A Rookie In The Baseball Team Is Too Good [EN]: Chapter 549

The New Guy in the Baseball Team is Too Good 549

116 The Last Step (2)

It was initially reported as a false report.

The story was that New York Yankees General Manager Nicholas Weiner II had said it.
The story was that he mentioned it during a meeting with reporters covering the team.

-This Championship Series is expected to be very difficult.

-The Tampa Bay Rays have a clear advantage in terms of power.

-We are considering a minimum of two consecutive losses, and possibly up to three in the worst case.

Less than 30 minutes after the article was posted online, the New York Yankees released an official statement.

The contents of the article are completely unfounded. Such remarks were never made. Doesn’t that sound absurd from the start?

The public opinion, which had been boiling over, seemed to calm down a bit after the team announced that they were considering legal action-

Exactly one hour later.

In the New York Yankees’ team strategy meeting, a slightly different story than what was known to the world was unfolding.

“Sir, what are you talking about?”

It was the Yankees’ pitching coach.

“You’re not even going to protest to the media outlet, let alone take legal action… Isn’t that different from the official announcement?”

“That’s right. This isn’t something we can just gloss over! Those reporters crossed the line!”

The hitting coach chimed in.

“In less than 10 minutes after the article was posted, I received over twenty messages from the players. They were all furious!”

How could the general manager do this?

Did the general manager not trust them?

The hitting coach seemed to have broken quite a sweat trying to calm down the players’ fierce protests.

“Even if the team’s official announcement has been made, the players won’t stop doubting if you don’t take any action, sir.”

“Sir, the Championship Series is just around the corner! We should all be united, and we shouldn’t create any potential for division, should we?”

In fact, until this point, the coaches seemed to think of this issue as a matter of the general manager’s personality.

General Manager Nicholas Weiner. He is diligent, smart, and quick at handling tasks, but it was hard to describe him as ‘assertive,’ even as a compliment.

He basically dislikes conflict. He prefers to quietly and smoothly wrap things up, even if it means taking a slight loss.

‘This must be due to his personality again. He must mean that he doesn’t want to turn the media into an enemy,’ the coaches thought, clicking their tongues inwardly.

“I’m sorry. I think the coaches are a hundred times right, but it seems difficult to take any further action.”

“Why?”

One of the coaches couldn’t stand the frustration and slammed the table.

“Let’s at least hear the reason! Why are you doing this? Why do you have to be so obsequious to the reporters?”

“That’s because…….”

And then, the next moment, a word that completely changed the atmosphere of the meeting room that day came out.

“It wasn’t a false report.”

General Manager Nicholas Weiner said.

“All the contents mentioned in the article are what I said. Although it was a conversation on the premise of being off the record, that doesn’t mean the facts disappear…….”

‘Isn’t there any other way?’

The general manager was asking that.

* * *

After the bombshell declaration, General Manager Nicholas Weiner spent quite a long time explaining his thoughts.

He is prepared to lose all three games at the beginning of the series. That is definitely true. The Tampa Bay Rays clearly have an advantage in terms of power.

-But that’s not the key.

He said that the turning point is after that.

Of course, losing the first three games would be a considerable burden, but paradoxically, that’s when the opportunity comes for the New York Yankees.

The opportunity to knock down the Tampa Bay Rays, the opportunity to completely wash away the humiliation they had suffered for the past several years.

-You shouldn’t think about ending it in a short-term game from the start. We have a chance of winning only if we drag it into a long-term game.

After saying this, General Manager Nicholas Weiner clapped his hands and called in the front office staff who were waiting outside.

A thick document was placed in front of the manager and the coaching staff, and the beam projector, which had rarely been turned on, was also powered on with a ‘woong’ sound.

When all the preparations were finished, the New York Yankees’ general manager stood up with a serious expression.

-Now, I will explain the specific plan to you.

Nicholas Weiner’s briefing lasted for about an hour after that, but unfortunately, it seems that almost no one took the content seriously.

When they came out of the conference room after the long briefing, the Yankees’ coaches were talking like this.

“Manager, shouldn’t we report this to the owner separately?”

It was the pitching coach’s opinion.

“The briefing just now… Wasn’t that obviously overstepping his authority? It seemed like he was even mentioning game management.”

“R, really? Was it really?”

The hitting coach widened his eyes.

“That’s unacceptable, isn’t it? Team management is the front office’s responsibility, and game management is the field staff’s responsibility… Isn’t that what the owner has decided?”

As he narrowed his brow and raised his voice, the bench coach standing next to him opened his mouth.

“That’s definitely something we need to address, but what’s more serious is the general manager’s attitude.”

He licked his dry lips.

“To say that we might lose all three games at the beginning, what nonsense is that? How many times has a team lost the first three games and then won four in a row in the 100-year history of Major League Baseball!”

It was at this moment that a slightly uncomfortable feeling swept through the coaches.

That’s because there was only one case in the history of Major League Baseball where a team lost three games and then won four in a row.

The 2004 ALCS [American League Championship Series] Boston Red Sox. And the team that was sacrificed by Boston at that time was none other than the New York Yankees.

It had already happened a long time ago, but it was a series that remained a trauma for the Yankees.

“Ahem! Ahem! Well, anyway!”

The bench coach cleared his throat.

“Even though it was off the record, to say such things in front of reporters… This is also something we can’t just let go. I think there should be some action taken.”

At his point, the New York Yankees’ coaching staff began to nod in unison.

That’s right. We can’t just let it go. We need to set the atmosphere before the series starts.

The coaches were about to go to the owner’s office, but there was one person who quietly put his hand on their shoulders.

“Hey, let’s all stop there.”

It was Yankees manager Doug Benji.

He was once the New York Yankees’ best hitter, and he was appointed as the new manager of his former team last season.

While bursting into a hearty laugh that was like his trademark during his playing days, he was patting the coaches on the shoulders.

“I understand your opinions, but… Shouldn’t we consider Nicholas’s feelings here?”

“Nicholas’s feelings?”

To the coaches who were blinking their eyes, Benji nodded quietly.

“Yes, I had a feeling? From the moment I heard that Vincent Hiyama would throw a 100 mph ball in this series.”

The manager looked like he was trying hard to hold back his laughter.

“The general manager is scared. He’s so, so scared of the existence of Kim of the Tampa Bay Rays.”

“Ah…….”

At the word ‘Kim,’ the Yankees’ coaching staff seemed to have something in mind.

“Well… Nicholas has only been getting beaten by Kim since before he became the general manager.”

“Were they from the same graduate school? There could be a sense of rivalry.”

“That’s right. You all know it when you hear it, right?”

Doug Benji continued.

“He’s been beaten by Kim so many times that all his predictions are bound to be extreme. Vincent will regain his prime, Victor Johnson will show terrifying pitching… But shouldn’t we understand that much? It’s not like we don’t owe the general manager anything.”

“There’s some truth to that, but…….”

The bench coach smacked his lips.

“But we can’t just leave it like this, can we? The rumors will continue to circulate inside and outside the team.”

“Haha, don’t worry. The media reports? The players’ complaints? There’s a way to solve it all at once.”

Feeling the coaching staff’s attention focused on him, Doug Benji opened his mouth again.

“We just need to win Game 1.”

He clenched his fist.

“If we just win Game 1, everything will go smoothly. The rumors will subside, the players’ complaints will be alleviated, and most of all…….”

Smirk.

It was the manager raising the corners of his mouth.

“Our poor general manager, who has only been beaten by Kim all along… He’ll be able to straighten his shoulders for the first time.”

* * *

To be really honest,

Even this hearty man, Doug Benji, used to find the Tampa Bay Rays very difficult to deal with.

That certainly seemed to be the case during the regular season. A team that is not easy to deal with, a team where no game can go easily, a team that seems to be able to win but can’t catch up in the end.

But now, after passing the trade deadline, finishing the regular season, and breaking through the Division Series with three consecutive wins again.

Doug Benji had one firm confidence.

‘Now he’s completely on a roll? It’s not the old Yankees.’

The players who joined at the trade deadline were finally creating a synergy effect.

They were such talented players. Once they got in sync, they showed a performance that was really chilling.

If the regular season had been a little longer, it would have been possible to win the championship. During the three games of the Division Series, the manager just sat back and watched without giving any instructions.

When you think about it, it was Nicholas Weiner who put together such a great team and handed it over to him.

That’s why Doug Benji wanted to generously cover up his minor flaws.

‘General Manager, just relax and watch the players’ performance.’

Clockwise Field, where Game 1 of the Championship Series was held.

Doug Benji, who came into the visiting team’s dugout, was smiling as he looked at the VIP seats in the distance.

‘The era of the Tampa Bay Rays, and the era of Kim that you’re so afraid of… It’ll be over today.’

From now on, it’s the era of the New York Yankees.

The era of Doug Benji and Nicholas Weiner.

After Game 1 is over today, what kind of expression will that timid general manager show?

Doug Benji, who felt good just imagining it, was humming a song to the music coming from somewhere.

Bbambababambababbambabam~

Bbam Bababambaba Bbambabam~