On The Rise As A Catcher [EN]: Chapter 152

The gap between desire and skill must narrow for the will to ignite again.

If Choi Jae-wan’s standards are Song Seok-hyeon and Kim In-hwan, he still has a long way to go.

Everyone wishes they could hit like Song Seok-hyeon, but that’s not just wishful thinking; it’s delusional.

Choi Jae-wan is still a promising prospect.

Waiting for a player to develop is a given.

The only issue is that his standards have been raised because of Song Seok-hyeon; it’s not Choi Jae-wan’s fault.

The top of the 8th ended with a score of 3-1.

Phoenix allowed a hit and a reversal, but they didn’t concede any additional runs.

Bottom of the 8th.

Jeong Hong-min demonstrated the strength of an elite bullpen, pitching a scoreless inning.

In the top of the 9th, the batting order reached Goht’s upper ranks, but Seol Jin-il’s double play ended the inning.

Bottom of the 9th.

Jeong Hong-min was still on the mound.

“Goht isn’t taking Jeong Hong-min out. Is he planning to have him pitch three innings?”

“That’s Goht’s style. He doesn’t change the bullpen much if he can avoid it. He uses the bullpen like a second starting pitcher, not in short bursts.”

“Aren’t bullpen pitchers supposed to have diverse roles? Modern baseball is characterized by the segmentation of roles, from one-out relief to short and long relief. What would you call a style that uses them for such extended periods?”

“Korean baseball used to feature starters pitching very long innings, but in the 90s, the overuse of bullpen pitchers became a problem. This continued even in the 2000s. There’s a lot of bullpen overuse in Major League Baseball, but they’ve focused on segmenting roles to alleviate the burden on individual players. In contrast, Manager Ham Seong-hoon’s style is… well, it’s hard to define. He worked in a Major League front office, so he should be well-versed in American baseball…”

“So, are there any advantages to using the bullpen for such long stretches?”

“Of course. Even for bullpen pitchers, a longer rest period is beneficial for managing their stamina. And while they might pitch the same three innings, using more pitchers means the batter has less time to adjust, which reduces the probability of giving up runs. Actually, Goht scores a lot of runs, which masks the fact that they aren’t a team with particularly low bullpen run allowance.”

“That’s interesting. Didn’t Goht recruit a lot of bullpen pitchers? But he’s often criticized for being too stingy with their use.”

“That’s definitely true.”

Only Go Jin-seok is warming up in the bullpen.

The other bullpen pitchers are resting completely.

It’s a gamble, but Ham Seong-hoon’s principle was to ensure the bullpen pitchers get adequate rest when they do rest.

If there was one thing Ham Seong-hoon learned painfully while experiencing Korean baseball, it was the importance of depth.

Korea had excellent hitters and pitchers.

Major League or Triple-A level players are produced every year.

The problem is that the good players burn out quickly.

Because Korean baseball’s depth is thin, there’s a high dependence on specific players, and the better they are, the more they collapse from overuse, creating a vicious cycle.

Pitcher overuse, in particular, is hard to watch.

Major League Baseball also sees a lot of overuse, but the depth is different.

If their performance drops, they are naturally replaced by better players, take a break, and then come back up.

Korea lacks depth, so even if a good player is ruined by overuse, there is no one who can pitch better than them.

The good players are used until they are so broken that they can’t recover even with surgery.

To turn the vicious cycle into a virtuous cycle, depth is essential.

You have to accumulate good players like saving money.

You can never have too many pitchers.

Korean baseball lacks depth, and there is an even greater shortage of good pitchers.

The better a pitcher is, the more you should cherish them, not use them more.

If there are so many good pitchers that the second string [minor league team] is full, then, like in the United States, a player who is overloaded will naturally be demoted.

Then, the player who comes up from the second string can perform in the first string [major league team], and the overloaded first-string player can rest in the second string.

If you don’t build depth, winning is just luck, and building a dynasty is just a delusion.

The purpose of developing the second string should not be distorted into raising sacrifices for overuse in the first string.

It doesn’t matter if the front office doesn’t understand his philosophy.

Will he have another chance to be a baseball manager in his life?

Since his term is already set, he can push forward with the baseball he wants to play.

Baseball is possible because he has no desire for the manager position.

Ham Seong-hoon also acknowledged his limitations.

It’s impossible to be a manager without connections or a faction, so let’s just enjoy this moment.

Thwack!

“Center field! Ah, caught it! Lee Ji-sung’s super catch! End of the inning. Goht protects a 3-1 victory with Lee Ji-sung’s super catch.”

“Manager Ham Seong-hoon’s persistence paid off. Jeong Hong-min went through some dangerous moments, but he maintained the score until the end.”

“As Goht continues their winning streak, they are emerging as a major contender in the second half. I wonder if there will be a team that can stop Goht.”

“If this continues, we might see Goht go straight to the Korean Series [championship series]. Pegasus, Scorpion, and Wolves should all be nervous.”

After the game, the players returned to the bench, high-fiving each other.

Jeong Hong-min shuddered and patted Song Seok-hyeon’s butt.

“Hyung [older brother/senior], weren’t you super nervous?”

“Why?”

“When I looked at the bench, all the bullpen guys were resting. Wow, I thought I’d be screwed if I gave up a run.”

“Senior Jin-seok was there.”

“But it feels different, it feels different. It’s completely different to know that there’s only one pitcher left behind me, and to think, ‘Well, our bullpen guys will figure it out somehow.'”

The tension that my mistake could lead to the team’s defeat.

For Jeong Hong-min, who grew up in Wales with a deep bullpen, Goht’s bullpen management sent chills down his spine.

After the victory, the players returned to their dorms.

Manager Ham Seong-hoon consulted with pitching coach Yeon Woo-sik and then picked up the phone.

“Yes, Manager. I just sent you a text. I’m counting on you.”

The text message sent by Manager Ham Seong-hoon contained the names of three people.

Im Jin-pil, Ju Pan-seok, and Jeong Jin-oh.

Three players who are receiving starting pitcher training in the second string.

“Do you think we can salvage at least one of the three?”

Yeon Woo-sik couldn’t easily answer Ham Seong-hoon’s question.

Im Jin-pil is a regular starting pitcher in the second string, but he doesn’t have a decisive weapon that will work in the first string.

He doesn’t have good velocity, a sure strikeout pitch, or even his own unique strength.

“Still, Pan-seok and Jin-oh are worth looking forward to. Pan-seok is just like Min-seok when he was a rookie. His ball is fast, and his slider isn’t bad either…”

“He’s a player who walks a lot even in the second string.”

“That’s just like Min-seok too.”

“If his ball is fast… it’s worth giving him a shot.”

“Jin-oh also has a unique form, so he’s okay as a surprise pick.”

“His recent second-string record is… um… strangely good. The innings are short, but 4.1 innings with no runs allowed. Five strikeouts and no walks. But there are gaps in his game record.”

“I checked, and I heard that Jin-oh is changing his pitching form and his condition isn’t very good, so he did individual training separately. The reason why there are gaps in his game record is probably because of that.”

“When I saw it on video, it was definitely a bit unique.”

“He’s the type of pitcher whose ball is harder to see when you’re actually at the plate.”

“Is that so…”

Ham Seong-hoon stroked his chin.

“We don’t know when Lee Chang-hoon and Han Min-seok will slump. We have to prepare now. Even if we can’t fill all the gaps left by the two players, we have to minimize the impact.”

“It’s probably because their stamina is running out as we get to the second half of the league.”

“That could be it, and if so, that’s a relief. But if we assume we’re going to the postseason, we need a starting pitcher who can be used as a joker pick once or twice.”

There’s no way to win the postseason with three straight wins.

Aim for two wins with two foreign players, and push for the remaining one win with an all-out pitching effort.

Lee Chang-hoon and Han Min-seok should be treated as variables, not constants.

“Still, it’s a relief.”

“Yes? What are you talking about?”

“Because we have a definite constant.”

Soaring as a Catcher

Unstoppable Momentum (6)

The second game against Phoenix.

Even before the game started, experts and fans were already predicting Goht’s victory.

Goht is already on the rise.

The starting lineup is ace Lee Chang-hoon against Kim Woo-min, who has an ERA [Earned Run Average] of 6.

Phoenix has no hope in the lineup except for Kyung Soo-in, while Goht has the best cleanup hitter in the league.

As soon as the game started, Goht was merciless against Phoenix starter Kim Woo-min.

Hits, hits, hits, hits.

Two runs with four hits.

If it weren’t for Yoo Sun-ho’s double play, it could have been a complete cycle of batters.

Goht scored a total of four points in the first inning, lightening the burden on starting pitcher Lee Chang-hoon.

“Lee Chang-hoon is on the mound.”

“After coming to Goht as a free agent, he has truly played the role of a model free agent. Whether the foreign pitchers are good or bad, he always does his part.”

“If Goht didn’t have Lee Chang-hoon, they would have been in a lot of trouble.”

“Haha, that’s right. Lee Chang-hoon is that good of a player. He has everything as a starting pitcher. He can handle innings, and he’s stable.”

The batter steps up.

First batter Kang Young-ho.

He’s a good fielder as a center fielder, but you can’t say his hitting is good, even as a compliment.

Song Seok-hyeon called for a four-seam fastball for the first pitch.

Lee Chang-hoon threw a ball outside.

Thwack!

Kang Young-ho swung aggressively at the first pitch, but it was a foul.

Song Seok-hyeon’s eyes followed the ball along the third base line.

“First pitch is a foul.”

“He was pushed back by the pitcher’s power, right?”

Song Seok-hyeon frowned.

Giving a batter like Kang Young-ho a foul that goes forward from the first pitch…

This isn’t the usual Lee Chang-hoon.

He was uneasy from the practice pitches, and sure enough.

His power is gone.

He wasn’t originally a power pitcher who overwhelmed with velocity, but he was a pitcher who was difficult to hit against until the batters had seen him multiple times.

Before the game, Lee Chang-hoon showed him his finger and said.

“It was just a bit of tenosynovitis [inflammation of the tendon sheath]. It’s okay now. It’s nothing. I’ve quit gaming since then and I’m taking care of my hand.”

Tenosynovitis was a small problem.

The big problem is that Lee Chang-hoon’s power itself has started to diminish.

Was tenosynovitis just a trigger?

‘Changeup.’

He puts a sliver of hope on it.

Kang Young-ho swings and misses at Lee Chang-hoon’s changeup.

‘Curveball.’

He also swings and misses at the curveball for a strikeout.

Song Seok-hyeon nodded.

His breaking balls are still good.

The changeup, which was particularly sharp in the last game, is still good.

At this point, even if his fastball velocity has decreased a bit, he can still manage.

“Lee Chang-hoon strikes out the first batter, Kang Young-ho. It’s a good start.”

“Phoenix hitters need to abandon their grand ambitions and focus on getting to first base first.”

‘Four-seam.’

He calls for a four-seam again on the outside.

Lee Chang-hoon’s ball comes right into the mitt.

His control is still good.

Song Seok-hyeon felt half relieved and half bitter.

If his control is good, then it’s not a problem with his physical condition.

If it’s a problem with his physical condition, he’ll get better with rest.

If it’s not a problem with his physical condition, then he’s really lost his strength.

He couldn’t tell whether it was simply a loss of strength because it was the second half of the season, or whether it was due to aging, but the season was still far from over.

‘Changeup.’

Lee Chang-hoon’s changeup dropped sharply.

Phoenix’s second batter, Kim Jin-pil, made contact and grounded out.

Kim Jin-pil is the hitter with the best hitting feel, except for fourth batter Kyung Soo-in.

Thanks to his good hitting feel, he hit the ball instead of swinging and missing, resulting in a ground ball.

“Whew.”

Song Seok-hyeon exhales.

He’s more nervous than when he steps up to the plate.

He has to hide the condition of a pitcher whose power has dropped and proceed with the game.

Today, Lee Chang-hoon’s fastball can’t be described as good, even if you’re being generous.

Show the fastball and rely on breaking balls.

“Third batter Hong Chan-yeol comes up. He’s a player with home run power.”

“Even if his batting average drops, a player with home run power is dangerous. You have to be careful when facing him.”

‘Curveball.’

Hitters with poor plate discipline usually anticipate the first pitch.

Pitchers tend to have a strong desire for a first-pitch strike.

Hitters tend to watch the first pitch because they’re afraid of being out in one pitch if they guess wrong.

Hitters with poor plate discipline take advantage of this and anticipate the first pitch.

Bang!

-Strike!

“Swing and a miss! A big curveball results in a swing and a miss.”

“Lee Chang-hoon’s curveball is well-known. It’s hard to hit if you’re not expecting it.”

‘Four-seam, inside.’

An inside fastball to a hitter with home run power.

It’s a dangerous choice, but he can’t keep using the fastball just to show it today.

He can’t let the opponent realize that Lee Chang-hoon’s fastball velocity isn’t good.

He has to show a ball that misses inside to prevent the hitter from anticipating the fastball at all.

He has to give the impression that his fastball velocity is good enough to throw inside against a strong hitter.

Bang!

-Ball, inside.

“Hong Chan-yeol is surprised. It was too far inside.”

“That’s like a beanball [pitch intentionally thrown at the batter]… There’s no need to intentionally hit the batter. We should refrain from such actions.”

It was too far inside, but it was enough of a threat to the hitter.