A Rookie In The Baseball Team Is Too Good [EN]: Chapter 182

Chapter 47: Finding a Renowned Doctor (5)

Three weeks later.

Jisub was in the KH Cannons Field data analysis room, watching the game.

“Wowwww!!!”

The KH Cannons had seized the victory early in the game.

From the first inning, the Cannons’ lineup exploded, making a complete round of hitters and scoring a whopping 7 points.

Clang!

In the second and third innings, they added 2 points each, bringing the Cannons’ total score to 11 points.

Adding to this, ace Jimmy Morris, who started as the pitcher that day, completely crushed the opponent’s will to chase with a brilliant performance of 7 innings and only 2 runs allowed.

Thus, the current score in the top of the 8th inning was 11-2.

The opposing team had already removed most of their starting members from the lineup, and the Cannons were in a situation where they could comfortably wait for victory, but—

“……Hoo.”

Jisub in the data analysis room was still tense.

Unable to lean back comfortably in his chair like the others, he stared intently at the field outside the glass wall.

There was a good reason for that.

-KH Cannons will be making a substitution. Pitcher Jimmy Morris is coming off, and pitcher Kang Jaeyun is coming on. Pitcher Kang Jaeyun.

That’s right. KH Cannons’ ‘Fireballer’ Kang Jaeyun.

The young bullpen pitcher who had visited Iwata Medical Center with Jisub was making his comeback that day.

“Don’t worry. Jaeyun will do well.”

Perhaps having seen through Jisub’s uneasy mind,

Go Changdeok, sitting next to him, said with a calm expression.

“Jisub, you checked it with me, right? Jaeyun reached a top speed of 155km/h [approximately 96 mph] in the bullpen yesterday? If there’s even a little pain left, it’s hard to throw at that speed.”

“Yes, I know that, but…….”

Jisub knew better than anyone, except for Kang Jaeyun himself, that the pitcher’s elbow pain had completely disappeared.

However, as Jisub could read other people’s minds, there were things he inevitably knew.

[Injury…… I hope it doesn’t recur?]

It was an anxiety that any player returning from injury would inevitably have.

[I think I heard that if the injury recurs in the same area, I’ll have to get surgery…….]

[Will my game sense be okay? Damn it, it’s been so long since I’ve been on the first-team mound…… I can barely remember what Chun Jinwoo’s style was like.]

[Can I do well? I need to show a good pitch in my comeback game to continue getting opportunities in the future.]

Of course, as a front office employee, Jisub had done everything he could.

He listened to Kang’s story over meals, explained Chun Jinwoo’s style, and encouraged him that he could do well several times.

But Jisub, who had been a pitcher in his active days, knew better than anyone.

‘No matter how hard people try to help from the sidelines… once you get on the mound, the pitcher is alone.’

You had to bear it all alone.

The anxiety that the injury could recur.

The tremendous tension of the first-team stage.

And the pressure to produce results as quickly as possible.

Enduring and overcoming that on the mound was the pitcher’s responsibility, so Jisub couldn’t help but feel anxious as he watched.

“Damn it, I’ve adapted to everything else…… but I can’t seem to get used to this.”

Jisub said to Go Changdeok.

“Sometimes I want to go up on the mound instead. I’d rather do that to feel more at ease.”

“Hey, you’re saying something terrible.”

Go Changdeok shuddered.

“How can a pitcher with a top speed of 125km/h [approximately 78 mph] think about going up on the first-team mound? I didn’t think you were like this, Jisub, but you’re subtly shameless?”

“I’m just saying, just saying!”

Jisub glared at Go Changdeok.

“And my fastball came out at a top speed of 128km/h [approximately 80 mph]? Why are you subtly lowering it by 3km/h?”

“Ah, sorry, sorry. Even a bonfire pitcher has pride. Oh, I forgot about that!”

Go Changdeok chuckled as he looked at Jisub.

But that was only for a moment, as he turned his gaze to the field and said.

“We have to trust him. What else can we do?”

“I’m talking about Jaeyun.”

Go Changdeok had become serious.

“We do our best to support him until the game, but once we send him up to the mound, we have to trust him from then on. He will do well. He will overcome it.”

“If that’s hard, then pray. Please let him do well. Please let him overcome it.”

“Prayer meta…… will that work?”

“Well, how would I know?”

With that, Go Changdeok gently clasped his hands together.

Watching him, Jisub smiled faintly and turned his gaze to Kang Jaeyun on the mound.

Kang had already finished his practice pitches and was now exchanging signs with the catcher to face the first batter.

‘Please let him do well….’

Jisub didn’t clasp his hands together like Go Changdeok, but he was already in a praying mood.

‘The pressure on the mound…… please help him overcome it.’

Whether he knew Jisub’s heart or not, Kang Jaeyun checked the catcher’s sign with a calm expression.

After exchanging signs, he powerfully began his windup.

With his left leg extended forward as an axis, his whole body bent and snapped like a whip.

And the moment the ball left his fingertips and flew like a white arrow, plunging into the catcher’s mitt.

Whoosh- Pow!!!

Whether it was thanks to his prayer.

Or thanks to the treatment at Iwata Medical Center.

Or perhaps it was thanks to Kang’s original potential—

“Strike!!!”

Jisub could sense that Kang Jaeyun had shaken off all the anxiety that had been weighing him down.

Four-seam fastball. 157km/h [approximately 98 mph].

Low and outside.

It was the perfect first pitch to announce the return of ‘Fireballer’ Kang Jaeyun.

In that game, Kang Jaeyun was able to make a successful comeback.

Whoosh- Pow!

Whoosh- Pow!

He threw 17 pitches in one inning, allowing 1 hit, no runs, and 2 strikeouts.

Although he came on in a situation with a large score difference, it was a performance that showed enough potential as a future setup man.

With the recent increase in games decided by narrow margins, the Cannons, who had to worry about the stamina of their bullpen pitchers, couldn’t help but be happy about the news.

“Jaeyun, you worked hard! Just keep doing this, just like this.”

“You must have had a hard time because of the injury, but I’m glad you came back safely. Now you have to stay in the first team until the end of the season! Right?”

“Of course! I need to graduate from Yeosu life now!”

Just as Kang Jaeyun was surrounded by his teammates, receiving congratulations and encouragement.

Jisub was walking to the team manager’s office, answering a phone call that had come in after a long time.

-Ah, is that so! This is really welcome news!

This person was greatly pleased with the news that Kang Jaeyun had safely returned.

He was Iwata Minoru, the second director of Iwata Medical Center in Japan.

-I’m glad that he kept the inning scoreless, but I’m even happier that Kang’s velocity hasn’t dropped. There are many cases where players can’t throw with all their might because of concerns about recurring injuries.

“It’s all thanks to you, Director.”

Jisub was speaking with a bright expression.

“I think Kang was able to make a safe return thanks to the Director’s great care. The fact that his return was almost two weeks earlier than expected is also thanks to you.”

-What are you saying? I should be the one thanking Special Advisor Kim.

-If it weren’t for Special Advisor Kim, I would still be mistaken. ‘Ah, I am providing the best service for Korean players.’

It seemed to be about the satellite TV story.

It was introduced at the request of Korean players, but it only hindered their stability.

-After removing the satellite TV, the recovery pace of Korean players has almost returned to its previous level. Kang Jaeyun’s early return was also due to that……. Thank you so much, Special Advisor Kim.

Iwata, who expressed his gratitude politely, offered some compensation.

He said that Iwata Medical Center would always have a place ready for Cannons players in the future.

He offered to provide short-term training courses for trainers in the team if the Cannons wanted.

He said that if a player needed surgery, he would connect them with the most famous university hospital in Japan, and so on.

Iwata continued the story in such an exaggerated manner.

He suddenly asked Jisub.

-By the way……. Special Advisor Kim, have you received a package addressed to you?

“A package?”

“Did you send a package?”

-Yes, I happened to get an interesting item a few days ago……. I thought it would be good to send it to Special Advisor Kim, so I sent it to Korea.

He said he received a message a few hours ago that it had arrived safely.

Then the ‘interesting item’ would be at KH Cannons Field right now.

Jisub stopped walking to the team manager’s office and looked into the mailbox.

“Ah, that’s right. It’s here.”

Jisub pulled out the package that Iwata had sent from the mailbox.

A soft touch. Light weight.

Jisub looked at the writing on the package and asked Iwata.

“What…… is this? The shipping label says it’s clothing…….”

-It’s a commemorative T-shirt.

Up to this point, Jisub thought, ‘Ah, I see,’ and didn’t take it seriously.

However, the moment he heard Iwata’s explanation, Jisub couldn’t help but look at the package with a fresh perspective.

-To be exact, it’s a KH Cannons commemorative T-shirt.

“A Cannons T-shirt?”

-That’s right. 15 years ago……. KH Cannons advanced to the playoffs, didn’t they? You know, the stage before the Korean Series [championship series].

“That’s right.”

Jisub didn’t remember the exact time, but it seemed like they had advanced to the playoffs around that time.

-At that time, KH Cannons prepared a commemorative T-shirt in preparation for the Korean Series.

-Unfortunately, Cannons failed to advance from the playoffs at the time, so this T-shirt was never released to the public.

“You’re saying you got that T-shirt…… Director?”

-Yes, Cannons seems to have donated all of the T-shirts to foreign countries at the time……. One of them happened to come to me.

“A commemorative T-shirt made 15 years ago…….”

An unexpected gift.

Intrigued, Jisub began to unpack the package on the spot.