On The Rise As A Catcher [EN]: Chapter 244

The players’ smiles quickly vanished.

The leadoff hitter for the Goats in the top of the 9th was Park Jong-il.

The batting order of Park Jong-il, Jo Ji-ho, Kang Ha-young, Jung Dong-gyu, and Jung Young-soo was the weakest, averaging below .250.

The opposing pitcher was Oh Gyu-ok, the league’s ace closer.

Although the score was only separated by a single point, a cold assessment of the situation offered little reason for optimism.

“I’m not telling you to get a hit, but try to get on base somehow. That’ll give us a chance, okay?”

Top of the 9th.

It was the Goats’ turn to bat, but the Pegasus were practically already celebrating their victory.

Song Seok-hyun, the league’s most feared hitter, had been substituted out, leaving a lineup of weaker hitters.

The pitcher was the top-tier closer, Oh Gyu-ok.

Even a glance at the anxious faces of the Goats fans made it clear who held the advantage.

“Jong-il.”

The hitting coach called Park Jong-il over and whispered in his ear.

“Grip the bat two fingers shorter.”

“Yes? Should I choke up on it?”

“No. Swing hard. Just grip the bat shorter.”

Park Jong-il tilted his head, puzzled, and headed to the plate.

Grip the bat short but swing for a big hit?

Still doubtful, Park Jong-il gripped the bat shorter.

Game 7 of the Korean Series, top of the 9th, one-point difference.

Both teams were on edge, but the Pegasus players looked relaxed.

A smooth victory, barring any errors.

After stopping Song Seok-hyun with a single, the game felt as good as won.

‘Four-seam fastball.’

Jung Yong-wook [the catcher] didn’t give a complicated sign.

He casually positioned his mitt outside.

Oh Gyu-ok’s repertoire consisted of only two pitches: fastball and slider.

However, his pitches were so sharp and his control so precise that hitters were often fooled, even when they knew what was coming.

Park Jong-il and Jo Ji-ho had some power, but their eye and contact ability were below average.

There was no need for a drawn-out battle.

Get ahead in the count with an outside fastball and then strike them out with a breaking ball.

Of course, since he was facing a hitter with some power, he couldn’t throw it carelessly into the strike zone.

He had to deceive the hitter by slightly taking the ball out, exploiting the umpire’s generous strike zone.

Since Park Jong-il was a hitter who often rushed, he would likely swing at similar pitches.

Whack!

Strike!

“Strike. Pegasus gets a strike with a fastball on the first pitch.”

“His corner work is excellent. Oh Gyu-ok’s control is superb.”

Park Jong-il licked his lips.

It’s way outside.

The umpire’s zone was already wide, and the ball looked even farther with the bat gripped short.

Park Jong-il had no choice but to move closer to the plate.

The second pitch was also a fastball.

Park Jong-il couldn’t swing this time either.

Ball.

Fortunately, it was a ball, but he couldn’t commit to a swing.

The third pitch was a slider.

This time, it was a little outside, ball.

2-1.

Jung Yong-wook frowned.

Is this a strategy? The hitter is being too selective with his swing.

At this rate, he’ll only fall behind in the count.

Jung Yong-wook signaled for an inside fastball.

The pitcher nodded.

The fourth pitch was an inside fastball.

As soon as the ball entered the strike zone, Park Jong-il swung without even realizing it was an inside pitch.

Thwack!

The ball hit far below the sweet spot, producing a muffled sound.

It would have been a routine ground ball, but the ball soared over the shortstop’s head and broke through into left-center field.

“Hit! Hit! Park Jong-il gets a hit and reaches base.”

“Park Jong-il tenaciously battled and finally turned the pitch he wanted into a hit. Good job! Such a strategic play. Park Jong-il seems to have grown even more.”

Hitting coach Kang Yeon-tae clenched his fist.

Park Jong-il’s power is above the league average.

Even if it’s an inside pitch, he can overcome it with power.

The problem is that the opponent’s go-to pitch is a slider, so more than 80% of the pitches are outside.

To get the opponent to come inside with a pitch, the outside pitches have to be ineffective.

Park Jong-il wouldn’t be able to distinguish between a fastball and a slider with good control on the outside, so he took a gamble.

What if he doesn’t swing at the outside pitches at all?

The opponent would be wary of Park Jong-il’s power and avoid aggressive battles, and then there would be a chance for an inside pitch…

“It worked.”

Kang Yeon-tae smiled broadly.

He got a hit and got on base, but it was still first base with no outs.

The batting order wasn’t favorable for the Goats.

A pinch hitter would be ideal, but there were none available.

Park Jong-il and Jo Ji-ho, who could have been pinch hitters, were already playing as infielders, so there was nothing to be done.

At that moment, someone approached Song Seok-hyun.

Everyone was so focused on the game that no one noticed.

Clang!

Jo Ji-ho hit a ground ball on the first pitch and was out.

One out, runner on first.

Pegasus fans were already getting up from their seats, unable to contain their excitement.

The next hitter was defensive replacement Kang Ha-young.

Although Kang Ha-young had played well today, the pitcher was Oh Gyu-ok, and luck only lasts so long.

The hitter after that was the fragile Jung Dong-gyu.

As the fans had feared, Kang Ha-young struck out on three pitches.

The Goats fans covered their faces.

The last hitter… Jung Dong-gyu, who swung his long arms like a monkey.

He was in his 7th year as a pro, but he had never hit more than five home runs in a year.

His nickname was Paper Doll.

His career batting average was .245.

A dark cloud hung over the Goats’ bench.

The most distressed were the executives accompanying Goats chairman Kim Myung-jin.

“Ugh.”

Kim Myung-jin looked like he was about to collapse, clutching the back of his neck.

Ninety-nine out of a hundred baseball fans would have predicted the Pegasus’ victory here.

Oh Gyu-ok was sharp, and Jung Dong-gyu looked so thin that he would sway even in the autumn breeze.

“Oh dear, oh dear.”

Jung Dong-gyu groaned just from the act of lifting his bat.

Jung Yong-wook held back a smile and signaled for an inside fastball.

Inside pitches were more effective for Jung Dong-gyu, who had long arms, than outside pitches.

Jung Dong-gyu was swaying more than usual today.

Jung Dong-gyu tilted his head as if something was wrong, then looked back and was startled.

The hitter tried to call time by raising his hand, but the pitcher had already started his pitch.

Pitcher Oh Gyu-ok put all his strength into the ball.

This was the last hitter.

He would dominate him without leaving any regrets.

At the same time as the pitcher started his throw, the hitter started his swing.

His expression was full of bewilderment, but his body reacted first.

A faster timing than usual.

Jung Yong-wook thought it was a little strange, but he dismissed it as an attempt to hit Oh Gyu-ok’s fastball.

However.

As a black object flashed before Jung Yong-wook’s eyes, he suddenly felt a chill down his spine.

Jung Dong-gyu’s bat, which would normally have been pushed back even if he hit Oh Gyu-ok’s pitch, swung powerfully.

Bang!

“Ugh.”

Jung Dong-gyu groaned as his body was dragged along by his own swing.

What came out of the hitter’s mouth was a groan, but what came out of the pitcher’s mouth was a scream.

“No… no way.”

The ball split the left-center field.

Center fielder Shim Chang-gyu ran towards the fence but soon slowed down.

The ball was flying so far that he couldn’t even attempt a jump.

The ball flew far, farther, farther, farther, farther.

It flew so far that no one could have imagined that Jung Dong-gyu had hit it.

The Goats fans put their hands together and prayed desperately.

The Goats players shouted until their throats were hoarse.

Please, go over.

Please.

Please.

Goats chairman Kim Myung-jin also shouted until his voice was hoarse, “Go over!”

The executives who had reluctantly come to the stadium with the chairman also shouted with one voice.

Please.

Go over!

…Thud.

The ball cleared the fence and landed in the upper part of the stands.

“Wowwwwwwwww!”

“Home run! Home run! Home run!”

“It’s a home run!”

Even the announcer sounded bewildered.

“…Ho, home run! It’s a home run! Jung Dong-gyu’s two-run shot! A come-from-behind two-run shot! A come-from-behind two-run shot! 8-7! 8-7! Jung Dong-gyu’s come-from-behind two-run shot!”

“This is a miracle! It’s a miracle! Jung Dong-gyu hit a home run! And in the Korean Series against Oh Gyu-ok! This is truly a miracle! It’s a miracle!”

Jung Yong-wook stared blankly at the bat on the ground.

The bat was very familiar.

A black, long, and large bat.

“Why is that here?”

Song Seok-hyun’s trademark and prized possession, the black bat, was lying on the ground.

Rising as a Catcher

Korean Series Game 7 (13)

“My bat?”

Top of the 9th, Jo Ji-ho’s at-bat.

Jung Dong-gyu spoke to Song Seok-hyun.

“Yeah. I thought practicing with yours would be better than using bat weights.”

“Okay. Go ahead.”

“Thanks.”

Jung Dong-gyu held Song Seok-hyun’s bat and slowly swung it in one corner.

Song Seok-hyun’s bat was head-heavy.

Many hitters deliberately used heavy bats to get a feel for their swing before going to the plate.

Usually, they practiced with bat weights, but Jung Dong-gyu borrowed Song Seok-hyun’s bat to absorb some of his energy as well.

“It’s heavy.”

He couldn’t understand how Song Seok-hyun used such a bat.

It felt like his body was being dragged along because the head was so heavy.

But he could easily feel the weight of the head, so he could feel how the swing was flowing.

“Hoo. Hoo. Hoo.”

The bat was heavy, but the swing felt strangely natural.

He was used to using light bats like whips, but using heavy bats like hammers made him feel like he was training like he did in high school.

Slowly, but accurately.

Jung Dong-gyu fell in love with Song Seok-hyun’s bat for a moment.

“What are you doing! Aren’t you going to the on-deck circle?”

“Yes? Yes, yes.”

Jung Dong-gyu was momentarily dazed and quickly headed to the on-deck circle.

Oh Gyu-ok’s pitch, which he saw from the on-deck circle, was a masterpiece.

Even when he made good contact with Oh Gyu-ok’s pitches, they were always foul balls, and even better hits were fly outs.

The ball had so much power and spin that he couldn’t even dream of getting a hit.

“Hoo. Hoo. Hoo.”

Still, he felt confident that he could get a hit this time because the bat was heavy.

With this bat, any pitch he hit would be a long hit.

There was a reason why pitchers feared Song Seok-hyun.

On average, at least 50% of all pitches were four-seam fastballs.

No matter how powerful the fastball was, even a 160 km/h [~99.4 mph] fastball would be crushed if it hit this bat.

Since the hitter’s bat was heavy, long, and difficult to handle, breaking balls were immediately effective.

It was difficult to follow and hit breaking balls with a heavy bat.

Of course, Song Seok-hyun was the best hitter in the league because he could handle most breaking balls.

Pitchers facing Song Seok-hyun were essentially forced to limit their use of the four-seam fastball, which typically accounted for the largest share of their pitches.