On The Rise As A Catcher [EN]: Chapter 1

Rookie Graduate Catcher.

He gets a second chance in Jamsil [a neighborhood in Seoul known for its sports complex, including a baseball stadium].

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Catcher’s Triumphant Progress

Bonehead Player

The year is 2012.

“Fighting!”

“Let’s go! Woojin!”

“One, two, three! Woojin High Fighting!”

Spring sunlight streams onto the green field.

May.

It’s the season when the weekend league is in full swing in high school baseball.

Today was the last game of the first half of the weekend league.

As befitting the last game, a large number of scouts flocked to the stands.

For high school baseball players whose ultimate goal is to be drafted by a professional team, today’s game was more important than anything else.

“Hoo…”.

The pitcher on the mound takes a breath.

Even though it’s spring, sweat is beading on the pitcher’s forehead.

The score on the scoreboard is 6-5.

The count is 3-2.

The pitcher’s name was listed as Jang Dae-hee.

The pitcher took off his hat and wiped away sweat.

The batter also raised his hand and stepped out of the batter’s box.

While the batter went to change his bat, claiming it was slightly cracked, the commentators said:

“Well… Jang Dae-hee is about to throw a very important pitch.”

“I just confirmed that Jang Hyuk-jin is in the commentary box. Oh, he’s retired, so he’s not a player anymore. Should I call him former coach Jang Hyuk-jin?”

“Haha, even if he’s a retired player, wouldn’t it be better to call him player Jang Hyuk-jin?”

“Yes, that’s right. Player Jang Hyuk-jin hasn’t been seen all season, so I was wondering if he would show up today. But in the end, all fathers feel the same way. He’s showing his face like this.”

“Like father, like son. They say a great dog never comes from a bad dog, right? It’s fascinating to see the son of Jang Hyuk-jin, a legend of the Bulls who dominated professional baseball, performing so well. He’s such an outstanding pitcher that even Major League scouts are keeping an eye on him.”

“Yes, he showed outstanding skills since middle school, and there was a lot of talk about which high school he would go to. But it was a big surprise when he went to Woojin High, a newly established team, right?”

“That’s right. Prestigious teams courted him a lot. But it is said that his father, Jang Hyuk-jin, had a strong influence. Woojin High made a huge investment and sent him a love call, and it worked.”

“Yes, so thanks to that, Woojin High is on the verge of winning the weekend league in just three years. A lot of excellent players went to Woojin High at that time. Right?”

“Yes, that’s right. Song Seok-hyun, who is currently the catcher, was also an amazing player in middle school, wasn’t he? In fact, until his first year of high school, Song Seok-hyun was considered a super high school player, a player who would go straight to the Major League… Yes, well, as you know, he retired from pitching due to an injury. If Song Seok-hyun had been healthy, Woojin High’s leap would have been a year faster, I think.”

“Yes, it was a very unfortunate thing. And it’s amazing. A catcher is not a position that can be mastered in a day or two, right? The most difficult and challenging position in baseball is catcher, but he took over the starting catcher position in just one year after his injury.”

“Hahaha, they say ‘ya-jal-jal’ [a Korean slang term meaning ‘those who are good at something are good at everything’] is popular these days, right? Those who are good at baseball are good at it. He’s a truly typical genius. I don’t understand how he adapted to the catcher position so quickly. His batting is also decent. He took a break due to an injury, but he’s batting over .300. His fundamentals as a catcher are not yet refined, but he is talented enough for professional teams to covet.”

“Ah, the batter is coming in now. He took a lot of time.”

The last game of the first half of the weekend league was unusually attended by professional baseball commentators.

It was thanks to the Baseball Association’s adjustment to avoid overlapping schedules with professional baseball as much as possible on days with important high school baseball games in order to revive high school baseball.

The game was also broadcast on TV.

In the stands, professional baseball, college baseball, and Major League scouts were all focused on the game.

“Woahhh.”

Boos poured out as the batter entered the batter’s box.

The Woojin High cheering squad raised their voices at the obvious tactic of deliberately stalling for time.

As it was Woojin High’s first final, not only the students but also the principal, faculty, and foundation directors were all in attendance.

Pop pop.

The catcher glanced at the batter while hitting his mitt with his hand.

The batter is Park Mu-jin from Sang-ah High.

He is a clever and intelligent player.

He is a batter who walks a tightrope between illegal and legal, not only glancing at the catcher, but also listening to every footstep of the catcher.

‘Sign change.’

Catcher Song Seok-hyun exchanged signs with the pitcher.

Two outs, bases loaded. A hit will bring a come-from-behind victory.

The batter will thoroughly respond with a push hit.

The pitch the batter is waiting for is an outside breaking ball.

Since the catcher has to move his body to make a stable catch with an outside breaking ball, even a slight footstep can reveal the intention to the opponent.

Pretending to induce an outside ball, moving his feet, and the decisive pitch is a high fastball on the inside.

Even if he hits it, it will be a weak hit, and the game is over if he gets one out.

‘Inside fastball.’

The catcher changed the sign to the inside.

The pitcher nodded. They had changed signs several times, so they couldn’t be confused.

The pitcher swallowed hard.

The catcher relaxed his body and lifted his heels slightly.

A sure opportunity to make an impression on the scouts as a catcher.

As the pitcher wound up, the catcher slightly moved his body to the outside.

The batter’s bottom hand shoulder is already turning inward.

It’s a sign that he’s aiming for the outside.

‘Got it!’

The catcher quickly moved his body back towards the batter and slightly raised his mitt.

It doesn’t have to be a strike.

The fact that the batter’s shoulder is already out means he’s impatient.

It’s a guaranteed swing.

Even if he hits the ball, it’s a guaranteed out.

Thwack!

The pitcher throws the ball.

A fireballer who throws a fastball at 150km/h [approximately 93 mph].

Even if his power is reduced, he is a pitcher who throws over 145km/h [approximately 90 mph].

A pitcher called one of the top 3 in high school baseball now that Song Seok-hyun, who was called the top in the nation, is gone.

Jang Dae-hee’s fastball, thrown with determination, cannot be hit unless you aim for it.

“Huh?”

Song Seok-hyun exclaimed without realizing it.

It’s supposed to come inside, but it’s coming to the center of the strike zone.

It seems like a center pitch, but it’s going outside.

A typical slider trajectory.

Jang Dae-hee’s slider curves a lot horizontally.

The ball is gradually going outside.

The batter’s bat is already out.

Song Seok-hyun also quickly threw his body in the opposite direction.

Reverse pitching.

No, a sign mistake.

Why an outside slider?

Song Seok-hyun stretched out his mitt.

Even if he gets hit, it’s still a tie if it ends with a single.

The ball went far outside, and the batter accurately aimed for the ball.

Whoosh.

A slider that completely goes outside, which even the batter’s bat cannot follow.

It was a swing and a miss.

And…

“Ah! The catcher missed it! Passed ball! It’s a wild pitch!”

“Runner runs! Third base runner! Third base runner scores!”

“The second base runner is also running! The second base runner is now stepping on third! Stepping! The catcher throws the ball to the pitcher! Tag! Tag! Tag… He couldn’t do it! The timing was late! Ah! It’s over! Sang-ah High! Sang-ah High reverses the score from 5-6 in the last 9th inning with two outs!”

“Well, I don’t know what to say. It’s not strange for Sang-ah High to win, but not with this kind of finish. A game-ending error. Even though it’s high school baseball, this lack of fundamentals is too unfortunate.”

“Was it because of the short training time as a catcher? The pitcher perfectly made the batter swing and miss, but Woojin High misses the chance to win the championship trophy, which they were so close to achieving in just three years since its founding, because he couldn’t catch this ball.”

“It’s a pity, Song Seok-hyun. It’s commendable that he grew as a catcher in a short period of time, but missing this basic catch… Ah…”

“It’s a pity, isn’t it?”

“It’s a pity. It’s a pity. Many important people came today, and almost all the scouts came, but this is not a good look at all. It’s not a good look for the team, but it’s also very bad for him.”

“I just found out that Woojin High’s catcher calls the signs himself. The coach must have had great faith in catcher Song Seok-hyun. Usually, the signs are called from the bench.”

“He clearly moved his body to the outside. But he couldn’t respond to the outside ball while doing the reverse motion. This is so-called showboating; it’s because of showboating. If you look at the Major League or professional baseball, catchers move their feet back and forth, right? That’s to prevent information from being exposed to the batter, but the problem is that amateur baseball catchers move their feet without any meaning. That became a poison.”

“The last scene was unfortunate, but Sang-ah High wins the first half of the weekend league and adds another trophy.”

“It’s a pity for Woojin High, but they have to aim for the second half. There are still many Bonghwangdaegi [Phoenix Flag National High School Baseball Tournament], Cheongryonggi [Blue Dragon National High School Baseball Championship], and President’s Cup [National High School Baseball Championship] left. If they reorganize and challenge again, there is a possibility.”

On the field, Sang-ah High players shared hugs of joy.

Woojin High players dropped their heads in a daze.

Catcher Song Seok-hyun looked at the pitcher with a blank face.

Pitcher Jang Dae-hee turned his head when he met Song Seok-hyun’s eyes.

Did they confuse the signs at the crucial moment?

Besides, at the end… Song Seok-hyun threw the ball properly when backing up the pitcher.

It was clearly an out timing.

It would have been an out if the pitcher hadn’t tagged in reverse motion.

The pitcher’s actions at the time don’t make sense at all.

Why?

Song Seok-hyun hears a mixture of curses and cheers.

Not only Woojin High students, but also faculty, the board of directors, and parents all gathered for today’s game.

The scouts were watching.

It was a nationally broadcast game.

But he completely ruined it.

He completely ruined today’s game.

To others, it’s the catcher’s fault.

It wasn’t that the pitcher’s ball bounced, or that it was a wild pitch, but he couldn’t catch it.

The catcher moved his body to the outside and couldn’t catch the ball.

It’s unfair.

It’s unfair.

It’s not his fault, it’s the pitcher’s fault, but it’s unfair.

He feels the eyes staring at him resentfully. He hears the sigh of the coach who supported and cared for him. He can vividly imagine his mother’s crying, who would have been anxiously watching him from afar, even though he can’t see it.

Damn it. Damn it. Damn it. Damn it!

Damn it!

* * *

Spring quickly passed and summer was approaching. A golden time when baseball players should be running around the field.

Song Seok-hyun was groaning in his sleep.

“Ugh!”

Song Seok-hyun opened his eyes with a scream.

“Hoo, hoo. Hoo. Hoo.”

His forehead was covered in sweat.

Even the blanket was stained with sweat.

Song Seok-hyun raised his hand and wiped away the sweat.

“Ha.”

He swallowed hard.

It’s another dream.

It was quiet for a few days, but it’s the same dream again.

Song Seok-hyun got up from his seat and headed to the bathroom. He washed his face with cold water and looked in the mirror in front of the sink.

“Hoo.”

His beard was messy because he didn’t shave properly. He had gained weight and his cheeks were chubby. His hair was unkempt like a chestnut head.

Song Seok-hyun wiped his face and sat in front of the computer.

When he turned on the computer, Jang Dae-hee’s name was in the search bar.

-Jang Dae-hee! Will he stay in Korea?

-Major League or Korea? Jang Dae-hee’s choice?

-The Wolves’ first choice is Jang Dae-hee.

-How will the Wolves’ choice be evaluated?

Song Seok-hyun looked at the desk calendar.

Today is the draft day.

He didn’t expect it, but as expected, no team chose him.

After that day, after that game, Song Seok-hyun’s nickname was Bonehead Player.

No team would nominate a Bonehead Player who has a short catcher career, is injured, and has committed a critical error.

Ring ring.

At that time, the phone rang.

Catcher’s Triumphant Progress

Cut off when no longer needed

“Here, here!”

A huge man waved his hand towards Song Seok-hyun.

Next to him stood a bespectacled man with a physique so small that he was dwarfed in comparison.

And next to the two men was a woman with long straight hair. The woman had fair skin and delicate features that made people turn around even though she was wearing black horn-rimmed glasses.

“Oh, oh.”

Song Seok-hyun waved his hand perfunctorily.

Song Seok-hyun’s muscles were more prominent because he was wearing a short-sleeved shirt and shorts.

Song Seok-hyun looked at the woman and chuckled.

“Na-young is here too. What’s wrong, aren’t you studying late?”

The woman’s name was Kim Na-young.

“Because of him.”

Kim Na-young pointed to the huge man.

“Minam?”

One of the passersby burst out laughing at the word Minam [Korean for ‘handsome’].

The man with a height approaching 190cm [approximately 6’3″] and a fierce impression was Jung Minam, Song Seok-hyun’s childhood friend.

The small man was Kim Young-seok.

The four had been friends for over 10 years.

“Why Minam?”