A Rookie In The Baseball Team Is Too Good [EN]: Chapter 416

The New Recruit of the Baseball Team is Too Good 416

Chapter 91: Taking the First Step (4)

On the day of Ryu Jang-ho’s wedding, Ji-seop was experiencing ‘cultural differences’ firsthand for the first time in a long while.

The wedding, which he initially thought would only take about 2 hours, was going on for over 6 hours.

“…….”

The wedding ceremony itself was almost the same as in Korea. It didn’t even last an hour.

But the problem was what followed. After the ceremony, there was dinner, and after dinner, there were congratulatory performances and a dance party.

After the dance party, there was even time prepared to have a beer with the bride and groom.

‘What on earth is this…….’

The epitome of an American wedding that seemed like it would never end.

It would be a lie to say he wasn’t taken aback, but it was a meaningful time for Ji-seop in its own way.

He got to see Ryu Jang-ho, who was always confident, acting shy and bashful, and he watched Jimmy Morris, who always seemed to live without a care, read a letter in a serious voice.

And most of all, he was able to share a drink with KH Cannons player, Chun Jin-woo, for the first time in a long time.

“I’ve been hearing about you.”

It was a word Chun Jin-woo said as he filled Ji-seop’s glass during the dance party.

“The story of you joining the Tampa Bay Rays, the story of you leading the acquisition of Vincent Hyama, and the story of you ultimately leading the team to its first-ever championship…….”

Kuh.

Chun Jin-woo exclaimed in admiration.

“I knew it, you know? That you weren’t an ordinary person, that you would be recognized enough in America……. But wow, I never imagined you’d do this well. I heard you even got promoted to deputy general manager this time?”

“Yeah, well, it just sort of happened…….”

“What do you mean ‘sort of’? Is a major league deputy general manager position something you can just ‘sort of’ get?”

He downed a glass of alcohol and continued.

“Honestly, I’m very grateful to you and Jang-ho. The team has been in a slump since being eliminated from the postseason this season……. But thanks to the news about you two, the atmosphere has improved a lot.”

He added that a rather interesting phenomenon had occurred in the KH Cannons.

The front office people were cheering for the Tampa Bay Rays, where Ji-seop belonged, and the players were cheering for the Boston Red Sox, where Ryu Jang-ho belonged.

Then, after the World Series started, everyone was cheering for the Tampa Bay Rays as one.

“Personally, I was most nervous during Game 6. Was that when Vincent Hyama pitched a shutout?”

“Yes, it was.”

Watching Chun Jin-woo, who knew even the specific details of the game, Ji-seop felt genuinely grateful.

It had been almost a year since he left the team, but the Cannons people still remembered him.

Even though they must be incredibly busy with their own work, they were still paying attention to Tampa Bay and Boston.

Almost simultaneously with resolving to do even better to live up to the expectations of his former colleagues, Ji-seop was asking a question he had been harboring in his heart for a long time.

“Then, did the postseason elimination this season have an impact?”

“Hmm?”

Ji-seop asked more specifically to the baseball senior who was tilting his head slightly.

“I’m talking about your retirement, sir.”

Ji-seop continued.

“Until last year, you didn’t mention retirement. You said you would train a player to take over as the Cannons’ starting catcher before stepping down.”

“…….”

“I was quite taken aback when I first heard the story. Your performance this season wasn’t bad, and more than anything, the catcher who would succeed you……. There isn’t a friend who is clearly standing out yet, is there?”

This was undoubtedly true.

According to Ji-seop’s confirmation, six players, including Chun Jin-woo, wore the catcher’s mask and played in games for the Cannons this season.

That meant they were testing many promising players, and at the same time, it meant there was no catcher who could be called a starter yet.

So why did he suddenly announce his retirement? Why is he here in the United States?

“…….”

Chun Jin-woo, who received Ji-seop’s question, did not give any answer for a while.

He just seemed to be looking at the people dancing merrily on the stage, and then, the one word he finally uttered was as follows.

“What should I say……. I felt my own limitations. That was the biggest reason.”

“Limitations?”

“Yeah.”

He nodded.

“I don’t have any great attachment to being an active player anymore. I’ve filled enough personal records, and I even achieved the Korean Series championship last year.”

Now that he has obtained most of the glory a player can get, where is ‘Legend’ Chun Jin-woo looking?

“Just between you and me, Ji-seop……. It’s manager. Becoming the manager of KH Cannons and leading the team to the top again, that’s my remaining goal.”

A dream that a legend of a team can fully have.

Ji-seop was quietly listening to what he was saying.

“I’ll train a catcher to succeed me and then retire……. That was for the team, but it was also for me. I wanted to show people. How much capability does coach Chun Jin-woo have.”

“But the fact that you suddenly decided to retire……. Does that mean it didn’t go as well as you thought?”

“That’s right. I told you? I felt my limitations.”

Chun Jin-woo smiled bitterly.

“I thought I had studied enough, I thought I had analyzed enough……. One day, I suddenly felt it.”

The moment after, Ji-seop’s gaze towards Chun Jin-woo changed subtly.

“I wasn’t nurturing new players, I was just forcing my past self onto my juniors.”

“Forcing?”

“Yeah. How to signal the pitcher, how to check the runner, how to read the game flow……. Furthermore, even daily life patterns, stress relief methods, and even media response methods! I was teaching them to do everything the way I did it, you know?”

This doesn’t make sense, does it?

Chun Jin-woo scoffed.

“Everyone has different body types, different personalities, and different things they consider important in baseball……. How can I force them to believe that only my way is right?”

In fact, to be honest, Ji-seop had heard this story a lot.

Different prescriptions are needed for each player, and different advice should be given to each player.

But the next moment, the KH Cannons’ legendary catcher showed unexpected insight.

“At first, I was just thinking of staying in the Cannons and taking coaching classes. But when I looked at it calmly……. I realized that wouldn’t work.”

“Does that mean you had a reason for choosing America?”

At Ji-seop’s question, Chun Jin-woo scratched his cheek awkwardly with a smile.

“Rather than a reason for specifically choosing America……. I should say it’s a reason why I had to leave the Cannons as soon as possible.”

“Yes?”

“It wasn’t just me. There were people who thought of ‘catcher Chun Jin-woo’ as the absolute standard.”

He continued.

“The coaches were also subtly using me as a reference point. And that’s not all? Our club’s employees, the reporters who come and go……. Even, you know, do you know what kind of post I saw on our Cannons’ fan channel?”

He gave a wry smile on his face.

“The fans were also evaluating the promising players based on me. What’s lacking compared to Chun Jin-woo, what’s different compared to Chun Jin-woo……. So those points need to be supplemented!”

He didn’t say it outright, but it seemed like this was the decisive reason for him.

The reason why he had to leave the Cannons as soon as possible. The reason why he had to distance himself from the Cannons for a while.

“It seems like your senior has become a kind of icon. A catcher should be like this. They should show this kind of image to be a model catcher.”

At Ji-seop’s words, Chun Jin-woo nodded.

“It’s a grateful thing for me. It’s also a glorious thing! But it’s a difficult thing when you think about the next generation. If the coaching staff, club employees, and even the media and fans force a specific image.”

“That’s right. It would be different if a promising player with a similar style to your senior appeared by chance……. If not, there will be a gap for a while.”

It was becoming quite an interesting story for Ji-seop.

A legend can have a negative impact on the development of future generations.

The footprints he left were so clear that they could confuse the person following behind.

‘Is it because he started aiming to be a leader in earnest? Senior Chun Jin-woo seems to have changed a lot from before…….’

Whether he knew that Ji-seop was thinking this way or not, Chun Jin-woo was refilling his glass and continuing to speak.

“Of course, the atmosphere won’t change immediately just because I leave. But it will be much better than me sticking around as the team’s veteran.”

“…….”

“The Cannons will have to erase the shadow of Chun Jin-woo in their own way, and I will have to erase the stubbornness that remains in my head in my own way.”

Here in the United States.

In the place where the world’s best league is.

He took a deep breath.

“I need to completely empty my head and think about the direction I should go as a leader. How can I nurture the individuality of the players, how can I allow them to fully express their strengths?”

Hey, so, about that.

It was at this point that Chun Jin-woo, who had been speaking so confidently, began to look at Ji-seop’s face.

“Could you possibly give me a little hint as to when the Tampa Bay Rays are recruiting coaches……? Jang-ho talked to the Boston side, but they said all the positions are already filled…….”

“Ah, the Tampa Bay Rays?”

Because he knew Chun Jin-woo’s thoughts as a leader well, and he roughly knew how much insight he had.

At this time, Ji-seop was giving an answer in a rather confident tone.

“I think you know that it’s honestly difficult in the major leagues……. Would you be okay with a minor league coaching position? If you’re okay with it, I’ll arrange a place for you to have an interview.”

“R, really?!”

Thank you, Ji-seop!

You’re the only one, Ji-seop!

The legend of KH Cannons, who had just started taking his first steps as a leader, was grabbing Ji-seop’s hand tightly.

* * *

And the next day in the afternoon,

Ji-seop, who had returned to Tropicana Field, was meeting with Rebecca Carney, the deputy general manager of baseball operations.

There were various other matters, but the most important thing for Ji-seop was, of course, the matter related to Chun Jin-woo.

It was the first time for Ji-seop to make such a request, so his heart was pounding quite a bit, but unexpectedly, Deputy General Manager Carney gave a cool answer.

“Ah, a minor league coaching position? That’s not a difficult thing.”

Deputy General Manager Carney smiled.

“If it’s something like that, you could have spoken directly to the Double-A manager without going through me? Isn’t Kim now in the same deputy general manager position as me?”

“Hey, I can’t do that. It’s clearly a task under the jurisdiction of the baseball operations division.”

Ji-seop scratched his head and asked cautiously.

“Then…… is an interview possible?”

“Yes, I’ll talk to the manager and get back to you right away.”

I think it’ll be okay.

She nodded.

“Although he doesn’t have major league experience, he’s a player who has achieved considerable success in Korea……. However, in this case, we won’t be providing interpretation support. It would be good to give him a heads up to prepare for that separately.”

“Okay, thank you.”

Listening to Deputy General Manager Carney’s answer, Ji-seop felt a little relieved.

It was because he had managed to put Director Mike Klemblas’s advice into practice with difficulty.

‘He said I should recruit someone who shares my philosophy as a minor league coach, right?’

Chun Jin-woo could be said to be the right person.

He communicated well with him, and more than anything, he said he wanted to pioneer the path of a leader in a way that brings out the individuality of the players.

‘I can…… look forward to it, right?’

Ji-seop, who had successfully taken the first step in the new project in the future strategy planning division.

Just as he was thinking about what to do next, a vibration entered his ear.

Brrr- Brrr- Brrr-

Ji-seop’s cell phone and Rebecca Carney’s cell phone.

A message came to both phones at the same time.

“What is it?”

“What are you talking about?”

The faces of the two people, who were tilting their heads and picking up their cell phones, were already filled with tension.

[Vincent Hyama FA [Free Agent] contract completed.]

[Confirmed to join the New York Yankees.]

[Announcement scheduled for tomorrow at 10 a.m.]