Became the Problem Child of MLB - Chapter 207



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Episode 207: Nickname (8)

Brian Elber, aka ‘Mr. Smile’, had a very clean seventh inning by his standards. He set the Cubs fans on fire by allowing a hit after Hanjei’s good defense, but he immediately induced a double play, leaving the angry Cubs fans embarrassed.

“Strike, out!”

Second baseman Jose Flores, who completed the double play, struck out as the leadoff hitter in the bottom of the seventh.

“You were doing fine just now, so why are you like this?”

“Did you get electrocuted again in the meantime?”

“You little punk, you know but you don’t.”

“Jeong- Shin- Cha- Ryeo-ee-ee-ee!”

Although he has improved relatively recently due to his rigorous physical training during the off-season, in the past, many people thought of Jose Flores’ declining physical strength and stagnant concentration as the season progressed. Some even claimed that Jose Flores was electrocuted by the stadium lights as he went back and forth between hot and cold water every game.

Their argument was accepted as valid, and as a result, Jose Flores, wearing his ‘Electrified Eel’ uniform, returned to the dugout with a look of embarrassment and grumbled.

“I wish they would unify the eel and the loach into one.”

The players in the dugout snickered at those words, but one person, Yandy Franco, was looking at Devon Huffman with an extremely solemn and serious expression.

‘As expected of an ace.’

When I saw the opposing pitcher maintaining a perfect pitch until the 6th inning, my heart suddenly warmed up. My body was aching. He should have been the starting pitcher today, not tomorrow.

Johnny Garlick, who showed a close matchup with him, was also good enough, but he was still far behind him. It can’t be helped. As a teammate and veteran, he taught him a lot, but it might have been too much for a rookie pitcher to accept.

‘It takes a village to raise a rookie.’

Yandy Franco nodded slowly and trembled silently.

‘… cool.’

What an altruistic and admirable attitude. I felt intoxicated by the way he had grown into an exemplary veteran.

‘Yandy, a man with both character and humanity.’

Until then, Yandy had no idea that Johnny Garlick was carefully selecting the information that came out of his mouth.

How to get into the reporter’s secrets without getting caught, the secret to becoming the star of the party, the shortest route to getting a limited edition watch, and the mindset you need to have as a professional athlete went in one ear and out the other. The last piece of advice was especially so.

‘Losing is worse than a dog bone. You want to replay a lost game? Watch Yandy’s highlights at least once more during that time. That would be more valuable… …!’

I just nodded my head with a bewildered expression in front of Yandy, who shouted ‘Only victory’ like a dictator.

Of course, not all the information was useless. The way to manage your condition in an important game or how to change the grip of a changeup to fit your hand was so useful that I could see Yandy again. Oh, and the way to negotiate a salary with the team.

Anyway.

‘Devon Huffman, let’s have a go at the postseason.’

Yandy looked at the ground with burning eyes. It was a scene that showed the ace’s fighting spirit, or unbreakable spirit, but the players around him couldn’t help but laugh.

“Damn. If I laugh now, the reporters won’t stay still.”

“Cover your mouth and laugh. Unless you want to end up on the MLB.com homepage.”

“Who the hell are you? You’re the guy who first suggested putting that name on Yandy.”

Casey Martinez said with a grin.

“Who could it be? A loser on par with Yandy.”

“Oh, really? And you’re denying that you’re a duo with Yandy?”

“You know, our losers are so busy playing baseball that they lack basic skills.”

“Basic qualities?”

“There is no such thing as conscience, or conscience, or… conscience.”

Casey Martinez, folding her fingers one by one as she spoke, chuckled at Yandy’s back.

‘Beware of the dog’

Yandy, who had a warning sign on his back the size of a door, watched Devon Huffman pitch hard. The pitcher who struck out Sejay Suarez after Jose Flores was waiting for Hanjei.

Bottom of the 7th.

Wrigley Field was slowly boiling with excitement as the pitchers and batters representing each team met.

* * *

I stood at the plate and took a deep breath. It was my third turn at bat after the batting line had made two turns.

He was hit by a forkball in his previous at-bat. They say there is no grave without an excuse, but even if he claims that he didn’t know that a forkball, which has a usage rate of just over 2%, would come, it is still just an excuse. There is no need to attach such a clue to a strikeout in consecutive at-bats.

It’s not unusual for a batter to not produce results at the plate. I don’t always make the most of my three opportunities every day. I can’t get a hit every day.

Some days he’ll go hitless, or give up a double play on a ground ball. Other days, like today, he’ll strike out a few batters.

Days like this need to be a little more desperate. And it’s time to take a moment to seek out the God we usually neglect.

In short, it means that you are going to rely on a little luck or fortune.

Baseball is like life. Not everything can go perfectly as if it were a machine. But it is worth the effort because even if the points are a little crooked and imperfect, if you connect them with lines, they become a pretty presentable figure.

Let’s think about it.

The paper our team’s power analysts had worked hard to prepare became a piece of waste paper when the pitcher chose a pitch that only occurs in 2% of pitches as his deciding pitch. He decided to go to the plate as if he were facing Devon Huffman for the first time.

When I face a pitcher for the first time, I try to clear my mind and focus on my instincts as a hitter.

“JAY! JAY! J…….”

After inhaling, I took a deep breath and locked it in at the right time. The noisy stadium gradually became quiet. I put all my strength into my right wrist and kept my elbow close to my torso.

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And I find the one point that I should aim for. The one point that I will meet if I follow the course of the swing.

Hitting is difficult, but also simple. Just swing a wooden stick to send the ball far. To do this, remember the feel of the bat that you have swung tens or hundreds of thousands of times.

Taaaaaaaaaaah!

All you have to do is hit the flying ball instead of avoiding it. You can put off the complicated physics and headache-inducing hitting mechanics for a while.

What matters now is that the record of a pitcher who had pitched 6.2 perfect innings was broken, and that it was my home run that broke that record.

He threw his fist at the Cubs dugout. As promised, the players who had been standing with their mouths open roared in unison, and there was no one sitting in the stands.

“…AY! MY JAYYYYYYYY!”

Then, the volume that had been forcibly reduced began to gradually increase. It was the best shape I could make.

* * *

-I’d like to say this cautiously.

The game was over. But the broadcast was still on, and the stands were still full. The commentator continued talking as he watched the ‘Nasty Prince’ high-fiving his teammates on the field.

-It looks like the most expensive uniform to come out of this year’s Players Weekend has already been decided, right?

-There’s no need to be careful. The collectors will already be glaring!

-Actually, there’s something I covet more than Jay’s uniform. That’s… his hat.

-Wow, really… … ?

-The Heir’s Crown! I don’t know about anything else, but I have to have that hat!

-Calm down, calm down… … .

– Dear viewers, I’m sorry, but I ask you all to give up your hat. I will empty my emergency fund to become the owner of that hat!

-Hmm. Even if you say it’s an emergency fund you’ve saved up… … .

-Hat! Hat! Hat!

-Oh, my. Your eyes are spinning. Viewers, from the next game onwards, I will be visiting you alone. It seems like my partner was just stolen by a loan shark.

-Jay, wait!

* * *

[LA Dodgers 0 VS 1 Chicago Cubs.]

[Winning pitcher Brian Elber (1 shutout inning, 1 hit allowed), Losing pitcher Devon Huffman (8 innings, 1 run allowed, 2 hits allowed).]

└I’m going crazy.

└Is what I’m seeing real?

└Didn’t the winning pitcher and the losing pitcher switch places?

└If you all don’t understand, just memorize it. A person who works hard can’t beat a person who is extremely lucky.

└The truth of life.

└They’re our team, but they’re annoying.

└What can I do? That’s Brian. I guess we should be thankful that there’s no one like him on the other team.

└This is the first time I’ve felt sorry for Devon Huffman.

[A fierce auction from the first day of the ‘Players Weekend’ series with lots to see and enjoy. The current highest price is Cubs Hanjei’s cap ($20,000)]

└What? A $50 cap costs $20,000?

└That’s just the beginning. No one knows what the final bid will be.

└The crown prince must have had a hand in the auction. He would have held the king’s coronation there!

└It was a perfect scene from a movie, even down to the camera movement. The camera team was a work of art, wasn’t it?

└The grass looked like a red carpet. They are definitely funny guys.

└Jay looked freaked out though! LOL.

└You still don’t know Jay well.

└That’s right. Jay must have secretly enjoyed it too. Our rookie is no ordinary bettor.

└Definitely not.

[(PHOTO) Cubs Hanjei hits a cool solo four to send Devon Huffman’s perfect game to a close!]

[MVP Han Je-yi responded, “I was lucky. I could talk more, but that’s enough for today. Johnny Garlick played a big part in today’s game.”]

└I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you.

└You were lucky? Is that all?

└Fuck. You unlucky bastard. You act so cool.

└I don’t know for sure, but if Jay was lucky, he was lucky. He’s the most honest player I’ve ever seen.

└I wish Jay would catch me and show off because of that guy.

└Hey, dude. Jay doesn’t need to do that. He was born with it 🙂

└I’m glad Jay mentioned Garlic. I hope both rookies play for the Cubs for a long time.

└Okay. My prayer topic for tonight has been decided.

└You don’t think God will answer your prayers, do you?

└Originally, this kind of thing has meaning in the action itself, my friend. 😉

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