A Rookie In The Baseball Team Is Too Good [EN]: Chapter 240

“Unbelievable! Absolutely incredible! The KH Cannons had this player all along! Center fielder Ryu Jang-ho with an amazing play!!”

After robbing a home run with a leaping catch, he even caught the runner trying to return to first with a strong throw.

Two outs in one play.

As KH Cannons’ ‘genius outfielder’ Ryu Jang-ho ended the inning with an incredible play, baseball fans probably thought of this adage:

‘After a crisis comes opportunity, right?’ (Meaning that overcoming a challenge leads to a chance for success.)

The idea that if you overcome a crisis without giving up a run, you’re bound to get a scoring chance in the next inning.

Conversely, if you fail to score during your chance, you’ll face a crisis in the next inning.

Indeed, in the ensuing bottom of the 1st, the Cannons succeeded in getting the leadoff hitter on base, seemingly proving the age-old baseball adage once again—

“Out! Aaaand he’s out!”

The out call from the first base umpire, which came shortly after, silenced the home crowd.

Cannons’ leadoff hitter, Shin Min-sung, who had previously reached base on a walk.

He was picked off by the pitcher’s sudden throw while taking a lead.

“Seriously, what’s he thinking? How can he get picked off in the first inning?”

“Damn it! The mood was good… is he ruining it again?!”

Cannons fans clicked their tongues in disappointment, watching Shin Min-sung return to the dugout with his head down.

What made these Cannons fans even more uneasy was the hit by the second batter, Ahn Young-chan.

Crack!

The ball slightly grazed the third baseman, went down the line, and rolled deep into the outfield.

SH Knights’ left fielder quickly grabbed the ball and threw it to the shortstop, but couldn’t prevent the batter-runner from advancing to second.

Double. A double after a pickoff.

It was certainly good news that a long hit came early in the game, but the Cannons fans’ expressions weren’t so bright, perhaps because of what had happened earlier.

“If Min-sung hadn’t been picked off, wouldn’t we have had runners on first and second with no outs right now?”

“No, that hit was really deep, wasn’t it? We could’ve had runners on second and third with no outs. We might have even scored a run.”

“Ugh, why is it always like this when I watch? A hit always comes after a pickoff!”

A strangely mismatched feeling. That was the bottom of the 1st.

Unlike the Cannons fans, who couldn’t hide their unease, a sigh of relief escaped from the SH Knights’ dugout.

“Manager, doesn’t it feel a bit like the first game of last year’s Korean Series?”

It was the Knights’ head coach.

“Didn’t it happen last year too? The opposing team made great defensive plays and got some hits, but… in the end, the game’s flow got strangely twisted, and victory came to us.”

The thrilling memories of last season’s Korean Series [championship series] against the UB Guardians were still vivid in his mind, but the SH Knights’ manager put on a serious face.

“Don’t let your guard down.”

The Knights’ manager said, pushing up his sunglasses with his finger.

“There’s no guarantee that the early momentum will continue. A single moment of carelessness can ruin a big game.”

“Ah, that’s right. Sorry, Manager.”

Although the Knights’ manager outwardly wore a stern expression, he was actually cheering inwardly.

‘Heh heh, luck is on our side.’

A pickoff in the early game, especially in the bottom of the 1st, is significant.

That was the Knights’ manager’s assessment.

It wasn’t just because a situation that could have been runners on second and third with no outs turned into a runner on second with one out.

‘If a pickoff happens early in the game, it becomes difficult for the players to move aggressively afterward.’

The thought of ‘I might get picked off’ envelops the entire team.

The lead naturally decreases, and even if there’s a long hit, they can’t easily advance to the next base.

Because of that thought, they fail to take one base, then two bases.

The experienced Knights’ manager knew very well what happens when these bases accumulate.

‘Baseball is about sacrificing a bunt to advance one more base. If this trend continues, the Cannons’ offensive power will drop to less than half.’

The Knights’ manager was inwardly pleased.

But that was only for a moment, as he suddenly pulled down his sunglasses halfway.

He had spotted the Cannons’ runner on second base moving.

‘Ahn Young-chan? What’s that guy doing?’

The Cannons’ veteran infielder, Ahn Young-chan.

He had hit a long ball earlier and reached second base, and now he was subtly increasing his lead.

Normally, he would only go about one step away from second base.

But this time, it seemed like he had taken at least two steps, even from a distance.

“Manager, should we signal for a pickoff?”

The head coach seemed to have noticed the Cannons’ veteran’s strange movement as well.

“Jung-min has been a backup all season. Considering Jung-min’s experience, I think it would be best to give him some guidance from the bench right now.”

The head coach mentioned Kwon Jung-min, who was wearing the catcher’s mask that day, but the manager shook his head.

“No, just leave him be.”

That’s a battle of nerves.

The manager said firmly.

“The team’s mood is down because of the pickoff, so the veteran is trying to do something. He’s probably trying to disrupt the pitcher’s concentration too.”

At the plate was the Cannons’ third hitter, Ryu Jang-ho.

The Knights’ manager couldn’t ignore this fact either.

“Now is the time to focus on the battle with the hitter. There’s no need to ruin the pitching tempo by sending a sign.”

“I guess so. The fleet-footed Ahn Young-chan is a thing of the past, and it’ll be difficult for him to attempt to steal third like before… Huh?!”

Uh…?!?

The manager and head coach, as well as everyone in the Knights’ dugout, let out a collective gasp at that moment.

With the count at 2-0, the moment the Knights’ starting pitcher was about to throw his third pitch.

More precisely, the moment his powerfully raised left knee slightly curled inward.

Wham!

The Cannons’ veteran, who had been subtly increasing his lead and testing the waters, suddenly bent his back and broke for third.

“The runner’s going! The runner’s going!!”

“Steal! Third! Steal!!!”

The Knights’ infield went into complete chaos, as if a fire had broken out in their home.

Even Kwon Jung-min, nicknamed ‘Autumn Flounder’ [a term for someone who performs well in the fall season, often used in baseball], the catcher behind the mask that day, was taken aback.

After snatching the sharply curving slider with his mitt, he gritted his teeth and hurled the ball towards third base with all his might, but…

“Safe! Saaafe!”

What he saw was the third base umpire, arms spread wide, signaling safe.

And then Ahn Young-chan requesting a time-out from the umpire.

“Time! Time!”

Only when the umpire granted the time-out did Ahn Young-chan finally rise from third base.

Covered in dirt, he pounded his chest with his fists like a gorilla, and the KH Cannons’ side of the field erupted like a blast furnace.

Wahhhhh!!!

In the stands, people were screaming, jumping up and down, and hugging those next to them.

In the Cannons’ dugout, players were clenching their fists, trying to run onto the field, and shouting Ahn Young-chan’s name.

The veteran’s successful steal of third base instantly electrified the atmosphere of the KH Cannons field.

‘Ah, no, what on earth……’

Of course, the Knights’ manager, caught completely off guard, couldn’t hide his embarrassment.

‘To attempt a steal, and a steal of third base, right after getting caught stealing… Does that even make sense?’

Trickle.

The sunglasses slid down the bridge of his nose, but the manager didn’t even think about pushing them back up.

‘Those Cannons bastards, what trick are they playing?’

* * *

To cut to the chase,

It was Lee Soo-bin, the Cannons’ fourth hitter, who scored the first run that day.

With Ryu Jang-ho, the third hitter, drawing a walk, a one-out situation with runners on first and third was created.

Then Lee Soo-bin stepped up to the plate and launched a towering hit.

Crack!

The batted ball headed straight for the right fielder, and as soon as he caught the ball, Ahn Young-chan, the runner on third, sprinted towards home.

Sacrifice fly. An easy first score.

“Ah, I really had a good feel for that one……”

Lee Soo-bin, whose well-hit ball went straight to the fielder, grumbled to himself.

However, Ahn Young-chan, who playfully slapped him on the head, looked very pleased.

“It was exactly as the scouting team said.”

Ahn Young-chan was reporting the situation on the bases to Manager Arthur Freeman.

“Kwon Jung-min, that guy… he has a habit of kneeling on one knee when catching with a runner in scoring position. It seems he still hasn’t corrected it.”

This weakness was discovered thanks to Ji-seop’s sharp observation.

However, there was one more point that the scouting team uncovered during their training camp.

“Eckerson, the Knights’ starting pitcher today, is the same. When it’s a two-ball count, he twitches his shoulder before throwing the ball. I’ve confirmed that as well.”

Ahn Young-chan continued.

“When it’s a two-ball count, you only need to watch the pitcher’s shoulder. If he twitches his shoulder, it’s a pitch; if he doesn’t twitch, it’s a pickoff attempt.”

“Hmm, is that so?”

As Manager Arthur Freeman nodded, the head coach, standing next to him, looked around and said.

“Shin Min-sung! Hey, Shin Min-sung! Did you hear what your senior just said? Where should you be looking when you’re on base?”

“Sh-shoulder, sir.”

“Yeah, you idiot! Pay attention when the scouting team is talking! I knew it from the moment you were nodding off during the meeting. I bet that guy’s going to get caught stealing in the Korean Series!”

“I-I wasn’t nodding off from the beginning……”

“Oh, great! Oh, you’re so great!”

As Shin Min-sung, who had recently been picked off [caught stealing], scratched the back of his head, a loud burst of laughter erupted from the Cannons dugout.

Some players put headlocks on Shin Min-sung, and others playfully kicked him in the butt as they passed by.

After that commotion died down, Manager Arthur Freeman turned to the head coach.

“Tell Coach Park and Coach Yang to have the runners be more aggressive from the next inning.”

Freeman continued.

“The front office must have worked really hard to find these weaknesses, so shouldn’t we grit our teeth and exploit them?”

“Yes, sir. As soon as the two coaches come in……”

Before the head coach could finish speaking, a ‘crack!’ sound of a bat hitting a ball echoed from the field.

“Okay! Hit!!!”

“Wow, our rookie’s swing speed is incredible! He’s tearing up the infield!”

“Shim Sung-joon! Shim Sung-joon! Shim Sung-joon!”

It was a hit by Shim Sung-joon, the Cannons’ ‘muscle man’ and fifth hitter.

Thanks to Ryu Jang-ho, who was on first base, getting a good jump, the Cannons once again created a two-out situation with runners on first and third.

As the situation unfolded, a strange smile appeared on the head coach’s face.

“Manager, it seems like it will take a little longer for the base coaches to return to the dugout.”

What should we do?

The head coach asked.

“Should we just send the sign now? Tell them to attempt the steal according to the plan?”

“Haha, why are you even asking?”

The manager, after hearing the head coach’s words from the translator, smiled gently.

“Two outs, runners on first and second. Isn’t that a scoring opportunity? The Knights’ catcher kneels on one knee to catch the ball.”

“Hehe, right. Understood.”

The head coach, having received Manager Freeman’s instructions, leaned against the dugout railing and sent the sign.

“……”

After confirming the sign, the first base coach approached Shim Sung-joon from behind and began to whisper something.