On The Rise As A Catcher [EN]: Chapter 241

If my changeup is that good, I only need to throw fastballs and sliders.

And the next batter is Kim Wook.

He’s a tricky hitter to overpower.

Lee Baek-chan threw five outside fastballs in a row, making the count 2-2.

Kim Wook swung at almost every similar pitch.

Three foul balls already.

Lee Baek-chan’s fastball had real power.

-Slider.

After throwing fastballs repeatedly, now is the perfect time for a sharp, outside breaking ball.

The angle of Lee Baek-chan’s slider was sharp.

A slider so fast and sharp that most hitters wouldn’t even be able to touch it.

But the location was the problem.

The slider went right into the middle of the strike zone.

Bang!

Kim Wook swung his bat without hesitation, as if he were hitting batting practice.

As soon as the ball was hit, the Pegasus fans stood up and cheered.

You could tell just by looking at it.

The ball hit by Kim Wook was a massive home run that struck the top of the center field fence.

“Kim Wook hits a two-run home run in the bottom of the 7th! The score is 7-6. It’s a back-and-forth game at Suwon Stadium. A two-run home run answered with another two-run home run. The Pegasus pay them back in kind!”

“Indeed. That’s what a cleanup hitter does. A cleanup hitter scores when the team needs it most. He delivers when it counts. Not just anyone can handle the Pegasus’s cleanup hitter position. Kim Wook, the ‘Man of Autumn’! His upcoming free agency [FA; the period when a player can sign with any team] is going to be even hotter.”

Kim Wook’s bat spun in the air before falling.

The bat flew all the way to third base.

“Kim Wook! Kim Wook! Kim Wook! Kim Wook! Kim Wook!”

Kim Wook raised his fist as he stepped on the base.

The colder it gets, the hotter this man becomes.

Kim Wook looked at Song Seok-hyun, who was standing blankly as he came into home.

“Thanks, Seok-hyun.”

Kim Wook grinned as he touched home plate.

Song Seok-hyun turned his head without a word.

“Goth is changing pitchers again.”

“Lee Baek-chan was pitching well, but one bad pitch ruined everything.”

While the pitcher was being replaced, the Goth fans were busy chugging beer.

That was the best way to soothe their burning insides.

Even Goth’s chairman, Kim Myung-jin, emptied his 500cc glass in one go, despite those around him trying to stop him.

“This is why I can’t come to the ballpark. Ugh, it’s frustrating.”

The new pitcher was Hong Dae-sung.

Hong Dae-sung only allowed a double to Jung Yong-wook and finished the inning by getting the next three batters out.

The score was 7-6.

With one point behind, Song Seok-hyun came up as the lead batter in the top of the 8th.

As Song Seok-hyun appeared, the Goth fans stood up from their seats.

-Oh! Oh! The King of Jamsil has come! Oh! Oh! The King of Jamsil has won!

The cheers were reminiscent of Jamsil Stadium [Goth’s home stadium], not Suwon.

At the plate was Song Seok-hyun.

On the mound was Jung Kwang-wook.

Jung Yong-wook bit his constantly drying lips.

Just get through the 8th, just the 8th.

If I get through the 8th, I won’t have to see Song Seok-hyun today.

Success Story as a Catcher

Korean Series Game 7 (10)

Jung Kwang-wook took a breath.

A one-point game, and the opponent is a rising star and the league’s best slugger.

A tricky hitter with both accuracy and power.

Jung Kwang-wook was grateful that he only had two pitches: a four-seam fastball and a splitter.

If he had three, four, or five pitches, he would have been agonizing over which one to throw.

He only had two cards to play.

He had nothing to do but clear his mind and be careful not to make mistakes.

‘Fastball.’

Jung Yong-wook’s sign was simple too.

An outside fastball sign.

Today, the Pegasus were planning to aggressively use inside pitches against Goth, but not now.

In the 8th inning with a one-point lead, you have to be as careful as crossing a bridge made of glass.

Especially when the opponent is Song Seok-hyun.

“Hoo.”

Jung Kwang-wook dropped the rosin bag.

Song Seok-hyun’s expression showed neither tension nor carelessness.

Empty-minded.

It’s even more frustrating because his emotions aren’t showing.

Jung Kwang-wook’s first pitch was a fastball that filled the outside corner.

Whack!

-Strike!

“151km/h! Jung Kwang-wook throws a fastball right from the start.”

“You can’t hit a fastball with that kind of control, even if you know it’s coming.”

Song Seok-hyun simply glanced once and didn’t react much.

Jung Yong-wook breathed a sigh of relief.

With this kind of control, even Song Seok-hyun wouldn’t be able to easily hit it.

The second pitch was a splitter.

The rapidly falling splitter landed on the ground before it even reached the mitt.

Jung Kwang-wook raised his hand to apologize to Jung Yong-wook.

The commentator shook his head.

“Jung Kwang-wook, he’s putting too much strength into his arm right now. When a splitter bounces that quickly, it’s usually because there’s too much tension in the body. It happens when you try to drop the ball.”

“It would have been a disaster if there had been a runner on base.”

“Yes, that’s right. That’s why he seems to be throwing the splitter more aggressively now that there are no runners. But Song Seok-hyun is a very picky hitter. He doesn’t swing at just any pitch. Even if Jung Kwang-wook’s splitter is good, he won’t swing unless it looks like a fastball at first.”

1-1.

Song Seok-hyun looked at Jung Kwang-wook with his shoulders relaxed.

Jung Kwang-wook’s third pitch was an outside fastball.

Song Seok-hyun’s bat moved.

Clang!

The ball flew like a bullet and hit the net in the first base stands.

-Foul.

1-2.

Jung Kwang-wook swallowed hard, even though he had gotten a strike.

If the ball had been even a little more inside, it would have been at least a double.

His shoulders naturally felt heavy because he knew what kind of accident could happen if he missed just one pitch.

‘Splitter.’

Jung Kwang-wook nodded at Jung Yong-wook’s sign.

Now is the time to throw a splitter, with the count in his favor.

Jung Kwang-wook spread his fingers a little more.

Reducing the spin even more to increase the drop.

The ball that left Jung Kwang-wook’s hand flew towards the bottom of the strike zone.

At the same time, Song Seok-hyun’s shoulder turned.

As the ball fell, Song Seok-hyun’s bat chased after it.

The moment the ball and bat met, the ball fell further down.

Thwack!

With a dull sound, the ball bounced strongly off the ground.

Song Seok-hyun threw his bat and sprinted to first base.

Jung Yong-wook lunged forward and reached out his hand.

It’s long…….

The time it took for the ball to fall due to the large bounce felt like an eternity.

As soon as Jung Yong-wook caught the ball, he threw it hard to first base.

Watching the ball leave his hand, Jung Yong-wook thought, ‘Oh no.’

He had put too much strength into his shoulder.

The ball was fast, but it slid to the left.

First baseman Kim Han-sung stretched out his leg and arm to catch the ball.

Kim Han-sung wobbled as he lost his balance and eventually fell.

Kim Han-sung’s foot was off the base.

At the same time, Song Seok-hyun stepped on the base.

Safe.

Up to this point, it was an error-like play caused by Jung Yong-wook’s mistake, but what followed was an accident.

“Oh, oh!”

A runner on first base usually steps on the base and runs along the foul line unless they intend to go to second base.

Song Seok-hyun had to take a few more steps due to the momentum even after stepping on the base.

The problem was Kim Han-sung.

He lost his balance and fell, blocking the foul line with both legs.

Song Seok-hyun tried to avoid it, but his left foot ended up getting caught on Kim Han-sung’s calf.

Thud!

“The two players have collided! Song Seok-hyun is down, and Kim Han-sung is also lying down.”

“Ah, Song Seok-hyun fell pretty hard just now, didn’t he? It looks like the coach and medical staff need to go in right away.”

“Song Seok-hyun almost did a somersault as he rolled. I hope he’s okay.”

The screen zoomed in on Song Seok-hyun’s suffering face.

Song Seok-hyun’s family, friends, and Kim Na-young, who were watching this on TV, turned pale.

“Seok-hyun. Seok-hyun!”

The coach immediately knelt beside Song Seok-hyun.

Song Seok-hyun groaned and replied.

“Ugh. Yes.”

“Are you okay? Is it bad?”

Song Seok-hyun took a breath.

His face was already covered in sweat.

“Well… I, I don’t know.”

“Your leg. Can you stretch out your leg?”

“Just, just a moment.”

Song Seok-hyun slowly began to stretch out his leg.

The coach watched Song Seok-hyun with a nervous expression.

“My leg… my leg seems okay.”

“Really? Ha. That’s a relief. How about anywhere else?”

Song Seok-hyun took another breath and quickly frowned.

“Why? Where? Where does it hurt?”

“My shoulder. My shoulder is… it hurts a lot more than I thought.”

“Your shoulder?”

“Yes. I think my shoulder got compressed when I fell.”

“Your arm. Try lifting your arm.”

Song Seok-hyun slowly raised his right arm and bit his lip.

“Does it hurt?”

“I can lift it, but there’s some pain…”

“Haa, really?”

The coach touched Song Seok-hyun’s shoulder with a stiff expression.

Song Seok-hyun groaned and endured it.

“Seeing that there’s no problem with the range of motion, it’s not a major injury. But it hurts every time I press it, right?”

“Yes.”

“It seems like the muscle is just shocked. It’s tight. Let’s stand up for now. Can you stand up?”

“I’m okay now.”

“Good. I’ll support you. One, two.”

Song Seok-hyun returned to the bench with support.

Ham Sung-hoon checked on Song Seok-hyun and asked the coach.

“How is he?”

“We need to replace him. His shoulder and trapezius muscles are completely shocked and tightened up.”

Ham Sung-hoon bit his lip.

Replacing Song Seok-hyun is unexpected.

Fortunately, it’s the 8th inning.

There’s a high probability that Song Seok-hyun’s at-bat was his last one.

Seo Il-hyuk, who will come out as a replacement, has solid defense, so there’s not much to worry about.

However, there was one concern.

What if, by some stroke of luck, the batting order comes around to him in the 9th?

If the batting order comes around, it means that Goth has seized a real opportunity, and if Song Seok-hyun isn’t there at that time, it means they’re missing a golden opportunity.

Could it just be a worry……?

“Il-hyuk. Seo Il-hyuk.”

“Yes!”

“Get ready.”

Seo Il-hyuk had already gotten up from his seat and was stretching.

While the game was delayed, the stadium was truly a war zone without gunfire.

Song Seok-hyun was helped off the field, but Kim Han-sung, who caused the incident, got up from his seat and brushed off his clothes without any injuries.

Seeing this, the Goth fans poured out boos and curses without holding back, and the Pegasus fans responded even louder.

Before leaving the bench, Seo Il-hyuk approached Song Seok-hyun first.