On The Rise As A Catcher [EN]: Chapter 174

A hand was visible beneath the deeply pressed brim of a hat.

“Hey, you worked hard.”

Jung Ha-kyun looked up.

“What is it?”

Jung Ha-kyun looked at the face of the person offering a hand, then lowered his head again.

The one who reached out was Jung Jung-guk.

“There are days like this, too.”

“I’m sorry. Ah, I should have gotten you a win on a day like this.”

“It’s okay. Well, I’m satisfied with just pitching well today. More than that, I’m worried about you, *hyung* [older brother or older male friend, a term of respect]. This year is your FA [Free Agent] year, can you keep doing this? Haha.”

“Geez. You’re telling me.”

Jung Ha-kyun and Jung Jung-guk sat side by side.

The next pitcher came onto the mound and warmed up.

“Gote’s too strong. Don’t you think?”

Jung Jung-guk stuck out his tongue.

“I just pitched this much because I was lucky today. My heart pounds when I face those guys.”

“There’s nowhere to throw, nowhere to throw. I feel bad for you.”

“It’s okay. We still have a one-point lead. Our team’s batting isn’t bad either. We can still come back.”

Choi Jae-guk, who was loosening his wrist behind them, said,

“It’s burdensome, burdensome. Are you saying that for me to hear since I’m coming up next inning?”

“You should hit one hard. Your power isn’t bad either.”

“If you could hit a home run just by being strong, why would you bring in a baseball player instead of a weightlifter?”

“Gote’s bullpen, well, honestly, isn’t it just so-so?”

“Gote’s bullpen is good these days. What do you mean so-so?”

“They just have fancy names, but I know everything they can do.”

“Easy for you to say since it’s not your problem.”

“Hey, a win just flew away right in front of my eyes, how is it not my problem? Even if my win flew away, I still want to protect the team’s win, don’t you know that?”

“Alright, alright. I’ll try to aim for one. You’re so critical.”

Jung Ha-kyun added,

“You need to make a comeback so my treasonous act gets buried. If we lose like this today, you know you won’t be able to walk around Seomyeon [a popular district in Busan] for a while, right?”

“I’ll try my best. I’ll try.”

After Yoo Seon-ho’s home run, Gote didn’t score any additional points.

Bottom of the 9th, Fox’s attack.

Fox’s leadoff hitter was the number 2 hitter, second baseman Kim Hyung-nam.

When Kim Hyung-nam came out, Fox fans stood up and sang the cheer.

“Fox! Kim Hyung-nam! Hit, hit, hit!”

Under the direction of the cheerleading captain, Fox fans sang in unison.

As the cheer echoed through Sajik Stadium, Gote players frowned.

“Ugh, my ears hurt.”

“Amazing, really.”

The pitcher on the mound was Jung Hong-min.

“Can you hear it, baseball fans? The cheering sound at Sajik today is amazing.”

“This is the charm of Busan fans. They’re passionate. If you had to pick the most passionate fans among the eight teams, you definitely couldn’t leave out Busan Fox.”

“Well, they’re passionate fans in many ways.”

“They give harsh criticism when things aren’t going well, but when they cheer, they cheer as if tomorrow is the end of the world. That’s the charm. Once you fall for this charm, it’s hard to get out.”

The pitcher and catcher exchanged signs for a long time.

Jung Hong-min flicked the ball with his index finger, then gripped it in an instant.

Kim Hyung-nam spread his legs wide and waited for the pitcher’s ball.

Wham!

-Strike!

“The batter shakes his head. He misses this one.”

“It was a fastball right down the middle. Target the new pitcher’s first pitch. It’s an old saying in the baseball world. It’s not easy for the pitcher to get his bearings. Jung Hong-min isn’t a player who makes those kinds of mistakes often. It was a golden opportunity that passed by for Fox.”

Song Seok-hyun’s eyes narrowed.

Leaning forward, Song Seok-hyun muttered.

“His head is lifting…….”

Jung Hong-min’s second and third pitches were balls.

The fourth pitch was a falling slider.

Whoosh!

-Strike!

“A swing and a miss! Jung Hong-min induces a swing and a miss with his famous, top-quality slider.”

“That slider that falls vertically is a masterpiece, isn’t it? It’s a great pitch for both left-handed and right-handed hitters. Especially for left-handed hitters, it’s like a magic ball. Because of Jung Hong-min’s pitching form, it’s hard to time, and the ball is hard to see, and the angle at which it falls is so good that left-handed hitters just swing by feel.”

“2-2. Kim Hyung-nam needs to be careful now. One more strike and he’s out.”

Jung Hong-min took his stance.

He raised his leg and leaned back.

Like a seesaw, he leaned forward again, and the ball flew with a whoosh.

Thwack!

“He hit it! Left fielder! Left fielder Yoo Seon-ho~~~ caught it! Yoo Seon-ho catches it on the warning track. It was a ball that flew far, but Yoo Seon-ho caught it.”

“That was a mistake, wasn’t it? Kim Hyung-nam didn’t miss the fastball that went in high. But Yoo Seon-ho is playing defense almost in front of the fence, isn’t he? If it had been hit shorter, it would have been a double, but it was hit too well and turned into an out.”

“Fox, who desperately needs to get on base, must be blaming the sky. Luck isn’t on their side at times like this.”

Song Seok-hyun crossed his arms.

Jung Hong-min looked at his hand and tilted his head.

“The next batter is Kim Kyung-sim.”

“He’s a player with good offensive and defensive balance, isn’t he? His defense is solid, and his offense isn’t lacking. He plays first base, but he can also play second and third base. He’s truly an all-around player.”

Jung Hong-min’s first pitch was a falling slider.

The batter swung and missed, stepping out of the batter’s box.

“Jung Hong-min’s slider is amazing. The batter was completely fooled.”

“The combination of a fastball that’s pressed down from a high angle and a slider that falls vertically. You can’t stop it even if you know it. Some people say they can tell the difference between a fastball and a slider by looking at the spin of the ball, but there’s no time to pick out Jung Hong-min’s pitches.”

Jung Hong-min loosened his hand.

The second pitch was a fastball.

With a ‘thud’ sound, the batter clenched his teeth.

“Ah, the ball slipped. It’s a hit by pitch.”

“Kim Kyung-sim’s expression is bright. Anyway, he gets on base.”

“As Kim Kyung-sim goes out, it becomes one out, runner on first. And the next batter is number 4 hitter Choi Jae-guk.”

“It’s Jung Hong-min versus Choi Jae-guk. One-point game. One home run and it’s over.”

Song Seok-hyun turned his head and looked at the manager and pitching coach.

The two were focused on the ground.

“……There’s no one to replace him.”

Song Seok-hyun smacked his lips.

With Gote using a six-man rotation, one bullpen pitcher spot was empty.

The must-win group is Kim Jung-ryul, Jung Hong-min, and Go Jin-seok.

If you add one more, it would be Hong Dae-sung.

The difference in skill between these four pitchers and the other bullpen pitchers was clear.

With few reliable pitchers, bullpen management is tight.

If one of the must-win pitchers is struggling and you put in another player, the alternative for the next game becomes bleak.

“His pitches are coming loose…… Ha.”

Song Seok-hyun’s assessment of Jung Hong-min’s condition today is cloudy.

Jung Hong-min loosened his hand once again.

Catcher Seo Il-hyuk also hesitated to give a sign.

The ball keeps going high.

It means he’s not putting enough power into the ball.

“Choi Jae-guk and Jung Hong-min, Jung Hong-min and Choi Jae-guk. This could be the most important scene today.”

Jung Hong-min chose his first pitch.

Outside fastball.

Choi Jae-guk watched one ball go by.

-Ball. Outside.

“The first pitch is a ball.”

“Both the pitcher and the batter are being careful, right?”

“Choi Jae-guk is also watching the ball very calmly right now.”

Jung Hong-min chose the next ball.

Slider.

The moment Jung Hong-min threw the ball, he let out a sigh.

He could feel the ball slipping.

-Strike!

“Strike! It’s a strike! Choi Jae-guk looks like he can’t believe he missed it.”

“That was just a mistake. A mistake that went high. How did he miss that ball?”

“I think Choi Jae-guk was worried about the low slider.”

“Jung Hong-min keeps making mistakes. Is it because he’s trying too hard to pitch well?”

Manager Ham Seong-hoon looked at the pitching coach.

The pitching coach said cautiously.

“Should we change him?”

“……Hmm, let’s go with Jung-ryul. Tell him to stall for time on the mound and walk him since Jung-ryul needs time to warm up.”

“Yes, I understand.”

Ham Seong-hoon shook his head with his hands behind his back.

“I can’t save him even if I want to. Sigh.”

As the bench’s signal came out, Seo Il-hyuk breathed a sigh of relief.

Seo Il-hyuk deliberately gave the signs late and induced balls, stalling for time.

Choi Jae-guk walked.

One out, runners on first and second.

“The mound is changing. Gote is making a big decision today. Kim Jung-ryul is coming up.”

“Gote is famous for assigning long innings to bullpen pitchers, but this time they made a quick decision. This is the right thing to do. Jung Hong-min didn’t look like he was in good condition. If they lose a game that they came back to win like this, it will have a big impact on the morale of the team. You have to win when you can win.”

“Kim Jung-ryul, who has transformed into Gote’s guardian, has stepped onto the mound. The pitcher who used to be in the lineage of right-handed aces has become an underhand pitcher, and even a top-tier bullpen pitcher in the league.”

“Kim Jung-ryul is said to be a born genius, but it’s rare to reach the top as an underhand pitcher in just a few months.”

“His fiery fastball is gone, but he’s making solid contributions with his amazing sinker, right?”

“That sinker is a double play machine, a double play machine. I guess Gote intentionally walked Choi Jae-guk because they were confident in getting a double play.”

Kim Jung-ryul nodded after finishing his practice pitches.

“Oh Choong-jin is coming up to bat. He’s a player with power.”

“But he’s also a player who often hits into double plays.”

“It’s a match between a pitcher who is good at inducing double plays and a batter who is weak at hitting into double plays.”

“Look at Oh Choong-jin’s grip. He’s holding the bat short, right? He’s trying to swing as short and simple as possible, with an uppercut swing path.”

Kim Jung-ryul threw the first pitch.

A ball that soared from bottom to top.

Oh Choong-jin swung.

Wham!

-Strike!

“Swing and a miss! Oh Choong-jin swings and misses at the curveball.”

“He was completely fooled just now. That soaring curveball. That ball is as magical as a sinker. When you ask the batters, they say they have no idea when to time it. How common is a breaking ball that goes from bottom to top?”

“Kim Jung-ryul is showing his true skills from the first pitch.”

Only then did Song Seok-hyun lean back on the bench.

Kim Jung-ryul in top condition?

There’s nothing to see.

Wham!

-Strike!

Wham!

-Strike! Out!

“Strikeout! It’s a strikeout! Kim Jung-ryul is determined to stop today’s game without even needing a double play! Kim Jung-ryul gets the save.”

“With this, Fox has lost six in a row, and Gote has won six in a row. Fox was winning until the 8th inning today, but in the end, they couldn’t hold on for one inning and collapsed.”

“Gote’s momentum is scary. Pegasus fans can’t even sleep comfortably, can they? Looking at Gote’s momentum right now, it wouldn’t be surprising if the number 1 spot changes tomorrow.”

Catcher’s Success Story

Genius (1)

A hotel in Seoul.

Scorpion’s manager Lee Geon-hoo came out of the bathroom, wiping his body with a towel.

Click.

He picked up the remote control and turned on the TV, and a baseball highlights program was being replayed.

-……With this, Gote has won six in a row, right?

-Yes. That’s right. They’re now right in front of the number 1 spot. If they take even a winning series in this weekend’s three-game series, then the league’s number 1 spot won’t be a pipe dream.

-Gote’s rise is terrifying. There were a lot of worries that they might be fighting for the bottom of the standings at one point, but they’ve climbed all the way up here.

-Short losing streaks, long winning streaks. That’s what Gote looks like right now. Once Gote starts a winning streak, it doesn’t end at 2 or 3 wins. They win 5 or 6 in a row, take a short break, and then start winning again. This pattern repeats, so when other teams falter, they shoot straight up.

-Tomorrow is Gote versus Scorpion. This game will be very important for Scorpion.

-Yes. If the gap between Gote widens in this game, it won’t be easy to catch up again. If they become third place, with a gap widening between 1st and 2nd place, it’s obvious that the morale within the team will drop a lot.

-The weekend three-game series between Gote and Scorpion will be a game that baseball fans will be paying attention to. Maybe the league’s number 1 spot will change.

-Yes. But Scorpion won’t just sit back and take it. If they sweep Gote this time, then Scorpion will also be right in front of the number 1 spot.