A Rookie In The Baseball Team Is Too Good [EN]: Chapter 186

Chapter 48: Build the Pillars High (4)

All-Star Game fan voting.

The Cannons were gaining momentum.

[Midterm Results: KH Dominates All-Star Fan Vote with 12 Positions… SH Knights Follow in 2nd]

[Midterm Results: KH’s Ryu Jang-ho Leads Overall… “Thank You for Your Support”]

[Midterm Results: Cannons’ Surge from All-Star Outcasts… “Now a Nationally Popular Team”]

The initial surge was driven by fans of the idol group ‘Genius.’

With the support of one of South Korea’s top five largest fandoms, the Cannons players’ vote counts skyrocketed.

– (Unpopular Opinion) Isn’t this technically vote manipulation?

– If you’re jealous, just say so.

– Cheer up, you can do it too.

– No, that’s not the point! Is it right to involve idol fan clubs in All-Star fan voting?

– stfu lol

– Ha, these guys are getting so arrogant just because they’re doing a bit better in baseball?

– stfu lol

– Seriously

In the middle of the voting period, the All-Star Game commemorative merchandise released by the Cannons marketing team became a hot topic.

Especially the [VOTE CANNONS] T-shirt, which conveyed the message ‘Vote for the Cannons players.’

The design and quality of this T-shirt were quite different from what the Cannons usually sold, so fans started wearing them not only at the baseball stadium but also in their daily lives.

[You Must Buy the Vote Cannons T-Shirt]

– The level is different from the rags they used to sell at the Cannons shop

– Yeah, this time the Cannons front office seems to have really put in the effort

– I saw quite a few people wearing the Vote Cannons T-shirt in front of Yeongsan City Hall today

[My Life Changed After Wearing the Vote Cannons T-Shirt]

– Exceptional quality. A design that rivals Gu*cci. The moment I put it on, confidence overflowed, and for the first time in 25 years, I could hold my head high on the bus

– You crazy bastard lol

– Just hold your head high on the bus anyway lol

– But it’s true that it gives you some confidence. I couldn’t even make eye contact with the Guardians fans before, but I was able to talk to them wearing the Vote Cannons T-shirt. I thanked them for sending Ma Kang-sik over.

– Ma Kang-sik lol

– Hey, don’t talk about Ma Kang-sik to the Guardians fans. They’ll cry lol

That’s how the KH Cannons gradually gained momentum.

The ‘final blow’ they prepared, and the ‘decisive blow’ that drew in even general baseball fans, was revealed in the last week of voting.

– Cannons fans, have you voted?

It was a video encouraging voting from KH Cannons’ acting owner, Vice Chairman Park Hong-ju, ‘Sakhalin Park.’

– You haven’t voted yet? Why? Ah, you don’t know how to vote in the All-Star voting yet?

– Hehe, don’t worry! I’ll explain it slowly today. Okay, first, take out your phone like this…….

Although they haven’t yet made it into the top 10 in the business world, he was still an executive at the major corporation KH Group.

And that’s not all. In his heyday in the 90s, he was a famous businessman who appeared in economic newspapers almost every other day.

When the renowned ‘Sakhalin Park’ appeared on the team’s YouTube channel to guide people on how to vote in the All-Star voting, an enormous reaction swept in.

– Wow, what’s going on with the Cannons? How can the acting owner come out and film such a video himself?

– My dad watched that video and voted.

– Sakhalin Park? The nickname is terrifying ㄷㄷㄷ [Korean internet slang for ‘shivers’]

– Did you see the fierce look in that old man’s eyes, even though he’s over 70? If they hit a double play, the kids’ backs will break ㄷㄷㄷ

– There was a reason why the Cannons were doing so well this season

– Shout it out! Sakhalin Park!

As Sakhalin Park’s video became a big topic, a ‘meme’ began to take root among Cannons fans.

Multiple times a day, at any time, images of Sakhalin Park in his younger days would be posted.

When a photo of Sakhalin Park staring straight ahead with sharp eyes was posted, it became common sense for Cannons fans to comment like this.

– Cannons fans, have you voted?

* * *

Mid-season, the All-Star Game is arguably the biggest event in Korean professional baseball.

Nevertheless, there was a reason why baseball team personnel couldn’t put too much effort into the All-Star Game.

– Marketing is good, and I understand the fans’ expectations. But the All-Star Game…… it’s not really related to the season’s performance, is it?

That was it.

Even if the front office tried to ‘get serious’ about the All-Star Game, this kind of talk would always come out from some within the team.

The All-Star Game is literally just an event. It’s not related to performance. Considering the second half of the season, wouldn’t it be better to give the players a rest?

In fact, quite a few people voiced these complaints to Ji-seop, but in the case of the Cannons this season, even those concerns were not valid.

The story that the team’s ‘all-out effort’ towards the All-Star Game was also helping to improve the players’ performance.

“Ah, the All-Star Game, you say?”

Of course, on the surface, the players seemed not to pay much attention to the All-Star Game.

“I know that the fans are voting hard. I’m grateful, too. But to repay that support, it’s right to focus more on the upcoming games.”

“I’m not too concerned about whether or not I’ll be in the All-Star Game. Rather, my goal is for our Cannons to finish the first half in first place.”

When reporters brought up the All-Star Game, the Cannons players would give similar answers, as if they had made a promise in advance.

However, it wasn’t difficult to grasp that the players were keenly aware of the All-Star fan voting.

“Senior, don’t do that, and ask your wife to buy you some good sunscreen! What are you saving money for?”

From some point on, players started approaching veteran second baseman Ahn Young-chan and making jokes.

“Sunscreen? Why sunscreen?”

“Haven’t you heard? Genius, who came to throw the ceremonial first pitch the other day! Their fans thought you were an old man in his 40s?”

“F…… Forties?!”

“You should start taking care of anti-aging from now on. Isn’t this your first time? Going to the All-Star Game through fan voting, I mean.”

Like this, stories that went around among fans also became a hot topic among the players.

“Alright, alright! Jeong-gyu, Jeong-gyu! Let’s throw it hard!!!”

Before the game, during bullpen pitching.

When a player nominated for the All-Star vote stood on the mound, the bullpen catchers would shout like this.

“This season’s All-Star relief pitcher fan vote leader, Kim Jeong-gyu! The difference in votes from 2nd place is 23,721 votes!”

While ‘smacking’ the catcher’s mitt.

“You too, hyung [Korean for older brother or senior]…….”

With a bashful smile at the bullpen catcher’s shout, Cannons pitcher Kim Jeong-gyu slowly went into his windup.

Whoosh- Pow!

When one powerfully thrown ball sharply sucked into the strike zone, the bullpen catchers would praise him like this.

“Ooh! That ball was amazing? The vote difference from 2nd place has increased! Now it’s 34,235 votes!”

Whoosh- Pow!

“Ah, this time the control was a bit shaky! The vote difference has decreased! 17,332 votes!”

“Ah, seriously, hyung! Is the All-Star vote count some kind of rubber band? Increasing and decreasing every time you throw a ball?”

“Shut up and throw it quickly! Throw it hard!”

Whoosh- Pow!

Whoosh- Pow!!!

“Okay!!!”

After Kim Jeong-gyu showed a great bullpen pitching performance, the bullpen catchers would give him a ‘thumbs up.’

“It’ll be confirmed after today’s game! The All-Star fan vote! Relief pitcher division 1st place is Kim, Jeong, Gyu!!! The vote difference from 2nd place is a whopping 58,491 votes!!!”

“I can’t live like this, really.”

Saying that, but Kim Jeong-gyu couldn’t hide the corners of his mouth from constantly rising.

Wow!!!

This was what Ji-seop directly witnessed.

However, according to Mr. Hong Dae-jong, the exclusive translator for Manager Freeman, there seemed to be something else that was most popular among the players at this time.

– Top of the 7th inning, KH Cannons’ attack! With two outs and the bases loaded, Ryu Jang-ho is at bat!

– That’s right, Ryu Jang-ho hasn’t had much of an impact since drawing a walk in his first at-bat today, has he? It’s worth paying attention to what he can show in this at-bat.

During the game, when a player who hadn’t recorded a hit yet came to bat, this shout would come from the dugout.

“Cannons players!!!”

Usually it was Gyeong Seon-woo. Or Lee Soo-bin.

Anyway, the Cannons’ younger players, who were specialized in teasing their seniors.

When they started chanting, following the tone of Sakhalin Park from the ‘All-Star voting encouragement video,’ the other players would respond like this.

“Have you gotten a hit!!!”

“Okay, one more time!”

Player Gyeong Seon-woo raising his finger.

“Cannons players!”

“Have you gotten a hit!”

“Cannons players!!!”

“Have you gotten a hit!!!”

The reactions of the players at bat when they heard these shouts from the dugout were varied.

Player Cheon Jin-woo would just laugh it off, and Player Ahn Young-chan would raise his bat and glare.

And in the case of KH Cannons’ best hitter, Ryu Jang-ho-

“…….”

He would stare blankly at the dugout with a blank face before returning to the plate.

“Cannons players!”

“Have you gotten a hi…….”

Thwack!

He would repay his teammates’ support in his own way with a truly exhilarating hit.

“The All-Star voting…… it seems to be having a positive impact on our players.”

That was what Mr. Hong Dae-jong said.

“I wish the voting could last all season long! Hahaha.”

* * *

And again, a few days later.

There was a slight tension in the KH Cannons Field 3rd floor team office.

“…….”

On the surface, it looked the same as usual.

People diligently typing, people making phone calls somewhere, people standing by the window overlooking the distant ground and talking.

However, while doing their work, they all habitually looked at the clock on the wall.

‘It was 11:30, right?’

‘All-Star player roster announcement.’

Even though the Cannons had achieved first place in all positions in the final midterm voting results, they couldn’t let their guard down until the end.

This was because 30% of the player voting was reflected in the selection of All-Star players.

Even if they took first place in the fan voting, the results could be reversed in the player voting.

“The rest of the players are fine…… but Seon-woo is a bit of a concern.”

That was what Marketing Team Leader Lee Ja-young said.

“That guy, he was neck and neck until the end, wasn’t he? With UB Guardians’ Choi Seong-jin.”

“These days, players also value defense. Wouldn’t he get a fair number of votes in the player voting as well?”

Saying that, Ji-seop also felt like his fingertips were getting cold.

Can we do it?

Can the Cannons do it?

Something they had never dreamed of before, sweeping all positions in the All-Star Game.

“A moment seems like three autumns [Korean idiom for time passing very slowly], and that’s exactly how I feel right now. Hehe, how can time not pass like this…….”

Just then, as Team Leader Seo Chang-gi, who was in the marketing team, was also looking at the wall clock with an anxious expression.

Ting-

Vrrr-

Tturururu-

The sound of messages coming into cell phones was heard here and there in the office.

“Oh, it’s here!”

“It’s here, it’s here!!”

People took out their cell phones as if they had been waiting and checked the contents.

“…….”

And after a while, the Cannons people exchanged meaningful glances with their colleagues around them.

“Wow!!!”

“We did it! We did it! We did it!!!”