On The Rise As A Catcher [EN]: Chapter 142

McKenzie struck out three batters in a row with inside pitches, all called strikes.

“Wow!”

Mckenzie roared, and the Goat players laughed.

“Why is he acting like that? He never used to do stuff like that.”

“I know, right?”

As Song Seok-hyun returned to the bench, he tapped McKenzie’s shoulder and gave him a thumbs up.

“Good. Very good. You are my best pitcher.”

As Song Seok-hyun and McKenzie laughed, Jeong Dong-gyu and Jeong Young-soo, who had been on edge because of their errors, breathed a sigh of relief.

Mckenzie gave up 3 runs by the 7th inning and came off the mound.

The Goat brought up Kim Jin-seok from the bullpen, but he gave up 2 runs.

They lost the game 5-0, failing to score a single run.

“Alright, alright, everyone’s free today, right? If we’ve hit rock bottom, now we have to climb back up. Those who want to practice together, stay here. I’ll order something delicious, so let’s eat and then head home. Got it?”

As soon as the game ended, Yoo Seon-ho gathered the players and assembled the night practice squad.

Every single hitter requested extra batting practice.

Even the coaches stayed behind to help with the training.

On the way home after training, Yoo Seon-ho called Song Seok-hyun aside.

“Seok-hyun.”

“Yes?”

Winning Streak as a Catcher

Winning Streak (1)

“You’re going through a lot.”

Song Seok-hyun blinked at Yoo Seon-ho’s words.

“Me?”

“Yeah. You’re suffering in many ways, aren’t you?”

“No. What am I doing?”

“What do you mean, you’re not suffering? You’re working your butt off, but the guys can’t keep up. How can you not be frustrated and just endure it?”

“Well… everyone’s working hard.”

Yoo Seon-ho patted Song Seok-hyun’s shoulder.

“Still, they are working incredibly hard, you know? Actually, I’m having a hard time telling them to stop and go home.”

“If they do that during the season, it’ll be physically tough.”

“What’s tougher than physical exhaustion is mental strength. Don’t you think they’re frustrated too? They’re being openly treated as weaknesses.”

“…….”

“Still, everything has a cycle. Once you hit rock bottom, you’ll rise again. It’s a bit embarrassing for me to say this, but don’t stress out too much. Do you know you’ve become less talkative these days?”

Song Seok-hyun shook his head.

“I didn’t know.”

“Don’t try to do everything alone. You’ll get tired faster.”

“Yes. I’ll keep that in mind. Thank you, senior.”

“Don’t stress out. Got it?”

“Yes.”

Song Seok-hyun returned home and took a cold shower.

The water was so cold that his face turned pale.

“Phew.”

After showering, Song Seok-hyun looked in the mirror and patted his cheeks.

“Let’s keep it simple, simple.”

* * *

The third game against the Wolves.

It was the first day of the Jamsil [stadium in Seoul] 3-game series that didn’t sell out.

The Goat fans stopped coming because of the Goat’s weak hitting.

The sports articles after yesterday’s game also effectively rubbed salt in the fans’ wounds.

[Song Seok-hyun and the Kids?]

[The Goat’s Bats Soaked in Water]

[Jang Gye-seong Wins the Ace Matchup at Jamsil]

[Lonely Song Seok-hyun. Who Can He Trust?]

“Hello, baseball fans. SP Sports is with you again for the Jamsil 3-game series. Yesterday was a rather dull victory, wasn’t it?”

“Yes. Yesterday was a complete victory for the Wolves. The Goat’s pitching did its part, but the problem was the batting line. The batting line, which had been in a slump since the day before yesterday, shows no signs of recovering.”

“Clearly, the batting line showed a fierce upward trend, completely defeating Pegasus and Scorpion. Is it just a temporary slump?”

“They say there’s a cycle in hitting, right? As steep as the rise was, the fall can be dramatic. However, it seems that the weakness of being vulnerable to left-handed pitchers is also prominent.”

“Are you talking about the sluggishness of Lee Ji-sung, Kim In-hwan, and Yoo Seon-ho yesterday?”

“That’s right. All three players are in the Goat’s upper batting order and play important roles, but they were helpless against Jang Gye-seong. Jang Gye-seong is originally strong against left-handed hitters, but it felt like they couldn’t get their act together. It wasn’t this bad against Jo Jin-hee, but if it continues like this, it will be difficult to avoid targeted appearances [meaning pitchers who specialize in facing left-handed hitters will be brought in specifically to face them].”

“Left-handed pitcher Kim Jun-gi is scheduled to start today as well.”

“Kim Jun-gi and Jang Gye-seong are different types, but… Kim Jun-gi is also strong against left-handed hitters. As a skilled player, he’s famous for not only throwing the ball well but also hiding the ball well. He’s especially good at hiding the ball from left-handed hitters. He might be even more difficult than Jang Gye-seong.”

“Today will be a difficult game for the Goat in many ways. But Lee Chang-hoon is starting today, isn’t he? He’s like a pillar of the Goat.”

“In terms of the weight of the starting pitcher, Lee Chang-hoon is better than Kim Jun-gi, but in the end, it’s the batting line. The Wolves are famous for having the thickest depth among all teams. That means they have many regular-level players. In comparison, the Goat has good players, but they are known for having thin depth. In the case of Choi Jae-wan and Oh Jin-young, who broke through as starters this year, they have never had a full-time season in the first team. If Choi Dae-gyu, Lee Nak-gyun, and Kang Moon-gyu were still there, and Yoo Seon-ho and Lee Ji-sung were added, they could rotate players in and out according to the situation, but the Goat can’t afford to take out Lee Ji-sung, Yoo Seon-ho, and Kim In-hwan.”

“In the end, they’ll have to push through with their skills.”

“Yes. That’s right.”

“Do you think the Wolves will win today’s game?”

“The Wolves have nothing to lose to the Goat in terms of the weight of the starting pitcher, the condition of the batting line, and even the bullpen. I predict the Wolves will win by a score of 6:4.”

“6:4. That’s not an easy score in baseball. I’m looking forward to seeing if the Goat’s hitting will revive today and if the Wolves will continue their momentum from yesterday.”

Before the game started, Lee Chang-hoon threw a few balls in the bullpen and frowned.

The pitching coach, seeing this, approached and asked.

“What’s wrong? Are you hurt somewhere?”

“I’m not hurt, but I feel a little uncomfortable.”

“Where do you feel uncomfortable?”

“My first finger joint.”

“Does it hurt? Or is it just uncomfortable?”

“It feels a little painful….”

“Ha, is it not very good?”

“No. It’s not that bad.”

The pitching coach called Song Seok-hyun.

“Seok-hyun, how’s his ball today?”

“It doesn’t seem bad.”

“Doesn’t seem good either?”

Song Seok-hyun looked at Lee Chang-hoon.

The pitching coach didn’t ask any further.

“Okay, I understand.”

The pitching coach left the bullpen.

Lee Chang-hoon covered his face with his glove and sighed.

“Are you okay, senior?”

“Yeah, I’m okay.”

“Are you hurt somewhere?”

“No, it’s not that… Ah, maybe it’s because I play too many games. It’s the first time my finger joint hurts, so I’m a little flustered.”

“Games? Your finger hurts from playing games?”

“I don’t know either. There’s no reason for it to hurt. Does your finger hurt from clicking the mouse too much? I’m going crazy.”

“Is it not very good?”

“No, it’s not that bad.”

“Yes…….”

Lee Chang-hoon shook his hand.

“Ah, really. It’s annoying.”

-Playball!

The game started.

Lee Chang-hoon narrowed his eyes while fiddling with the ball.

The Wolves’ leadoff hitter was Kim Ha-gyun.

A typical leadoff hitter who is fast and has a good batting average.

He’s a hitter with a poor on-base percentage compared to his batting average, but he has good contact and is fast.

‘Fastball, inside.’

Song Seok-hyun called for a bold match against the leadoff hitter, who doesn’t have power.

Since Lee Chang-hoon said his finger condition wasn’t good, it’s difficult to expect a long outing.

Thwack!

The ball that left the pitcher’s hand went straight into the catcher’s mitt.

Bang!

The batter hit the ball with his bat.

“Right to the shortstop! Out! Kim Ha-gyun made good contact, but he was unlucky. It went straight to the infielder.”

“It looks like he was aiming for the first pitch.”

Although it was an out on the first pitch, the battery’s [pitcher and catcher] expression hardened.

The expressions of the manager and coaches on the bench were also not good.

“His condition doesn’t seem very good.”

At Ham Sung-hoon’s words, the pitching coach bit his dry lips.

“I’m sorry, I should have managed him better.”

“I understand that you can’t maintain the best condition throughout the season, but… it’s unsettling that Kim Ha-gyun got a clean hit from the first pitch.”

“As you said, I have the bullpen on standby. I’ll take measures to bring someone up in the 3rd inning if necessary.”

“Let’s watch until 5 points [runs].”

“5 points? Considering our batting line, 5 points is….”

“Next week is the Bulls and Phoenix series. Even if we lose today, I think it’s better to save the bullpen and take 4 wins and 2 losses in the Bulls and Phoenix series. We have to make sure to win the games we can win.”

The pitching coach puffed out his cheeks.

“It’s the Wolves game. If we lose today, our team’s morale will be low, and the fans’ reaction and the higher-ups’ feelings won’t be good.”

“Still, we have to do it according to the plan. In the first place, if the starter is shaking, the win rate is only 40% at best. Whether we win against the Wolves or win against the Bulls and Phoenix, it’s the same 1 win. Baseball is also a kind of gambling. If the win rate is low, you have to bet low, and if the win rate is high, you have to bet high.”

The pitching coach sighed.

“It’s a natural story in theory, but it doesn’t seem like an easy decision in baseball.”

“I can do this because I’m an interim manager. I’ll just take some flak and step down, haha.”

“So, are we giving up on today’s game?”

“Giving up? Every game has a chance of winning. I think 5 points is a small but hopeful bet. Our batting line is scary once it catches fire, right?”

Lee Chang-hoon gave up a walk to the 2nd batter and a hit to the 3rd batter, putting him in a 1 out, 1st and 3rd situation.

Song Seok-hyun looked at Kang Je-gwan, the 4th batter, entering the plate.

The best third baseman in the league.

A 30-homer hitter in Jamsil.

A model of a .300 batting average, .400 on-base percentage, and .500 slugging percentage.

He doesn’t have the impact of Pegasus’s Kim Wook or Scorpion’s Jo Yang-cheol, who have hit over 40 home runs, but he’s called the complete OPS-type hitter [On-Base Plus Slugging, a common baseball statistic].

There are few situations as chilling as when a consistent, flawless hitter comes up with a scoring opportunity.

Especially if the pitcher’s condition isn’t normal….

‘Curveball.’

Song Seok-hyun called for a curveball that drops into the strike zone as the first pitch.

The ball thrown by Lee Chang-hoon bounced on the home plate.

“Oh, Song Seok-hyun blocked it quickly.”

“The curveball seems to have been a bit off just now. The ball dropped too quickly.”

“It almost led to a big accident.”

Song Seok-hyun took a breath.

Fastballs aren’t good, and the control of breaking balls isn’t good either.

Song Seok-hyun’s eyes turned to Jung Byung-soo in the on-deck circle [the area where the next batter warms up].

He’s one of the best hitters in the league in terms of power, but he has a lot of problems with his eye for the ball.

Since he’s a guess hitter, you can end the inning with a double play if you mix the pitches well.

‘Changeup, low.’

Song Seok-hyun, having finished his calculations, decided to avoid Kang Je-gwan.

He’s betting on Jung Byung-soo’s at-bat.

Lee Chang-hoon threw a changeup as Song Seok-hyun requested.

However, the location was not below the zone but in the middle of the zone.

Bang!

“Left field fence! It goes over cleanly! Kang Je-gwan’s three-run homer! Kang Je-gwan continues his home run streak from yesterday to today!”

“He’s showing off his skills properly yesterday and today, leaving Song Seok-hyun in the dust. He’s saying that he can’t easily give up the title of King of Jamsil.”

“Lee Chang-hoon is shaking from the first inning. The Goat has a long way to go today.”

Lee Chang-hoon closed his eyes tightly.

Song Seok-hyun also lowered his head slightly.

While Kang Je-gwan was rounding the bases, someone shouted.

“Alright, alright, we’ll give up 3 points, and we’ll get 4 points! Let’s go, let’s go!”

“The better team gets the handicap. Isn’t that right?”

The first to speak was second baseman Jung Dong-gyu, and the next to speak was shortstop Jung Young-soo.

Lee Chang-hoon was looking ahead, but he heard the two people’s conversation.

“Hyung [older brother or senior], just throw it roughly. I’ll catch everything.”

“I’ll be Superman today.”

“Hyung, this is Jamsil. Just shove it in there. I can catch everything as long as it’s not a home run.”

“Alright, fighting, fighting.”

Jung Dong-gyu, Jung Young-soo, Choi Jae-wan, and Kim In-hwan raised their voices just enough for the pitcher to hear.

Lee Chang-hoon pressed his hat down deeply and pursed his lips.

Song Seok-hyun sat back down.

The home run is in the past, and now he only needs to think about the batter.

If there’s a consecutive home run, the atmosphere will completely shift.

He has to avoid Jung Byung-soo at all costs.

Then, the best thing to do is to start with a curveball to get a strike and then try to get the batter to swing and miss with a fastball or slider on the outside.

‘Curveball.’

Lee Chang-hoon shook his head at Song Seok-hyun’s curveball sign.

‘Changeup?’