Players also played a little more loosely than in real games.

Still.

The play itself was high-level.

And if you watch such plays, it will remain in your head someday.

‘Well, in my case, I failed more often than that.’

Before the regression, I watched the All-Star Game and received something similar to inspiration or realization.

I imitated it.

There were many times when I suffered a setback.

But it’s different now.

My eyes have become sharper.

It was a different position from then.

My skills as a player were also different.

So even though he was leaving on a trip when others were resting.

Perhaps because of such expectations.

Lee Jung-woo didn’t feel particularly tired from this trip.

Derek, who smiled at Lee Jung-woo’s face, which showed a slight excitement, said something he didn’t understand.

“Oh, and don’t be too surprised when you go to the stadium later.”

“Surprised?”

Lee Jung-woo asked as if he didn’t know what he was talking about.

But Derek just smiled.

Joey seemed to know something, but he didn’t open his mouth.

Lee Jung-woo tilted his head in curiosity.

But he soon forgot about it.

If they didn’t tell him right away. I thought it wasn’t a particularly important matter.

But after entering Dodger Stadium, where the All-Star Game was held, Lee Jung-woo blamed himself for daring to think that it was not an important matter.

####

The day before the All-Star Game.

Lee Jung-woo entered Dodger Stadium with his party.

‘This is Dodger Stadium. It’s just like I saw on TV.’

Dodger Stadium, the home of the LA Dodgers, is a very familiar stadium to Koreans.

First of all, many Korean major leaguers played there.

Among them, there were people who were national heroes.

There was also a pitcher who gave Lee Jung-woo, who was young, a dream.

I had no choice but to be a little more familiar than other stadiums.

In the first place, the nickname of the Dodgers in Korea is Kookjeos [a portmanteau of “Korea” and “Dodgers”].

‘I’m a home run derby batting practice pitcher. But in the end, I’m entering as a pitcher.’

Lee Jung-woo, who entered such a stadium, felt a little strange.

When he was a baseball-obsessed kid, becoming a major league pitcher.

Entering this place, which I had always seen on TV, was one of his goals.

If a Korean Day is held.

I also had childish imaginations that I could only do because I was young, such as inviting my family and showing them a perfect game.

Such imagination has come true in a similar way now.

It’s not the way he wanted it.

But in this case, he entered as a pitcher.

“Is the Futures Game first?”

“Yeah, the Home Run Derby is after that.”

“Then, shall we get some practice in first?”

At Lee Jung-woo’s words, Joey and Derek seemed a little embarrassed.

He smiled awkwardly.

He shook his head.

“Let’s just watch comfortably first. We’ve already practiced to death, right?”

“Yeah, you must be tired from flying anyway. Just watch the game comfortably now. You have to help me in full condition.”

“Yes, well. Okay then.”

Lee Jung-woo, who nodded, soon entered the seating area following the guidance of the stadium staff.

But he parted ways with the two in the middle.

“Where are you two going?”

“I think the front office made a mistake in assigning tickets? Just watch the game comfortably first.”

Lee Jung-woo tilted his head at Derek’s still awkward answer.

But he didn’t care.

He was guided alone and headed to his seat.

Lee Jung-woo, who soon found his seat, apologized to the people in the next seat so that his large body would not bother them.

But his eyes, which were usually indifferent to the familiar voice, widened.

“Sorry, can I have a seat for a moment-”

“Yes, please sit comfortably-”

Lee Jung-woo’s head was spinning.

They were younger than he remembered.

A little, no, a lot younger.

Clearly, the couple in the next seat had the same face as his parents.

For a moment, he was terrified that he had seen a doppelganger.

Soon, the awkward reactions of other people and the meaningful words of Mark and Derek were connected to the situation.

I got the feeling.

‘Huh, you prepared this event.’

The club called.

My parents in Korea.

Usually, other players’ families visit the stadium during their debut game.

In Lee Jung-woo’s case, I heard that the schedule coordination was not good because his parents were in Korea, not the United States.

I somehow got over my birthday.

It seems that the club was worried about that.

I was worried that their prospect would not accumulate such trivial things.

But whatever the intention, Lee Jung-woo liked this gift quite a bit.

“How have you been? Father, Mother.”

“Hoo, it’s embarrassing to call me Father. Just call me Dad. Now that you’ve become a major leaguer, you’re even pretending to be an adult.”

“When I see you on the screen, you look like a big bear. When I see your face, you look thin. Are you eating well?”

“Thin, you’re a complete rock. The major league food must be different. You’ve become a rock, a rock.”

‘You’re both the same. Well, the actions themselves are what I remember.’

Before the regression, I didn’t even look for the people around me, let alone my parents, due to frustration and inferiority.

Even if we met, we would only create an awkward atmosphere.

I didn’t really talk to them.

Except for the young face.

This is what he remembered.

Lee Jung-woo, who smiled at his parents who looked at him with conflicting reactions, felt a little touched for a moment.

But I also felt a subtle emotion.

‘Hmm… it’s true that I came as a pitcher. My father and mother will see it. Something….’

The role he has to show his parents today is to hit as many home runs as possible, and that too quickly.

‘It’s a bit strange… well, the good is good.’

I tried to think so.

But the subtle feeling did not easily disappear.

####

The players selected for the Futures Game could be said to be prospective All-Stars.

At least as much as that ceiling, potential.

That’s why.

Even if it’s not a real All-Star Game.

There were many people who paid attention.

In particular, the scouts of each club paid more attention to this than the All-Star Game.

All-Star players can’t be recruited unless they’re free agents.

By that time, they’re mostly franchise-level players in each club, so they don’t easily come out as trade items.

Even if they do come out, the fact that an All-Star player has come out as an item means that they’ve declined.

“Do well! If you do well this time, you’ll be called up unconditionally!”

“I like you! Come to our team later! I’ll work hard to post on the club bulletin board!”

Of course, there were often cases where general baseball fans enjoyed the All-Star Game more.

Most of them adjust their stamina a little.

Because the Futures Game feels a little more enthusiastic than the All-Star Game, which has an atmosphere of playing lightly.

Also, they watched with the hope that a player with a promising future would come to their team.

While such a Futures Game was in progress, Lee Jung-woo was busy answering his father’s questions.

“That player over there is good. What do you think, Jung-woo? I want to hear some evaluations from our good major leaguer.”

“He’s a good player. First of all, his batting speed is fast. He attacks fastballs well. He also picks out low balls well.”

Whether it was the answer he wanted.

The father, who smiled satisfactorily, pointed to the pitcher who came up after the change of defense this time.

“How about the pitcher throwing now? His speed is good and his control is good. Well, he’s much worse than you, Jung-woo, in the past.”

“You should pay more attention to the pitcher who threw before that pitcher.”

“How can you, Jung-woo, a professional player, have less of an eye for players than I do? He’s throwing 100 mph and the one before was 90 mph. The speed is different from the start. Even the control seems to be good. If it’s 100 mph with control, even if the number of pitches is a little small, he’s much better.”

‘The 90-mph pitcher will later record 70 wins in the major leagues, and the 100-mph pitcher will record an ERA [earned run average] of Christmas (12.25) and will never be called up again.’

Lee Jung-woo appropriately answered the questions of his father, who usually enjoys watching baseball to some extent.

But for the sake of his father’s satisfaction.

Also, because there was nothing to explain.

I didn’t bother to bring up the story of the future.

The mother was fed up with the conversation between the two fathers.

I just ate the snacks that were set up in abundance.

It was then.

Lee Jung-woo was caught on the stadium camera and appeared on the screen.

[Oh? It’s Jung-woo Lee. One of the hottest rookies in the major leagues is watching the past and future competitors.]

[The two people next to you look like your parents, right?]

[Yes, their faces look alike. I think they’re his parents.]

[I heard that Lee will be working with Joey Fredman as a pitcher in the Home Run Derby today. It’s not an official game. Still, his son is finally seeing him go to the major league mound as a pitcher.]

The contrast between the player who had been a minor league player until a few months ago but had become a dragon and flew up and the future All-Stars watching it was quite interesting.

The commentators of the Futures Game heightened the tension a little and raised the atmosphere.

Dodger Stadium also had a short introduction from the stadium announcer.

There were faint applause from here and there.

In particular, people wearing Braves uniforms applauded the most enthusiastically.

Someday, Lee Jung-woo will not be a Home Run Derby pitcher like he is now.

He also whistled coolly, hoping to come as a real All-Star.

The parents were embarrassed by the sudden situation and looked around.

Soon, they had a happy expression.

Lee Jung-woo also shrugged his shoulders a little.

‘I’m only a major leaguer for a month and a half now. Still, it’s a world of difference.’

The applause and whistling were also nice to hear.

What impressed him the most was the gaze of the Futures players who were changing defenses.