A Rookie In The Baseball Team Is Too Good [EN]: Chapter 365

Baseball Team New Recruit Is Too Good – 365

Baseball Team New Recruit Is Too Good 365

84 Watching the Tiger Across the River (1)

Tampa Bay Rays, standing tall as the strongest team in the American League East.

After confirming their division championship, Ji-seop had been spending hectic days dealing with congratulatory calls from various places.

The first person to call and congratulate him was Professor Kevin Pryor from Fort Myers University.

Following him were ‘Sakhalin Park’ Vice Chairman Park Hong-ju, his parents in Korea, and General Manager Seo Chang-gi and Manager Arthur Freeman.

Amidst the many calls that made him wonder if he had so many acquaintances, a call from one person he couldn’t leave out also came.

– Ji-seop, congratulations on winning the division!

It was Go Chang-deok.

His fellow rookie from his KH Cannons days.

– What’s your secret? How do you manage to win championships wherever you go? Is there really such a thing as championship luck?

“I pick up trash diligently.”

The other person was Go Chang-deok.

Ji-seop immediately threw a joke.

“I’ve been picking up trash diligently, so my luck has improved. Wow, it’s really amazing, you know?”

– Whatever, you’re so boring.

Go Chang-deok chuckled.

– Anyway… I’m so jealous of you. The Cannons people are going crazy right now. Your picture is up on the portal site.

“M-My picture? What?”

– What else could it be but a champagne party picture! Weren’t you going wild with the Tampa Bay players on the day you clinched the championship?

“…Ah.”

Ji-seop, who had been provoked by the players and participated in the champagne battle in his dress shirt.

It seemed that the photo from that time had been transmitted to Korean portal sites through foreign reporters.

– Your face wasn’t shown clearly, but we know it’s you just by looking at your back. That height, that build… it’s obviously Kim Ji-seop.

“Hey, why are you looking so closely with your eyes wide open?”

Ji-seop, feeling embarrassed for no reason, cleared his throat and replied, but Go Chang-deok continued in a bright voice.

– You’re the kind of guy who will do well even if I don’t tell you… but still, keep it up, Ji-seop.”

He said.

– Ah, we can’t just back down after coming this far, can we? We have to go all the way! Championship! The first World Series championship in the team’s history!!

“Yes, that’s what I’m planning to do…”

At first glance, it was a warm word of encouragement to a friend far away.

However, Ji-seop was able to immediately grasp the hidden meaning within it.

“Is it just my imagination? Why do I feel a slight personal desire in that message of support…?”

Ji-seop chuckled.

“Tell me honestly. Did you make another bet? About which team will win this World Series?”

– You son of a gun, you’re as sharp as a ghost.

Go Chang-deok clicked his tongue.

– Well, it’s true that I made a bet with the people on the power analysis team… but it wasn’t about winning the World Series.

“Then what is it?”

– Isn’t it obvious? Which of the Tampa Bay Rays and the Boston Red Sox will climb higher!

Go Chang-deok made a fuss.

– From our perspective, we don’t even see other teams. Tampa Bay with you, Ji-seop, and Boston Red Sox with Jang-ho… we’re only keeping an eye on these two teams.

Only keeping an eye on these two teams.

The moment he heard these words, a very faint smile spread across Ji-seop’s lips.

He felt a sense of sincerity. The sincerity of his old colleagues who were worried about him from far away in Korea.

‘Anyway, they have a knack for giving touching moments in strange ways.’

He had a feeling that he should visit KH Cannons Field whenever he went back to Korea.

What would be a good gift? Maybe he should bring plenty of signed balls or signed bats from Major League players.

Just as Ji-seop was lost in thought, Go Chang-deok suddenly spoke as if he had remembered something.

– Ah, that’s right! I was going to ask you about that anyway…

“Yes?”

– Ji-seop, have you been in touch with Jang-ho lately? Does he answer your calls?

“Jang-ho? Well, I haven’t been in contact with him much recently…”

Ji-seop, who was checking his messaging app without much thought, realized with a start.

It had been almost two months since he had contacted Ryu Jang-ho.

Was it mid-August? The last time was when he briefly replied ‘ok’ to the guy’s question about whether he was doing well.

Of course, it was because he had been busy with team matters, but just as a slightly apologetic feeling was rising, Go Chang-deok told a strange story.

– Right? You can’t get in touch with him either? I haven’t been able to get a reply from that guy for almost a month now.

It wasn’t just Go Chang-deok.

Even the Cannons players who usually exchanged messages with him hadn’t received a reply for almost a month.

– It’s strange. Even though Jang-ho isn’t the most sociable guy, he always replied to messages…

Go Chang-deok’s voice was worried.

Ji-seop was concerned, but he replied calmly for now.

“Don’t worry too much. I think he’s just too tired to reply. He probably missed the timing while thinking he’d do it later.”

– I, is that so?

“Yes, above all, Jang-ho… isn’t he still consistently playing as the leadoff hitter for Boston these days? If something serious had happened, he wouldn’t have been able to play in the games.”

– Well, now that I hear it, that’s true…

That damn guy.

Go Chang-deok grumbled under his breath.

– What the hell is he so busy doing? There are more than a few people who are worried…

* * *

Several hours later.

Ji-seop was heading to Tampa, a city about 30 minutes away by car from St. Petersburg.

It was the largest city in the vicinity and famous as a retirement destination for Americans.

The reason Ji-seop was visiting Tampa that day was because of an invitation from Ko Hong-gyu, a Korean he had become acquainted with as the ‘Ghost of the Ground.’

The regular meeting of the Korean Association of Florida was being held at a restaurant in downtown Tampa.

– Oh, Ji-seop! How’s it going, are you almost here? Is it a busy time for traffic?

“No, I’m almost there. I think I’ll be able to arrive within 10 minutes.”

– Oh, great! Come quickly! We have pork belly, soybean paste stew [Doenjang-jjigae], soju [Korean distilled spirit]… Wow, it’s totally Korean! Real Korean! Huh? Hahaha!

The reason Ji-seop decided to attend the Korean Association meeting was entirely due to the advice of Brian Sphan, the general manager.

Networking will become even more important in the future. It is necessary to get to know as many people as possible.

He had decided to attend in order to meet Koreans in the Florida area, but it seemed that an unexpected reward was waiting for him.

‘Pork belly and soju, I’m looking forward to this?’

There were a few Korean restaurants in St. Petersburg, but unfortunately, they didn’t serve pork belly and soju.

Ji-seop unconsciously swallowed his saliva at the thought of tasting the ‘taste of home’ after a long time.

However, when he stopped the car for a moment at a red light, other thoughts quickly began to come to his mind.

‘Jang-ho… can’t be reached?’

The Boston Red Sox’s leadoff hitter, who hadn’t been in contact for over a month.

Go Chang-deok seemed worried that something might have happened to him, but Ji-seop was looking at the matter from a slightly different perspective.

‘The fact that Jang-ho isn’t answering other people’s calls… it’s probably related to baseball in all likelihood?’

Ryu Jang-ho, as Ji-seop remembered him, was that kind of guy.

Basically, he only knows baseball. A person who hardly cares about money, fame, or relationships.

Especially when an idea comes to mind in baseball, or when he feels something is lacking, Ryu Jang-ho was the type to shut his mouth and delve into it.

Ji-seop had suffered so much because of that damn personality. If he didn’t have the ability to see into his heart, it might have been impossible to build a friendship with him in the first place.

‘Then… isn’t there really only one conclusion we can draw?’

Ryu Jang-ho is preparing something right now.

He is trying something that can develop his baseball.

As the color of the traffic light changed, Ji-seop gently pressed the accelerator of the car.

‘Yeah, he’s totally immersed in something right now. That’s probably why he didn’t answer Chang-deok hyung’s [older brother or close male friend] call.’

As his thoughts reached this point, Ji-seop felt like the puzzle pieces were falling into place in his head.

A month ago was when Ryu Jang-ho suffered a minor injury and was placed on the injured list.

He had been showing good performance as the leadoff hitter throughout the season, but after returning from the injury, he was occasionally left out of the starting lineup.

At that time, he thought it was just the aftermath of the injury, but he thought that it might be a trial and error that occurred while trying something new.

‘Hmm, is that so…’

It might have been a welcome story back in the days of KH Cannons.

Because they were on the same team back then. Ryu Jang-ho’s development could also be said to be Ji-seop’s development.

But now Ryu Jang-ho belongs to the Boston Red Sox. His development could be a major threat to the Tampa Bay Rays’ challenge for the championship.

‘Hehe, if this goes well… I might end up marking Jang-ho and those guys intensively?’

A slight sense of tension.

A slight sense of rivalry.

And even the joy that rose strangely for an unknown reason.

Ji-seop was savoring the truly complex feelings, turning the steering wheel of the car toward the meeting place of the day.

“Alright, everyone! Let me introduce you! Kim Ji-seop is the first Korean to work in the Tampa Bay Rays front office!!!”

About 30 minutes later, Ji-seop was attending the Florida Korean Association meeting.

After being introduced by Ko Hong-gyu and stepping forward, Ji-seop politely bowed to the people who filled the store.

Come to think of it, it had been a long time since he had greeted someone in the Korean style like this.

“Hello! I’m Kim Ji-seop, working for the Tampa Bay Rays! I think it’s a great honor to meet you like this today.”

When Ji-seop bowed his head once again after finishing his greeting, truly thunderous applause poured out from among the people.

And would the situation that followed need to be explained? That which naturally follows in a place where Korean uncles and aunts gather.

“Alright, Ji-seop! Have a drink with me! It must be hard working for a Major League team! Huh?”

“Thank you. Oh, oh, oh, it’s overflowing, it’s overflowing! Just a little, just a little!”

“Hey, can I give you just a little! All the overflowing is my joy and my fellow countrymen’s love! Hahaha!”

He had similar experiences in Korea, but it seemed that people working for baseball teams were considered very special in the United States as well.

People who slyly took a seat around Ji-seop under the pretext of a drink and poured out questions with curious eyes.

“Ah, so what’s going to happen this year? Baseball has become difficult these days, it’s not easy to predict the postseason schedule!”

“Well, I’ll have to watch a few more games to be sure… but I think Boston and the Yankees will face off in the Division Series.”

“Then the winner of those two teams will face Tampa Bay again? Huh, is this the postseason or the regular season?”

“Haha, there’s nothing we can do. The postseason regulations are like that…”

Greeting people, answering questions, and making a note on the business cards he took before forgetting.

Just as he was trying to secure connections at the Korean Association like that, Ko Hong-gyu approached Ji-seop with another uncle.

“Ji-seop, do you have a moment?”

“Yes, Mr. Ko. What’s wrong?”

When Ji-seop slightly raised his body, Ko Hong-gyu gestured for him to sit down.

“No, it’s nothing special…”

Ko Hong-gyu received a baseball bat from the uncle who came with him and handed it to Ji-seop.

“I was wondering if you could take a look at this.”

“A bat?”

Ji-seop accepted the bat without much thought until this point.

However, the story that Ko Hong-gyu brought up the next moment was quite interesting.

“No, this friend of mine won a Major League player’s bat on an internet auction site… and he’s a little unsure if it’s genuine.”

“Is that so? Whose bat is it?”

The uncle who followed Ko Hong-gyu approached Ji-seop and said.

“The seller said that Ryu Jang-ho signed the bat he used himself and gave it to him. I thought Ji-seop would be able to recognize Ryu Jang-ho’s signature…”

“Ah, is that so?”

Ji-seop tilted his head and examined the bat in question.

Ji-seop, who carefully looked at the bat from the knob to the handle and the barrel, soon raised his head.

“First of all, the signature seems to be correct. I remember his handwriting.”

“Oh, is that so?”

The uncle’s expression brightened.

“Wrapping yellow tape around the handle is also one of his habits, and putting a cap on the knob is also something Jang-ho often does with practice bats. Up to this point, it seems to be his bat, but…”

Tong, tong, tong.

Ji-seop, who tapped the bat in question on his palm a few times, asked again.

“By the way… when did he say he got the signature? Do you happen to know that too?”

“I heard it was last month. When Boston came to New York for an away game.”

“Is that so? Last month…”

It was at this moment that Ji-seop’s eyes narrowed.

“It’s heavy.”

Ji-seop continued.

“It feels much heavier than what he usually uses.”