On The Rise As A Catcher [EN]: Chapter 124

Jo Jin-ho looked at Lee Ji-sung as if he was a problem to be solved.

He could keep him in check any number of times, but pride was also a factor.

Instead, Jo Jin-ho threw an outside fastball as his first pitch.

Thwack!

“Hit! It’s a hit! Seol Jin-il gets a hit! The runner on first advances past second to third! The batter-runner stops at first, unable to reach second.”

“He went with a very straightforward approach against Seol Jin-il, who likes to swing at the first pitch. He must have been conscious of Lee Ji-sung’s speed and threw an outside fastball, but it was a predictable move.”

“Isn’t half of this Lee Ji-sung’s doing?”

“Of course. A fast runner is always a nuisance to the pitcher. Doing it like Lee Ji-sung takes a lot of stamina, but provoking the pitcher like that is hard to endure.”

“Next up to bat is Kim In-hwan, the number three hitter.”

“He’s been completely shut down by Jo Jin-hee today, hasn’t he? I wonder if he can get revenge against Jo Jin-ho, who is also a left-handed pitcher.”

As Kim In-hwan stepped up to the plate, the fans shouted in unison.

“Strong! A mighty warrior! Made of iron, Kim! In! Hwan!”

Success as a Catcher

The Season Starts Now

As Kim In-hwan came out, a signal came from the Pegasus bench.

‘Go for it.’

He was a batter who had been making outs all game.

His career record against Jo Jin-ho wasn’t good either.

Jung Yong-wook hesitated even after receiving the sign from the bench.

‘Kim In-hwan from last year and Kim In-hwan from this year are different people.’

Until last year, he was a hitter aiming for a big swing, but this year, he’s a hitter who doesn’t miss pitches coming into the strike zone with his quick bat speed.

Jo Jin-hee overwhelmed Kim In-hwan with faster and stronger pitches, making his bat speed meaningless, but would that work against Jo Jin-ho too?

A pitcher who compensates for his slow pitches with control and changeups?

Jung Yong-wook decided to test the waters first.

‘Changeup, outside.’

Jo Jin-ho’s changeup is among the best in the league.

He uses a circle changeup [a type of pitch thrown with a circle formed by the index finger and thumb] to throw pitches that move away from right-handed batters to the outside and sink lower for left-handed batters.

Jo Jin-ho is a master of the circle changeup, capable of varying the trajectory even with the same pitch.

He needs to see what the batter is aiming for with the first-pitch changeup.

“Pitcher throws!”

The changeup thrown by Jo Jin-ho broke and fell.

Kim In-hwan swung anyway.

Thwack.

The ball hit the bat and flew towards third base.

Foul.

Jung Yong-wook pursed his lips.

“First pitch is a foul. Kim In-hwan looks disappointed.”

“He is disappointed. If he had timed it right, he could have put it inside the field.”

‘He’s definitely different.’

He touched Jo Jin-ho’s changeup.

He pushed the changeup and made it a foul towards third base.

Jung Yong-wook called for another changeup.

Kim In-hwan’s bat followed again.

“……Hiss!”

Kim In-hwan stopped his bat midway.

Jung Yong-wook looked at the umpire, but there was no strike call.

“Kim In-hwan holds back. He holds back.”

“It’s really not easy to hold back on Jo Jin-ho’s changeup.”

Jung Yong-wook let out a slight puff of air.

‘No.

It’s dangerous.’

Right now, Kim In-hwan and Jo Jin-ho are like natural enemies.

A hitter with a fast swing speed who keeps his hitting point back and a pitcher who relies on slow pitches.

Jung Yong-wook tried to trick Kim In-hwan by taking the ball just outside, half a ball at a time.

“Kim In-hwan finally holds back and goes to first base.”

“Kim In-hwan has become much more patient.”

“Next up to bat is Song Seok-hyun.”

The cheering squad leader started the cheer.

“Oh oh, Song Seok-hyun of the GOATs [Greatest Of All Time]. All-around talent Song Seok-hyun. Home run out of the park Song Seok-hyun. Fly! Away!”

With Song Seok-hyun’s appearance, the fans sang along to the cheer in unison.

“Can you hear that? This isn’t the Korean Series [championship series of the KBO League], is it?”

“The cheering is amazing. You can see how much Song Seok-hyun is loved by the GOATs fans.”

“It seems the saying ‘King of Jamsil’ [Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Seoul is the home stadium of the GOATs] isn’t just for show. That’s really an incredible cheer.”

“Song Seok-hyun is up with the bases loaded. Well, wouldn’t anyone expect something, even if they’re not a GOATs fan? Haha.”

The Pegasus manager put his hands behind his back.

‘Jung Yong-wook intentionally avoided Kim In-hwan.

Because Song Seok-hyun is easier?

That’s not it.’

Jung Yong-wook is a veteran who has experienced everything.

He changed his mind after seeing Kim In-hwan at the plate.

Kim In-hwan is a more dangerous hitter now.

Bases loaded, no outs.

The circle changeup that falls outside for a right-handed batter is the perfect pitch to aim for a double play.

Even if they give up a run, they can get an out count with a double play.

The next batter, Yoo Seon-ho, may have a good eye, but his hitting feel hasn’t come back yet.

Hitting feel doesn’t come from playing a few games in the minor leagues.

You need to play in the major leagues for two or four weeks to get a feel for it.

After Yoo Seon-ho, there’s a weak lineup of Choi Jae-wan and Oh Jin-young.

It doesn’t matter if it’s a double play or a fly ball.

As long as they don’t give up a hit, they can get through this inning safely.

Even if Jung Yong-wook’s judgment is wrong, it doesn’t matter.

Isn’t baseball a sport of probability?

Jung Yong-wook made the choice with the lowest probability of giving up a run.

Looking back, Jung Yong-wook’s choices had a high win rate.

“The battery’s [pitcher and catcher] signs are getting longer.”

“It’s only natural when Song Seok-hyun is at the plate. These days, it’s popular among fans to rank players, right? Song Seok-hyun is said to be beyond human, haha. He’s in the realm of the gods.”

“Has there ever been a twenty-year-old player who has done this well?”

“A player who has done this well right from his debut… there’s only one player.”

“A player like a god above gods.”

Jung Yong-wook carefully chose his first pitch.

Song Seok-hyun is the type to watch a lot of pitches.

However, there are many cases where they try to get a strike on the first pitch and end up giving up a home run.

He’s the type to watch pitches, but he’s a hitter who waits with a plan.

In this situation, the best choice is a changeup, but if they keep throwing breaking balls, they’ll get behind in the count.

‘Fastball, outside.’

He’ll try one pitch first.

Jo Jin-ho’s pitch landed right in Jung Yong-wook’s mitt.

-Strike!

“Jo Jin-ho gets a first-pitch strike! Perfect control.”

“It’s hard to hit when it comes right into the zone like that. No, you can’t hit it. It’s hard to get a hit if you swing at a pitch like that from the first pitch.”

“Song Seok-hyun’s head must be getting complicated after giving up the first pitch.”

Song Seok-hyun took a breath.

‘It’s a flawless, textbook form.

Since he throws fastballs and changeups from that form, there’s no way for the hitter to know what pitch is coming.

The circle changeup that moves away from a right-handed batter is the worst matchup.’

Song Seok-hyun moved closer to the plate.

“Jo Jin-ho got a first-pitch strike, what kind of pitch will he throw here?”

Jung Yong-wook groaned as Song Seok-hyun moved closer to the plate.

Jo Jin-ho is a pitcher who competes on the outside corner.

He doesn’t like to aim for the inside with slow pitches.

If Song Seok-hyun gets that close, he can hit any pitch on the outside corner with his bat.

That means he can also hit the circle changeup that moves away to the outside.

Jung Yong-wook changed his sign.

Jo Jin-ho narrowed his brows at the sign and then made up his mind.

“Okay, what will Jo Jin-ho’s second pitch be?”

The pitch thrown by Jo Jin-ho looked like a fastball going outside.

Song Seok-hyun watched the ball go by.

The ball was coming out of the strike zone but curved at the end and came into the zone.

-Strike!

“Two strikes! He surprises the batter with a backdoor slider [a type of pitch that appears to be going outside but curves back into the strike zone]!”

“Jo Jin-ho doesn’t throw sliders often, but I was surprised just now. There’s nothing a hitter can do when a slider like that comes in.”

“He gives up two strikes in a bases-loaded situation.”

He got two strikes, but Jung Yong-wook’s expression was dark.

He had revealed all his cards.

Jo Jin-ho can also throw a curveball, but he throws it maybe one out of ten times.

Kim In-hwan is difficult, but Song Seok-hyun is also difficult.

But he has to compete.

‘Fastball, outside.’

He pushes through with the basics.

Jo Jin-ho’s precise pitch flies towards the mitt.

A ball that’s slightly out of the strike zone.

Song Seok-hyun swung his bat.

Thwack!

“Center fielder! Center fielder! Center fielder! The center fielder catches it! The runner on third goes home! Safe! The runner on second also safe at third! This creates a situation of one out, runners on first and third. A fly ball that brings in one run in a bases-loaded situation.”

“The best possible result for the GOATs. Of course, it would have been best if there was a grand slam, but you can’t always hit a home run, can you? The important thing is that they scored.”

“Song Seok-hyun gets an important hit at an important moment.”

“That’s what a cleanup hitter [typically the fourth batter in the lineup, responsible for driving in runs] is. A cleanup hitter isn’t someone who has to hit home runs, but someone who brings in runs.”

The Pegasus bench and the GOATs bench both breathed a sigh of relief.

They both made the best possible moves.

The Pegasus held Song Seok-hyun to one run, and the GOATs followed with one run anyway.

The highlight of today’s game will be here, at Yoo Seon-ho’s at-bat.

After Yoo Seon-ho, there’s a weak lineup.

Yoo Seon-ho, whose batting feel hasn’t come back yet, is a player they can handle.

Bang!

-Strike!

Yoo Seon-ho nods at the fastball that lands on the outside corner from the first pitch.

‘He’s indeed a pitcher with good control.

There’s a reason why he reigns as a top-class reliever with a maximum speed of around 140 km/h [kilometers per hour].’

Bang!

The second pitch, a changeup, is a ball.

The third pitch, a fastball, is a foul.

The fourth pitch, a changeup, is also a foul.

The fifth pitch, a slider, is a ball.

The sixth pitch, a changeup, is a foul.

The seventh pitch, a fastball, is a ball.

Jung Yong-wook sighed.

“Take it easy, will you?”

“Just give me one ball. What are friends for?”

“You’re a pain in the ass. Even when you’re resting, those damn eyes are still the same.”

Yoo Seon-ho’s strength isn’t his batting skills with a career batting average of .300.

It’s that crazy eye for the ball with a career on-base percentage of .440.

When was the last time he played properly in a major league game?

Bang.

‘Ball, outside.’

Jo Jin-ho’s desperate slider was a ball.

Yoo Seon-ho put down his bat, said one thing, and ran to first base.

“Can’t a friend give me one ball?”

One out, bases loaded.

A 3-2 count [full count, where the batter has three balls and two strikes].

It’s still a crisis situation, but it’s not bad.

Jo Jin-ho can handle Choi Jae-wan and Oh Jin-young well enough.

‘Changeup, outside.’

The first pitch is a circle changeup that moves away from the right-handed batter to trick him.

Choi Jae-wan swung without hesitation.

Seeing this, Kim Jung-ryul smacked his lips.

“He’s impatient, impatient. He’s in a hurry. He could have watched one ball, but he’s just rushing in.”

Song Seok-hyun said.

“But his swing has changed. His swing angle is lower than before, so any mediocre breaking ball will get caught in the trajectory.”

“It’s difficult for Jo Jin-ho, but not for other pitchers.”

“It would be good if Jae-wan hyung [older brother or close male friend] could just calmly watch the ball.”

“If that were easy, everyone would be good at baseball? There are so many guys with good physiques who fail because they can’t do that.”

One out, bases loaded, but the atmosphere on the GOATs bench was calm.

It was because they had low expectations for Choi Jae-wan and Oh Jin-young.