On The Rise As A Catcher [EN]: Chapter 112

Even if I give up a hit, the next batter is Choi Jae-wan.

Isn’t this worth a gamble?

“Song Seok-hyun is moving slightly away from the plate this time.”

“Getting too close to the plate is dangerous in its own way. Pressuring the pitcher is good, but the batter also needs to protect himself.”

Goo In-sun confidently threw an outside fastball as his first pitch.

Clang!

“Right fielder! Right fielder! It’s a foul. A foul ball here.”

“He really pushed that one. It only missed by a meter or two? That was dangerous.”

Goo In-sun swallowed hard.

Why does that guy’s bat overcome my pitches?

Other batters’ bats usually break or get pushed back, but Song Seok-hyun’s bat hits Goo In-sun’s pitches so effortlessly.

For his second pitch, Goo In-sun chose a backdoor slider, a pitch he doesn’t throw often.

He wasn’t confident in his control, but he felt it was worth trying now.

Whack!

-Strike!

“The slider came in beautifully.”

“Goo In-sun doesn’t usually throw such a good backdoor slider, but it seems like a good choice this time. Song Seok-hyun was caught completely off guard. He didn’t expect that at all.”

“That’s two strikes right away.”

Goo In-sun smiled slightly.

Got him.

Now it’s worth a gamble.

He showed him the backdoor slider, so the batter’s head will be complicated.

Forkball, backdoor slider, outside fastball, and high fastball—he has four options for his finisher.

The more options there are, the slower the batter’s bat becomes.

The more options there are, the faster the pitcher’s ball becomes.

He’s angry about giving up a home run, but that doesn’t mean he’s weak.

It’s just that Song Seok-hyun was lucky.

Goo In-sun wanted to prove his skill with one decisive pitch.

The pitch Goo In-sun chose was…….

Rising Star Catcher

Arousal (4)

Wales’ catcher gave the sign.

‘Slider, inside.’

It’s rare for a left-handed pitcher to throw an inside slider to a right-handed batter.

Some throw a cutter-like slider, but an inside breaking ball is usually a tasty treat for the batter.

This is especially true since sliders inherently break horizontally.

However, Goo In-sun’s slider drops vertically like a forkball.

The slider was the third pitch Goo In-sun honed, to be used on days when his forkball wasn’t working.

Of course, unlike the forkball, it also has horizontal movement, so a mistake could result in an extra-base hit.

Wales’ catcher, Jo Jin-yeol, was aware of this and still took the risk.

Song Seok-hyun stood a step further away from the plate this at-bat.

He probably decided that there was no need to take the risk and stand close to the plate while maintaining a comfortable lead.

This is when you need to throw an even more threatening inside pitch to push him further away from the plate.

If Song Seok-hyun sees a slider coming in at belt height and breaking towards his knees, he’ll be scared and give up on the idea of sticking close to the plate.

If the batter moves away from the plate, attacking the outside becomes easier.

Especially with an outside-breaking forkball.

‘Okay.’

Goo In-sun received the catcher’s sign and threw the ball without delay.

Doesn’t he need to show this green rookie the harsh taste of the pros?

“The battery’s [pitcher and catcher] signs are taking a long time. What kind of ball will he throw?”

“I think it would be good to show him a fastball.”

Goo In-sun threw the ball.

A slider that goes towards the batter’s body and then moves even further inside.

Song Seok-hyun dodged the ball.

-Ball, low.

“That slider was deep.”

“It looks like he was trying to throw a backdoor slider, but it was a mistake.”

Song Seok-hyun stepped back into the batter’s box.

Because of Goo In-sun’s pitching form, where he hides the ball before throwing, the inside pitches are even more menacing.

Even though it was a breaking ball, he was startled enough to dodge it.

‘Fastball, outside.’

The catcher called for an outside pitch.

He threw an inside threat, so now it’s time to get a strike.

Goo In-sun threw a fastball outside.

Clang!

“Another foul. Another foul ball.”

“He was a little late on that one. Could it be because he saw an inside pitch?”

Goo In-sun received the ball thrown by the catcher.

Even after throwing an inside threat, he still hits the outside pitch.

The catcher changed the sign again.

‘Fastball, inside, high.’

An inside high pitch.

The plan was to intimidate him once more.

No batter can hit every zone well.

There are batters who are strong on the outside, batters who are strong on the inside, and batters who are strong with high or low pitches.

There are also batters who hit breaking balls well, batters who hit fastballs well, and batters who hit slow pitches well.

Since Song Seok-hyun is strong against outside fastballs and breaking balls, an inside high pitch might be his weakness.

Inside high, outside low—isn’t that a classic way to attack a batter?

Goo In-sun nodded at the catcher’s sign.

It’s also fun to go head-to-head, telling him to hit it if he can.

Especially on days like today when his pitches are on point.

“Goo In-sun and Song Seok-hyun are having a long sign exchange.”

“It’s an important moment. Whether he can finish this cleanly or not makes a big difference. From the manager’s perspective, he’d want to get through the 7th inning and bring in the bullpen from the 8th.”

Goo In-sun rolled the ball in his hand.

His highest velocity today will come from this pitch.

Goo In-sun stretched his leg forward.

He stretched about an inch further than his usual stride.

Goo In-sun’s pelvis rotated, and his body swayed slightly.

The ball that left Goo In-sun’s hand also lost its coordinates and wobbled.

Thud!

The ball hit his helmet and bounced up.

Song Seok-hyun, who was hit near the ear, fell to the ground, momentarily dizzy.

“Hey, you son of a bitch!”

“Grab him, that bastard!”

“Stop them! Stop them, stop them!”

The Goat players rushed out as one.

They had already built up resentment during the three-game series.

There were injuries on both sides, unfairness on both sides, and things to say on both sides.

The accumulated resentment exploded with Song Seok-hyun’s beanball [a pitch intentionally thrown at the batter].

“Yaaaaaah!”

Kim In-hwan was the first to charge out.

Kim In-hwan, who had only ever been known as kind and polite, was different when he was angry.

The title of the strongest hitter among all-time hitters wasn’t just for show.

Goo In-sun was six years older than Kim In-hwan, but this time he abandoned all pretense and ran away.

“Stop him! Stop him!”

“Grab him! Grab him! Don’t let him go! Grab him!”

The Wales players surrounded Kim In-hwan.

Kim In-hwan ran towards the Wales bench, dragging two or three players with him.

It wasn’t until five or six players grabbed him that they were able to stop him.

“Seok-hyun! Are you okay? Can you hear me?”

The conditioning coach was the first to approach the fallen Song Seok-hyun.

Song Seok-hyun couldn’t steady himself because of the ringing in his ears.

“Lie down. Just lie down. The ambulance is coming now.”

“……I’m okay. I can stand up.”

“No. Lie down. Let’s go to the hospital and get you checked out.”

“I’m a little dizzy……but I don’t think I’m seriously hurt.”

“That’s for the doctor to decide. Lie down, you idiot.”

Song Seok-hyun struggled.

The loud noises from the bench-clearing brawl only sounded like a muffled hum, as if he were underwater.

The bench-clearing brawl ended when the ambulance arrived.

Song Seok-hyun tried to get up because he didn’t want to be carried away on a stretcher, but the coach grabbed his shoulder tightly.

“Lie down, you idiot.”

The players from both teams watched silently as Song Seok-hyun was carried away in the ambulance.

Goo In-sun peeked out from behind the bench, assessing the situation as the commotion subsided.

“What happened? Is he badly hurt?”

No one answered Goo In-sun’s question.

The field was filled with curses, and more curses, and more curses.

* * *

“Yes, yes. All the tests are done. Based on the test results alone, there doesn’t seem to be any injury or serious damage. Yes. Yes, yes. Then I’ll contact you again.”

Baseball team manager Kim Tae-min hung up the phone.

He downed the remaining coffee in the hospital waiting room and headed to the hospital room.

Song Seok-hyun was lying alone in the hospital room, wearing a patient gown.

“Seok-hyun, are you okay?”

“Yes. I’m really okay. I think this is an overreaction.”

“Overreaction? Didn’t you hear the doctor? He said there’s a risk of concussion because of the impact to your head. He said we need to monitor you for a few days, even if you feel fine now.”

“I didn’t get hit head-on when the ball hit me; it was a glancing blow. At first, I was dizzy because it hit my ear, but I’m really okay now.”

“The important thing is what the expert says. The doctor said to keep an eye on you.”

“…….”

Song Seok-hyun sighed.

“How did the game go?”

“We won. 9-0. A big win.”

“Really? Wow, they scored more runs?”

“That’s right.”

“That’s a relief…….”

“I’ve already contacted your family, so don’t worry and just rest. The manager also told me to keep you here until the doctor says it’s okay to discharge you.”

“What? You want me to stay here?”

“Yes. If you mess up with a concussion, it can last a lifetime. Some people have retired because of concussions. And some people’s performance has plummeted after a concussion. You have to be careful. We have to be as conservative as possible with you.”

“Then how long do I have to stay?”

“The doctor said we need to monitor you for at least five days……maybe even longer.”

“What? Five days?”

The next morning.

The Goat players gathered in groups of twos and threes to visit Song Seok-hyun in the hospital.

The first to arrive were the first-year rookies, including Hong Dae-sung.

“When I saw it on TV, I thought it was a big deal, but you’re surprisingly okay?”

Hong Dae-sung said with a smile.

“I’m okay. It wasn’t a direct hit.”

“You didn’t see the game properly yesterday, did you? It was crazy. It was even on the news.”

“What news?”

“Our fans blocked the Wales guys from leaving the parking lot. They fought and blocked them, it was……yesterday was like the Battle of Incheon [a historical naval battle, here implying a chaotic and intense confrontation].”

Second-string outfielder Pyo Dae-il said.

“Everyone was worried about you. The guys who couldn’t come today told me to say hi.”

“Really? Thanks. You must have had a hard time coming all the way here. It’s not close from the minor league facilities.”

“Well, we’re in the same rookie class, so we have to take care of each other.”

“I’m even more sorry because I haven’t taken care of you guys.”

“No, everyone likes you. They think that if you do well, we can get promoted to the first team right away.”

“Everyone is better than me, that’s why they got drafted. I got promoted, so you guys will get promoted soon too.”

Hong Dae-sung chuckled.

“If everyone did as well as you, this would be Major League Korea, not just Korea.”

After the rookies left, Manager Ham Seong-hoon visited with the team manager.

“Ah, hello, Manager.”

“Lie down, lie down. Don’t bother getting up.”

Ham Seong-hoon put a box of soy milk next to the bed and sat down.

“I bought soy milk instead of milk because milk can upset your stomach, and it’s sugar-free. Rest well and eat well while you’re here.”

“Thank you, Manager.”

“Yes. How are you feeling now?”

“I’m really okay. I’m perfectly fine. I feel like I shouldn’t even be here…….”

“I heard from the doctor that it’s okay for you to be discharged.”

“Really? Then can I go back right away?”

“No.”

Ham Seong-hoon shook his head.

“I put you on the injured list. You can’t play even if you come back now.”

“……Already?”

“Yes, rest for a few more days and then get discharged. Don’t go back to the first team; go to the second team.”