On The Rise As A Catcher [EN]: Chapter 212

“That’s going to take the wind out of the Wolves’ sails… The pitcher is being replaced here. Who’s coming in? Ah, it’s Go Jin-seok. Go Jin-seok is heading to the mound.”

Wolves’ manager Jang Tae-seop, aware of the camera zooming in on his face, stared straight ahead without changing his expression.

Unlike his face, his insides were boiling.

He had held a sliver of hope because of Manager Ham Seong-hoon’s so-called ‘baseball of faith,’ where he usually sticks with a pitcher without making changes, but…

“Ha.”

A sigh deepened.

Thwack!

Thwack!

Go Jin-seok’s fastball slammed into Song Seok-hyun’s mitt.

A closer with a top speed of 150 km/h [kilometers per hour, approximately 93 mph].

More special than the speed is his forkball.

One of the few orthodox forkballers in the country.

Until the batting order turns over, he’s not an easy pitcher to get a clean hit off of.

Moreover, the seventh batter is shortstop Song Ji-hoon.

He filled the vacancy due to the injury of starting shortstop Lee Yong-cheol, but he is ultimately a valuable defensive replacement.

Not a batter you can expect much from with the bat.

Thwack!

-Strike!

As soon as Song Ji-hoon stepped into the batter’s box, Go Jin-seok’s fastball cut to the outside.

Song Ji-hoon bit his lip as he swung the bat.

“Go Jin-seok looks to be in good condition today. From the first pitch, he’s throwing amazing balls that catch the border line.”

Song Seok-hyun signaled for a forkball.

One pitch to gauge how the opponent reacts to the forkball.

Song Ji-hoon couldn’t even react properly to Go Jin-seok’s forkball and just watched it go by.

1-1.

He can’t react to fastballs either, let alone forkballs.

No need to think complicatedly with a batter like Song Ji-hoon.

Overpower him with fastballs.

Thwack!

-Strike!

“Song Ji-hoon swings and misses. His bat can’t keep up with the ball.”

“Go Jin-seok isn’t just good at forkballs. His fastball is really good too. There’s a reason why he’s risen to become a top-class closer.”

One pitch to set up the finish.

Song Seok-hyun brought his mitt close to his body.

Go Jin-seok threw the ball without hesitation, but with a rustling sound, Song Ji-hoon turned to the umpire.

“It hit me.”

Before Song Seok-hyun could say anything to the umpire, the umpire directed Song Ji-hoon to go to first base.

“Ah, is a hit-by-pitch coming out here?”

“If you watch the slow-motion replay, you’ll see that it slightly grazed his clothes. Song Ji-hoon brilliantly sold that slight graze. That’s the true value of an experienced veteran. That attitude of trying to get on base no matter what. That kind of attitude is important.”

Go Jin-seok clicked his tongue.

No outs, runners on first and second.

Just when the Wolves started to have a glimmer of hope, catcher Shin Min-ho hit into a double play, pouring cold water on it.

“Hey! You bastard!”

“Are you even human!”

“Aish! Open your eyes wide and hit!”

The next batter struck out.

Go Jin-seok smiled broadly as he came down from the mound.

“Hmm…….”

Wolves’ manager Jang Tae-seop closed his eyes.

Even luck isn’t on our side.

Already, nightmares of the aftermath of the disbandment of the company were flashing through his mind.

Top of the 9th inning.

Manager Jang Tae-seop didn’t take Jang Dae-hee out.

There was no particular reason.

He simply didn’t take him out because there was no need to bring up the closer.

Jang Dae-hee overpowered the Gotes’ lower batting order with only fastballs, ending the inning with one hit and three groundouts.

“Hoo.”

Jang Dae-hee returned to the bench, but no one offered him a word of encouragement, even as a formality.

The Wolves players, like manager Jang Tae-seop, were already experiencing the nightmares that would unfold.

Bottom of the 9th inning.

The Wolves’ attack.

Fortunately, the batting order started with the leadoff hitter.

The Wolves’ leadoff hitter is the fast-footed Kim Ha-gyun.

The variable always explodes from an unexpected place.

“Bunt! It’s a safety bunt! The pitcher fields it and throws to first! Ah! It’s a bad throw! The ball sailed! In the meantime, the runner advances to second! He’s running to second!”

Go Jin-seok was impatient due to Kim Ha-gyun’s quick feet.

The impatience didn’t end with a bad throw.

While throwing, he fell backward and braced himself with his left hand.

Because it was his gloved hand, he couldn’t brace himself properly, and the ligaments in his wrist stretched to the point of aching.

Like a veteran, Go Jin-seok immediately signaled for a substitution.

It would be different if he were the closer, but there are already reliable allies behind him.

Number 18, Kim Jeong-ryul.

Manager Ham Seong-hoon took Go Jin-seok down and brought Kim Jeong-ryul up.

The fans cheered as Kim Jeong-ryul came out from the bullpen.

“Unconditionally, unconditionally! Bbara rara rara ra bbam bbam bbam!” [A popular cheering chant]

“Ah, it’s a dramatic entrance. Kim Jeong-ryul comes up as the last pitcher in the last inning of the last game where the Gotes are deciding first place in the regular season. The Crown Prince of the Gotes, the Ace of Aces! Kim Jeong-ryul is running to the mound.”

“The Gotes fans must have mixed feelings. There was a lot of talk about whether he would retire or not at the beginning of this season, but he eventually resurrected again. Kim Jeong-ryul has been reborn as the closer of the Gotes after overcoming three surgeries.”

Kim Jeong-ryul started practicing his pitches on the mound.

1st pitch, 2nd pitch, 3rd pitch.

With each pitch he threw, the fans’ cheers grew louder.

They grew louder and louder until Jamsil Stadium was filled with Kim Jeong-ryul’s name.

Prospering as a pitcher

Tears streaming down

Kim Jeong-ryul took a deep breath.

The voices calling his name.

How long has it been since he heard such loud cheers?

Kim Jeong-ryul closed his eyes.

He went back to those days when he was called the Crown Prince of the Gotes and fully enjoyed the fans’ cheers.

“Good. Just right.”

Kim Jeong-ryul smiled brightly.

Pitching coach Yeon Woo-sik asked Kim Jeong-ryul to take on the closer role in today’s game, regardless of whether the team won or lost by a large margin.

It was a symbolic gesture to commemorate the Gotes’ advancement to the Korean Series [championship series of the KBO League].

He suggested that Kim Jeong-ryul should finish the game and provide a moment for the fans to celebrate.

Of course, Kim Jeong-ryul agreed.

“No outs, runner on second. The Wolves have caught a big opportunity. It’s still a 3-point game. It’s a score that can be overturned enough. It’s difficult, but it’s not impossible.”

“Kim Jeong-ryul’s first pitch, strike. Jung Soo-young is watching one ball for now.”

“We need to be careful. Kim Jeong-ryul is amazing at inducing ground balls, isn’t he? You shouldn’t carelessly touch low balls.”

Song Seok-hyun scanned batter Jung Soo-young up and down.

He’s not tall, and he’s not a power hitter.

A batter who knows how to hit the ball technically.

Song Seok-hyun brought his mitt to the outside.

Kim Jeong-ryul’s ball flew towards the zone and then curved outward.

-Strike!

“Swing and a miss! Jung Soo-young was completely fooled by Kim Jeong-ryul’s slider.”

“Jung Soo-young was fooled just now. He watched a low ball and then the ball came into the high course. Kim Jeong-ryul isn’t just good at inducing ground balls. He also throws outside sliders and curves. He used to have big angles on his sliders and curves even when he threw overhand. After switching to underhand, the angles have become sharper and bigger.”

“Especially these days, Kim Jeong-ryul’s curveball is a hot topic, right? It’s nicknamed the UFO curve.”

“That means it rises a lot. It’s a ball that’s hard for the batter to predict easily. If you keep seeing low balls and then see a curve that soars up to eye level, you’re bound to be confused, right?”

Jung Soo-young closed his eyes while holding the bat.

Gulp.

The sound of swallowing dry saliva echoed.

Postseason elimination or barely making it.

Since the Wolves players had never missed the postseason every year, today’s game was bound to be more nerve-wracking.

Song Seok-hyun brought his mitt to the outside again.

The ball that Kim Jeong-ryul threw came in more inside than before.

As Jung Soo-young reached out his bat, the ball hooked down as if waiting.

Changeup.

Jung Soo-young’s bat touched the top of the ball.

“The second baseman fields it and throws to first! Out! In the meantime, the runner on second advances to third. Jung Soo-young sends the runner to third.”

“It’s fortunate that at least a groundout came out. If a strikeout had come out here, the atmosphere would have sunk even further. Runner on third. One short hit can immediately score 1 point. There’s still one out. Two outs remain. You can’t give up yet, Wolves.”

Behind the home plate at Jamsil Stadium.

The Wolves’ president, general manager, and other front office staff were standing in a row watching the game.

Depending on the outcome of today’s game, not only the players but also the front office personnel might be changed.

They clasped their hands together and hoped for a hit.

The third batter is Jung In-ha.

Wolves’ manager Jang Tae-seop took a sip of water.

The 3rd, 4th, and 5th batters are all left-handed.

Kim Jeong-ryul is an underhand pitcher.

Being an underhand pitcher doesn’t necessarily mean being weak against left-handed batters, but if Kim Jeong-ryul’s slider and curve are neutralized, it’s worth a try.

Kim Jeong-ryul’s first pitch is a sinker that comes to the outside and falls.

Jung Soo-young swung with a full swing from the first pitch.

Clang!

“It’s high! It’s high. It’s very high. The left fielder settles under it and catches it. In the meantime, the runner on third goes home. He’s coming home. 3-1. The Wolves have finally scored 1 point. Bottom of the 9th inning. The Wolves are scoring a run to catch up.”

“It’s good to score 1 point, but it’s really disappointing to trade one out for 1 point. There’s only one out left now. You need to score at least 2 points with one out to aim for a tie or better.”

The hitting coach looked at the manager.

Manager Jang Tae-seop showed his palm, signaling no.

There is no pinch hitter available.

Baek Hyeon-seong is a batter with poor plate discipline, but he is a powerful hitter who can send the ball anywhere in Jamsil Stadium if he makes solid contact.

On top of that, he’s a left-handed batter.

If Baek Hyeon-seong had hit the ball that Jung In-ha hit just now, maybe, just maybe, it could have cleared the fence.

Manager Jang Tae-seop clasped his hands together without realizing it.

“Now there’s only one out left. It seems like one ball will determine the fate of the Gotes and the Wolves.”

“Fate is so cruel. It’s no coincidence that these two Jamsil rivals are playing their last game in Jamsil like this. And it’s with the rankings of 1st and 4th on the line.”

The Gotes staff were already preparing banners.

The first banner they prepared was, of course, for 1st place in the regular league, going straight to the Korean Series.

They also prepared a banner for advancing to the postseason, just in case.

Of course, it would be somewhere in the corner.

“Phew.”

Even Kim Jeong-ryul, the great, was now feeling his heart pounding.

Going straight to the Korean Series.

Song Seok-hyun ordered a sinker that sticks to the batter’s body for the first pitch.

One ball close to the body, then one or two breaking balls to the outside.

Batters hate outside changeups as much as Kim Jeong-ryul’s sinker.

It’s harder to distinguish because they have the same trajectory.

That’s why they force themselves to scoop it up, even though they know the sinker is coming.

Song Seok-hyun’s choice for the first pitch is a course that’s good if the batter hits it, and good for continuing the next 2nd and 3rd pitches even if he doesn’t hit it.

Kim Jeong-ryul threw the first pitch.

Thwack!

-Ball. Low.

The batter breathes heavily.

A ball that comes to the bottom of the zone and then hooks.

It’s sharp.

He wants to pass on the sinker, but it’s more difficult for the ball to come to the outside.

More than 90% of the balls to the body are sinkers, but you can’t be sure whether the ball to the outside of the left-handed batter is a sinker or a changeup.

Kim Jeong-ryul’s 2nd pitch is an outside changeup.

Baek Hyeon-seong hesitated whether to hit it or not, and soon missed the ball.

Thwack!

-Strike!

“Ah.”

Baek Hyeon-seong looked up at the sky and sighed.

A changeup that came in high.

If he had just made contact, it would have been a double course.

It was a clear mistake by Kim Jeong-ryul that anyone could see.

Sighs poured out from Baek Hyeon-seong as well as the Wolves’ bench.

“You should have hit it.”

“Ah! What are you doing.”

Kim Jeong-ryul breathed a sigh of relief.

There was almost an accident.

Song Seok-hyun demanded an outside sinker again for the 3rd pitch.

Only one out is needed.

There’s no need to demand a ball that’s not controlled well today.

No need for a strikeout either.

One out.

Kim Jeong-ryul’s sinker is sharp today.