On The Rise As A Catcher [EN]: Chapter 94

Shin Gyu-won slightly turned his shoulder.

The slower the pitcher, the more influenced by the umpire’s calls.

With an umpire generously calling the outside corner a strike today, it’s like having an extra 5 km/h on my fastball.

-Strike!

“Shin Gyu-won is being aggressive today. He keeps throwing strikes.”

“The batters can’t even twitch, can they? They know he’s attacking the outside corner, but they can’t easily swing. That’s how good Shin Gyu-won’s changeup is. He gets strikeouts with his changeup, but he’s also good at inducing weak contact.”

Two strikes.

Then, changeup timing.

Shin Gyu-won threw a changeup, and Choi Jae-wan didn’t swing at all.

-Ball, low.

A low pitch.

Choi Jae-wan didn’t recognize the changeup, but he intentionally laid off the pitch.

The Fox [referring to the team’s] battery chose a put-away pitch for the fourth pitch.

An outside slider.

A slider that starts in the zone but breaks away at the last moment.

Shin Gyu-won’s slider didn’t have a big break, but its horizontal movement made it a useful third pitch for him.

“The pitcher throws.”

The pitch Shin Gyu-won threw was a bit middle, but it broke to the outside at the last moment, tempting the batter’s swing.

Choi Jae-wan swung, and the ball caught the end of the bat.

“Foul ball. Choi Jae-wan barely got a piece of it.”

“That was dangerous, wasn’t it? It almost resulted in a strikeout.”

Choi Jae-wan stepped away from the plate and swung his bat once.

*It works.*

*I can see the ball and hit it.*

*I saw the color of the ball midway and instinctively sensed it was a slider.*

*Normally, I would have swung and missed even if I knew, but this time, I controlled my bat and fouled it off.*

*My bat control works even in the KBO [Korean Baseball Organization].*

*I narrowed my stride, lowered my hitting position, and reduced my power, but my contact has definitely improved.*

“Hoo-ha.”

Choi Jae-wan shrugged his shoulders and stepped into the batter’s box.

The catcher, seeing Choi Jae-wan’s changed demeanor, set up further outside.

Whack!

Whack!

“Choi Jae-wan is extending the at-bat here.”

“Choi Jae-wan is sticking to the pitcher more tenaciously than usual. Good. This is the kind of attitude he needs to show. He shouldn’t give up easily at the plate.”

Shin Gyu-won adjusted his cap.

Choi Jae-wan kept his arms closer to his chest.

*Slider, outside.*

The catcher decided on a slider as the put-away pitch.

Against a tenacious opponent, you have to throw a pitch that escapes the zone entirely.

If the game drags on from the first inning, it puts a lot of pressure on Shin Gyu-won.

The catcher’s job is to help the ace throw as few pitches as possible.

“Hoo.”

Shin Gyu-won took a breath and threw the ball.

At the same time, Seol Jin-il ran.

Choi Jae-wan watched the ball until the end and then swung.

Whack!

The ball went into the mitt.

-Ball, outside.

“Walk. He draws a walk. Choi Jae-wan barely stopped his bat.”

“It seems like Choi Jae-wan has won a long battle for the first time in a while. He’s been too hasty until now. If he can calmly see the ball like he did today, it will greatly help both the team and himself.”

Two outs, runners on first and second.

The pitcher needs just one more out, and the batter needs just one hit.

Fifth batter, Oh Jin-young, came up.

The Gote’s starting left fielder, and among the left fielders in the eight teams, he was one of the worst in terms of hitting stats.

His left field defense was said to be the best in the league, but he was colorless and odorless on offense [meaning he was unremarkable and didn’t make an impact].

A batter who could be expected to hit a long ball once in a while.

-Strike! Out!

“Strikeout. Oh Jin-young fails to continue the momentum here. Shin Gyu-won’s pitches are especially good today. That changeup and slider that drop away on the outside corner are untouchable today.”

Manager Ham Sung-hoon sighed.

Choi Jae-wan showed a good performance against the opposing ace for the first time in a while, but the problem is what comes after.

Left fielder Oh Jin-young, second baseman Jung Dong-gyu, shortstop Jung Young-soo, center fielder Jung Byung-sun, and either catcher Park Shin-eon or Seo Il-hyuk – not a single one of them is known for their hitting.

The only saving grace is that their defense is above league average, but that’s it.

Catcher Park Shin-eon is among the better hitters, but even his hitting can only be described as decent at best.

The reason why Gote brought in three free agent fielders was because of the current lineup.

“Fox takes a 4-0 lead against Gote.”

“Gote is in a desperate situation, and today’s game isn’t looking easy either. The gap between them and Wales is widening.”

Michael Fish gave up 4 runs in the first inning, but it wasn’t a matter of skill.

He pitched scoreless innings in the 2nd and 3rd, proving his worth.

“Gote’s at-bat starts with ninth batter Jung Byung-sun.”

“Jung Byung-sun is a league-class center fielder who is fast and good at defense, but his hitting is very lacking. His career batting average is in the .250s, so if you only look at his offense, he’s a negative asset to the team.”

“Jung Byung-sun’s on-base percentage is .340, which is quite high.”

“His on-base percentage is high compared to his batting average, but his absolute stats are disappointing. If Jung Byung-sun, who hardly hits for power, wants to help the team, his on-base percentage needs to be in the high .300s.”

“Jung Byung-sun needs to get on base so that the batting order can lead to Song Seok-hyun.”

A batter with good plate discipline but poor hitting.

Shin Gyu-won, whose fastball tops out around 140 km/h, boldly threw a fastball into the strike zone.

Jung Byung-sun swung hard at the first pitch but lined out to the second baseman.

“Ah, he timed it well, but he gets out there.”

“Gote isn’t having any luck today. That kind of pitch needs to get through for the team to gain momentum.”

The next batter was Seol Jin-il.

The Fox battery threw one pitch away to gauge Seol Jin-il’s reaction.

-Ball, outside.

A batter who is so aggressive that his shoulders flinch even at pitches that are out of the zone.

The Fox battery continued to throw pitches away.

“Walk. He draws a walk.”

“It was good that Shin Gyu-won was being cautious, but he was being too careful. Is it because he remembers giving up a hit in the previous at-bat?”

The Fox catcher clicked his tongue.

He tried to lure him with breaking balls, but he didn’t bite at all, so he wasted pitches.

He was disappointed to have allowed a runner, but he felt better when he saw the next batter.

The next batter was Kim In-hwan, batting second.

“Second batter Kim In-hwan. He hasn’t really adapted well, but acting manager Ham Sung-hoon is consistently pushing him.”

“It’s an incomprehensible lineup. First batter Seol Jin-il is too aggressive to be a leadoff hitter, and second batter Kim In-hwan is a typical power hitter. Third batter Song Seok-hyun can fit anywhere in the cleanup, but I wonder if this lineup is right.”

“But there’s something surprising. Kim In-hwan’s on-base percentage is over .400.”

“Oh, really?”

“Yes, Kim In-hwan seems to have struck out a lot, but he’s also drawn a lot of walks.”

“I know him as a batter with a career on-base percentage of just over .300, but his on-base percentage has been this high recently.”

“Recently, both his on-base percentage and batting average have been sluggish, but overall, he seems to have become a patient hitter.”

“Yes, an on-base percentage of .400 is a very good indicator. Kim In-hwan may lack the ability to execute plays, but if his on-base percentage is high, then batting second isn’t necessarily a bad thing.”

Kim In-hwan crowded the plate.

The Fox battery is only throwing outside pitches.

The plan was to abandon the inside and only target the outside.

*Fastball, outside.*

The Fox battery aimed for the outside even though they knew it.

If the umpire’s strike zone is generous, the outside strike zone is a safe and effective choice.

-Strike!

“Kim In-hwan watches it go by.”

“He looks like it was too far outside. But the umpire has been calling that pitch a strike since the first inning. He needs to adapt.”

Second pitch.

This time it was a changeup.

Kim In-hwan swung and missed at the pitch entering the strike zone.

Seol Jin-il had already stolen second base.

“Seol Jin-il’s steal is like hitting a single.”

“But it’s no-ball, two strikes. Kim In-hwan is being too easily exploited.”

The Fox battery threw a slider this time.

Kim In-hwan swung at the pitch breaking away to the outside.

Tap.

“The ball goes high in the air. The right fielder, the right fielder comes out… and catches it.”

“Seol Jin-il ran!”

“The right fielder throws the ball… Safe? Is it out? What’s the call?”

“Safe. It’s safe. A close safe.”

“I didn’t expect Seol Jin-il to try for third base there. The ball didn’t go that far.”

“Fox seems flustered by Seol Jin-il’s aggressive baserunning.”

“That’s… well. Is that a bench sign [a signal from the coach]?”

Seol Jin-il got up and dusted off the dirt.

The base running coach punched Seol Jin-il’s butt with his fist.

“Why did you run on that?”

“I saw an opening.”

Two outs, runner on third.

The batter is Song Seok-hyun.

Shin Gyu-won dusted the rosin on his hand.

The first opponent was easy, but the opponent is a hitter who has been on a roll recently.

The Fox battery carefully chose the first pitch.

If there’s a situation where he can score, what will the opponent be looking for on the first pitch?

The Fox catcher, seeing that Song Seok-hyun was crowding the plate, called for a slider.

*Good.*

Shin Gyu-won threw the ball according to the catcher’s sign.

A pitch that rides along the outside border line and then breaks sharply at the end.

Song Seok-hyun’s bat went around.

From Pitcher to Success

Crazy Bastard (2)

Shin Gyu-won’s pitch was a ball that was one ball outside the strike zone.

Considering that the umpire’s zone was unusually wide today, it was a ball that was one and a half to two balls outside.

A course that no hitter can even touch.

The catcher comfortably put out his mitt, but the ball didn’t come.

Thud.

“The ball goes over the pitcher’s head! Over the second base and into center field! A single in front of the center fielder! Song Seok-hyun attacks the first pitch! The runner scores, making it 4-1. Gote is closing the gap by one point.”

One point.

It was just a single hit, but Shin Gyu-won let out a hollow laugh.

“Song Seok-hyun’s hit just now was a bit surprising.”

“That’s right. It clearly looked like a breaking ball, but he somehow forced it and hit it.”

“I heard that Song Seok-hyun uses a bat that is one inch longer than others, but it’s amazing to see it like this. It’s actually a completely breaking ball, but he hits it.”

“The ability to create RBIs [runs batted in] from the heart of the lineup is important.”

Song Seok-hyun got on base, but Choi Jae-wan grounded out on a changeup.

Shin Gyu-won shrugged his shoulders and went to the bench.

“Wasn’t that clearly a ball that was completely out of the zone earlier?”

The catcher answered Shin Gyu-won’s question.

“He’s a weirdo. Why would he hit that?”

Song Seok-hyun returned to the bench with a disappointed expression.

The hitting coach asked Song Seok-hyun.

“Why did you hit that earlier? It was a completely breaking ball.”

“I didn’t think they would give me a good pitch, so I aimed for the first pitch.”

“You should have waited a bit.”

“I didn’t think a great pitch would come even if I waited anyway.”

If one more ball had come inside, it could have been a long hit.

Of course, even then, it’s a ball that can’t go over the fence.

The only pitches he can hit are home runs that take advantage of mistakes or singles.

If he’s going to hit a single, he just needs to get the bat on any ball and break through.

Song Seok-hyun saw the loose infield defense and swung aggressively from the first pitch.

-Out!

“Michael’s pitches are sharp. I wonder how he gave up 4 runs with those pitches.”

“Michael’s pitches are definitely good. But the problem is that he’s impatient. He needs to throw one or two pitches away to gauge the opponent’s reaction, but he keeps going aggressively, so once his pace goes wrong, it keeps going wrong.”

“The Fox players are struggling with Michael after scoring 4 points in the first inning. It’s not easy to get on base.”

The game continued past the 4th, 5th, and 6th innings.

The Fox battery cleanly walked Song Seok-hyun without throwing any ambiguous pitches, avoiding the confrontation.

Currently, Seol Jin-il and Song Seok-hyun are the only hitters in the Gote lineup to be feared, so the strategy was to just walk them.

Shin Gyu-won’s record was 5.2 innings, 1 earned run.

Applause erupted as Shin Gyu-won went down the mound.

Clap clap clap clap.

“Good job, Gyu-won!”

“Get some rest.”

Shin Gyu-won bowed his head once to the applause directed at him.

Michael Fish also held them scoreless until the 6th inning.