On The Rise As A Catcher [EN]: Chapter 128

Kim Seong-hoon nodded reluctantly.

“Kim Seong-hoon, second pitch!”

A changeup [a pitch thrown with the same arm motion as a fastball but with less velocity] coming in on the same course.

Kim In-hwan swung again.

-Strike!

“Kim In-hwan swings and misses again.”

“Kim Seong-hoon’s changeup is really effective today. It’s dropping beautifully, isn’t it?”

Jung Yong-wook started to sweat.

He swung and missed, but it’s still scary.

The swing from just now was so fierce that it reminded me of the saying, ‘even a graze is fatal.’

‘Changeup.’

There’s no other choice.

Another changeup.

Kim Seong-hoon looked displeased but didn’t shake his head.

He saw that the changeup was working well.

Whack!

The changeup Kim Seong-hoon threw landed in the mitt.

Kim In-hwan didn’t swing.

He didn’t even offer at the ball.

“Kim In-hwan lays off the changeup.”

“The location was perfect, how did he hold back on that?”

He didn’t hold back.

Kim In-hwan threw that pitch away.

He thought about what he would do if he were the catcher.

Two strikes.

The batter swung and missed at the changeup.

Isn’t this a good time to throw one more changeup?

If he gets a strikeout with a fastball, he can just step down.

Song Seok-hyun is behind him.

Even if I can’t solve it, isn’t there someone even better behind me?

I’ll hit the ball I want in my own style.

Four-seam fastball [a type of fastball grip].

Break through with pure power.

‘Changeup.’

A third changeup sign.

Kim Seong-hoon touched the rosin bag instead of answering.

A roundabout refusal.

Jung Yong-wook sent the changeup sign again.

Whack!

Kim In-hwan didn’t hit it this time either.

He felt it was a changeup from the moment the ball was released.

When he let go of his impatience, he could see the world.

He could see not only the pitcher but also the runners, the fielders, and the audience.

What had I been looking at all this time?

How many years has it been since I’ve looked at the baseball field like this?

No, is this the first time?

‘Four-seam, outside.’

He threw three changeups in a row, so there’s no other option now.

It’s a fastball.

Thwack!

The ball hit Kim In-hwan’s bat and curved sharply outside of third base.

Foul.

“Kim In-hwan’s timing is still late.”

‘Changeup.’

He showed a fastball, so he’ll go with one more changeup.

Kim Seong-hoon was looking at the sign with a blank expression, but Jung Yong-wook knew that it was a look of displeasure.

Even if he knows, he won’t change the sign.

It doesn’t feel good.

Kim In-hwan’s swing is unsettling.

Kim Seong-hoon threw a changeup that fell to the outside.

Kim In-hwan’s bat turned.

Tap.

The ball hit the end of the bat, bounced off the ground, and went out of bounds.

Foul.

Kim In-hwan, who had been kneeling, got up again.

“Wow, In-hwan. He touched that.”

Jung Yong-wook called out the signs again, but Kim In-hwan didn’t budge.

He was completely immersed in the game.

Smirk.

Kim In-hwan suddenly smiled.

Jung Yong-wook didn’t know why, but he felt eerie.

Kim In-hwan pushed up his glasses.

Just now, he swung the bat at the timing of a fastball, but he saw that it was a changeup and barely made contact.

He was tricked by the opponent’s breaking ball, but he managed a foul.

I can see it.

I can see the opponent’s ball.

I can see so clearly with glasses, I can’t help but laugh at why I’ve been struggling so hard.

He almost got a cramp in his body because he hurriedly brushed off the changeup, but it was rather electrifying.

So this is it.

This is what it feels like to break through the wall.

‘Changeup.’

Another changeup.

Kim Seong-hoon turned his neck and ignored the sign.

The batter can’t hit the fastball.

Why does he keep avoiding it?

Jung Yong-wook sent the sign again, but Kim Seong-hoon shook his head this time.

“The umpire is signaling for a faster pace.”

“I guess the sign exchange was long because it’s an important moment, right?”

Kim Seong-hoon put his finger on his shoulder.

A declaration of throwing a fastball.

Jung Yong-wook held up his mitt.

Isn’t the pitcher on the mound the main character?

In important moments, you have to follow the pitcher’s wishes.

“Hoo.”

Kim Seong-hoon, who shook the rosin off his hand into his mouth, threw the ball with all his might.

Thwack!

With a powerful sound, the ball flew straight.

“Foul! It’s a foul! It flew like a bullet into the first base stands.”

“Kim In-hwan was too hasty this time. His swing was too fast.”

Kim Seong-hoon looked back at first base.

It was a terrifying hit, even though it was a foul.

It felt like the ball was breaking.

I think I know why Jung Yong-wook persistently demanded a changeup.

“Strong! The strongest under the heavens! Made of steel! Kim! In! Hwan!”

The cheering song flowed into Kim In-hwan’s ears.

Has he ever properly heard the cheering song at the plate?

Kim In-hwan gripped the bat lightly.

A strikeout is just a strikeout.

He swings without regret.

‘Changeup.’

‘Fastball.’

‘Changeup.’

‘Fastball.’

‘Changeup.’

‘Fastball.’

Jung Yong-wook and Kim Seong-hoon’s signs continued to clash.

Jung Yong-wook felt a lump in his chest.

He’s going to go head-to-head even after seeing that foul?

Kim Seong-hoon’s answer was always the same.

Even if he gets hit, he’ll go in.

Because that’s the baseball he’s been playing.

In the end, the catcher has no choice but to follow the pitcher’s wishes.

The pitcher is the one who throws the ball.

Kim Seong-hoon lifted his leg.

He threw the ball with all his might without a slide step [a shortened stride used to deliver the ball more quickly].

It was a ball that recorded the highest speed of the day, 156km/h.

The ball flew fiercely towards the mitt as if it had been measured with a ruler.

Kim In-hwan’s bat was already turning.

Success as a catcher

Awakening

Bang!

The bat hit the ball.

The ball flew high, high into the sky.

A white star floating in the night sky.

The audience held their breath and watched the star fall.

The star didn’t fall anywhere in the stadium.

The star that crossed the fence disappeared forever, hiding its appearance.

The cheers erupted belatedly.

“Home run! Home run! It’s a home run! Grand slam! It’s a full-base home run! An incredible home run that goes over the center fence of Jamsil and out of the stadium! Can you believe it? Can you see this? An unbelievable home run has been hit!”

“It seems to be the longest distance I’ve ever seen in a home run. It was a ball that just kept going straight as soon as it was hit.”

“Kim In-hwan has been a little sluggish recently, but he has completely turned things around with one home run.”

“This is a home run that will remain in the history of Korean professional baseball. There has never been a home run like this before, and it will be difficult to see one in the future. Kim In-hwan! He has reached an unprecedented level!”

Kim In-hwan’s body felt like it was floating every time he stepped on a base.

The cheering of the audience sounded dreamy.

In reality, the audience was screaming and cheering as if Jamsil Stadium was about to explode.

“Waaaaaaaah!”

“Kim In-hwan! Kim In-hwan! Kim In-hwan!”

“Kyaaaaaa!”

From people who were so surprised they nearly fainted to people who were savoring the moment while applauding.

The beer cans they were holding were thrown and the chicken boxes were pushed by the crowd and fell to the ground, but no one cared.

The GOAT’s [Greatest Of All Time] fans were already deeply intoxicated with Kim In-hwan.

Clap clap clap clap!

Song Seok-hyun greeted Kim In-hwan with applause.

Kim In-hwan held out his fist.

“How was it?”

“Amazing, right?”

A grand slam that changed the tense game.

Pegasus coach Ham Seong-hoon came directly to the mound and patted Kim Seong-hoon on the shoulder.

“Good job.”

“Yes.”

Kim Seong-hoon went down the mound without a word.

No one spoke to Kim Seong-hoon, who returned to the bench.

Kim Seong-hoon just wiped his face with a towel and didn’t complain.

Where there is a winner, there is a loser, and where there is a protagonist, there is a villain.

Kim Seong-hoon, who had been the protagonist in many games, knew that fact better than anyone else.

When the top of the 6th inning ended, Jung Yong-wook returned to the bench.

“I told you to go with the changeup, you punk.”

Jung Yong-wook tapped Kim Seong-hoon’s thigh.

Kim Seong-hoon put his hand on his iced shoulder.

“That’s not my style.”

“What style? You have to be flexible.”

“I’ll pay you back next time, with interest.”

Jung Yong-wook didn’t say anything more.

The result is disappointing, but that’s Kim Seong-hoon.

Pride.

Kim Seong-hoon clenched the baseball tightly.

* * *

“Let’s go with Go Jin-seok.”

6th inning, 4-point lead.

The GOAT’s coach, Ham Seong-hoon, immediately brought out the winning pitcher.

“Go Jin-seok is coming out. He’s saying he’s going to secure the win today, right?”

“Jung Hong-min and Hong Dae-seong are also warming up in the bullpen right now. Today’s game is an all-out war.”