On The Rise As A Catcher [EN]: Chapter 72

Song Seok-hyun began to put on his catcher’s gear piece by piece.

The players on the bench watched Seo Il-hyuk and caught their breath.

The battery coach went to Seo Il-hyuk and patted him on the shoulder.

“We’re not just playing one game today, are we? Just one game, one game.”

“…Yes, I understand.”

Song Seok-hyun stroked his protector with a dazed look.

Kim In-hwan smiled at Song Seok-hyun.

“You’re doing everything today? Congratulations.”

“Ah… Haha. Thank you.”

Song Seok-hyun smiled brightly.

Seo Il-hyuk silently got up from his seat and went behind the bench.

On a Roll as a Catcher

Phoenix Game (5)

The score was 13-2 in the bottom of the 8th inning.

Song Seok-hyun put on his catcher’s mask and walked to home plate.

As the N Cushion [protective padding] stuck to his butt, the noise disappeared, and he could breathe again.

Thump, thump!

Song Seok-hyun hit his mitt with his fist.

This is it.

This feeling.

The position of catcher, overseeing the vast stadium.

Looking at the baseball field from the catcher’s perspective calmed his trembling heart.

“Phoenix has scored an additional point, but the difference is still 11 points. The momentum of the game has already shifted significantly, hasn’t it?”

“It’s a shame. If they had scored earlier, they could have narrowed the gap and kept the hope alive.”

“But Phoenix fans are still sending enthusiastic support today.”

“I think Phoenix fans are the most passionate fans of all the teams. They consistently support their team, whether they’re in last place or winning championships.”

“It would be a happy thing for a player to receive such love from fans, but it’s a shame their performance isn’t matching that.”

“But this inning is promising. It starts with the number 2 hitter.”

“Does that mean we’ll see the number 4 hitter, Kyung Su-in?”

“That’s right. That’s right. Last year, Kim Young-hoon and Kyung Su-in were the core of Phoenix’s offense and defense. Kim Young-hoon is currently undergoing rehabilitation, and there’s no guarantee when he’ll return, so Kyung Su-in has a bigger role to play.”

“The 8th inning. Will Phoenix be able to start a counterattack? Please stay tuned.”

The Goat’s pitcher was Jung Chun-woon.

He was a sidearm pitcher who had worked with Song Seok-hyun in the minor leagues.

His pitches weren’t fast, but he was an aggressive pitcher with a dirty finish on his balls, which led to good results in the minor leagues.

“Phoenix’s first batter is Kim Jin-pil.”

“He made a big error in the 4th inning with a missed catch, which led to a lot of runs. He’s a hitter who makes up for his weak defense with his hitting, but he hasn’t been very effective today.”

Song Seok-hyun examined Kim Jin-pil.

He stands straight with a lot of movement from side to side.

His stance is wide, but he doesn’t bring his hitting position up high.

A batting form close to no step.

His accuracy is high, but he can’t put much power into his hits because there’s little weight transfer from his lower body.

Despite these disadvantages, Kim Jin-pil hits a lot of long balls.

He’s the type who makes up for his lack of power with the rotational force of his waist and shoulders.

He’s a hitter with no particular weaknesses.

‘Slider, outside.’

Song Seok-hyun called for a ball outside to gauge the batter’s reaction.

-Strike!

Kim Jin-pil swung at the outside pitch and sighed.

“Kim Jin-pil swings and misses.”

“Jung Chun-woon is still a young 22-year-old pitcher. He just came up from the minor leagues, but his pitches look pretty good.”

“But Kim Jin-pil is a veteran, isn’t he?”

“That’s right. Kim Jin-pil is definitely a good hitter. He’s not an easy batter.”

“Oh! He throws the ball right away. It’s a strike.”

“His tempo is very fast, isn’t it? He threw the ball almost as soon as he received it from the catcher.”

“Kim Jin-pil is immediately put in a 2-strike count.”

Song Seok-hyun got a strike with an outside changeup.

A changeup that comes into the zone is a tasty treat for a hitter, but Kim Jin-pil couldn’t swing.

The pitcher’s tempo was fast, but the ball was slow.

His batting rhythm was disrupted, and he missed the timing to swing.

“These kids are trying to make it too easy.”

Kyung Su-in shook his bat.

In the meantime, the pitcher threw his third pitch.

Clack.

-Foul.

“Kim Jin-pil barely managed to make a foul ball.”

“A sidearm pitcher’s inside pitches are even more menacing. The ball breaks more towards the right-handed batter’s body.”

“Song Seok-hyun, it’s his first debut game today, but his pitch selection is quite aggressive. He’s going for the win right after getting two strikes.”

“Is it because he’s young? Haha.”

Kim Jin-pil was sweating.

He was getting played.

The battery doesn’t give him time to think.

The pitcher prepares to throw as soon as he receives the ball from the catcher.

Fastball? Breaking ball?

Before Kim Jin-pil could finish his thought, the pitcher threw the ball.

Clack!

“Hit! Kim Jin-pil gets a hit here!”

“It was a really well-hit ball to the opposite field. A hit that went over the second base. It was a slightly jammed hit, but the course was good. If it had gone a little more to the left or right, it would have been caught, but he had luck on his side.”

Kim Jin-pil took a breath as he reached first base.

It was an outside fastball.

He was thinking of a changeup or slider because it was coming outside, but it was a fastball.

His bat timing was late, but he forced it to the opposite field.

He got a hit, but the hitter wasn’t happy.

He felt like he was being toyed with by a twenty-year-old catcher.

“Tch.”

Song Seok-hyun clicked his tongue as the hit came out.

Just now, Jung Chun-woon’s fastball was 138km/h. If it had been 140km/h, he would have been out.

He thought it was a shame that his velocity was lacking, even though he was a sidearm pitcher.

Song Seok-hyun quickly shook his head.

The catcher has to adapt to the pitcher, not the other way around.

“Next up to bat is the number 3 hitter, Hong Chan-yeol.”

“Hong Chan-yeol is also a good hitter. He’s especially good at anticipating pitches. He also has good power.”

Song Seok-hyun examined Hong Chan-yeol’s form.

Open stance, low posture, a lot of shoulder winding, high hitting position.

A typical power hitter’s stance.

He exuded an aura that he would hit it over the fence if he got just one good pitch.

Song Seok-hyun called for an outside curveball as the first pitch.

A pitch he hadn’t thrown yet.

Jung Chun-woon checked the runner once with his eyes and then threw the ball.

Thud.

Hong Chan-yeol’s knee buckled as he touched the ball.

The curveball that came into the strike zone broke the patience of the hitter who was looking for a fastball.

The timing was late, but thanks to that, the ball was also slow.

Thanks to the infielders who had moved back two or three steps to the outfield to match Hong Chan-yeol, runners were on first and second with no outs.

“Phoenix gets a hit! They get another hit!”

“This makes the game a little more interesting. The next batter is Kyung Su-in. If Kyung Su-in scores, they could have another big inning here.”

“The 8th inning is an inning where a lot of comebacks happen, isn’t it?”

“It’s a big lead, but Goat can’t let their guard down. Baseball isn’t over until you get the last out.”

Kyung Su-in walked to the plate.

Song Seok-hyun’s heart pounded when he saw Kyung Su-in.

He had become a fan of Kyung Su-in while watching Phoenix as a child.

Kyung Su-in was a star since he was twenty years old. Back then, Phoenix was a strong team, and there were many legendary players.

A rookie who secured a starting position at a young age even among legends.

The national team’s cleanup hitter [a team’s most reliable power hitter, typically batting fourth in the lineup].

A hitter with no weaknesses.

Song Seok-hyun was more knowledgeable about Kyung Su-in than anyone else.

“Take it easy, take it easy. You’re going to run out of breath.”

Kyung Su-in spoke to Song Seok-hyun as he stepped into the batter’s box.

Song Seok-hyun held back a smile.

“Yes, I understand.”

As soon as Song Seok-hyun finished speaking, the pitcher threw the ball.

Outside slider.

This time, it was a ball coming into the strike zone.

-Strike!

“What’s the rush? Why are you in such a hurry?”

Kyung Su-in was relaxed even though he lost a strike.

Song Seok-hyun didn’t like that he took a strike either.

Kyung Su-in has a habit of watching the first pitch.

Sometimes he takes advantage of this and hits the first pitch, but nine times out of ten, he watches the first pitch.

Song Seok-hyun knew this and called for the first pitch.

The real game starts after giving up a strike.

“…”

Song Seok-hyun pondered while watching Kyung Su-in’s stance.

No step, square stride.

A more extreme no-step than Kim Jin-pil.

He might be strong against breaking balls, but it’s difficult to put power into the ball, and it’s not easy to attack fastballs.

It’s a batting form that most people don’t use because its weaknesses are clear, but Kyung Su-in was different.

He creates strong rotational force with his natural flexibility and waist strength to create long hits.

Even though he’s a cleanup hitter, he’s never missed a .300 batting average, .400 on-base percentage, and .500 slugging percentage every year.

‘Fastball, inside.’

Song Seok-hyun’s choice was bold.

There are no hitters without weaknesses.

There are only stronger and weaker parts.

If he’s a hitter who hits with strong waist strength, the time it takes for the bat to come out will inevitably be long.

If the time it takes for the bat to come out is long, it’s not easy to hit inside pitches.

‘Okay.’

The pitcher has never refused the catcher’s sign.

He was a pitcher with a strong belief in his pitches.

Jung Chun-woon threw an inside fastball against the number 4 hitter, Kyung Su-in.

“Hoo!”

Kyung Su-in shouted and swung his bat.

Clack!

“Foul! It’s a foul!”

“It’s far off the foul pole.”

“He didn’t hit it over the fence like Song Seok-hyun, but it’s a foul that goes over the fence.”

“That pitch was dangerous. Is there really a need to go for an inside pitch against Kyung Su-in?”

Kyung Su-in licked his lips and returned to the batter’s box.

It was a jammed hit.

He didn’t expect an inside fastball, and the pitcher’s pitches were also dirty [difficult to hit due to movement or spin].

“You’re in a hurry, too much hurry.”

Song Seok-hyun didn’t respond to Kyung Su-in’s joke.

Kyung Su-in, the national team’s cleanup hitter.

He was burning with a desire to catch him as a catcher.

‘Curveball, outside.’

Song Seok-hyun called for a ball outside to gauge Kyung Su-in’s response.

-Ball, outside.

Kyung Su-in didn’t react to the ball that was going out.

He has good pitch selection.

The next pitch he called for was a changeup that drops down.

Foul.

Kyung Su-in scooped the ball and made a foul.

This is why he rarely strikes out after two strikes.

He has good pitch selection and good contact.

The most difficult hitter for Song Seok-hyun, who tenaciously targets the hitter’s weaknesses.

The Goat’s battery coach tentatively suggested to the manager that he should call the signs [signals for what type of pitch to throw].

“He should call the signs himself in situations like this. Players improve when they take responsibility for their own decisions.”

Park Shin-un muttered with a towel around his neck.

“Walk him, just walk him. Why make it so complicated?”

2-2.

There’s no point in going to a full count against Kyung Su-in.

Kyung Su-in is actually strong in full counts.

Song Seok-hyun called for the final pitch.

“The pitcher throws. Hit! A hit comes out! Kyung Su-in gets a hit to the right fielder! Phoenix is following by 1 point. This leads to a chance with runners on first and third with no outs.”

“That inside fastball was a bit disappointing. It was bold, but I don’t think there was a need to throw it.”