A Rookie In The Baseball Team Is Too Good [EN]: Chapter 295

72. Another Person’s Precious Child (7)

The Tampa Bay Rays’ battery coach, Jose Cruz, said,

“Kim, I’m sorry.”

He couldn’t look Ji-seop in the eye.

“I suddenly asked you to revise the report, then asked you to find an instructor. Ugh, now I’ve even assigned you to advise Alex Montero.”

He felt sorry for seemingly passing all his responsibilities onto Ji-seop.

However, Ji-seop responded with a gentle smile.

“It’s alright. Don’t worry about it.”

It wasn’t just a polite remark.

He meant it.

After working for a baseball team’s front office for three years, going back and forth between Korea and the United States, Ji-seop had come to realize something.

Coaching staff who genuinely care about the players are rare. And those coaches tend to have more worries and troubles.

And actively supporting such coaches is a shortcut to building a truly strong team.

“I also wanted to meet Alex Montero. I was curious about what kind of player he is.”

Of course, this was also genuine.

What was the young starting catcher of the Tampa Bay Rays thinking?

His father suddenly left his side, and the coaching staff in charge, unintentionally, prevented him from being there at his father’s death.

How was Alex Montero taking the events of that time, which no one in the club could easily bring up anymore?

‘Now I can know all of that.’

It’s so convenient to be able to read other people’s minds.

Thinking about the thought he had repeated hundreds of times since he was in the second grade of middle school, Ji-seop headed to the Future Strategy Planning Department’s office with a light step—

“What did you say?”

Exactly ten minutes later.

Ji-seop was facing a situation slightly different from what he had expected.

“Is that true? Alex Montero already left?”

“Ah, yes, about five minutes ago.”

It was David Wilson who answered.

“He came to ask Kim about the report and then… left a little while ago.”

Oh, my.

He’s so impatient.

* * *

“You should have called.”

Ji-seop put down the training chart he received from Jose Cruz, upon hearing the news that Tampa Bay Rays’ ‘Wind vane’ had already left.

His voice carried a hint of disappointment.

“Or even a text? I would have come back right away without hesitating.”

“I’m sorry.”

David Wilson bowed his head slightly.

“Actually, we were about to call you right away, but Alex stopped us. He said that if we were meeting with the coach at this hour, it must be quite important.”

“Ah, is that so?”

Alex Montero seemed to be a more thoughtful player than he had thought.

Ji-seop slowly nodded and took out his phone.

If the meeting with the Tampa Bay starting catcher fell through, there was someone he needed to report to first.

“Yes, Coach! Alex Montero… he did come to our office as you said, but I think I was a little late. He already left.”

-Oh, really?

Jose Cruz, who received Ji-seop’s call, seemed a little flustered.

-The manager suddenly called for him, and I was about to contact you….

He said he understood for now.

He would contact Alex Montero himself.

Along with an apology for causing so much trouble again.

“Yes, then go in.”

Just as Ji-seop finished the call and returned to his seat with a short ‘Hoo’ sigh,

David Wilson and John Llama approached Ji-seop’s desk as if they had made a promise.

“What’s wrong, you two?”

Ji-seop, tilting his head, suddenly remembered that they might have something they wanted to ask him.

“Ah, right! How did Alex Montero seem? He was replaced in the middle of today’s game, so he must be quite upset….”

“That’s exactly why we’re here.”

David Wilson said.

“We were waiting for Kim together and had a conversation with Alex, and he said something strange.”

“Strange?”

“Yes, first of all… he said he didn’t really need a catching instructor.”

“Hmm?”

Ji-seop’s thick eyebrows twitched.

“He doesn’t need a catching instructor? Why? Is there a special reason?”

It was at this moment that David Wilson’s expression turned slightly dark.

“Actually, the reason is a bit of a headache….”

“What is it? Why are you hesitating like that?”

“He said it was his father, Kim!”

In the end, it was John Llama who answered.

“…Father?”

“Yes, Father! Padre!” [Spanish for ‘father’]

John Llama made a fuss.

“He said he has a father, so why would he need an instructor… that’s what he told us?!”

* * *

Suddenly, the atmosphere turned into a horror thriller.

That’s exactly how Ji-seop felt.

Alex Montero’s father had clearly passed away last year.

But ‘he has a father,’ how should this be interpreted?

“Could it be something spiritual…? You know, players from Central and South America often believe in that kind of thing, don’t they?”

John Llama even lowered his voice ominously to create the atmosphere, but his attempt was soon shattered miserably.

“Hey, Llama! How many times do I have to tell you? Those kinds of remarks can be rude to the players!”

David Wilson sharply pointed out, making him want to cry.

As John Llama shrank his neck like a turtle, he turned his gaze to Ji-seop with a short sigh.

“It’s not about spiritual things… but it’s true that it’s a tendency among players from the Dominican Republic or Puerto Rico.”

“Tendency?”

“Yes, they treat people they truly trust and follow like real family. They call them father or mother.”

Ji-seop had often heard about this while working in Korea.

Didn’t it sometimes appear in the media? The story of foreign players from Central and South America calling their coaches ‘father.’

“I thought there was someone Alex trusted and followed like a father.”

David Wilson continued.

“Didn’t he say that there are more than ten people who give Alex advice? I think it might be one of them.”

“Ah, so that’s why you said it was a ‘headache’?”

It certainly wasn’t welcome news.

Since Alex Montero had expressed his refusal, the task of recruiting a catching instructor had to be reviewed from scratch.

They had to find out who Alex wanted and check if he was qualified.

In a situation where they had to normalize Alex’s condition as soon as possible, it wasn’t a pleasant story.

And,

It must have been right then.

Brrr- Brrr- Brrr-

The sound of a cell phone vibrating began to be heard inside the Future Strategy Planning Department’s office.

“Hmm?”

“Is that a phone call?”

People scattered to find their own phones at the sudden vibration.

But strangely, no one answered the phone.

They just checked their phone screens and then casually put them back in their pockets.

“David, is it not you?”

“Llama, is it not yours either?”

The vibration continued to be heard from somewhere, but no one answered the phone.

Just as everyone was tilting their heads, Ji-seop found a phone stuck in the corner of the sofa armrest.

“Whose is this?”

Even as Ji-seop asked, the phone was diligently vibrating, ‘Brrr Brrr.’

Everyone narrowed their eyes and looked at the phone, and John Llama snapped his fingers.

“That’s Alex’s phone, isn’t it?”

John Llama had a good eye.

“Blue phone case… that’s right, I saw Alex Montero making a call with that phone earlier.”

He must have forgotten to take it after making a call and leaving it for a while.

John Llama gestured to Ji-seop.

“Why don’t you answer it quickly? Alex might be calling to find his phone.”

“Ah, that’s right.”

Ji-seop nodded obediently, but strangely, he didn’t try to answer the phone right away.

“….”

He just pursed his lips and stared at the name of the ‘caller’ that appeared on the phone screen.

After staring at it for a while, Ji-seop carefully pressed the [Call] button.

“Hello?”

And what Ji-seop heard in his ear was a quite familiar voice.

-Oh, Alex? I’m glad you answered. This is Jose Cruz….

The caller was Jose Cruz.

The Tampa Bay Rays’ battery coach.

He must have been trying to contact Alex Montero’s phone to inform him of the manager’s call.

Ji-seop said.

“Coach, this is Kim.”

-Kim? No, why are you….

“Alex Montero left his phone in our office. So I….”

-Ah, is that so? Oh, what a scatterbrained guy!

Jose Cruz grumbled and complained.

How could he drop his phone on a day like this? The manager is calling for him, where am I supposed to find this guy?

The battery coach’s troubled voice flowed out from the speaker, but at this time, Ji-seop was half-heartedly listening to his story.

It was no longer important.

Alex Montero’s current condition, or the catching instructor.

He had already found the answer.

“Coach, where are you now?”

Ji-seop said.

“If you’re in the office, would it be okay if I came to see you for a moment?”

When requesting a meeting with a direct superior, you must state the purpose.

“I have something to say regarding Alex Montero’s instructor….”

* * *

About ten minutes later.

Ji-seop was able to meet Jose Cruz in front of the club’s office building.

“Oh, Kim! What’s going on?!”

As soon as Ji-seop appeared at the end of the hallway, Jose Cruz rushed over.

‘Alex Montero’ and ‘catching instructor.’

Perhaps because the two things he was most concerned about were mentioned at once, Jose Cruz had a very anxious expression.

“You have something to say about the catching instructor? Did you receive a call from Korea in the meantime? Did you find a big-name coach from the Dominican Republic?”

“No, it’s nothing like that.”

Ji-seop shook his head lightly and continued with a calm expression.

“To put it bluntly, Coach, I don’t think we need to hire a catching instructor.”

“You don’t need to hire one?”

It seemed to be a completely unexpected remark for Jose Cruz.

“No, what does that mean? You don’t need to hire one, then what about Alex?”

Looking at Jose Cruz’s worried face, Ji-seop couldn’t help but smile faintly.

The answer was there from the beginning, I’m sure I’m not the only one who saw that expression, Alex Montero must have known that man well.

He felt a little wronged for going around in circles, but first, it was a priority to sort things out.

“Coach should take charge of Alex Montero. I think that’s the best option.”

“Me, take charge?!”

Jose Cruz had always treated Ji-seop favorably, except for when they first met.

But at this moment, a strong displeasure appeared on his face.

“Listen, Kim! Are you kidding me right now? I explained everything, didn’t I? Why our team needs a catching instructor, why I can’t teach Alex!”

His voice was so loud that the hallway echoed, but Ji-seop didn’t even twitch an eyebrow.

“Yes, you did. But even considering all of that, I think Coach should be in charge of Alex Montero.”

“What?”

“Today, Alex Montero visited our Future Strategy Planning Department and said something.”

He doesn’t need a catching instructor.

Because he has a father.

As Ji-seop mentioned the word ‘father,’ Jose Cruz’s momentum subsided slightly.

“Ah, father?”

“Yes, it certainly doesn’t mean his deceased father, it means there’s someone else he trusts and follows as much as a father, right?”

“Well, that’s probably true, but….”

“I thought about who that could be for a long time, but by chance, I found out the answer.”

Swoosh.

Ji-seop raised his head.

“Coach, you changed your phone number, right? Because your number was exposed on the club’s YouTube channel.”

“Huh? Ah, I did, but….”

“You changed your number last month?”

“Hmm, that’s right.”

“Then Alex must have re-registered Coach’s number at that time too, right?”

“Well, I guess so. If that guy had any intention of registering my number.”

Jose Cruz asked with a frustrated expression.

“Hey, why are you asking all that? If you found the answer, tell me that first….”

“Please make a call.”

Ji-seop said, taking out a phone from his pocket.

“This is Alex Montero’s phone. Please call here.”

“Call?”

“Yes, then you’ll be able to understand what I’m saying right away. You don’t need to ask me any more questions.”

Ji-seop held out the phone.

“Go ahead, Coach.”

“Alright, alright.”

Unable to resist Ji-seop’s urging any longer, Jose Cruz took out his phone.

“No, what is this guy talking about, coming here late at night and spouting all this nonsense….”

The battery coach, who had been shaking his head as if he couldn’t understand, even when looking for Alex Montero’s contact information.

But at the very moment he pressed the [Call] button and the signal started to go, his expression began to harden little by little.

“Ah, no, this is….”

Brrr. Brrr. Brrr.

With several vibrations, the caller’s name was appearing on Alex Montero’s phone.

The letters that appeared in the middle of the phone screen in large, clear letters were clearly in Spanish.

mi padre en america.

It meant ‘My father in America.’