A Rookie In The Baseball Team Is Too Good [EN]: Chapter 534

The Baseball Team’s New Recruit Is Too Good 534

112. The Adventures of Baron Munchausen (7)

The moment the boastful pitcher Johannes van Benshoten reached out towards the ‘real’.

The very moment he shook off the fear that had been holding him back and hurled a 90-mile-per-hour fastball with all his might.

The game,

began to move.

– Strike, strikeout! Another strikeout is added! Johannes van Benshoten records four consecutive strikeouts!

– Swing and a miss, swing and a miss, swing and a miss! The Texas batters’ bats are useless! They keep swinging at nothing!

– Congratulations, Tampa Bay Rays fans! It seems your beloved baseball team has drawn another winning lottery ticket!

It was truly dazzling pitching.

He had to overcome countless obstacles to throw the first one, but once he threw it, Johannes was unstoppable.

High fastball. High fastball. He fooled the batter’s eye with one or two breaking balls and then another high fastball.

The Texas batters were helpless against that simple combination. In the outfield stands of Clockwise Field, [K] signs, signifying strikeouts, only increased one by one.

“Hey, Jake! What the heck?”

Of course, the Texas Rangers couldn’t just sit back and take it.

Each time a batter struck out and returned, the manager and coaching staff immediately went into ‘interrogation mode.’

“Do you know that the last ball was only 88 miles per hour? It was literally a garbage ball! What are you going to do if you swing weakly at a ball like that?”

The hitting coach, frustrated, immediately started yelling.

The Texas manager pushed him aside and approached with a calm expression.

“Jake, speak calmly. Aren’t you the player with the best bat control on our team? It’s hard to believe that you couldn’t even touch the ball.”

“Well, that is…….”

The Texas second batter took off his helmet and smacked his lips.

“It’s hard to explain exactly, but, well… the moment the ball ‘popped’ out of the pitcher’s hand, it felt like it was ‘zooming’ straight into home plate.”

“Popped and zoomed?”

It was a time when the coaching staff had to mobilize all their imagination.

Popped and zoomed. Popped and zoomed. How could you throw a ball to give the batter this feeling?

It was fortunate, or perhaps unfortunate. There was one rather sharp person among the Texas coaching staff.

“Could it be… did he use VAA?”

“What?”

“VAA, Vertical Approach Angle. It refers to the vertical angle at which the ball enters the strike zone.”

Vertical Approach Angle.

The Texas hitting assistant coach explained the acronym and continued.

“There have been some ideas on baseball statistics sites. If you use this VAA well, you can give the batter a very unfamiliar feeling. To explain more specifically…….”

“No, no, there’s no need to go that deep.”

This is during a game.

They couldn’t just sit and listen to a baseball lecture.

“The important thing is a countermeasure. Is there a way? How can we hit that pitcher’s ball?”

“It’s, it’s not difficult to deal with!”

The hitting assistant coach’s eyes lit up.

“The key is the unfamiliar feeling! These days, all pitchers have a feeling of pressing down from above, but pitchers who reduce VAA have a feeling that the ball is coming in parallel… If you get used to this part, you can attack it.”

It seems that from this timing, the Texas manager’s expression began to darken little by little.

“You can attack it if you get used to it? Then how long does it take to get used to it?”

“Well, I don’t know? Assuming that sufficient data is available, it seems that considerable effects can be seen with only three or four hours of training.”

“Three or four hours? Look, this is during a game. Where do you get the data and where do you train?”

“Well, then…….”

The hitting assistant coach closed his mouth slightly, but at this time, all members of the Texas Rangers seemed to know what he was about to say.

Ah, you can’t train?

If that’s difficult… you’ll have to keep getting hit.

Until the Tampa Bay starting pitcher,

comes down from the mound.

* * *

Ji-seop found out later, but it seems that there were quite a few great scenes in the major leagues that day.

At Fenway Park, the home stadium of the Boston Red Sox, news was delivered that Ryu Jang-ho had reached the 30 home run-30 stolen base mark for the third consecutive year.

Far away at Oracle Park, the home stadium of the San Francisco Giants, manager David Wilson created a 7-point come-from-behind victory against the Dodgers.

The New York Yankees, who are considered strong candidates for the championship this season, hit a total of 27 hits and sank the Baltimore Orioles.

‘Wow, these crazy guys…….’

Such great records were pouring out at once, but the main screen of the major league official website that day was decorated with this article.

[Tampa Bay Rays, 5-3 come-from-behind victory thanks to rookie’s performance!]

[Tampa Bay starter Johannes van Benshoten achieves debut victory with 5 innings, 3 runs, 9 strikeouts]

[Small height, slow speed, old age… but nothing was impossible for van Benshoten]

According to what Richard Stelmetzek had hinted, it seems that Johannes’ performance was the best story for the reporters.

Ryu Jang-ho’s 30 home runs-30 stolen bases is also a really great record, but he said that the impact is weakened because it is achieved for the third consecutive year.

David Wilson’s come-from-behind victory is also amazing, but he said that it was also because the Dodgers bullpen had many injuries recently.

The New York Yankees’ 27-hit game was truly terrifying, but they had already hit 31 hits last week.

“Kim, so that’s what I’m saying…….”

After the game ended that day.

In front of Luxury Suite Room 302 of Clockwise Field.

Richard Stelmetzek, special assistant to the president of the Tampa Bay Rays, continued, slowly looking at Ji-seop.

“Can’t we take Johannes out for a moment? The reporters are going crazy! They say they want to interview him for just 10 more minutes…….”

“Hey, why are you doing this when you know everything? Do you really think those guys will only keep him for 10 minutes? The moment Johannes enters the press room, you’ll have to hold him for at least 30 minutes.”

A rough interview would have taken place in the club house after the game.

If the guys who stayed at the stadium and pestered Richard until now, it’s the story that they are the most serious baseball enthusiast reporters among the reporters.

Ji-seop didn’t want to hand over the number one contributor to today’s victory to such terrifying friends.

“Why don’t you come in for a while, Richard? It seems like the atmosphere is very good inside right now.”

At this time, a party celebrating Johannes’ first major league victory was in full swing inside the suite room.

Johannes’ family, including his grandmother, father, and mother, and Tampa Bay players led by Alex Montero.

Originally, the club would usually provide a place like a hotel, but the Tampa Bay team was scheduled to leave for the western expedition in an hour that day.

Therefore, a short and intense celebration party was taking place just before leaving for the airport.

“Hmm, a celebration party…….”

Richard, who glanced inside through the window, smiled bitterly and took a step back.

“Oh, I’ll pass. Looking at Johannes, it seems like that guy is telling endless tall tales about today’s game.”

“Haha, is that so?”

Richard’s words were not much different from the truth.

Wearing a cone made by his nephews on his head, Johannes was waving his hands and talking happily.

His grandmother, lying on the bed, was looking at her grandson with a happy gaze, and Tampa Bay colleagues were shaking their heads with a look of disgust.

Ji-seop, who was staring blankly at the scene, turned to Richard with a faint smile.

“Still, Johannes, that friend, doesn’t he feel a little different from usual today?”

“Is that so?”

“Until now, more than half of the stories he tells would have been tall tales…….”

Today,

Because all the stories will be ‘real’.

* * *

Exactly 2 hours and 30 minutes later.

Time past midnight.

Ji-seop was finally finishing his work for the day and walking to the parking lot, ending with receiving a call that the team had arrived at Tampa International Airport.

“Hoo, I’m out of my mind.”

A long day was passing.

Calling Johannes from the minor leagues, watching his amazing comeback pitching, and receiving calls pouring in from everywhere.

There were still about twenty messages left unanswered, but it seemed like I would have to postpone that until tomorrow.

‘I’m getting hungry too… what should I do? Should I just eat ramen and go in?’

There was a Chinese restaurant near the accommodation that was open until 3 a.m.

Thanks to becoming friends with the Korean staff working there, Ji-seop was able to occasionally visit and enjoy the taste of his hometown.

‘Okay, today is ramen and soju [Korean distilled beverage]!’

Once I decided on the menu, my steps towards the parking lot became lighter.

The fierce ranking competition, Vincent Hyama’s rehabilitation pace, and the adaptation problems of the newly joined players from the minor leagues were forgotten for a while.

“Ramen, ramen, ra-myeon~” [Korean pronunciation of ramen]

Just as I was opening the car door with a ‘beep’ while humming, that’s when.

Brrr- Brrr- Brrr-

The cell phone in my jacket pocket suddenly began to reveal its presence.

Honestly, I think I was a little worried. It was right after I got off work. It was the timing when ramen and soju were beckoning me.

“Hmm?”

However, the moment Ji-seop checked the caller displayed on the phone screen, his thick eyebrows twitched once.

‘It’s Jang-ho?’

That’s right. It was Ryu Jang-ho.

Ji-seop’s closest colleague and the starting outfielder for the Boston Red Sox.

That friend, who received attention once again that day for recording 30 home runs and 30 stolen bases, was calling.

‘What’s going on? At this late hour…….’

I can’t not answer Ryu Jang-ho’s call. Ji-seop quickly pressed the [Call] button and put the phone to his ear.

“Yeah, Jang-ho.”

I thought I should congratulate him first.

“I heard you hit 30-30 today? Congratulations. I sent a message to the group chat earlier… I don’t know if you received it?”

But what kind of situation is this again?

Silence. No words were heard over the receiver.

When I pricked up my ears, I thought I could hear a slight breathing sound, ‘Hoo, hoo.’

“Hey, Jang-ho! Ryu Jang-ho? Are you listening? Are you listening to me?!”

Just as Ji-seop’s voice was getting louder, at that very moment when he was starting to worry a little.

A very young voice was heard from the receiver.

– ……Uncle.

“Hmm?”

– Ji-seop Uncle.

“Huh?!”

The next moment, the face of the thirty-nine-year-old man, exhausted from fatigue, was brighter than when he had won the World Series for the second consecutive year.

“Wow, is that you, Leo? It’s Leo, right?!”

Ryu Jang-ho’s son, Ryu Leo. 5 years old.

He was one of the few beings in this world who could disarm the mighty Ji-seop.