On The Rise As A Catcher [EN]: Chapter 176

“Let Baek Chan go out first, and then have little Jin-seok follow behind.”

“Yes, then when should we have him warm up?”

“Let’s watch until the second inning and then decide.”

“Yes, I understand.”

McKenzie allowed another run with consecutive hits to the 5th, 6th, and 7th batters, then ended the inning with a double play.

Top of the 1st, 4-0.

McKenzie returned to the bench with a gloomy face.

Tuk, tuk.

Foreign pitcher Fish silently patted McKenzie’s shoulder.

McKenzie pulled his hat down low and exhaled through his nose.

Bottom of the 1st.

Kenneth Champion, a foreign player, came up for the Scorpions.

Bang!

-Strike! Out!

“Lee Ji-sung is out without even touching the ball.”

“There’s a reason why the Scorpions invested so much in signing him. He was ranked in the top ten prospects during his college days. He should be a familiar name to Korean baseball fans as well. He did well in the minor leagues but couldn’t adapt in the major leagues. The Scorpions signed him with extraordinary conditions, and he’s showing why they invested in him this season.”

“He’s a similar type of pitcher to Michael Fish of Goat [the team’s name]. Isn’t he a right-handed pitcher who overpowers with fastballs?”

“When recruiting foreign pitchers in Korea, the first thing they look at is speed. Korean hitters tend to be weak against fastballs. On the other hand, there are many players in the major leagues who can’t succeed even with fastballs, so many of the foreign players in Korea are fast even if their control isn’t great.”

Tang!

“As we speak, Seol Jin-il hits a single.”

“Seol Jin-il hit the first pitch again. Haha. He really likes the first pitch.”

“Next up is Hulk Kim In-hwan. He’s the strongest hitter of all time, right?”

“Aside from technical aspects, if you look at pure power, I think he’s a level above Song Seok-hyun. So it’s amazing that Song Seok-hyun hits a home run out of Jamsil Stadium [a large stadium in Seoul], isn’t it? On the other hand, if Kim In-hwan hits a home run out of Jamsil Stadium, it’s like, ‘Yeah, that’s Kim In-hwan.'”

“Haha, there are cases where even a normal fly ball becomes a home run. I think he could be in the top tier in the major leagues with just his power.”

“I’ve interviewed foreign pitchers, and they say his power is very rare even in the major leagues.”

Kim In-hwan stepped into the batter’s box and took a breath.

He spread his legs moderately and held the bat not too high.

Champion’s first pitch was an outside curveball.

-Strike!

“He got him with a curveball. Champion gets a strike with a first-pitch curveball.”

“A first-pitch curveball to Kim In-hwan. Good choice.”

Champion mixed fastballs and breaking balls along the border, pushing it to a full count.

The last pitch was a changeup.

Kim In-hwan’s bat touched the ball.

“The pitcher catches the ball and throws to second! Second to first! Out! It’s a double play for Kim In-hwan!”

“Kim In-hwan got greedy. A strikeout would have been better.”

“Kim In-hwan’s double play stops Goat’s chase.”

Top of the 2nd.

McKenzie walked the 9th batter.

The batter at the plate was Hwang Gi-deok.

McKenzie threw a changeup that was supposed to break outside on the first pitch, but the ball went inside.

Tang!

“To center-right! It pierces the center-right! Hwang Gi-deok’s timely double! It’s enough for the runner on first to run all the way home.”

“McKenzie’s control isn’t very good today. His stuff doesn’t seem that great either… McKenzie is always rated in the top tier in the league for control, but he’s showing a disappointing performance.”

“The score is 5-0. It’s widened to 5-0.”

“Five points is a lot. Up to four points, you can catch up with a couple of innings of concentrated hitting, but five points isn’t easy. There are more cases where you can’t even score five points in a game.”

The pitching coach approached the manager.

“Should we have him warm up now?”

“Yes, please prepare Baek Chan so he can be投入 [immediately available].”

“Yes, I understand.”

Ham Seong-hoon rubbed his eyelids.

“There’s a reason why he couldn’t break through in the major leagues even with that good stuff.”

McKenzie walked Kang Gyun-seong to first base and then faced Jung Dae-han.

He induced a double play against Jung Dae-han but allowed a hit to fourth batter Jo Yang-cheol, widening the score to 6-0.

After the top of the 2nd, McKenzie received the substitution order.

McKenzie, who took off his glove, went behind the bench.

“…….”

The players couldn’t say anything to McKenzie.

There’s no more sensitive animal on the bench than a starting pitcher who ruined the game.

Bottom of the 2nd.

The lead batter was Song Seok-hyun.

Champion threw a fastball inside from the first pitch.

Bang!

-Strike!

“Champion boldly throws a ball inside.”

“He’s saying he’s going to compete. Champion’s stuff is good enough that he won’t lose to anyone.”

The pitcher and catcher exchanged signs.

The catcher wanted a changeup, but the pitcher wanted a fastball.

The pitcher wanted a battle of strength against strength.

As a pitcher who had stepped on the major leagues, avoiding a rookie who had just turned twenty was unacceptable.

Catcher Gu Seung-cheol silently puffed out his cheeks.

He changed the sign and asked for a breaking curve, but the pitcher shook his head again.

“…….”

Eventually, the catcher gave the sign the pitcher wanted.

Outside fastball.

Champion threw the ball with all his might.

Maximum speed 158km/h

Song Seok-hyun’s hips turned.

The bat turned even faster.

The ball flew farther than expected.

“Left field fence~~~~~!”

The Goat fans jumped up.

The ball soared high into the sky and fell into the upper stands, among the fans buying food.

“It’s over! Song Seok-hyun’s solo home run! Song Seok-hyun reports a solo home run against Champion. Goat’s first point is a home run. The score is 6-1. Goat has narrowed the gap to 5 points.”

“That was a well-placed ball on the outside. It was almost 160km/h, but Song Seok-hyun’s radar couldn’t avoid it. It hit the sweet spot properly.”

“Champion looks very angry. His face is very red.”

“It’s frustrating when a batter hits a well-thrown ball. If it’s a mistake, you can chalk it up to luck, but how can you chalk it up to luck when a ball like that becomes a hit? That’s skill.”

Song Seok-hyun returned to home and bumped fists with Yoo Seon-ho.

Next batter Yoo Seon-ho struck out.

Next batter also struck out, struck out.

The game moved to the 3rd inning.

“Goat’s chase ended at 1 point. Champion’s three strikeouts in one inning were great.”

“Champion’s ball is hard to attack easily. A fast and strong ball from a high release point. Any batter would be burdened by it.”

“Goat has changed pitchers. They’ve already taken McKenzie down.”

“Ah, Lee Baek-chan is coming out. Recently, he’s been taking on garbage innings [low-pressure situations]. His ball is fast, but he still shows immaturity. It’s natural since he’s only in his second year as a pro.”

“He was one of the biggest prospects last year, right? His speed is said to reach a maximum of 153km/h. Recently, it’s been in the late 140km/h range, but that’s said to be a measure to compensate for his control.”

Lee Baek-chan warmed up.

Bang!

Seo Il-hyeok caught Lee Baek-chan’s ball and gave him a thumbs up.

“Good ball. Just throw it like that.”

The lead batter was Jo Cheol-woong.

The Scorpion fans stood up and cheered.

“He’s the Scorpion’s strong 6th batter. You can’t underestimate him just because he’s the 6th batter. He’s recording stats that would be good enough to be in the cleanup [the 3rd, 4th, or 5th batter] for other teams. He’s a good hitter who hits far.”

Bang!

-Strike!

“As soon as I said that, Lee Baek-chan immediately goes into the battle. It was an outside fastball.”

“The tempo was quite fast.”

Bang!

-Strike!

“He threw it almost as soon as he caught the ball. Jo Cheol-woong steps back from the plate. He was flustered. He didn’t know he would compete so quickly.”

As soon as Jo Cheol-woong stepped into the plate, the ball came right in again.

Jo Cheol-woong swung, and the ball went wide to the outside.

-Strike! Out!

“Strikeout! Three-pitch strikeout! Lee Baek-chan strikes out with a slider.”

“Jo Cheol-woong got caught up in Lee Baek-chan’s quick tempo. It’s a simple combination of fastball, fastball, slider, but I think the reason is that he got impatient after two strikes.”

“Was it a strategic choice by Lee Baek-chan? He catches a difficult batter more easily than expected.”

Lee Baek-chan took a breath.

Song Seok-hyun stood up and applauded.

“Good pace. Throw it like that.”

Lee Baek-chan nodded once at Song Seok-hyun.

Even though he’s out of breath, his mind is light.

Genius Pitcher

Genius (3)

Tang!

-Out!

Tang!

-Out!

“Lee Baek-chan is pouring cold water on the Scorpians’ heated batting lineup. Three consecutive outs. It doesn’t seem like it’s been even 3 minutes since he came up to the mound, but the inning is over.”

“The Scorpion batters were caught by Lee Baek-chan’s quick pitching tempo. Do Ji-hwan and Kim Se-gyun both hit within two pitches and were out.”

“Is it Lee Baek-chan’s strategy? The strategy of competing right away worked.”

Lee Baek-chan, who came down from the mound, was panting.

Song Seok-hyun immediately handed him a drink.

“Are you okay?”

“Yeah. I’m okay. Huff, huff. I’m okay.”

Lee Baek-chan emptied the drink in one gulp and took a breath.

Seo Il-hyeok patted Lee Baek-chan’s back as soon as he entered the bench.

“That was good. If you can throw it, try it like that.”

“Yes, I understand.”

Lee Baek-chan sat on the bench.

Song Seok-hyun handed Lee Baek-chan a towel.

“It’s hard to adjust at first. It’s the same as a sprint…”

“I know. It’s no joke, right? There’s no time to think, so I’m too rushed.”

“Hyung [older brother/respected senior], just think about throwing fastballs. When you think the opponent’s swing timing is getting faster, throw a slider. If the pitcher doesn’t have enough time to think, the batter has even less. Don’t think, just throw.”

“Okay. I got it. I’ll try it.”

Song Seok-hyun smiled.

“I’ve used this method when my condition is down, and it works surprisingly well. The tension goes up.”

“I’m so out of it that I don’t know what’s what.”

“It’s certain that you’re doing well.”

The Goat’s bottom of the 3rd was short.

The Scorpion’s ace Champion retired three batters, ending the inning.

Lee Baek-chan tapped his cheeks and ran to the mound.

“Lee Baek-chan, fighting!”

Even with Song Seok-hyun’s support, Lee Baek-chan only looked ahead and ran.

“Hoo.”

Lee Baek-chan, who came up to the mound, took a long breath.

The first batter was retired with four pitches.

The problem was the next batter.

“Hwang Gi-deok is stepping up. He’s in top condition today.”

“Lee Baek-chan, you need to be careful now. It’s the upper batting order. The Scorpion’s upper… He threw it. He’s overpowering with a fastball from the first pitch.”

“Lee Baek-chan seems really impatient today, haha.”

Hwang Gi-deok, who got a first-pitch strike, tilted his head.

He grabbed his bat and took a breath, and the ball came right in again.

Hwang Gi-deok swung his bat.

-Strike!

“Two strikes! Lee Baek-chan induces a swing and a miss from Hwang Gi-deok with a slider.”

“Hwang Gi-deok steps back from the plate. He’s going to take some time to think.”

Hwang Gi-deok put his lips together and held his bat in front of his face.

Hwang Gi-deok, who stared at the bat for a while, stepped into the plate.

“Lee Baek-chan is impatient. He seems eager to throw quickly.”

“Why is Lee Baek-chan like that today? He’s too rushed.”

Lee Baek-chan’s third pitch was a four-seam fastball.

Hwang Gi-deok swung.

Tack!

“Foul! A foul ball going backwards.”

“Lee Baek-chan’s stuff is definitely good. His speed is fast, but his stuff is also good. You can see why Goat picked him in the first round despite his many shortcomings.”

“Foul! He threw it again in the meantime. Is Lee Baek-chan even breathing properly? There’s no time to breathe, is there?”

Hwang Gi-deok rotated his wrist.

Lee Baek-chan tapped the mound with his foot.

As soon as Hwang Gi-deok grabbed his bat, Lee Baek-chan threw the ball.

Tuk.