A Rookie In The Baseball Team Is Too Good [EN]: Chapter 108

At the Threshold of Autumn (5)

A few days later.

The 144th game of the season was held at the KH Cannons Field.

The final game of the regular season.

Wow!!!

Wow!!!

With countless spectators filling the stands both inside and outside, various events were held at the stadium that day.

A fan signing event with key players took place two hours before the game, and rookie players drafted in the recent rookie draft threw ceremonial first pitches just before the game started.

And the event that garnered the most attention that day was this:

“S-So… I will now announce the starting lineup!”

The KH Cannons’ ‘veteran catcher’ Cheon Jin-woo’s one-day manager event.

It was an event often held in Major League Baseball during the final game of the season, but a very rare sight in Korean professional baseball.

The sight of Cheon Jin-woo wearing Arthur Freeman’s sunglasses made not only the audience but also the players unable to hide their laughter.

“Haha, it suits you well, senior!”

“You look more like a manager than the manager! Oh, have you aged this much already?”

“…Quiet, you brats.”

In fact, the game that day felt more like an ‘exhibition game’ or an ‘event game’.

This was because the rankings of the 10 teams in the Korean professional baseball league had already been somewhat determined this season.

Arthur Freeman’s suggestion of a ‘one-day manager’ event was also part of that context, but-

“Okay, let’s change the pitcher here.”

“Let’s send in a pinch hitter here. Jang-ho! Are you ready?!”

The ‘acting manager’ Cheon Jin-woo showed surprisingly skillful game management that day.

Replacing the pitcher at the right time, and the timing of using pinch hitters or pinch runners was also spot on.

Thanks to that, KH Cannons won an unexpected landslide victory with a final score of 11-4.

It was such an overwhelming victory that the opposing team’s manager grumbled like this after the game.

“Freeman, aren’t you being too much? How can you go all out like that in the final game of the season?!

“I’m sorry, manager. I didn’t know Cheon Jin-woo had such abilities. Hahaha.”

After the game ended, a post-season launching ceremony was held on the KH Cannons Field.

The players came out in front of the fans wearing hoodies with the slogan ‘It’s BOOM time!’, which had been the subject of much talk and trouble.

“Thank you so much for your support throughout this season! Thanks to you, KH Cannons have made it to the fall baseball [Korean professional baseball post-season] for the first time in 12 years!”

“Although we finished 4th in the regular season, I heard that the post-season is a fresh start from zero base! Now that we have this opportunity, we will do our best to climb to the highest spot!”

As the KH Cannons’ cheering song echoed, the players took turns holding the microphone and expressing their determination for the post-season.

After the main players, it was the coaching staff’s turn, and after the coaching staff’s turn, it was Arthur Freeman’s turn.

Wow!!!

Wow!!!

As the atmosphere in the stadium reached its peak, a man appeared on the field and strode forward to take the microphone.

The announcer then said a word.

“Now, everyone! Finally, we will hear from Park Hong-ju, the KH Group’s vice president and acting owner of our KH Cannons! Vice President!”

“Hmm, thank you.”

‘Sakhalin Park’ Vice President Park Hong-ju stepped forward.

“….”

He silently looked around with the microphone in his hand.

Looking at the smiling players, the tense coaching staff, and the faces of the cheering fans.

Then, he found Ji-seop standing next to Arthur Freeman and showed his white teeth with a ‘grin’, the acting owner of the Cannons.

And he turned his gaze towards the main camera and uttered his first words.

“Fans, I’m sorry.”

Sakhalin Park bowed deeply.

“I sincerely apologize as the acting owner for taking as long as 12 years to return to the fall baseball stage, and for not properly repaying the fans for their passionate support.”

So far, there was no problem.

The players nodded lightly, and shouts of ‘It’s okay, it’s okay!’ were heard among the fans.

However, what surprised everyone that day was the declaration that came after that.

“But everyone! Today, I have something really regrettable to tell the fans.”

Sigh, ha.

Even the great Sakhalin Park seemed a little worried about the aftermath, taking a deep breath.

And the acting owner of KH Cannons spoke again.

“This post-season… Our KH Cannons will not set the goal of winning the Korean Series [championship series of Korean professional baseball].”

* * *

We will not aim for the championship this year.

The acting owner’s firm declaration.

At that moment, Ji-seop could feel the atmosphere of the stadium changing.

“….”

“….”

At first, there was silence.

Since it was an unprecedented declaration, it seemed to take some time for the listeners to judge.

But after a while, an angry voice erupted from somewhere in the stands.

“Are you kidding me right now!”

That was the beginning.

“You call people to the launching ceremony and say you’re not aiming for the championship… Are you kidding us right now?!

“Once you go to the post-season, you have to think about winning first! Where are the guys who draw the line from the beginning, saying we can’t do it!”

Rumbling. Noisy.

The stands were in an uproar.

But Sakhalin Park seemed to have anticipated this level of reaction.

“I understand your feelings. I, too, was in a position to aim for the championship unconditionally until recently.”

Sakhalin Park adjusted the microphone.

“But after sitting still and looking back on the past 12 years… I had no choice but to change my mind.”

The past 12 years.

The 12 years spent wandering in the lower ranks.

“During that period, our Cannons’ biggest mistake was rushing too much every moment.”

Rushing to achieve results in a state where the power was not ready.

Forcing sacrifices on players who had not yet fully grown, under the pretext of ‘we have to go to fall baseball’.

“In the process, countless Cannons players were hurt and broken. Players who could have become the next Lee Seung-yuop or the next Park Chan-ho… had to leave the field without growing up because they were in the Cannons.”

So, this time, I decided to say this to the players.

Sakhalin Park looked around the stands and continued slowly.

“Go and have fun on the big stage! Don’t worry about the results, just show what you can do to your heart’s content and come back! Our Cannons will gladly wait for your growth!”

We will wait.

Vice President Park Hong-ju put particular emphasis on these words.

“Of course, I also have frustrating feelings! A team that hasn’t won a championship in over 20 years… I get annoyed and impatient about how long we have to wait! But everyone, our Cannons are a young team. It’s a growing team!”

Vice President Park’s voice echoed throughout KH Cannons Field.

“As a young team, as a growing team, your waiting will surely be rewarded. Based on the experience of this post-season, we will definitely be able to show great performance next year and the year after. Believing in my judgment…”

Vice President Park Hong-ju clenched his fist and spoke again.

“This post-season… Won’t you gladly watch our players grow!”

* * *

The fall baseball launching ceremony after 12 years.

And the acting owner’s ‘championship abandonment declaration’ that came out of that launching ceremony.

In fact, there was no dramatic reaction.

Wow!!!

Wow!!!

It was exactly half and half.

About half of the fans agreed with Sakhalin Park’s proposal and gave a big round of applause.

The other half still looked dissatisfied, not convinced.

The reaction on the internet community was also almost half and half, but-

“Thank you, Vice President.”

That night, KH Cannons’ general manager Seo Chang-ki was expressing his gratitude to the acting owner with a more serious expression than ever before.

“I went to the dugout a little while ago… and the players looked very comfortable.”

A look as if they had put down a heavy burden.

A look as if they were free from pressure.

General Manager Seo smiled contentedly as he recalled the players’ expressions.

“I tell them to be comfortable, be comfortable, every time I meet them… but until now, they didn’t seem to believe me.”

“Hmm.”

“But today, I felt like my words were working. It’s all… thanks to the Vice President publicly revealing the direction of the club.”

General Manager Seo Chang-ki scratched the back of his ear.

“Of course, one of them was talking big, saying that there’s nothing different about the post-season…”

“Ryu Jang-ho… Is that him?”

When Vice President Park asked, General Manager Seo nodded with a bitter smile.

“Yes, that’s right.”

“Anyway, that guy’s brazen personality… I hope that brazen personality continues in the post-season.”

Then, Vice President Park turned his gaze to the ground where the lights were starting to go out one by one.

Just as the KH Cannons Field was completely submerged in darkness, he turned to General Manager Seo and said.

“This time, I’ll follow your thoughts considering the years we’ve had… but don’t use such tactics next time.”

“Ah, yes….”

General Manager Seo bowed his head slightly.

Vice President Park frowned and threatened.

“As you said, aren’t you an executive now? You should be on your toes so that you can prepare for any situation… How can you drink alcohol that you can’t drink before an important negotiation?”

“I’m sorry. I really have nothing to say, but….”

It was at this moment that a strange expression appeared on General Manager Seo Chang-ki’s face.

“It’s a strange thing… I thought that day that even if I drank a lot, it would somehow be resolved.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Hehe, Vice President, you know too.”

Kim Ji-seop, I mean.

General Manager Seo mentioned the Cannons’ manager interpreter.

“I felt so reassured that he was next to me… I thought that even if I didn’t say anything, he would be able to handle the situation sufficiently.”

“Since when did you become so close with that Tsingtao guy?”

Vice President Park made a seemingly sharp voice, but General Manager Seo only smiled faintly.

“It’s not like the Vice President has known him for a long time? He has a talent for capturing people’s hearts….”

“Well….”

Sakhalin Park didn’t add anything to that.

Watching Sakhalin Park’s expression, General Manager Seo carefully opened his mouth.

“Vice President, that’s why I’m saying this….”

“What?”

“Have you… thought about it? My proposal for Kim Ji-seop’s position next season….”

“You’re talking about using him as an assistant general manager, right?”

I’m thinking about it.

Vice President Park nodded quietly and continued.

“Once this post-season is over, let’s start talking about it in earnest.”

The KH Cannons’ post-season after 12 years.

It was three days before the first game.