A Rookie In The Baseball Team Is Too Good [EN]: Chapter 298

Chapter 73: How to Feed a Carrot (1)

The weekend three-game series against the New York Yankees at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg.

The Tampa Bay Rays swept the series, winning all three games.

Game 1: 3-1, Game 2: 11-3, Game 3: 9-7.

Wowwww!!!

It was the first Yankees series sweep for the Tampa Bay Rays in four years.

Especially since Tampa Bay had been so weak against the Yankees last season that they were called ‘easy prey,’ this victory was doubly joyful.

As expected, the local media and fans were debating ‘who is the MVP of the series’ for this long-awaited series sweep.

Starting pitcher Victor Johnson Jr., who pitched well with 7 innings of no runs and 9 strikeouts in the first game, was mentioned.

Paul Torres, the third hitter who had a great performance with 4 hits and 5 RBIs in 4 at-bats in the second game, was also mentioned.

Many other names were mentioned, but the player who received the most support and was selected as the ‘unofficial MVP’ was none other than this player.

Alex!

It was Alex Montero, the starting catcher for the Tampa Bay Rays.

Just a few days ago, he suffered the humiliation of being substituted during the game, but in this three-game series, he played brilliantly.

-Amazing! Two outs at once! Alex Montero’s wide vision saves the starting pitcher from the crisis!

Alex Montero, who raised the momentum by adding three stolen base attempts, including the ‘fine play’ in the top of the first inning of the first game.

-Strikeout! It’s a strikeout! A curveball going right into the middle! Wow, the batter couldn’t even move at this ball!

-He was completely caught off guard. Timing-wise, it seems the batter was aiming for a fastball? The battery’s [pitcher and catcher] ball distribution was excellent.

In the second game, he created the necessary out counts for the team with stable pitcher leading whenever a crisis situation arose.

And then.

The long-awaited third game.

Wowwww!!!

Bottom of the 9th inning with the score at 7-5.

With one out and runners on first and second, this decisive hit was extracted from Yankees closer Ryan Rosenbaum.

Thwaack!!!

The moment Alex Montero’s hit went over the fence and landed directly on the upper part of the second-tier seats, Ji-seop and the people in the Future Strategy Planning Division shouted, ‘Woahhh!’

Of course, that sound was nothing compared to Coach Jose Cruz, who was watching the game from the dugout.

“Ugh! Alex! Ugh, Uwoahhh!!!”

He shouted so loudly that he almost collapsed, and Coach Thomas Culkin, who was standing next to him, was sweating for a while.

* * *

‘Okay, next, next.’

The day after the heated three-game series against the Yankees.

Ji-seop, who came to work at the ‘Storage D’ office in the Future Strategy Planning Division, was encouraging himself like that.

‘The three-game series against the Yankees went well, but the season is still going on… I need to prepare the next series report quickly.’

It was what Ji-seop had learned through his two years at KH Cannons.

No matter how great the game was, even if they achieved a truly meaningful victory, the front office had to think about the next series right away.

It was the same in Korea, where they played 144 games a year, so they had to be even more determined in the United States, where they played 162 games.

‘Let’s see. The report on the Detroit Tigers has been sent, and what needs to be submitted tomorrow is…’

Ji-seop started reviewing the report on the next series as soon as he sat down, but the Yankees were still the Yankees.

Brrr- Brrr- Brrr-

Before he could even read a few paragraphs, Ji-seop’s cell phone, which he had placed on his desk, started ringing.

When Ji-seop tilted his head and picked up his cell phone, he heard the excited voices of his acquaintances over the speaker.

-Ji-seop, congratulations! I heard your Tampa Bay completely crushed the Yankees? Hahaha!

Starting with a congratulatory call from Tommy Damon, Ji-seop’s teammate from his independent league days.

-Hyung [older brother/male friend], congratulations! It’s crazy here too. They’re saying the difference in wins with the Yankees has widened thanks to Tampa Bay…

Passing Ryu Jang-ho’s congratulatory call, who had now established himself as a key hitter for the Boston Red Sox.

-Hey, Ji-seop!!! Is that how I taught you? How could you do this to our Yankees! Can you still look me in the face at the orientation next month?!

After complaining a lot, saying he was disappointed and didn’t expect this, Professor Kevin Fryer of Fort Myers University finally said, ‘Congratulations.’

And there was one more person.

-Hey, Ji-seop! Congratulations!

“…Jimmy?”

It was Jimmy Morris.

He was once the ace pitcher of the KH Cannons, and now he was playing as a starting pitcher for the Baltimore Orioles.

Ji-seop had been in frequent contact with him even after moving to the United States, but this congratulatory call was a bit unexpected.

“Hmm, congratulations… You must still have some leeway? Isn’t the Baltimore Orioles now 4th in the division?”

This was the reason.

The Tampa Bay Rays won three games in a row, and the two teams’ rankings were reversed.

As a result, Tampa Bay was 3rd in the AL East, and the Baltimore Orioles were 4th in the same division.

From Jimmy Morris’s point of view, it must have been quite bitter, but surprisingly, he was laughing it off.

-Hey, Ji-seop! The season is long. There are still more than 100 games left, so what if we’re 3rd or 4th?

Jimmy Morris had definitely become more mature than when they first met.

Now, he felt like a veteran pitcher with experience.

Of course, it didn’t last long.

-Besides, it’ll be a ‘fleeting happiness’ for Tampa Bay. I think congratulations should be given when the time is right.

“Oh, fleeting happiness?”

-Of course, it’s fleeting happiness! Tampa Bay can’t help it, can they? Even if they manage to endure this midweek series, this weekend…

Jimmy Morris continued.

-They’ll be meeting our Baltimore Orioles!

* * *

And what followed was a childish argument between thirty-four-year-old friends.

“Oh, really? Can Baltimore beat our Tampa Bay? I think Victor Johnson Jr. will be starting once in the rotation, right?”

-Hmph, is Victor Johnson all you can show off? Hey, friend! We have Vincent Hiyama on our team? The best dual-threat player in Major League Baseball!

“Hiyama? Didn’t that friend give up 5 runs in the last game? If you see him today, can you tell him what I said? It’d be better to just do one of the two [focus on either hitting or pitching].”

-What, don’t you know that he still has an ERA [Earned Run Average] of only 2.65 even after giving up 5 runs? Ugh, I feel sorry for Tampa Bay! It’s because someone who doesn’t know anything about baseball is sitting in the front office…

“Well, I think it’s better than a team that’s using a broadcaster as their 3rd starter, right?”

-Wh-what?!

After bickering for a while, it was Jimmy Morris who brought up the ‘main point’ of the day first.

-Ah, by the way… Ji-seop!

“Hmm?”

-What’s going on with this away trip? Are you coming to Baltimore with the team, or…? Is there anything like that?

It took a long ‘warm-up’ time, but it seemed that this was what Jimmy Morris wanted to say after all.

Whether he was coming to Baltimore for this away trip.

If he did, whether they could meet.

-I was on the injured list during the last match, so I want to see your face this time.

Ji-seop’s feelings were no different.

They were once on the same team, crying and laughing together.

How happy and glad would they be to meet again on the Major League stage?

But unlike his heart, Ji-seop couldn’t give a positive answer at this time.

“Well, I don’t think it’ll be easy.”

Ji-seop scratched his cheek with his finger.

“You know? The number of employees who can be dispatched on away trips is fixed from the beginning.”

-Well, that’s true, but…

Jimmy Morris said.

-Someone like you should be able to get on the team’s private plane, right? Aren’t you at that level yet?

“No, I’m not, not at all.”

Ji-seop snorted.

“I think I’ll have to wait another 10 years before I can get on a private plane whenever I want.”

-What, 10 years? Hey, by then, I’ll have retired from active duty.

“Hehe, why? It wouldn’t be bad to work harder and do it until you’re 50.”

After talking this far, Ji-seop turned his wrist to check the time.

It was time for the fellow employees who had gone to lunch to return.

Ji-seop also had to slowly return to work.

“I don’t think it’ll be easy this time… Let’s see each other next time Baltimore comes this way.”

-Damn it, I guess I have no choice.

“Okay, take care of your health! When you play against Tampa Bay, just throw fastballs right down the middle… You know what I mean, right?”

-Get lost, you son of a bitch.

The call ended with rough swearing.

When Ji-seop smiled and put down his cell phone, he heard someone’s voice from across the room.

“The team’s private plane… did you say?”

It was David Wilson.

He seemed to be taking a nap, saying he was tired and skipping lunch, but he had gotten up at some point.

“Ah, yes, a friend asked if I could get on the team’s private plane.”

“Ah, is that so?”

If it had been normal, a sharper question would have followed, but even the great David Wilson was helpless after waking up from a nap.

He smacked his lips and blinked his eyes, saying a word in a very regretful voice.

“The team’s private plane… I really wanted to ride it at least once.”

Ji-seop realized once again that David Wilson was a former player.

This was because there was only one type of person who pronounced the words ‘team’s private plane’ so wistfully.

People who dreamed of becoming a Major Leaguer but never achieved that dream.

Knowing what the ‘team’s private plane’ meant to those people, Ji-seop smiled slightly and opened his mouth.

“If you want, I can fill out an application for you right now.”

“Yes? What application?”

“You know. Our Future Strategy Planning Division… officially, we’re the people who can ride the team’s private plane.”

It was the right that Ji-seop had obtained from President Brian Spann when he first started the ‘Yellow Book Project.’

Under the pretext that he needed to be able to use the team’s private plane to observe the team more closely.

He could still submit an application if he wanted to, but David Wilson shook his head.

“No. What application.”

He gave a faint smile.

“Isn’t there a difference between what you can do ‘officially’ and what you can actually do? If I get on the team’s plane now, I’ll have to be careful the whole time, right?”

In fact, there were quite a few departments other than the Future Strategy Planning Division that could use the team’s private plane ‘officially.’

However, except in cases of real emergency, almost no one used that right.

The team’s private plane was literally for the team. It was customary for no one other than the coaching staff and players, including the manager, to use it.

“I don’t want to achieve my lifelong dream while being so careful…”

Ughhhhh.

David Wilson stretched greatly.

“The answer is still a coach. A Major League coach! Then I can ride the private plane with dignity.”

I want to become a coach, after all.

It was a habit of David Wilson’s, but Ji-seop smiled softly and said.

“I don’t know about becoming a coach… but you can look forward to the private plane.”

“Yes?”

“Didn’t you say there’s a coaching staff meeting this morning? Coach Jose Cruz said he would definitely report what we did to the manager…”

Ji-seop shrugged.

“Who knows? Maybe the manager will recognize our achievements and let us ride the private plane once.”

“Eh, no way. How awkward would that be for the players? Putting a front office employee on the private plane…”

Just as they were talking about the team’s private plane, like this and that.

“Kim! Kim!”

A fussing voice was heard from outside.

This was a voice that could be recognized without even looking at the face.

John LaMar, the main director of the Future Strategy Planning Division.

“Kim! It’s a jackpot! It’s jackpot news!”

Thump.

John LaMar opened the door and ran to Ji-seop.

“A jackpot? What is it?”

“I met Coach Jose Cruz on the way, and the manager’s permission was granted at the meeting just now!”

At the words ‘manager’s permission,’ David Wilson raised his head sharply.

‘Could it be… really?’

David Wilson looked at John LaMar with anticipation.

However, such an unusual permission as ‘riding the team’s private plane’ could not be easily granted.

“Starting with the upcoming series against the Baltimore Orioles… our Future Strategy Planning Division will be able to attend the coaching staff meeting!”

Isn’t it crazy? Isn’t it a jackpot?

John LaMar was beaming.

“Kim said that, right? It’s a huge deal for front office people like us to attend the coaching staff meeting. It’s a way to gain the manager’s trust and increase our influence within the team…”

Ji-seop had said it in passing, but John LaMar seemed to remember it exactly.

“We’ve taken another step forward! Hehe, just submitting one report and we’re already getting these results!”

John LaMar Taylor looked at Ji-seop with a proud expression.

And he asked.

“But… Kim.”

“Yes?”

“Why is David looking so gloomy?”

John LaMar tilted his head.

“Wasn’t he the one who was singing about wanting to get close to the coaching staff…?”

“Ah, that’s…”

I think he had too big of a dream.

The bigger the dream, the bigger the disappointment.