A Rookie In The Baseball Team Is Too Good [EN]: Chapter 69

The Baseball Team’s New Recruit Is Too Good – Episode 69

Chapter 19: The Heart of the Watcher (4)

The game was in the bottom of the 8th inning.

Two outs, runners on first and second.

Ryu Jang-ho stepped into the batter’s box.

“…….”

In this game, Ryu Jang-ho had already gone 3-for-4 with 5 RBIs before this at-bat.

He was on fire, so to speak.

It was no surprise that the opposing battery [pitcher and catcher] was reluctant to throw him good pitches.

Whoosh- Pow!

Whoosh- Pow!

Two consecutive balls.

The pitches were so far outside that no batter could reach them, so Ryu Jang-ho tapped his cleats with his bat and said to the catcher,

“Are you sure about this?”

He said this while still looking at the pitcher.

“The next batter is senior Chun Jin-woo. With two outs and the bases loaded, the batter is Chun Jin-woo… If I were the catcher, I wouldn’t want that situation.”

“……Damn it.”

The opposing team’s catcher grumbled.

He reached between his legs to send a sign, looking at Ryu Jang-ho with resentful eyes.

“Tell me honestly. Did you pick up trash in front of the stadium today?”

The pitcher silently shook his head, seemingly not liking the sign.

The catcher moved his fingers again, muttering to himself.

“Or did you help an old woman carrying heavy luggage? How else would you get so many RBI opportunities every time you come to bat?”

It was a common joke among players to a teammate who was particularly lucky.

Did you pick up trash in front of the stadium?

Did you help someone in need?

If not, how could you be so lucky…? That was the gist of it.

Whoosh- Pow!

While those jokes were being exchanged, the opposing pitcher’s third pitch passed through the strike zone.

When the umpire called, ‘Strike!’ Ryu Jang-ho said with a nonchalant expression,

“I always pick up trash.”

“……Huh?”

“I heard that you play well if you do good deeds… So, from my pro debut, I never ignore any trash I see.”

“Wh-What did you say?”

The opposing team’s catcher looked at Ryu Jang-ho with a dumbfounded expression.

He found it a bit funny that Ryu Jang-ho was taking the players’ jokes so seriously.

On the other hand, he was also a little scared of Ryu Jang-ho, who wouldn’t dismiss even nonsense for the sake of good results.

“Th-Then what about today?”

The opposing team’s catcher felt a slight chill and continued,

“If you’ve always picked up trash… Why are you getting so many RBI opportunities today?”

“I wonder.”

Ryu Jang-ho closed his mouth tightly after saying that.

Because the pitcher on the mound was going into his set position.

The count was 2-1.

Considering that the next batter was ‘Bases-Loaded Maniac’ Chun Jin-woo, the pitcher would definitely try to throw a strike here.

‘If I’m aiming… it’ll be that pitch.’

His chin was completely buried in his shoulder.

His bat was gripped lightly.

The KH Cannons’ genius batter quietly watched the opposing pitcher’s movements.

“Eughraaah!”

The opposing pitcher, as if trying to break through the crisis of two outs and runners on first and second with his powerful pitching, let out a shout from deep within his stomach.

The white ball that left his rough fingertips spun rapidly and rushed toward the lowest part of the strike zone, and at that very moment.

Whoosh-

Ryu Jang-ho’s bat seemed to spin violently, making a sound as if tearing through the air,

Crack!

What followed was a refreshing sound of the bat hitting the ball, and a line drive that stretched out toward the right fielder.

-Ah! This hit is big! Very big! But is the course a bit ambiguous?

Everyone at the stadium craned their necks like meerkats, following the trajectory of the ball.

-Is it foul or fair! Where is this hit going…

Thwack-

The next moment, what echoed through the KH Cannons Field was the sound of the ball hitting the yellow foul pole.

-It hits the fence directly! Ryu Jang-ho’s 13th home run of the season!!! Ryu Jang-ho is finishing today’s game with a tremendous performance with a home run off the fence!!!

Wow!!!

Wow!!!

Wow!!!

The KH Cannons Field was heating up.

In that furnace-like atmosphere, Ryu Jang-ho silently rounded the bases.

Ryu Jang-ho!

Ryu Jang-ho!

Ryu Jang-ho!

The field was filled with the voices of fans chanting Ryu Jang-ho’s name, but there were those who welcomed him with even louder voices.

“Ryu Jang-ho! You greedy bastard!”

“In the end, you went past 7 RBIs to 8 RBIs! You terrifying guy!!!”

The Cannons’ teammates were already back at home plate, waiting for him.

As he was about to return to the dugout, high-fiving them, the opposing team’s catcher picked up his helmet from the ground and handed it to Ryu Jang-ho.

“Hey, next time, take it easy on us.”

A bit of resentment.

And also a very slight congratulations.

A word containing such meaning.

“Ah, yes.”

Ryu Jang-ho slightly bowed his head and took the helmet.

Then, as if he suddenly remembered something, he looked at the opposing team’s catcher and opened his mouth.

“I think it’s also because I’ve been good to my teammates these past few days.”

“What are you talking about?”

“You asked me earlier. Why am I getting so lucky with RBIs today?”

Looking at his teammates waiting for him in the dugout, Ryu Jang-ho smiled, revealing his white teeth.

“I’ll have to be even… nicer in the future.”

* * *

One home run off the fence and 8 RBIs on 4-for-5 hitting.

About an hour had passed since Ryu Jang-ho achieved the incredible record of surpassing the ‘7 RBIs per game’ promise he made with Arthur Freeman.

Ji-seop was sitting in the manager’s office, translating the conversation between Arthur Freeman and Seo Chang-gi, the general manager.

“I think we’ll have a rough guideline by next week.”

The reason Seo Chang-gi visited the manager’s office today was because of the rookie draft this season.

The rookie draft itself was still a long way off, but from the team’s perspective, they had to draw up a list of potential players to nominate in advance.

“Once the list is out, we plan to have a meeting with the scouting team. I’d like the manager to attend at that time… Would that be alright?”

“Of course. It’s a meeting that will determine the future of the team, so it would be an honor if I could attend.”

He was translating diligently between the two, but in fact, Ji-seop’s heart was pounding at this time.

Arthur Freeman’s promise to ‘exempt him from all fan service if he gets 7 RBIs in a game’.

If Seo Chang-gi knew about that promise, he would definitely nag him.

‘Why did you make such a promise? Don’t you know how important Jang-ho is to our team?… The nagging would be no joke.’

If it were a Korean manager, it would just be a squabble between the manager and the general manager.

However, since the manager was a foreigner, the complaints could come back to Ji-seop.

Fortunately, the conversation between the two was quite long that day, and it seemed like the story related to Ryu Jang-ho would not come out-

“Ah, Kim Ji-seop!”

An uneasy premonition never fails.

Immediately after sending Arthur Freeman away in the car, Seo Chang-gi sent Ji-seop a resentful look.

“What is the manager thinking of doing? Did he say anything about it?”

“Yes? About what…”

“Ryu Jang-ho, I’m talking about Ryu Jang-ho.”

As he said that, Seo Chang-gi rummaged through his jacket pocket.

It seemed like he wanted a cigarette because he was thinking about Ryu Jang-ho.

“From my position, I can’t tell the manager and the player what to do about their promise. So I have no choice but to ask you.”

Seo Chang-gi clicked his tongue.

“He scored 8 RBIs today, so Jang-ho’s personality will definitely be that he will not participate in fan service from tomorrow… I’m curious about what you’re going to do in the future.”

“Ah, that is…”

Ji-seop also smiled bitterly.

He knew Ryu Jang-ho’s skills, but he never expected him to get 8 RBIs in a game.

“The game ended a bit late today, so there was no special team meeting. But according to the manager, he is planning to announce Jang-ho’s fan service exemption at tomorrow’s pre-game meeting…”

“So that’s how it’s going to be.”

Seo Chang-gi squeezed his eyes shut.

“The manager seemed to highly appreciate Jang-ho’s changed appearance.”

“Changed appearance?”

“Yes, during this 7-RBI challenge… Jang-ho took care of his teammates a lot, unlike usual.”

He gave various advice to his teammates who were in a slump.

He also slipped into meetings with the coaching staff and nagged the younger players to concentrate.

“Isn’t Ryu Jang-ho called the best hitter in the team? Because that guy was paying attention, the other players’ reactions were very good. The manager thinks that Jang-ho’s role was significant in breaking the losing streak this time.”

“Huh, that guy who only thought about his own baseball… He took care of his teammates’ condition? Well, I’ll be damned.”

Seo Chang-gi nodded slowly.

His expression brightened a little.

If Ryu Jang-ho, who only knew himself, started taking care of his teammates, it might not be a big loss even if he couldn’t ask him for fan service.

“Then let’s go with this year… Should I put some options on him during next year’s salary negotiations?”

Seo Chang-gi said, chewing on a cigarette that he hadn’t lit yet.

“If he participates in more than a certain number of fan events held by the club, we’ll give him a little more bonus… Then wouldn’t that guy show some enthusiasm? Jang-ho likes money, too, right?”

It’s not easy to teach young players the importance of fan service.

In this case, it’s better for the club to offer appropriate ‘carrots’ [incentives].

Seo Chang-gi seemed to have judged that way.

“Baseball is baseball, but it’s not easy to match the players’ moods… Hmm?”

But right then, a shadow came into the sight of the two people who were returning to the baseball field.

“Isn’t that… Jang-ho?”

“Yes?”

Ji-seop, who was turning his gaze to the side Seo Chang-gi was pointing at, widened his eyes.

“I think it’s Jang-ho.”

Ryu Jang-ho was standing near the entrance from the baseball field to the parking lot.

In fact, that alone might not have been so surprising.

Anyway, the game was over, and Jang-ho had to find his car to go home.

Nevertheless, the reason why the two had no choice but to open their eyes wide was-

“Here you go.”

The guy was standing among the fans who were flocking to him, signing autographs.

“Line up, line up!”

Like Chun Jin-woo once did, even making the fans line up.

Of course, his attitude towards the fans was a bit prickly, unlike Chun Jin-woo.

“If anyone cuts in line, I’m just going home! Hey, you, mister!! I saw everything just now, okay? Go to the back, while I’m being nice?”

Even though he was being curt, he was giving autographs, taking pictures, and even shaking hands, which he hated so much.

Ji-seop and Seo Chang-gi could only make expressions as if they had seen a ghost.

“…….”

“…….”

How much time had passed like that?

As the long line disappeared to some extent, Ryu Jang-ho picked up the bag he had put down and started walking towards the parking lot.

Ji-seop and Seo Chang-gi quickly followed him.

“Jang-ho!”

It was Seo Chang-gi who spoke.

“You, what… what were you doing just now?”

“Yes?”

Ryu Jang-ho blinked his eyes.

“I was signing autographs for the fans… What, is that not allowed?”

“No, that’s not it…”

Seo Chang-gi could only make a dazed expression, unable to continue speaking.

In the end, Ji-seop asked him instead.

“You got 8 RBIs today, right? So you’re exempt from fan service… What wind suddenly blew you?”

“Ah, it’s nothing else…”

Ryu Jang-ho shrugged his shoulders.

“Senior Chun Jin-woo said he felt a bit chilly today.”

“Chun Jin-woo?”

“Yes, he seemed to have a bit of a cold…”

Ryu Jang-ho continued.

“If he stands outside for a long time on a day like this, he’s likely to catch a cold, right? So I said I’d do it for him today.”

“You?”

“Yes, in any case, a strong hitter like Chun Jin-woo has to be reliably supporting me from behind… So the opposing team will bet on me more.”

“…….”

“Also, the more the opposing team bets on me, the more opportunities I can get to score RBIs.”

The story was that he had to manage Chun Jin-woo’s condition in order to get RBI opportunities.

It was definitely a plausible story, but Seo Chang-gi didn’t seem to be convinced.

“No, but you were signing autographs until this late? You, who hated fan service?”

“General Manager, thanks to recording 8 RBIs today… I moved up to 2nd place in the league for RBIs.”

Ryu Jang-ho thoroughly checked his own records.

“You know? I’ve done all the other records, but I’ve never won the RBI title.”

“…….”

“Until now, I couldn’t even dream of it because there was no hitter to support me… But now that Senior Chun Jin-woo has joined.”

Ryu Jang-ho smiled.

“The opportunity to win the RBI title is right in front of me… That autograph? What’s the big deal?”

Hehehe.

The sight of Ryu Jang-ho disappearing into the darkness with a sinister smile.

Seo Chang-gi, who was staring blankly at his back, turned to Ji-seop with a chuckle.

“I don’t think we need to worry about fan service…”

“That’s right.”

Ji-seop also chuckled.

“I don’t think you need to worry.”

I’m always watching, so I feel like I know everything.

Still, the players show unexpected actions ‘툭툭’ [from time to time].

Isn’t it rewarding to be able to watch these players right next to me?

At that time, Ji-seop was thinking that.