On The Rise As A Catcher [EN]: Chapter 141

The ball’s trajectory was too low, leading everyone to believe it wouldn’t clear the fence.

“It’s a home run! It’s a home run! Song Seok-hyun with a solo home run!”

“Home run! Song Seok-hyun’s solo home run! In the bottom of the 6th, Song Seok-hyun finally breaks the scoreless tie! A home run that clears the left field fence!”

The crowd’s cheers erupted belatedly.

It wasn’t a fly ball, but a line drive that cleared the fence.

Everyone was dumbfounded, as they thought it would be, at best, a double.

“Oh, Song Seok-hyun, the GOT [Greatest Of All Time]! The all-around player, Song Seok-hyun! A home run out of the park, Song Seok-hyun! Fly! Away!”

The cheers and applause poured out belatedly.

Ham Seong-hoon, the manager, clapped along, muttering to himself.

“A prodigy is a prodigy… Heh heh.”

Ace Catcher

Crisis (3)

Song Seok-hyun’s single home run was the only score in the game.

Michael Fish pitched a 3-hit shutout.

The game MVP was Michael Fish.

“Today, GOT achieved the best possible outcome. Michael Fish’s shutout saved the bullpen a lot of work.”

“However, the hitters showed a lot of disappointing performances, which will deepen the worries of both managers. GOT got on base a lot but left many runners stranded, and the Wolves were completely shut down by Michael Fish.”

“Doesn’t that just mean both teams have strong pitching mounds?”

“Tomorrow’s match will be between Jang Gye-seong and James McKinsey. Both are top-notch starting pitchers, so tomorrow’s game is also likely to be a pitching duel.”

After the game.

Song Seok-hyun finished preparing to leave and came out of the locker room.

Kim In-hwan was nowhere to be seen, so he sent a text message and received a reply.

-Thinking of practicing a bit before going. Go on ahead. Good work today.

* * *

Bang!

Bang!

Bang!

The sound of bats swinging in the indoor practice field was incessant.

“You’re too impatient. How many times do I have to tell you that your waist needs to rotate properly before your shoulders do?”

“Sorry.”

“You can’t be impatient. This is practice, practice. Even if you can’t hit the ball, fixing your form is the priority. What’s the point of hitting home runs here? Try again.”

“Yes.”

Song Seok-hyun followed the sound of the voices.

In the narrow practice area, there were at least half a dozen players huddled together.

Yoo Seon-ho pointed at Choi Jae-wan and said.

“Okay, look here. Jae-wan, you.”

“Yes.”

“You have a good eye. You’re good at picking balls, but your batting average isn’t great, right? Right? That’s because your head is moving. You need to keep your head fixed in place and then swing, but you’re impatient, so your body and head turn together. If your head shakes, your gaze won’t be fixed. Do you understand what I’m saying?”

“Yes.”

“You’ve been playing baseball long enough, how can you not know this? In the end, the problem is that you’re impatient. Why are you rushing your swing so much?”

“It’s because I keep swinging and missing. I think my bat speed is a bit slow, so I get impatient.”

“You know your problem well. Then you just need to fix it, why can’t you fix it?”

Choi Jae-wan scratched the back of his head.

“I’m not sure how to fix it. I’ve tried practicing with a heavier bat, but I don’t know if my swing is getting any faster…”

“Then you need to change your stance. Shorten your stride. Use a slightly lighter bat too.”

“I’ve tried that too, but I can’t hit any long balls.”

“Hey, Bonds [likely referring to Barry Bonds, a famous home run hitter] hit home runs with an 860 or 880 bat, do you think you can’t hit home runs with a lighter bat? It’s because the adjustment period is too short. Don’t be greedy from the start, take it step by step. You need to focus on getting hits first, and then think about hitting it far. Can you just focus on hitting it far from the start?”

“Ah…”

“Didn’t you get more hits when you used a lighter bat?”

“It went up a little then.”

“How much is a little?”

“About .300 then…”

“.300? Hey, what’s your current batting average?”

“… .230…”

“Damn it. Are you going to talk nonsense even with that? If you hit .300, you have to switch. Long balls? Long balls? Get your head in the game, man. You need to hit well first, and then look for long balls.”

Choi Jae-wan pursed his lips.

“Why? Are you greedy too? You want to hit like Seok-hyun and In-hwan, are you very greedy?”

“…”

“Have you been playing baseball for a day or two?”

“…Sorry.”

“You need to find what you’re good at first. You’re not a home run hitter. Your concept is a medium-long distance hitter, medium-long distance. I know it well because I’m the same style as you. Get rid of your greed and focus on seeing the ball well and hitting it well. Hitting it far is next.”

“Yes, I understand.”

Yoo Seon-ho put his arm around Choi Jae-wan’s shoulder.

“Man, I was very envious of Yang Cheol too. I was frustrated to death wondering why I couldn’t hit like him. But what can I do, people are born different. Get rid of your greed and do what you can do well now. Got it?”

“Yes, senior.”

“Okay. Try again. Hey?”

Choi Jae-wan shortened his stride as Yoo Seon-ho instructed and began hitting the balls from the pitching machine.

When the pitching machine stopped, Choi Jae-wan went to the corner and focused on his swing alone.

As Choi Jae-wan stepped away, the other players asked Yoo Seon-ho questions, listened to his answers, and asked more questions.

Song Seok-hyun quietly watched them before turning away.

“Is this a good thing…”

When he practiced, other players would come and take a peek or ask questions, but they didn’t ask as actively as they did to Yoo Seon-ho.

It wouldn’t have been easy for them to ask something to a rookie and the youngest member who was much younger than them.

The players also dismissed Song Seok-hyun’s skills as innate talent.

Yoo Seon-ho was different from Song Seok-hyun.

He was a veteran and one of the best hitters in the league.

A veteran who was verified both theoretically and practically.

Yoo Seon-ho was a better choice than anyone else to get help with parts that were difficult to ask even the coach.

It was obvious, but it was a night of feeling unnecessarily sad.

* * *

Game 2 against the Wolves.

Due to yesterday’s close game, Jamsil [a famous baseball stadium in South Korea] was sold out again today.

The match between the Wolves’ ace Jang Gye-seong and James McKinsey, known as Professor Mack.

Even Song Seok-hyun, the king of Jamsil who hit a home run yesterday.

The lineup was as splendid as it could be.

The problem was the content of the game.

“Both teams have no score through the 4th inning. They are completely shut down by each team’s starting pitcher.”

“The match between the left-handed aces has been attracting attention, but when you open the lid, the starting pitchers are doing well as expected, but the hitters are not able to use their power at all.”

“It was expected that GOT would have a hard time. After all, many of the good hitters are left-handed, right? Lee Ji-seong, Kim In-hwan, and Yoo Seon-ho are left-handed hitters, and Jang Gye-seong is strong against left-handed hitters, so the weight was tilted towards the Wolves, but I didn’t expect the Wolves’ lineup to be so powerless.”

“Isn’t that because the Wolves also have three left-handed hitters?”

“That just means James McKinsey’s pitches are also very good.”

“A pitching duel. This kind of game is also the charm of baseball, but there are too few scores yesterday and today. Even though it’s the Jamsil rivalry.”

“In this case, the game can be decided by one swing again. Like yesterday.”

“Today, the Wolves are thoroughly avoiding Song Seok-hyun like yesterday. They’re not even giving him ambiguous pitches. It seems like their strategy is to walk Song Seok-hyun and only face left-handed hitters.”

“In the end, the left-handed hitters have to hit one out of the park, there’s no other way.”

Bottom of the 4th inning.

The inning ended with Yoo Seon-ho’s double play.

Yoo Seon-ho stepped on first base and squeezed his eyes shut.

“Yoo Seon-ho already has two double plays today.”

“Jang Gye-seong’s slider is really effective against left-handed hitters. It curves sharply to the outside, making it difficult to distinguish from the fastball. It induces a lot of swing and misses, but it also hits the end of the bat like a cutter, breaking the bat or creating a lot of ground balls.”

“Avoiding Song Seok-hyun and facing left-handed hitters Kim In-hwan and Yoo Seon-ho. Today, the Wolves’ strategy is working perfectly.”

The GOT bench was quiet.

Yesterday, they at least left runners on base, but today it’s difficult to even get on base.

Not only left-handed hitters but also right-handed hitters couldn’t hit Jang Gye-seong’s pitches.

A fastball approaching 148km/h, a pitching form that was difficult to time, a fast and sharp horizontal slider, and a changeup that fell vertically.

He showed why he was the Wolves’ ace and selected for the national team with his skills.

“Hoo.”

Manager Ham Seong-hoon crossed his arms and bit his dry lips.

The game is going as expected.

He needs to create a variable, but it’s difficult to even get on base, so there’s no strategy to come up with.

The team’s lineup level has improved with the addition of Lee Ji-seong and Yoo Seon-ho, but a clear problem has also arisen.

They are weak against high-level left-handed pitchers.

Fortunately, there are only one or two high-level starting left-handed pitchers on each team, but if they are this weak, the problem is serious.

It can lead to a result of giving up one win in the postseason.

In particular, the Wolves have two high-level left-handed pitchers, Jang Gye-seong and Kim Jun-gi.

The Scorpions also have a foreign-born left-handed pitcher named Dale Jaeger, and the Pegasus has Jo Jin-hee, a national team’s first-string pitcher.

How should they face A-class left-handed pitchers…?

The method is not visible, as if covered in a hazy fog.

* * *

Top of the 5th inning.

It was the Wolves’ fourth hitter, Kang Je-gwan, who broke the 0-0 tie.

Bang!

“Left field fence! Left field fence! It goes over! Kang Je-gwan hits a two-run home run!”

“Kang Je-gwan is delivering here. He didn’t miss the pitcher’s mistake.”

“McKinsey is a pitcher with good control, but he makes a mistake at a crucial timing.”

“It can’t be helped if you throw a lot of pitches. Concentration also drops, but stamina tends to drop.”

“2-0. The Wolves take the lead first. Yesterday, GOT’s fourth hitter Song Seok-hyun broke the scoreless tie with a home run, but today, the Wolves’ fourth hitter Kang Je-gwan breaks the 0-0 balance with a home run.”

The pitcher on the mound, James McKinsey, pressed his hat down deeply.

Song Seok-hyun stood up and watched Kang Je-gwan touch home plate.

A home run after getting to a full count with two outs.

James McKinsey must be suppressing his anger alone.

James McKinsey induced a ground ball from the fifth hitter, but the second baseman’s error prevented him from getting the out.

He induced a high fly ball from the sixth hitter, but the shortstop and left fielder gave way to each other, resulting in a Texas hit [a weak hit that falls between infielders and outfielders].

The Wolves’ seventh hitter was shortstop Lee Yong-cheol.

“Two outs, runners on first and second. The hitter is shortstop Lee Yong-cheol. He’s a shortstop, but he’s a .300 hitter, not an easy player.”

“Ah, the catcher is going to the mound here. I think it was a good break. You need to cut it off for a moment here.”

James McKinsey stood with his head bowed.

Song Seok-hyun spoke before the interpreter even came to the mound.

“Sorry.”

McKinsey looked up at Song Seok-hyun.

As the interpreter came to his side, McKinsey asked.

“What are you sorry for? You don’t have to be sorry.”

“I’m sorry as a catcher and as a hitter.”

“What did you do wrong?”

“If you pitch like today and the hitters can’t give you the win, you have to be sorry.”

McKinsey smiled.

“My pitches weren’t good today. That’s why I got hit with a home run.”

“Senior Kang Je-gwan is an excellent hitter. So he only hit one home run now. If the ball hadn’t slipped out of your hand, it would have been a strikeout.”

“A mistake is a mistake. It’s my fault.”

“Giving up a run isn’t the pitcher’s fault. Up to 3 points is an excuse. Rather, it’s wrong that we couldn’t score even 3 points. So throw while cursing our hitters, don’t blame yourself.”

Song Seok-hyun smiled at McKinsey.

McKinsey had a slightly embarrassed expression.

“Hey, Mr. Nice Guy. You can get angry once in a while.”

Song Seok-hyun went down from the mound.

The interpreter looked at McKinsey and Song Seok-hyun once each and then went down from the mound.

McKinsey covered his mouth with his glove and laughed loudly.

“What did the two of them talk about? It seems like they talked for a while.”

“There are times when pitchers change a bit when Song Seok-hyun goes up to the mound. I don’t know if that will work for foreign players too.”

Song Seok-hyun returned to home plate.

James McKinsey.

A man who is excessively kind and has good manners.

His nickname is Nice Guy.

A devout Christian.

Having a good personality is not always an advantage.

He suppresses his anger even when it fills him inside.

It’s good for a pitcher to be calm on the mound, but there are times when he can’t hold back his anger.

“Good boy.”

McKinsey nodded as he looked at Song Seok-hyun.

He’s a young catcher, but he’s a reliable guy.

The pitching coach said to the manager.

“Seok-hyun goes out when it’s my timing to go out.”

“That’s how quick he is at seeing the game.”

“That kid does a lot for the team.”

“That’s why I feel even more sorry. I feel like I’m not doing it properly as a manager.”

Fighting hard.

As a hitter and as a catcher, he is standing firm at the center of the team.

After Song Seok-hyun went down, McKinsey threw a sinker inside to Lee Yong-cheol as the first pitch.

Thwack!

The sound of the ball hitting the mitt was heavy.

As if to show off, Song Seok-hyun nodded his head greatly and threw the ball to the pitcher.

As if to show off, McKinsey received the ball from Song Seok-hyun and patted his chest.

It was a signal to trust him.

-Strike! Out!