On The Rise As A Catcher [EN]: Chapter 217

“The fact that they brought in a sidearm pitcher now means they’re planning to let him pitch until Song Seok-hyun’s at-bat and then take him out.”

“The next batter is Kim In-hwan. He’s a left-handed hitter and relatively good at hitting sidearm pitchers. Is this a good choice?”

“They might walk Kim In-hwan to face the next batter. Seong Hun-gi’s pitches that break away to the outside are so good that they probably thought he’d be a viable option against Song Seok-hyun.”

The first pitch sign is a curveball.

The batter likes to swing at the first pitch.

There’s no need to throw an obvious fastball or a breaking ball that comes into the zone on the first pitch.

Seong Hun-gi’s pitch broke sharply but didn’t quite leave the zone.

Clang!

“Seol Jin-il gets a hit! A hit! The ball shoots through left-center! Seol Jin-il runs to second, all the way to second base, and heads to third, all the way to third! Seol Jin-il with a triple! Bottom of the 6th. Seol Jin-il creates a no-out, runner on third situation.”

“Wow, Seol Jin-il’s running is as aggressive as his hitting. He didn’t miss the chance when the left fielder hesitated and ran all the way to third. It’s… very proactive, or perhaps reckless. He’s a truly fascinating player.”

Seol Jin-il, having reached third base, roared.

He even added an uppercut celebration, and the Goat fans excitedly followed suit.

“How will the Scorpions respond to this? Will they stay put? The Scorpions are a team that frequently changes their bullpen pitchers.”

“They’re taking him out immediately. They don’t want to give up another run. Since the Scorpions have such a great bullpen, they’re boldly swapping pitchers right away.”

The new pitcher is Kim Young-hee.

A towering left-hander standing at 190cm.

“Are they already bringing out Kim Young-hee? They’re bringing out setup man Kim Young-hee in the bottom of the 6th.”

“If Kim Young-hee is coming up, they must be planning to go long. They’ve brought out their best card from the Scorpions’ bullpen, except for closer Tak Gi-deok. It seems they believe this is the most dangerous moment.”

Kim Young-hee was a two-pitch pitcher who only threw fastballs and sliders.

His repertoire was simple, but his 150km/h fastball, coming from his great height, broke Kim In-hwan’s bat and earned an out.

“Kim In-hwan fails to score a run in a good opportunity.”

“Actually, that type of pitcher is the most difficult kind of relief pitcher. If a pitcher has a good fastball and a quick breaking ball, and even decent control, he’s a must-have for any team’s setup crew!”

“With one out and a runner on third, number 4 hitter Song Seok-hyun steps up to the plate. The Scorpions haven’t escaped the crisis yet.”

Kim Young-hee loosened up and took a breath.

The catcher’s sign was an outside slider.

Because he throws from a high release point, Kim Young-hee’s slider breaks vertically like a forkball.

It’s not easy mentally to aggressively go for a strike against Song Seok-hyun from the very first pitch.

Carefully, one pitch at a time.

Kim Young-hee’s first pitch was a ball.

“Song Seok-hyun didn’t even flinch.”

“Kim Young-hee’s slider had good movement, but Song Seok-hyun seemed to know it was going to be a ball.”

Kim Young-hee took a deep breath.

He showed a breaking ball, so now it’s time to use a fastball to get ahead in the count.

This time, he aimed for the outside edge of the strike zone.

Clang!

Song Seok-hyun pushed the ball to right field.

The ball sailed over the second baseman’s head and ripped through right-center for a double.

“Third base runner Seol Jin-il scores! The score is 2-0. The Goat takes another lead.”

“The Goat is adding runs little by little. This is usually the Scorpion’s strategy, isn’t it? Building up points one by one and then sealing the game with their ironclad bullpen. But today, the Goat is taking the lead with singles instead of a big hit.”

The Goat finished the inning without any further runs.

After that, the Goat brought up Go Jin-seok in the 7th and Jung Hong-min in the 8th, continuing their scoreless streak.

The Scorpions also held on without giving up any additional runs in the 7th and 8th, maintaining the 2-0 score with their own strong bullpen.

When Kim Jung-ryul went to the mound in the top of the 9th, Jamsil Stadium buzzed with anticipation.

He had recently made a critical error that cost them a direct ticket to the Korean Series.

Kim Jung-ryul warmed up on the mound with a tense expression.

Whack!

Whack!

After receiving the ball, Song Seok-hyun gave a thumbs-up.

Perhaps because he rested during the 준-playoff [semi-playoff], his pitches were even better.

Kim Jung-ryul’s talent is undeniable.

The problem is injuries and stamina, but since he’s free from both, it means Kim Jung-ryul is in top condition today.

Kim Jung-ryul struck out lead-off hitter catcher Gu Seung-cheol and then faced Hwang Gi-deok.

‘Curveball.’

Song Seok-hyun held his mitt up to his face.

Kim Jung-ryul’s pitch flew low to the ground.

The ball started to rise, and Hwang Gi-deok swung his bat.

Whoosh.

The ball seemed to be mocking Hwang Gi-deok’s bat as it passed by and went into Song Seok-hyun’s mitt.

Whack!

-Strike!

“An incredible curveball comes in for strike one. Hwang Gi-deok is shaking his head.”

“Kim Jung-ryul’s high curve is just as tricky as his sinking fastball. You have to use an uppercut swing to hit the sinker, but that angle doesn’t work for the curve. But if you don’t swing, it’s a tempting high pitch that makes you swing without even realizing it.”

“There’s a reason it’s called the UFO curve.”

The next pitch was a sinker aimed at the bottom of the zone, strike.

No balls, two strikes.

Kim Jung-ryul struck him out with a slider that broke away.

-Strike! Out!

“A swing and a miss! Kim Jung-ryul shows his ironclad pitching. Only one batter left. If he gets one more out, they’ll win Game 1 of the playoff.”

“The next batter is tricky, isn’t he? It’s Kang Gyun-seung. As the league leader in hits, he requires a cautious approach.”

Kang Gyun-seung lifted Kim Jung-ryul’s first-pitch sinker, but the ball didn’t leave the infield.

-Out!

“Out! It’s over! 2-0! The Goat wins Game 1 of the playoff against the Scorpions with a score of 2-0.”

“The Goat didn’t give up a single run today. They showed that the Goat’s bullpen is just as solid as the Scorpion’s ironclad bullpen.”

“The match between the Scorpions and the Goat was seen as a battle between the league’s best table setters [players who get on base frequently] and the league’s best cleanup trio [the 3rd, 4th, and 5th batters in the lineup, typically power hitters], but based on today’s game, the Scorpion’s sharp spear was dull, and the Goat’s big hit was powerful. The Goat didn’t miss their chances and showed a different side of themselves.”

“I wonder how tomorrow’s game will go. If the Scorpion’s sharp spear, Hwang Gi-deok, doesn’t come alive, the Scorpions will have a tough time tomorrow as well.”

Ham Seong-hoon came out of the dugout and high-fived each of his players.

A victory in the first game.

For the Goat, who have an even stronger lineup as the series progresses, it was the perfect result.

“……”

Scorpion’s manager Lee Geon-hoo stared at the Goat’s bench for a long time before leaving.

Ace Pitcher

Playoff Game 2

The night after Playoff Game 1.

Hwang Gi-deok applied an ice pack to his bruised side.

“Are you okay?”

Hwang Gi-deok shook his head at his roommate Kang Gyun-seung’s question.

“No. It hurts too much.”

“You should have dodged it. Why did you let it hit you?”

“There was no time to dodge. The ball suddenly came right at me! How could I dodge it?”

“Looking at that, it’ll probably be there until the end of the year. It won’t affect your playing, will it?”

“It’s just a ball. It’s not like I broke a leg or anything.”

“Looking at today’s game, they were relentlessly targeting your body. Will you be okay tomorrow?”

“It’s Lee Chang-hoon tomorrow. I can take one hit from Lee Chang-hoon’s pitch. Tell him to throw it inside. I’ll send it straight over the fence.”

“Look at that confidence. Can you really do it?”

Hwang Gi-deok looked at his bruised side in the mirror.

“I have to, out of spite. I’m not stealing bases tomorrow.”

“What do you mean? Why aren’t you stealing bases?”

“Because I’m going to hit a double instead.”

Hwang Gi-deok put on his shirt and puffed out his chest.

“I can’t back down so easily. I’m Hwang Gi-deok, after all.”

* * *

Game 2 Day.

Jamsil Stadium was packed from the start.

The Goat fans’ enthusiasm was so high that even the scalped tickets sold out early.

Before the game, Song Seok-hyun was catching Lee Chang-hoon’s practice pitches.

“Nice. Your pitches look great today.”

“I think my pitches have gotten a bit better lately. It was tradition for them to go bad at the end of the season, though.”

“If your control is good, we can win today without any problems.”

Lee Chang-hoon touched his shoulder once.

“Min-seok got a win, so I can’t lose out. Right?”

Lee Chang-hoon confidently took the mound, but his confidence didn’t last long.

Top of the 1st, lead-off hitter Hwang Gi-deok.

Lee Chang-hoon threw an outside fastball as his first pitch.

Hwang Gi-deok swung with all his might without looking back.

It was a double that ripped through left-center.

“Hwang Gi-deok gets a hit! Hwang Gi-deok is the first to get on base today.”

“Is this making up for yesterday’s poor performance? His swing is quite violent.”

“Hwang Gi-deok is swinging more aggressively than usual.”

“Many people only pay attention to Hwang Gi-deok’s speed, but Hwang Gi-deok is also a .300 hitter. His hitting ability is also top-notch. He’s not an easy batter.”

A double on the first pitch.

Lee Chang-hoon took a deeper breath and smiled.

“It’s okay, it’s okay.”

After giving up a hit on the first pitch, Lee Chang-hoon faced the second batter more cautiously.

First pitch changeup, second pitch slider against Kang Gyun-seung, 1-1.

Foul ball on the third pitch fastball, 1-2.

After giving up balls on the 4th and 5th pitches, he struck him out with a changeup on the decisive pitch.

“Swing and a miss! Lee Chang-hoon’s changeup is dancing today.”

“Wow, that changeup is really good. It’s like it stops for a moment as it comes in. Good changeups have good break like that.”

Song Seok-hyun threw the ball to Lee Chang-hoon and nodded.

Lee Chang-hoon’s changeup has definitely improved from the beginning of the season.

With a fastball and changeup like today, he can compete against any team.

The next batter is number 3 hitter Jung Dae-han.

As Jung Dae-han came out, the Scorpion fans started singing their cheers loudly.

“The fans’ affection for Jung Dae-han is amazing. Their expectations seem high.”

“He’s the Scorpion’s Rookie of the Year from a long time ago. He’s just turned twenty-one, but this year he recorded a .300 batting average, .400 on-base percentage, and .500 slugging percentage. He’s also a fast runner with over twenty stolen bases. You could say he’s a five-tool player [a player who excels at hitting, power, running, fielding, and throwing]. He hits well, hits far, runs fast, fields well, and has a good arm. Of course, Jung Dae-han is a first baseman, so his good arm isn’t obvious, but his throwing ability is also great. He’s truly a model of the Korean five-tool player.”

“There are many scary rookies in Korean professional baseball these days. Jung Dae-han last year, Song Seok-hyun this year. It just so happens that both players are on the screen together.”

Jung Dae-han stood at the plate, swaying his body up and down.

While the batter was getting into his rhythm, Song Seok-hyun called for a changeup on the first pitch.

Whack!

-Ball. Low.

“Jung Dae-han held back well. Jung Dae-han picks out the first-pitch changeup. The count is 1-0.”

“That eye. Jung Dae-han also has a good eye.”

Song Seok-hyun frowned.

He picked out the first-pitch changeup…….

If a right-handed pitcher’s changeup doesn’t work against a left-handed hitter, there aren’t many breaking balls to throw.

To see if he was just watching the pitch or if he picked it out, he moved his mitt to the outside.

“Lee Chang-hoon, second pitch. Strike. It’s a strike.”

Jung Dae-han clicked his tongue in disappointment.

A backdoor slider coming in on the outside.

Fastball on the 3rd pitch, foul.

Curveball on the 4th pitch, foul.

Changeup on the 5th pitch, foul.

With a 1-2 count, Lee Chang-hoon threw another changeup.

“……!”

Even Song Seok-hyun, the catcher, could tell it was a flat changeup.

Jung Dae-han effortlessly hit the ball as it came.

“Hit! It’s a hit! A hit that rips through right-center. The batter runs to second, and the runner on second goes all the way home, safe! Safe! The score is 1-0. The Scorpions take a 1-0 lead.”

“It’s fortunate that it ended with a double. The pitch was high and flat. If he had hit it properly, it could have been a dangerous pitch that could have been a home run.”

“You could say it was Lee Chang-hoon’s mistake, right?”

“It was a mistake. It was Lee Chang-hoon’s mistake. Changeups are easy on the pitcher’s arm and good for inducing strikeouts and ground balls, but they have two clear disadvantages. One is that the fastball velocity decreases as the usage rate increases, and the other is that because it’s a pitch that requires killing the spin, there’s a higher probability of a flat mistake. That’s exactly what’s happening now.”

Song Seok-hyun sighed.

Could his good condition have been a detriment?

When his velocity wasn’t good, he put effort into each changeup, resulting in fewer mistakes.

The pitches that were released in the later half of the game, even those with slightly less drop, were not as effective as the current pitch, which had almost no drop.

Song Seok-hyun pointed his hand down, signaling to drop the changeup well.

“The next batter is RBI machine [Runs Batted In] Jo Yang-cheol. He’s a player who gets even stronger in clutch situations, right?”

“His batting average with runners in scoring position is .379. He’s the epitome of a number 4 hitter [the cleanup hitter]. A number 4 hitter who brings in runners. A batter who gets stronger in crises and doesn’t miss opportunities.”

Song Seok-hyun held his mitt out to the outside.

It’s easier to use sliders and curveballs against a right-handed hitter.

First pitch was a curveball for a strike.

Jo Yang-cheol sighed.

The next pitch was a fastball, foul. Two strikes.

Jo Yang-cheol bit his dry lips.

“Two strikes. It’s two strikes. Jo Yang-cheol is now in a tough count.”

“Lee Chang-hoon’s pitches are definitely good. He made a mistake, but his overall form is good today.”

Song Seok-hyun called for a slider.

Lee Chang-hoon’s slider was a foul.

The next pitch, a curveball, was taken by Jo Yang-cheol, 1-2.

Song Seok-hyun signaled for a changeup again, pointing his hand down.

Drop it no matter what.

Lee Chang-hoon nodded.

Lee Chang-hoon’s pitch dropped this time for sure.

However, the only flaw was that the place where it dropped, increasing the drop, was higher than the batter’s knee height.