A Rookie In The Baseball Team Is Too Good [EN]: Chapter 82

## A Rookie in the Baseball Team is Too Good – Episode 82

Chapter 23: Vaccination Certificate (2)

Jimmy Morris, the pitcher who achieved a ‘no-hit, no-run’ for the first time in 22 years as a player for the KH Cannons.

On the surface, there seemed to be no major problems.

Whoosh- Pow!

Whoosh- Pow!

Whoosh- Paow!

As always, he was showing off his excellent pitching in the bullpen.

“Hey, Mr. Ko! Thanks for your hard work today! Thanks to you, I have a feel for how to approach the next game!”

He seemed to be diligently attending meetings with the power analysis team.

“Ah, you want an autograph? It’s not a difficult task. What’s your name?”

With such dedicated fan service, he was a perfect foreign pitcher in everyone’s eyes.

However, in Ji-seop’s view, who could read other people’s minds, a slightly different scene was unfolding.

‘Oh my, that guy…….’

It was a fact that Jimmy Morris was diligently throwing the ball in the bullpen.

However, his purpose was not to show a good performance in the next game.

[Let’s see, I think the Boston Red Sox scout is coming today… I wonder where he’s watching me from right now?]

Whether he was throwing the ball or receiving guidance from the coaching staff after throwing, his interest was only in the Major League scouts.

It wasn’t much different when he came out after finishing the meeting with the power analysis team.

[I heard that Major League Baseball these days favors players who are familiar with data? If I learn well from Mr. Ko now, I can pretend to know a little later…….]

Rather than meticulously grasping the data that Go Chang-deok had created, he was focused on creating an ‘image’ of taking good care of such data.

What was even more absurd was when he was doing fan service.

[Wait a minute, this signed ball… If I go to the Major League, won’t it be sold at a high price on the internet?]

He seemed a little annoyed that someone would profit from his signed ball.

[That won’t do. I have to write my name on the signed ball together. This will make it ambiguous to put it on the auction site…….]

With such schemes hidden in his mind, he asked, ‘What’s your name?’ with the kindest expression in the world.

‘Hehe, he’s counting his chickens before they hatch [making plans based on uncertain future events].’

In fact, until this point, Ji-seop had a ‘so-so’ attitude.

‘Well, a little overconfidence is inevitable, isn’t it?’

It was Jimmy Morris who achieved the great record of a no-hitter, no-run.

Even in a state where he was quite drunk and not in normal condition.

It was perhaps only natural that his confidence soared into the sky.

It didn’t seem like a big loss for the Cannons that he was seriously aiming for the Major League.

‘If he has a goal of returning to the Major League, he will try to show a good performance in future appearances…….’

So, Ji-seop decided to stay in ‘neutral gear’ and watch Jimmy Morris.

However, hoping that the pitcher’s ‘overconfidence’ would only work to the extent that it would help the team was perhaps too optimistic from the start.

‘……Hmm?’

A few days later,

“…….”

“…….”

Ji-seop, who came to the baseball field, could feel the cold air in the Cannons locker room.

* * *

The trouble occurred exactly one week after Jimmy Morris achieved his no-hitter, no-run.

This day was Tuesday, the day when a new week of Korean professional baseball begins.

It was also a day when roster changes between the first and second teams were frequently made to start a new week with a fresh atmosphere.

The KH Cannons were no exception, and on this day, they promoted one player who had been performing well in the second team to the first team.

“Hello, seniors!!! It’s been a long time since I greeted you again!”

His name was Lee Soo-bin. He was 19 years old.

He was a right-handed infielder who was drafted last year and joined the Cannons, and it was his first time being promoted to the first team.

“Ah, so you’re Lee Soo-bin? I’ve heard a lot about you. I heard you’ve been hitting home runs in the second team lately? They’re saying you’re a future cleanup hitter [a team’s best power hitter]?”

“Ah, no!! I just swung with my eyes closed… Th, the ball came and I just hit it!”

“What, you could hit the second team pitcher’s ball even with your eyes closed… Is that what you mean? Hehe, look at this guy!”

“Ah, no, that’s not what I meant… I’m sorry!”

“Yeah, well, if you’re sorry, sing a song.”

“……Yes?”

“Sing a song.”

Now and then, Korea or America.

The atmosphere of welcoming a new player is similar.

Whether it’s because they’re cute because they haven’t shed their student image yet, or because they’ve been through this before.

The veteran players of the Cannons were surrounding the newly promoted rookie and indulging in pointless jokes.

But,

It must have been right then.

“Hey, Park! Come on here!”

Jimmy Morris, who was entering the locker room, shouted for the first team manager.

“Yeah, Jimmy! What’s wrong?”

The first team manager, Park Yong-hwan, approached with a bright expression until this point.

However, the moment he heard Jimmy Morris’s question from the interpreter, a slight shadow fell on his face.

“So, um… who is the person who put their stuff next to you?”

“Yes.”

Jimmy Morris nodded.

“Didn’t I say from the beginning? I hate complicated things… I need to use at least two lockers.”

“D, did you?”

The first team manager scratched his head.

“The friend who used to use the seat next to me… Didn’t you say he went down to the second team today? Then I thought I would naturally get to use this seat?”

Who the hell is it?

The guy who put things here.

Jimmy Morris asked in a cold voice.

“J, Jimmy. Th, that’s…….”

The first team manager only made a difficult expression and didn’t easily answer who it was.

However, at this time, the Cannons players all knew who had been assigned to Jimmy Morris’s seat.

“O, oh…….”

Rookie third baseman Lee Soo-bin.

The rookie who set foot on the first team stage for the first time that day was looking back and forth between Jimmy Morris and the first team manager with a pale face.

“H, hey, Jimmy!”

“About that locker, actually…….”

The veteran players of the Cannons, who noticed the rapidly chilling atmosphere, stepped forward to mediate, but

“Hey, Mr. Park.”

Before they could say anything, Jimmy Morris was giving the first team manager an ‘ultimatum’.

“I won’t say much.”

Jimmy Morris pointed to his seat with a serious expression.

“Empty this seat.”

He continued.

“I think I’m a player who can get that much treatment in this team.”

* * *

On this day, the trouble itself was resolved without much difficulty.

-Rookie, use this.

Chun Jin-woo, who was using three lockers by himself, gave one seat to the rookie.

Thanks to this, Jimmy Morris was able to use two lockers as he wanted.

He came out to the ground with a delighted expression and was making a fuss about throwing batting practice to Chun Jin-woo as a reward.

“Hey, Jin-woo! As a reward for giving up your locker… I’ll show you a real ball today! Let’s have a three-at-bat showdown, how about it?!”

“……Not bad.”

The players started training as if nothing had happened.

Of course, the expression of the first team manager looking at those players was a bitter smile itself.

“I’ve been reflecting a lot these days. I wonder if I did so many childish things like that when I was an active player…….”

Adults blushing at each other over one locker.

People who receive hundreds of millions of won in annual salary are so happy and laughing over one locker.

Looking at that, the first team manager seemed to be reminded of his active days.

“I don’t think the manager went that far?”

It was Ji-seop’s reaction next to him.

“Being sensitive to the number of lockers… Isn’t that a characteristic of foreign players?”

“Hey, everyone’s heart is the same. Do you think Korean players don’t like using lockers widely?”

The number of lockers used is proportional to the player’s influence.

The manager explained that this idea has now spread quite a bit among Korean players.

“Still, thanks to Chun Jin-woo giving up one seat… We were able to resolve the situation quickly.”

The first team manager continued.

“Now that Jimmy can use two lockers… He won’t have any complaints separately.”

Phew.

The first team manager was sighing in relief, but Ji-seop couldn’t make such a comfortable expression.

‘Yeah, it’s definitely a relief that we finished it before things got bigger…….’

The anxiety that remains in one corner of my heart.

‘Since when did Jimmy Morris become such an assertive character?’

Demanding one more locker or so is something that could happen.

However, since the person’s personality changed so rapidly, I couldn’t help but be concerned.

‘The Jimmy Morris I know was a very timid character.’

It was the same during spring camp.

Jimmy Morris was shaken, unable to concentrate on training just because a close friend had left his side.

But now, he can’t just let go of one locker and glares at the first team manager.

‘Definitely… it’s not normal.’

It wasn’t clear if it was because of the no-hitter, no-run.

However, a pitcher’s balance is originally like a two-armed scale.

The entire balance can ‘collapse’ even if a very small weight goes up and down.

When I got to this point, Ji-seop couldn’t stay still.

‘Yeah, too much confidence is a problem. If I leave it like this, it could become like the foreign pitchers who achieved no-hitters, no-runs in the past [referring to pitchers who became arrogant and declined].’

Then what to do.

How can I ‘bring him down to earth’ [humble him], who is rising high, not knowing how high the sky is, with the sense of accomplishment of achieving a great record?

‘The best thing is to get hit by a few home runs on the mound…….’

Getting hit in a real game would be too shocking, so it would be better to get hit in the training stage if possible.

‘Since we’re doing live batting right now, it would be best to get hit at this time…….’

Ji-seop narrowed his eyes and began to examine the faces of the Cannons players.

Chun Jin-woo’s live batting was already over, and now other players were preparing to face Jimmy Morris in front of the batting cage.

‘There’s no point in getting hit by a proven guy like Ryu Jang-ho, and it would be good to have an unexpected face come out here.’

Unexpected face, unexpected face, unexpected face.

Ji-seop was stroking his chin and looking for a suitable player.

A ray of light flashed through his head the very next moment.

‘Ah, yeah, what about that friend?!’

What came into Ji-seop’s view was right-handed third baseman Lee Soo-bin.

He was a high school graduate rookie who set foot on the first team stage for the first time that day, and he was the person involved in the ‘locker trouble’.