A Rookie In The Baseball Team Is Too Good [EN]: Chapter 539

The New Recruit of the Baseball Team is Too Good 539

The New Recruit of the Baseball Team is Too Good 539

Chapter 113: Reckless and Bewildered (5)

Tampa Bay’s starting pitcher, Victor Johnson Jr., was steadily approaching a no-hitter, a monumental record.

At that very moment, Ryu Jang-ho and the Boston batters were steeling themselves to stop him.

Jisub, watching the game from the Fenway Park VIP room, received some news.

“Kim, a call from the league office.”

It was news from Jisub’s special advisor, Richard Stelmetzeck.

“They’ve just started a free broadcast on the Major League’s official streaming site. Currently, there are 58,000 viewers.”

“Ah, is that so? The atmosphere is gradually heating up.”

A no-hitter, a record achieved only when the starting pitcher allows no hits until the end of the game.

When it seemed like this incredible record might be achieved, the Major League Baseball office would often allow the game to be broadcast for free.

Of course, this decision brought a decent profit to the team. They could receive content fees proportional to the number of viewers and a share of the advertising revenue during the free broadcast.

But at this moment, how many front office staff would care about such things?

A no-hitter game. Wasn’t this a chance to witness a truly amazing record firsthand?

Perhaps that’s why Richard Stelmetzeck couldn’t hide his flushed expression.

“H-how do you predict it?”

He asked with a trembling voice.

“Kim, you’re a former pitcher, aren’t you? Can Victor do it? Do you think he can do it?”

“Hehe, well. It doesn’t make sense for me to discuss such a great record with my meager playing career…….”

Jisub smiled awkwardly and continued.

“But isn’t the possibility itself high? His pitch count has been well-managed, his form hasn’t declined, and above all… Victor has experience achieving a no-hitter last season.”

“Hmm, is that so.”

Richard narrowed his brow slightly at the words ‘last season.’

Jisub watched his expression and asked again.

“What’s wrong? Is there something bothering you?”

“Yes, recalling last season is giving me a bit of trauma.”

Richard scratched his head vigorously.

“Kim, you remember, right? After achieving the no-hitter, what kind of pitching Victor did. He only got arrogant and didn’t listen to the catcher or the coaches…….”

“I remember. It certainly wasn’t easy. Equipping a no-hitter pitcher with humility.”

Jisub laughed it off lightly, but Richard’s expression was quite serious.

“Damn it, I shouldn’t say this as a front office member, but thinking about that time, it wouldn’t be bad if he just ended with a shutout today. Besides…….”

Swoosh.

Richard glanced to the side.

“There’s something that’s been bothering me a bit since earlier, to be honest.”

“Something bothering you?”

Jisub followed Richard’s gaze and soon exclaimed, “Ah.”

It was Ryu Jang-ho’s son, Ryu Leo. The five-year-old was drawing something while waiting for his father’s game to end.

What is he drawing so diligently? Just as Jisub was craning his neck with curiosity, Richard’s voice was heard.

“Kim, the bottom of the 8th inning is over.”

Victor Johnson finished the 8th inning with only three batters, following the 7th.

The number of outs remaining until the no-hitter record was now reduced to just three.

* * *

In the subsequent top of the 9th inning, the Tampa Bay Rays succeeded in scoring additional runs.

It wasn’t a timely hit. In a bases-loaded chance created by the opponent’s error with one out, the Boston bullpen pitcher experienced control issues and allowed two consecutive walks.

With this, the score was 7-0. It was perhaps natural that boos poured into Fenway Park from the crowd.

“You bastards!!! What the hell are you doing? If you can’t throw a strike, go down to the minor leagues!”

“Yeah, go down! All of you go down! Damn it, do you think I came all the way here to watch this kind of game?!”

Boston fans probably had a vague idea that it would not be an easy game.

The Tampa Bay Rays, who were about to win the regular season, and the Boston Red Sox, who had already fallen to 4th place in the division. The difference in power between the two teams was, in fact, obvious.

But this wasn’t right. This couldn’t happen at Fenway Park. Angry shouts from fans were heard everywhere.

As Victor Johnson, who came to the mound in the bottom of the 9th inning, caught the lead batter with just two pitches, the desperate atmosphere deepened even further.

Then, the man who could be called Boston’s last hope was slowly entering the batter’s box.

Boston Red Sox’s number 3 hitter, Ryu Jang-ho.

“……”

“……”

Fenway Park, which was usually bustling like a festival when he appeared, was now filled with heavy silence.

It couldn’t be helped. After getting a walk in the bottom of the 1st inning, Ryu Jang-ho had also failed to properly attack Victor Johnson’s pitches.

Ice coffee, ice coffee, ice coffee is here. The ground was so quiet that the voice of the coffee vendor walking around the stands could be heard clearly.

However, it didn’t take long for Boston Red Sox’s best superstar to change the atmosphere.

Whoosh- Crack!

It was a single swing.

A swing with all his might.

This full swing powerfully hit Victor Johnson’s 98 mph fastball, and as the batted ball drew a tremendous trajectory and disappeared outside the foul line on the 3rd base side.

“Ooh?!

“Oooooh?!!”

The faces of the Boston fans, which had been gloomy, bloomed with anticipation.

“That’s it! That’s the swing!”

“As expected, Ryu is different! He’s fearless! No fear!”

“Good, good! Let’s go like that! Ryu, just hit a clean single!”

Ryu! Ryu! Ryu! Ryu!

After watching ground balls being mass-produced with passive swings, everyone’s hearts seemed to be opened with one cool swing.

The indifferent spectators stood up all at once and began to chant Ryu Jang-ho’s name.

Of course, this was not a pleasant change of situation from the perspective of Tampa Bay’s starting catcher, Alex Montero.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa! Calm down, Ryu! Why are you swinging the bat so hard? Do you have a grudge or something?”

While the umpire was receiving the ball from the ball boy, Alex Montero was slyly throwing a word to Ryu Jang-ho at the plate.

“Or what? Have the baseball rules changed a bit while I wasn’t looking? If you hit the ball hard, does a solo home run turn into an 8-point home run?”

“Hmph, you’re more humorous than you look.”

Ryu Jang-ho answered curtly while tightening his wristbands.

“There’s no need to be so wary. It’s just a habit I have when the game isn’t going well.”

“……Habit?”

“Well, I used to be in a very bad slump… Someone advised me to just shut up and hit hard. Surprisingly, that advice worked perfectly.”

Ryu Jang-ho continued, smoothing the dirt on the plate with his spikes.

“The feeling at that time is still vivid… Since then, whenever the game doesn’t go well, I swing hard. Then my pace picks up a bit.”

“Oh, so you got out of your slump with just one word? That’s quite a sense, isn’t it?”

Alex Montero pressed down on the sign exchanger attached to his knee pads and replied.

“Can you give me that friend’s contact information later? I think it would be good to hire him as my personal trainer.”

“Haha, personal trainer?”

Ryu Jang-ho gave a knowing smile and muttered lowly while getting into his batting stance.

“I’ll pass on the message if you want. But shouldn’t you be paying attention to your ace pitcher right now?”

“Hmm?”

“That guy, I think he’s turned on a bit right now?”

Beep- No.

It was at this moment that Victor Johnson’s message came into Alex Montero’s earpiece.

To the catcher’s request to throw a breaking ball, Victor Johnson had expressed a firm refusal.

Beep, beep, beep, beep. The Tampa Bay ace pitcher was nervously pressing the button.

Fastball, fastball, fastball, fastball. The moment he received the pitcher’s message, a look of bewilderment crossed Alex Montero’s face.

‘Damn it, that stupid bastard again…’

It seemed that Ryu Jang-ho’s full swing had ignited Victor Johnson Jr.’s competitive spirit.

He had been pitching perfectly. It was a pitch that overwhelmed not only the opposing players but also the atmosphere in the stands.

But why weren’t you intimidated? What were you trusting in to swing so hard? Weren’t you afraid of my ball?

The usual Victor Johnson wasn’t such an extreme pitcher. Rather, as his career progressed, he had become quite calm.

But at this time, it was a timing when the pitcher’s confidence had to soar.

‘Surely he didn’t think this far and swing a full swing… right?’

Alex Montero swallowed hard and looked at Ryu Jang-ho.

After a moment of deliberation, he covered the sign exchanger with his mitt and pressed a few buttons.

Normally, he would have called a timeout and visited the mound, but now it was the bottom of the 9th inning and the score was 7-0.

Here, it was closer to the norm to finish the game quickly rather than scolding the pitcher.

‘Okay, then…’

Alex Montero’s choice was a fastball deep inside the body.

It was the course that showed the most powerful power if it came in properly. It was also a course that Victor Johnson enjoyed throwing.

He wouldn’t be easily defeated with this pitch. The calculation was to catch the count with this and quickly make a decision.

“Um, good!”

Victor Johnson on the mound also nodded willingly this time.

He was full of confidence. As soon as he received the sign, he wound up without hesitation and stretched one leg out towards the batter.

Almost at the same time as the spikes strongly gripped the dirt, his right arm, which had been flung behind his back, was swung violently.

The moment the ball left his fingertips, spinning rapidly and trying to curve slightly over the home plate-

Crack!!!

The most exhilarating and intense hitting sound of the day was echoing in Fenway Park.

* * *

The 12th match of the season between the Tampa Bay Rays and the Boston Red Sox, which was held at Fenway Park that day.

Following the previous day’s game, the Tampa Bay Rays were able to take another victory and move one step closer to winning the regular season.

The final score was 7-1. There were no significant crisis situations, so it was virtually a complete victory for the Tampa Bay Rays, but-

Let’s go Red Sox!

Let’s go Red Sox!

For quite some time after the game ended that day, joyful cheers from Boston fans could be heard near Fenway Park.

There was no other reason. They must have been heartbroken by the defeat, but there was one amazing scene that they could overlook the defeat of the day.

Crack!

After one out in the bottom of the 9th inning, a tremendous home run hit by number 3 hitter Ryu Jang-ho.

The Boston fans were satisfied with the home run that cleared the famous ‘Green Monster’ [the nickname for the left field wall] of Fenway Park.

They were happy just to have prevented the humiliation of allowing a no-hitter game at their home stadium, with nearly 100,000 baseball fans watching the free broadcast.

Of course, Victor Johnson Jr., who blew the no-hitter with two outs left, wouldn’t have been so happy.

“Ryu, honestly, remember this?”

When all the schedules, including the press interview, were finished, Victor Johnson went to the home team’s clubhouse and was acting cocky like this.

“The reason I threw the fastball… was because your son’s face came to mind at the last moment.”

“My son?”

When Ryu Jang-ho raised one eyebrow, Victor Johnson nodded his head.

“Yeah! If his father doesn’t get a single hit throughout the game, how heartbroken would that little guy be? So I took a big heart and threw a fastball.”

“Hoo, in a situation where you had a no-hitter in front of you?”

“That’s right?”

“You gave up such a great record and thought about my son?”

“What part of that do you not like? I’m only telling 100% facts right now…”

It was at this moment that Victor Johnson, who was brazenly continuing his words, flinched with a ‘huh’ sound.

The existence he was most afraid of at this moment had appeared in the hallway in front of the clubhouse.

“K-K-Kim?!”

It was Jisub.

The general manager of the Tampa Bay Rays.

The report that he had been hit by a home run by Ryu Jang-ho after stubbornly sticking to a useless idea would have reached his ears by now.

Given his personality, he would never just let it go. He had to be prepared for at least an hour of lecturing.

“Oh, Victor?”

Jisub raised two fingers and pointed to his eyes, then pointed to Victor again.

It was a gesture to see you later. It meant that he wouldn’t just let it go as Victor had expected.

As Victor shrunk his neck like a turtle and stepped back, Jisub smirked and turned his head towards Ryu Jang-ho.

“Wow, as expected, a star is different.”

Jisub tapped Ryu Jang-ho’s shoulder.

“You’re so bold. How did you think of swinging a full swing in that situation? If it were me, I would have considered a bunt.”

“I don’t think it was a game to be praised for.”

Ryu Jang-ho’s expression was not very bright.

“I confidently said that I would definitely win, but in the end, I was dragged around throughout the game and it was over.”

“Hey, don’t do that again. Don’t say that. Leo seemed to like today’s game quite a bit.”

Then, Jisub took the child that Richard Stelmetzeck was holding and handed him to Ryu Jang-ho.

It was already almost midnight. Ryu Jang-ho’s son was sound asleep to the point that someone could kidnap him without him knowing.

“……”

Ryu Jang-ho, who was gazing silently at his son sleeping like an angel, suddenly thought of something and turned his head towards his wife standing next to him.

“Hey… Yejin.”

“Hmm?”

“Did… Leo see it too?”

Ryu Jang-ho hesitated slightly.

It was a bit embarrassing to bring up the story himself.

Then, while clearing his throat with ‘ahem,’ he forced out one word.

“That… my home run.”

Ryu Jang-ho’s wife answered calmly.

“Hey, of course not! What time was it then? He probably fell asleep during the top of the 9th inning?”

“Ah, th-that’s right?”

Ryu Jang-ho’s face was filled with disappointment after hearing his wife’s answer.

What should I say? For Ryu Jang-ho, that one home run seemed to be the last justification.

The justification to tell his son to cheer for Boston. Or at least the justification to tell him to watch the next game.

If his son had seen that home run, he could have brazenly said something like that, but at that moment, a truly complex expression appeared on Ryu Jang-ho’s face.

“Jang-ho.”

“Yes?”

“This… take this.”

What Jisub handed over was a sketchbook.

The sketchbook that Leo had been carrying around like his own body for the past few days.

The sketchbook that he had been sitting and scribbling in whenever he had a chance.

It was an object that was familiar to Ryu Jang-ho, but a question mark appeared on his face.

“But suddenly why is this…”

“Last page.”

Following Jisub’s instruction, Ryu Jang-ho flipped through the pages.

The moment he opened the last page, Ryu Jang-ho’s expression began to brighten like approaching a candle.

“Th-this is…”

Drawn on the last page was none other than Ryu Jang-ho’s figure.

It was drawn by a five-year-old child. The lines are crooked and the coloring is mismatched here and there.

But as Victor Johnson had said sometime, there was a ‘feeling’ in Leo’s drawing.

“Wow, he captured the features well this time? He drew the bat flip motion perfectly?”

Victor Johnson came next to Ryu Jang-ho and made a fuss.

“What, this guy Leo… It seems like he put in much more effort than when he drew me? There’s almost no background in my portrait? As a Tampa Bay fan, is this okay?”

“Oh, isn’t that obvious?”

Richard Stelmetzeck added a word.

“What if he’s a Tampa Bay fan, what if he’s a Boston fan? For Leo, his father has to be the best baseball player! Isn’t that right, Kim?”

“That’s right. It has to be.”

While Jisub was nodding his head, Ryu Jang-ho was gazing silently at his son’s artwork.

“……”

It was a truly amazing thing.

Just a few minutes ago, Ryu Jang-ho’s mind was filled with all sorts of complex thoughts.

There was disappointment about today’s game, and there was worry about the team’s performance this season. There was also the sense of responsibility he felt as a captain.

In addition, should I have taken my son to the baseball stadium more often, would he have become a Boston fan if I had?

Furthermore, am I doing a good job as a dad, am I listening to him properly, and will there be a distance later?

So many worries.

So many thoughts.

With one drawing that his son carefully drew, it was disappearing like snow melting in spring.

“……Hoo.”

But Ryu Jang-ho was Ryu Jang-ho.

It was a feeling he was experiencing for the first time, but he’s not the kind of person to tell that to other people.

He just let out a short sigh, a sigh that was barely audible, and then, as if he had hardened his heart, he looked at Jisub.

“…Hyung [older brother/close friend].”

There was no need to worry.

Leo was already cheering for me.

I feel energized with just this one drawing.

Originally, that was the timing for those lines to come out, but this blunt friend was just talking like this.

“This World Series… Could you get me some tickets? For the Tampa Bay Rays’ home game.”

“Tickets? Why suddenly?”

“Leo has never been to Tropicana Field [Tampa Bay Rays’ stadium]. I was thinking of taking him there this World Series.”

Ryu Jang-ho continued.

“If we go together and buy him a uniform and buy him a doll, I think… the kid would like it.”

“Oh, really? If you come with Leo, I can get you as many as you want, but…”

Jisub shrugged his shoulders.

“Isn’t the timing a bit early? It’s not a common thing to advance to the World Series? You have to break through the Division Series, you have to win the Championship Series…”

“Haha, what are you talking about. You’re going to break through. You’re going to go all the way to the end.”

Ryu Jang-ho smiled while readjusting his hold on his son.

“The hyung I know… I think you were that kind of person?”