A Rookie In The Baseball Team Is Too Good [EN]: Chapter 194

50. A Person from Home (4)

What had happened to Jimmy Morris in the meantime?

What could have changed a person so much?

Paul Eckstein had been about to ask ‘Mr. Kim’ of the KH Cannons for a rough idea of the situation.

But he soon stopped in his tracks.

‘No, Kim is with the KH Cannons… He’s not the one to ask about Jimmy Morris.’

KH Cannons and Baltimore Orioles.

The two teams were potential rivals.

Next season, they would have to engage in a fierce recruitment battle for the starting pitcher named Jimmy Morris.

Considering that, it seemed unlikely that the Cannons’ special advisor to the general manager would give accurate information about Jimmy Morris.

‘Even if I ask, he’ll avoid answering… And even if he does, he’ll try to downplay Jimmy Morris as much as possible.’

It was a common sight in the baseball world.

Spreading all sorts of lies and rumors to prevent a player from being snatched by another team.

Paul Eckstein had done similar things countless times, so he had no choice but to give up.

‘It’s best not to bring up Jimmy to Kim at all… Hmm, what do I do now?’

As Paul Eckstein’s mind was becoming as tangled as a ball of yarn, he heard a voice from up ahead, “B-Boss!”

“Huh?”

Paul Eckstein looked up without much thought.

But the next moment, a dumbfounded expression appeared on his face.

“Oh, no…”

It was his subordinate.

The employee who had gone to buy a cup of coffee to drink on the way to Seoul.

But in his hands, as he returned to Paul Eckstein, were all sorts of snacks.

There was popcorn, ice cream, and smoked chicken legs.

There was even a snack he had never seen before, which looked like sausage covered in flour batter and studded with french fries.

“Hey, John! What is that?”

“Ah, this…”

The subordinate looked down at the unidentified snack and said.

“What was it called? Dokkae… Tokebi [a mischievous goblin from Korean folklore]? Anyway, they said it’s a snack called ‘Devil’s Bat’ in English.”

“…Devil’s Bat?”

A devil’s bat?

He thought it was a strange name for a snack, but that wasn’t the important thing right now.

“I’m asking why you bought all those snacks. Weren’t we just going to buy a cup of coffee each?”

“Ah, well…”

The subordinate flinched slightly.

It was ‘Mr. Kim’ of KH Cannons who appeared, placing a hand on his subordinate’s shoulder.

“Mr. Eckstein, this is a small gift from me.”

“Mr. Kim? But why…”

Paul Eckstein narrowed his brow.

“You know you shouldn’t do this, right? According to regulations, Major League scouts are not allowed to receive any hospitality from other teams…”

“Don’t be like that. I just wanted to take care of guests who came from afar.”

Jisub grinned.

“If it becomes a problem, I’ll take responsibility. I’ve also kept the receipt, so it’ll be good for writing a report later. One popcorn, two smoked chicken legs, one tub of marble ice cream…”

Jisub pretended to write something on his palm.

Paul Eckstein couldn’t help but chuckle at his cheeky demeanor.

“Really… I can’t stop you.”

“Try one. It was a snack that guests from foreign countries especially liked.”

Jisub handed Paul Eckstein a snack.

“Come along while you eat. I’ll show you the way to the parking lot.”

“Ah, thank you.”

As he followed the Cannons’ special advisor to the general manager, Paul Eckstein took a bite of the ‘snack’ he had been given.

‘……Hmm?!’

He was inwardly surprised.

‘I thought it would be something very spicy because it’s called Devil’s Bat… But this is, surprisingly, right up my alley?’

It turns out that Koreans don’t just eat spicy food.

They can also make such great snacks.

Just as his complicated mind was about to relax a little thanks to the snack that suited his taste.

“Ah, that’s right…”

Just as they were about to enter the stairs leading to the parking lot, the Cannons’ special advisor to the general manager, who was walking ahead, brought up an unexpected story.

“Mr. Eckstein, I think Jimmy Morris is a very good player.”

“Excuse me?!”

At that moment, Paul Eckstein could no longer taste the wonderful flavor of the ‘Dokkaebi Bat’.

* * *

“W-What do you mean…”

Paul Eckstein seemed greatly embarrassed.

But Jisub continued to speak with a calm expression.

“I’m not the only one who thinks so. Within our team, there’s an evaluation that Jimmy Morris is the best foreign player since the team’s founding.”

“……”

“His skills are great, but he’s getting even better reviews for his personality. He’s diligent as a matter of course, and his relationship with his teammates is also very good. He appears frequently on the team’s YouTube channel, so he’s very popular among fans.”

The Cannons’ special advisor to the general manager was praising him to the skies.

After listening to the story with a dazed expression for a while, Paul Eckstein strode down the stairs and approached Jisub.

“Mr. Kim, what are you talking about?”

Paul Eckstein asked.

“I don’t know why you’re suddenly talking about Jimmy Morris. As you know, we’re here to see Ryu Jang-ho…”

“I know everything.”

Jisub gave a faint smile.

“I also know that the Baltimore Orioles have many good outfielders, and that you are looking for a veteran starting pitcher to lead the young pitchers.”

“……”

“Above all, if Ryu Jang-ho was your purpose, isn’t it a little too early to leave the stadium now?”

Jisub shrugged.

“Today, Ryu Jang-ho has only recorded two walks. You haven’t even seen a proper hit yet, so it’s strange to leave like this.”

“W-Well… that’s true.”

Looking back, he also thought that they had moved too obviously.

They had gotten up from the stands as soon as Jimmy Morris came down from the mound.

But apart from that, Paul Eckstein still had a question.

“Mr. Kim, I have no idea what your intention is.”

“Yes? What is it?”

Jisub blinked, but Paul Eckstein narrowed his brow.

“You knew that we, the Baltimore Orioles, were interested in Jimmy Morris, didn’t you?”

“Yes, well, that’s right.”

“But you still let us watch the game, gave us snacks, and now… you’re even praising Jimmy Morris? Why?”

Paul Eckstein asked again.

“Is it some kind of… confidence? Confidence that we can’t take Jimmy Morris no matter how much money we spend? Is that an expression of confidence?”

“Haha, how could that be?”

“Let’s walk first.”

“If we delay any longer, the traffic will be terrible.”

While guiding the way to the parking lot, Jisub opened his mouth with a calm expression.

“There are no other intentions. I’m just trying to keep my promise with Jimmy Morris.”

“A promise?”

“Yes, our general manager made a promise. If our Cannons win this time, the team will actively help Jimmy Morris return to the Major League.”

Jisub continued.

“Of course, it’s not the time to talk about winning yet, but Jimmy Morris’ contribution was great in the Cannons leading the way. So what can we do? We have to take steps in advance so that he can successfully return to the Major League.”

“So… you told me? What kind of evaluation Jimmy Morris is receiving within the team?”

“Yes, that’s right. That’s the part you’d be most curious about as a scout.”

“……”

Paul Eckstein was looking at the Cannons’ special advisor to the general manager with a fresh perspective.

He had quite a few contacts with Asian teams, but this was the first time he had seen a team put so much effort into a foreign player.

‘If Jimmy Morris transfers, there will be a disruption in the team’s power plan for next season… Are they going to keep their promise even if they have to bear that?’

Of course, Paul Eckstein didn’t trust Jisub’s words 100%.

He may have considered Jimmy Morris’ age, or he may have thought about the increased salary.

And he thought that showing such trust could have a positive impact on foreign players who would join the Cannons in the future.

But regardless of what calculations were behind it, it was certainly refreshing to see such an attitude towards a scout from another team.

“Ah, but to add one more thing…”

“Yes?”

“You two will be the only ones to receive the Dokkaebi Bat from me. I’m not planning on giving it to other team scouts.”

“Dokkae… what?”

“Dokkaebi Bat. Devil’s Bat. I’m talking about the snack you’re holding now.”

Jisub made a playful expression.

“Jimmy told me a lot about the Orioles. He said he wants to go to the Orioles if he goes to the Major League.”

“To our Orioles? So he still has a longing for his original team?”

“Yes, there’s that, but…”

Here, Jisub decided to bring up the story that Jimmy Morris had repeatedly told him to keep ‘secret’.

“He said there’s a friend he definitely wants to meet and have a beer with if he goes back to the Orioles.”

“A friend?”

“Yes, a friend he felt really sorry for in the past… He said he can’t meet him now. He said he’ll be able to meet him comfortably after joining the Orioles.”

“……”

Paul Eckstein closed his mouth slightly.

Jisub pretended not to know and continued.

“How could I stay still after hearing that? I have to use some kind of bribe… to make sure you take good care of our Jimmy.”

“A bribe? Ah, are you talking about this?”

Paul Eckstein smiled bitterly, holding up the ‘Dokkaebi Bat’ that he had taken a bite of.

“I don’t know how much this snack will affect Jimmy Morris’ evaluation… But I understand for now.”

The two slowly walked down the stairs, talking about Jimmy Morris.

When they came down to the underground parking lot of KH Cannons Field, the car that Paul Eckstein was going to ride in was already started.

Paul Eckstein’s subordinate had gone ahead to find the car.

“Then I’ll have to say goodbye here. Thank you for everything today.”

“Drive carefully, Mr. Eckstein.”

The KH Cannons’ special advisor to the general manager asked for a handshake with a bright expression.

At the moment of shaking his firm hand, Paul Eckstein was able to get a vague sense of what had happened to Jimmy Morris in the meantime.

What could have changed a person so much?

‘Maybe… it’s because of that special advisor to the general manager.’

If Jimmy Morris had a colleague who took such meticulous care of him by his side, wouldn’t he have changed a little?

Wouldn’t that slight change have accumulated and become the Jimmy Morris he saw that day?

When his thoughts reached this point, one thing suddenly flashed through Paul Eckstein’s mind.

‘Wait a minute, what if the Cannons don’t win this year… What happens then?’

Will Jimmy Morris leave KH Cannons and come to the Baltimore Orioles?

Or will he choose to stay with the Cannons for another season for the sake of this colleague who changed him?

‘Hmm…’

Paul Eckstein wouldn’t have had these concerns just a few minutes ago.

But Jimmy Morris was longing for his hometown team, and he wanted to have a hearty beer with ‘someone he was really sorry for’.

After hearing that story, he felt like he wanted to bring Jimmy Morris to the Orioles no matter what.

Was that why?

“Hey, John. Wait a minute.”

“Ah, yes.”

Paul Eckstein turned away from getting into the car and headed towards Jisub.

“Excuse me… Mr. Kim.”

“Yes?”

He couldn’t say something like, ‘I desperately want Jimmy Morris.’

Paul Eckstein created a plausible excuse.

“I can’t help but be concerned.”

“About this ‘Devil’s Bat’.”

Paul Eckstein continued.

“I can’t receive anything that affects player evaluation, no matter how trivial it is.”

“No, what do you mean…”

Jisub laughed as if he was dumbfounded.

“You should have said that before you ate it. There’s only one bite left, what are you doing now…”

“……Ah.”

‘Devil’s Bat’ was more delicious than he thought.

Paul Eckstein stared blankly at the snack with only one bite left, as Jisub said.

He cleared his throat and continued.

“It’s hard to return it because I ate it all. Instead, I’ll give you a piece of useful information.”

“Information?”

“Yes, UB Guardians, was it? The only team that can be called KH Cannons’ rival right now.”

“That’s right.”

With the first half of the season coming to an end, the only team chasing closely behind the Cannons was the Guardians.

“It seems that the Guardians will be signing a new pitcher soon. It hasn’t been announced externally, but the story is already well underway.”

“A new foreign pitcher?”

There was no need to ask where he got that information.

If Paul Eckstein was saying it, it was probably because he belonged to the Baltimore Orioles.

“Yes, he’s a pitcher with considerable talent. I don’t understand why such a pitcher is going to Korea…”

Paul Eckstein took out a piece of memo paper and started writing something.

And with that paper in his hand, he asked Jisub for a handshake again.

“Please prepare thoroughly.”

As Jisub shook his hand, Paul Eckstein continued.

“And… I wish the Cannons the Korean Series championship this season.”