On The Rise As A Catcher [EN]: Chapter 140

The center fielder cautiously positioned himself.

“It’s going high, high into the sky. The center fielder is setting up… Oh, oh, oh? Is it going over? It’s going… He caught it! A super catch by center fielder Kim Ha-kyun! He stepped on the wall and jumped to catch the ball! Kim Ha-kyun’s super catch!”

“It looked like a routine fly ball, didn’t it? The ball went so high that I thought it would be a simple fly, but it almost went over the fence.”

“If it weren’t for the wind, that ball would have gone over.”

“Kim In-hwan may be out, but Kim In-hwan is still Kim In-hwan, showing off his monstrous power. He sends a fly ball all the way to the center field wall.”

Kim In-hwan tucked his bat under his arm and returned to the bench.

Choi Jae-wan, preparing to go to the on-deck circle, asked,

“Hyung [older brother or respected male figure], did you aim for that on purpose? It was a completely dropped ball.”

“I aimed for it.”

“You aimed for that kind of ball? It was a complete ball out of the zone.”

“Are they going to give me a good ball? It’s also a method to aim for the pitch type.”

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

Bernard Suarez narrowed his eyes.

The King of Jamsil [a prestigious baseball stadium in Seoul].

It’s ridiculous to give a mere twenty-year-old the nickname of King.

Of course, this is just superficial.

From the side, Song Seok-hyun is a fourth batter who suffocates the pitcher.

When Song Seok-hyun steps into the batter’s box, there’s nowhere to throw the ball.

‘Outside, fastball.’

Catcher Shin Min-ho signaled Suarez to throw it completely outside.

Suarez nodded immediately, then squinted one eye.

He was angry at himself for welcoming the sign to avoid the confrontation without hesitation.

“Walk. It’s a walk. It seems Suarez has no intention of competing with Song Seok-hyun.”

“It seems the sign came from the bench. It’s better to compete with Yoo Seon-ho than with Song Seok-hyun. An out is the same no matter who you get it against.”

Suarez picked up the rosin bag with Song Seok-hyun on first base.

He puts his pride aside.

The guy standing on first base isn’t a twenty-year-old rookie.

He’s the most fearsome cleanup hitter in the league.

“Hoo.”

Suarez got the next batter, Yoo Seon-ho, out with a ground ball on a changeup and roared.

“Both teams finished the first inning without scoring.”

“Gote must be disappointed. Runners on first and second, a scoring chance, but nothing.”

“Today, Lee Ji-sung and Yoo Seon-ho haven’t been performing well yet. Weren’t Lee Ji-sung and Yoo Seon-ho the key to the last three-game series?”

“Well, you can’t always maintain your best condition.”

Ham Seong-hoon’s expression didn’t change.

It’s going exactly as he expected.

You can’t evaluate Lee Ji-sung and Yoo Seon-ho’s skills based on their performance against the Scorpions alone.

There must have been advantages to playing against their former team.

If Yoo Seon-ho’s performance is lackluster, the Wolves will pass on Song Seok-hyun.

Gote’s lower batting order isn’t something you can expect much from.

If an organic virtuous cycle of the batting order is impossible, there’s only one way.

Hit a big one, score with one swing, and protect the score by squeezing the bullpen.

Excluding Song Seok-hyun and Yoo Seon-ho, Kim In-hwan is the only batter who can be expected to hit a big one in Jamsil.

You can’t entrust the team’s victory to one player.

If not a big one, then a strategic play, but Gote isn’t a team that’s good at strategic plays either.

“Hmm…”

No team is perfect, but Gote lacks the stamina to be called a strong team.

He keenly feels the lack of depth.

Strong teams and weak teams all experience crises, only differing in scale.

Weak teams collapse in a crisis, while strong teams somehow overcome it.

Does Gote have the stamina?

-Out!

-Out!

-Out!

Ham Seong-hoon’s reverie was broken by Michael Fish’s strikeout show.

“Michael Fish! He’s on fire today. Three consecutive strikeouts!”

“Michael Fish is really fierce today. The ball is alive and slams into the mitt. Even though it’s only the first inning, the batters can’t hit the ball at all.”

“I have high expectations for Michael Fish’s record today.”

Ham Seong-hoon tapped his cheek.

Gote is definitely stronger than other teams in one aspect.

Money.

They always secure A-class foreign players.

League ace Michael Fish and James McKinsey, who would definitely be in the top two starters on any team.

“It’s shameless to whine this much.”

There are teams like Phoenix, so it’s a guilty conscience to complain about Gote’s power.

As long as the starters are healthy, they can follow one point at a time.

“Gote’s sixth batter, Choi Jae-wan, comes up as the lead batter.”

“His defense is so good that you wonder if he’s really a rookie, but his batting performance is still disappointing. His OPS [On-Base Plus Slugging] is 0.721. The lowest among league third basemen. That includes Phoenix.”

“Considering his age of twenty-two, it might be unfair. He’s doing well enough for his age group. There are still many players who haven’t escaped the minor leagues.”

“It may be a cruel thing to say, but the pros are pros. Opportunity isn’t always there. You have to seize the opportunity when it comes. Song Seok-hyun, Jeong Dae-han, and Kim Jeong-deok are younger than Choi Jae-wan, but they’re showing skills above the starting level in the league.”

Choi Jae-wan stretched out his arm and looked at the bat.

Catcher Shin Min-ho spoke to Choi Jae-wan.

“Jae-wan, should I give you something good? A fastball is coming. Hit the fastball, the fastball.”

“…”

Choi Jae-wan didn’t respond.

He closed his eyes once and took a breath.

The catcher chuckled and gave the sign.

Inside fastball.

It’s generally accepted that there’s nothing to fear from Gote’s lower batting order.

Suarez didn’t hesitate against Gote’s lower batting order either.

A 142km/h [approximately 88 mph] ball pierced Choi Jae-wan’s inside.

Whack!

-Strike!

“The ball went deep inside on Choi Jae-wan. It’s a strike.”

“Choi Jae-wan was completely caught off guard.”

The catcher muttered almost audibly.

“What’s the point of giving it to you if you can’t hit it? Tsk tsk.”

Choi Jae-wan breathed shallowly.

‘Curveball.’

Since he gave one strike, he’ll take out one ball and figure out what the batter is aiming for.

Watching the inside fastball means there’s a high possibility that he’s focused on the outside breaking ball.

Whack.

-Ball, low.

The catcher caught the ball and glanced at the batter.

You’re not hitting this either?

Then are you aiming for the outside fastball?

‘Changeup, outside.’

Then he’ll test him again with a changeup.

Whoosh!

-Strike!

“A swing and a miss! Choi Jae-wan swung the bat wildly, but the changeup fell perfectly.”

“It seems Choi Jae-wan was aiming for it properly, but he was completely fooled instead.”

The catcher stroked his chest.

Was Choi Jae-wan always making such big swings?

That means he’s been aiming for the outside fastball all along.

Then… he’ll throw one more changeup.

Whoosh!

-Strike! Out!

“Strikeout! It’s a strikeout! A swing and a miss strikeout!”

“Choi Jae-wan’s swing is big. It seems he’s being too greedy.”

Choi Jae-wan smacked his lips and returned to the bench.

Kim In-hwan asked Choi Jae-wan.

“You’re being a bit greedy today?”

“I tried to aim for one, but it didn’t work out the way I wanted.”

“Jae-wan.”

“Yes.”

Kim In-hwan patted Choi Jae-wan’s butt.

“It’s good to aim, but you seem impatient. If that’s the case, then just hit the first pitch like Jin-il hyung [older brother or respected male figure]. If you’re going to set a concept, set it properly.”

“Yes.”

Gote’s 7th and 8th batters were both out on ground balls.

Suarez smiled and returned to the bench.

“Hoo.”

Gote’s coaches couldn’t hide their sighs.

The powerless lower batting order was as expected.

The game went on to the 3rd, 4th, and 5th innings without either team scoring.

Michael Fish showed the power to prevent even a single batter from stepping on first base, but Gote left runners on base every inning from the 3rd inning onwards.

When cleaning time came [mid-game break], Gote fans repeatedly smoked cigarettes, comforting their frustrated hearts like the clogged batting lineup.

“Top of the 6th, Michael Fish takes the mound again. Don’t be surprised, everyone. He’s currently pitching a perfect game.”

“Michael Fish’s condition today is truly the best of the best.”

Whack!

Whack!

Whack!

-Strike! Out!

“Three-pitch strikeout! Michael Fish is completely on fire today. The Wolves’ batting lineup is completely helpless.”

Song Seok-hyun threw the ball to the pitcher.

Today, Michael Fish’s ball is comparable to the major league level.

A fastball that easily exceeds 150km/h [approximately 93 mph], a cutter in the late 140km/h [approximately 87 mph] range, and a changeup in the late 130km/h [approximately 81 mph] range.

Even if he were to step in as a batter, it’s a ball that would take his breath away.

He’s already broken two bats today.

The starting pitcher, Michael Fish, is perfect.

He almost feels sorry that they haven’t scored yet.

-Out!

-Out!

Ground ball outs for the 8th and 9th batters.

The game moved to the bottom of the 6th.

“Bottom of the 6th, Song Seok-hyun comes up as Gote’s lead batter.”

“Today, Song Seok-hyun has only gotten two walks without a hit. It seems the Wolves’ bench has definitely set up a strategy. They’re thoroughly avoiding Song Seok-hyun.”

“Today, the condition of the following batter, Yoo Seon-ho, doesn’t look very good. The momentum keeps getting cut off.”

Yoo Seon-ho stared at Suarez with his batting ring on.

For a foreign player, his ball is slow, but the end of the ball is dirty [difficult to hit due to movement].

The timing seems right, but the ball doesn’t extend [doesn’t carry its speed through the zone].

In this case, they say the chemistry isn’t right.

It would be understandable if the ball was fast or the breaking ball was powerful, but it’s frustrating.

Whack!

-Ball, outside.

The pitcher is avoiding Song Seok-hyun again.

He intends to compete with himself.

His pride is hurt, but he’s not confident.

He’s just embarrassed to face a much younger junior.

“Three balls. It seems Suarez has no intention of facing Song Seok-hyun.”

“He’s avoiding the zone by a ball or two, but Song Seok-hyun isn’t falling for it either. It seems he’s reading the Wolves battery’s intentions.”

‘Curveball.’

Suarez has already put his pride aside.

He keeps getting hit today.

He doesn’t think there’s anything wrong with his ball, but if the ball keeps getting hit, he has to change his thinking.

Avoid the difficult batter and face the easy batter.

Send Song Seok-hyun to first base and induce a double play with Yoo Seon-ho.

Even if it’s not Yoo Seon-ho, he can handle Gote’s lower batting order well enough.

Thwack!

Suarez threw the ball.

A curveball that clearly left the zone.

It was a low ball that almost bounced.

“Hoo.”

Song Seok-hyun let out a shallow breath.

At the same time, he tightened his hips and swung.

Suarez flinched.

Bang!

A line drive flying towards the left field wall at a low angle.

The left fielder hurriedly ran towards the wall.

“…Home run? It’s a home run. It’s a home run! A home run, it’s a home run, right?”

The caster doubted his eyes.

A ball that should have barely reached the warning track and fallen went over the fence.