A Rookie In The Baseball Team Is Too Good [EN]: Chapter 230

58. A Real Man Doesn’t Study (5)

Tommy Damon, Senior Manager of Baseball Operations for the Boston Red Sox.

It was the next morning when he contacted Jisub.

-K, Kevin Fryer?! Professor Kevin Fryer?!

Tommy Damon was speechless for a moment after hearing about the ‘Mathematics Dispatch Program’ from Jisub.

-Jisub, what kind of magic are you using in Korea? Professor Kevin Fryer! Do you know how many emails I’ve sent him? And I never even got a reply!

Professor Kevin Fryer’s reputation seemed to be more widely known in the United States than in Korea.

As soon as his name came up, Tommy Damon fired off questions like crazy, asking ‘How did you meet him? What did you talk about?’ for almost 20 minutes.
Only then was Jisub able to ask what he was curious about.

“Tommy, is there going to be a problem?”

-Problem? What problem?

“The professor said so. He said that no matter what, I have to attend the seminars he leads. Otherwise, I’ll be kicked out right away.”

Jisub continued.

“It seems like there’s a seminar at least once a week… I’m a little worried about whether I can be away that often.”

Jisub asked in a rather serious tone, but what came back was Tommy Damon’s hearty laughter, ‘Hahaha’.

-They say Koreans are hopeless workaholics… I guess that’s true?

“What are you talking about?”

-As long as you do your job properly, no one will bother you about that.

He added that many employees of Major League Baseball teams are taking graduate courses in the same way as Jisub.

-Besides, it’s Professor Fryer’s seminar, right? Even the general managers of each team take the time to attend… If you say you’re going there, the team will probably even cut you a plane ticket to Florida?

I’m jealous. I’m really jealous.

Tommy Damon clicked his tongue and then suddenly remembered something, making an ‘Ah’ sound.

-Jisub, can I report to our general manager that you’re going to be learning from Professor Fryer?

“Hmm? To the general manager?”

Under the direction of General Manager Seo Chang-gi, Jisub had been keeping quiet about his trip to the United States to the Cannons people for a while.
The decision was made to avoid giving the players and staff any unnecessary worries ahead of the Korean Series.

However, there seemed to be no reason to keep it a secret from the Red Sox general manager in the United States.

“If it’s limited to the general manager, I don’t think there’s a big problem… Why?”

-Why else? It’s because we can’t afford to lose you to another team.

Tommy Damon’s words quickened.

-After the season, many general managers will be contacting Professor Fryer… Then your story might come up, right? Kevin Fryer’s first Korean disciple!

Jisub’s old colleague seemed a little anxious.

-Before other general managers show interest in you, we need to make everything a *fait accompli* [an irreversible deed]. If we mess up, all the effort we’ve put in could go down the drain, right?

We need to hurry.

We should hurry.

Tommy Damon ended the call with the words, ‘I’ll have to contact the boss.’

“…….”

Looking at the phone screen with the [Call Ended] message, Jisub felt a strange sense of fulfillment.

* * *

Three days later.

The KH Cannons were playing their last game of the regular season.

The opponent was none other than the UB Guardians, the team that had been in a rivalry with the Cannons throughout the season.

Wow!!!

Although he didn’t openly reveal his intentions in front of the reporters, Manager Arthur Freeman fielded what is commonly referred to as a ‘relaxed lineup’ that day.

The final game of the regular season was held at the UB Guardians’ home stadium. Having already secured a direct ticket to the Korean Series, there was no reason for the Cannons to try so hard to win.

Out of consideration for the home team fans who had come to cheer them on until the end, it was the courtesy of the winning team’s manager to send out the second-string players on a day like this.

“As we are about to enter the Korean Series, the most important thing for us is not to get injured. So, let’s not overdo it today…”

The starting pitcher was a college graduate rookie who was drafted last year, and the catcher’s mask was worn by a three-year player who had just been discharged from the military.

Except for Ryu Jang-ho, who was in the middle of a title race, and Ahn Young-chan, who was focused on achieving his ‘option’ [contractual performance bonus], most of the starters were out of the starting lineup for the KH Cannons.

On the other hand, the UB Guardians’ starter was ‘Ace’ Mike Pontius, and in many ways, the home team was expected to win easily – but you never know until you open the lid.

Shuooo-Pang!

Shuooo-Paaaang!!

On this day, the Cannons’ college graduate rookie pitcher managed to endure 6 innings despite allowing 12 hits.

-Ah, the first base runner is starting! The catcher catches it and throws it to second base… Out! It’s out! It’s a perfect natural tag!

-Wow, is this already the second stolen base attempt? Kim Chan-yeop is showing off a really great shoulder!

The three-year catcher, who wore a mask in place of captain Cheon Jin-woo, showed a surprisingly skillful performance, repeatedly blocking the opponent’s attack attempts.

-What do you think of the Cannons’ battery [pitcher and catcher] today! They’re showing a more solid performance than expected?

-That’s right. This makes it even more difficult for the Guardians. If you can’t run away when you need to, you’ll end up getting caught, that’s baseball.

Was the commentator’s word a prophecy?

The Guardians failed to properly attack the Cannons’ rookie battery.

They were barely holding on to a 5-3 lead, but they finally faced a crisis in the bottom of the 8th inning.

“Ball! Base on balls!”

The situation was 2 outs, 1st and 2nd base, created when the 2nd batter, Ahn Young-chan, drew a walk.

The Guardians’ manager chose to bring in the closer early, but what followed was a strong hitting sound echoing across the ground.

Ddaaaaaak!

-It’s huge! This hit is huge! Why is Major League Baseball paying attention to this player! Now you will witness the reason… I think!!!

It was Ryu Jang-ho’s *gyeokjeon* [comeback/reversal] three-run home run.

It was his 37th home run of the season and the 164th of his career.

Ryu Jang-ho was making his last at-bat of the regular season in Korea in the best possible way.

* * *

In this way, the KH Cannons decorated their last game of the regular season with a victory.

The final regular season record was 92 wins, 3 draws, and 49 losses, a winning percentage of .639.

It was the best record since the team was founded, but it was also a victory achieved without most of the starters playing.

There was no choice but for baseball-related communities on the internet to be flooded with stories about the Cannons.

-To be honest, I didn’t think it was a fluke… But after watching today’s game, I’m sure of it. The Cannons are no joke?

-Didn’t almost only backup members come out today except for Ryu Jang-ho and Ahn Young-chan? But the Guardians got destroyed?

-??? : Isn’t the championship going to be the Guardians anyway this year? The Knights have sunk, so we’re the only ones left?

-ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋThe Guardians guys don’t even show their faces in these kinds of posts, right?

-What do you mean they don’t show their faces! We just didn’t show our true skills today!

-That’s right, the real fight is in the Korean Series. This was all a setup for the Korean Series?

-ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋAre you kidding me? You guys say that every time you lose to the Cannons?

-Now that we’ve played all 144 games of the regular season, when are you going to show your true skills?

-Anyway, the Guardians guys are all talkㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋAround the same time that the internet community was buzzing about the results of the game.

At a restaurant near the stadium, a modest celebratory dinner was being held for the KH Cannons players.

“Everyone has worked hard!”

“Thank you for your hard work!”

“Thank you for your hard work!!”

On this day, KH Cannons had a series of celebratory news coming in.

As the games played in five stadiums across the country were coming to an end one after another, individual titles for this season were being confirmed.

Jimmy Morris, who recorded 1st place in ERA [Earned Run Average] and 1st place in strikeouts.

Paul Owens, who secured 1st place in win rate, although its meaning has been fading a bit these days.

And Ryu Jang-ho, who won the triple crown with 1st place in batting average, 1st place in most hits, and 1st place in RBIs [Runs Batted In].

It was the KH Cannons that secured the most individual titles since its foundation, but the atmosphere of the dinner was relatively calm.

The achievements in the regular season had already been put aside for a long time, and the Cannons players’ eyes were already on the Korean Series.

“There will be four days of rest from tomorrow. Training for the Korean Series will begin the day after that. I hope all the players will get enough rest during that time…”

Even when the first team manager came forward to announce the future schedule, the players were whispering among themselves.

The club had set up four days of rest to give them some consideration, but it seemed that there weren’t many players who would follow it.

“I think I’ll get restless in about two days… Subin, should we meet up separately and play catch?”

“Ah, would you like to? I was already thinking about where Sung-joon and I should work out…”

Some players were saying they would meet separately to work out, and some were asking the power analysis team for data.

Just as everyone was burning their own enthusiasm for the Korean Series, which they were facing for the first time in their lives.

“Um… Jisub.”

KH Cannons’ captain, Cheon Jin-woo, approached Jisub.

“Yes, senior.”

Jisub put down the beer he was drinking at Cheon Jin-woo’s call and straightened his posture.

He thought he was just asking about the front office’s operations during the rest period, but the question that came back was a bit unexpected.

“I heard from Jang-ho earlier that Jisub used to work at a social baseball training center before joining our team?”

“Yes? Ah, yes, I did work there for a few months…”

It is no exaggeration to say that Jisub exists now thanks to those few months.

“Why do you ask?”

“No, it’s not that… I was wondering what kind of gift I should bring to the newly opened training center.”

Cheon Jin-woo came forward.

“At first, I was going to buy a potted plant, but when I thought about it, most of the training centers are underground… Is a sunflower painting okay?”

“Well, I don’t think there was a sunflower painting in the training center I was at…”

Jisub scratched his cheek and smiled.

“In my opinion… I think it would be best to just take your time and go there and sign autographs for the members there. Members really like the visits of professional players. That’s related to sales, too.”

“Ah, is that so?”

“Yes, if that’s a little uncomfortable, you can bring your usual mitt, bat, or helmet. Those are all things that increase the credibility of the training center.”

Jisub recommended a good gift while recalling the [Superstar Baseball] days.

He picked up the beer glass he had put down for a moment and asked.

“But who is it?”

“Yes?”

“The person who opened the new training center… I don’t think there was any news like that among our Cannons alumni?”

“Ah, yes, it’s not our Cannons, it’s a senior who was on the same team when I was in the Yuseong Warriors.”

Cheon Jin-woo continued.

“Ham Joon-ik… Have you ever heard of him? He was really great at catching defense.”

“Ham Joon-ik, Ham Joon-ik, Ham Joon-ik… Ah!”

Jisub slapped his knee.

“Isn’t that the guy who received the Korean Series MVP [Most Valuable Player award] a few years ago? What was it? He was terrible throughout the season, but when autumn comes… Ah.”

Jisub, who had been talking excitedly, shut his mouth.

He was a famous person enough to become a ‘meme’ on the internet, but he didn’t think it was something he could bring up in front of Cheon Jin-woo.

However, Cheon Jin-woo was basically a generous person, and he didn’t seem to care much about Jisub’s words.

“That’s right. I think you remember correctly.”

A player who showed terrible performance throughout the season, but strangely flew around in the fall.

That’s why the nickname was created.

“Ham Jeon-eo, Ham Joon-ik.”

Cheon Jin-woo smiled.

“Now that the Korean Series is approaching… I was thinking of going to see that Ham Jeon-eo senior.”