On The Rise As A Catcher [EN]: Chapter 182

The next pitch was a changeup, making the count 2-2.

The deciding pitch was a high fastball inside.

“Strike! Out!”

“Strikeout. Strikeout. He strikes out Jung Dae-han.”

“He persistently attacked the outside and then went with a high ball inside. The batter couldn’t do anything about that.”

“Lee Chang-hoon striking out a tough batter. Is this what makes him an ace?”

After Jung Dae-han struck out, the cleanup hitter, Jo Yang-cheol, came to bat.

Lee Chang-hoon struck him out after a seven-pitch battle and induced a ground ball to the next batter on the first pitch.

“Lee Chang-hoon is pitching well in the second and third innings after a shaky first.”

“Lee Chang-hoon’s changeup is really working today. The batters are having trouble hitting it.”

Manager Ham Seong-hoon finally unfolded his arms and applauded.

The pitching coach also breathed a sigh of relief.

“He’s managing the game well. His top speed is only 140km/h [approximately 87 mph] today, but Chang-hoon has the know-how.”

Ham Seong-hoon looked at Song Seok-hyun, who returned to the bench.

“Chang-hoon is good, but…”

“Yes?”

“Never mind.”

Lee Chang-hoon put a towel around his neck.

When Song Seok-hyun sat next to him, Lee Chang-hoon held out his fist.

Bump.

Song Seok-hyun and Lee Chang-hoon bumped fists.

“Why did the signs suddenly change?”

“I think they changed their strategy over there.”

“How did you know?”

“Senior Dae-han’s elbow was raised a little before he even swung. So, I called for a pitch out just in case. After seeing their reaction, my hunch was right.”

“Wow, you… you little punk.”

Lee Chang-hoon gave Song Seok-hyun a thumbs up.

“Smart bastard. You noticed that?”

“Senior Dae-han is good at hitting, but his habits aren’t fixed yet. It’s fortunate for us.”

“You can see the batter’s habits?”

“I can see the batter’s habits much better than the pitcher’s. Pitchers keep trying to fix their habits because they are conscious of them. But batters don’t know their habits because they are paying attention to the pitcher. It depends on the person, but there is a pattern. Senior Dae-han’s elbow goes up a little when he anticipates a breaking ball. In that case, you should give him a high ball inside, or give him a slower breaking ball with a bigger break, like before, so he can’t time it.”

“So, the deciding pitch was a high fastball inside?”

“I thought he wouldn’t expect a high ball inside because he was focused on your changeup, so I set him up for that.”

Lee Chang-hoon grinned.

“If it goes like this today, I’ll get a quality start [a game in which a starting pitcher pitches at least six innings and allows three or fewer earned runs].”

“We’re only halfway there. We only have to do half more.”

“Okay. Half. Let’s do half more. But can’t I be the winning pitcher?”

“…It’s not up to me.”

Dale Jaeger also pitched a scoreless inning in the bottom of the third.

The lower lineup of the Goat team couldn’t hit Dale Jaeger’s sharp pitches.

Top of the fourth.

“Jo Cheol-woong, who is called the best sixth hitter in the league, comes to the plate as the lead batter.”

“He’s a hitter who could bat anywhere from first to ninth in any team’s lineup. He has more than 100 hits every year, and his career batting average is over .300. He also hits double-digit home runs every year.”

“He’s a good hitter.”

“Of course. He’s a hitter with no clear weaknesses. He’s a tough out for pitchers.”

Lee Chang-hoon’s first pitch was a 117km/h [approximately 73 mph] changeup.

Jo Cheol-woong swung and missed.

“Strike!”

“Lee Chang-hoon gets a strike with a breaking ball.”

“That was… wow, the changeup is really slow. It’s a slow but big-breaking changeup. Isn’t that changeup slower than a curveball?”

Jo Cheol-woong adjusted his helmet.

The second pitch was a fastball outside.

Jo Cheol-woong hit the ball, but it went foul.

The third pitch was a 128km/h [approximately 80 mph] changeup.

Whoosh!

“Strike! Out!”

“Strikeout on three pitches! Lee Chang-hoon strikes out Jo Cheol-woong on three pitches.”

“Jo Cheol-woong is a very disciplined player. He doesn’t usually strike out on three pitches. Lee Chang-hoon’s changeup must be that good.”

Jo Cheol-woong took off his helmet as he returned to the bench.

The hitting coach called Jo Cheol-woong over and asked.

“Why couldn’t you hit that ball? He doesn’t even have anything over 140 [km/h, approximately 87 mph] today.”

“I can’t get the timing right.”

“He’s only throwing slow balls anyway. Just get the timing right and hit it.”

“…Yes. I understand. I’ll try from the next at-bat.”

The Scorpion bench changed the signs again.

Calmly pick your pitch and wait.

As if anticipating this, Lee Chang-hoon struck out the next two batters with aggressive pitching.

“Three consecutive strikeouts! Lee Chang-hoon is on fire!”

“It’s exquisite control. The balls are landing in spots that are difficult for batters to swing at or lay off.”

Scorpion manager Lee Geon-hoo’s eyebrow furrowed.

“Tsk tsk.”

The Goat’s counterattack started in the bottom of the fourth.

Kim In-hwan’s two-RBI [runs batted in] hit made it 3-2.

After walking Song Seok-hyun, they allowed a hit to Yoo Seon-ho, tying the game at 3-3.

Dale Jaeger threw thirty-two pitches in the fourth inning alone.

Top of the fifth.

After getting the ninth batter out with a ground ball, he faced Hwang Ki-deok.

Lee Chang-hoon’s 136km/h [approximately 85 mph] fastball came outside.

Hwang Ki-deok watched the pitch go by, but it was called a strike.

“Hwang Ki-deok shakes his head. Did the ball look too far outside?”

“There’s nothing you can do about that kind of call. It’s too far outside for the batter.”

Lee Chang-hoon threw the ball in the same location again.

Hwang Ki-deok held back his swing, but it was a strike.

“Wasn’t that outside?”

Hwang Ki-deok couldn’t stand it and questioned the umpire.

The umpire pointed forward with his hand instead of answering.

It was a signal to focus on the game.

“Ha.”

As if anticipating the call, Song Seok-hyun called for a changeup that started in the zone and dropped out.

The result was a strikeout.

Hwang Ki-deok sighed deeply and returned to the bench.

“Is the strike zone unusually wide today?”

“Why is the call like that? It’s the Pacific Ocean out there!”

The Scorpion coaches and players complained.

A .300 hitter, Kang Kyun-seung, hit an outside changeup after two strikes and grounded out.

The third batter, Jung Dae-han, hit a breaking ball for a double, but the next batter, Jo Yang-cheol, hit a fly ball, ending the fifth inning.

“Wow, this is driving me crazy.”

“How are we supposed to hit when the call is like that?”

“How can you hit that ball? It’s a ball that hits the end of the bat even if you’re right on top of the plate.”

The Scorpion batters complained one by one.

After the Goat’s scoreless half of the fifth, it was the sixth inning.

The fifth batter, Go Won-seong, came to the plate when an outside fastball was called a strike.

“That was outside.”

“What?”

“That was completely outside.”

Song Seok-hyun turned his head and looked at the batter.

The posture of leaning on one leg and glaring at the umpire was quite aggressive.

“It’s the umpire’s call. Don’t argue and get in the box.”

“…Ha, please watch carefully.”

Go Won-seong’s muttering as he entered the batter’s box was the trigger.

The umpire raised his voice while looking at Go Won-seong.

“What are you trying to do now?”

“I’m telling you to watch carefully!”

“What? Tell me to watch carefully?”

“What’s wrong with telling you to watch properly?”

The manager and coach came out of the Scorpion bench.

The coach stopped Go Won-seong, but the umpire approached Go Won-seong while even pointing his finger.

Go Won-seong unleashed a barrage of complaints.

“Ah… the game seems to be getting heated for a while.”

“Go Won-seong is very agitated. The strike zone is the umpire’s domain. Even if the batters are dissatisfied, they shouldn’t argue during the game. The call doesn’t change just because the player argues. You have no choice but to adapt to the situation.”

The confrontation between Go Won-seong and the umpire ended soon.

Manager Lee Geon-hoo, like a veteran, apologized to the umpire.

Manager Ham Seong-hoon, who had been standing the whole time, then sat down.

“The game has resumed. It seems to have gotten too heated as the score became tied.”

“Children are also watching sports. You have to show good sportsmanship.”

“Isn’t sportsmanship important?”

“Of course. Is there anything more important than sportsmanship in sports?”

Song Seok-hyun only called for fastballs outside.

It was a ball that was slightly out of the zone, but the call was strike, strike, and strikeout.

Go Won-seong bit his lip and walked away from the plate.

Lee Chang-hoon allowed one hit and one walk but finished the sixth inning by getting two consecutive outs.

“The strike zone is generous today.”

Lee Chang-hoon smiled brightly.

Song Seok-hyun nodded.

“The umpire’s zone has widened because you’re consistently attacking the outside corner. If you keep putting it in and taking it out of the zone, the umpire will get confused. The umpire is also human, so what can you do?”

“The game is going surprisingly well today.”

“The Scorpion side got emotional. If they had just accepted the calls earlier, the outside zone might have narrowed a little, but by provoking the umpire, the umpire will continue to call it as he has been. Senior, just keep throwing it outside. Why throw a strike when they’re giving you a strike even if you throw a ball?”

“That’s right. I’m lucky today.”

“It’s not luck, it’s skill. It takes skill to consistently hit the outside corner like that. That’s why the Scorpion self-destructed. We’re winning thanks to your skill, senior.”

Lee Chang-hoon grinned.

“I like what you’re saying now.”

“Because it’s the truth?”

“Puhahaha. Yeah, yeah. It’s better because it’s the truth.”

Once a game is twisted, it doesn’t easily correct itself.

While the Goat steadily followed by one point, the Scorpion batters couldn’t hit Lee Chang-hoon’s pitches at all.

As the game went into the later innings, the strike zone widened a little more, and the batters were quick to give in, swinging at the first pitch.

The game result was 6-3.

The game ended with closer Kim Jung-ryul’s save.

“Okay, okay, good job. Everyone did a good job.”

Manager Ham Seong-hoon greeted the players coming into the bench with applause.

Manager Lee Geon-hoo watched Lee Chang-hoon disappear into the bench with both hands in his pockets.

“A good baseball player will always find a way to succeed.”

Catcher’s Rise

Genius (9)

* * *

After finishing the game, manager Ham Seong-hoon returned to the dorm and turned on the TV.

Baseball Daily Pro was reviewing today’s game.

“…Two-game difference. They really aren’t giving up.”

Ham Seong-hoon turned off the TV.

“Hoo, Pegasus is still Pegasus.”

* * *

Sunday.

The last game of the weekend three-game series.

Jamsil Stadium was crowded with people.

As the start of the game approached, the commentator and caster appeared on the field.

“How do you see today’s game?”

The commentator answered the caster’s question.

“Isn’t it all about the starting pitchers? The lineups of both teams are well-balanced enough that you can’t definitively say who is better. The Scorpion team has mobility and power, while the Goat team has the best cleanup hitter in recent history. The bullpen ERAs [earned run average, a measure of pitching performance] are also ranked second and third for both teams. On days like this, the condition of the starting pitcher ultimately determines the game.”

“Today’s starters for both teams are Kang Gu-il and Han Min-seok. Both players are key members of their respective teams. I’m curious who you would favor.”

“Hehe, that’s difficult. Who to favor… If I had to pick, I would give the edge to Kang Gu-il.”

“May I ask why?”

“Experience. Kang Gu-il was a great fastball pitcher when he debuted, right? Currently, his speed has decreased a little, but he has gained experience since adding a splitter [a type of pitch]. Han Min-seok is a left-handed fastball pitcher with a lot of potential, but his control and command are very disappointing. If you’re talking about fastballs, Han Min-seok is 3~5km/h [approximately 2-3 mph] faster, but Kang Gu-il is ahead in everything else.”

“I see. So, you see today’s game as a Scorpion victory.”

“Yes. Doesn’t the Scorpion team also have a history of performing well in the fall? The Scorpion team is a team that gets stronger in the fall. The Goat team has been strong in the summer and weak in the fall. Team tendencies don’t change easily.”

-Play ball!

With the start of the game, Han Min-seok took the mound.

The first batter was Hwang Ki-deok.

Han Min-seok struck him out on four pitches.

“Hwang Ki-deok is the best center fielder in the league, but it’s not easy for him against a left-handed pitcher who throws hard.”

“It takes some time to adjust to a pitcher with a blazing fastball. Han Min-seok is known to struggle in the beginning, but his control is good today.”

Han Min-seok allowed a hit to Kang Kyun-seung, then struck out Jung Dae-han and Jo Yang-cheol in a row.

“Han Min-seok overcomes the crisis in the first inning with consecutive strikeouts. The Goat team keeps it scoreless in the top of the first inning.”

“If this continues, I really don’t know what to expect from today’s game. Han Min-seok is known to be shaky in the beginning, but if he gets through the beginning easily like this, the Goat’s chances of winning increase.”

Han Min-seok, who returned to the bench, looked around, a bit surprised at his own performance.