On The Rise As A Catcher [EN]: Chapter 104

The TV screen displayed a hexagonal graph with six vertices: starter, bullpen, batting lineup, defense, baserunning, and strategy.

“Goth leads in the starting lineup, and Wales in the bullpen, but Goth has reinforced the bullpen with this trade. Ultimately, the game will be decided by the strength of the batting lineup.”

“Goth will have to hope the KS duo [likely refers to a specific pair of key players] is in good form today.”

“However, Wales’ batting lineup isn’t weak either. They have the national team’s first and second batters. If those two get on base, Goth will have a headache.”

“Wales with its national team’s first and second batters, or Goth with its emerging KS duo? Today’s game for fourth place will be really interesting.”

-Play ball!

The game started.

In the top of the first, Robert Eugene of Wales was the starting pitcher.

His pitches hovered around 140 km/h [approximately 87 mph], but he was a pitcher who showed stability with excellent control.

He mixed three types of pitches—fastball, slider, and changeup—to induce ground balls from the batters. When the pitcher was in good condition, it wasn’t uncommon to see a three-up, three-down inning [an inning where the pitcher retires the side in order with only three batters].

-Bang!

-Out!

“Seol Jin-il tried to hit the first pitch again today, but the right fielder catches it without moving.”

“Just now, even though it was a bit centered in the strike zone, the first batter seems too aggressive. He needs to calmly watch the ball. If he does this, the next batter won’t have time to adjust. It would have been better if he had gotten a hit, but the first batter is out with a fly ball on the first pitch. Not good.”

“Goth must feel bitter. They know better than anyone that Seol Jin-il is an aggressive player, but there’s no better first batter than Seol Jin-il, who is currently batting .300 with an on-base percentage of .400.”

“It’s a shame that Seol Jin-il is the first batter. He would be a better player if he were in the second or third spot.”

“Wasn’t Yoo Seon-ho, who was traded this time, supposed to be in the cleanup [the fourth batter in the lineup, typically a power hitter]? That means we might have to keep seeing Seol Jin-il as the first batter.”

“If Lee Ji-sung, who was traded with him, recovers his old form, he could be the national team’s first batter… But it’s not just a slump, so it won’t be easy.”

Kim In-hwan came up as the second batter.

Song Seok-hyun put his bat on his shoulder and matched his frequency to the pitcher’s timing.

The second batter, Kim In-hwan, sees more pitches than the first batter, Seol Jin-il.

The opposing pitcher also expects a walk against Kim In-hwan and throws the ball far outside.

Recently, Kim In-hwan’s number of balls per at-bat is more than four.

It was a suitable number for Song Seok-hyun to adjust his aim.

“Ball. Fills the bases with balls.”

“Robert Eugene doesn’t bother to engage, does he? Just now, it was a ball combination that was like, ‘It’s good if he swings, but if not, oh well.'”

“Is it a strategy to avoid facing the hot batting lineup?”

“Goth is lacking in the lineup behind the first through third batters. Choi Jae-wan and Oh Jin-young were chosen as backups for Kang Moon-gyu and Lee Nak-gyun at the beginning of the season, so it’s hard to expect much from them.”

As Song Seok-hyun entered the batter’s box, Robert Eugene picked up the rosin bag.

Song Seok-hyun, standing at the plate, was slender.

He was a little over 180cm tall [approximately 5’11”] and weighed around 80kg [approximately 176 lbs].

Even by Korean league standards, not to mention the major leagues, he wasn’t a big guy.

The thought that he couldn’t hit far with that physique crossed my mind, but I shook my head.

The manager told me to avoid him, so I should at least pretend to follow his instructions.

Bang!

The pitcher’s first pitch was an outside fastball.

The umpire hesitated for a moment and called a ball.

“Ball.”

“That course was exquisite, wasn’t it? It went in well, but it seems like half a ball was missing, which is a shame.”

Robert Eugene narrowed his eyes.

The batter should have flinched at such a good course, but he didn’t move.

He held the bat as if he knew for sure it would be a ball.

The catcher’s second pitch was also an outside fastball.

Robert Eugene pushed the ball a little more inside.

-Strike!

“Robert Eugene puts the ball in a good course.”

“The batter can’t help it when a ball like that comes in. Robert Eugene has good control.”

Song Seok-hyun stepped out of the batter’s box for a moment and loosened his shoulders.

The pitcher had a slight smile on his face.

That meant he was aiming for a strike.

“Hmm.”

Song Seok-hyun took a breath and stepped into the batter’s box.

Since pitchers often openly avoided him, Song Seok-hyun was refraining from swinging the bat.

If a pitcher was going to compete against him, he needed to change his mindset.

‘Slider, outside.’

The pitcher nodded at the catcher’s sign.

A batter who missed a fastball would be impatient.

A slider that curves outward in a similar course is tempting for an impatient batter.

Robert Eugene is a pitcher who is well-regarded for his control even in Triple-A [the highest level of minor league baseball].

The pitcher’s ball flew as predicted, along the course the catcher requested.

Bang!

“Song Seok-hyun! Hit! He gets a hit! A hit that goes through the gap between right and center field!”

“He hit it cleanly, didn’t he?”

“I thought it caught the end of the bat, but it flies quite far.”

“I don’t really feel that Song Seok-hyun’s bat is longer than others, but it really stands out at times like this. If it were another player, it would have been a foul at best, but now it hit slightly above the sweet spot.”

“Robert Eugene gives up a 1-out, 1st and 3rd base situation here.”

Robert Eugene frowned as he received the ball from the catcher.

It was a well-executed slider.

It didn’t go too far outside.

A breaking ball that flew into the strike zone and then went out of the zone.

Even major league batters would have been deceived by a ball like that.

“Wow, what an amazing league.”

There are batters who look like they belong in Single-A [a lower level of minor league baseball], and there are batters who are rare even in the major leagues.

The KPBL [Korean Professional Baseball League] league was a chaotic mess that was hard to predict.

-Out!

-Out!

“Robert Eugene gets two consecutive strikeouts and gets through the crisis in the first inning.”

“Choi Jae-wan and Oh Jin-young are dismissed too weakly. It was good to see the ball for a long time, but they couldn’t connect it to a hit.”

“Then let’s move on to the bottom of the first inning.”

Bottom of the first inning.

Seo Il-hyuk was in charge of the catcher’s mask.

Song Seok-hyun watched the game from the bench, looking forward to the later innings.

“Han Min-seok is on the mound.”

“He was the ace [best pitcher] of the Foxes, wasn’t he? He’s been doing well in Goth too, but not as much as he did in the Foxes.”

“His pitches are fast, he has a lot of walks, and he’s a pitcher with a lot of ups and downs depending on his personality.”

“Yes, that’s right. He does really well when he’s on, and he doesn’t do well when he’s not. He has good skills, but he also has clear shortcomings.”

“You could say he gets ‘scratched,’ right? He’s a really good player on days when he’s scratched [meaning he’s having a particularly good day].”

Bang!

Bang!

Bang!

-Walk. Batter on first base.

Han Min-seok gave up a straight walk as soon as he came to the mound.

All the pitches were off by one or two balls.

Han Min-seok shook the rosin bag and took a breath.

“Kim Jae-hong, Wales’ second batter, is coming in. He’s a strong second batter. He can easily hit 20 home runs, right?”

“That’s right. Lee Jae-hoon, a first batter who can steal 40 bases, and Kim Jae-hong, a second batter who can hit 20 home runs. They are Wales’ sharpest blades. They are also Wales’ main scoring route.”

“Lee Jae-hoon is on first base, constantly looking for a chance to steal second.”

“It’s tough for the pitcher. If you pay attention to Lee Jae-hoon, you’re worried about Kim Jae-hong’s big hit, and if you focus on Kim Jae-hong, you’re worried about Lee Jae-hoon’s speed. Either way, you have to be sure of one thing. You shouldn’t be greedy against the national team’s first and second batters.”

The pitcher checked first base.

The runner was safely on base with ease.

Even against left-handed pitcher Han Min-seok, the runner didn’t have a tense expression.

Han Min-seok lifted his leg slightly and checked again.

“The ball got away! It got away!”

“The runner goes to second! Steps on second and goes to third… but doesn’t go. He gives up greed and stops at second.”

“Han Min-seok, that’s a shame. Was he too focused on checking?”

“This kind of mistake is the same as giving up a hit. They bunt and strategize to advance the runner one base while wasting an out count, but this doesn’t get an out count and only benefits the opposing team.”

Song Seok-hyun shook his head.

The pitcher was impatient.

The runner is fast, and catcher Seo Il-hyuk doesn’t have a good enough arm to catch a fast runner.

The pitcher himself wasn’t confident in his slide step [a quicker way to deliver the ball to home plate when a runner is attempting to steal], so he threw the ball to keep the runner on first base, but he put too much strength into his shoulder.

The pitcher didn’t trust himself, and the catcher didn’t give the pitcher confidence.

Song Seok-hyun clenched his fist.

It’s a shame.

He’s frustrated with the current situation of sitting on the bench because he lacks experience.

Bang!

“Hit! Kim Jae-hong gets a hit! The runner on second goes straight home! It’s safe! Kim Jae-hong’s timely double!”

“He hit it easily, didn’t he?”

“Goth couldn’t score even when they got to the 5th batter, but Wales scores 1 point with the 2nd batter. The atmosphere is already tilting from the start, right?”

Han Min-seok sighed.

Error followed by a bad pitch.

He should have taken another breath before throwing.

He always realizes his impatience after throwing a bad pitch.

“Yang Seon-woo, the third batter, is coming in.”

“He’s a batter with a chance for a long hit. You have to be careful. You shouldn’t rush the game.”

The battery [pitcher and catcher] exchanged signs on how to throw the first pitch.

The pitcher was thinking of a fastball, but the catcher asked for a slider.

The opposing team’s batters know better than anyone that the pitcher’s mind is racing.

Left-handed fireballer [a pitcher who throws with high velocity].

Han Min-seok thought that if his fastball went in properly, the batters wouldn’t be able to hit it.

The more difficult the situation, the more he clung to his fastball.

Han Min-seok believed that the pitcher should throw the ball he throws well.

The opposing batters knew this, so they focused on the fastball when facing Han Min-seok.

Even more so when Han Min-seok was in crisis.

‘Okay.’

Han Min-seok didn’t trust the catcher’s sign, but he thought the slider decision itself wasn’t bad.

A ball that can induce a swing and miss or a ground ball from a batter who will aggressively attack.

Han Min-seok pressed the ball hard with his fingers and dropped the slider down.

The ball, which fell more than he thought, bounced on the ground.

Seo Il-hyuk blocked the ball, but Kim Jae-hong stole third base in the meantime.

“Third base steal! Kim Jae-hong succeeds in stealing third base!”

“Wow, is he stealing third here?”

“Just now, he ran before the pitcher even lifted his leg.”

“That means the sign might have been exposed. The catcher’s sign is visible from second base. I think he knew the pitcher was going to throw a breaking ball and ran.”

“With no outs and a runner on third base, the batter can score a point with just a fly ball.”

Han Min-seok put his hands on his waist.

Error, bad pitch, allowing a steal of third base.

A thick, dark crack went through the pride of Han Min-seok, who had reigned as the ace of the Foxes.

Song Seok-hyun shook his head as he saw Han Min-seok panting.

“I need to go up there once…”

Unlike Song Seok-hyun’s wishes, Seo Il-hyuk didn’t move.

It’s only the first inning.

1 run in the first inning.

Considering that he can only go up twice in a game, he thought it was too early.

Since Han Min-seok is originally a pitcher with a lot of ups and downs, Seo Il-hyuk didn’t care about this level of runs and bad pitches.

Han Min-seok, his face red, looked only at the batter without paying attention to the runner.

The batter stood close to the plate, holding the bat short and crouching.

It was nothing less than a declaration that he would only hit the ball.

Han Min-seok took a big slide step and threw the ball.

Success Story as a Catcher

Welcome. Is this your first time in a bench clearing brawl?

Thwack!

The batter frowned and stepped away from the plate.

Han Min-seok’s slider hit the batter’s side accurately.

“Oh, is there a hit-by-pitch here.”

“It seems like the control wasn’t right just now.”

“Goth gives up an additional base in a situation where they lost 1 point. Goth is having a difficult start today.”

“If this happens, the 4th batter will come out with runners on 1st and 3rd base, right?”

Yang Seon-woo, the batter who went to first base, frowned and looked at Han Min-seok.

Han Min-seok touched the brim of his hat slightly when his eyes met Yang Seon-woo’s.

One of Yang Seon-woo’s eyebrows twitched.

“Ha, really.”

Yang Seon-woo glared at Han Min-seok while touching his side.

If you hit a senior player, shouldn’t you at least take off your hat and bow your head?

It’s not a fastball, but a breaking ball, but it’s a ball close to 140km/h [approximately 87 mph].

Is it that difficult to bow your head once?

If a batter gets hit by a ball wrong, they live with bruises for 2-4 weeks at worst, and their life is threatened at worst.

Yang Seon-woo suppressed the boiling inside.

The next batter is Wales’ 4th batter, Lee Sang-hwan.

He was once a slugger who hit 30 home runs, but his career OPS [On-Base Plus Slugging, a common baseball statistic] was just over 0.8.

He’s a good hitter, but his performance is not weighty enough as a 4th batter for a team.

It would be different if there were no outs and runners on 1st and 3rd base.

He can score a point even if he hits a fly ball to the outfield.