A Rookie In The Baseball Team Is Too Good [EN]: Chapter 524

The Baseball Team’s New Recruit Is Too Good 524

The Baseball Team’s New Recruit Is Too Good 524

Receiving 111 as is (4)

About two weeks later.

Ji-seop was enjoying a pleasant visit from a guest who had traveled all the way from Texas.

“Hahaha, is that really true?”

A man in his late 60s slapped the armrest of the sofa, laughing heartily.

It was none other than Brian Span, the former president of the Tampa Bay Rays.

After retiring and returning to his hometown to run a small pecan farm, he had visited St. Petersburg for Jeffrey Taylor’s birthday.

“I see. Dr. Goldberg… It seems that the friend who was so hopelessly ambitious has finally found his niche.”

Brian Span was the one who had recognized Dr. Goldberg’s potential early on and introduced him to Ji-seop.

Ji-seop couldn’t help but share Dr. Goldberg’s recent achievements.

Brian Span was very pleased to hear that Dr. Goldberg had changed Vincent Hiyama’s mind.

“I’m so glad. I was worried about whether that friend could be of help to Kim.”

Brian Span shook his head, recalling Dr. Goldberg’s house, which was like a junkyard.

He cut a piece of pecan pie he had brought from Texas and offered it to Ji-seop, asking.

“By the way… what was his secret?”

“Secret?”

Ji-seop tilted his head, accepting the pie.

“Yes, what did he do to make Vincent Hiyama change his mind? From what Kim told me, Vincent seemed to be quite stubborn.”

The coaches of the New York Yankees couldn’t do anything, and Vincent’s personal trainers didn’t even dare to try.

How did Dr. Goldberg solve the problem that no one had been able to solve for almost three years?

Ji-seop’s answer to Brian Span, who was looking at him with sparkling eyes, was as follows.

“To be honest…”

Scratching his head, he said.

“I don’t really know.”

“Yo, you don’t know?”

As Brian Span’s eyes widened, Ji-seop nodded with an embarrassed smile.

“The doctor came and explained it to me. He said he used some professor’s thesis, used the changes in the cognitive domain of injured players… It was a very detailed explanation, but I couldn’t understand even a third of it.”

“Ah.”

Brian Span knew that Ji-seop usually didn’t read books.

*What kind of expression did Kim have when the doctor was excitedly explaining?*

A meaningful smile appeared on Brian Span’s face, and Ji-seop cleared his throat and continued.

“B, but there was one explanation that I understood.”

“Oh, really?”

“Of course! How could I have given my approval if I didn’t understand anything at all? Let me see, the file was somewhere here…”

Ji-seop took out his tablet PC, manipulated it, and placed the screen in front of his former superior.

“Hmm, pitching videos?”

Vincent Hiyama’s pitching videos.

To be exact, five pitching videos were playing simultaneously.

“The doctor asked Vincent, ‘You keep saying you want to get back to ‘that good form’, more specifically, the form you had when you won the Cy Young Award [Award given annually to the best pitchers in Major League Baseball]… But can you really pinpoint that form accurately?'”

“Oho.”

“That’s actually true. You have to pinpoint exactly what form you’re talking about so that the coaching staff can help, right?”

“That’s an interesting approach.”

As Brian Span showed interest, Ji-seop pointed to the tablet PC.

“When Vincent said firmly that he could, the doctor showed him these videos. He told him to pick one.”

“Would you like to try it, Mr. President?”

Ji-seop gave a subtle expression.

“Can you pick out Vincent’s best pitching motion from these?”

“Hmph, you’re trying to challenge me?”

In fact, it wasn’t something you could easily distinguish at a glance. The pitching motions of the same pitcher are similar.

But Brian Span had spent almost his entire life evaluating and recruiting players.

After a little time, he began to find some points even in those similar videos.

“There are definitely differences. The width of the slide step, the timing of the arm coming over, and so on.”

*Let’s see, let’s see.*

Staring at the screen with narrowed eyes, Brian Span suddenly raised his head.

“Isn’t it the third video?”

That was his conclusion.

“I think it was the pitching motion from his second season with the Yankees, the year he won the Cy Young Award?”

“Ooh, you’re amazing!”

Ji-seop was genuinely impressed.

Because it was the correct answer. It was the pitching motion from the year he won the Cy Young Award.

Moreover, if it was Vincent’s second season with the Yankees, it was after Brian Span had stepped down as president.

To remember even that pitching motion, Brian Span was indeed a baseball fanatic.

But-

“Hehe, I’m sorry, Mr. President. You’re half right and half wrong.”

“Hmm?”

As Brian Span raised one eyebrow, Ji-seop smiled slyly and reopened his mouth.

“It’s true that it was his second season with the Yankees. To be exact, it was the game in which he achieved a no-hitter [A game in which a team was not allowed to score] against the Boston Red Sox. However…”

“However?”

“All five videos here were filmed on the same day, during the same game.”

“?!!”

It was at that moment that Brian Span’s eyes widened.

The surprise soon turned into a look of resentment, as if saying, ‘Isn’t this a scam?’

But soon after, he snapped his fingers and reacted like this.

“Ah, is that so?”

“Yes, you’ve probably guessed it?”

Ji-seop picked up the tablet.

“Players think they always throw with the same pitching form. But we in the front office know. The pitching form is constantly changing even during the game.”

Depending on the condition of the day.

Depending on the tendency of the opposing batter.

Or depending on the flow of the game on that day.

Players throw the ball with slightly different pitching forms without even realizing it.

“Therefore, an ideal pitching form, or a perfect batting form, never existed in the first place. The ‘good form’ you’re talking about is close to an illusion… That was Dr. Goldberg’s conclusion.”

If the story has come this far, the content to follow is actually predetermined.

“Conversely, the tremendous performance that Vincent Hiyama showed in the past was entirely the product of change. Wasn’t it possible because he was constantly changing to throw a slightly better ball, to create a slightly stronger hit?”

“Then the reason why he couldn’t find his old form after the injury…”

“That’s right.”

Ji-seop nodded.

“It’s because he stopped changing. He wasn’t looking for something better, he wasn’t looking for something cooler, he was only looking for a non-existent old form… That’s why he couldn’t produce any more destructive power.”

“So now he has to change? He has to go out and find new methods?”

“That’s absolutely amazing!”

Brian Span, who had slapped his knee with both hands, looked at Ji-seop and asked.

“How is it, Kim?”

“Yes?”

“You’ve watched Dr. Goldberg’s performance, so can you understand how I feel now? How happy I was when you successfully completed the Yellow Book Project back in the day.”

“Ah, that’s…”

He understood.

A little, or maybe more than that.

How satisfying it is when someone you trust brings you a wonderful reward.

How happy and proud you are that your eyes were not wrong.

He could now fully understand that feeling, and it had been a long time since he had met a superior he respected.

So, Ji-seop slightly raised the corners of his mouth and answered like this.

“Well, I don’t know?”

It had been a while since he had made such a joke.

“Mr. President, wasn’t I much better at my job than the current Dr. Goldberg?”

To Ji-seop’s nonchalant reply, the former president of the Tampa Bay Rays slowly nodded with a gentle smile.

* * *

Enjoyable times are always short.

Several hours passed in the blink of an eye, and Ji-seop was at Tampa International Airport.

It was to see off Brian Span, who was returning to Texas.

“It’s a shame, Mr. President.”

After finishing the procedures and heading towards the boarding gate, Ji-seop was clicking his tongue.

“It would have been nice if you had watched today’s game. Vincent Hiyama is the starting pitcher today.”

“Haha, I’m sorry. I can’t help it. It’s almost pecan harvest season, so I have to go back and make full preparations.”

Brian Span shook a wide-brimmed hat, typical of Texans.

“And for the sake of future enjoyment, isn’t it better to leave a little regret?”

“A little… regret?”

“That’s right. You’re aiming for the upcoming postseason [The championship playoffs], right? Vincent Hiyama’s changed appearance, I mean.”

That was true.

Dr. Goldberg’s [Braveball Institute] and Vincent Hiyama’s personal trainers had set this postseason as the deadline.

They were going to show a changed appearance by then. To rise to the top again as both a pitcher and a batter.

Brian Span seemed to have high expectations for the ambitious declaration of his industry juniors.

“I’m going back to the farm to diligently pick pecans, and when the harvest is over, I’m going to come back and watch Vincent Hiyama’s performance.”

Brian Span continued.

“Kim, you can look forward to it then. You haven’t had fresh pecans yet, have you? I’m going to give you a real taste of them. They’re amazing!”

“Haha, thank you.”

As Ji-seop slightly bowed his head, Brian Span said, ‘Ah, that’s right!’ and took out an envelope.

“Keep this. I forgot to give it to you in the office earlier.”

“What is this?”

Brian Span’s answer was something Ji-seop hadn’t expected.

“It’s a… bag of wisdom.”

“Huh? This is just an envelope…”

“Oh, don’t be so fixated on trivial things.”

Brian Span slapped Ji-seop on the back.

“Maybe it’s because of Kim’s influence, but I’ve been reading Eastern historical novels a little when I have free time these days. It’s actually quite fun.”

“Ah, novels…”

A scene of sitting at a desk and leisurely turning the pages of a novel.

It was an unimaginable scene for Brian Span before his retirement.

“I sometimes see scenes like that in novels. A strategist hands a general going to the battlefield a bag like this.”

“Ah, right! That scene always comes up.”

Ji-seop quickly nodded, having seen even the Romance of the Three Kingdoms [A famous Chinese historical novel] in comic books.

“I just tried to imitate that.”

Brian Span smiled awkwardly.

“Actually, that’s it. Kim is a front office that is now challenging for its third consecutive championship. You’re not someone I can give advice to now.”

“Oh, don’t say that…”

“But Kim is the most sparkling junior in my entire baseball life, isn’t he? I couldn’t just stand by and do nothing, so I felt a little concerned.”

“S, sir…”

Ji-seop accepted the slightly damp envelope with both hands.

Holding the envelope carefully, he lightly bowed his head to his former superior.

“Thank you. If a difficult time comes, I’ll borrow your wisdom. But…”

“Hmm?”

“Just because you gave me this, you’re not going to stop answering my calls, are you? That would be a problem.”

It was at this moment that Brian Span laughed loudly, saying, ‘Ah, that’s right!’

“This isn’t China thousands of years ago, is it? It’s an era where generals can call their strategists anytime?”

“That’s right. It’s different from then.”

“Haha, I understand. Call me anytime. I’ll help you as much as I can.”

“Kim, cheer up.”

“I’m always rooting for you.”

With those words, Brian Span strode towards the boarding gate.

As his back disappeared completely around the corner, Ji-seop turned around and started heading towards the parking lot.

*Hehe, a bag of wisdom.*

The desire to open it right away was overwhelming, but Ji-seop suppressed that feeling and put the envelope away.

He also didn’t want to open this envelope if possible. In Ji-seop’s experience, it was best for the front office to be quiet without any problems.

*To be quiet without any problems, you have to move diligently.*

Ji-seop took out his cell phone as a habit, right at that moment.

Yes, it was right at that moment.

Brrr- Brrr- Brrr-

A phone call came as if waiting for it.

The caller was Ji-seop’s special assistant, Richard Stelmazyk.

“Yes, Richard?”

Ji-seop quickly answered the phone.

“I’m on my way out after seeing off the president. I think I’ll be back in an hour…”

He thought it was a call to find out his current location.

So he immediately started talking about the time of his return.

But at this time, Richard Stelmazyk’s voice was somehow unusual.

-Mr. President, you need to hurry a little.

“Why? What’s wrong?”

-Th, that’s Vincent! Vincent Hiyama, that guy…

The next moment, Ji-seop’s thick eyebrows twitched once.

-He just clocked 99 miles per hour in pitching!

“99 miles per hour?!”

-Yes, the velocity is one thing, but suddenly his stuff has become terrifying! He struck out consecutive batters with the bases loaded and one out… Anyway, it’s a mess here now, Mr. President! You need to come quickly!

99 miles per hour. 159 km/h [kilometers per hour].

Here, Richard Stelmazyk was so surprised that his stuff was amazing.

Ji-seop couldn’t help but have a complicated head.

*What’s going on all of a sudden? Wasn’t the pitching form adjustment supposed to proceed slowly until the postseason?*

A sudden increase in velocity.

An unexpected performance.

Ji-seop’s steps towards the parking lot were getting faster and faster.