Became the Problem Child of MLB - Chapter 230



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Episode 230 Re-exploring the route (4)

Everyone has a place that suits them. People often call it aptitude or calling. A devout person will say that it was prepared by God, and a humble person will say that it was luck.

There may be differences in how to interpret it, but there is no disagreement that it is important to find a stage where you can demonstrate your abilities.

In that sense, honestly, I am not the type to be a leader. As the saying goes in the sports world, a great player cannot become a great leader, and a career as a player does not guarantee the ability to be a leader.

Hitting coach? I don’t think he’ll tell you to hit the ball when it comes, but the entire batting lineup could subtly become filled with hitters who swing for home runs. The base-running coach is a bigger problem. It’s fortunate that he doesn’t hear the sound of a broken traffic light. I can already hear the fans getting frustrated, saying, “Do you think all the hitters run like you?”

-There’s one thing I’m good at. Rehabilitation coach!

Well, that’s true. There was a time when I thought about becoming a rehabilitation specialist if baseball didn’t go well.

But if I say I’m not a batting coach after I retire, but a rehabilitation coach… won’t the team be the first to try to stop me? Even if I say I’m confident in rehabilitation, I don’t think anyone will believe me.

Unlike me, I think Victor will be a pretty good leader after he retires. That’s what I thought when I saw him call Sejai home with a fly ball to the outfield and say something to Andy as he headed into the dugout.

It seemed like he was giving a brief hint while explaining what kind of pitching the pitcher was doing. Managers who are often called great managers often give one-point lessons, and batters who know where to focus tend to have a much easier time at the plate.

Taak-!

Just like Andy confidently swinging the bat at the first pitch. The timing of the swing was excellent and the impact was perfect. It was enough for me, the runner on second base, to score.

“What? Are there motors attached to your feet?”

“When did you get here!”

“Good boy! Good job!”

After a loud high five with the players waiting for me in the dugout, I went up to Victor and asked him.

“What on earth did you say to Andy?”

“I told you that if you don’t hit me, you’ll die later.”

“That’s not it.”

“Is that right?”

I turned around, pretending not to see Victor, who was showing off his muscles by raising his arms. I knew he was doing it on purpose because he was embarrassed. He was the kind of person who would act like he had an allergy if people around him complimented or supported him.

Anyway, we scored 2 points first in the first inning. Now, we just need to protect the score and play well in the remaining games.

“Strike! Out!”

The Minnesota Twins batting lineup struggled against Roger Mendez from the beginning of the game. It was also the time when they were physically the most tired, and since it was their first time facing a pitcher, it seemed like the compatibility wasn’t that good.

There was a deep annoyance on the batter’s face as he backed off after swinging at a falling pitch. It was evidence that the game was not going well.

On the other hand, Roger Mendez has been playing well step by step. I have known him since his Double-A days, but he is a player who fits well as a starting pitcher. I should say he knows how to endure and eat up innings.

Of course, he lacks experience compared to other veteran pitchers. However, this is not a big problem because it can be compensated for to some extent with the help of the catcher. Fortunately, our team’s main catcher is a great scholar, and he has a knack for devising customized strategies for pitchers.

“Zimmerman had that kind of venom in his eyes even when he was younger. He had the determination to grab a chance and never let it go. He may not have the flash of brilliance or the talent to grab people’s attention, but he’s an excellent supporter.”

After the game, I was watching the game with Victor, who had come all the way to my house, and he happened to bring up a story.

“okay.”

“It’s something to be thankful for as a teammate when there’s an unselfish player on the team.”

“That’s touching. But does Zimmerman know that Victor thinks the same way?”

Victor laughed cynically at my words and drank his can of beer. I didn’t know he’d bring that damn non-alcoholic beer all the way to my house, he’s a thorough guy in a strange place.

“How should I know? This is something my family tells me at the coffin, saying that it was something the deceased said while he was still alive.”

“…You’re going that far?”

“It’s too sentimental to write in an autobiography.”

… Well, I don’t know.

After listening for a while, it seemed like Victor’s purpose was to keep me company and chat rather than to review the game he won, but I just listened without complaining.

It was quite interesting to hear stories about the Cubs and former players that I didn’t know about, and I had a vague idea why Victor was telling me these stories.

“Okay, throw it all away. Why are you listening to such drunken nonsense?”

“…Even if you listen, it’s chaos.”

“what?”

“No, but I still found the story about Coach Benjamin playing without protective gear and almost going to the urologist funny.”

“The rest is just waste. I understand.”

I laughed out loud at what Victor said as he crushed his beer can.

“Be careful, I’ll still be here when you’re in your prime. The story of your hot pants days will be told like this.”

Victor’s words sounded more like a kind of self-suggestion than a threat. He spoke as if he was looking ahead to the postseason, rather than a veteran’s declaration of war.

“That’s a little scary.”

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“You don’t look scared at all.”

“That’s a shame. Well, I’ll take responsibility for what Victor taught me and pass it on to the players below me.”

“Don’t kill innocent people.”

“You were the one who brought it up first.”

“You? You’re just leaving. From now on, I’ll always call you Mr. Arraswell.”

“Don’t you think it’s already too late?”

Then Victor smiled and said,

“It’s never too late for me in life. I can be anything except a children’s clothing model.”

… I can’t say anything. Is it because I almost retired against my will?

The doctor and the devil both said that the surgery was a success, but I’m worried that the side effects from the brain damage are now showing up…

“Don’t look at me like that, I’m not crazy.”

“Of course.”

Victor, who was giggling, got up and cleaned up his seat. There’s another game tomorrow. It’s also the last game of the regular season.

I heard from the manager that several players will be resting for management reasons ahead of the Division Series, and that the bullpen will be kept to a minimum for now.

“What do you plan on doing for tomorrow’s game?”

And Victor and I will be starting in the final game as well. There was some discussion about this internally, but we came to a conclusion relatively quickly.

Victor said how many more games he had left in his career, and I said I just wanted to play.

“What should I do? I have to kill them all.”

* * *

Yandy Franco sat on the dugout bench early in the morning, looking out over the field. Even from a distance, he could see the excited crowd quickly filling the stands.

His first season with the Cubs is almost over. The regular season ends today, and he will be the first pitcher on the mound in the postseason.

It was the postseason in my first year as a free agent, so I didn’t feel excited or like this situation was new to me.

‘Everything is according to this Yandi’s will.’

Everything was going according to plan. He was on his way to sewing the final button of the Cubs’ World Series championship with his own hands.

A strange thrill ran through my toes. A sense of satisfaction that my choice was not wrong. And a sense of pleasure from strong self-confidence spread throughout my body.

My whole body was filled with energy. I wanted to run into the stadium right away. But today was not my time.

‘You’re lucky.’

As Yandy, who had been sitting quietly, looked at the opposite dugout and chuckled, Hanjei looked back at Brian Elver.

“Was it like that in Phillies too?”

“To answer your question, no. It was much worse than that. I think I’ve matured a lot now.”

“I’m just curious, do you still have Yandy’s number blocked?”

“…….”

Hanjei didn’t say anything to Brian Elver who didn’t respond. He just laughed to himself as he watched Brian Elver fiddling with his smartphone alone in the locker room.

The game began, and when Cubs starting pitcher Dylan Schrenk threw the ball, cheers erupted from the stands.

-98 miles from the first pitch! Dylan Schrenk’s fastball pierced the strike zone. He’s been very aggressive from the start. I think today’s game will be interesting.

Losing the game that day didn’t affect the standings, which took some of the pressure off Dylan Schrenk and allowed him to enjoy his first start in a long time.

The Minnesota Twins did not go into the game without any determination. In fact, if you look at the level of desperation, this one could be seen as being much more desperate. The result of today’s game will determine whether they will advance to the wild card series or not.

Starting pitcher Ron Pereira, who wanted to smell the postseason air, threw the ball powerfully. In the bottom of the first, the pitcher retired Jose Flores with three pitches.

And against the second batter, Sejay Suarez, a single was hit by a pitch. Up until this point, it was a bit disappointing, but it could be said that it was inevitable. The problem was that the next batter was Han Je.

It wasn’t that there was no plan. The Twins battery had decided to throw only balls in the first at-bat against Han Je-yi. Stealing was a problem after that, and they decided to avoid a head-on confrontation for now.

It was a bit awkward having Victor Arouswell in the lineup, but in the sixth spot, he would be facing a rookie pitcher instead of Andy McGregor. I thought it was worth taking a gamble.

Ron Pereira’s pitches were two pitches out of the strike zone, with the intention of giving up a double play if he was lucky, or a single if he wasn’t.

But Hanjei swung the bat. The pitcher didn’t know whether to be happy or embarrassed by the situation.

Taaaaaaaaaaaaaah-!

The sound of the impact was unusual. To be honest, it was a ridiculous imagination, but it seemed as if Hanjei’s arm had grown by two inches.

The Cubs fans who filled the stands were already on their feet, watching the ball hit. The crowd waved sequentially in the direction the ball was headed, and the ball flew endlessly.

Just when you start to think that this moment will never end, one spectator who finally got the ball starts making noises and the commentators start shouting out one person’s name at the top of their lungs.

I watched Hanjei smiling as he circled the bases, sending the bat flying far away.

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