This is part two of our recap for Stove League!
Caution: Be wary of typos
Shorthand Character Chart: coming up
How we do this: This live recap will be in two parts and we segment each post around every 10 minutes. Sometimes sooner, sometimes later depending on the scene. There will be typos which we have fantasies of fixing once the episode finishes airing. Also, if there is a preview then we will try and translate it. Look for that on a separate post!
KOREAN DRAMA STOVE LEAGUE: EPISODE 6 (11&12) RECAP – PART 1
——-dramamilk.com——-
#4
The brother introduces himself and they start the interview. Jae-hee helps Yong-soo with the data. He puts all the data on their desk which is all the data from the Cheers website that they go to. It looks like he is the one that does all the analytics.
Se-young is amazed and asks Kyung-taek if he knows the cheers data? Kyung-tae pretends like he does not know.
So Young-soo says that he posts the data under another name. These are some of the posts related to the team analytics. KT asks if he thinks it helps baseball.
Young-soo asks if he is the analytics person? You should apply saber matrix to your team. You make a detailed data of the player, but dependent on the statistical method, it could be different.
Kyung-tae says that if he played baseball then he would know. Baseball has a lot of things besides numbers. Hubaes might have a low performance because they broke up with their girlfriend or had a problem in their home. Saber matrix cannot know that.
Yong-soo tells him that baseball is the field of sports were matrix can be applied the best. Basketball, soccer, volleyball, the players performance depends on the team members a lot. But baseball has 3 strikes out by the pitcher that can be done by one person alone.
Not employing saber matrix in modern baseball games is not a decision of not wanting to be healthy.
While he is talking, Seung-soo starts to day dream about the past. He goes to a memory about Yong-soo asking him, what if I quit baseball? If I quit baseball, can you teach me how to study?
Seung-soo told him that his study cannot be as good as his baseball, you are not good at studying. Young-soo tells him that today is his game and his hip hurts. Seung-soo tells him that it is just the human body. I heard that every player gets hurt because it is just too physically demanding. Move forward to your goal, okay. Tell me how many hits you have after the game.
In the interview, Sa-young says that she heard that the team Saber’s did not fully employ the saber method. Young-soo says that people think that because they do not have a regular employee only doing the method. But they have two part time employees who do not want to be regular employees because their salary went up so much.
Kyung-taek says, but you just study numbers and never hit home runs or pitch. Can you really work in the baseball field. Young-soo says that he hit home runs and also had 3 strike outs. Kyung-tae says not in his neighborhood among friends.
Yong-soo says it was not among his friends. He continues and says that to me, even if someone did not hit a home run or have 3 strike outs, that person should be hired. The analysis is not 100% applicable for the ranking. Other factors can affect the ranking. But a team like dream who ignores statistics, it can significantly help.
Se-young asks, in saber matrix people talk about WAR (Wins about Replacement) first. So why do pitchers have more WAR than hitters? people say baseball is all about the pitchers.
Kyung-taek says that is why they cannot trust this kind of data, they are int he field.
Young-soo tells them that the first reason is because hitters are part of the defense so that is why you have that score. The difference is smaller for the starting pitchers.
Se-young asks him why the second pitchers scores are low even though they contribution for the teams is high?
Young-soo says, for me, it is better to employ the WPA (Win Probability added) which is how much one person contributes to the win.
Se-young looks over at the general manager who has no questions. He is in a daze. So Seung-soo asks, what is the size of that door frame? You came in and still need help to get overt he bump.
Young-soo says it is 6 cm. Seung-soo tells him that working here will be difficult for him and you can’t even climb through the door.
Se-young whispers to Seung-soo. But Seung-soo says that Young-soo should understand this.
Young-soo says that he likes Jackie Robinson who was the first Black man to integrate the Major Leagues. The judges were unfair and he got a lot of hits to his body because he was Black. Now it is nonsense. If I become an analytics person as a disabled person. I will be the first. Also, it will be a good media move for you to say it in public.
Seung-soo says that they will not hire him to make a good story ~. But Se-young cuts him off and says that if they hire him it is not because someone is better than you. Dreams will not discriminate someone with differences. One more question ~.
But Seung-soo cuts him off and asks how he got his injury.
Cut to the flashback where his brother hit the ball and started running. But he is grimmacing as he runs. He slides into the base but rolls and cant get back up. Everyone runs to his side.
Young-soo says that he was injured while playing baseball. Seung-soo tells him that you have to watch a lot of videos about baseball. Can you relive all those memories of baseball? Do you think you can take it?
Yongsoo says yes.
Seung-soo asks if his family members can take it?
Young-soo says that his family members do not know about it. I am doing it because I like it and I am fine.
He leaves the interview. Inside, Seung-soo tells them that Young-soo is his brother. He did not know that his brother applied and he is not looking to have him hired. So please be objective.
Se-young asks about him? It looks like you did not evaluate him objectively. Seung-soo says that Young-soo would know that I would give him this kind of score.
Se-young stands and says that he crossed the line even though he knows why he said those things. Seung-soo ignores her and leaves. Kyung-taek says that he will announce based on the scores.
#5
Later that night, Se-young looks up Yong-soo’s run to third base. It looks like the news says that he should not have run to third, he should have stayed at second and he was the high school MVP. But he was running on top of injuries.
Se-young runs outside to talk to Seung-soo. She tells him that she looked at all the door frames! 8 places have no door frames or less than 2 cm. They are wheelchair accessible. And we can add a ramp as well so we do not need to install new doors.
Seung-soo says that they will still not hire him. Se-young thinks that they should hire someone who can help Seung-soo and protect him. Seung-soo asks who is protecting who? Just do your job.
He gets into his car so she hops into the car as well and tells him that he just says that he wants to say.
So he tells her to tell him what she wants. She tells him that his brother was a good player. He says that past does not exist. She asks if he read his resume? Seung-soo tells her that he hopes they stop talking about his, we are not that close.
She says that she is just talking about the hiring process. Close family members does not mean that they know everything. It does not say that he was suffering or that it was difficult.
See, you graduated from statistics, he should be complimented. Seung-soo says no one has an easy resume. Se-young tells him that he is working at a place that destroyed his brothers life, you should have a lot of determination.
But, I think your brother should have bigger determination than you. He tells her to hop out. She tells him that Baek Young-soo always cared about his mood. I know that you worry about him. But he overcame this nicely. You should acknowledge it a little bit at least. You know that. Baek Young soo who overcame all his trauma was waiting for you the entire time.
She gets out and walks back. he thinks about it.
At home, Young-soo reads a few news articles about Dream and sighs. Then he hears Seung-soo come back in so he goes out to great him. Seung-soo walks to his room without talking. But then he comes out and asks how long he has been writing those things?
Young-soo says for awhile. Seung-soo asks why he did not say anything to his family? Young-soo mentions that he did not like anything, but he liked baseball. Seung-soo says that he works to support his life.
Young-soo cuts him off and says that he did not want to play baseball, but he actually enjoys watching baseball. Seung-soo asks why he did not tell him? Young-soo explains that Seung-soo threw away everything related to baseball and cursed and spit at it. How can I tell you I like it?
Many years passed already. In Korea, can you avoid baseball? Why are you working in baseball? You are a general manager of a baseball team that stops his own brother from watching baseball. That is so fake.
Seung-soo tells him that he can do anything to make money. Yong-soo tells him to stop talking about that. Don’t you know that you sacrifice all your life for the family. We also live in hell watching you do that. I am the one that cannot walk so why do you like in guiltiness? I am already out so why do you keep looking at me from there?
I will sacrifice so you find a job. that is what you want. Do you know how suffocating it is listening to it? Is it so difficult for everyone to be happy together? Just stop and get out of the past. Please. you don’t have to hire me. So just have a brighter life. It is not your fault.
Seung-soo tells him, if you were me would you think it was not your fault? Young-soo says yes, because it really is not your fault. Seung-soo says that it is not only him that was hurt..I – I…~. But he cannot finish his sentence and goes into his room.
He lays on his bed and thinks about a visit to the hospital after his brothers accident.
His brother is lying in the bed with his injured leg up and sleeping. The doctor asks him if he knows why his brother has this many bruises? You said he was a baseball player? I think some kind of hitting punishment is going on. Not on the site where he is injured, but there are a lot of other injuries. It shouldn’t be easy for him to run that fast.
Seung-soo looks at his brother and we actually see a few really bad looking bruises. Seung-soo sits outside the hospital and looks at his text message where he told his brother that everyone has a hard time. Just look in front of you and run. You are our pride.
He looks at that message and starts to cry as he sits in the hallway all alone.
#6
MORNING
Kyung-taek asks Se-young what she is going to do with the final results? Se-young gets up and knocks on Seung-soo’s door.
Cut to Young-soo watching some kids playing soccer and baseball. A woman gives him a drink which is Seung-soo’s ex-wife. She smiles and says that she has an afternoon class, why are you here?
Young-soo says that he wants to talk bad about someone and can’t find anyone to talk bad to him about. She asks if she knows who that person is and laughs.
She sits and says that it should have happened at anytime. Young-soo says that he thinks it was delayed too much. What about you noona? She says that she delayed it too long and it all went bad. That is what happened. Seung-soo and me, we can separate, but you can’t because you are his brother. You have to get over it well.
He says that he just did it for himself. She tells him yes, your brother will be depressed forever until he sees us happy. But separate from that, you should be happy and smile a lot.
He gets a call right then from Se-young who tells him, congratulations, you are hired. When can you start work.
He is so happy! (And I am so happy!) His ex sister-in-law is also so happy as she congratulates him for getting the job and tells him to do a good job.
Cut to Seung-soo talking on the phone with their mother and telling her that Young-soo said he is okay. I am also okay so long as he is okay. He hangs up and looks out over the yard.
Meanwhile, Kyung-min thinks a lot in his office about the chairman telling him that he works well only because they share the same blood. You know that. He tells the CEO to call Seung-soo.
Seung-soo comes in and has a seat with Kyung-min and the CEO. KM asks what the total salary is for the players last year. Seung-soo tells him $5, 530,000. He thinks they should have a big pay cut.
LOUNGE
Wu-seok goes out for wine with one of the players. He tells him that someone is coming to drink with them. he then pulls out a USB and says that he snuck this out from the managing team.
The player asks if he can sneak this out? Won-seok tells him that no one knows, What do you care? The player says that he does not want to be involved in this and is about to leave.
But Se-hyeok, the fired scouting guy, comes up and tells him to sit and He asks him what this mood is. He tells him that he started an agent business and wants to negotiate his salary.
The player says that his salary is small so he won’t get much money anyway. Se-hyeok says that before he came to meet him, he got a signature from other players. People look down on me from Dreams, but I still get respect.
Chi-hun asks, 4 people? who is the last person. Se-hyeok pulls out his paperwork with the signatures and shows Im Dong-kyu’s signature (the traded hitter that caused all the problems).
MEETING
Back in the meeting, Kyung-min asks Seung-soo if he is shocked? Seung-soo says that a 30% pay cut is large and you want me to finish negotiations with the players with only that money. Seung-soo says that he suggests 10% cut. KM tells him 30%. So Seung-soo says 15%.
KM tells him this is not a negotiation like we are in the market. Seung-soo asks him what he wants? You should not do this without a good reason. KM tells him, the reason is because we are not good at playing baseball. And, we are very very bad. And we are very bad for several years. And we are losing money.
Seung-soo tells him, yes, that is true and our salary is the smallest but if you do this much then they will be angry.
KM asks why he is asking him again with his smart brain. What I am telling you is not a suggestion or advice, this is our will as the company who owns the team.
Seung-soo looks at him with quiet resolve.
EPILOGUE
Se-young walks with Ja-hee and tells him that after work he should go home. Do you really want to eat with your boss now? He tells her that she should appreciate that he is eating dinner with is boss.
Then he looks over at a restaurant and sees Seung-soo smiling and laughing with a woman who is his ex. They wonder if this is his girlfriend or his wife. Jae-hee tells Se-young that he wondered why Seung-soo went home on time today. So that is what he was doing. ♫ I will ask him about it tomorrow. ♫
Se-young hits him and says, grow up. He asks why, she tells him that they shuold just go. Jae-hee tells her that he did not know that Seung-soo could smile like this.
Inside, the ex tells Seung-soo that she reserved a trip. But I cancelled it because of the call yesterday. If I go with my friend alone or another man, next year I will go on a trip. We should not see each other today next year.
He says okay. She tells him it is okay. If we are obsessed with comforting each other then we will not be able to get out of our memory. That is what I thought. Today will come every year, are you going to do this when you are old? So, we should see each other on every day but this day, okay?
He says okay. She asks, who is comforting whom, we are both strong. She takes a her wine and he thinks for a moment and then smiles.
Fade Out
COMMENTS
Oh, I love this episode so much. The most touching episode and still delivered on the reasons why Seung-soo does what he does! I love how it was set up for the brother to become the analytics person and how they delt with his injury and how he can get around in the office and all of it! I was so great.
No wheelchair baiting here (which is when they show how difficult it is for a person in a wheelchair and how you should give them your sympathy by repeatedly showing them either falling out of their wheelchair or trying to put on clothes or not being able to do something).
It was just a lovely episode illustrating one mans journey back to baseball! And then he mentions Jackie Robinson to boot? LOVE! I was actually teary eyed. Has Stove League hit its way to the top of my list? Hmm, it is definitely running its way up there. Not an inside the park home run, but maybe a third base hit.
Though it could turn into a home run depending on how the other episodes fair (do I love baseball puns? Yes I do). I mean, they could go the disability route to show how hard it is for Young-soo to do his job and belabor that point ad infinitum. Hopefully they don’t do that and they rather just move on to the next big issue for the team. Because this teams problems just keep on coming!
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