A Rookie In The Baseball Team Is Too Good [EN]: Chapter 99

27. Left-Right Game (5)

“KH Cannons are making a substitution. Shortstop Choi Woo-hyung is out, and pinch hitter Ahn Young-chan is in. Pinch hitter Ahn Young-chan.”

Wowwww!!!

Wowwww!!!

The stadium atmosphere heats up even more with the appearance of veteran right-handed hitter Ahn Young-chan, once the cleanup hitter for the KH Cannons.

At that moment, ST Rhinos manager Lee Seok-ho recalled a conversation he had with the opposing team’s manager before the game.

-Tell your manager. Ahn Young-chan, that guy, shouldn’t be used like that.

He had said it clearly.

-His swing has become sluggish as he’s gotten older. His ability to track the ball is also terrible.

So, he told him it would be better not to use him against right-handed pitchers anymore.

He suggested he was only suitable as a defensive replacement in the late innings or occasionally as a pinch hitter against left-handed pitchers.

From Lee Seok-ho’s perspective, he was giving his successor some sincere advice-

‘I put in a right-handed pitcher… In this situation, he deliberately uses Ahn Young-chan as a pinch hitter?’

Lee Seok-ho took this as a provocation from manager Freeman.

It seemed like a message saying, ‘You’re wrong, I’m right, and I have no intention of listening to your advice.’

‘How presumptuous…’

Of course, Lee Seok-ho was someone who could never tolerate such provocations.

He rolled up his sleeves and stepped forward.

Then, he nudged the head coach, who was blocking his view.

“Move, I’ll call the signs.”

“Ah, yes! Understood, Manager!”

As the head coach flinched and stepped back, Lee Seok-ho raised his hand and began sending signals to the catcher.

Although he had been fired, Lee Seok-ho had worked as the manager of the KH Cannons for the past three years.

He knew the Cannons’ veteran Ahn Young-chan like the back of his hand, if not better than any other player.

‘He’s weak against fastballs. Especially fastballs that come inside.’

Of course, he couldn’t just keep throwing at that spot just because he had a weakness.

To properly exploit a weakness, a certain amount of ‘buildup’ was necessary.

‘Breaking ball, away.’

As Lee Seok-ho sent the signal, the battery [pitcher and catcher] on the field began to move.

Whoosh- Bang!

Whoosh- Bang!

Whoosh- Crack!

Three breaking balls, away.

The calls were ball-strike-foul.

The moment the third pitch resulted in a foul, Lee Seok-ho sensed that the ‘time’ was ripe.

‘I know it. Young-chan, that guy… He’s not the type to change his approach at the plate.’

He was the type of hitter who came to the plate with a complete plan from the moment he was in the on-deck circle.

Even if he thought, ‘Ah, this isn’t it’ at the plate, he wouldn’t change his approach.

He might strike out, but he thought it was more helpful for maintaining his hitting balance.

‘If that kind of guy fouled off an outside pitch…’

Now is the time.

Lee Seok-ho sent the signal.

‘Inside, fastball.’

In fact, at this moment, the Rhinos’ catcher seemed to hesitate slightly.

He was the catcher who had been observing hitter Ahn Young-chan most closely.

Did he have a ‘bad’ feeling about something?

“…….”

But after a moment of hesitation, the Rhinos’ catcher nodded.

He also knew Lee Seok-ho’s style well.

He preferred players who followed his instructions, even if it resulted in the worst outcome, rather than players who produced good results by going against his instructions.

The Rhinos’ catcher relayed the sign without delay, and the pitcher on the mound nodded silently.

Bboom! Bboom! Ahn! Young! Chan!

Bboom! Bboom! Ahn! Young! Chan!

The score was 4-3.

Two outs, runners on first and second.

Amidst the Cannons fans’ cheers echoing loudly, the Rhinos’ pitcher went into his set position.

“…….”

After taking a brief breath, the pitcher threw the ball with all his might towards the KH Cannons’ veteran hitter.

The ball, released from his fingertips, began to spin towards the inside, deep in Ahn Young-chan’s hitting zone, and

‘……Got him.’

The experienced Lee Seok-ho instinctively clenched his fists, anticipating a strikeout, but

‘Huh?!’

At that very moment, the KH Cannons’ veteran hitter slightly opened his left leg, shifting his body’s direction.

‘Wait a minute, that’s…….’

Before Lee Seok-ho could even grasp his intention, he heard-

Crackkkkk!

A truly resounding sound of the bat hitting the ball.

“…….”

Ahn Young-chan swung the bat with such force that his body was thrown backward.

He stood frozen in the batter’s box for a moment, staring intently at the direction the ball was flying, and

Thud!

Only after watching his hit directly strike the upper left section of the outfield stands did he slowly start running towards first base.

A pinch-hit, go-ahead, three-run home run.

It was the moment when the KH Cannons seized the victory in the game.

* * *

The game was decided then and there.

The KH Cannons’ victory.

Final score: 6-4.

K! H! Cannons!

K! H! Cannons!

K! H! Cannons!

Even after the game ended, the Cannons fans’ cheers echoed loudly throughout the stadium.

“Ah, this is really shortening my lifespan! Shortening my lifespan!”

“Can’t we just lose quietly? What’s with using a fake starter strategy and still losing!”

On the other hand, the ST Rhinos fans, who had come all the way to Yeongsan for the game, looked dejected, as if the sky had fallen.

“Damn it, I even took a day off to watch this kind of game!”

“Forget it, quickly put your uniform and bag away. Everyone’s staring, everyone’s staring.”

“Ugh, I’m so pissed off!”

A game where they were winning until the 6th inning, only to collapse in one blow.

The ST Rhinos fans’ hearts must have been filled with gloom, but in reality, there was someone else who was suffering even more at that moment.

“…….”

That was ST Rhinos’ manager Lee Seok-ho, surrounded by reporters.

“Manager! Just one word, please!!!”

“There’s a lot of controversy online right now about the fake starter! Can you comment on that?”

“You criticized manager Freeman’s game management before today’s game! Just one word about that, please!”

“Manager? Manager!!!”

Reporters swarming like hyenas with prey in sight.

Although he managed to shake them off with the help of security personnel, Lee Seok-ho’s insides were churning.

“……Damn it.”

Baseball is unpredictable, and you never know what will happen on the field, but.

Throughout Lee Seok-ho’s baseball career, this level of defeat was rare.

To lose to the KH Cannons, to lose to a foreign manager, and to lose after giving up a home run to Ahn Young-chan.

“I’m going crazy.”

He just wanted to go back to the lodging as soon as possible.

If he ran into a reporter wandering around the stadium, he would be bombarded with annoying questions again.

If he answered, it would become a problem, and if he didn’t answer, he would be ridiculed for ‘avoiding answering.’

“What is the driver doing? Can’t he even come on time?”

“I’m sorry, Manager. Reporters are also gathering around your car… It’s taking time to shake them off.”

“Seriously, they’re all useless.”

It was just then, as Lee Seok-ho was berating the innocent team manager.

“……Manager?”

A voice from behind.

Embarrassment filled Lee Seok-ho’s face as he turned his head.

“Ah, Young-chan?”

“……Yes, Manager.”

It was Ahn Young-chan.

The Cannons’ veteran hitter who had hit the go-ahead, three-run home run that day.

He had found Lee Seok-ho as he entered the parking lot to go home.

“…….”

“…….”

It was a truly awkward encounter.

One was a manager who had bluntly said that his former disciple was a ‘player with clear limitations.’

The other was a baseball player who had inflicted an unforgettable humiliation on that manager.

“…….”

“…….”

The two remained silent for a while, unable to make eye contact.

Eventually, Ahn Young-chan bowed his head slightly and opened his mouth.

“You’ve worked hard, Manager.”

“Y-yeah.”

“Please be careful going in. Then…….”

As Ahn Young-chan was about to leave, having shown only the minimum courtesy, Lee Seok-ho was about to nod silently, but he couldn’t help but open his mouth, saying, ‘Hey, about that.’

“What happened?”

“Yes?”

Ahn Young-chan stopped walking.

“Today’s game… What happened?”

Lee Seok-ho couldn’t understand the defeat that day, so he couldn’t just let it pass without asking anything.

“Okay, let’s say the fake starter strategy was seen through. It was a tactic I used occasionally in the past, so it wouldn’t have been difficult to anticipate in advance. But…….”

You, I mean.

Lee Seok-ho looked at Ahn Young-chan and asked.

“What the hell happened? A fastball from a right-handed pitcher… You couldn’t even touch it when you were under me?”

“Manager Arthur Freeman gave the instructions. He said that the team lacks left-handed pinch hitters, so there will be many opportunities to face right-handed pitchers in the second half of the season. So, he told me to prepare for it.”

He had been preparing for it.

He continued.

“And… I’m not that dull yet! I can hit inside fastballs if I aim for them. Didn’t you see it in today’s game?”

“No, well, that’s true, but…….”

You, you were stubborn as a mule.

Lee Seok-ho also seemed to have something to say.

“The habit of making a complete plan before entering the plate, the habit of sticking to it until the end, whether it works or not! You never fixed that, no matter what I said! But today…….”

“You changed your approach mid-swing… Is that what you mean?”

It was at this moment that a slightly embarrassed expression appeared on Ahn Young-chan’s face.

“That’s… I had no choice but to change my mind because of our team’s interpreter.”

“Interpreter?”

What are you talking about?

Lee Seok-ho looked at his former disciple with that exact expression.

“What do you mean, interpreter?”

“There’s a guy who’s in charge of interpreting for Manager Freeman. But this guy is so persistent…….”

Ahn Young-chan scratched the back of his neck.

“A few days ago, he came to me with a member of the scouting team and persuaded me to change my stance at the plate. He said that Manager Freeman had instructed him to do so.”

“So you… followed it? You, who used to listen to my words and let them go in one ear and out the other?”

Lee Seok-ho looked incredulous, but Ahn Young-chan just chuckled.

“You’ll understand when you meet him, Manager. He sees right through everything, even letting things go in one ear and out the other… You can’t help but change your mind.”

“…….”

“At first, I reluctantly followed him because I couldn’t stand it anymore, but after hitting a home run like this… I think I did well to listen to him.”

“Heh heh…….”

Should I believe this or not?

As Lee Seok-ho was half-doubting, a car slid in behind him.

“Manager, isn’t that your car? You should go.”

“Y-yeah… You should go in too.”

Lee Seok-ho parted ways with Ahn Young-chan and left the dreaded stadium.

While heading to the ST Rhinos’ away lodging, he stared blankly out the window with his mouth tightly shut.

‘An employee who always carries out the manager’s will…….’

Lee Seok-ho couldn’t quite figure out what his emotions were.

He seemed envious of Manager Freeman for having such an employee by his side.

He also seemed resentful of the Cannons for not giving him such an employee when he was the manager.

And it was just then.

“Manager! Cheer up.”

It was the driver’s words.

“It’s just the first game of the three-game series, isn’t it? We just need to win the remaining two games!”

The driver wanted to give Lee Seok-ho strength.

He might have felt sorry for the old manager staring blankly out the window.

Lee Seok-ho, who would have shouted, ‘Of course! Who do you think I am!’ at any other time, inadvertently said this.

“Well, I don’t know if that’s possible.”

“Yes?”

The driver was startled.

Lee Seok-ho, realizing what he had said, waved his hand with an embarrassed smile.

“No, I was just saying nonsense. Keep driving.”

“Ah, yes…….”

The driver tilted his head and turned on the blinker.

Watching the driver, Lee Seok-ho couldn’t help but smile bitterly inside.

He said it was ‘nonsense,’ but that was his honest feeling.

‘Yeah, it won’t be easy to win.’

The KH Cannons, a difficult opponent.

Almost for the first time since becoming a manager, Lee Seok-ho was feeling like he was facing an opponent he couldn’t easily overcome.