One Outs 18

One Outs, Volume 3, Chapter 18 (pp. 25~45)


<25>
Chapter 18: Conditions

[title]Contract

The One Outs Contract
Lycaons owner Tsuneo Saikawa and Toua Tokuchi have agreed to a special contract concerning Tokuchi's yearly salary.
The name comes from the idea that the entire contract is based on individual outs.
Tokuchi receives 5 million yen for every out he makes. However, Tokuchi must pay the team 50 million yen for every run he loses.
To put it simply, it's a rather severe contract where the pitcher falls into debt unless he is able to maintain an ERA below 2.70.
As a note, if this contract were to be applied to all the pitchers in the Central and Pacific Leagues during the 1998 season, over 80% would find themselves in debt. The only pitcher who would benefit from this contract, receiving more money than in his actual salary contract, would be Kazuhiro Sasaki of the Yokohama BayStars.


<26>
=Light!

=Wh-Wh-Wh-
=Why you little—!!
=Now now, just give it to him.

Why me?
SHUFF
=We've called you here today,

=To work out some specific details concerning your contract.
SMILE


<27>
=You see, there are just too many gray areas as it currently stands.
=We don't wish to spoil the good relationship we've enjoyed thus far.

=We have 4 proposals for you.

=Number one,

=Always follow instructions from the dugout.


<28>
=Whether it's starting or relieving, you pitch when the manager tells you to.
=And you keep pitching until he stops you...

=This is all common sense.
HAH-HAH-HAH—
=Not really worth our time, I suppose.

=But if this clause is broken—

=You will pay a fine of 500 million yen—
[x?]SMILE

=This includes situations where the individual is unable to follow instructions due to his own negligence—
=Well, I can't imagine that would ever be an issue—Hah-hah-hah-hah...

He...
Must be referring to that beanball incident...

=Number two,
=Is concerning the definition of a "run."
=We will define a "run" as any run lost during a pitching appearance, not just "earned runs."


<29>
=This may all seem minute,
[x5]SMILE
=But it doesn't hurt to make note of details like this.

Quick Baseball Fact: What's an "Earned Run?"
This term refers to any change in score caused by a single pitcher. For instance, a run scored on a defensive error would not be counted as an "earned run."

=Number three,
=The contract rate can be adjusted depending on the importance of the game.

=What does that mean?

=You've heard the term "crucial series" before, haven't you?
=In the 135-game pennant race, some games will be crucial in determining the standings,//While others, like the games right before the end of the regular season, are not nearly as important.
SMILE


<30>
=It wouldn't be fair to treat them all the same, now would it?
=It makes sense for a crucial game to go by 1.5x, or even twice the original rate.

=A change in rate wouldn't put you at a disadvantage, of course.
=If an out is worth 7 million, a run is worth 70 million... If an out is worth 10 million, a run is worth 100 million... The ratio would remain exactly the same.

=And lastly,//Number four.

=Do not reveal the existence of this contract to anyone.


<31>
=Our terms go against every conventional salary contract in professional baseball.
=If word gets out, it will create a great deal of unwanted commotion.

=Fortunately, we four are the only ones who know the existence of this contract thus far.

=If this clause is broken, you will pay a fine of 500 million yen...
=In addition, your salary up to that point will be invalidated.
SMILE

=He's misleading you!!
=All of this... Is just another layer of deception!!

=That's all I have for today...

=Would you like to voice any objections?

=It's a trap!!
=You've got to notice it!! Notice the trap hidden beneath these proposals!!


<32>
=Alright,
=I accept all 4 proposals.


<33>
=Wait!
=Wait just a second!

[x4]HUFF
=...Are you
=...Sure?

=Accepting every proposal,
=Just like that!?

=Don't you see...? You're being set up.

=All that stuff about sorting out the details is just an excuse.//He's trying to bend the rules in his favor, now that he's down by 400 million...
=Dude...

=Whose side are you on, anyway?

=I know he's planning something.//I'm fully aware of that.


<34>
=You'll see who's really being set up...
=At the end of the season.

=Hah-hah-hah,//That fool accepted every single proposal!
[sign]Owner's Office

=Now that takes care of "Step 1..."
FLAP..

=What's Tokuchi's schedule from here on?
=I believe the manager is planning to rest him for 5 days, then start him in the next game against the Bugaboos.

=5 days...
=Hmm.

=Get the manager over here immediately.
=Yes sir.


<35>
=Also...//Get those sportswriters on the phone.

=The media...?
=Sir?

=Here comes... "Step 2..."

Meanwhile, the Lycaons have gathered for an emergency team meeting.

Observed among them
Is a healthy Hiromichi Kojima.

The reason the team has assembled on an off-day is because—


<36>
[headline]Mariners, 12th straight win
=They have a 3-game series against the Mariners, the defending league champions, starting tomorrow.

Chiba Mariners
4 consecutive league championships from '95~'98.
3 consecutive Japan Series titles from '96~'98.
Making them by far the strongest team in the country.

This year, they've shot to the top of the rankings yet again.
[columns]G//W//L//D//W%//GB
[rows]Mariners//Bloomers//Fingers//Eagles//Bugaboos//Lycaons
This blatant 1-strong, 4-weak, 1-non-contender format is causing a lack of interest in the pennant race.

The Lycaons have assembled to try and find some way to prevent this landslide from continuing.


<37>
=Where's Tokuchi?
=I dunno.

=He probably thinks he's pitching in the next Bugaboos game...
=So he doesn't care about the Mariners.

=Has he even shown up to any of the meetings?
=He's probably out playing pachinko or something.

Correct!
BEEP BOOP

He's the one,
That really needs to get to know the Mariners...

=Uh—As everybody knows, the Mariners are an offensive team.//In the 12 games so far, their team batting average has been .334, scoring an average of 6.17 runs per game... These are ridiculous stats.

=So we gotta score 7 runs or more, huh...

=The number 3, 4, and 5 batters are the ones propelling their offense.
=All three are currently hitting above .400, and they're dominating the top individual stats in the league.


<38>
=Let's take a look at each one of them.

=Batting 3rd, Tomas.
=He's a flexible hitter who comes out strong in clutch situations. He leads the league with a .517 on-base-percentage.
[stat box]This Season//.406 BA (2nd in league)//5 HRs (5th in league)//11 RBIs (3rd in league)

=He's also pretty quick on the basepaths and recorded 25 steals last season, making him even harder to deal with.

=Next... Batting 4th, Brooklyn.

[stat box]This Season//.403 BA (3rd in league)//10 HRs (1st in league)//16 RBIs (2nd in league)
=No surprises here, he's just your typical power-hitter.


<39>
CRACK

=That was off Hatayama in the game against the Fingers.
=Estimated distance, 160m.
OHHHHHH


<40>
=160m...!? That pitch was outta the strikezone!
=If he finds himself a good pitch, he'll carry it with his power even if it's not in the strikezone.
=Power...!? That's still ridiculous...!
[x4]RABBLE

Those two are nothing.
The real one to watch out for is...

This man.

=Lastly... Batting 5th, Itsuki Takami.//3rd year pro.//He made it big last season after spending time as a highly-touted prospect.
=He leads the league in two categories.
[stat box]This Season//.441 BA (1st in league)//8 HRs (2nd in league)//18 RBIs (1st in league)

=This is an at-bat from yesterday's Fingers game. The pitcher is Kawanaka.

=High fastball—

SHWUCK

=It dropped!


<41>
CRACK

=This ended up being the game-winning homerun.
WHIZZ—
OHHH


<42>
=That was a forkball, right...?
=And it was Kawanaka's forkball.
=We can't even make contact with that thing.
[x3]RABBLE

=The frightening part
=Is that Takami wasn't waiting for a forkball at all.

=Ordinary players

=Would be unable to keep their eyes on the ball because of the huge break,

=And would miss,
=Meaning they'd have to wait for a forkball in order to have any chance of making contact.

=But in Takami's case,

=He was waiting for a fastball... He's even dropping his knee as the ball sinks.
=But his eyes never leave the ball.

=And he gets the bat on it perfectly,
=For a homerun.


<43>
=The man's a genius.

=That frighteningly good hand-eye coordination isn't something you can develop or fool around with.

=...Amazing...
=SIGH—

=I don't know if we'll ever be able to beat them...

What's wrong with these guys!?

They're still in despair-mode even after playing such a good game yesterday...?
What do they think the whole point of this meeting is!?
Is this loser attitude going to be that difficult to overcome!?


<44>
=Tokuchi!?
BAM
=Where's Tokuchi!?
[jacket]THE MAN!//SAEJIMA

=Tokuchi doesn't participate in meetings.
=What!!?
=So he's out playing pachinko again!!?

Correct!
BEEP BOOP

=What's the matter, Mr. Saejima?
=The owner just told the media some crazy stuff!
=Get the TV on, quick!!

=Look! They're showing it right now.
=...So you're confident about ending their win streak?
=Of course I am—

=Because starting tomorrow,
=In our 3-game series against the Mariners—


<45>
=Tokuchi will be the starter for every single game.

TADAH TADAAH—!
[x4]JUGA
[bubble]Not bad, bro.


Proofread by quantula