On The Rise As A Catcher [EN]: Chapter 255

Fisch struck out Lee Jae-hoon after a full count but then gave up a hit to Kim Jae-hong, the next batter.

Kim Jae-hong, a national team left fielder, was a hitter who could be relied upon for a .300 batting average and 20 home runs as a medium-long distance hitter.

He was also a fast runner capable of stealing 20 bases every year.

[Kim Jae-hong is taking a bigger lead. Stealing a base won’t be easy with Song Seok-hyun catching.]

[Even if he doesn’t steal, just the threat is enough to bother the pitcher.]

[Fisch attempts to check Kim Jae-hong. Kim Jae-hong stands his ground and retreats.]

[Kim Jae-hong isn’t an easy player to deal with. He’s quick-witted. Fisch should stop focusing on Kim Jae-hong and concentrate on the batter.]

[The batter is Choi Dae-gyu. Goth traded Choi Dae-gyu and Kang Moon-gyu to Wales last year for Jung Hong-min and three pitchers. He couldn’t play last year due to his circumstances, but he’s finally playing this season.]

[Choi Dae-gyu isn’t a pure home run hitter, but he could easily hit 20 home runs in Jamsil Stadium [a baseball stadium in Seoul known for being difficult to hit home runs in]. You can expect more than 30 home runs from him at Incheon Stadium [known as a hitter-friendly ballpark].]

Boos and cheers mingled as Choi Dae-gyu stepped up to the plate.

Goth fans probably disliked Choi Dae-gyu, who had caused controversy with his drunk driving, but Wales fans had been eagerly awaiting a strong hitter for a long time.

Bang!

Bang!

1-1 after two fastballs from Fisch.

When Song Seok-hyun signaled for a changeup, Fisch shook his head.

Fisch chose a curveball.

The batter swung and missed at Fisch’s curveball.

[1-2. It was a perfect situation to steal a base, but Kim Jae-hong didn’t attempt it.]

[He might have thought Fisch wouldn’t throw a curveball.]

With the count at 1-2, Song Seok-hyun called for a changeup.

As Fisch threw the ball, the runner took off.

Song Seok-hyun caught the ball cleanly and extended his leg.

The batter didn’t swing, making the count 2-2.

Song Seok-hyun fired the ball straight to second base.

Just as second baseman Jung Dong-gyu reached out to catch the ball, Kim Jae-hong slid, his foot colliding with Jung Dong-gyu’s leg.

[Ah! The ball is loose! Jung Dong-gyu dropped the ball! The runner gets up and advances to third base, safe!]

[We need to review this. The slide was a bit aggressive.]

As Jung Dong-gyu lay on the ground, Goth players rushed toward Kim Jae-hong.

Not to be outdone, Wales players stepped in front of Kim Jae-hong, engaging in a tense standoff with the Goth players.

A precarious situation.

Goth players argued with the umpire about the play.

As the umpire hesitated, Wales manager Hwang Geun-sung came out of the dugout.

“What’s the problem? He wouldn’t have been tripped if he knew how to avoid a slide. Avoiding a runner’s slide is basic baseball, isn’t it? It’s a legitimate play by the runner, why are you making such a fuss?”

Yu Sun-ho’s eyes flashed at Hwang Geun-sung’s words.

Jung Dong-gyu got to his feet, trying to recover, but he could have been seriously injured.

“Manager!”

As Yu Sun-ho raised his voice, a coach ran out and stopped him.

Yu Sun-ho shouted to the coach, clearly upset.

“No, it’s not like he was blocking the base path, and his foot was way out there. Is it normal to kick like that? It’s not! Are you trying to injure our players?”

Hwang Geun-sung ignored Yu Sun-ho’s outburst and addressed the umpire.

“The runner didn’t leave the three-foot lane [the base path a runner must stay within], and he didn’t intentionally slide at the infielder. His body and legs were clearly aimed at the base, and one foot just happened to stick out a little and trip the infielder. That’s not interference. Right? Check the rules. The fielder is at fault for poor defense, not the runner for playing the game.”

Ham Sung-hoon also came onto the field, no longer content to watch from the sidelines.

With both team managers on the field, the umpires separated the players and made a ruling.

-Safe.

As Hwang Geun-sung pointed out, it wasn’t interference according to the rules.

Avoiding the runner’s slide is the infielder’s responsibility.

However, it was unusual to see a runner’s foot stick out so far and collide with the infielder’s leg.

“No, umpire!”

As Ham Sung-hoon raised his voice, the umpire pointed toward the Goth dugout.

“I won’t tolerate any more disruptions. Go back. The decision stands. Now!”

Ham Sung-hoon had a retort on the tip of his tongue, but he swallowed it down.

It’s never good to get on the bad side of the umpire.

The players returned to their positions, but the fans’ anger hadn’t subsided.

Objects and trash were thrown onto the field, and the game was delayed for more than 10 minutes.

The game resumed with one out, a runner on third, and Choi Dae-gyu at bat, the count at 2-2.

Fisch, his arm briefly cooled down, threw a fastball exceeding 150 km/h [approximately 93 mph] toward the batter’s body.

Thud!

The sound of weak contact echoed as the ball rolled slowly toward first base.

Kim Jae-hong, the runner on third, couldn’t score because the ball was hit too softly.

First baseman Yu Sun-ho charged to field the ball, and Fisch ran to cover first base.

The moment Yu Sun-ho threw the ball to Fisch, there was a crunching sound, and Fisch collapsed.

“What the hell, you punk!”

Yu Sun-ho chased after Choi Dae-gyu, who had already touched first base and was running toward second.

Other Goth players joined the pursuit of Choi Dae-gyu.

Fisch lay on the ground, cursing.

[Oh, oh. This isn’t good.]

[This could escalate into a major brawl.]

Even the Wales players poured out of their dugout.

It was a bench-clearing brawl.

Whether Choi Dae-gyu did it intentionally or not, stepping on Fisch’s foot instead of the base was the spark that ignited the conflict.

“You son of a bitch. Are you kidding me! Huh!”

As Yu Sun-ho grabbed Choi Dae-gyu by the collar, Wales coaches tried to separate them.

As the fight intensified, the umpire frantically shouted at the players to stop.

At that moment, Fisch, limping, pushed through the crowd and approached Choi Dae-gyu.

“Hey!”

Fisch’s appearance caused both Goth and Wales players to pause momentarily, and Fisch punched Choi Dae-gyu.

Choi Dae-gyu ducked, and Fisch’s fingers grazed his helmet.

“Fuck! Fuck!”

Fisch shook his hand in pain and sat down again.

Enraged by Fisch’s punch, Wales players surged forward, and this time, Goth players blocked them.

As the fight escalated, the umpire took action.

“Fisch! Ejection!”

“What did you say?”

Ham Sung-hoon, who was standing nearby, was astonished and challenged the umpire’s decision.

“No, Fisch is the victim here, why are we being ejected?”

“He used violence!”

“They’re the ones who started it!”

“Choi Dae-gyu’s action was an incident that happened during the game, and Fisch used violence in a dead-ball situation!”

“No, this isn’t right!”

Ham Sung-hoon, rarely one to lose his temper, was turning red in the face.

The umpire, feeling Ham Sung-hoon getting too close, pushed him back and became furious.

“Did you push me? Did you touch me? Ejection! Manager Ham Sung-hoon is also ejected!”

“Are you kidding me?”

As the atmosphere grew increasingly tense, the coaches restrained Ham Sung-hoon.

The fans in the stands and the players on the field were in a state of chaos.

Manager Hwang Geun-sung was calmly writing something in his notebook.

Ham Sung-hoon couldn’t control his anger even after returning to the bench and stormed off.

Coach Ahn Young-jae followed Ham Sung-hoon.

“Manager.”

“Coach! This isn’t right. We should at least get a warning for their blatant attempt to injure our player!”

“Ha.”

Ahn Young-jae took off his hat and scratched his head.

“He’s always been like that.”

“What did you say?”

“Hwang Geun-sung has always been like that. He’s someone who provokes the opponent and causes injuries whenever he can, as long as he doesn’t technically break the rules. To him, baseball isn’t a sport. It’s war.”

“No, what…”

Ham Sung-hoon’s mouth dropped open.

“Are you saying it’s all intentional?”

“It’s intentional. Probably 100% intentional.”

“Then you should have stopped him! Shouldn’t you, as a coach, have intervened?”

“Hoo.”

Ahn Young-jae shook his head.

“How can I stop him when he’s so cunning? No matter what we do, he’ll use every trick to get under our skin.”

“No, how can you play baseball like that in this day and age?”

“I was surprised too. It’s really old-school baseball, and instead of adapting to the current trends, he’s become even more ruthless than before. There’s a reason why he’s called a short-term game wizard. If he messes with your head like that, not many people can handle it. If you get hit a few times, you become so worried about it that you lose your focus, and if you get angry, you can’t play your game. That’s just how it is.”

“So, are you saying we have to just accept it even though we know what he’s doing?”

Ahn Young-jae remained silent.

Ham Sung-hoon pointed toward the field.

“At least the umpire should give them a warning, shouldn’t he?”

“Hwang Geun-sung has been around for a long time. He has connections everywhere. The umpires are also influenced by him. Unless it’s absolutely clear, the umpire will just try to avoid making a tough call.”

“Ha.”

Ham Sung-hoon covered his face with his hands.

A manager like that in this day and age.

“If baseball is war, then we should just recruit strong fighters and start brawls. Who would want to work hard at baseball? This is an insult to baseball. Baseball is a sport. A sport with rules.”

“He probably thinks he’s following the rules himself. If the umpire doesn’t call it, then he’s within the rules.”

“…I don’t even want to be associated with someone like that.”

Ham Sung-hoon grabbed Ahn Young-jae’s hand.

“I got ejected, but please take care of the team. Since Fisch is out, bring up Chun-woon or Baek Chan.”

“Yes, I understand.”

“And send Fisch to the hospital right away.”

“Don’t worry. The umpires will be watching more closely now. If we play our best, we’re not inferior to Wales, are we?”

As Ahn Young-jae said, the game between Goth and Wales, played with renewed intensity, ended in a decisive victory for Goth.

9-4.

With a comfortable 5-point lead, Goth fans flooded baseball websites with posts celebrating justice being served.

However, the news that broke the next day plunged Goth fans into despair.

[Fisch out for at least two months due to finger and ankle injuries]

[Fisch may face suspension for violence during the game]

[Manager Ham Sung-hoon receives a stern warning from KPBL [Korea Professional Baseball League]]

Ace Fisch’s absence for two months.

The front office held an emergency meeting.

“Should we prepare to sign a replacement foreign player?”

“How many decent players are even available on the replacement foreign player list right now?”

“Should we wait for Fisch? Or replace him?”

“In this situation, we’ll miss at least half of the first half of the season.”

Amid the heated debate, everyone’s attention turned to team leader Kim Hak-in.

Excluding the nominal general manager, Kim Hak-in, the operations team leader and general manager’s assistant, was effectively the decision-maker.

Kim Hak-in asked.

“What’s the manager’s opinion?”

“He asked us to gather opinions and report them to him. He said he’ll decide after assessing the available replacement foreign players.”

“Hoo, is the replacement foreign player list any good?”

“It’s safe to say there’s no one at Fisch’s level. After all, the season has already started.”

“That’s right… Then we’ll end up bringing in some mediocre players again. And if they don’t perform, we’ll have to replace them again.”

Kim Hak-in tapped his foot on the floor.

“Okay. First, narrow down the replacement foreign player list to about five players and compile their data. Send the information to the manager. And tell him that he doesn’t need to worry about budget constraints.”

“Yes, I understand.”

Kim Hak-in folded his hands behind his head.

“What a mess all of a sudden. Everything’s going wrong.”

Rising High as a Catcher

The Start Was Good (4)

It was early morning, before the players were awake.

The coaches had gathered early.

Ace Fisch’s injury.

The coaches’ faces were grim.

“If the ankle is the main problem, is there a risk of recurring issues during the season?”

Conditioning coach Ham Sung-hoon asked, and the team’s athletic trainer replied.

“Whether it’s a pitcher or a hitter, the ankle is important, but it’s less critical for a pitcher. Fielders have a lot of sudden movements, whereas pitchers mostly repeat fixed motions, so if he rehabilitates properly, there shouldn’t be any major problems.”

“Then what about bunt defense or covering first base?”

“That could be a slight issue, but not to the point where it would prevent him from playing the season.”

“What does the pitching coach think?”

Yeon Woo-shik said.

“I have similar thoughts. A sprained ankle usually requires a cast for 2-3 weeks followed by rehabilitation, so it’s not a major concern. However, I think the finger injury is a bigger problem.”

“You said the finger wasn’t seriously injured, right?”

“When I visited him yesterday, his finger was very swollen. If his hand is in that condition, he won’t be able to grip a ball for at least a month, so I’m worried he’ll lose his feel for pitching.”

Ham Sung-hoon nodded.

“That makes sense. In the worst-case scenario, we should be prepared for him to miss two or three months. So… does anyone think we should replace Fisch?”

No one raised their hand.

Pitching coach Yeon Woo-shik said.

“Even if it’s difficult, replacing Fisch at this point could backfire. The top free agents have already signed contracts, and it’s even harder to find someone at Fisch’s level. Looking at the replacement foreign player list, there’s no one comparable to Fisch.”

Other coaches added their thoughts.

“I’d rather he be out for six months! Then we’d replace him with heavy hearts, but two or three months is too short. If it’s uncertain, we should trust Fisch and stick with him. He’s our ace.”

“Fisch will recover quickly. He’s a great pitcher.”

“Okay. Let’s decide to stick with Fisch for now. What do you think about promoting Chun-woon to be a replacement starter?”

“Chun-woon pitched well as the 5th starter last year. I think Chun-woon is a perfect fit.”