A Rookie In The Baseball Team Is Too Good [EN]: Chapter 202

52. A Persistent Streak (2)

Several days later.

Three hours before the game.

Reporters flocked to the home team’s dugout at KH Cannons Field to conduct a pre-game interview with Manager Arthur Freeman.

“The manager is coming out!”

The interview, usually lasting about 20 minutes, began when the manager appeared at the call of a team employee.

Arthur Freeman usually started by greeting each reporter individually, but today was different.

“Good morning, everyone!”

As Arthur Freeman entered the dugout with a bright smile, the reporters, who had been exchanging meaningful glances, shouted.

“Congratulations, Manager!”

Arthur Freeman could now understand this much Korean without the help of a translator.

He hesitated for a moment at the sudden congratulations but soon realized what it meant and smiled gently.

“Thank you, everyone.”

He continued.

“Thanks to your support, we were able to sweep the three-game series against the UB Guardians.”

The manager’s words were true.

Last week, the weekend three-game series was held at UB Innovation Stadium.

With the lead potentially changing depending on the results, KH Cannons achieved a clean sweep.

This widened the gap with the UB Guardians to five games. This was why the Cannons press corps offered their congratulations.

“Guardians aside, you’ve managed to achieve a six-game winning streak by winning Sunday’s game.”

One of the reporters said.

“The Cannons’ momentum has been incredible since the second half of the season. What do you think is the reason for this, Manager?”

“Well, what other reason could there be? It’s because everyone in the Cannons organization, including the players, is doing their part.”

Arthur Freeman checked something with his interpreter and then looked up again.

“Isn’t there a Korean saying, ‘isimjeonsim’ [이심전심]? It means that we understand each other without having to say it… I think that kind of atmosphere is being created in our Cannons team recently.”

The manager even checked with the interpreter before using the Sino-Korean word [a word derived from Chinese], which was a gesture for the Cannons press corps.

For reporters, having the interviewee clearly state a ‘keyword’ like this made writing articles much easier.

It was a foreign manager’s consideration for reporters who always had to meet deadlines with similar content.

However, on this day, the Cannons beat reporters seemed to have already secured their stories.

“Isimjeonsim…”

The reporters, who were taking notes on Arthur Freeman’s words, suddenly smiled mysteriously.

“Could it be that the reason you haven’t been shaving for the past few days… is also part of that ‘isimjeonsim’?”

One of the reporters asked the manager.

“It seems like the Cannons players haven’t been shaving lately either? Did they decide not to shave during the winning streak…?”

“Haha, I guess it’s pretty obvious.”

That’s right.

Arthur Freeman said, stroking his stubble.

“Since all the players are participating, the manager can’t be left out.”

* * *

As if they had made a promise, the players appeared at the stadium without shaving.

It started with,

The Cannons’ ‘baseball genius,’ Ryu Jang-ho.

-I didn’t think much of it at first.

That was what he said at the dinner after defeating Mike Pontius of the UB Guardians.

-I accidentally forgot to bring my razor to the away game dormitory… so I had no choice but to play the game like that.

He had planned to buy a disposable razor at a convenience store after the game.

If a player showed up at the stadium looking unkempt, the coaches and broadcasting staff would nag him.

But lo and behold. On the day Ryu Jang-ho played without shaving, he had an incredible record of 4 hits in 4 at-bats, with 2 home runs and 7 RBIs [Runs Batted In, a key offensive statistic].

-If the home runs had been well-hit, I would have just thought, ‘Okay,’ and moved on… But the home runs that day barely went over the fence.

-Yeah, I remember that. If it hadn’t been for the wind that happened to be blowing, those balls would have been ordinary outfield flies.

-Yes, those kinds of hits happened not just once but twice… I couldn’t bring myself to shave. It felt like some good energy had ‘rushed’ in.

Energy.

Good energy.

It was impossible to know if such a thing really existed, but the team had gone on a four-game winning streak since then.

-Oh… really?

-Good energy, huh?

-Ordinary outfield flies becoming home runs?

-Then, conversely, you could stop balls that should be home runs and turn them into outfield flies?

The players stroked their chins and nodded slowly.

And starting the very next day, the Cannons players began to appear on the field without shaving.

-Oh, you didn’t shave either?

-Hey, how could I shave after hearing that? I need to get some good energy like Jang-ho sunbae [senior/older colleague].

-Ah, I should have just come out like this. I shaved because I was worried about what the coaches would say.

-You can start growing it out from today. We’re still on a winning streak, right?

In fact, this was a very common occurrence in the baseball world.

A chance action becoming a ‘jinx’ that captivated the players.

There were players who swallowed painkillers even when they weren’t in pain because they had played well before, and there were players who didn’t eat fried eggs on the day they pitched because they didn’t want to ‘break the streak.’

There was even a player who insisted on wearing a T-back because his ‘bat swung well,’ and there was a player who continued to wear torn pants because he wanted to ‘maintain his routine.’

‘Compared to those players… not shaving is nothing.’

So Ji-seop didn’t say much to the players and decided to watch quietly.

“Ah, Ji-seop?”

It must have been late in the afternoon that day.

While sitting in the team office, unwrapping a triangle kimbap [a Korean rice snack wrapped in seaweed] he had bought as a snack, Marketing Team Leader Lee Ja-young spoke to Ji-seop.

“Ji-seop, is that your dinner? Even if you’re busy, how can you eat triangle kimbap for dinner? Especially someone as big as you.”

Team Leader Lee looked at him with pity, but Ji-seop quickly waved his hand.

“No, I already had dinner. I had a hearty meal of spicy fish stew with the team manager.”

Ji-seop smiled awkwardly.

“This is just a snack. I felt a bit hungry while watching the game…”

“Oh, is that so?”

The marketing team leader sat down with a chuckle.

But her face looked troubled.

“Is something wrong?”

Ji-seop asked, taking a bite of the tuna mayo triangle kimbap.

“You don’t look too good.”

“Hmm, it’s nothing really…”

Team Leader Lee Ja-young said, opening her laptop.

“The acting owner brought in an advertisement… Ugh, I can’t seem to find a filming schedule.”

“Filming schedule?”

Ji-seop tilted his head.

“We filmed the last discount store ad without much trouble, didn’t we? And there weren’t any particular problems with the beverage ad either…”

Ah.

Ji-seop snapped his fingers.

“Did the advertising company specify a filming location separately? Well, that might be a bit difficult.”

“No, it’s not that.”

The marketing team leader said.

“The filming location doesn’t really matter. They said they just need to put up a chroma key screen and capture the face.”

“Then why…?”

The next moment, Ji-seop was able to figure out why the marketing team leader was having trouble.

“It’s a razor ad.”

Team Leader Lee Ja-young said.

“A new 7-blade razor from our KH Group affiliate.”

* * *

The advertisement was proposed by ‘Sakhalin Park’ Vice Chairman Park Hong-ju through a KH Group affiliate.

It goes without saying, but the advertiser specified Ryu Jang-ho as the model.

The filming would be over as soon as the KH Cannons’ best hitter held up the new razor and smiled handsomely.

There was nothing to prepare separately, and nothing to worry about.

All that was needed was Ryu Jang-ho’s face ‘cleanly shaven.’

From the marketing team leader’s perspective, she thought it was a freebie, but an unexpected situation was unfolding.

“The new product launch isn’t far away, so we need to film within a few days…”

The marketing team leader leaned her head over the partition and looked at Ji-seop.

“Ji-seop, you’re close to Jang-ho, right? Can’t you… tell him? To shave and come in.”

The reason she brought up the advertisement to Ji-seop was to ask for this favor.

However, before Ji-seop could answer, the marketing team leader sighed deeply.

“It’s going to be difficult, isn’t it? Right? There’s no way the great Ryu Jang-ho would give up his stubbornness just for an advertisement shoot, would he?”

The marketing team leader scratched her head in frustration.

It was at this moment that Ji-seop cautiously spoke.

“Um… Team Leader.”

“Hmm?”

“I don’t think you need to worry so much.”

Ji-seop held up his phone.

“As of the bottom of the 8th inning, the score is 5-4… Our Cannons are losing.”

“What?!”

Team Leader Lee approached in surprise.

“Why did the score suddenly change like this? I thought we were winning until the 7th inning?”

“Yes, we were. But a little while ago, Soo-bin caused a major accident in the top of the 8th inning…”

It was a fielding error.

In a bases-loaded situation with two outs, third baseman Lee Soo-bin let a routine ground ball pass behind him.

As the ball headed into the outfield, the runners on base successively stepped on home plate, resulting in the current score of 5-4.

Team Leader Lee Ja-young had a rather complicated expression after hearing Ji-seop’s explanation.

“Ugh, Soo-bin…”

She felt sorry for and saddened by the second-year third baseman who had caused a major accident.

But when she thought about Ryu Jang-ho’s advertisement shoot, she was also grateful.

Watching Team Leader Lee, who couldn’t properly manage her expression, Ji-seop decided to lighten her mood a bit.

“The winning streak can’t last forever, can it?”

Ji-seop continued.

“I heard that the UB Guardians were also caught by the Mirae Kings today. Maybe today is the right time to end the winning streak.”

“R-really? I guess so?”

Team Leader Lee Ja-young seemed to relax a little then.

But only for a moment, as a slight impatience appeared on her face.

“But there are runners on first and second with two outs, right? If something explodes here, we might be able to turn it around again, right?”

“Yes, that’s true, but…”

Ji-seop clicked his tongue.

“Ahn Young-chan sunbae [senior/older colleague] doesn’t have good stats against underhand pitchers this season. Even though his hitting feel is good these days, it’s hard to have high expectations here… Oh?!”

At that very moment.

Ji-seop’s eyes widened.

Suddenly, a ‘Wow!’ erupted from the ground outside the office.

And exactly 1.5 seconds later, what appeared on Ji-seop’s phone screen was Ahn Young-chan hitting the opposing pitcher’s ball accurately.

Thwack!

A single, intense hitting sound that could be clearly heard through the phone speaker.

What followed was the voice of the caster, unable to hide his excitement.

-This hit, this hit, this hit… the left fielder can’t catch it!!! The ball is rolling to the fence! The runner from second base has already stepped on home plate, and the runner from first base is turning third, turning third… Safe!!! Safe! A two-RBI double, Ahn Young-chan!!!

Wow!!!

Wooooow!!!

The cheers of the Cannons fans who came to the stadium that day were vividly conveyed beyond the office’s glass windows.

On Ji-seop’s phone screen, Ahn Young-chan was rubbing his mustache ‘smoothly’ with both hands.

The veteran hitter’s go-ahead RBI double.

The score was now 6-5.

A one-point lead for the KH Cannons.

Team Leader Lee Ja-young’s face was filled with a bitter smile.

“Ugh, that stubborn guy. I said it’s okay to lose today…”

Even as she said that, Team Leader Lee was looking at Ahn Young-chan with a happy expression.

She said to Ji-seop.

“Ji-seop, I’m going to make a phone call.”