On The Rise As A Catcher [EN]: Chapter 57

Bang!

The bat swung mightily, without hesitation.

The batted ball flew straight over the left field fence.

The commentator and announcer didn’t even have time to react.

Song Seok-hyun casually lowered his bat and began his trot towards first base.

“…It’s gone. A home run!”

“That was a mistake by Kim Young-gon. The pitch was too centered, practically right down the middle of the plate.”

“Song Seok-hyun just made great contact. He swung aggressively from the very first pitch.”

“I mentioned earlier that when a rookie steps up to the plate, they either come out swinging aggressively or wait to see a few pitches. The catcher should have tried to gauge the batter’s reaction by throwing a ball outside. The catcher’s call was hasty, and the pitcher’s mistake proved costly.”

“Song Seok-hyun’s power is also impressive. He sent that ball directly over the fence.”

“Well, the Sangmu [military baseball team] home field is known for being narrow on the left and right sides, so you have to be extra careful because home runs happen frequently. It’s a tough break for Kim Young-gon. He walked Kim In-hwan, and then gave up a grand slam.”

“Was that inside pitch intended to set up a double play?”

“Well, it could have been. Anyway, he’s a young player, but he’s got a lot of guts. He just swings so coolly from the first pitch.”

As Song Seok-hyun rounded third and headed for home plate, Kim In-hwan held up his hand, ready to celebrate.

Song Seok-hyun and Kim In-hwan high-fived.

“I knew you’d hit it out.”

“I had a feeling they’d try to come inside.”

“Really? How’d you know?”

Song Seok-hyun glanced towards the catcher.

The catcher was kicking at the dirt around home plate, looking dejected.

“They walked the veteran and then a rookie comes up as the cleanup hitter. Wouldn’t they want to try and intimidate me?”

“You were expecting that?”

“I didn’t know it would be on the first pitch, but I was ready for it.”

“Jeez, you’re something else.”

Kim In-hwan playfully ruffled Song Seok-hyun’s hair.

“…….”

Kim Young-gon, still on the mound, pulled his hat down low, trying to hide his frustration.

The cheerful atmosphere of Sangmu, which had been lively before the game, had noticeably quieted down.

The Sangmu manager stood with both hands in his pockets, breathing heavily, a picture of concern.

Bang!

“Ah, Kim Young-gon is issuing a straight walk.”

“The sting from the home run hasn’t worn off yet. He needs to slow down and compose himself in situations like this. His pitching tempo is too fast.”

The score is 4-0.

Runner on first, no outs.

Kim Young-gon made eye contact with the runner on first.

“Hoo.”

The pitcher took a deep breath and threw a slider that caught the outside edge of the strike zone as his first pitch.

Crack!

The batter made contact, but it was a ground ball.

Thanks to the sharp break of the slider, it was difficult to get solid contact, even when it was in the strike zone.

“4-6-3 double play! Kim Young-gon gets himself out of a jam with a timely double play.”

“That’s it. Kim Young-gon’s specialty, the hard slider. Isn’t that a pitch you can’t hit even if you know it’s coming? Ah, Kim Young-gon. Is he finally finding his rhythm? It’s a shame for Sangmu. They’re starting the game with a significant deficit.”

Kim Young-gon struck out the next batter and walked off the mound.

No words were exchanged on the Sangmu bench.

Cold silence.

Kim Young-gon licked his parched lips.

“Gote’s pitcher is Hong Dae-sung. He was Gote’s first-round pick in this year’s draft, right?”

“It’s a very interesting matchup. Hong Dae-sung is also a left-handed pitcher known for his fastball. His main pitches are fastball and slider. He also throws a changeup, but ultimately, fastballs and sliders make up about 80% of Hong Dae-sung’s repertoire.”

“In some ways, it’s a match between similar pitchers.”

“Looking at his high school record, he had a lot of strikeouts. His K/9 [strikeouts per nine innings] is 6.4. You can see that he overpowered batters with his raw power.”

“Is a K/9 of 6.4 considered high?”

“In the KPBL [Korean Professional Baseball League], that would put him in the top 10%. Even though it’s just a high school record, you can see why Gote picked him as a first-rounder.”

“We’ll have to keep a close eye on Hong Dae-sung.”

“However, his BB/9 [walks per nine innings] isn’t very good. It’s 4.1. This indicates that he’s not a very controlled pitcher.”

“I see.”

“Even if his control wasn’t great in high school, he could get away with it because of his power, but the pros are a different story. Even a 160 km/h [~99 mph] fastball can be hit for a home run in the pros. Both teams are sending out their aces, but this could turn into a slugfest right from the first inning.”

“At bat is leadoff hitter Hong Jin-seop. He’s expected to be the Bulls’ next leadoff hitter, right? He’s a fast runner and a good contact hitter.”

Song Seok-hyun exchanged signs with Hong Dae-sung on the mound.

‘Fastball, high and inside.’

Hong Dae-sung smirked.

Without shaking his head, he went into his windup and delivered the pitch.

“Oh, my!”

The batter bailed out of the batter’s box and stumbled away from the plate.

“Ah, that pitch was dangerously close. Did that almost look like a beanball [pitch intentionally aimed at the batter’s head] on the first pitch?”

“Throwing an inside pitch on the first pitch isn’t a good idea for a pitcher with questionable control. I don’t understand the pitch selection; maybe the catcher doesn’t have enough experience.”

Hong Dae-sung slightly bowed his head to the batter.

He hadn’t hit him, but there was no need to create any unnecessary animosity.

‘Changeup, low and away.’

Song Seok-hyun pointed to the ground.

Even a bouncing ball is fine, just make sure it drops.

Hong Dae-sung’s changeup went low, but it didn’t have much drop.

-Ball, low.

Song Seok-hyun tossed the ball back to the pitcher.

As expected.

His control isn’t very good, and his breaking ball is weak.

He’s a left-handed fireballer that scouts dream about, but he’s still a raw talent that needs a lot of refinement.

As soon as the pitcher caught the ball, Song Seok-hyun gave another sign.

“Huh?”

Hong Dae-sung’s eyebrows twitched for a moment when he saw the sign.

Song Seok-hyun smacked his mitt with his hand.

A signal to throw it hard and fast.

Hong Dae-sung wasn’t a player who overthought things.

He threw the ball right where Song Seok-hyun’s mitt was.

Bang!

Song Seok-hyun slightly adjusted his stance and caught the ball.

Fastball, high and outside.

-Strike!

“That was a mistake, but the batter couldn’t hit it.”

“Those high pitches are dangerous. It’s fortunate that it was outside, but if it had been a little more over the plate, it could have been a disaster.”

“Didn’t you mention earlier that his control wasn’t very good? I think that’s becoming clear.”

“This is a problem. The catcher must have a headache. No matter how hard you throw, it’s useless if you can’t locate the ball.”

Song Seok-hyun threw the ball back and nodded.

A sign that the pitch had good velocity.

Hong Dae-sung’s smile widened.

Bang!

-Strike! Out!

“First batter strikeout! He overpowers him with a fastball.”

“He got the strikeout, but the ball keeps creeping up in the zone. He needs to correct that quickly.”

“Wouldn’t it be more effective to throw low in the zone?”

“Of course. Locating the ball low is crucial.”

After striking out the first batter, Hong Dae-sung seemed unstoppable.

The batter’s bat couldn’t catch up to the wildly thrown fastballs.

Strikeout, and another strikeout.

“His control certainly isn’t great, but his raw power is why Gote drafted him in the first round. A left-handed pitcher who can throw 150 km/h [~93 mph]. You have to take that chance. You can work on control, but speed is something you can’t teach.”

Hong Dae-sung, returning to the bench, turned around and held out his hand to Song Seok-hyun.

Song Seok-hyun made eye contact with Hong Dae-sung.

“High five.”

Song Seok-hyun high-fived Hong Dae-sung.

Hong Dae-sung returned to the bench and sat down, then started rambling.

“Hey, can you really just call pitches like that?”

“What?”

“Almost all of them are high. Almost all fastballs, too. High fastball outside, high fastball inside. Isn’t that just two patterns? Those are all pitches that could easily be hit for extra bases.”

Song Seok-hyun nodded.

“That’s right. If they make good contact, they could get extra bases.”

“Why are you telling me to throw the ball there when you know that?”

“Then can you consistently hit a low outside corner? Or a low inside corner? Or a breaking ball that starts outside and then dives in?”

Hong Dae-sung scratched his cheek.

“It’s not easy…”

“If you throw ten balls, can you give me at least five where I want them? Can you throw it so that my mitt doesn’t have to move much to catch the ball cleanly?”

Hong Dae-sung scratched his head.

“It’s not easy.”

“It’s unreasonable to demand pinpoint command when you don’t have basic control in the first place. Besides, it’s the first inning. Even if I call for low pitches or breaking balls, you can’t consistently execute them yet. And if I did that, I’d just be passing the blame to you to avoid criticism myself. You can usually control high fastballs, right? We can gradually lower the height of the ball as your shoulder loosens up and your body warms up. For now, just overpower them with fastballs.”

Hong Dae-sung stared intently at Song Seok-hyun.

“You’re… interesting.”

“What?”

“I’ve never heard a catcher talk like you before.”

“Okay, do you understand what I’m saying?”

Hong Dae-sung grinned, showing his teeth.

“I get it. You’re telling me to throw fastballs. I’m confident in that, if nothing else!”

Hong Dae-sung flexed his biceps and made a funny face.

Catcher’s Rise

Young Gun (3)

The ace was living up to his reputation.

Kim Young-gon gave up 4 runs in the first inning, but from the second inning onward, he started racking up strikeouts.

Overpowering hitters with fastballs and then finishing them off with a sharp, falling slider.

Gote’s batters couldn’t handle Kim Young-gon’s slider.

The hard slider, with a top speed of 140 km/h [~87 mph], was nearly unhittable in the minor leagues.

-Strike! Out!

“Hong Dae-sung is looking impressive. Three consecutive strikeouts. His power is truly something special.”

“He’s getting strikeouts even though most of his pitches are high in the zone. His fastball is now clocking in at 152 km/h [~94 mph].”

“We said they were similar types of pitchers, but there are some key differences. Kim Young-gon is getting strikeouts with his slider, while Hong Dae-sung is relying on his fastball.”

“I think it’s a matter of experience. Hong Dae-sung’s breaking ball isn’t very effective today. Even with good velocity, batters will eventually adjust. If the lineup turns over and they see him a second time, Hong Dae-sung’s fastball-heavy approach could be dangerous, especially if he keeps throwing the ball high in the zone.”

Hong Dae-sung came off the mound, jumping up and down as he ran towards Song Seok-hyun.

Song Seok-hyun sidestepped Hong Dae-sung as he approached with his arms wide open.

“Seok-hyun-ah~ [term of endearment, like ‘buddy’]”

“What’s wrong with you?”

“Hehe, this is fun. Is baseball fun today?”

“Wasn’t it always fun?”

“Usually?”

Song Seok-hyun took off his catcher’s mask and sat down.

Hong Dae-sung plopped down right next to Song Seok-hyun.

“Come on, give me some space.”

Song Seok-hyun scooted away, leaving enough room for one person to sit comfortably between them.

“But is it okay to keep pitching like this?”

“It would be ideal to lower the height of your pitches. But you can’t do that consistently right now, can you? You threw a dirt ball earlier.”

“Then should I just keep trying to overpower them?”

Song Seok-hyun took off all his protective gear.

He wiped his face with a towel and drank a glass of juice.

“Has anyone ever told you to adjust your arm angle?”

“Arm?”

“Yeah, to lower your release point.”

“I’ve heard that before.”

“Usually, if your control is inconsistent, you try lowering your release point. But your arm angle is ambiguous. It’s not particularly high, and it’s not particularly low. Did you actually lower it, or did you just try to lower it?”

“It didn’t seem to make much difference even when I lowered it.”

“You actually tried lowering it?”

Hong Dae-sung pouted.

“I did.”

“How seriously did you try it? For a year? Two years?”

“Hey, not that long. About… two weeks?”

“Two weeks? You think you can fix something like that in two weeks?”

“Even when I lowered my arm angle, my control didn’t improve, and the ball seemed slower, so…”

“If your control is a problem, you either need to improve your control or find another way to get outs. Have you ever tried throwing a forkball or a splitter?”

Hong Dae-sung held up his finger.

“I tried, but I couldn’t get a good feel for them.”

“Hmm… so you don’t have a natural talent for throwing breaking balls that drop. What about a curveball?”

“I know how to throw it, I know how to throw it.”

Song Seok-hyun shook his head.

“Ultimately, you need to throw a pitch that moves to the side, but you’re not willing to lower your arm angle, so there aren’t many options. We’ll probably have to stick with this approach for now. Of course, you’ll get lit up in the pros if you don’t develop more control.”