Pitcher’S End, Batter’S Start [EN]: Chapter 92

Pitcher done, batter up – Episode 91

Jeff Shelton had to swallow his tears.

If he had continued his consecutive game home run record,

he might have been able to stand up to Lee Jung-woo to some extent.

But even that failed, so he had become a complete loser.

Even his competitor was defeated.

The wave Lee Jung-woo created was unstoppable by anyone.

The victory or defeat of the game,

the performance of both teams during the series,

predictions for the second half of the season,

the performance of key players, etc.

None of that caught people’s attention.

The overwhelming buzz started to sweep through Major League Baseball, no, the entire baseball world.

[Lee Jung-woo hits 4 consecutive home runs in one game! 8th record in Major League history!]

[Lee Jung-woo writes new history! Achieves 14-17 home runs in a single game!]

[Is America in a Lee Jung-woo syndrome? Arthur Hunt, ‘Not as good as me, but I honestly admit it’s amazing’]

[How did Lee Jung-woo become a slugger? The secret is constant effort!]

Korea was a given.

Not only sports media outlets, but even those without sports sections, reported on Lee Jung-woo’s news all at once.

After the game, Lee Jung-woo’s name was mentioned on the evening news that day.

All three major broadcasting stations, as well as comprehensive programming channels.

One article said that America was in a syndrome, but whether or not America was, it was certain that Korea had fallen for Lee Jung-woo.

[Let’s admit it now. Lee Jung-woo’s short-term impact is the best of all Korean major leaguers.]

[Not just Koreans. Even if you look at the entire history of the major leagues, this level of short-term impact is rare.]

[Wow, is that guy Korean? No, is that kind of power even possible for an Asian? 4 home runs in one game? Is he human?]

[It’s not just 4 home runs, it’s 4 consecutive. I thought he was crazy.]

Even netizens, who are usually picky about everything and criticize everything, couldn’t hide their admiration.

Some even focused on the post Arthur Hunt uploaded on SNS [Social Networking Service] after the game.

[LOL Arthur Hunt is famous for being so proud. That’s a huge compliment.]

[It’s not just a compliment. He’s never said that to Vincent Harding. For a narcissist to say that means he’s really awesome.]

[Wow… Lee Jung-woo succeeded. Did he hear Arthur Hunt say he’s amazing?]

There are not many people who don’t know Arthur Hunt, at least among those who watch baseball.

He, along with Vincent Harding, who has divided the current major league, praised Lee Jung-woo based on his standards.

Arthur Hunt, who usually does not hesitate to say that he is great himself, but is stingy with praise for others,

that he even said he was amazing was a great shock to those who knew him well. On the one hand, something indescribable tickled the inside of their hearts.

Yes, it was national pride.

[Kya~ I’m drunk on Lee Jung-woo…]

[Madam OOOOOOOOOOO!]

[Jumo! Drop the Beat!] (Jumo is a Korean slang term for middle-aged women, often used in a playful or teasing way. “Drop the beat” is a phrase encouraging excitement.)

[I’m not going home today! Close the shutters!]

The wave of national pride swept in like a tsunami, and people willingly accepted it.

Even those who had previously cursed or viewed Lee Jung-woo negatively,

especially because he was not a Korean professional baseball player, also, the bad talk about his selection for the Asian Games because he was still a rookie,

has now completely disappeared.

He not only covered up all the shortcomings with his skills, but completely erased them.

Now, none of the Korean baseball fans questioned Lee Jung-woo’s selection for the national team. Rather, they were busy praising the insight of the unknown national team insider who recommended him.

The reaction in Korea was literally explosive.

It was the same in the United States.

[Pratt, I’m serious. Write the contract right now.]

[We can still use it for 7 more years, but it’s good to grab it in advance if possible. A 30-year contract would be appropriate.]

[Did you see that? Cubs guys? What about Jeff Shelton? What about 3 consecutive home runs?]

[When Jeff Shelton hit 3 consecutive home runs, Lee replied like this: ‘Why bother dividing it into three games? You can hit four at once.’]

[The Cubs guys must be so embarrassed. They said all sorts of things, but they got crushed like this.]

For a while, Cubs fans were running wild, but not anymore.

There were no more Braves fans who had to shut their mouths and just endure when they talked about Jeff Shelton’s greatness.

His 3-game home run streak ended there, unlike the fans’ hype.

On the other hand, Lee, who had to endure a lot of ridicule, left a record that will go down in history.

And this did not simply end with fans saving records.

[Okay, who’s ROY [Rookie of the Year] now?]

[The only thing that makes other rookies more competitive than Lee is that they debuted earlier.]

[Everyone who said Lee should never win ROY, raise your hands, and slap yourself with it.]

[Lee gave the morons a good shot.]

ROY, Rookie of the Year.

Lee Jung-woo, who was only one of the challengers for such a glorious award, has now become the undisputed frontrunner.

Even though he admitted that he was good,
the public opinion that the Rookie of the Year award was impossible

was reversed in one shot.

Of course, there are many players with better cumulative stats than him.

Jeff Shelton, who was compared throughout the series and will now be compared forever, still has higher cumulative stats than Lee Jung-woo.

But among those competitors,

no one has shown this much impact.

I can say for sure that there is not a single person.

[Assuming the stats are similar, if a pitcher wants to win Rookie of the Year, he has to at least be perfect.]

[Batters will have to hit 4 home runs in one game, even if it’s not 4 consecutive.]

Of course, grades play the biggest role in winning the Rookie of the Year award.

Impact also plays a significant role that cannot be ignored.

Not only Major League Baseball fans, but even experts, now do not hesitate to put Lee Jung-woo’s name at the top of the Rookie of the Year candidates.

The odds on various gambling sites also rose sharply.

Not just Braves fans.

Other team fans also readily admitted it.

The landscape changed in an instant. A short article posted by a small local media outlet in Atlanta simply explained the current atmosphere.

[With 4 consecutive home runs in one game, Jung-woo Lee gained everyone’s recognition. At the same time as putting pressure on all his competitors, he confidently declared, ‘Want Rookie of the Year? Then beat this.’]

With just one game,

Lee Jung-woo became the top dog.

####

“I think you said we should talk about that after the season. We misunderstood- Ah, you want to sign a contract right now? Please wait a moment.”

“I’m sorry, but it’s not something that can be pushed through. Lee has to agree first- Yes, yes. Yes, then I’ll ask Lee. I’ll contact you again.”

“A talk show? It’s difficult because it’s during the season. Even the off-season period is determined by the player’s wishes, so it’s difficult to say for sure.”

Even as time passed,

the atmosphere did not calm down.

People talked only about Lee Jung-woo, to the point where they wondered if other players would be upset.

Some sports programs analyze his batting form.

They brought in past Major League legends to talk about why he is so good.

Most of them are nothing more than eulogies.

As a result, the agency office’s phone was always running at full speed.

There were so many calls.

Mark had to open more cell phones and make calls with four of them.

Everyone wanted Lee Jung-woo.

“Ah, it’s good to be alive. An agent should be this busy.”

“Aren’t you too busy? Calls keep piling up, so I think we need to hire more staff…”

Even at his subordinate’s grumbling, Mark laughed and enjoyed the joy.

There is a condition that Lee Jung-woo must say okay. Anyway, the schedule is already full.

Even if Lee Jung-woo fulfills only half of what he chooses,

Lee Jung-woo could sit on a pile of money. It was okay even if Atlanta didn’t give him a salary at all.

‘But the club is so eager to take care of him. I chose the right player.’

Mark once again admired his insight. He patted his knee.

In his opinion, all that was left for Lee Jung-woo was a smooth road.

He had already established himself in the team. He became an immovable starter to the point where there were no competitors.

He became a star that everyone was paying attention to and everyone wanted.

Even military service, which is the biggest obstacle for Korean players, has been virtually 80% resolved.

It was a situation where everything that could get in the way was swept away.

Mark only drew a rosy future.

“Mark, it’s a call. They want to do an interview, what should I do?”

“Where is it? Send it to me first.”

However, as the staff said, it was a bit tiring.

####

After the Cubs game,

Lee Jung-woo had to be closely checked in the game against the Cincinnati Reds.

[Yes, it’s another intentional walk. He didn’t even put his foot in the batting box.]

[The Cincinnati Reds are unconditionally blocking Lee, who is in good spirits.]

[It may be wise in a way. Anyway, regardless of his condition or batting sense, because you can block it unconditionally.]

[It may be a bit boring for the fans who were expecting it, but that’s baseball.]

“Is it automatic again?”

“You can rest too, right? Just walk quietly.”

Lee Jung-woo smiled helplessly.

He started as a starter in the first game of the series, as usual. The number of at-bats he returned to during the game was four as usual, but the time he actually entered the batting box was less than 1 minute in total.

“It’s too much.”

“It can’t be helped even if it’s too much. If you don’t like it, grab the commissioner’s pants and beg. Ask them to change the rules.”

Lee Jung-woo was dumbfounded.

After repeating it several times, he got used to it, so he walked to first base indifferently.

Today’s game was 4 at-bats, 1 hit, 1 hit, 3 walks.

The only swing he made during the game was when he hit the first pitch in the first at-bat.

“2nd base! Throw it quickly!”

“Safe!”

It was fortunate that he could at least steal a base, but even that was not very effective.

Unfortunately, Poppin, the next batter after Lee Jung-woo, did not have a very good batting cycle.

Behind him was the lower batting line, which lacked a home run.

Despite giving up a runner for free, Cincinnati did not give up a big run.

Although they lost due to the efforts of other top-tier hitters,

roughly speaking, Lee Jung-woo’s blocking method itself worked well.

“Wooooooooooo!”

“Hey! Hey, you X bastards! How long are you going to do that!”

“You X red bastards! Is this baseball!”

“Let’s be fair!”

Because it was the Braves’ home game,

the audience also showed a strong reaction.

They strongly criticized the opposing team.

It didn’t seem to have much of an impact on Cincinnati.

Even for those fans, the Braves were not just watching this.

They had to suffer helplessly in the first game. From the second game, they found a way to actively utilize the opportunities the opponent gave them.

####

“Joey Fredman at number 3 hitter, and Jung-woo Lee at number 4 hitter, James Peterson at number 5.”

The manager announced the starting lineup.

It was a lineup that was roughly expected, but a bit awkward.

The players turned their eyes and glanced at one side of the locker room.

Their eyes reached Lee Jung-woo and Peterson.

“Oh~ Lee has made a name for himself. Peterson, you must be feeling a little bitter?”

“Kya~ Our youngest has finally made it that far. He passed all the seniors and became the cleanup (4th hitter).”

When the players teased him, Lee Jung-woo just shrugged his shoulders.

Peterson snorted with a nonchalant expression.

He had already heard the story in advance. He didn’t have much emotion.

“I’m not that petty, and this is all a strategic decision, you ignorant guys.”

The Braves’ answer was this.

By pulling Lee Jung-woo a little and putting him at number 4 instead of number 5,

instead of Poppin, whose batting cycle has dropped, Peterson, who is still doing well and reliably producing RBIs [Runs Batted In], is placed as the next hitter after Lee Jung-woo.

Also, by placing hitters with good batting average and on-base percentage, such as Derrick or Rollins, in front of Lee Jung-woo,

it also has the effect of suppressing them from easily skipping it.

The answer they found had a pretty good effect.

“Are you going to skip it again today? You’re going to get in trouble with Peterson if you do that? There has to be a limit to ignoring people.”

“Just go to first base.”

“Yeah, I’m going to go anyway because it’s a walk, but I clearly warned you.”

The sight of openly skipping the hitter in front of him stimulated Peterson.

He bombarded Cincinnati with his gorilla-like heavy body.

[Peterson swings! He hit it properly, and he’s going! Yes, he’s going far away! Home run!]

[James Peterson hits a three-run home run. He punishes Cincinnati for daring to ignore him!]

[The score is now 13 to 2. Peterson alone scores 7 RBIs. He leads the team to victory.]

The answer the Braves found was a great success.

That soon led to a breakdown of the blocking method.

As long as the hitter behind him receives the RBIs well, skipping him, who is also fast, is just increasing the score the opponent will score.

Cincinnati, realizing that, did not skip him in the last game.

Lee Jung-woo relieved the frustration he had to hold back during the previous two games.

“Ha, now it feels like baseball.”

“Be quiet and focus on the game.”

“Yes, I have to. What a grateful opportunity. I have to focus.”

Lee Jung-woo, happy with the game itself, ignored the gruff catcher’s words at the opportunity that came after patience.

It was a very short time.

He realized how frustrating and annoying it was to just stand by and do nothing during the game.

That’s why Lee Jung-woo enjoyed the precious opportunity 120%.

To the extent that Cincinnati was confident in the method they had found.

“Thank you!”

Lee Jung-woo, who swung his bat while shouting unexpected words like a battle cry, kicked the ground with a bright face he had never shown before.

Unfortunately, it didn’t go over the fence, but the ball passed the right fielder and rolled deeply.

It gave Lee Jung-woo and the runner enough time.

[He hit it! It flies far, but not enough to go over. But the speed of the ball is quite fast.]

After passing second base, he advanced one more space at the third base coach, who was waving his arms like crazy, and stepped on third base.

Lee Jung-woo was panting several times with his upper body bent over because he ran so hard.

It was quite difficult, but his face was full of bright smiles.

‘Getting on base for free is good, but the best is the result I made with my own hands.’

Feeling that once again,

Lee Jung-woo recalled the importance of the plate.

To the infielder who tasted his hand again, the Cincinnati Reds team looked like a prey.

It also felt like a fresh prey with blood dripping from it due to its bright red symbol.

Lee Jung-woo licked his lips.

Cincinnati thought again.

Their method was right after all.