On The Rise As A Catcher [EN]: Chapter 171

“What do you mean, ‘as expected’!”

On a Roll as a Catcher

Unstoppable If We Try (4)

Kim In-hwan’s home run was the last score of the day.

Neither team scored any additional points, ending the game.

The MVP of the day was undoubtedly Jeong Jin-oh.

“So, rebuilding can actually work like this.”

That’s what the pitching coach said.

“If Cheon-un or Jin-oh go to the bullpen next year, we’ll be an even better team. And the year after that, the guys who had surgery will finish their rehab and come back, so we’ll be even stronger.”

“Just thinking about it makes me happy.”

“Our Futures team has been ridiculed too much. How can the Futures players come up if they don’t get a chance in the first team? When I was the senior coach, I should have pushed harder to bring up the Futures team players… It’s largely my fault too.”

“Well, the previous manager had his own style, and our team has its own tendencies. Even if you had pushed for it, Coach, it would have been difficult to get through.”

“We need to change from now on. You can’t become a strong team without franchise stars.”

Just then, the battery coach [coach specializing in pitchers and catchers] butted in between them.

“What were you guys talking about?”

“Ah, we weren’t talking about anything special.”

“Aren’t you disappointed today? If the Pegasus had lost, it would have been perfect for reducing the number of games [referring to reducing the lead of the opposing team in the standings].”

“Can things go the way you want them to?”

“It’s always like this. Just when you think you’ve almost got it, that last little bit doesn’t come through.”

“If we win tomorrow’s game, you never know.”

“Is that so? Five consecutive wins against the Fox… It’s so sweet, so sweet. Haha.”

* * *

Five consecutive wins against the Fox.

The media was already predicting a Korea Series showdown between the Pegasus and the Goat.

The best center line [referring to key defensive positions] in history, Pegasus vs. the strongest cleanup [referring to the 3rd, 4th, and 5th hitters in the batting order] in history, Goat.

On Wednesday evening, SBC’s Sports Baseball With reviewed today’s game.

“The Goat did Goat things. That’s what I want to say.”

The announcer covered her mouth and laughed at commentator Choi Hee-dong’s words.

“The Goat did Goat things. What does that mean?”

“It means exactly what it says. The characteristic of the Goat this season is momentum. Once they start winning, they win relentlessly, and once they start losing, they lose just as relentlessly. When the Goat starts to gain momentum, they’re unstoppable.”

“It’s just bad luck that the Fox had to face the Goat during their upswing.”

“The Goat’s strength is, of course, the explosive power represented by the KSY cleanup. They won three consecutive games without Song Seok-hyun, so it’s obvious they’ll be even more formidable now that Song Seok-hyun is back.”

“Then, how do you see tomorrow’s game?”

“I’m still giving the Goat a 6:4 advantage.”

“6:4? So you think the Fox has a good chance too.”

“The Goat’s strength is their explosive power, but they also have a weakness: stability. The Goat has the biggest gap between their first and second teams. Manager Ham Seong-hoon is giving the starters a rest thanks to the winning streak and mainly using backup players, but you never know when that might ignite.”

“But I have a question.”

“Yes.”

“Hasn’t the Goat’s Futures team [minor league team] always been one of the strongest in the Futures League? So why do you say there’s a big gap between the first and second teams?”

“The Goat’s Futures team is definitely strong. But the problem is that most of the players have little first-team experience. Other teams have players who underperform in the first team go down to the Futures team, and players who do well in the Futures team come up to the first team. This means the Futures team gets weaker and the first team gets stronger. The Goat has been the opposite. The players who play in the first team continue to play in the first team unless they have a serious injury, and the Futures players continue to play in the Futures team, so the Futures team’s strength has been unintentionally preserved. No matter how well you do in the Futures team, first-team experience is different from Futures team experience. The Goat has belatedly started bringing up Futures team players, but it’s been a long-standing backlog, so it will take a long time to resolve.”

“I see. So you’re saying the backup players’ experience will be a problem?”

“Yes. It’s not just the offense, but I think the defense will eventually cause trouble. In fact, it’s been masked by the five-game winning streak, but the Goat has made four errors during this five-game winning streak. There have been several dangerous moments too.”

“Won’t they bring up the rested starters tomorrow? The starters have had a lot of rest during the five-game series against the Fox.”

“I don’t know. If I were the manager, I would give them a rest until tomorrow, even if we lose tomorrow’s game.”

“Why?”

“Because the opponent for the weekend three-game series is the Scorpion. The Scorpion has slipped to third place, but you never know when they’ll come back up. The Goat needs to widen the gap when they face each other to breathe a sigh of relief. To do that, they need to bring out their strongest lineup against the Scorpion.”

“I see. I understand. Then, let’s take a look at tomorrow’s starting pitchers.”

* * *

The last game of the midweek three-game series against the Fox.

Banners were hung all over Sajik Stadium.

[Sang-baek, who’s ruining the team, get out!]

[Incompetent Kim Young-sik, resign!]

[Hey!]

The staff chased after the fans waving the banners, and the fans either ran away or fought back, raising their voices even louder.

Other fans around them joined in, shouting or swearing, so Sajik was filled with tension even before the game started.

“Tsk, tsk. They’re at it again.”

“They’re worse than us.”

“I feel sorry for the Fox fans too. Does the Fox have even less will than the Phoenix?”

“The Phoenix is just bad, but the Fox is a mess.”

The Goat fans in the third-base seats clicked their tongues as they watched the chaos at Sajik.

The game started in a chaotic atmosphere.

The broadcasting cameras occasionally captured the voices criticizing the Fox, making the caster and commentator smile awkwardly.

“Top of the first inning. The Goat’s attack returns with no score.”

“If Jeong Jeong-guk’s fastball goes into the zone, it’s hard to attack easily.”

“He was once pegged as the Fox’s special starting pitcher, throwing 160 km/h [~99.4 mph], but his control held him back. So he slowed down his speed to improve his control, but his control didn’t improve as he wanted, and only his speed decreased. Still, his reduced speed is 150 km/h [~93.2 mph], so it’s not easy for hitters to attack from the beginning of the game.”

Jeong Jeong-guk returned to the bench after finishing the first inning.

Catcher Park Jin-hwan gave Jeong Jeong-guk a thumbs up.

“Good. Your pitches are good today?”

“Phew, I only got a strikeout thanks to that inside pitch to In-hwan at the end. If it had been off, it would have been a disaster.”

“But the pitch went in well, didn’t it?”

“Ugh, this is driving me crazy. How am I supposed to get control?”

“Think about that after the game. Right now, just push through with power, power. No one can hit your pitches even if they come right down the middle, you know?”

“But the next batter is Song Seok-hyun?”

“Hmm…”

Park Jin-hwan crossed his arms.

“We should walk Song Seok-hyun. That’s the standard move.”

“……”

Bottom of the first inning, the Fox’s attack.

Pish took the mound.

Pish struck out two batters in a row and then allowed a left fielder fly to the third batter.

“Player Yoo Seon-ho, lightly raises his hand… Oh! He missed it! He missed the ball!”

“Ah, it was such an easy ball, it’s a shame. He should have caught that.”

“Did the ball go into the light?”

“I don’t know. It could be, but it’s a shame he missed such an easy ball.”

Yoo Seon-ho cleared his throat and turned his gaze to the stands.

Pish, who was about to return to the bench, looked at the sky and swore.

Two outs, runner on first.

Fourth batter Choi Jae-guk stepped up to the plate.

“Pish needs to stay calm. It’s two outs, you know? Just get one more batter out. Don’t get excited.”

Seo Il-hyeok called for a curveball on the first pitch.

A breaking ball that falls to the ground.

Pish threw the ball, but it didn’t drop properly.

Thwack!

“Left field fence! Left field fence! Left field fence!!!! It goes over! Choi Jae-guk’s two-run home run. The Fox is trying to seize the initiative with a two-run home run from the start.”

“Choi Jae-guk timed that perfectly. His timing was perfect.”

“Yoo Seon-ho’s error has become painful. The error is immediately connected to two runs.”

“Baseball is a mental sport. You can’t just look at an error simply. An error is often the beginning of a vicious cycle.”

“The Goat’s start today is not good.”

After the two-run home run, Pish gave up a walk and two hits, finishing the first inning 3-0.

“Pish’s pitch count in the first inning is twenty-six. He threw a lot of pitches from the first inning.”

“Pish has outstanding skills, but his hot-tempered personality is a flaw. Once he gets excited, it takes a long time to calm down.”

“Today’s game between the Goat and the Fox is unfolding differently from the previous five games.”

Top of the second inning.

Jeong Jeong-guk on the mound.

The lead batter is Song Seok-hyun.

Jeong Jeong-guk looked at Song Seok-hyun and picked up the rosin bag.

“Phew, you think you’re the best, huh?”

Catcher Park Jin-hwan called for a curveball from the first pitch.

A breaking ball that falls to the ground.

The sign was to avoid him.

Clang!

-Ball. Low.

Song Seok-hyun didn’t move.

Jeong Jeong-guk, receiving the ball from the catcher, sighed.

“So you know I’m trying to avoid you, huh?”

The second pitch was a curveball, the third was a changeup, and the fourth was a changeup.

“Walk. It’s a walk. Song Seok-hyun heads to first base.”

“Jeong Jeong-guk openly avoided him. Actually, that’s unavoidable. Jeong Jeong-guk’s control isn’t very good today. If he faced Song Seok-hyun head-on and got hit with an extra-base hit… Originally, you should face him when there are no runners on base, but the pitcher wants to avoid him if possible.”

Jeong Jeong-guk glanced at Song Seok-hyun.

Song Seok-hyun on first base took a short lead and stood there.

But he widened his lead the moment Jeong Jeong-guk tried to throw the ball.

Clang!

-Ball. Low.

“He throws another curveball on the first pitch.”

“The curveball isn’t a bad pitch, but he’s showing it too much. The curveball is a good pitch when combined with a fastball. But right now, the fastball isn’t coming out enough.”

Song Seok-hyun narrowed his lead again.

Jeong Jeong-guk picked up the rosin bag.

‘Four-seam [type of fastball]. Outside.’

Following the catcher’s sign, Jeong Jeong-guk threw a fastball.

The catcher was startled by the ball coming the opposite way of the sign and moved his mitt.

Thwack!

“Shortstop! The shortstop catches it and throws to second! The second baseman throws to first! Double play! A 6-4-3 double play!”

“A double play here. Yoo Seon-ho hit the ball, but it was a good ball. A perfectly measured inside pitch.”

“Following the error, a double play. Today is Yoo Seon-ho’s day of suffering.”

“This completely cuts off the flow.”

After Yoo Seon-ho’s double play, a strikeout.

Jeong Jeong-guk clenched his fist.

As Yoo Seon-ho returned to the bench, Pish didn’t even make eye contact with him.

“……Tsk.”

Ham Seong-hoon crossed his arms and shook his head.

“You can postpone taxes, but you can’t avoid them [meaning you can’t avoid the inevitable consequences of a bad situation].”

The defense coach cleared his throat.

“Ahem. I’m sorry, Manager.”

“No, it’s okay, Coach Ahn. I was prepared to use him. We have to pay our taxes.”

“Seon-ho’s defense isn’t bad, but he always misses the easy ones.”

“It seems like In-hwan should try playing outfield next year. Hasn’t In-hwan played outfield before?”

“He has. He hasn’t played much, but he has good athletic sense, so he’s not bad.”

Bottom of the second inning.

Pish gave up two consecutive walks, creating a crisis, but he managed to end the inning with a double play and a strikeout.

Manager Ham Seong-hoon called the pitching coach and asked.

“Who’s in good condition in the bullpen today?”

“Everyone’s not bad today.”

“Who can pitch long relief?”

“Jin-hwan or Kim Jin-seok should be fine.”

“It doesn’t look like the game will be easy today. We might have to bring up both long relievers.”

“Are you considering a quick hook [removing the starting pitcher early]?”

“We should win when we can. Prepare to use everyone except the four must-win guys.”

“Yes, I understand.”

A winning streak is momentum.

Momentum doesn’t break easily.

If possible, we’ll continue the winning streak until today and aim for a winning series or better against the Scorpion.

“If we can catch the Scorpion, first place is right in front of us……”

I thought first place would be difficult, but now that it’s so close, I’m getting greedy.

The opposing pitcher is Jeong Jeong-guk.

His average ERA [Earned Run Average, a measure of pitching performance] is around 5-6 points.

Today is the opportunity.

On a Roll as a Catcher

There are no easy games

“Ah, this isn’t working out. Why is everything so twisted today?”

“Phew. It’s tough, tough.”

“Why is it like this today?”

Top of the fourth inning.

The score on the scoreboard is 3-0.

The Goat players haven’t scored a single point.

“Jeong Jeong-guk is showing an unexpected side today. Keeping a clean sheet until the fourth inning is beyond expectations.”

“His control is surprisingly good today. The ball has been hitting the border line perfectly at every important moment. Even if it’s luck, hitters can’t hit easily if the ball comes in like that.”

“The Goat has been tripped up in an unexpected place. Who knew Jeong Jeong-guk would do this well?”

“If he can control his pitches, Jeong Jeong-guk can become an ace-level player. If he keeps showing this kind of performance, he’ll reach the top ranks.”

-Strike! Out!

“Strikeout! A strikeout, and the innings change. Jeong Jeong-guk shuts out the Goat until the fourth inning.”

The Goat players came out of the bench to change sides.

Song Seok-hyun, who remained on the bench, crossed his arms and frowned.

“This is getting too twisted……”