On The Rise As A Catcher [EN]: Chapter 135

Jo Sang-woong’s first pitch is a fastball that tails away outside.

Lee Ji-sung flinched and returned to first base.

“He just took a ball out of Scorpion’s count. It seems he’s trying to test Lee Ji-sung’s speed.”

“Even though Lee Ji-sung’s stolen bases have decreased since his injury, he’s still fast. They need to be careful.”

Lee Ji-sung increases his lead, glancing back and forth between the pitcher and catcher.

Jo Sang-woong shrugged, glancing sidelong at Lee Ji-sung.

Jo Sang-woong read the catcher’s sign.

Slider.

A pitch that moves away, a threat to a steal to second.

The moment Jo Sang-woong was about to throw, Lee Ji-sung leaned towards second base.

Whack!

-Strike!

“Seol Jin-il swings and misses! True to form, Jo Sang-woong’s slider is sharp.”

“That slider that breaks away is practically Jo Sang-woong’s trademark. The angle is so deceptive that it’s even harder to read.”

Although he induced a swing and miss, Koo Seung-cheol’s expression wasn’t bright.

He only faked a run to second.

It’s impossible to know if he has no intention of stealing or if he’s just trying to mess with our timing.

It’s certain that his stolen bases have decreased since the injury, but it’s still bothering me.

He’s a runner who doesn’t even do head-first slides for fear of injury.

But why do I keep watching him so closely?

‘Changeup.’

If he’s not going to run, then let’s try for a double play.

Even if he’s fast, that lead is enough to turn a double play.

Just as Jo Sang-woong was exchanging signs with the catcher and about to throw, Lee Ji-sung took off.

This time it was real.

Clack!

Seol Jin-il hit the ball, but it was a weak, slow grounder.

The second baseman rushed in and grabbed the ball.

The shortstop raised his hand, signaling to throw to him.

The catcher and pitcher pointed to first base, but the second baseman threw to second.

Whoosh!

Lee Ji-sung slid into second with a bent-leg slide.

The shortstop tagged second base and threw to first.

-Safe!

“Both runners are safe! Safe! Safe!”

“Right now, it was a double play situation, but it was too close to call.”

“Lee Ji-sung is really fast. Wasn’t that an out?”

“Lee Ji-sung’s explosiveness is well-known. I thought it could have been called an out, but this time the umpire sided with Lee Ji-sung.”

“The hitter-runner is safe because the second baseman threw the ball to second.”

“The ball was hit weakly and went slowly. Seol Jin-il isn’t very noticeable, but he’s also a fast runner.”

“With the GOAT’s first and second batters both on base, there are now two runners in scoring position for Kim In-hwan.”

“This is a lot of pressure. Kim In-hwan, Song Seok-hyun, Yoo Seon-ho. Just thinking about it is overwhelming.”

Second baseman Kang Kyun-seung put his hands on his hips and sighed.

He underestimated Lee Ji-sung’s speed.

It was a ground ball that would have easily resulted in a double play with an ordinary runner, but the runner is Lee Ji-sung.

He was once the fastest in Scorpion and one of the top runners in the league.

If his jump [initial burst of speed] was that good, it would have been right to throw the ball to first base.

Greed got the better of him.

“The super-strong man! Kim In-hwan made of steel!”

As Kim In-hwan stepped up to the plate, GOAT fans rose from their seats.

Catcher Koo Seung-cheol couldn’t easily decide on a sign.

Considering the speed of Lee Ji-sung and Seol Jin-il, one extra-base hit would at least clear the bases.

If they had a big-breaking splitter like Kang Gu-il, who pitched as a starter yesterday, it would be different, but Jo Sang-woong’s slider and changeup both have small, sharp breaks.

When he’s in good condition, it’s easy to induce weak grounders by hitting the end of the bat, but it’s not enough to break the bat like a cutter or sinker.

If it comes in ambiguously, the hitter can force it into the ground with power, and with Kim In-hwan’s power, it doesn’t seem impossible.

In that case…

‘Slider, inside.’

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

Throwing a breaking ball inside, especially to a power hitter like Kim In-hwan, is like suicide, but the pitcher is Jo Sang-woong.

If a slider with a small break hits the inside of the bat, it has a good chance of resulting in a weak hit.

Advance the runner to third and a double play.

That’s the best-case scenario.

“Phew…”

Jo Sang-woong took a deep breath in and out.

An inside breaking ball to Kim In-hwan.

It’s not an easy decision for a pitcher.

Jo Sang-woong, having taken his stance, threw the ball.

Thwack!

The sound of the ball hitting the bat weakly.

Kim In-hwan swung at the ball that was obviously going to be a weak hit.

It was a scenario where a double play would occur as the catcher predicted.

If it were an ordinary hitter.

“Shortstop! The shortstop missed it! The ball is getting through to second base! The runners are running! Running! They’re scoring! Kim In-hwan! An RBI single! GOAT’s first inning is hot again today!”

“That was a weak hit, but Kim In-hwan muscled the ball through. The ball didn’t go far, but it was enough to get past the infield.”

“Kim In-hwan gets a hit and an RBI by attacking the first pitch. With this, Scorpion gives up a run in the first inning and loses the momentum to GOAT.”

Koo Seung-cheol let out a hollow laugh.

“Is that guy crazy?”

It was a weak hit.

He saw Kim In-hwan’s bat break slightly.

He forced the weak hit into the ground with a broken bat.

Is that even possible?

His head throbbed.

“Kim In-hwan is great, but Lee Ji-sung, who ran all the way home on that short single, is also amazing.”

“It was bold, but his baserunning was clean and efficient. He ran as soon as Kim In-hwan hit the ball. It could have been an out, but if he has that kind of judgment, he can show a different class of baserunning.”

“The nickname ‘Daegu Sonic’ really suits him.”

Manager Ham Seong-hoon came out of the dugout and held out his hand.

Lee Ji-sung high-fived the manager.

“Good job.”

Ham Seong-hoon smiled.

Even if batting has its ups and downs, speed is constant.

Even if his batting is inconsistent and his stolen bases have decreased, if Lee Ji-sung’s baserunning sense is constant, they can draw a blueprint for big games.

“Oh, oh, GOAT’s Song Seok-hyun. The all-around Song Seok-hyun. The out-of-the-park home run Song Seok-hyun. Fly! Away!”

And the batter is Song Seok-hyun.

The pitcher was already wiping away sweat.

Success as a catcher

Run, for the team

The Scorpion dugout was silent.

No outs, runners on first and second, and the cleanup hitter.

What kind of strategy could there be?

All they can do is trust the pitcher.

The time the catcher and pitcher exchanged signs was long.

Both teams’ fans watched with bated breath.

‘Fastball, outside.’

The catcher was thinking of going with an easy first pitch.

Statistically, Song Seok-hyun doesn’t aggressively attack the first pitch.

As long as it’s not a hittable pitch, it’s best to just show him one.

The pitcher knew the catcher’s intention but couldn’t readily nod.

The anxiety of ‘Shouldn’t I throw a waste pitch [a pitch deliberately thrown outside the strike zone] first?’

The pitcher rubbed rosin on his hand.

“Hoo.”

The pitcher exhaled and lifted his leg.

The ball that followed went straight into the catcher’s mitt.

-Strike!

“Strike. He threw a fastball that caught the zone.”

“That was a well-controlled pitch. Even Song Seok-hyun can’t do anything about that. It’s good to see a pitch like that on the first pitch. It’s bases loaded. You have to be sure, or you have to hold back.”

The pitcher took a deep breath.

The catcher decided on a changeup for the next pitch.

The pitcher paused for a moment before throwing.

Whack.

A low, breaking ball.

Song Seok-hyun held the bat and didn’t move.

The catcher’s mitt was slightly raised.

-Strike!

“Two strikes. Jo Sang-woong is showing his strength in a crisis situation.”

“That breaking ball that falls away is really difficult for the hitter. It’s a pitch that induces a ground ball. Song Seok-hyun thought it was going to break and let it go, but it became a strike.”

Song Seok-hyun licked his lips.

The mitt work of Scorpion’s starting catcher was extraordinary as expected.

A ball that breaks downward is harder for the umpire to distinguish than a ball that breaks left or right.

Framing [subtly influencing the umpire’s call by catching the ball in a way that makes it appear to be in the strike zone] a ball that breaks downward upward isn’t easy, but Koo Seung-cheol isn’t a veteran for nothing.

Whack!

The next two pitches were two sliders.

Song Seok-hyun made foul balls, not easily backing down from the plate.

Catcher Koo Seung-cheol’s deciding pitch is…

-Strike! Out!

“Strikeout! He gets the strikeout. Jo Sang-woong overcomes the crisis.”

Song Seok-hyun glanced at the umpire once and headed to the dugout.

“Song Seok-hyun couldn’t handle the inside fastball.”

“Jo Sang-woong kept showing outside pitches and then went inside.”

“He’s such a good pitcher with outside breaking balls that everyone only thinks about outside pitches. It’s easy to get caught off guard.”

Song Seok-hyun returned to the bench and pursed his lips.

It was a pitch that he thought came in too deep inside.

He thought at least one ball would be out of the strike zone, but Koo Seung-cheol’s framing and the umpire’s discretion made it a strike.

“Oh, oh, GOAT’s hero, Jamsil’s hero, Yoo! Seon! Ho!”

As Yoo Seon-ho stepped up, GOAT fans sang his cheer in unison.

The Scorpion fans in the third base stands were silent.

“…”

Yoo Seon-ho and Koo Seung-cheol, who had been exchanging jokes, didn’t say a word to each other this time.

Koo Seung-cheol gestured for the pitcher to throw quickly.

Jo Sang-woong hesitated and threw the ball.

Clack!

Yoo Seon-ho’s bat met the fastball that went right into the center of the strike zone.

The ball hit by the bat became a ground ball but pierced between first and second base.

Second baseman Kang Kyun-seung dove and reached out his glove.

Thud!

The ball caught on the edge of the glove.

Kang Kyun-seung immediately turned and threw the ball to second base.

The shortstop caught the ball and immediately threw to first.

Yoo Seon-ho gritted his teeth and ran.

-Out!

“Double play! A double play here. Kang Kyun-seung’s picture-perfect defense turns Yoo Seon-ho’s hit into an out.”

“This is Kang Kyun-seung. He’s a real treasure to Scorpion fans. What more could you ask for than a .300 hitter who is fast and plays defense so well?”

“GOAT doesn’t score any additional runs in the top of the first despite having a golden opportunity. They brought out their best cards, Song Seok-hyun and Yoo Seon-ho.”

“That’s baseball. You can’t always score.”

Manager Ham Seong-hoon leaned against the wall.

They only scored one run in a chance that may never come again.

The difficulty of a game that could have been easy has increased.

“Ah.”

Yoo Seon-ho returned to the bench with his helmet pulled down low.

“That guy knows everything.”

Yoo Seon-ho grumbled, looking at Koo Seung-cheol.

Koo Seung-cheol knows better than anyone that Yoo Seon-ho is the type to watch the ball for a long time at the plate and doesn’t touch the first pitch well.

Yoo Seon-ho has the lowest batting average on the first pitch in the center of the plate.

It’s a course that pitchers don’t throw to well, so Yoo Seon-ho also excludes it from his expectations, but he was impatient because it was bases loaded.

Koo Seung-cheol must have seen through Yoo Seon-ho’s anxiety that he was impatient because he couldn’t hit an extra-base hit.

* * *

Bottom of the 1st inning.

GOAT’s pitcher Han Min-seok came to the mound.

Whack!