Perfect Agent [EN]: Chapter 157

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No Unconditional Surrender (4)

A replay showed So Young-joon at bat.

From what I remember, it was from last year.

The pitcher threw a ball that seemed to barely clip the edge of the strike zone.

-Strike out!

At the umpire’s loud call, So Young-joon threw his bat to the ground and shouted at the umpire.

-Hey! Was that a strike? Are you kidding me? Was that even close to a strike?

-That was clearly a strike.

-What nonsense. Seriously! How could that be a strike? Even with my arm fully extended, I couldn’t reach it. No one could hit that!

As the argument between the umpire and So Young-joon escalated, the Pelicans’ manager and head coach rushed out of the dugout.

Despite the umpire’s final warning, So Young-joon’s anger didn’t seem to subside.

-If you continue like that, you’ll be ejected.

-But does that make sense? If that’s a strike, how can a batter hit?

-Pelicans’ So Young-joon, ejected!

Eventually, the umpire gestured for him to leave the field and declared his ejection.

The head coach calmed So Young-joon and led him to the dugout.

-Damn it! Is this baseball? It’s not even like kids’ sandlot baseball!

As he left the field, So Young-joon couldn’t hide his anger and eventually slammed his helmet to the ground.

The video ended there, and Kim Seok-won spoke again.

“You’ll remember this game. Just watching it makes you frown, right? So Young-joon received a 10-game suspension and a fine of 5 million won [approximately $3,800 USD] because of this incident.”

Kim Seok-won turned his gaze to me and continued.

“How can you entrust the captaincy to a player who can’t control his emotions over a single strikeout? It doesn’t make any sense.”

Kim Seok-won looked back at the arbitration committee members.

“And the team’s operation has also become difficult. The budget available for players’ salaries has decreased, so we have no choice but to tighten the budget overall. In fact, the salaries of all players other than So Young-joon have been cut. At least So Young-joon had good results, so we proposed a freeze.”

This time, the chairman of the arbitration committee had to interrupt Kim Seok-won.

“Team representative, are you not aware that the team’s financial situation cannot be a basis for judgment in this meeting?”

“No. Isn’t this happening because the team’s performance is poor and attendance is decreasing? That’s a relevant condition, isn’t it?”

At Kim Seok-won’s rebuttal, the chairman of the arbitration committee consulted with the arbitration committee member next to him and then gestured for him to continue speaking.

Kim Seok-won cleared his throat and continued.

“His batting has no nutritional value [meaning his batting average doesn’t justify his power hitting], his defense is unstable even though he’s a shortstop, and the team’s financial situation is not good. Still, it can’t be said that So Young-joon’s performance is nonexistent. So, even in a situation where all players are being cut, we proposed a freeze. I think this is reasonable enough. That’s all.”

Kim Seok-won, having finished speaking, stepped down from the platform.

“Now, let’s hear the player’s side’s objection to the team’s opinion.”

At the words of the chairman of the arbitration committee, I turned on the microphone in front of me.

There were so many things to refute that I was wondering where to start.

I should start step by step.

“The team representative just said that my batting average is low compared to the number of home runs, so it has no nutritional value, right?”

“That’s right.”

Kim Seok-won answered confidently.

“Team manager, what exactly is a run batted in (RBI)?”

“What are you doing now? Just get to the point.”

Kim Seok-won answered my question irritably.

“Basically, there is a limit to creating runs batted in alone. The only run batted in that a player can directly score alone is the one made with a home run. To get a lot of runs batted in, the preceding batters have to get on base a lot.”

I looked at Kim Seok-won and continued.

“What does it mean to say that the nutritional value of runs batted in compared to home runs is low? It also implies that the Pelicans’ lineup wasn’t that good. If the preceding batters don’t get on base often, no matter how well So Young-joon does, the number of runs batted in cannot increase.”

Kim Seok-won, after hearing my words, cleared his throat and looked away.

“And the data called fielding percentage has a fatal flaw. To avoid lowering the fielding percentage, you don’t even have to attempt difficult plays. Then the errors will decrease and the fielding percentage will not decrease. But So Young-joon wasn’t like that. He dove for the team even in situations that seemed impossible. If we judge a player’s ability simply by the indicator of fielding percentage like now, which player would try to sacrifice himself?”

Now it was time to refute the video I saw earlier.

“You showed me a video earlier, right? If you only look at that, you might misunderstand. But if you consider the context of that day’s game, you can understand why So Young-joon acted that way.”

I shifted my gaze to the arbitration committee members and continued.

“That day’s game was during a losing streak for the Pelicans. Moreover, the score was falling behind at that moment. And to be honest, the umpire’s strike calls that day were somewhat inconsistent.”

Since umpires are also human, they could not make perfect judgments like machines.

“It was definitely wrong to throw bats and helmets in front of young fans. But that was born out of a competitive spirit for the team’s victory and an attempt to change the momentum. I don’t think it’s fair to simply say that he couldn’t control his emotions.”

I looked at Kim Seok-won again and asked.

“And lastly. You said that the team’s financial situation has worsened, right?”

“Of course. The number of spectators visiting the stadium is decreasing every year.”

“Um… But as far as I know, the team’s operating expenses paid by the parent company have remained the same for the past few years, right? Then there is no major impact on the team’s financial situation, right?”

A significant portion of the operating expenses of domestic professional baseball teams was covered by subsidies received from the parent company.

“That’s… there are many things that cannot be disclosed externally. The minimum wage is also rising every year. That’s a big burden.”

Kim Seok-won stammered and barely offered a rebuttal.

“And this is something I discussed with you before. I remember that just a few months ago, you said that you were ready to spend a lot of money to recruit foreign players. I don’t know how you were going to raise that money when the operation is supposedly difficult.”

I clearly said that if you just recommend a good foreign player when we met in the middle of the season, you could get as much money as you wanted.

“That’s all I have to say.”

I bowed and sat down.

I felt refreshed after refuting each point.

The chairman of the arbitration committee turned on the microphone again and pointed to Kim Seok-won.

“Now, let’s hear the team’s rebuttal again.”

Kim Seok-won stood up again and opened his mouth.

“There is one thing that should not be missed when evaluating a player’s performance. Every player has a true talent level. Even if they shine for a few months, they eventually regress to their mean. So you shouldn’t be fooled by a brief flash.”

Then, pointing at me with his finger, he continued.

“This is the problem with the agency system. They also have to make money, so they exaggerate a little bit of what the players have done and try to get more money. Originally, domestic professional baseball teams had severe deficits, but they are getting worse because of them. Not only us, but all other teams are like that.”

“Team representative, please be careful with your language.”

Despite the chairman of the arbitration committee’s warning, Kim Seok-won continued to say what he had to say without paying attention.

“If we continue like this, our baseball will be in big trouble. Is it normal for players who can’t even perform well in international competitions to try to squeeze out every last penny? You have to improve your skills first and then talk about that.”

Kim Seok-won’s face was turning redder and redder as he spoke, as if he was getting increasingly agitated.

“And above all, So Young-joon belongs to the Pelicans. Then it is right to receive salary payments according to the Pelicans’ performance evaluation, right? Isn’t that the case with other office workers? If our team has calculated the appropriate salary, you have to accept it. I question whether it is right to make such a fuss about it.”

With these words, Kim Seok-won sat down.

Now that all the procedures have been completed,

The last thing I wanted to say came to mind.

“Chairman of the arbitration committee, can I say one more thing?”

I looked at the chairman of the arbitration committee and raised my hand.

“If you have anything you want to say, go ahead.”

The chairman of the arbitration committee nodded and gestured for me to speak.

I stood up again.

Then, I took a deep breath and began my final statement.

“The reason why we applied for salary arbitration this time is not just to get 30 million won [approximately $23,000 USD] more. If we only wanted a higher salary, we could have endured it and transferred to another team as soon as we obtained free agent (FA) status [allowing a player to sign with any team]. Based on the performance that So Young-joon will show in the future, a transfer with favorable conditions will be possible.”

Kim Seok-won looked surprised to hear my words.

“Many people are interested in today’s salary arbitration meeting. Why is that? Perhaps it is because of the expectation that the player may be able to win this time. It is no exaggeration to say that salary arbitration has historically favored the team.”

I turned my head and looked at Kim Seok-won.

“As nearly 40 years have passed and the professional baseball industry has grown, many young students are still admiring professional baseball players and nurturing their dreams. But unfortunately for those players, the vast majority of professional baseball players are essentially employees who have difficulty expressing their opinions due to realistic problems, even if the team proposes unreasonable salary conditions like this time.”

Now I looked back at the arbitration committee members.

“It is not important whether So Young-joon receives 30 million won more this time. What we really want is an environment where other professional baseball players, as well as my future clients, can confidently express their thoughts when they are unfairly treated by the team. As one of the veterans in the baseball world, I really want to create that. I hope today will be a step towards creating that opportunity. Thank you.”

I bowed to the arbitration committee members and finished my final statement.

Then the chairman of the arbitration committee spoke into the microphone.

“Well, we have heard all the opinions from the player’s side and the team’s side. Thank you for your hard work. We will notify you of the results after a brief meeting with the arbitration committee members.”

As the chairman of the arbitration committee finished speaking and stood up, the other arbitration committee members also stood up and left the conference room.

“Representative, you worked hard.”

Lee Joo-hyuk massaged my shoulder.

“Hoo-”

I felt drained of strength, thinking that I had done everything I could.

Now all I could do was wait for the arbitration committee members’ decision.