On The Rise As A Catcher [EN]: Chapter 153

The next pitch is a changeup on the outside.

-Strike! Out!

“Strikeout! A swing and a miss for the strikeout.”

“They showed a fastball inside and then a breaking ball that drops on the outside. It’s textbook, but it works.”

“Goth finishes the first inning with three batters. As expected of ace Lee Chang-hoon.”

Lee Chang-hoon wiped sweat with a towel as he returned to the bench.

Song Seok-hyun took a seat next to him.

“Your fastball is a bit off today.”

A subtle voice, as if wanting Song Seok-hyun to hear. [Implying others are also aware]

The pitcher himself probably knows his condition to some extent.

“Then let’s focus on breaking balls today. Your breaking balls are good today, though?”

“Is your tendinitis not fully healed yet…? Looks like there are aftereffects.”

“Well, there can always be aftereffects.”

“Should I try gripping the ball differently, using my index finger less?”

A pitcher lives on pride.

He doesn’t want to admit that his pitches have weakened.

He just blames it on his condition.

Song Seok-hyun looked up at the field.

If they were playing against a team like Pegasus or Scorpion today, it would have been difficult to get through the first inning.

Because Goth pushed forward relentlessly from the first inning, the game’s momentum shifted to Goth.

Phoenix’s starting pitcher, Kim Woo-min, didn’t have blazing speed, pinpoint control, or a truly decisive pitch.

The batting lineup, which had been suppressed by Jung Kwang-woo yesterday, exploded.

In the top of the 2nd inning, Kim Woo-min conceded 3 additional runs.

The pitching coach came out from the Phoenix bench to visit the mound, but they conceded another 2 runs.

“It seems Phoenix will continue to push Kim Woo-min? There’s no substitution.”

“Since the score difference is already large, it seems they are giving Kim Woo-min a chance to redeem himself in today’s game.”

“9 runs by the 2nd inning. Goth’s batting lineup is really scary. Just a while ago, didn’t they receive evaluations that their batting lineup’s power decreased when KS was excluded?”

“It’s a virtuous cycle. Because the core hitters are doing well, pitchers avoid competing head-on, and good opportunities go to the hitters before and after them.”

Bottom of the 2nd inning.

Phoenix’s lead batter is Kyung Soo-in.

Song Seok-hyun signaled for a curveball.

He shakes his head.

Lee Chang-hoon refused.

The sign he gave was a fastball.

He intends to challenge Kyung Soo-in directly.

‘Fastball, outside.’

With a large score difference, there’s no need to restrain the pitcher if he wants to try something.

Even if he gets hit with a home run, it’s just 1 point.

If Kyung Soo-in doesn’t usually swing at the first pitch, throwing a four-seamer [a type of fastball] from the first pitch isn’t a bad choice.

Bang!

-Strike!

Song Seok-hyun nods.

As expected.

With this level of control, he can endure even if the fastball’s power has dulled a bit.

Is this why orthodox pitchers [pitchers with classic form and technique] are rare?

When they’re young, they overwhelm with power, and when they get older, they endure with control and repertoire.

-Changeup.

He tests whether the changeup can fool Kyung Soo-in.

-Whoosh!

-Strike!

“Lee Chang-hoon quickly gets ahead in the count against Kyung Soo-in. Lee Chang-hoon’s shoulder feels light today.”

“Getting such a big lead gives wings to the pitcher. He’ll be full of energy.”

It’s certain that the changeup has improved.

It’s a blessing in disguise.

The changeup, which he threw as a last resort because he couldn’t throw the ball properly due to tendinitis, became Lee Chang-hoon’s decisive pitch.

He’s a pitcher with a diverse repertoire, but he didn’t have a definite go-to pitch.

If it’s a changeup that makes Kyung Soo-in shake his head, it’s definitely something special.

Thwack!

“Hit. Kyung Soo-in pushes the outside ball for a right-field hit.”

“Kyung Soo-in is Kyung Soo-in. Even when the count is against him, he manages to get a hit.”

“Runner on first with no outs. Phoenix gets a chance.”

The 5th batter is catcher Kim Chang-hyun.

Song Seok-hyun requested an outside slider for the first pitch.

Kim Chang-hyun aggressively swung from the first pitch, but it hit the end of the bat and became a ground ball.

“4-6-3. Double play.”

“Phoenix fails to capitalize on a good chance. A double play here.”

Song Seok-hyun once again thought of a blessing in disguise.

The changeup has improved, but the slider has become ambiguous.

The slider’s drop has decreased.

Neither a cutter nor a slider, something in between…?

“How’s the ball today?”

Lee Chang-hoon asks as soon as he returns to the bench.

He seems to know that something is wrong, but he can’t ask directly.

“It’s good.”

You can’t honestly tell a pitcher who’s in the middle of a game that his ball isn’t good.

You have to consider the situation when delivering a reality check.

“The slider seems a bit ambiguous…”

“You’re not using your index finger much today, are you?”

“Really? I guess so… I didn’t consciously do it, but I guess so. Why? Is the ball a bit different?”

“It seems a little different.”

“I see.”

Lee Chang-hoon repeatedly clenches and opens his hand.

No player ever plays a game in 100% condition.

If you don’t have teeth, use your gums. [An idiom meaning to make do with what you have]

“Kim Woo-min is finally taken off the mound in the 3rd inning. 11 runs by the 3rd inning. It was a bit much.”

“Goth’s batting lineup did well, but Phoenix’s pitching is weak. With today’s game, Kim Woo-min’s ERA [Earned Run Average, a measure of pitching performance] is over 8. An ERA of 8 for a starting pitcher isn’t good, especially not at the beginning of the season. You can say he still lacks experience, but professionals need to back it up with results.”

“Who can stop Goth’s momentum? Teams that will face Goth should be prepared.”

Baseball is a team sport where the abilities of individual players are most important.

In other team sports, even if individual abilities are lacking, they can be overcome with the team’s organic play, but in baseball, individual abilities are directly linked to the team’s performance.

Even if individuals do well, the team also does well, but if the team doesn’t do well, there’s nothing individual players can do.

Phoenix was exactly like that.

As the game’s atmosphere tilted sharply, the players’ morale plummeted both at the plate and in defense.

Thanks to the listless batting lineup, Lee Chang-hoon’s final line was 7 innings with no runs allowed.

Even this was because the manager took him down early, even though he had only thrown eighty-four pitches.

-Strike! Out!

“Noh Jin-hwan gets the final out, and Goth wins a big victory with a score of 14-1.”

“The Goth typhoon is sweeping through Daejeon as well.”

“They say Goth’s nickname these days is Hurricane, and doesn’t that fit perfectly?”

“Yes. It’s a really scary hurricane. Once you’re swept up, you can’t withstand it.”

* * *

After the game.

Song Seok-hyun had a private meeting with Manager Ham Seong-hoon at the accommodation.

It was at Manager Ham Seong-hoon’s request.

“You worked hard today.”

“Thank you.”

“How was the game today?”

“It seems like it went well, fortunately.”

“Fortunately…? Why do you think it was fortunate?”

Song Seok-hyun hesitated.

Should he speak honestly?

“How was Chang-hoon’s ball? What do you think?”

Only then did Song Seok-hyun realize that Ham Seong-hoon might have already noticed.

“His breaking balls seem to have improved. Especially his changeup.”

“His fastball isn’t that good?”

“It seems like his power has dropped a bit because it’s the end of the season.”

“I see… So the catcher felt that way too.”

Ham Seong-hoon nodded.

“You know we have a 3-game series against Fox next week, right?”

“Yes, I know.”

“Lim Jin-pil, Joo Pan-seok, or Jung Jin-oh will start in the 3-game series against Fox. They’ll start in about 1 or 2 games. So I want you to help the pitchers well.”

“1st and 2nd games?”

In the season, especially as the end of the season approaches, they’re experimenting with 2nd-team pitchers as starters?

“Our starting pitchers have worked hard so far. It hasn’t rained much, so they haven’t been able to rest, and the 5-man rotation has continued to turn, so they need to rest for a turn around this time. We also need to discover alternative starters.”

“…Yes. Then when will I be called up?”

“You’ll be called up tomorrow.”

“Yes, I understand.”

“Okay. As always, I’m most grateful to you. Let’s cheer up, us.”

Success as a Catcher

Unstoppable Momentum (7)

The 3rd game against Phoenix, which seemed like it would be boring, was a close match.

5-4 through the 3rd inning.

Everyone expected Kim Min-hyuk’s slump, but Han Min-seok’s slump was serious.

His already poor control was even worse, and even the well-placed fastballs were hit hard.

Seventy-seven pitches through the 3rd inning.

Manager Ham Seong-hoon took Han Min-seok off after the 3rd inning.

“Ha…”

Han Min-seok went straight behind the bench.

“Our manager’s judgment is no joke?”

That was Kim Jung-ryul’s statement.

Song Seok-hyun asked back what he meant.

“Three second-team starters were called up right now. Three starters called up during a time when the team is doing well. It’s obvious. He’s trying to find an alternative starter.”

“But isn’t the timing a bit risky? It’s the most important part of the end of the season.”

“Usually, they just push forward with their existing starters. Or they fill it with the bullpen. Right now is the time to bring everything you have and throw it in.”

“The manager is really… In some ways, he’s FM [Football Manager, referring to a management style based on a video game].”

“He’s FM in a different way. He just does things that he knows he can’t do. He’s also quite perceptive. He called them up right when Min-seok was slumping.”

“Will Senior Min-seok be okay?”

“The catcher knows best. How was his ball?”

“It’s definitely dulled a bit.”

“To what extent? If his usual is 100, what is it now?”

“70?”

“70 is severe.”

“But it’s been fluctuating since mid-season. Some days it was 110, and some days it was 80.”

“Min-seok has always been a rollercoaster style.”

“If two people suddenly drop out of the rotation, it’s going to be really tough for us.”

“No team ever finishes the season with the same strength as the beginning of the season. It somehow keeps rolling. That’s baseball.”

The game flowed into a slugfest [a high-scoring game with many hits].

After Han Min-seok went down, fireballer [a pitcher who throws very fast] Lee Baek-chan took over the baton.

He’s a top-tier pitcher in the league in terms of power, but he was shaken by a lucky hit, an error, and a walk, and then he conceded runs in succession.

“Hoo, his physique is good, but his mentality…”

Manager Ham Seong-hoon clicked his tongue.

He’s a nice person, but his mentality as a baseball player is weak.

Being a nice person isn’t a problem, but if an athlete is just nice, there’s no place to use him.

Lee Baek-chan conceded 3 additional runs and then came down from the mound.

2.1 innings, 5 runs allowed.

It was a record that would have been taken down long ago if the Goth lineup hadn’t scored additional points in succession.

The game was already in the 8th inning.

The scoreboard read 12-11.

“Would anyone have predicted that today would be a slugfest?”

“Everyone expected Goth to do well, but Phoenix is also doing well today.”

“It was a fierce hitting battle to the point where both starting pitchers were taken down early.”

“It seems like Han Min-seok has been slumping a bit recently. If this happens, Goth’s postseason predictions will be off.”

“Goth is winning today, but they must be feeling uneasy.”

“Lee Ji-sung is the lead batter in the top of the 8th inning. Since Goth is starting from the 1st batter, they have another chance.”

Phoenix’s bullpen pitcher is left-handed pitcher Yang Chang-hyun.

They brought up a left-handed pitcher against a left-handed batter, but Lee Ji-sung reached first base with a single that went over the second baseman’s head.

Second batter Seol Jin-il hit into a line drive double play on the first pitch.

It was Kim In-hwan who continued the rally.

“Right field fence! It goes over! Kim In-hwan’s solo home run! It reignites the Goth lineup that had been faltering for a while.”

“Kim In-hwan doesn’t miss fastballs, no matter how fast they are. He’s a fastball killer.”

“Kim In-hwan’s home run makes it 13-11. They increase the score by 2 points.”