A Rookie In The Baseball Team Is Too Good [EN]: Chapter 156

The New Recruit of the Baseball Team is Too Good – Episode 156

The Day Baseball Returned (1)

The practice game between the KH Cannons and the Boston Red Sox became a major topic among Korean baseball fans.

[KH Narrowly Defeated by American BOS in Practice Game, 7-5… “Showed Potential”]

[Game Initially Scheduled for 2 Hours Extended at Request of ML Players… “Cannons Play an Interesting Game”]

[Joint Training Continued Even After Game Ended… Barbecue Party with Both Teams at the End]

Reporters dispatched to Florida reported the game results based on the 9-inning mark.

So, the final score was 7-5. The articles reported the Cannons’ defeat, but in reality, few baseball fans seemed to care about the game’s outcome itself.

-What on earth did the Cannons do? How did they manage to get a practice game with the Boston Red Sox?

-I thought maybe some minor league players would show up… But looking at the lineup, almost all the starting players were there?

-The practice game is one thing, but I’m more envious that they had dinner with major league players afterward. They must have learned something from that.

-Damn it, can’t our team’s front office learn from this? Why is it that when we go to Florida, some teams play against major leaguers while others play against independent league combined teams!

As the practice game with Boston gained attention, the KH Cannons’ YouTube channel benefited from the reflected glory.

Baseball fans, not satisfied with just internet articles, flocked to [Cannons TV].

The edited video of the game surpassed 7,000 views, and Ryu Jang-ho’s three-run home run video exceeded 10,000 views.

Of course, the video that surpassed 50,000 views and remained the channel’s biggest ‘jackpot’ since its creation was something else entirely.

-We love you, KH Cannons!

It was the ‘thumbs up’ video of Boston Red Sox captain, Eric McConnell.

Whether he liked the unlimited barbecue or was satisfied with the game against the Cannons.

His giving a thumbs up with an innocent smile soon became a ‘meme’ and circulated throughout internet communities.

Anyway, around the time the practice game with the Boston Red Sox was being talked about-

“Thank you so much for everything.”

Ji-seop was saying goodbye to the local American staff at Orlando International Airport in Florida.

“Charlie, thank you for your hard work. Thanks to you always providing the best ground conditions, our team was able to finish the camp without any injuries.”

“Haha, no need to thank me! I’ll be waiting for you to come to Florida again next year.”

The person shaking hands firmly with Ji-seop was Charlie, the head groundskeeper.

“Hey, bro! Thanks for everything. It couldn’t have been easy making unfamiliar Korean food.”

“Hey, Kim! What did I tell you? I can make anything! I’ll even make kimchi next year, so look forward to it! Haha.”

The person laughing heartily and patting his chest was Miller, the main chef of the catering company.

Ji-seop, who was saying goodbye to the local coordinator, driver, trainer, and so on, finally faced the most important person.

“Hey, Tommy.”

“Ji-seop.”

It was Tommy Damon, Ji-seop’s former teammate from his time in the American independent league and the right-hand man of the Boston Red Sox general manager.

The person who provided the most help to Ji-seop and the KH Cannons during this spring camp.

The things he was grateful for were too numerous to mention, but he couldn’t possibly list them all in front of a busy man.

So, Ji-seop looked at his old colleague’s face and said just this.

“How many rings should I prepare?”

“Rings?”

“Yeah, Korean Series championship rings.”

Ji-seop’s expression was calm.

“I heard that rings are given to those who contributed to the championship, in addition to the players and team staff. So, it would be right to give them to the Boston people too.”

“Ah.”

“Of course, General Manager Perkins and you are included… Eric McConnell? Should I give one to that guy too? Considering this practice game?”

Ji-seop began to count on his fingers with a serious expression.

Tommy Damon stared at him for a moment, then burst out laughing, “Hahaha!”

“Ji-seop! Time has passed. I never thought I’d see you making jokes like this.”

“Does it sound like a joke? I’m serious.”

Ji-seop raised one eyebrow.

“This spring camp… I received a lot of help from you and the Boston Red Sox. If I received that much help, I should definitely win and come back.”

“Hehe, you’ve really changed a lot? You never used to make such bold statements.”

*Well, it’s good to be trustworthy!*

It was at that moment that Tommy Damon reached out to shake Ji-seop’s hand.

“Thanks for thinking of us, but… I don’t think you need to prepare rings for us separately.”

“You don’t need them? Ah, is it because you’re aiming for a Major League championship ring?”

Ji-seop asked, clenching his right hand, and Tommy Damon rolled his eyes for a moment.

“Well, there’s that too…”

He squeezed the hand he was holding and raised one corner of his mouth with a smirk.

“Our general manager and I… We think your job application would be a more welcome gift than a Korean League championship ring.”

“Damn it, is it that story again?”

“Oh, didn’t you know? We’re usually a bit persistent. We Boston Red Sox people.”

*So, win quickly and come back.*

*We’ll be waiting.*

That was the last thing Tommy Damon said to Ji-seop that day.

* * *

Perhaps it was only natural,

Ji-seop’s bag returning from the United States was full of gifts for his family.

He wasn’t in a situation where he could take days off to shop like the players.

But he would ask the players, ‘If there’s something good, buy one for me too,’ and entrust them with money, and sometimes he would go downtown for work and pick up things, thinking, ‘This is pretty good?’

Before he knew it, he had so many gifts that he had to prepare a separate bag.

‘Well, it’s also thanks to the vice chairman giving me plenty of pocket money…’

The cosmetics for his mother were roughly over ten types. There were quite a few clothes, sunglasses, and health supplements for his father. The gift for his brother, Kim Ji-chang… He hurriedly bought one at the airport duty-free shop.

Anyway, it was the first time Ji-seop had bought a bag full of gifts for his family, but it took quite a while to take those gifts to his family home in Seoul.

The reason was simple. With the season opener just around the corner, the KH Cannons front office was facing a veritable ‘tsunami of work.’

“The first pitch for the home opener? Wasn’t it supposed to be some idol [celebrity]? That’s what I heard?”

“Ah, you haven’t seen the news? That person wrote some nonsense on social media yesterday, and it’s a mess. I’m not sure if they’ll even be able to throw the first pitch at this point.”

“…Damn it.”

There was a problem with the first pitcher for the home opener, and it took three days just to find a replacement.

“Dong-seok, I understand how you feel, but… I don’t think it’s time to be impatient right now. The coaches are planning to bring you up to the first team this season.”

“Really?”

“That’s right! If you enlist now, someone else will have to take that spot!”

It took another three days to change the mind of a minor league player who suddenly declared, ‘I’m going to enlist in the military,’ after hearing something somewhere.

“No, so? Are we only preparing for the home opener? There’s no event for the official opener?”

“Vice Chairman, as you know, the home team has the right to host events…”

“Director Seo, are you going to greet customers who come all the way to Seoul empty-handed? Discuss it with Dong-jin and prepare something!”

Here, ‘Sakhalin Park’ Vice Chairman Park Hong-ju’s unique bulldozer spirit was added.

After spending another full week negotiating with Dongjin Generals, the opening game opponent-

“I’m here.”

It was on Friday, just one day before the season opener, that Ji-seop was able to bring the gifts he bought in the United States and visit his family home in Seoul.

“Oh, Ji-seop is here! Our second son, your cheeks have sunken in!”

“Hey, Mom. He’s actually gained a lot of weight now. He was much slimmer when he was an active player.”

“Ji-chang, don’t say nonsense and go get the rice.”

“…Yes.”

In fact, Ji-seop was quite exhausted at this time.

From the time the stove league [off-season trading period] started in earnest, through spring camp, to this day.

He had been running without a proper break.

Frankly speaking, at this moment, he just wanted to lie down in bed and sleep rather than eat the dinner his mother had prepared.

But,

People’s minds are strange things.

“Oh, Ji-seop, why did you buy these things? How many cosmetics does Mom have on her dressing table?”

Even while saying that, his mother’s eyes sparkled as she looked at the gifts.

“Hehe, American clothes are a bit different, aren’t they? Huh? Don’t you think so?”

His father wore the T-shirt Ji-seop bought and laughed heartily for the first time in a long time.

“HerX chocolate… Hey, honestly, can’t you buy this at the convenience store in front?”

Looking at his somewhat ambiguous gift, his brother made an unhappy expression-

“Oh, if you don’t want to eat it, just give it to me! I bought it with you in mind, and you’re just grumbling.”

Before he knew it, Ji-seop was able to recover enough energy to bicker with his brother like this.

Of course, his parents looked even happier when he told them stories from the United States than when they received the gifts he bought there.

“No, so you said ‘Let’s give it a try’ to that PD [producer] person?”

“Well, the final decision was made by the operations team leader… But anyway, thanks to that, we were able to film the video.”

“Oh, Ji-chang’s father! It seems our Ji-seop has become quite a high-ranking person? Giving opportunities to his subordinates?”

“Yes, well done. If you see someone who is willing to work hard in the future, help them a lot. In the long run, that’s the way to build your foundation.”

“Yes, Father.”

Was it around the time he finished a bowl of rice and asked his brother to refill it for him?

His father, who had only been agreeing with his mother’s words until then, asked Ji-seop a question for the first time.

“So… what do you think?”

“Yes?”

“Your team, I mean. KH Cannons.”

His father put down the glass of water he was holding and continued.

“I saw in the newspaper that there are conflicting opinions about whether you’ll make the top 5 or not… I was wondering what it’s really like.”

It was a question that Ji-seop had just smiled at when he heard it over the past few days.

It was partly because he was now in a position where he had to be careful about what he said in front of others, but more than that, it was because Ji-seop himself couldn’t make a good judgment.

‘I think I’ve prepared…’

He thought he had done his best, but problems kept arising.

A player who had been fine suddenly faltered, and a plan that had been going well was suddenly suspended.

Like an irregular bounce in baseball, his confidence had shrunk in the face of the problems that were erupting chaotically.

“…”

But was it because he had seen his family’s faces for the first time in a long time?

One small gift, one trivial company story.

Was it because he had met people who accepted it like a great gift and listened to it like a great heroic tale?

So, was it because the energy to start new work had risen without him knowing?

Ji-seop answered his father.

“We will win the championship, Father.”

His expression was more confident than when he first read a batter’s mind.