Became the Problem Child of MLB - Chapter 214



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Episode 214 Warning! (7)

Baseball fans are usually the ones who can’t stand the word “super rookie.” In fact, they don’t even need the word “super.” They are programmed to shower endless affection on promising prospects.

In fact, prospects usually don’t contribute much to a team’s strength. Rather, players acquired through trades and large-scale free agents are more effective in immediately strengthening the team’s strength.

But is there anything more romantic in sports than fans and players growing old together? There was a romance that couldn’t be expressed in numbers for promising young players.

Fans hope that young players will grow into pillars of the team over time and become veterans who can lead new prospects.

For that reason, I could overlook minor mistakes. Everyone goes through that process to become a veteran. I think of it as a kind of tax that must be paid to develop great players.

[I felt this while watching the game yesterday, but the dugout has gotten a lot more difficult over the years.]

└Does this mean that Jay is lowering the average age that Victor brought up? 😉

└Similar. Not just Jay, there are many other promising players. It’s nice to see them grow.

└Hmm. Well. That’s only true for a few players. Take Roger Mendez for example. I don’t know why he’s still on the roster.

└The idiot shows up again.

└Wow. If only he could solve 53 innings by himself. How much do you expect?

└One thing is certain: this team’s fans have a problem.

└My eyes are set high because of Jay and Garlic. Because those two people have become the standards for rookies.

└That’s what I’m trying to say. Mendez is growing well. If nothing happens, he’ll finish the season with 60 innings, which is pretty good for a bullpen pitcher.

└That’s right. The other rookies are also growing well in a good environment. There’s no better time to train them than now.

It is important to teach a winning mentality to growing players.

Even if they are a tanking team, there is a reason why they take advantage of games they can win. This is because they know that players who don’t know how to win will never be able to establish themselves properly.

“strike!”

“strike!”

“Strike, out-!”

The game started, and the starting pitchers of both teams pitched well one after another. It was a game that neither side could give up, whether it was the Cubs, who were on the verge of winning the division title, or the Marlins, who were fighting for the lower ranks. The excitement from the field spread to the outfield bullpen.

“and…….”

Roger Mendez, watching from the bullpen, couldn’t help but be impressed. Sometimes I forget, but I find myself becoming humble when I see the Cubs’ record.

Especially when I see Han Je-yi, that feeling would deepen. A crazy guy who achieved 40-40 in his second year since his debut and tied for third place in single-season home runs. And the season isn’t even over yet.

The internet was full of articles about Han Je-yi. Articles saying that Han Je-yi had poisoned the major leagues, which were filled with drugs. Articles saying that Han Je-yi had sounded the alarm in the major leagues.

“JAY! JAY! JAY!”

As if to prove this, every time Han Je-yi came to bat, it became incredibly noisy.

But of course, their prayers weren’t always answered. If they had, Han Je-yi would have hit 100 home runs by now.

Taaak!

“Victor!”

“Forget about retirement! Come stay with us forever!”

“We need you!”

But the Cubs weren’t just Han Je-yi. The veteran hitters continued to score runs, and the game went smoothly.

In the bottom of the fourth, the score was 4 to 2. The Cubs were winning by two runs.

‘It won’t be my turn, right?’

Roger Mendez thought to himself as he warmed up with the other bullpen pitchers.

I heard from the pitching coach to prepare, but I didn’t think I would play in today’s game. The stands were already filled with fans who wanted to win the division title together, and Mikey gave up a run early in the game, but it seemed like he would easily get through 6 innings.

“be careful!”

“Fuck.”

“no!”

But the problem tends to explode when everyone is feeling safe. With the last out of the inning remaining, Mikey O’Brien collapsed on the mound after being hit by a pitch.

* * *

“You’ve used up all your luck this year.”

“Wouldn’t it have been better if it didn’t hit the ball?”

“You can’t always be the best. There’s a saying that goes, ‘good luck in misfortune.’”

Hanjei shook his head at Mikey O’Brien’s witty remark.

“I worried for nothing.”

“Did you just think I was just talking?”

“Me? How could that be?”

Mikey chuckled as Hanjei shrugged his shoulders sarcastically.

“If anyone offers you to be a movie star, never do it. You have no talent for acting.”

It was a sudden incident, but the worst was avoided. The team doctor found a contusion near the knee, and Mikey himself was relieved to hear that he would be able to play in the next game. It was just a pity.

“Ah, that felt good.”

It bothered me that the starting pitcher came down before even finishing five innings.

Although the Cubs bullpen has improved tremendously compared to the past, it is late in the season. It is unreasonable to expect a bullpen as vibrant as it was at the beginning of the season.

The winning team took turns pitching one inning each, but Brian Elber and Kurt Green, who had already pitched two consecutive innings, were out of action.

“yes?”

“Didn’t you hear? Get ready to go out.”

“Yes, yes!”

Roger Mendez sprang to his feet like a spring at the pitching coach’s words and took the mound in the bottom of the seventh with the Cubs still leading.

To be honest, I would be lying if I said I wasn’t nervous. Up until then, I’d either come up when we were winning by a large margin or take out garbage innings (innings that had to be played when the game was already decided).

It was rare for me to be on the mound in such a tough situation. Even then, there were a few times when I allowed runners to step in.

“Phew.”

Roger Mendez took a deep breath and started pitching.

-BALL! Marco Kelly walks. Roger Mendez pitches two batters before allowing a runner to walk. And the Marlins’ No. 4 hitter is up to bat.

– I think today will be the decisive moment of the game. Will the Marlins keep this opportunity, or will the Cubs hold on to the win? And the first pitch! This hit is… … . Wow, it’s going over the fence! Matt Judge’s tying home run brings this game back to square one!

– You don’t miss a single shot. It must be a shame for Roger Mendez. Just one ball separated the fate of the two.

– Yes. Regan Harris’s hit is caught and handled by shortstop Kyle Elias. Three outs. But it won’t be a big deal for the Marlins. They got the lead they lost early in the game!

Roger Mendez came down from the mound with a pale face, his head hanging to the ground.

If he hadn’t thrown that ball there, if he had focused a little more, he could have at least preserved the starting pitcher’s win.

“Hey! Kid, good job!”

“Raise your head!”

Even in the midst of all that, when I heard the fans cheering, my eyes started to get moist for no reason. It was amazing to hear the words “Well done” coming from the mouths of the people who always cursed at me.

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‘It must have been so bad that it was a shame to even curse.’

Roger Mendez slumped his shoulders. Hanjei and the players exchanged glances as they watched his back as he headed into the dugout.

“Umm…….”

“What should I do?”

“Well, should I lighten the mood?”

“Okay. Let’s go, idiots!”

Hanjei looked at the giggling players with a dumbfounded expression.

* * *

The baseball is round and sports are unscripted dramas. That’s why anything can happen inside a baseball stadium.

If we lose today’s game? Easy. Just win the next game. The Earth won’t be ruined if we delay winning the Earth championship for a day or two.

-You hung out with old men and now you’ve become an old man…

What are you talking about? You’re actually an old man.

Anyway, I feel sorry for our fans who came here with high expectations, but that’s just how baseball is. If you’re impatient, things won’t work out.

In that sense, Roger Mendez giving up a two-run home run can’t be considered a major accident.

That could be true. I’m not trying to be lenient, but anyone can hit a home run. I’m sure other players think the same way.

The fans’ cheers for a good performance were probably not just to comfort Roger Mendez. After all, expectations were already low after the starting pitcher left in the fourth inning.

“…….”

Therefore, a rookie pitcher who was leaning against the dugout fence and cheering alone was enough to become the butt of jokes for the players.

The players sitting on the dugout bench chuckled and glanced at the fence. Then Roger Mendez looked back, frowned, and sighed deeply.

“Let’s go!”

“Kuuuuuu.”

And then they send me signals. Seriously, why do I keep getting dragged into this? Just laugh amongst yourselves.

“hey.”

I was pushed by the old men to talk to Roger Mendez. Well, it was a bit sad to see him digging the ground alone.

“If anyone saw this, they would think the game was over.”

“…uh?”

“The game isn’t over yet. Don’t just sigh there and cheer.”

“Ah… sorry.”

Roger Mendez readily agreed with what I said. He wasn’t like that in his Double-A days. He wasn’t arrogant, but he was always confident.

But to show off your skills in the Cubs… … the people here are too strong.

“Then do you know?”

When I said that while picking up the bat, Roger Mendez blinked.

“Are you going to be interviewing the winning pitcher?”

“huh?”

Roger Mendez didn’t seem to understand what I was saying at first. I left the confused guy and walked out to the batter’s box, and laughter erupted behind me.

“Shit, stop it!”

“I told you to set the mood appropriately. Who told you to just spill it anywhere?”

“Woooooooooooo-”

Oh, you guys really like it. You guys are like girls at heart.

The score was still tied in the 8th inning, following the 7th. Then, in the top of the 9th inning, Sejai hit a single and got on base, giving me my chance.

“If you have eyes, look! Who is our king?”

“A toast to your youth! And condolences to the fallen corpses!”

Now, the cheers of the fans were starting to sound desperate. They were about to lose their voices, but instead of getting weaker, they continued to shake the stadium.

The outfield was especially noisy. People were rushing here and there to catch home run balls, and the more they did, the more complicated the Marlins bench’s thoughts became.

Same tie as yesterday. Everyone here will remember yesterday’s game.

“Behind Jay is Victor, and behind Victor is Andy!”

“If you choose the Grand Slam, I won’t stop you!”

It’s become a burdensome situation for me to intentionally filter out sand dunes. And I’m the batter who has to do something in this situation.

At the very least, you should hit the ball to the outfield, and even if you strike out, you should avoid double plays. Of course, the best option is a home run.

Exactly!

“Foul!”

The first pitch was just off the bat. Pretty aggressive pitching. Maybe yesterday’s game was a little too much for the Marlins pitchers. Maybe they want to prove they’re not cowards.

“what are you doing!”

“Just hit it!”

Fans were left clutching their heads in agony over just one foul.

That’s the position of the Major League Home Run King. The standards are bound to be stricter than others. In my case, I can’t consider double plays, strikeouts, and ground balls as failures.

It is also a failure to pass the opportunity to the next batter when I can finish it.

Taaaaaaaaaaah-!

At least you have to hit the winning goal to be considered as having earned your keep today. Right?

-I don’t know about the price of food, but I saved one pitcher!

It was clearly the Marlins’ home stadium, but there were more of our fans than Marlins fans. There was a commotion in the outfield as they fought over the home run ball, and I was running around the bases and throwing my fists.

And in the bottom of the ninth, closer Dennis Washington came up to the mound. As the outs went up one by one, the Marlins fans who had been staying until the end also left the stadium one by one.

“Strike, out-!”

Finally, when the final out count of the game reached its final count, the players who had been waiting for the out call came rushing out onto the field.

“Ugh! Ouch! Ah!”

“You damn lovely guys!”

“Victor, tell me about this!”

Victor, who had to watch the Earth Championship on TV last year, Mikey, who limped but jumped up and down, and Roger Mendez, who couldn’t contain his joy and laughed out loud.

Everything is good. Everything is good.

Shh …

“…Who are you?”

“Uh-oh.”

The players who saw me drenched in ionic drinks slowly retreated.

“Hey guys, what the hell did you put in there? Why are there bubbles in the water!”

“Everyone run away!”

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