On The Rise As A Catcher [EN]: Chapter 173

‘The Game.’

The strategy coach’s signal gave the catcher pause before relaying it.

The catcher hesitated before signaling the pitcher.

The pitcher finally nodded.

“Song Seok-hyun steps back up to the plate. The Fox battery is taking a long time to exchange signs.”

“Well, it’s Song Seok-hyun they’re facing, isn’t it? They have to be careful.”

Whack!

-Strike!

“Strike! Jeong Jeong-guk throws a daring pitch.”

“That’s… unexpected. I thought they’d load the bases and go for a grand slam play. But to throw that kind of pitch here… is it likely a mistake?”

Song Seok-hyun swung his bat once.

The catcher took a breath and chose the next pitch.

‘Curveball.’

The pitcher’s ball was a curve that fell below the strike zone.

Song Seok-hyun let it pass.

“Tough, tough.”

The pitcher stuck out his tongue.

“Song Seok-hyun isn’t fooled by the bait.”

“That’s Song Seok-hyun’s trademark. He has a good eye, so he doesn’t fall for most bait pitches. But he doesn’t just stand there either. Sometimes he swings at obvious balls.”

“Right. Looking at Song Seok-hyun’s grand slams, he sometimes hits balls rather than strikes.”

“Pitchers must have a headache when facing Song Seok-hyun. It’s tough enough for a pitcher that he has a good eye, but he also hits home runs off balls. It means it’s hard to throw pitches that are slightly out of the zone like bait. So, against Song Seok-hyun, you have to throw bait pitches that are clearly out of the zone, but this makes it easier to distinguish between balls and strikes, creating a vicious cycle for the pitcher.”

The catcher’s thoughts grew longer.

The pitcher dusted off the rosin bag and looked at Song Seok-hyun.

Song Seok-hyun’s eyes at the plate were indifferent.

No emotion was visible.

The pitcher waited for the catcher’s sign.

After much deliberation, the catcher chose a four-seam fastball.

A fastball that filled the outer corner.

Clang!

“Right field fence! Foul ball. The ball curves out a lot.”

“That was the fastest ball of the game today. 153 km/h [approximately 95 mph].”

“So, it’s 1-2. Two strikes.”

“We’ll see a bait pitch here, right?”

Jeong Jeong-guk loosened his arm.

The catcher’s sign was a changeup.

The pitcher shook his head.

“Fourth pitch!”

Whack!

-Ball. Inside.

“He throws another fastball here.”

“A daring challenge inside. Jeong Jeong-guk isn’t avoiding the showdown with Song Seok-hyun.”

A sign came from the Goat bench as well.

Kang Ha-young subtly moved a step towards second base.

Jeong Jeong-guk’s fifth pitch.

Clang!

“Foul! This is the fastest ball again. 154 km/h [approximately 96 mph]! Jeong Jeong-guk continues to break his highest speed of the day.”

“This kind of match is fun. I like it. It’s exciting.”

From the Fox bench, the pitching coach quietly asked the manager.

“Manager, will we be okay?”

“This is how they grow. Pitchers gain experience by taking the challenge, win or lose. Look. Doesn’t Jeong-guk’s ball look even better?”

Jeong Jeong-guk’s sixth pitch was a four-seam fastball.

A ball that slightly missed the outside corner.

Whack!

-Ball. Outside.

Song Seok-hyun took a breath.

Jeong Jeong-guk narrowed his brows.

“Stingy, stingy. Our Seok-hyun’s swing is too stingy.”

Catcher Park Jin-hwan joked, but Song Seok-hyun didn’t respond.

“It’s a full count. They might go for a bases-loaded strategy.”

“They should load the bases. It’s hard to compete now.”

The catcher signaled for a curveball.

A bait pitch that drops low.

Jeong Jeong-guk nodded.

Jeong Jeong-guk, having caught his breath, threw the ball.

The ball stretched forward and began to drop sharply.

Clang!

Song Seok-hyun pushed the ball to the right-center field.

“Right fielder! The right fielder is running! Right fielder Im Sang-jun… Nice catch! He caught it! I thought it was completely past him, but he caught it. Im Sang-jun makes a great play.”

“Im Sang-jun isn’t usually such a good defensive player, but he caught that ball like that.”

“Im Sang-jun’s great defense thwarts Goat’s scoring opportunity.”

“Song Seok-hyun timed the falling ball well again, but he was stopped by the defense. There’s nothing he can do about that.”

Song Seok-hyun clicked his tongue and returned to the bench.

Jeong Jeong-guk put his hands on his knees and chuckled.

The inning ended with a ground ball from the next batter, Yoo Seon-ho.

Jeong Jeong-guk stood at the entrance to the bench and greeted right fielder Im Sang-jun.

“Hyung [older brother/term of respect]! What was that?”

“What?”

“You suddenly became Superman.”

“I told you we’d get the win today.”

Jeong Jeong-guk laughed loudly.

“I was so scared because it was definitely a hit.”

“I don’t even know how I caught it.”

“Song Seok-hyun is scary, scary. He hits that. He hits that.”

Neither team scored any additional runs through the 8th inning.

Fox’s manager Kim Young-sik took Jeong Jeong-guk out in the 9th and brought in new closer Jeong Ha-gyun.

“Kang Ha-young is up to bat first. Kang Ha-young’s performance hasn’t been bad today, has it?”

“He seems to be the type who adapts as he plays. He’s been doing well today.”

“Jeong Ha-gyun uses a splitter as his finishing pitch. His ERA [Earned Run Average] in the last five games is 1.87. Very good.”

“Since this batting order goes Kang Ha-young, Kim In-hwan, and Song Seok-hyun, they can’t let a runner on base. They have to compete quickly, even if it means risking a home run.”

Jeong Ha-gyun started by throwing two fastballs for two strikes.

The splitter thrown as bait was a ball.

The splitter thrown again was also a ball.

The fifth fastball was a foul.

The count was 2-2.

Jeong Ha-gyun threw another splitter.

Kang Ha-young’s bat started to swing but stopped.

“He holds back on that! Kang Ha-young’s superhuman patience!”

“Anyone could see that was a strikeout pitch, but he holds back.”

“It’ll be hard to throw another splitter now, right?”

The pitcher tried to induce a swing with a high fastball, but Kang Ha-young didn’t swing.

“Walk. It’s a walk. Kang Ha-young gets a walk and goes to first base.”

“Kang Ha-young’s eye is good as always. There’s a reason he’s been in Goat’s outfield for so long.”

Kim In-hwan stepped up to the plate.

The catcher and pitcher carefully chose the first pitch.

Their choice was an outside splitter.

Kim In-hwan swung and missed.

“Jeong Ha-gyun’s splitter is dancing!”

“A masterpiece splitter. Very sharp.”

The second pitch was an outside fastball.

Kim In-hwan’s bat swung like lightning.

Bang!

“Ah!”

“Ah…….”

The ball drew a straight line and went over the right field fence.

A direct home run with no arc.

The Fox fans in Sajik froze.

“Home run! Kim In-hwan chases closely behind Fox with a two-run homer! 3-2. Finally, they score an additional run.”

“Jeong Ha-gyun’s pitch wasn’t bad, but Kim In-hwan’s aim was too good. Jeong Ha-gyun showed the splitter on the first pitch, so he probably thought the batter would be late to react to the outside fastball, but Kim In-hwan didn’t hesitate.”

“So, it’s the top of the 9th, 3-2. A one-point difference. Just one point and it’s a tie.”

“Song Seok-hyun is coming to the plate. Song Seok-hyun in a one-point game. This isn’t easy.”

Kim In-hwan returned to the bench to cheers and applause.

The shouts of ‘Yawang [Night King – a nickname]’ didn’t matter this time.

“Kim In-hwan with a home run. Jeong Ha-gyun’s selection will be more cautious.”

“Doesn’t Song Seok-hyun hit falling balls well? His lifting swing is amazing. He’s not a good match for Jeong Ha-gyun, who throws splitters.”

The catcher chose and chose his signs again.

The next batter is Yoo Seon-ho, who has been struggling today.

Giving up a walk and inducing a double play wouldn’t be bad either.

‘Difficult, difficult.’

The bench’s sign was a difficult match.

It was a strategy that would be good if they fell for it, but it didn’t matter if they didn’t.

The catcher paused while signaling for a splitter.

It’s Song Seok-hyun.

If it’s Song Seok-hyun, who is strong against falling balls, wouldn’t he aim for a falling ball on the first pitch?

The pitcher’s finishing pitch is a splitter.

“Catcher, proceed.”

“Yes, sorry.”

The umpire warned the catcher.

The pause was too long.

Park Jin-hwan finally decided on the first pitch.

“Hoo.”

The pitcher took a breath and threw the ball with all his might.

The pitcher’s choice was a high fastball.

Clang!

Song Seok-hyun’s swing was smooth.

“Left field fence! Home run! It’s a home run! Song Seok-hyun hits a solo home run in the 9th to tie the game!”

“That ball was too ambiguous in height, wasn’t it? It was almost in the middle. Was it a mistake?”

“Following Kim In-hwan, Song Seok-hyun also hits a direct shot over the Sajik fence. Today, Goat was struggling with an eight-inning shutout, but in the 9th, the cleanup hitters scored three runs with two home runs.”

“Jeong Ha-gyun is a free agent this year, so this… is a shame.”

“So, Jeong Jeong-guk’s win today has been nullified, right?”

“This is baseball. No one knows until it’s over.”

Instead of speaking, the Fox players patted Jeong Jeong-guk on the shoulder.

Jeong Jeong-guk stood up and shouted loudly.

“Alright, alright! Let’s stop them here and reverse the game in the 9th!”

The next batter is Yoo Seon-ho.

The Fox pitching coach and manager put their heads together.

“Should we change him?”

“No, let’s go. He’s not been great today anyway.”

“Understood.”

Jeong Ha-gyun remained on the Fox mound.

“Fox isn’t taking Jeong Ha-gyun down. It means they trust him, right?”

“The first reason is that there’s no better relief pitcher than Jeong Ha-gyun on the Fox team, and the second reason is that Yoo Seon-ho has been struggling today. Now that the game is tied, they have to be prepared for the 10th and 11th innings. Since the batting order is lower after Yoo Seon-ho, it’s more efficient to have Jeong Ha-gyun block as many innings as possible. And isn’t he a left-handed pitcher against a left-handed batter? There’s no reason to change him.”

Jeong Ha-gyun fiddled with the rosin bag.

Back-to-back home runs.

The pitcher’s humiliation.

Jeong Ha-gyun threw a fastball close to the body from the first pitch.

The best ball a left-handed pitcher can throw to a left-handed batter is a fastball close to the body.

Clang!

Yoo Seon-ho didn’t miss the ball that was centered.

“Back-to-back-to-back! Yoo Seon-ho sends it over the right field fence! Yoo Seon-ho washes away today’s struggles with one home run! Goat! In the 9th! They reverse the game with back-to-back-to-back! Is this the dignity of a veteran? Yoo Seon-ho finally does it!”

“Amazing. Goat is really amazing. This is Goat’s cleanup. Once they explode, there’s no stopping them. It’s hard to remember when it was Song Seok-hyun and the kids.”

“Jeong Ha-gyun hangs his head. A rare record has been set where one pitcher has allowed three home runs in one inning. It’ll probably be a new KPBL [Korean Professional Baseball League] record.”

“Every time Jeong Ha-gyun made a mistake today, it became a home run. There are cases where mistakes lead to long hits, but Jeong Ha-gyun was also unlucky today.”

“4-3. It’s 4-3. Is Goat going to leave Sajik, making the Busan fans cry their eyes out? Ah, Fox is changing the mound. What else can they do?”

“There’s nothing else they can do. Three home runs are unavoidable.”

Yoo Seon-ho bumped fists with each of his teammates.

“Did I clean up the mess I made?”

The players burst into laughter at Yoo Seon-ho’s joke.

Rising as a Catcher

Closer Kim Jeong-ryul

“Take him down.”

At the Fox manager’s instruction, the pitching coach went up to the mound.

The pitcher, who had allowed back-to-back-to-back home runs today, hung his head and came down from the mound.

He trudged towards the bench.