On The Rise As A Catcher [EN]: Chapter 118

Jung Jin-oh scratched the back of his neck.

“My fingers and nails were wrecked, and it hasn’t been long since I started throwing again.”

“Were you injured?”

“I played around a lot trying to perfect the knuckle curve. My nails were all torn up.”

“What about now?”

“I’ve got the hang of it now. I throw it by hooking it on the joints of my fingers instead of my nails. It hurt at first, but it’s fine now that calluses have formed.”

Jung Jin-oh threw a few more knuckle curves.

“Do you think it’s good enough to use in a real game?”

“Yes, it’ll be hard to figure out until the batting order comes around again.”

“Phew, that’s a relief. Do you think it’ll work in the majors too?”

“Of course. This kind of knuckle curve is rare even in the majors.”

“Seriously?”

“Really.”

The two finished training and returned to the dorm together.

It was late, and there wasn’t a soul in sight.

“You’re getting called up to the majors soon, right?”

“Yes, I think I’ll be going with Yoo Sun-ho and Lee Ji-sung.”

“I’m jealous, the majors.”

“With that pitch, you’ll be up there soon, senior.”

“Our team’s pitching resources have gotten so strong. I wonder if there’s a place for me…?”

“There’s always a shortage of pitchers. With your pitch, they’ll have to make a spot.”

Jung Jin-oh laughed silently.

“I have a problem.”

“What is it?”

“As the angle of my knuckle curve gets bigger, it’s become too difficult to put it in the lower part of the strike zone. The ball drops too quickly.”

“I guess so, considering the drop.”

“Unlike a regular curve, I’m not sure if a bigger drop is always better for a knuckle curve… So I tried adding a slider and a changeup, but neither worked well.”

“A changeup is a pitch that reduces spin, so it takes a long time to learn because it’s different from your mechanism. And if you use a slider with a curve, it’s even harder to match the release point…”

“Still, it would be good to learn a vertical slider rather than a changeup if possible, but it’s not easy.”

Song Seok-hyun tilted his head.

“Why don’t you just reduce the angle of the knuckle curve? Isn’t it easier to reduce the angle than to increase it?”

“…Isn’t that harder?”

Song Seok-hyun took out a baseball and held it in his hand.

“If you stick your fingers together like this, the drop gets bigger even if control is difficult. How do you throw it, senior?”

“I throw it like this too.”

“Then, if you reduce the friction surface between your fingers and the baseball and throw it, the angle will decrease. It might be harder to control because the friction surface is smaller, but wouldn’t it be easier than throwing a completely different pitch?”

Jung Jin-oh took the baseball from Song Seok-hyun’s hand and picked it up.

“Why didn’t I think of something so simple?”

“It’s hard to think of other things when you’re focused on one thing. Is it harder for someone who throws a 150km/h fastball [approximately 93 mph] to throw a 140km/h fastball [approximately 87 mph]? If you reduce the contact surface, the angle will decrease, but the speed will be faster, so if you control it well, wouldn’t it feel similar to a vertical slider?”

“It could be.”

“Like you said, senior, you need to have one more breaking ball with a small angle. If you’re pitching as a reliever, a fast breaking ball is essential, and even if you’re pitching as a starter, there’s a big difference whether you have a third pitch or not.”

Jung Jin-oh kept fiddling with the ball with his fingers.

“I’m so stupid. How could I not think of reducing the angle?”

“Anyway, you’ll be up in the majors soon too, senior. I’ll be cheering for you.”

“Seok-hyun, give me your hand.”

“My hand?”

When Song Seok-hyun held out his hand, Jung Jin-oh held it tightly with both hands.

“Let me take some of that major league energy.”

* * *

The practice game the next day proceeded in a solemn atmosphere.

It was Yoo Sun-ho and Lee Ji-sung’s last condition check, and a game to confirm whether Song Seok-hyun was in good enough condition to play as a catcher in the majors.

Yoo Sun-ho and Lee Ji-sung sharpened their knives [prepared intensely], as it was their last game before going up to the majors, but the main character of the game was neither Yoo Sun-ho nor Lee Ji-sung.

It was Jung Jin-oh.

-Strike! Out!

-Strike! Out!

Left-handed hitters Lee Ji-sung and Yoo Sun-ho were helpless against Jung Jin-oh’s curve and struck out.

Lee Ji-sung, who rarely strikes out, had one strikeout, one groundout, and one infield hit in three at-bats.

The infield hit was only safe because the third baseman fumbled the ball, resulting in a close play.

“Did the Gotes have such a good pitcher?”

Yoo Sun-ho’s record against Jung Jin-oh was one walk, one flyout, and one strikeout.

Lee Ji-sung shook his head at Yoo Sun-ho.

“I can’t get a feel for him.”

“It’s harder because his control isn’t good. I can’t tell if it’s a fastball or a breaking ball.”

“Isn’t his high ball even harder?”

“Yeah, it’s hard. It feels like the ball is alive.”

“It’s not easy to cut either. I think it’ll take some time to get a feel for it.”

“Oh, I’m going up tomorrow, but I’m worried about playing so poorly today.”

Jung Jin-oh finished the game with 58 pitches, 5.1 innings, and 1 earned run.

He controlled his pitch count because it was his first appearance in a while, but he came down from the mound after meeting the winning conditions.

“Your pitch has gotten better.”

“Jin-oh, your pitch is no joke?”

“Wow, Jin-oh was working hard on his own, he had something to believe in.”

When Jung Jin-oh returned to the bench, the players added a word of praise and blessing.

Jung Jin-oh was very excited and couldn’t calm down.

While the spotlight was on Jung Jin-oh, Song Seok-hyun was quietly accumulating walks.

The manager told them to test their pitches freely since it was a practice game, but the pitchers consciously or unconsciously avoided Song Seok-hyun.

Seeing the balls that kept going over the fence even when fouled off made them lose their will to compete.

Clap clap clap.

“Good job.”

“Thank you for your hard work!”

After the game, the manager called the players together.

“Rest well today and tomorrow. You have an overnight pass today. But be back before dinner tomorrow. You know we have an away game starting the day after tomorrow, right?”

The players’ faces lit up.

“Don’t cause any trouble. I can’t cover for you guys alone if you do. Got it?”

“Yes!”

“You guys only have voices like train whistles at times like this. How great would it be if you were always this energetic.”

Manager Gu Chang-hyun called Song Seok-hyun, Lee Ji-sung, and Yoo Sun-ho separately.

“The three of you pack your bags and leave today. Don’t get hurt and do well there. Don’t think about coming back here.”

“Yes.”

“Sun-ho, you don’t have any pain anywhere?”

“I’m fine.”

“How’s your condition?”

“It’s not fully up yet, but I have to try anyway, right?”

“You’re a veteran in the baseball world now, a veteran. You know what I mean, right? Take good care of your body. Eat well, sleep well, and don’t get hurt.”

“Yes, yes. I understand.”

“Ji-sung, what about you?”

“I’m in good condition right now.”

“How’s your wrist?”

“I haven’t had any major pain since I changed my batting form.”

“Then that’s good.”

Manager Gu Chang-hyun looked at Song Seok-hyun.

“Are you really okay? You’re not dizzy or in pain or anything?”

“Yes, I’ve been fine since I was in the hospital.”

“Concussions can have aftereffects that appear at any time. From now on, stand a little further away from the plate. More and more guys will be throwing inside to you. Don’t foolishly get hit, avoid it. If that accumulates, it’ll affect your condition.”

“Yes, I’ll keep that in mind.”

“Then everyone, do well in the majors. I’ll be cheering for you.”

“Thank you, manager.”

* * *

Song Seok-hyun packed his bags and headed straight home.

After eating a hearty home-cooked meal for the first time in a while, he sat in front of the television.

“They’re losing again today, they’re losing again.”

Song Seok-hyun’s younger brother, Song Cheol-hyun, clicked his tongue.

“Don’t jinx it, you punk.”

“The Gotes’ performance has been terrible lately. They’ve lost almost every game except for one or two.”

“They’ll go up. They’re just slumping for a bit.”

“They fell to 6th place today.”

“6th place?”

“Yeah, the Bulls are in 5th place now. The gap between them and 4th place has widened to 3 games.”

Usually, it takes a week to close a 1-game gap.

The opposing team has to go 3 wins and 3 losses for a week, and our team has to have two winning series to go 4 wins and 2 losses to close 1 game.

In baseball, a 1-game gap is a big wall.

“I’ve been training so much lately that I didn’t realize the major league team had fallen that far.”

“Ham Sung-hoon is getting a lot of flak too, for ruining the team by selling off Lee Choi-kang. They’re saying why did he bring in a bullpen when there’s no place to use the bullpen.”

“Everyone’s an armchair baseball expert, so they all have something to say.”

“Aren’t you going to have to carry them again?”

“If it were up to me, how easy would baseball be? It’ll take me some time to get my feel back in the majors too.”

“I saw on the internet that they’re really looking forward to you coming.”

“Do you just spend your time on the internet? Aren’t you studying?”

“I’m studying hard too…”

“I hear you watch the games every day?”

“No, not that much.”

“Your grades have been falling since you entered high school. You have to do everything you need to do before you watch baseball, you rascal. Don’t you go to a cram school?”

“There are good online lectures these days, why would I go to a cram school… It just takes more time to go back and forth.”

“Then why don’t I ever see you studying when I’m around?”

“Ugh, seriously. You nag more than Mom does.”

“If you don’t like it, get first place in your class. Then I won’t have anything to say.”

“Is that so easy? Then you try getting first place too.”

Song Seok-hyun shrugged his shoulders and pointed at himself with his finger.

“I don’t think I could do any better than I am now?”

“……”

Song Cheol-hyun turned his head to the TV without a word.

The Gotes lost 5-2 that day too.

They lost even though Michael Fish, the ace, started as the starting pitcher.

As the game ended, the caster [commentator] and commentator exchanged words.

-Tomorrow, Song Seok-hyun, Lee Ji-sung, and Yoo Sun-ho will be called up to the majors. They’ll have to show a different side of themselves tomorrow.

-It’s going to be difficult for the Gotes if they continue like this. Especially since they brought in a pitcher through a trade and are being too stingy with using him. I have no idea what acting manager Ham Sung-hoon is thinking.

-Starting next Tuesday, they have a 3-game series against the Pegasus, which will be a really important 3-game series for the Gotes.

-It’s bad luck that they’re meeting the top team when they’re not doing well. It doesn’t look like it’ll be easy for the Gotes to turn things around.

Song Seok-hyun turned off the TV.

He felt restless, but he forgot about the game.

They’re only in 6th place now.

The postseason is not far away.

That night.

Song Seok-hyun tossed and turned, dreaming of hitting a game-winning home run in the Korean Series [championship series].

Success as a Catcher

Those Days

Was it because he was sleeping at home for the first time in a while?

Song Seok-hyun fell into a deep sleep and couldn’t wake up.

It was none other than Jung Mi-nam who woke him from his slumber.

“Hey, wake up. We’re having lunch together, right?”

Jung Mi-nam came into the room and shook Song Seok-hyun awake.

Song Seok-hyun yawned widely and looked at his phone.

“What time is it?”

“It’s almost 12 o’clock already. Why aren’t you answering your phone?”

“I must have had it on vibrate, ahem. I had a good night’s sleep for the first time in a while. But how did you get into our house?”

“I called your mother and she opened the door for me. She even gave us some spending money to eat something delicious.”

“Really? Where did Mom go?”

“She said she’s been going to exercise lately.”

“Exercise. Exercise is good. Ahahem. What should we eat for lunch? Is there anything you want to eat?”

“We haven’t seen each other in a while, so wouldn’t it be nice to go out and eat something? Let’s get Na-young and Young-seok together too and eat something delicious.”

“…Tch. Ah, I don’t want to.”

“Then should we order Chinese? Should we order some dishes? Your mother said she’ll be home late tonight anyway.”

“Cheol-hyun has night classes today too… How about Chinese food and some Kaoliang liquor [strong distilled spirit] for the first time in a while? I can’t drink it though.”

“You’re paying today, right? How about ordering one dish per person? How’s that?”

“Order one each of Jjajangmyeon [black bean noodles] and Jjampong [spicy seafood noodle soup] as a base. I can afford that much.”

“Oooo, a superstar is different.”

“What superstar are you talking about with just Chinese food. When are the kids coming?”

“I’ll text Young-seok and Na-young to come here. They’ll be here right away.”

The ordered food was too much to put on the table, so it was spread out on the living room floor.

Eight Treasure Vegetables, Yu San Seul [braised seafood and vegetables], Yangjangpi [cold seafood salad with mustard sauce], Sweet and Sour Pork, Jjajangmyeon, Jjampong, and Fried Rice.

Song Seok-hyun let out a hollow laugh at the food spread out on the floor.

“Hey, you crazy bastards. Why did you order everything in large sizes?”

Jung Mi-nam skillfully peeled off the plastic wrap and said.