On The Rise As A Catcher [EN]: Chapter 145

The next batter is Jung Byung-soo, who has good power but lacks plate discipline.

Jung Byung-soo was helpless against Lee Chang-hoon’s changeup.

“Three consecutive strikeouts! Lee Chang-hoon’s changeup is truly terrifying today. It just drops off the table.”

“The Wolves’ batters must be feeling the heat, right? If they can’t adjust to that changeup, they’re in trouble today. They need to find a solution quickly.”

Lee Chang-hoon, coming off the mound, offered his fist to Song Seok-hyun.

When Song Seok-hyun bumped his fist, Lee Chang-hoon asked,

“The changeup’s looking good, right?”

“Yes. I think we can have some fun with the changeup today.”

“Life is full of surprises. My finger hurts, but it has its advantages.”

3rd inning, bottom.

Kim Jun-ki sighed first.

The first batter is Song Seok-hyun.

“Kim Jun-ki has been giving up a lot of hits since the first inning. His trademark downward-breaking slider isn’t working well.”

“I think the Goat batters are just hitting well. The angle of the drop is good, though.”

“Could it be a tell [a subtle movement that tips off the pitch], perhaps?”

“Well, the slider has the fewest tells of any breaking ball. The grip is the same as the fastball, and the angle of the wrist or arm when throwing is small, so it’s difficult to judge the pitch based on that.”

“So, should we just assume the Goat batters are hitting well?”

“I don’t know if they’re anticipating it or if their condition has just improved.”

Catcher Shin Min-ho sent a sign.

‘Four-seam, outside.’

Keep throwing outside pitches as usual.

Kim Jun-ki hesitated for a moment, thinking about Yoo Sun-ho’s hitting streak, but he thought it would be better than facing Song Seok-hyun.

Thwack!

“A hit! It’s a hit! Song Seok-hyun’s single to right field!”

“He’s hitting it to the opposite field. It wasn’t an extra-base hit, but it was a clean single.”

Kim Jun-ki rolled his tongue around in his mouth.

He hit a ball that went right into the corner of the zone.

“I can’t figure it out, I just can’t figure it out.”

Catcher Shin Min-ho also sighed.

Sometimes he doesn’t hesitate to take it to a full count and pick his pitch.

Sometimes he swings at pitches that are completely out of the zone.

He’ll just watch the first pitch go by, and then hit a pitch that’s way outside for a home run.

There’s no clear pattern.

No batter has a 100% consistent pattern, but there’s at least a tendency, but with Song Seok-hyun, you can’t pinpoint anything.

The only thing that’s certain is this.

“He’s hitting well, he’s hitting well.”

It was a voice from the Wolves’ bench.

“Chief Kim. Who do you think will go up, Wales or Goat?”

“Based on the current situation, Goat has a higher chance.”

“Hoo, I need to be able to rest easy knowing we’ll make it to the playoffs at least. If I meet him in the postseason, I think I’ll clutch my head and collapse.”

The thought alone makes him shudder.

Song Seok-hyun in a scoring opportunity.

If you throw it outside, he hits it to the opposite field with his longer bat, and if you throw it low, he somehow knows and scoops it up perfectly.

If there’s a way to defeat Song Seok-hyun, it’s to throw inside, ready to hit him, but unless you’re a very daring pitcher, you can’t easily throw inside to Song Seok-hyun.

Of course, you could intentionally hit Song Seok-hyun and knock him off the plate, but you have to consider the worst-case scenario.

What if Song Seok-hyun isn’t intimidated and steps into the batter’s box full of anger?

Not the calm Song Seok-hyun, but the Song Seok-hyun who’s furious?

He’s not even a pitcher, but he feels weak in the knees.

“Should I hit him anyway…?”

He sees no other way.

He can only hope that Wales does well.

Thwack!

It was Yoo Sun-ho’s hit that broke him out of his thoughts.

With a hit that split the center-left, Song Seok-hyun reached second base and went to third.

Runners on second and third with no outs.

Kim Jun-ki took off his hat and wiped away the sweat that was dripping down.

“Tell the bullpen to get ready.”

“Yes, Manager.”

Dark clouds are gathering over today’s game.

Ace Closer

Winning Streak (4)

“It’s going, it’s going, it’s going! Left field wall! A three-run homer over the left field wall! Is it a day for three-run homers? Choi Jae-wan also hits a three-run homer! 6-3! Goat takes a three-run lead!”

“No one expected Choi Jae-wan to hit a home run here. He attacked the first pitch like lightning.”

The person who hit the home run was staring at the fence with a dazed look.

Did that really go over?

It came inside, so I just tried to pull it to get it out of the way?

“Hey.”

Only when the catcher called him did Choi Jae-wan come to his senses and run to first base.

“Waaaaaaa!”

“Choi Jae-wan! Choi Jae-wan! Choi Jae-wan!”

“Victory Goat! Run, Goat! Advance, Goat!”

The cheers pour down.

He feels like he’s in a dream.

How long has it been since I hit a home run…?

No, how many have I hit over the fence in Jamsil [a famous baseball stadium in South Korea]?

While stepping on first base, second base, third base, and home base, Choi Jae-wan’s mind was only filled with one question: ‘Why did I hit a home run?’

“Hyung [older brother or male friend], congratulations.”

“Oh, oh. Thanks.”

Choi Jae-wan took a breath at Song Seok-hyun’s congratulations and went to the bench.

“You rascal! Good job! I knew you could do it!”

“You’re the MVP today! You’re the best!”

“Victory fairy Choi Jae-wan~ Ooooo~.”

Choi Jae-wan looked at his bat as if it were something amazing.

After Kim In-hwan took his bat, coveting it, he took Kim In-hwan’s bat instead.

Yoo Sun-ho suggested he try a lighter bat, but it felt awkward.

There was no feel, and the bat was too sensitive, making it difficult to hit the ball properly.

Upgrading is difficult, but downgrading is easy. As soon as he switched to a lighter one, he adapted in less than half a day.

As the bat became lighter, he had more leeway, and as he reduced the burden of hitting a home run, he became calmer.

Just hit it well, I’m not the main character, just do my part.

The bat, with an empty mind, was faster than he thought.

It was literally a lightning swing.

“Hoo.”

Only after taking a breath does a smile come to his face.

Choi Jae-wan touched his cheek.

It feels real.

I can hit home runs too.

I’m not just a useless figure with a big body.

“The pitcher is being replaced.”

“The Wolves are quickly changing pitchers. It seems they’re determined to win today.”

“The player coming out of the bullpen is… Jang Dae-hee. Jang Dae-hee is coming up as the next pitcher.”

Taking Kim Jun-ki out in the 3rd inning is painful, but now is the time when one win is crucial.

Now is the time to sprint, not manage.

The Wolves’ thick depth will be able to withstand it even if they push themselves a little harder.

“Hmm.”

Manager Ham Sung-hoon let out a groan.

They’re already making their move…

He can only envy that confidence to take out starting pitcher Kim Jun-ki.

“Jo Jae-jin, Jo Seok-ju, are they in good condition today?”

“Yes, they’ve been doing well in the minor leagues.”

“Depending on the situation, we should consider bringing them in early as well.”

“Understood.”

Song Seok-hyun stretched.

Jang Dae-hee on the mound is showing his practice pitches.

The ball is still fast and sharp.

It’s rare to be called up to the first team at the age of twenty.

There are a few more opportunities in the bullpen, but it’s rare for a first-year player to be a key reliever like Jang Dae-hee.

“Tsk.”

He can somewhat guess why Jang Dae-hee grabbed his ankle and screamed at him, but he’s becoming indifferent now.

Song Seok-hyun is already too high to keep Jang Dae-hee in mind.

He’s not a rival, nor is he someone to be jealous of.

Song Seok-hyun picked up a drink and drank it, watching Jang Dae-hee with his eyes.

Clearly, straight on.

* * *

-Out!

“Oh Jin-young is out on a ground ball. The inside pitch worked.”

“Jang Dae-hee’s fastball isn’t easy. It’s over 150km/h [approximately 93 mph].”

Wolves’ manager Jang Tae-seop licked his lips.

He’s still disappointed that he took out starting pitcher Kim Jun-ki against the bottom of the lineup.

It was a quick removal of the starter, but it was unavoidable in order to cut it off for sure.

You have to cut it off before the momentum shifts.

Now, you can’t underestimate the Goat’s bottom of the lineup.

Because once the Goat’s top of the lineup starts to burn, the bottom of the lineup also knows how to follow along.

Cut it off for sure when you cut it off.

That was Manager Jang Tae-seop’s iron rule.

The next batter is second baseman Jung Dong-gyu.

He’s good at defense, but his career batting average is barely over .250.

His on-base percentage and slugging percentage are nothing to write home about.

Jang Dae-hee also faces Jung Dong-gyu head-on.

He throws a fastball outside.

Crack!

Crack!

Two consecutive fouls.

He’s being pushed back by the power.

Jung Dong-gyu bites his lip.

Until high school, he was a true five-tool player.

Even in the pros, he was raised with great care as a promising player in Goat.

He came up to the first team in his second year and gradually established himself as a starter.

He was very active as the fixed starting second baseman in Sangmu [a military sports team].

Winning streak.

He thought everything would work out.

Until before his discharge.

When he returned to Goat, he regained his starting position on the first team.

That was it.

His solid defense was evaluated as a starter in any team, but everything else stopped growing.

He has the advantage of being a utility infielder who can play shortstop, third base, and first base, but he was not happy with the evaluation as a starting second baseman.

It was somewhat comforting to be grouped with Choi Jae-wan, Oh Jin-young, and Jung Young-soo in the category of the Goat’s hopeless bottom of the lineup, but seeing Choi Jae-wan’s home run today made him dizzy.

It had been a long time since he thought Choi Jae-wan was just another ordinary player whose growth had ended like himself, but today’s home run was different.

A home run that properly cleared the Jamsil wall.

A huge home run that he could never dream of.

He’s falling behind again.

He doesn’t want to fall behind again.

I was once a star.

He hates being treated like an extra.

Crack.

“It’s a surprise bunt! Jang Dae-hee catches it, catches it, ah~ he can’t throw it. He fell on his butt. Jung Dong-gyu’s surprise bunt is successful.”

“A surprise bunt in a two-strike situation… It’s hard to predict this. It doesn’t seem to be the bench’s strategy. It seems to be Jung Dong-gyu’s independent decision.”

Jung Dong-gyu gasped for breath.

He almost cramped up while sprinting.

His breathing doesn’t return easily.

“Hoo, hoo.”

Jung Dong-gyu lowers his body while standing on first base.

Even if you can’t hit a home run, there are many things you can do in baseball.

For example…

-Safe!

“Jang Dae-hee throws a pickoff attempt.”

“Jung Dong-gyu’s lead was long.”

Jung Dong-gyu takes the lead again.

If you can’t hit, you can use your feet.

He had been saving his energy to conserve stamina for second base defense.

Even if I can’t take a lead as long as Lee Ji-sung’s, I can still bother the pitcher.

This doesn’t use much energy.

“…”

He can feel Jang Dae-hee paying attention to him.