A Rookie In The Baseball Team Is Too Good [EN]: Chapter 355

Baseball Reference is one of the most well-known record sites for Major League Baseball.

It’s a treasure trove of information that baseball fans love, including individual player salaries, team histories, yearly stats, and even situational records.

Interestingly, the site also lists players’ nicknames as official information.

For example, Brett Evans is listed as “Professor,” Julio Arcos as “Big Koala,” and Vincent Hiyama as “Two-Way Samurai.”

For reference, Dexter Sullivan, the Tampa Bay pitcher visiting John Llama’s house, had the nickname “Zangief” listed.

Probably a character from a fighting game.

I figured it was a nickname based on his appearance.

He was a man who stood 6’4″ (194cm) and weighed 278lbs (126kg)—an imposing figure.

To top it off, he had a shaved head and a thick beard.

This man was now sitting at the table, silently devouring a huge steak.

“……”

John Llama, sitting across from him, was too intimidated to speak.

The determined look he had earlier, when he vowed to persuade Sullivan, was gone.

Now, he just seemed to be looking for an escape route.

“Um, Mr. Sullivan.”

“Yes?”

“Could I get some more salad? There’s still plenty of meat left.”

John Llama’s face brightened when Dexter Sullivan asked for more salad.

“Ah, salad! Of course, have more, have more! Would you like some pasta as well?”

“Pasta? Yes, if there’s a little left, just a small portion…….”

“Okay, leave it to me!”

The team owner’s son was simply relieved to be out of Zangief’s sight, forgetting all about persuasion.

As John Llama hurried back to the kitchen, Nate Howard, acting as his advisor, nudged him.

“Hey, Llama! What are you doing?”

Nate was just as intimidated by Zangief.

He glanced at the table and lowered his voice. “What’s going on? Did you decide to become his waiter? You invited him to dinner, so you have to talk to him! You have to try and persuade him!”

“I, I know, but……”

As John Llama hesitated to refill the salad, Nate snatched the tongs and plate.

“I’ll get the salad.”

He gestured outside with his chin.

“Go talk to the big guy. Dinner’s almost over. You know it’s over when dessert comes out, right?”

“But what should I say……”

Nate Howard, peeling the plastic wrap off the salad plate, said, “Kim, right? The ace of the future strategy planning division. Didn’t you say you were with him almost every day?”

“Yes, but what does that have to do with it?”

“That’s your answer.”

Nate clicked the salad tongs.

“Think about what Kim usually did. Then you can at least try to do something similar, even if it’s not exactly the same, right?”

“Kim…… what did he usually do?”

For the first time that day, a spark of hope appeared in John Llama’s eyes.

* * *

Do what Kim would do.

Just imitate him.

The first words John Llama said upon returning to the table after Nate’s advice were:

“Dexter.”

“Yes.”

“What do you do to pass the time when you’re not busy?”

It was an icebreaker.

He remembered Ji-seop usually starting conversations with light topics like this.

“When I’m not busy? Well……”

Dexter Sullivan hesitated.

Then he answered, “I do hidden picture puzzles.”

“Hidden picture puzzles?”

“Yes, it’s been a hobby since my minor league days. Time flies. It also helps me clear my head of all sorts of 잡생각 [jap-saeng-gak, Korean for ‘雜 생각’, meaning ‘random thoughts’ or ‘unnecessary worries’] before going to the mound.”

“Ah, I see.”

John Llama nodded slowly and then burst out laughing.

Something about it was funny—the image of this huge man hunched over with a tiny pencil, doing hidden picture puzzles.

He was mortified when he realized he’d laughed.

“Ah, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to laugh……”

“It’s okay.”

Dexter didn’t seem to mind.

“Considering my size, it’s a bit of an odd hobby. You probably imagined me lifting dumbbells, Mr. Taylor, didn’t you?”

A hint of a smile appeared on Dexter Sullivan’s lips.

John Llama cheered inwardly.

‘Okay, this is it!’

A soft smile on that rugged face.

The atmosphere was changing. It was a good start. A flower garden bloomed in John Llama’s mind.

‘Hehe, turning the situation around with just one word…… Maybe I’m as good a negotiator as Kim, you know?’

John Llama thought he just needed to keep the momentum going.

To make the atmosphere even lighter and Dexter Sullivan’s expression even softer.

So, John Llama made his next move.

“Ah, speaking of dumbbells, it reminds me.”

John Llama continued.

“A few days ago, a member of our team said they saw you at the hotel gym, Mr. Sullivan.”

“Ah, the hotel gym?”

Dexter Sullivan’s expression hardened slightly, but John Llama didn’t notice.

“Yes! They said you were doing weight training with an incredible amount of weight! I thought, ‘As expected, Major League players’ physical conditioning is no joke……'”

“Haha, did that look like physical conditioning to you?”

A sharp retort.

Before John Llama could react, Dexter Sullivan slammed his glass down.

“I wasn’t there for physical conditioning. I was there because I was angry. I was there because I was annoyed.”

“……Yes?”

John Llama flinched.

“Would you be able to leisurely manage your body, Mr. Taylor? If you were in my position?”

“Th, that’s……”

“The manager and coaches just see people as machine parts! They’re running the team like it’s a video game!”

Thump.

Dexter Sullivan slammed the table in anger.

Nate, in the kitchen, was startled and peeked out.

“I couldn’t stand it, I was so frustrated. I couldn’t stay still, I was so angry. That’s why I went. I thought I’d clear my head if I sweated a lot!”

“……”

“Maybe the manager or coaches asked you to be here today? To have Mr. Taylor persuade me.”

The future strategy planning division often did things like that.

Dexter Sullivan glared at John Llama.

“Okay, Mr. Taylor! Tell me. Is this the right situation? Is it right for a Major League team to order a pitcher to change positions several times……?”

Looking at Dexter Sullivan, who was now threatening him, John Llama felt cold sweat running down his spine.

‘Why is he suddenly like this?’

He hadn’t expected such an extreme reaction to the hotel gym story.

John Llama’s plan to gradually ease the atmosphere had failed.

The ‘persuasion plan’ that had been barely holding together collapsed, and his tongue was tied.

But then, a lifeline flashed through John Llama’s mind.

-Think of Kim!

It was Nate’s advice.

-Just do as Kim did, okay?

Right, Kim.

John Llama thought.

Surely, when Ji-seop stepped up to negotiate, these kinds of troubles arose.

How did Ji-seop overcome such crises?

‘That’s right! Kim would do this at times like this…….’

John Llama, recalling Ji-seop’s usual behavior, began to imitate him exactly.

If he remembered correctly, Ji-seop had been doing this since the first time they met.

And he would miraculously turn the situation around with a wonderful word.

I can do it too. With that expectation, John Llama continued the problematic ‘action’—

“……Mr. Taylor, what are you doing?”

Dexter Sullivan asked indifferently.

“Why are you staring at my eyes like that? Is there something on my face?”

“No, it’s, it’s not that……”

Damn it,

This isn’t working.

* * *

-Kim, I messed up.

About two hours later.

Ji-seop, returning home after late overtime, received a call from John Llama.

-I completely messed up! I got ripped off! What should I do now?

A voice announcing the failure.

Of course, it wasn’t a situation that could end with a simple report.

-That’s too much, Kim! This was important! If only Kim had been there, he would have persuaded Dexter Sullivan…….!

Are you serious?

This isn’t fair.

The team owner’s son was whining, not giving Ji-seop a chance to speak.

However, Ji-seop, expecting this, responded calmly.

“Okay, okay, don’t cry.”

-I’m not crying! What are you talking about?

Ji-seop was smiling at John Llama’s grumbling.

“Tell me exactly what happened.”

Ji-seop continued.

“Skip the intermediate steps. We might lose focus or start shouting.”

Ji-seop recalled his past experiences.

“Just tell me how you parted ways. What did Dexter say? What did he say as he left?”

-The end…… you mean?

It took a moment to load the memory.

After hesitating, John Llama answered in a barely audible voice.

-He said he enjoyed the meal.

That was expected.

-And…… ah, that’s right! He asked if I could get the team’s front office to get him [Puzzle This Week].

“Puzzle This Week?”

-Yes, it’s a weekly magazine with puzzles. Sudoku, crossword puzzles, hidden picture puzzles, etc.

John Llama sighed as if the ground was sinking.

-The moment I heard that, I knew. Ah, he’s just going to play from now on. He’s going to spend his time doing hidden picture puzzles instead of playing baseball.

John Llama muttered bitterly, but Ji-seop nodded.

“……That’s good.”

-Yes?

“It means you succeeded in persuading him.”

-What do you mean? Dexter’s expression wasn’t good when he said that?

“That’s because he’s not good at managing his expressions.”

Ji-seop continued.

“Think about it. If he was planning to go all out, he wouldn’t have asked you for a magazine.”

-Th, that’s right?

“And hidden picture puzzles…… Do you know where players do that the most?”

Ji-seop said.

“It’s the bullpen in the outfield. They relax by doing hidden picture puzzles until they’re told to warm up.”