On The Rise As A Catcher [EN]: Chapter 183

The pitching coach approached Han Min-seok and handed him a towel.

“Is your location good today? Looks like the form correction is working out well.”

“I think it’s getting there. At first, I was drifting too far to the side, but now I’m getting the feel for it.”

“You’re something else, changing your form mid-season and adapting so quickly.”

“Come on, it’s me, Han Min-seok. The top dog nationwide, Han Min-seok. I should be able to do at least this much.”

The other players who were listening burst into laughter.

“When were you ever the top dog?”

“Must be nice, being the top dog.”

Han Min-seok shrugged his shoulders.

“What are you guys doing? I’m the guy who got an offer from Major League Baseball. When I was in high school, everyone was under me; there was no one above me.”

“Yeah, yeah. Is that so?”

“Hey, you don’t believe me?”

“We believe you, we believe you.”

Han Min-seok crossed his legs and stretched his arms out to the sides.

“You think a prodigy is a prodigy for nothing? You have to do this much to be called a prodigy.”

Yoo Seon-ho grabbed his bat next to Han Min-seok.

“Yeah, it must be great to be our Min-seok, the genius.”

Han Min-seok subtly loosened his legs.

Yoo Seon-ho slung his bat over his shoulder.

“Aigoo~ I want to be called a prodigy too. Some of us have no talent; how are we supposed to live?”

The other players who were listening burst out laughing.

“Our Seok-hyun has to work hard to make up for his lack of talent. Got it?”

“Yes, I understand.”

Han Min-seok put the towel down next to him and stood up.

“Aish, seriously. I can’t even brag here.”

The pitching coach looked at Yoo Seon-ho and said,

“Boost the starting pitcher’s morale a little. Who doesn’t know how great you are?”

“I will~”.

Bottom of the 1st inning.

After Lee Ji-sung walked, Gote loaded the bases with Seol Jin-il’s hit and Kim In-hwan’s walk.

Starting pitcher Kang Gu-il took off his hat and wiped away the sweat.

“Kang Gu-il’s control is shaky today, and he’s already given up two walks in the first inning.”

“Kang Gu-il’s repertoire consists of fastballs on the outside corner and splitters that drop low. But today, his control is generally high. When his control is high, it naturally becomes dangerous. So, he tries to keep the ball away from the batter, but since only balls on the outside are coming in, the batters can just lay off them. Because the ball is going high, his splitter is naturally sealed off as well. It’s as if all his strengths have been tied up.”

“Is Kang Gu-il not in good condition today? He’s different from usual.”

“Starting pitchers aren’t in good condition every game. Usually, about 3-4 games, or if they’re lucky, 1-2 games are a bit disappointing, and it seems like today is one of those days. When I met him before the game, he said his pitches felt good, but it seems different once he gets on the mound.”

“It’s already a straight three balls. A bases-loaded walk is possible, isn’t it?”

“It’s a walk. A bases-loaded walk, after all. It was a predictable outcome after the three balls. It’s better to give up one run and face Yoo Seon-ho than to compete with Song Seok-hyun in Jamsil [a well-known baseball stadium in Seoul]. Whether intentional or not, it was the best choice after the three balls.”

Song Seok-hyun walked to first base.

Kang Gu-il held the rosin bag in his hand.

Yoo Seon-ho, who stepped up to the plate, spoke to the catcher.

“Just one clean fastball. Then I’ll just hit a single and get out.”

“What nonsense are you spouting?”

“We have to help each other out. You’ll get hit hard if you keep doing that.”

“You’ve been talking nonsense since you went to Seoul.”

Kang Gu-il’s first pitch was an outside fastball.

Ball.

The second pitch was also a ball.

“If he gives up another bases-loaded walk, Gu-il’s mentality will be shattered. Okay, I’ve given you a lot of leeway. If you give me a fastball right now, I’ll just hit a single.”

“More nonsense.”

Catcher Gu Seung-cheol gave the sign.

Kang Gu-il paused for a moment to think, then took his stance.

The ball left the pitcher’s hand and soared upward before dropping sharply downward.

A curveball.

The catcher’s mitt went up over his face.

Thwack!

Yoo Seon-ho threw his bat.

The ball soared over Jamsil’s right field fence.

“Grand slam! A grand slam! Yoo Seon-ho hits a grand slam in the first inning!”

“That curveball was really not good. The pitcher threw the ball too high to begin with. A curveball is effective when it drops from the batter’s eye level to below the zone, but that curveball was coming from above the batter’s head to the middle of the zone. That’s just a pitch to be hit.”

“With Yoo Seon-ho’s grand slam, Gote takes a 5-0 lead from the start. Gote is taking the lead today.”

“That kind of mistake is nothing but bait for a veteran like Yoo Seon-ho. Many people know Yoo Seon-ho’s strengths as his innate eye for the ball, but the fact that he doesn’t miss those kinds of mistakes is even more frightening. He lays off the good pitches and goes after the bad ones, so how can his stats not be good? A career OPS [On-Base Plus Slugging, a baseball statistic] of 0.9 is not something anyone can achieve.”

Yoo Seon-ho returned to the bench to the cheers of his teammates.

The happiest of all was starting pitcher Han Min-seok.

“Ooh, God of baseball. I am eternally grateful for bestowing victory upon me.”

“Even without talent, you still have a big hit.”

“You’re the talent of all talents, senior. Why are you saying such things?”

“But can you please stop saying ‘talent’? If you’re a god, be a god, what’s with the ‘talent’?”

“If the god commands it, I will.”

Kang Gu-il bent over at the waist and put his hands on his knees.

Scorpion’s manager Lee Geon-hoo sat down and crossed his arms.

“Does he still think I’m the old Kang Gu-il…….”

Kang Gu-il gave up two more runs and was taken off the mound.

Returning to the bench, Kang Gu-il covered his face with a towel, looking dazed.

Some people were already leaving the Scorpion cheering section.

“He’s hopeless. His pitches are like bouncy balls, bouncy balls.”

“Kang Gu-il was Kang Gu-il in the past, but is he Kang Gu-il now?”

“Don’t be like that. He’s still Kang Gu-il. Don’t be too harsh on him; he ruined his shoulder to win the championship for the Scorpions.”

“That was then, and this is now. How can we win if he’s pitching poorly and just throwing balls?”

“Aigoo, he’ll do better again. Let’s cheer for Gu-il.”

A fan with graying hair muttered.

“Kang Gu-il was good when his pitches were fast, but if he throws like that, even the neighborhood kids could hit it.”

Seven runs in the first inning alone.

Kang Gu-il pitched scoreless innings until the 3rd, but he was taken off the mound after loading the bases with two outs.

Lee Ji-sung’s timely hit made it 9-0.

Seol Jin-il’s hit made it 11-0.

Kim In-hwan’s fly ball ended the 3rd inning.

“Boo!”

“Just quit!”

“How can we win like this!”

“Just give us our money back!”

As a large number of runs were given up from the beginning, some Scorpion fans booed and threw objects onto the field.

When the commotion arose, the umpire came out to restore order.

Kang Gu-il, who was in a corner of the bench, stood up and left the bench.

“Tsk, tsk. How did Gu-il become like that?”

At Kim Jeong-ryul’s sigh, Song Seok-hyun asked.

“Was Gu-il really good in the past? Gu-il was famous since I was in elementary school. He was the ace of Palgong Mountain.”

“He was a real prodigy. He was the ace in middle school, high school, the pros, and the national team. Min-seok keeps talking about being the top dog, but the real top dog nationwide was someone like Kang Gu-il. It was as if he carried the Scorpions to the championship by himself. It’s a shame that his shoulder was completely ruined after that. Sigh.”

“Did his velocity decrease a lot?”

“He used to throw 150km/h easily back then [approximately 93 mph]. He still throws 145km/h now [approximately 90 mph], but is it the same as then? He was a guy who pushed through with power from the start. There’s nothing he can do since he lost his velocity and power. He’s struggling to transform into a finesse pitcher, but it’s not easy to break old habits. In the past, even if he threw those high pitches, they would all be swing and misses.”

“It’s a shame. I wanted to face Kang Gu-il in his prime. Gu-il was a real baseball genius in our time.”

“Genius…… he was a genius. But there are only a few real geniuses in baseball. It’s hardest to maintain your career as you get older. In that respect, that guy is a real genius.”

Kim Jeong-ryul’s finger pointed to Yoo Seon-ho.

“Is an OPS of 0.9 at that age even human? He’ll probably be hitting until he’s forty.”

At 11-0, the game was as good as over.

Han Min-seok only gave up one run until the 8th inning.

The final score was 15-2.

Genius hitter Jeong Dae-han’s solo home run was a consolation for the Scorpion fans.

“The game is over. Today’s game unexpectedly flowed one-sidedly.”

“Gote’s successful scoring of a large number of runs in the first inning was effective. As expected, the first inning is the hardest for pitchers. It was a day when Kang Gu-il’s control was particularly uncooperative.”

“If this is the case, Gote is……. Ah, the Pegasus also won today. The Pegasus and Gote maintain a 2-game difference.”

“They seem to be closing the gap, but they can’t seem to close it. Still, Gote’s outlook for September is very bright. Except for one 3-game series against the Pegasus and one 3-game series against the Wolves among the top 4 teams, all the remaining schedules are against the bottom 4 teams. This means that Gote has maintained 2nd place even while competing against the top teams. Gote’s potential is more significant than expected.”

“This Jamsil weekend 3-game series saw Gote record a winning series against the Scorpions. The Scorpions suffered a blow, and the gap with 1st place has widened further.”

“It’s September now. That means that the postseason is just one month away. The winner of the postseason will be decided this month. It’s not over yet. I’m really curious whether the Pegasus will rise to 1st place or whether Gote will take 1st place and reclaim the league 1st place, which they haven’t done in nearly 23 years.”

Catching Success

A Double Date

Monday lunch.

Song Seok-hyun and Kim Na-young met at a neighborhood park.

“How is it? Can’t they recognize me like this?”

Song Seok-hyun, wearing sunglasses, smiled triumphantly at Kim Na-young.

Kim Na-young crossed her arms and shook her head.

“Do you sincerely think people won’t recognize you if you go around like that?”

“I covered my eyes. Why? Is it weird?”

“…….”

Kim Na-young touched her forehead.

“Don’t you feel anything strange when you wear sunglasses and play games every day? You should just take off the sunglasses. Who wouldn’t recognize you when you wear sunglasses and a baseball cap?”

“……. Is that so? Then how about wearing a mask?”

“A baseball cap, sunglasses, and a mask? Do you want to get reported?”

“That’s true.”

Kim Na-young took off Song Seok-hyun’s hat and sunglasses.

“You should just go around like this. Don’t try to be obvious.”

“Is this better?”

“Or we could just go to a manga cafe. Why Coex [a large shopping mall in Seoul]?”

“I wanted to have a date there. We have to go to nice places outside of the neighborhood. How long are we going to wander around the neighborhood?”

“If you go to a crowded place like that, everyone will recognize you.”

“What am I? How would they recognize me unless I advertise that I’m a baseball player?”

“You’re the only one who doesn’t know. You’re a regular on the 9 o’clock news. I can assure you that most people know your face.”

“What if they recognize me? Let them recognize me. I have nothing to hide. Do you not want it to be known that you’re dating me?”

“It’s not that, but you had a scandal last time, and if you have another scandal this time, what will people think of you…….”

“Wouldn’t they be envious?”

“What?”

Song Seok-hyun took a step back.

“Let’s just go quickly. I don’t have much time. I have to be back in the evening. Okay?”

Kim Na-young glared at Song Seok-hyun and held out her hand.

“Hoo. Okay, let’s go.”

The two took a taxi to Coex.

After arriving at Coex, the two stopped by a bookstore and took pictures.

After a simple lunch, they headed to the movie theater.

“The couple seats are…… up there at the top? Over there. E, F.”

“Be careful not to trip.”

The two sat in the couple seats and took a sip of cola.

“It’s not too crowded.”

At Kim Na-young’s words, Song Seok-hyun grinned.

“How many people would be here on a Monday afternoon? It’s fortunate for us.”

“I think it’s the first time I’ve seen a movie at this time.”

Song Seok-hyun took Kim Na-young’s hand and pouted his lips.

“Hey.”

Kim Na-young scolded him in a hushed voice, but Song Seok-hyun was undeterred.

Kim Na-young sighed deeply and kissed Song Seok-hyun.

“Hehe.”

Song Seok-hyun grinned broadly.

At that moment, two figures were seen climbing the stairs to the couple seats.

Song Seok-hyun and Kim Na-young ate popcorn while looking straight ahead.

The two passed Song Seok-hyun and Kim Na-young and sat next to Song Seok-hyun.

Both the woman and the man were wearing hats pulled down low, so their faces were not clearly visible.

However, the man’s build was not ordinary.

The two talked to each other, and then the man stood up and went outside.

As the movie start time approached, the man came back up with snacks.

Since the man’s hands were not free, he lifted the brim of his hat with his arm.

“……Huh?”

“Huh?”

The man, reaching the couple seats, paused.

Song Seok-hyun also blinked in surprise.

The face under the brim of the hat was a face that Song Seok-hyun knew well.

“In-hwan hyung [older brother or close male friend]?”

* * *

After the movie, Song Seok-hyun tried to quietly blend into the crowd with Kim Na-young, but he was caught by Kim In-hwan.

“Can we talk for a moment?”

Kim In-hwan took Song Seok-hyun to a corner.

“Seok-hyun, you know, right? Please keep it a secret.”

Song Seok-hyun looked at the woman standing alone in the distance.

“Hyung, what’s going on?”

“It just happened that way.”

“Is that announcer Han Ga-yeon you mentioned back then?”