A Rookie In The Baseball Team Is Too Good [EN]: Chapter 79

A Drink That Summons Victory (2)

22. A Drink That Summons Victory (2)

Two days prior, the entire team had gathered for dinner.

Jimmy Morris, displaying no outward signs of distress, had downed a glass in one gulp during the pitching coach’s ritualistic ‘glass-passing’ [a Korean drinking game/tradition where a glass is passed around and each person takes a turn drinking].

That seemed to be the root of the problem.

The pitching coach, in high spirits, seized Jimmy’s hand and dragged him to a nearby raw fish restaurant for an impromptu second round.

Then, some veteran players who were fond of Jimmy Morris located a potato stew restaurant nearby, leading to a third round.

And so, after a drinking session that escalated to the 4th, 5th, 6th… and finally the 7th round-

“I’m, I’m sorry… Ughhhhh!”

Jimmy Morris’s stomach had completely betrayed him, a truly unfortunate tale.

“Well, this is something…”

Director Arthur Freeman, after hearing the entire story from Ji-sub, looked utterly dumbfounded.

The pitching coach and others who had instigated the incident were bowing repeatedly, looking utterly flustered.

“I, I really have nothing to say. I’m supposed to prioritize the players’ condition…”

“No, Director! It’s not the coach’s fault. If I hadn’t insisted on going to the third round…”

“Hey, what are you talking about! Jimmy was fine until the third round. The problem started in the fourth…”

Perhaps some kind of intense ‘comradeship’ had blossomed while drinking together almost all night.

The drunken old men were vying to confess, ‘It’s my fault.’

However, from the perspective of the Cannon’s coaching staff, they couldn’t simply say, ‘You’re so honest, we forgive you.’

“Are you guys out of your minds?! Who the hell drinks so much during the season?! Are you even professionals?!”

That was the chief coach’s outburst.

“We’ll impose a fine according to the team’s internal regulations, so everyone make sure to pay on time. If you’re late, we’ll add 30% interest per day, so keep that in mind!”

“C-Coach! Is 30% interest even reasonable? I mean, what are you, some kind of loan shark…?”

One of the veteran players grumbled, but the chief coach’s fierce roar was his reply.

“So what, you little punk! If you have a problem, report me to the Financial Services Commission! Huh?!”

“Ah, no. It’s nothing…”

Defeated.

As the veteran players shrunk their necks like turtles, the chief coach approached Director Freeman and said,

“Director, what should we do?”

Ji-sub relayed the chief coach’s words to the director.

“Jimmy Morris is scheduled to start as today’s pitcher. If you want to replace him, we need to act right away…”

“What does the player himself say?”

At the director’s question, the chief coach licked his dry lips.

“He confidently says he can handle at least 5 innings… but it’s hard to judge whether we can trust him.”

“Hmm, then I think it’s better to just replace him.”

Director Freeman said, looking at Jimmy Morris’s pale face.

“Aren’t pitchers a species that stubbornly insists on throwing even if they’re about to die? Ask the opposing team for their understanding, and let’s go with a substitute starter today…”

Just as Ji-sub was about to convey Director Freeman’s instructions to the chief coach.

“Excuse me… Mr. Kim Ji-sub?”

A man who had been quietly observing the situation approached Ji-sub and spoke.

“Could you please convey my message to the director? I have something to say about today’s starting pitcher.”

The one who spoke was Chun Jin-woo, who had recently joined the team through a trade.

The veteran catcher known as the ‘Heart of the Cannons,’ that very person.

* * *

Who will be the starting pitcher?

The person who decides this is the director.

This is the same for any team.

The difference between teams is the number of people who can offer their opinions to that director.

Depending on the director’s tendencies, there are teams where no one can speak their mind, teams where only the chief coach can speak, and teams where the pitching coach or bullpen coach are also given the right to speak.

In the case of KH Cannons’ Director Arthur Freeman, he was guaranteeing one more person’s right to speak.

That was veteran catcher Chun Jin-woo.

-He certainly doesn’t look good… but surprisingly, there’s no problem with his velocity or power.

That was Chun Jin-woo’s assessment.

-Maybe it’s because he’s lost strength due to the diarrhea… but he’s hardly showing his usual stubbornness. From my perspective as the one managing the game, it’s actually more comfortable.

So, the conclusion he reached.

-I think it would be good to have Jimmy Morris start as today’s pitcher.

Director Freeman, after receiving the starting catcher’s report, stroked his stubble-covered chin.

After pondering for a while, the director turned to Ji-sub and said,

“Hey, Ji-sub.”

“Yes, Director.”

“Tell everyone.”

The director’s chin pointed towards the former major leaguer who was suffering from the effects of alcohol.

“Today’s starter is… that guy.”

That’s how the starting pitcher for the day was decided.

The spectators began to enter, the players ran out onto the field, and the national anthem was played before the start of the game.

Even until the moment the umpire declared ‘Play ball!’ Ji-sub in the dugout was feeling anxious.

‘…Will he be okay?’

Jimmy Morris had been going in and out of the bathroom right before going out onto the field.

Even if there were no problems with his velocity and power, it was questionable whether he could manage the game normally.

As expected, Jimmy Morris seemed to be having difficulty targeting the opposing batters from the very first inning of the game.

Whoosh- Pow!

The first ball he threw in the game hit the opposing batter directly in the left buttock, resulting in a hit by pitch,

-At this timing, the pitcher attempts a pickoff… Ah! The ball got away! It completely got away! The runner on first advances to second!

He made a reckless pickoff attempt, unnecessarily giving up a base,

-The bunt is fielded by the third baseman, who throws to first… Safe! It’s safe! The ruling is that the pitcher didn’t step on the base!

In the ensuing bunt defense, he fumbled around and even made the mistake of not knowing the location of first base.

“…”

“…”

In an instant, runners on first and third with no outs.

The game was about to explode from the very beginning.

Shouldn’t the pitching coach go up there? Shouldn’t we prepare a bullpen pitcher right now?

Just as various concerns were surfacing from the dugout.

‘…Wow.’

There were no problems with his velocity and power.

Rather, it would be more comfortable to manage the game.

Ji-sub was able to witness with his own eyes that veteran catcher Chun Jin-woo’s analysis was correct.

Thwack!

The opposing team’s third batter, who came up to bat next, was out on a line drive to the shortstop in just two pitches.

Thwack!

The opposing team’s fourth batter, who appeared after him, hit the first pitch, resulting in a 6-4-3 [shortstop to second base to first base] double play.

Wowwww!!!

Wowwww!!!

And so, the inning changed.

The Cannon’s players were about to warmly welcome Jimmy Morris, who was returning to the dugout amidst the fans’ enthusiastic cheers-

“#$%@#%$$… @#@$!!!”

The ace disappeared into the dugout hallway in a hurry, uttering incomprehensible sounds.

The Cannon’s players’ gazes turned to Ji-sub.

“What was Jimmy saying just now as he passed by?”

“It sounded a bit like a curse?”

To the players who were tilting their heads, Ji-sub replied.

“He said not to block his way because it feels like it’s about to come out.”

Ji-sub chuckled.

“He said he’s been holding it in for a long time.”

* * *

From that moment on,

KH Cannons’ ace Jimmy Morris continued to pitch in a truly bizarre way.

“…Ugh.”

He certainly didn’t seem to be in good condition.

He gave up walks frequently, and hit-by-pitches were not uncommon.

Thwack!

However, at the moment when everyone thought, ‘Ah, he’s going to collapse here,’ the batted ball headed straight for the defender, somehow getting through the crisis.

After barely overcoming the crisis, Jimmy Morris would cover his mouth and ‘hurriedly’ run to the bathroom.

“No, what is this?”

“Hehe, shouldn’t we see it as divine grace? The grace of the god of alcohol.”

The players chuckled as they said this, but Ji-sub was able to hear the secret to this bizarre pitching from catcher Chun Jin-woo.

“Mr. Ji-sub, you know, Jimmy Morris is a player with a tremendous desire for strikeouts.”

“A desire for strikeouts…”

“Once he gets to two strikes, he shakes his head endlessly. Until the catcher calls for a strikeout pitch.”

From the catcher’s point of view, he was saying that he was a really difficult pitcher to work with.

After hearing this, Ji-sub seemed to get a sense of it.

“Ah, so that means he can’t afford to be greedy for strikeouts today? Because he’s out of his mind due to the alcohol?”

“That’s right. How can he be greedy for strikeouts when he’s about to pee on the mound?”

Chun Jin-woo chuckled.

“In my opinion, Jimmy Morris is a pitcher with top-class velocity and power in the league. He also has decent control… If he just decides to pitch to contact, it’s not impossible for him to dominate the game itself.”

He just hadn’t been able to do it because of his stubbornness.

The Cannon’s starting catcher seemed to be quite pleased with the current situation.

“Because Jimmy’s pitching pattern is completely different from usual, the opposing team is still struggling to figure him out. In my opinion, the current pace will continue for about 2-3 more innings…”

Chun Jin-woo, who was taking off his catcher’s gear with a faint smile.

It was at this moment that a slight tension appeared on his face.

“If he gets through the next inning without any problems… I think it would be good for Mr. Ji-sub to subtly mention it to Director Freeman.”

“Mention…? What are you talking about?”

As Ji-sub blinked, Chun Jin-woo shook his head, saying, ‘Look at this, look at this.’

“Haha, if Mr. Ji-sub is showing this kind of reaction… then we can assume that no one in our dugout has noticed yet.”

“Yes?”

“Well, it’s not unreasonable. Every inning is a crisis situation, and when that’s over, he’s making a fuss about having to go to the bathroom…”

Then, Chun Jin-woo raised one finger and pointed to the outfield scoreboard.

“Look, Mr. Ji-sub.”

The Cannon’s veteran catcher smiled at Ji-sub.

“Do you have any idea what you should tell the director…? Are you getting a sense of it now?”

“Yes? What… Oh, oh?!”

Ji-sub’s eyes widened.

Now that the top of the 6th inning was over, the number of hits for the opposing team on the scoreboard was exactly zero (0).

“I, if that’s the case…”

KH Cannons’ ace Jimmy Morris.

He was now challenging the great record of a ‘no-hitter’ [a game in which a team does not get any hits].

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

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

야구단 신입이 너무 잘함
Status: Completed Author: Native Language: Korean
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[English Translation] Kim Ji-seop, a pitcher cast aside even by the Chinese league, harbors a secret weapon: an uncanny ability to predict incoming fastballs with unwavering accuracy. "If a fastball comes, I'll hit it no matter what." He can read his opponent's thoughts! Despite his physical shortcomings, his mind holds the key to baseball mastery. Discovered by the team's sharpest talent scout, Kim Ji-seop is about to embark on a thrilling second act, ready to redefine what's possible on the diamond. Prepare for a captivating journey as a rookie with an extraordinary gift rises through the ranks, challenging the limits of skill and strategy in the world of baseball!

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