Chương 22: One-out Game [3]
"Baseball isn't a sport you can play alone."
The director liked Lucas's answer.
If a player has strong pride, today's result could have the opposite effect. But Lucas was happy even though he hit a home run.
'This kid really thinks he's going to win the league this season.'
Director Donald chuckled.
'There's definitely something different about Asians.'
He had also coached Asian pitchers and hitters in the major leagues. Thanks to that, he knew a bit about their personalities. They were different from Americans, who were completely individualistic.
Americans focused solely on individual success and making themselves stand out.
Was that bad? No. On the contrary, in America, this was seen as the right approach. After all, your life isn't something anyone else is responsible for.
But the Asians he had met so far were different from Americans. Consideration had become second nature.
That consideration was also evident in baseball, where individual performance was important. Because of their tendency to put the team before themselves, they did whatever it took to help the team.
And that appearance was also seen in Lucas.
He looked ready to sacrifice himself for the team if it meant achieving his own goals.
But if you ask whether it's bad to sacrifice for the team, trying to stand out can also backfire.
Baseball is a team sport, after all.
Why are so many Asians entering the major leagues these days?
Not only was their skill impressive, but in terms of character and contribution to the team, no American could match the Asians.
Above all, the reason the director called Lucas like this was because of the above reasons.
To build a team, someone has to give in.
As a manager, he placed players according to their abilities as much as possible.
He had seen one or two students who rebelled against him, insisting they absolutely had to be starting pitchers.
There were quite a few players who were not good at defense but still wanted to play shortstop.
But Lucas was ready to adapt, so the director took a deep breath and got to the main point.
"You'll be playing mostly as a relief pitcher in this league."
When Lucas nodded silently, the director asked again, "Aren't you disappointed?"
"Do you regret it? Why?"
The director burst into laughter at Lucas's answer.
He thought he had a perfect understanding of Asians, but as an American, Lucas's answer was beyond common sense.
"Well, didn't you always play as a starter in Korea? Of course, it's natural for a pitcher to want to be a starter."
"Well, that's true. But aren't you saying that because there's someone better than me right now?"
The director was very surprised by Lucas's insight that saw through everything.
A year and a half hiatus may seem short, but it is by no means a brief period for a player.
Lucas had more talent than any other pitcher in the school, but his body wasn't ready yet.
To become a better player in the future, he had to take steps one by one.
As the director said before, he had strong pride. An American who was confident in his abilities would not have accepted this offer.
But Lucas accepted it right away. He was a child with a different side.
"And what about the middle relievers? The role of relievers is important when the starting pitcher falls apart or when the team is trying to secure a win. These days, the treatment of relievers is also getting better in the major leagues."
Above all, Lucas completely trusted the director and knew his own physical condition well.
'I'm not yet fully fit to play as a starter.'
In order to find a pitching balance, a middle reliever who appears frequently is more suitable.
"I'm thinking of also working as a batter, so I don't think I can fully perform as a starting pitcher with my current physical strength, right?"
"Yes."
"But when my physical condition improves completely, you will put me in the starting lineup, right?"
"That goes without saying."
Since he heard a positive response, Lucas's future path was set.
'I'm going to build up my body to be able to pitch and bat as a middle reliever. Now that my path has been decided, should I satisfy my curiosity?'
"Director, I mean Alexander."
The director chuckled and quickly answered, "How about asking them directly?"
* * *
Lucas came out of the office and made eye contact with Alexander.
Alexander also had something to say and motioned for Lucas to go to the corner.
When they arrived at a deserted corner, Alexander tapped Lucas on the shoulder.
"Did you throw it well?"
Lucas chuckled and shook his head. "Are you kidding me?"
"You didn't look like a pitcher who got hit by a home run."
Did Alexander see it even though Lucas tried hard to hide it? Of course, Lucas didn't answer.
"How can a pitcher throw only fastballs in a row? If he had thrown a changeup, I would have struck out without a fight."
Lucas knew that too. If he had thrown a weak curveball, he might have won the game.
But he couldn't help but wonder how far Alexander's bat would extend and how accurate it would be.
'Of course, I lost. Does winning or losing matter?'
FS also had a strong hitter. This fact alone made him feel like he had gained a thousand troops.
Alexander smiled at Lucas's relieved expression. "How far do you see?"
"What?"
"I'm talking about our school."
"Honestly, I see them as being in the middle of the league."
"These are last year's results."
Lucas's eyes sparkled for a moment. "But not this year. Seeing you made me think we could look higher."
"So, how far?"
"League Championship."
At the word victory, Alexander squirmed like a clown. He wanted to hear those words more than anyone else. However, playful words came out of his mouth.
"In short, we are a mid-level team. Are you saying that you can help us win by joining us?"
"Did you hear that?"
"Uh."
Lucas also did not deny it. "I guess so."
Alexander wasn't offended by Lucas's answer. Instead, he spread out both palms and held them in front of Lucas's eyes.
"Do you see this?" Alexander's palms were stained red.
"The pitcher who hasn't even gotten his body together yet is amazing."
Lucas thought that since he had been asked questions in succession, it was now his turn and asked a question in return.
"Why did you come to this school?"
"What does that mean?"
"No. Our school's baseball team is insignificant. If you had your abilities, you could have gone to a better school."
Alexander looked into space and chuckled.
"Our school's American football team is famous."
Lucas couldn't control the empty laughter that was coming out of his mouth.
'So that's why.'
At the moment when things were starting to get a bit bitter, there were some hopeful words from Alexander.
"But I've changed my mind a little bit. I'm going to focus more on baseball this year. If we can win the league. So I'll ask you again. Do you think we can win the league?"
If they could reach the High School Invitational, Alexander would focus on baseball. It may sound like a really rude thing to say, but what could he do?
Alexander was an American with a strong individualistic nature.
'It's the person who is feeling sorry that has to catch it. That's why I say Eul is not very good.'
Lucas clenched his fist and tapped Alexander on the chest.
"Fasten your seatbelt. I'm confident in my driving, but the road to my destination looks a bit rough."
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