On The Rise As A Catcher [EN]: Chapter 105

Lee Sang-hwan stepped back slightly from the plate and adjusted his stance, a deliberate move to avoid hitting into a double play.

Clang!

-Strike!

“Han Min-seok throws a first-pitch strike!”

“That was a clean pitch on the outside corner, wasn’t it? Excellent control.”

After the first strike, the pitcher rotated his shoulder once, a subtle tell. He planned to avoid ambiguous pitches until the batter was in a two-strike count, minimizing the risk of a cheap hit.

Since forcing a hit on a full outside pitch often resulted in double plays, the probability of seeing another fastball in the same location was low.

Clang!

-Strike!

“Han Min-seok! He gets to a two-strike count here.”

“It seems his control has suddenly sharpened.”

“Isn’t this a very disadvantageous situation for the batter?”

“That’s right. No matter how skilled a batter is, their batting average tends to drop sharply after reaching two strikes.”

The catcher flashed a sign.

‘Outside slider.’

A slider that breaks away from the plate after two outside fastballs. A classic sequence.

Han Min-seok nodded. Some patterns are so obvious, you fall for them even when you know they’re coming.

Han Min-seok unleashed the ball with everything he had.

The pitch started slightly inside but quickly darted toward the outside corner.

The batter’s bat was already committed, swinging.

A missed swing.

Whoosh!

-Strike!

Before the pitcher could even begin to celebrate the strikeout, the batter’s bat went flying, hurtling toward the pitcher’s ankle.

The pitcher, startled, instinctively tried to dodge, stumbling backward.

“Ah, the batter lost his grip on the bat.”

“Fortunately, the pitcher wasn’t hit.”

“That was a dangerously close call.”

Han Min-seok dusted off his pants and stood up, trying to appear unfazed.

The batter shot a quick glance at Han Min-seok and then headed straight for the bench, avoiding eye contact.

“Ah, shit…….”

Han Min-seok started to curse but caught himself, remembering the cameras, and clamped his mouth shut.

The next batter was the fifth hitter, Shim Soo-kyung.

The up-and-coming cleanup hitter that the Wales team was carefully developing.

A twenty-three-year-old slugger, recently discharged from his mandatory military service.

Despite a history of minor injuries, his raw talent was undeniable, making him a highly touted prospect.

A slugger cherished by both the club and its fans.

Thwack!

“Argh!”

The incident occurred with an inside fastball, a cross-seam fastball [a fastball with a grip that emphasizes velocity and late movement], thrown on the first pitch.

The ball slammed directly into the back of Shim Soo-kyung’s hand as he crowded the plate, trying to get a piece of the pitch.

“Hey, you son of a bitch!”

As soon as Shim Soo-kyung crumpled to the ground in agony, Yang Seon-woo, the runner on first base, charged toward the mound as if he’d been waiting for the opportunity.

Han Min-seok, who hadn’t been paying attention to the runner because he was focused on the batter, was caught completely off guard by Yang Seon-woo’s diving tackle and fell backward.

“Hey!”

“What, you bastard!”

“Stop him! Get him off of him!”

“Break it up, what are you doing!”

“Oooooooo!”

“Stomp on Han Min-seok!”

The stadium erupted into instant chaos.

Han Min-seok, disoriented and in pain, couldn’t contain his rage and began wrestling with Yang Seon-woo.

The Goat players, initially stunned by Yang Seon-woo’s sudden attack, quickly intervened to separate the two.

Having already seen their 3rd and 5th batters hit by pitches, the Wales fans unleashed a torrent of anger, hurling curses and throwing anything they could find onto the field.

The Wales players shared the fans’ fury.

Shim Soo-kyung, fresh out of the military and eager to prove himself, was now screaming in agony on the ground.

The pitcher, who had already committed errors, wild pitches, and allowed runs in the first inning, had now hit two batters in a single inning.

Even if unintentional, it was tantamount to reckless endangerment.

The Wales players saw the Goat players’ attempts to break up the fight between Han Min-seok and Yang Seon-woo as an assault on Yang Seon-woo.

They rushed toward the Goat players, and the Goat players found themselves caught in an unwanted brawl.

“Hey! Hey! Stop it! I said stop it!”

“Let go! Get your hands off of him!”

“Hey, hey. Enough, enough. What are you doing?”

“Get the kids out of here!”

Fortunately, the veteran players from Wales stepped up first, attempting to restore order and separate the players from both teams.

“Hey! You hit him on purpose, didn’t you? Huh?”

“Who started the fight first!”

Han Min-seok and Yang Seon-woo continued to argue and lunge at each other, their anger unabated.

With the volatile Han Min-seok, known for his fiery temper, locked in a struggle with the formidable Yang Seon-woo, the players from both teams focused on pulling them apart.

“Ah, this isn’t good. The KPBL [Korean Professional Baseball League] is increasingly popular with women and children. If there’s so much fighting and swearing, how can it truly become a family-friendly sport?”

“What’s your take on this situation, Commissioner?”

“It’s undeniable that Han Min-seok triggered the disturbance by hitting two batters in one inning. However, there’s no definitive proof that the pitches were intentionally thrown as beanballs [a pitch deliberately thrown at the batter’s head]. More importantly, Yang Seon-woo initiated the violence, putting Wales in a difficult position to complain.”

“We’re getting reports now. Shim Soo-kyung is in so much pain that he’s being taken to the hospital immediately.”

“I saw him get hit on the back of the hand earlier? That’s a particularly vulnerable spot, with very little padding… the pain must be excruciating. If there’s a bone fracture, his season could be over.”

“Shim Soo-kyung is a key player for Wales. Based purely on performance, he’s easily among their top three hitters. They’re already lacking in offensive firepower, so losing Shim Soo-kyung would be a significant blow to their lineup.”

After the bench-clearing brawl subsided, Song Seok-hyun wiped away the cold sweat that had broken out on his forehead.

Kim In-hwan patted Song Seok-hyun’s head reassuringly.

“First time experiencing a bench clearing?”

“I thought bench clearings in the pros were mostly for show? That was intense.”

“Usually, they are, but today was a bit much. We need to be careful. The Wales guys are seriously fired up.”

“I was wondering earlier, should I get involved or stay out of it.”

“It’s best to stay out of it if you can. The veterans will handle it. If you jump in, it’ll only escalate the situation. Even if you’re trying to help, they might accuse you of disrespecting them because you’re a young player.”

“So, I should just watch?”

“Just stand back and say ‘uh-oh, uh-oh’ from a safe distance. Uh-oh, uh-oh.”

It’s generally accepted that a pitcher whose arm has cooled down is at a disadvantage when the game’s rhythm is disrupted, but Han Min-seok was an exception.

Fueled by the anger of being tackled by Yang Seon-woo, Han Min-seok finished the inning by throwing a series of fastballs exceeding 150 km/h [93 mph], as if to prove a point.

It would have been better if it had ended there, but after striking out the final batter, Han Min-seok spread his arms wide and roared.

“Waaaaah!”

A deafening shout, seemingly directed at the Wales players.

Not only the Wales players but even the Goat players held their breath, feeling like they were walking on eggshells.

As Han Min-seok returned to the bench, the pitching coach called him aside.

“Min-seok, don’t provoke them. Shim Soo-kyung is seriously hurt. They’re on edge.”

“They threw the bat at me first.”

“It must have slipped out of his hand.”

“Slipped and conveniently headed right for me? And that happened right after I hit their guy with a pitch?”

“Min-seok, calm down. Sang-hwan isn’t that kind of player.”

“Who knows? Maybe he’s been hiding his true colors all along.”

“Han Min-seok, you were pitching great just now. Focus on the ball, don’t worry about anything else. Okay? Got it?”

When the pitching coach raised his voice, Han Min-seok finally shut his mouth.

“I understand.”

After the bench clearing, the game settled into a lull.

A bland stretch with no scoring or runners allowed, like a deflated balloon.

The game started to heat up again after Seol Jin-il’s stolen base.

“Stolen base! Seol Jin-il successfully steals second base!”

“Seol Jin-il is incredibly fast. That was a daring play.”

Seol Jin-il grinned and flashed a V sign from second base after his successful steal in the fifth inning.

“Manager.”

Just then, the manager from the Wales bench approached the Goat’s manager.

“Soo-kyung… is out for the season.”

“What?”

“He won’t be back for at least a year… that’s what they’re saying.”

The Wales manager’s brow furrowed.

“This is bullshit…….”

He couldn’t bring himself to swear aloud, but his clenched fist trembled with suppressed anger.

The players also sighed audibly when they heard the news of Shim Soo-kyung’s injury.

“Ha, fuck.”

“He’s so unlucky.”

“Ha, it’s so frustrating, really.”

The two teams began trading runs in the 6th inning, with the starting pitchers exiting and the bullpens taking over.

The score stood at 3-2.

With the Goat trailing, Lee Sang-hwan stepped up to the plate as the leadoff hitter in the bottom of the 6th inning.

“…….”

Seo Il-hyuk intently studied Lee Sang-hwan’s back foot, which was positioned unusually close to the plate.

Has Lee Sang-hwan always stood this close to the plate?

The primary reason a batter crowds the plate is to track breaking balls longer, giving them more time to react.

The Goat’s pitcher was Kim Jin-seok.

A fastball-slider specialist acquired from the Gwangju Bulls via trade, a typical bullpen arm with a limited repertoire.

Kim Jin-seok’s slider was effective, but was it good enough to warrant altering his batting stance…?

Since he was a pitcher from another team, and a relief pitcher at that, there might be tendencies he wasn’t aware of.

Seo Il-hyuk decided to call for an outside slider and carefully observe the batter’s reaction.

“Pitcher, windup!”

Kim Jin-seok went into his motion and delivered the pitch.

A slider that broke sharply away from the plate.

The batter put all his might into a full swing.

Just as Seo Il-hyuk felt a surge of satisfaction at the sight of the bat slicing through the air-

Thwack!

“Ah!”

Seo Il-hyuk doubled over, clutching his mitt in agony.

“Ah! Seo Il-hyuk! What’s wrong?”

“It looks like the batter’s bat struck the mitt. Let’s take another look at that.”

“……Ah, yes. That’s right. The bat swung and missed, then connected with the catcher’s mitt behind the batter’s body.”

“It happens occasionally… but it seems to have hit the mitt with considerable force.”

“Seo Il-hyuk is clearly in pain. No matter how thick and well-padded the mitt is, it’s no match for a baseball bat.”

“It’ll hurt even more if it hit his finger directly. There’s hardly any flesh on a finger to cushion the blow.”

Seo Il-hyuk clenched and unclenched his fist, his face contorted in pain.

His bone ached.

The Goat’s trainer rushed out to assess Seo Il-hyuk’s condition.

“Are you okay?”

“Can you make a fist?”

“Ah, ah…….”

“That’s not good. We need to make a substitution.”

As the trainer signaled for a substitution, the Goat bench erupted in activity.

It’s not uncommon for a batter’s bat to graze the catcher’s mitt, but it’s rare for the catcher to complain of pain and be removed from the game because of it.

Usually, the batter only slightly brushes the edge of the mitt, or even if there’s contact, the bat has already expended most of its energy during the swing, resulting in a glancing blow.

The catcher’s mitt is designed to withstand fastballs exceeding 160 km/h [99 mph].

Ordinary impacts rarely cause significant pain to the catcher’s hand.

As players who had dedicated their lives to baseball, they understood that Seo Il-hyuk’s substitution was an unusual and concerning development.

“What are they trying to pull?”

“That’s going too far. This isn’t a joke.”

“Are they out of their minds?”

The players reacted with heightened sensitivity to the injury of Seo Il-hyuk, a respected veteran known for his leadership and mentorship of younger players.

The injury of a respected senior who was entering free agency [FA, the ability for a player to sign with any team] next year.

Whether it was a major or minor injury, it was enough to ignite a fuse within the Goat players.

“Song Seok-hyun, you’re up.”

“Yes, sir.”

As soon as Seo Il-hyuk indicated he was in pain, Song Seok-hyun hurriedly began putting on his catching gear.

The atmosphere on the field was tense, unlike anything he had ever experienced.

Had he ever played in a game with this much animosity……?

Song Seok-hyun took a deep breath and walked toward home plate, trying to steel his nerves.

Success as a catcher

A crisis calls for a hero

It was the coaching staffs of both teams who worked to defuse the escalating tension.

A bench-clearing brawl fueled by heightened emotions would only make the situation worse.

In the worst-case scenario, serious injuries could result from the fighting.

Now that they were approaching the midpoint of the season, injuries were a nightmare scenario for any team.

“Catcher, it’s best to avoid any actions that could provoke the batter.”

The umpire gave Song Seok-hyun a warning in advance.

“Yes, I understand.”

While the catcher had to follow signals from the bench, the umpire’s preemptive warning was intended to minimize the possibility of another bench-clearing incident, even if only slightly.

“Resume the game.”