On The Rise As A Catcher [EN]: Chapter 263

“McKenzie’s performance against the Astro Boys hasn’t been great, so we should get the bullpen ready quickly.”

“I think so too. Let’s watch until the 5th inning and prepare for a change right away.”

Bottom of the 1st, GOAT’s attack.

Astro Boys’ foreign pitcher, Kent, delivered three consecutive outs with two strikeouts, using a fastball exceeding 160 km/h [approximately 99 mph].

[Harold Kent’s powerful pitching! Kim In-hwan’s bat can’t even keep up.]

[He’s a completely different pitcher. At the beginning of the season, many said he was just fast, but now his control is decent. Fastballs over 160 km/h are not common even in the major leagues.]

Astro’s manager Jefferson applauded and greeted the pitcher coming into the dugout.

The pitching coach also smiled broadly and applauded.

“Fastballs really work here.”

The manager laughed at the coach’s words.

“The data doesn’t lie. The Korean league is weakest against fastballs. Korean hitters struggle to hit even a fastball thrown right down the middle if you have a decent breaking ball.”

“Kent’s also gained confidence.”

“Confidence is half of what a pitcher needs. If you don’t believe in your pitches, you can’t show your true ability, no matter how good your stuff is. Kent was the best choice for us in Korea.”

Top of the 2nd, GOAT scoreless. Bottom of the 2nd, GOAT’s attack.

Foreign pitcher Kent narrowed his brow, looking at the catcher’s sign.

A slider that tails away outside.

He was immediately annoyed at the call for an outside pitch from the first pitch.

He knew that Song Seok-hyun, the lead-off hitter, was a good hitter, but avoiding contact with pitches like that wasn’t his style.

He shook his head once, and the catcher reluctantly called for a fastball.

The catcher had no choice but to follow the pitcher’s lead.

Kent raised his leg with all his might and threw the ball.

A ball exceeding 160 km/h [approximately 99 mph].

It was slightly centered but controlled low and outside.

Song Seok-hyun briefly rotated his hips.

The bat came out late, and when it met the ball, the ball spun wildly and flew to left-center field.

[Going! Going! Gone~~~!!!]

The swing was concise, but the distance was exceptional.

A 140m [approximately 459 feet] home run.

Kent took off his hat and wiped away sweat.

“……You know those are unavoidable.”

At the pitching coach’s words, manager Jefferson let out a hollow laugh.

“Why didn’t that guy go to the major leagues?”

Soaring as a Catcher

Blazing Bat (2)

As Song Seok-hyun started, Yoo Seon-ho and Kim Wook added their strength.

[Hit! Hit! Three consecutive hits! Kent is faltering after the home run.]

[Kent has been sharp lately, but the GOAT lineup is fierce.]

GOAT’s consecutive hits led to three runs.

The pitching coach came up to the mound.

“I told you to throw confidently. Why are you trying to control it so awkwardly?”

“……Sigh. Okay. I’ll concentrate more.”

“Give them what you can. You know you can’t end the game without giving up a hit or a run, right?”

“I know.”

After the pitching coach went down, Kent put his hands on his hips.

After the coach left, he gave up another run.

He ended the inning with a double play, but as soon as he entered the dugout, he threw his glove down.

“Is he acting up again?”

“Leave him alone. Who else is he going to vent to after getting hit like that?”

“Those GOAT bastards. They should be nice to the foreign player, but they’re being too harsh.”

Choi Jae-guk, the fourth batter and team captain, opened his mouth.

“Alright. Let’s go pay them back.”

“Let’s go!”

Top of the 3rd, Astro Boys’ attack.

The lineup started with the 8th batter, but the pitcher allowed two consecutive hits.

[Both teams’ lineups are formidable today. Both teams’ bats are hot.]

[If you look, the Astro Boys players are all swinging for the fences. There’s not a single half-hearted swing. They’re all taking their full swing, whether they make contact or not. Usually, the lower lineup focuses on getting on base, so their swings are short and concise. Most of them tend to push the ball to the opposite field. But the Astro Boys players don’t show any of that.]

Song Seok-hyun clenched his lips.

He put his mitt outside and signaled for a breaking ball, but the pitch was centered, resulting in another hit.

Song Seok-hyun got up and walked to the mound.

“Your concentration seems to be slipping. The pitches keep getting centered. You know that, right?”

McKenzie nodded.

“I can’t control the ball the way I want to. Is there something wrong with me today?”

“Well, I don’t see anything wrong… You’d know better than me. Is there anything bothering you?”

“No. I feel fine.”

“Try throwing with less power. You keep trying to increase your speed, but our goal is to get them out by contact. Don’t try to overpower them; let them self-destruct. You know they swing for the fences even if you throw it casually, so if you just control your pitches, you can get easy outs, right?”

“Okay, okay. I’ll try.”

Song Seok-hyun came down from the mound.

Seeing this, the pitching coach said to the battery coach.

“His timing is definitely good. Right? He goes up there at just the right moment without even being signaled.”

“He used to be a pitcher himself, so he probably knows better.”

Mckenzie immediately threw an inside pitch to the next batter from the first pitch.

A slightly centered pitch.

The batter swung with all his might, and the ball slowed down and dropped.

A 118 km/h [approximately 73 mph] circle changeup.

The batter’s bat grazed the ball, sending it towards the shortstop.

[The shortstop catches the ball and throws to 2nd! 2nd to 1st! Double play! McKenzie makes another double play.]

[The Astro Boys have a lot of hits, but they also have a lot of double plays.]

Song Seok-hyun chuckled.

The sign Song Seok-hyun gave was for an outside circle changeup.

The much slower changeup than usual caused the batter to mistime his swing.

“That swing is brutal, brutal.”

Both teams allowed 16 hits through the 5th inning, turning the game into a slugfest.

The score was 5-3.

Kim Wook’s three-run homer broke the tense balance.

[Going! Going! Going! Home run! It’s a home run! A home run that goes over the left fence! Kim Wook shows off his power even in Jamsil Stadium. The score is 8-3. They’re leading 8-3.]

[Kent is finally collapsing like this. He’s a pitcher with good speed and power, but if his control doesn’t back it up, his performance will inevitably fluctuate.]

[Kent is finally coming off the mound. Jefferson usually fills up to the 5th inning, but 8 runs is not easy.]

Manager Jefferson sighed deeply.

“GOAT is definitely strong. It’s not easy with just fastballs.”

At the pitching coach’s words, manager Jefferson shrugged.

“If you could win just by throwing fastballs, would that be baseball? We were prepared for these kinds of games a few times each season.”

“GOAT hitters definitely seem to be a bit better than other teams. It won’t be easy in the future.”

“Last time, their starters collapsed early, so we won easily, but if you look at the game, it wasn’t easy. Sigh, the championship team is definitely different. They have ups and downs, but they have a certain level.”

That day’s game ended with GOAT winning 12-8.

A game where even closer Kim Jung-ryul was mobilized.

After the game, Kim Jung-ryul was drenched in sweat and complained.

“They’re really getting tougher and tougher. When I saw them from afar, I thought they were just swinging wildly, so it would be easy, but when I actually faced them, I was sweating bullets. It’s no joke.”

Song Seok-hyun said.

“It’s not just the full swings, they also have a good eye for the zone. They never miss the pitches they like. Whether they get a hit or a double play.”

“Can the players change this much just because the manager and coaches changed?”

“They were originally a good hitting team. If you add major league coaches to that, they’re bound to improve.”

“Are you praising them?”

Song Seok-hyun wiped the sweat from his hair.

“It’s not so much praise as just an observation. I don’t think the ball’s rebound has increased this year, but there are a lot of good hitting teams. Not just us, but also the Astro Boys and the Gwangju Bulls.”

“Seeing them do well as soon as they changed the coaches to foreigners makes me think the guys who were in charge before were pretty bad. How can they do this well just by changing coaches?”

“It won’t be easy for our team this year either; everyone’s power level has become standardized.”

“The only easy team is Phoenix, but Kim Young-hoon is there. Ha.”

Song Seok-hyun smiled bitterly at Kim Young-hoon’s name.

“If Kim Young-hoon starts throwing seriously, I don’t think anyone in Korea will be able to hit his pitches.”

“Not even you?”

“I’m no different. How can a hitter hit a 163 km/h [approximately 101 mph] fastball from a left-hander with good control, deception, and perfect breaking balls? Even Ji-sung had trouble making contact.”

“Why did that monster come back? Ha. Is he really not going to the majors?”

“I know, right? Someone like Kim Young-hoon should have gone to the majors.”

* * *

“Why the hell didn’t that bastard Song Seok-hyun go to the majors and stay here?”

Another Astro Boys pitcher, Shin Gyu-won, complained, and other players added their thoughts.

“He’s scary even when he doesn’t swing. He’s even scarier when he does.”

“Ha, that crazy bastard’s on-base percentage is already close to .500. His slugging percentage is .700.”

“Why is a guy who should have gone to the majors destroying the ecosystem here?”

Team leader Ahn Min-hwan, who had been quiet, opened his mouth.

“Don’t forget what the manager and coach said. It’s 100,000 won fine for every walk. You have to shove it in there, even if you get hit.”

“Ah, hyung [older brother/senior]. You saw it today. The one time we put it in the zone, he hit a home run right away. It’s best to avoid Song Seok-hyun.”

“Then give him a walk. Didn’t you forget what the manager said? He won’t use pitchers who avoid contact. So, take care of yourselves.”

The pitchers’ expressions soured.

“A showdown with Song Seok-hyun, avoid Kim In-hwan and Yoo Seon-ho. Ah, I really hate it, hate it.”

* * *

The next day, the second game against the Astro Boys.

Lee Chang-hoon of GOAT versus Shin Gyu-won of Astro Boys as starters.

Most people expected a pitching duel as it was a match between two pitchers called aces, but when the lid was opened, it was a mess from the start.

[It’s going over! Kim Kyung-shim’s two-run shot! The Astro Boys report a home run first today! 2-0!]

[This time, it’s GOAT’s three-run homer! Hulk Kim In-hwan! The Jamsil fence is nothing more than a neighborhood wall to Kim In-hwan!]

The consecutive home runs made the name of the ace match meaningless.

Ace Shin Gyu-won stood on the mound with his knees bent.

“Yawang! Yawang! Yawang!” [King of the Night!]

As Kim In-hwan entered the dugout, the players shouted Yawang.

Kim In-hwan’s face turned red, and he waved his hand, telling them not to.

“If you don’t like Yawang, should we make it Yawhang [Night Hangover]?”

“Ooh. Yawhang is good, Yawhang.”

“Ah! What Yawhang? Don’t do that!”

Shin Gyu-won’s suffering did not end there.

After Kim In-hwan, it was Song Seok-hyun.

After Song Seok-hyun, it was Yoo Seon-ho.

After Yoo Seon-ho, it was Kim Wook.

Shin Gyu-won got two strikes with two fastballs and then threw his best pitch, a backdoor slider.

It was a pitch that most hitters would flinch at, but Song Seok-hyun’s bat did not hesitate.

Thwack!

“Ah…… Shit.”

Shin Gyu-won closed his eyes.

[Solo home run! Song Seok-hyun! His 18th home run of the season! The score is 4-2! Song Seok-hyun! At this pace, 30 home runs are easy, and 40 or 50 home runs seem possible. Fans are even saying that’s not enough.]

[That’s how high the expectations are. If there were more opportunities, Song Seok-hyun would have more home runs. But because pitchers are so reluctant to face Song Seok-hyun, Kim In-hwan and Yoo Seon-ho are given much more opportunities.]

Shin Gyu-won struck out Yoo Seon-ho and took a breather, but he allowed consecutive hits to Kim Wook, Kim Jung-deok, Jung Dong-gyu, and Jung Young-soo, making it 6-2.

From the 1st inning, he gave up 6 runs, and even manager Jefferson was constantly talking to the pitching coach about whether or not to make a change.

In the top of the 2nd, Lee Chang-hoon was hit with a three-run homer, so he changed his mind to wait and see, but Seol Jin-il’s solo home run and Kim In-hwan’s back-to-back followed, and he replaced Shin Gyu-won, Busan’s pride and ace, in the 2nd inning.

[This is Jamsil Stadium, folks! Both teams seem to be playing baseball in a ping pong room today. It seems like the ball goes over the fence as soon as it’s touched.]

[Since two teams with hard to compare offensive power met, Jamsil is no exception. Even though both teams’ starting pitchers are Lee Chang-hoon and Shin Gyu-won, there is no one who can stop the bats that have once ignited.]

[The essence of exciting offensive baseball is coming out. Isn’t this the taste of baseball? The fun to watch is really the best!]

The audience cheered for the exciting slugfest, but the pitchers’ faces turned white as the innings went on.

In the Astro Boys bullpen, the pitchers gathered and spoke in low voices.

“Let’s give up throwing inside today. There’s no answer.”

“Let’s just give them walks and only compete on the outside.”

“Are you all just going to pay the fine? The manager and coach told us to put the ball inside no matter what.”

“Hey, hey. If we mess up this three-game series, our ERA will go up by 1 or 2 points. I’d rather pay the fine; if my ERA collapses, my salary negotiation will be ruined.”

If they couldn’t overcome the burning bats, they had no choice but to avoid them.

The Astro Boys gave up two walks from the 3rd inning and gave up at least one walk every inning.

It was no use even if the coach roared and the manager scolded sternly.

The Astro Boys pitchers’ hearts froze in the face of GOAT’s blazing lineup.

“Damn it. They’re really scared.”

GOAT scored more than 20 points that day.

The score was 22-5.

It was a day when they gave up as many as fourteen walks.

GOAT dragged the next day into an exciting slugfest with the Astro Boys and won 13-9.

A three-game sweep.

GOAT even took the next weekend’s three-game series against Pegasus with a winning series, chasing first-place Astro to within one game.

And the next game… A mid-week three-game series against the Astro Boys was waiting in Sajik Stadium, Busan.

Soaring as a Catcher

Blazing Bat (3)

“Wow, isn’t this even more intense than Jamsil?”

First day of the mid-week three-game series in Busan.

Song Seok-hyun couldn’t close his mouth as he looked at the fans filling Sajik Stadium even before the game started.

It was a matter of course to sing cheering songs, and there were already middle-aged men taking off their shirts and dancing in various places.

“There’s a reason why it’s called the City of Baseball. If you’re good at baseball, Busan is the end, the end. The fans’ hearts are the best, and their fanaticism is even more amazing.”

That was Kim Jung-ryul’s words.

GOAT, which has now risen to second place alone, and Astro Boys, the first place team being chased to the chin by GOAT.