A Rookie In The Baseball Team Is Too Good [EN]: Chapter 192

50. A Person from Home (2)

An old teammate, ousted from the major leagues because of his words.

Now, that teammate is back as a head scout, here to evaluate him.

Jimmy Morris, the Cannons’ ace, found himself in a truly ironic situation.

For the next few days,

he faced a ‘period of hardship.’

“……Damn it!”

For one, the training was incredibly tough.

Chun Jin-woo, who volunteered to be his training partner, was an extremely strict person.

“Again!”

“……Again?!

“The ball keeps flying all over the place! Put some care into each throw! Get a good grip on the seams!”

“……Yes, Captain.”

“Uh-oh, am I going deaf? I haven’t been able to hear you answering properly for a while now?”

“YES, CAPTAAAAAAIN!!!”

However, the intense training was the least of his worries.

Jimmy Morris was a veteran pitcher in his own right. He had the know-how to handle tough training.

What really troubled him was that his ‘dark history’ was constantly being brought up by his teammates.

“Alright! Let’s focus, focus!”

During infielders’ fungo practice [a baseball training drill where a coach hits balls to fielders], Lee Soo-bin would slap his glove and say this.

“Morris is watching! Anyone who makes a mistake here is going to the minors! This fungo is a matter of demotion to the minors…… you know!”

“No, you idiot!!!”

Jimmy Morris would shout, but all he got in return was the giggling of his younger teammates.

“Oh my!”

When they gathered in the locker room for the pre-game meeting, Kyung Sun-woo would joke like this.

“Morris! Sit here! Our team’s ace can’t be standing during the meeting, can he?”

“Ugh, not you too?”

The young Cannons players tried to tease Jimmy Morris at every chance they got.

The players were even more energized after they accidentally found a video online.

-Hey, Jimmy! Congratulations on achieving 10 wins this season! You’re completely meeting the expectations of the Orioles fans!

The video seemed to have been filmed almost 10 years ago.

It was when Jimmy Morris was a young ace for the Orioles, rapidly rising in popularity.

The announcer, who had selected him as the game’s MVP, asked him this question.

-Many fans are curious! Jimmy Morris, what is your goal? Are you the next Nolan Ryan? Or the next Greg Maddux?

It was a common question for young pitchers.

Did he dream of becoming Nolan Ryan, an ace who overwhelmed opposing pitchers with his powerful fastball?

Or did he dream of becoming Greg Maddux, a legend who dominated the league with his precise control?

“Nooooooooo!!!”

Jimmy Morris saw his teammates watching this video from afar.

His face turned blue as he ran furiously towards his teammates.

“Stop! Stop the video right now!!”

Jimmy Morris tried to snatch the phone from Lee Soo-bin’s hand, but his efforts were in vain.

Everyone in the locker room, including Ji-seop, was able to hear the ambitious voice of a young Jimmy Morris in his early twenties.

-The next Nolan Ryan? The next Greg Maddux? Oh, I’m not aiming for that.

He confidently swept back his then-flowing hair and blurted out.

-I want you all to remember me as ‘The First Jimmy Morris!’

Oh, my, God.

Faced with his own dark history that had finally been revealed, the Cannons’ ace covered his face with his hands.

From that exact moment, the Cannons players could be seen shouting next to Jimmy Morris as he pitched in the bullpen.

Whoosh- Bang!

“Oh, speed!”

“Better than Nolan Ryan!”

Whoosh- Bang!

“Oh, control!”

“Better than Greg Maddux!”

The Cannons players clapped and shouted next to Jimmy Morris every time he threw a pitch.

Of course, Jimmy Morris wasn’t just embarrassed all the time.

“Hey, Ji-seop.”

Whoosh- Bang!

Jimmy Morris, receiving the ball from the bullpen catcher, grumbled to Ji-seop, who was standing next to him.

“Why do they only use English when they’re teasing me? Would it kill them to use it normally?”

“Hehe, who knows? That’s beyond my understanding…….”

“Your pitches are getting pretty good?”

Ji-seop said to Jimmy Morris.

“Is it the result of training with the Captain? The sound of the ball hitting the catcher’s mitt sounds much better than a few days ago.”

“Really? You think so too?”

“Yeah.”

It was at this moment that a mischievous smile appeared on Ji-seop’s face.

“Truly befitting the First Jimmy Morris.”

“……Shut up, you bonfire.”

* * *

Paul Ekstein, the head scout for the Baltimore Orioles of Major League Baseball in the United States.

It was a few days later that he appeared at the KH Cannons Field.

The first game of the mid-week 3-game series against the Geosan Mariners, the last series of the first half of the season.

“Welcome, Mr. Ekstein.”

Ji-seop was the one who greeted the Major League scout on behalf of the KH Cannons.

Maintaining ‘status’ was essential in the relationship between clubs.

It wouldn’t befit the ‘status’ for the general manager to personally greet the head scout, so Ji-seop, General Manager Seo Chang-gi’s aide, stepped forward.

“I’m Kim Ji-seop. I’m a special aide to the general manager at KH Cannons.”

“Oh, Kim!”

Paul Ekstein had a much rounder impression than he had in the photos.

When Ji-seop offered a handshake, he suddenly grabbed Ji-seop’s hands with both of his and grinned.

“Nice to meet you, Cannons’ Mr. Kim! I’ve always wanted to meet you……. Haha, so the opportunity has come!”

“You…… know me?”

Ji-seop tilted his head slightly.

The Orioles scout laughed heartily and continued.

“Of course. How could I not? If you work for a team in the American League East [a division in Major League Baseball], you’ve probably heard your name at least once.”

“Ruben Acosta!”

Paul Ekstein mentioned a name that had been lost in Ji-seop’s memory for a while.

“Remember? Ruben Acosta. That guy who was considered the best free agent pitcher last offseason.”

“Ah, yes.”

“Ruben Acosta wearing a Boston uniform was entirely the idea of a front office staff member from Korea……. That story was quite a hot topic on our side as well.”

He raised one eyebrow slightly and continued.

“Of course, we, the Baltimore Orioles, are having a very difficult time because of that Ruben Acosta…….”

It meant that the Baltimore Orioles in the same division were struggling because an overwhelming ace had joined the Boston Red Sox.

Ji-seop was secretly pleased that Ruben Acosta was performing well, but he still put on a slightly embarrassed expression.

“I can’t say that signing Ruben Acosta was entirely my doing…… but I feel sorry for you after hearing what you said, Mr. Ekstein.”

“No, no! That’s not what I meant!”

Paul Ekstein waved his hands.

“I’m just grateful that the Cannons allowed me to watch the game like this. Let’s see…….”

He took out a crumpled piece of paper from his pocket and unfolded it.

Paul Ekstein held the note in his hand and looked at the names on the scoreboard one by one.

“Oh, thankfully, he seems to be playing today!”

“Yes?”

“Ryu! I mean Mr. Jang-ho, Ryu! The Cannons’ amazing center fielder!”

“I personally have high expectations.”

Paul Ekstein rubbed his hands together.

“To see Ryu, who I’ve only seen in videos, with my own eyes! I couldn’t even sleep properly last night!”

“Haha, you seem very interested in Ryu Jang-ho.”

“Of course, wouldn’t you be? It’s not easy to meet such a young and talented player…….”

Paul Ekstein began to praise Ryu Jang-ho.

He said that his swing had become very sharp this season, and that his outfield defense seemed to have matured even more.

In fact, it was a very different attitude from a typical Major League scout.

‘That’s strange. Major League scouts usually don’t say much about the players they’re observing…….’

A scout’s words could affect future negotiations.

There was no need to outwardly show that the team was interested in the player.

Nevertheless, Paul Ekstein was praising Ryu Jang-ho without hesitation.

What does this mean?

‘Jimmy Morris was right.’

Ji-seop watched Paul Ekstein carefully examining the KH Cannons Field scoreboard and smiled inwardly.

‘The Baltimore Orioles…… are interested in Jimmy Morris.’

The door of opportunity had opened.

All that remained,

was Jimmy Morris’ performance.

* * *

Wow!!!

Wow!!!

About 30 minutes later.

Chun Jin-woo, the KH Cannons’ starting catcher, was giving the starting pitcher of the day his final advice.

“Hey, Jimmy.”

“Yes, Captain.”

Jimmy Morris looked nervous.

Chun Jin-woo punched him in the chest with his fist.

“Going to the Baltimore Orioles……. I think you should think about it again.”

“What?”

Jimmy Morris tilted his head.

A strange smile appeared on Chun Jin-woo’s face.

“With your current form, I think all 30 Major League teams will make you an offer? Don’t bet your life on the Orioles, go to the team that pays you the most.”

Jimmy Morris chuckled after hearing the translation.

‘His pitches are good.’

‘Really good.’

Chun Jin-woo was ultimately saying that, albeit in a roundabout way.

“Throw with confidence. Then the results will naturally follow.”

“I understand, Captain.”

“Okay, let’s go and fight.”

Tap tap.

Chun Jin-woo patted the starting pitcher on the shoulder and headed behind home plate.

Jimmy Morris, left alone on the mound, stepped on the pitcher’s plate and looked at the stands behind the catcher.

‘By now…… he must be sitting somewhere over there.’

Paul Ekstein.

The Orioles scout.

And his old teammate.

As he scanned the area where he was likely to be sitting, Jimmy Morris recalled the thought he had repeated several times over the past few days.

‘Damn it, why did I do that back then?’

Clearly, there was frustration about the current situation.

If he had treated Paul Ekstein better back then, he wouldn’t be so nervous now.

If he hadn’t yelled at Paul Ekstein back then, he wouldn’t have the pressure to ‘do better.’

“…….”

However, he also felt a great deal of personal guilt towards Paul Ekstein.

‘Mistakes aren’t made on purpose, and skills aren’t developed as one wishes.’

‘Why was I so cruel to my teammate, who must have been running around anxiously every day?’

Things that he only realized after leaving the major leagues, going to the minor leagues, and then being pushed all the way to Korea.

“Sigh.”

Honestly, he wanted to say it.

To Paul Ekstein, to his old teammate.

That he was sorry. That he apologized. That he had acted too foolishly in the past.

But he didn’t want that apology to be seen as a shallow trick to return to the major leagues.

First, he wanted to prove it. That he had the skills to return to the major leagues. That he was ready to return to his hometown team.

‘Even an apology…… has to be cool.’

Jimmy Morris placed the white rosin bag on the back of his right hand and began to bounce it.

When enough white rosin powder from the rosin bag had coated his fingers, Jimmy Morris took a deep breath.

‘Let’s do it.’

He glared at the batter’s box with fierce eyes.

Now was the time to show everything he had.