On The Rise As A Catcher [EN]: Chapter 186

“It’s really okay now. You can like me as much as you want, hyung.”

“Ha… Just pretend you didn’t see it.”

* * *

The second match of the mid-week series against Goth and Phoenix.

Despite yesterday’s crushing defeat, the infield of Daejeon Stadium was packed with Phoenix fans.

Phoenix started Kim Min-hyuk in an attempt to retaliate, but it was no use.

“Back~ Back~ Back~ The ball goes over the right fielder’s head! Kim In-hwan’s two-run homer! Kim In-hwan’s bat is working hard again today.”

“At this rate, you could call him a Phoenix killer. His bat is really fierce. It feels like if he hits it, it’s going right over.”

“Kim In-hwan announces his presence with a home run today, showing that the KS trio is still going strong. 2-0. Kim Min-hyuk gives up a home run from the very first inning.”

“Kim In-hwan is sending a kiss with his hand. That must be a ceremony, right?”

“That’s 100%. 100% a ceremony. Kim In-hwan has become very brazen, haha.”

“Goth is showing us a refreshing game today. After Kim In-hwan, Song Seok-hyun comes up to bat.”

“It’s like a disaster for Kim Min-hyuk. Trouble upon trouble. He must feel suffocated.”

As soon as Kim In-hwan entered the dugout, the players playfully kicked his butt.

“You’re making a big deal out of having a girlfriend, huh?”

“Don’t be playing love games in the sacred baseball stadium, you rascal.”

“Do you like it? Do you like it?”

Despite the players’ teasing and sarcasm, Kim In-hwan grinned from ear to ear.

Bang!

“It’s going over! It’s going over! It’s going over! It’s gone! Song Seok-hyun’s back-to-back! 3-0. Song Seok-hyun isn’t one to be outdone. He’s venting his frustration from not hitting a home run yesterday here.”

“This is the KS trio. There’s no avoiding them. If you challenge them, a big accident will happen.”

“Song Seok-hyun is winking as a ceremony, haha. Is he saying he doesn’t want to be outdone by Kim In-hwan?”

“They’re fearsome players when it comes to performance, but when you see things like this, they’re really young and cute.”

As Song Seok-hyun returned to the dugout, Kim In-hwan pouted.

“Lucky you. You don’t get cursed at.”

“I’m going to reveal everything later too. It’s just that I don’t have to be forcibly exposed like you, hyung.”

“Was that a mission for you just now?”

“For you too, hyung?”

The two nodded.

“Next time, she wants me to draw a heart. Ha… I can’t just not hit a home run.”

“How sweet, how sweet. These are the good times.”

“You’re talking like you’ve been dating for 10 years?”

“We’ve known each other for more than 10 years.”

Bang!

“Right field fence!”

Song Seok-hyun and Kim In-hwan jumped up from their seats.

Yu Seon-ho circled the bases with both hands raised high.

“It’s over! Yu Seon-ho’s back-to-back-to-back! It doesn’t stop with the KS trio. KS and Y. Yu Seon-ho is proving the modifier of being the best cleanup hitter of all time! The game is already 4-0 in the first inning!”

“Goth’s cleanup is the best ever, and it’s not just empty words. This is like a powder keg. It only takes a whiff of oil to set it ablaze.”

“With Yu Seon-ho also hitting a home run, Goth is off to the best start today. They say Scorpion’s first inning attack is the scariest? In my opinion, Goth’s first inning is even scarier. Who can stop that burning lineup?”

Yu Seon-ho exchanged high-fives with the players as he entered the dugout.

At the end, Song Seok-hyun and Kim In-hwan reached out their hands.

Clap!

Yu Seon-ho, after high-fiving Kim In-hwan, pointed at Kim In-hwan with his finger.

“Strength isn’t the only important thing. Technique. Technique is also important.”

“……Yes?”

“Strength and technique. Got it?”

“Yes, yes. I understand.”

As Yu Seon-ho left, Song Seok-hyun asked.

“Hyung, what are you talking about? Strength and technique?”

“I don’t know what he’s talking about.”

“Was that home run just now technique? It looked like he just hit a mistake well.”

The pitcher on the mound already had a pale face.

By the time he went down from the mound in the first inning, he had already thrown forty-two pitches.

It was right after facing the 8th batter.

Phoenix’s dugout was like a funeral home.

Kyung Su-in silently let out rough breaths.

It was a completely different atmosphere from the Goth dugout on the opposite side, which was full of laughter.

“Don’t let it get to double digits. Block the ball no matter what, even if your head gets cracked. Got it?”

“Yes.”

Bottom of the 1st inning.

Jeong Jin-oh came up to the mound for Goth.

From the Phoenix dugout, they shouted loudly as if to make sure Jeong Jin-oh heard.

“He’s got nothing! Just set him up and hit!”

“Alright, alright! Let’s go easy, easy! We need to catch the small fries!”

Kim In-hwan glanced at the Phoenix dugout before turning his head again.

Phoenix’s 4th batter, Kyung Su-in, was glaring at the ground with an angry face.

Bang!

Bang!

“Two strikes! Jeong Jin-oh is quickly getting strikes.”

“Jeong Jin-oh’s form isn’t one that’s easy to adapt to. A left-handed pitcher throws the ball from a high release point. And the height of the course varies from high balls to low balls. If it ended there, the batter could just aim for the high ball, but unfortunately, Jeong Jin-oh’s main weapon is his curveball. If you’re aiming for a high ball and suddenly a curveball that drops sharply comes in, you can’t get the timing right.”

“Jeong Jin-oh’s curveball is quite sharp, isn’t it? Players who have faced him say that you need to go through the batting order at least once to get a feel for it.”

“These days, you don’t see many orthodox pitchers like that. In the past, pitchers used to throw with an extremely overhand motion. The higher the hand goes, the better the ball that comes down. The break of the curveball or changeup gets better. Now as well, but an important condition for a pitcher is a tall height and a high release point. Nowadays, there are many finesse pitchers and ground ballers, so a high release point isn’t that important, but a high release point has its own advantages. Even more so for curveballs like that.”

“While you were explaining, Kang Young-ho struck out after a full count battle. The ball that struck him out was a curveball.”

“That’s it. That curveball. It’s hard to hit unless you’re aiming for it, but it’s also hard to just watch because the pitcher keeps throwing high balls.”

-Strike! Out!

-Strike! Out!

“Three consecutive strikeouts! Today, Jeong Jin-oh seems to have caught his stride like a fish in water. Both the pitchers and batters of Goth are showing off their skills without one being better than the other.”

Behind the catcher, at the stadium entrance.

Phoenix’s general manager, Kim Si-yoon, tightly closed his eyes.

General manager assistant Lee Ah-young unknowingly flinched.

“The opponent isn’t even the 5th starter, but the 6th, and we’re getting crushed like this.”

At Kim Si-yoon’s words, the other employees around him lowered their heads.

“……Let’s go.”

As Kim Si-yoon left, general manager assistant Lee Ah-young followed behind.

The remaining employees kept silent and looked at each other.

2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th innings.

As the innings went on, the only thing that increased was the score difference between Goth and Phoenix.

The camera zoomed in on a crying Phoenix child fan.

“The Phoenix players really need to work hard. How can they make this young fan cry?”

“Is this really the team that won the championship last year……? It’s truly unfortunate.”

“Phoenix needs to wake up. They can’t just keep giving away points like this. They have fans who are cheering with such passion, they need to show a better performance!”

Bottom of the 9th inning.

The game ended with Kyung Su-in’s double play.

The score was 8-1.

The camera once again found the child fan who had burst into tears.

The child fan was nestled in his father’s arms with a sullen look.

As the game ended, the Goth players left for their accommodations.

After all the Phoenix players had also left.

Kyung Su-in alone couldn’t leave from one side of the stadium.

“What are you doing?”

“Why aren’t you leaving, General Manager?”

“Call me comfortably when it’s just the two of us. What’s with the General Manager [formal title]?”

“Still, the General Manager is the General Manager.”

Phoenix’s general manager, Kim Si-yoon, walked onto the field.

“I’m so ashamed, I’m so sorry to our General Manager.”

“Well, it’s not like *oppa* [older brother/male friend] didn’t want to do well.”

“I wanted to show that we’re a decent team even without Young-hoon, but it’s not working out.”

“We’re rebuilding. Next year will be better. The year after that will be even better.”

“I wonder if our team will get stronger around the time I retire. Well, at least I’ve worn a championship ring, so that’s a relief.”

The two were silent for a long time.

Kim Si-yoon said, looking at the fading lights.

“Win tomorrow no matter what. Even if we can’t win the league championship, we need to leave some hope for the kids who come to watch baseball.”

“Yeah, we have to.”

After Kim Si-yoon also left.

Kyung Su-in raised his head and looked at the sky.

“Come quickly, you son of a bitch. I’m dying to see you.”

Rising as a Catcher

A Pro is a Pro

The final game of the mid-week series between Goth and Phoenix.

The atmosphere in both teams’ dugouts was quite different.

The Phoenix dugout was quiet like a temple with no particular words, while the Goth dugout was noisy like a children’s picnic.

First to take the mound was Phoenix’s foreign pitcher, Veron Barnett.

Veron Barnett quietly adjusted his aim while practicing his pitches.

“In today’s game, Phoenix and Goth are each starting their foreign pitchers. It’s a match between Veron Barnett and Michael Fish.”

“Michael Fish is undoubtedly one of the league’s top ace pitchers. He was on a Major League roster and is still young in his late 20s. Tall height, fast ball, curveball with a big break, and changeup. He’s a player who has everything a starter could want. He’s the epitome of what they want from a foreign pitcher in Korea. Veron Barnett is also a similar type of player to Michael Fish. However, when comparing overall abilities, he’s a bit older and his velocity is a bit lower? Objectively, both players’ records and skills have about a level of difference.”

“It looks like today’s game will be difficult for Phoenix as well. Phoenix used a lot of bullpen pitchers yesterday, right?”

“Phoenix has used a lot of bullpen pitchers for about two days. If they use the bullpen again in today’s game, they won’t have any usable bullpen pitchers for the weekend’s 3-game series.”

“From the starters and bullpen to the sluggish batting lineup. All three aspects are not going smoothly for Phoenix. But look at the Phoenix fans. They’re hanging banners and waving flags even before the game has started.”

“There are many teams with passionate fans, but fans like Phoenix are rare to find anywhere in the world, not just in Korea. It would be even better if Phoenix’s skills could keep up with the fans’ support. The fans who have joined since last year must be having a very difficult season.”

* * *

-Play ball!

As soon as the game started, Barnett threw a fastball inside from the first pitch.

Lee Ji-sung leaned back, and a strike was called.

“…….”

Lee Ji-sung tilted his head once.

This time, a ball that cut to the outside.

Lee Ji-sung’s bat cut through the air.

-Strike!

“Ji-sung doesn’t usually swing and miss.”

“Looks like Barnett’s pitches are good today?”

Barnett’s third pitch was a curveball.

Lee Ji-sung tried to scoop up the dropping ball, but the ball bounced.

-Strike! Out!

“Strikeout! A three-pitch strikeout! Barnett strikes out Lee Ji-sung with a three-pitch strikeout. Lee Ji-sung is a player who doesn’t usually strike out.”

“Barnett is in good condition today. His pitches have good velocity.”

The next batter, Seol Jin-il, got a hit, but the 1st inning ended with Kim In-hwan’s double play.

Bottom of the 1st inning, Goth’s pitcher was Michael Fish.

Fish struck out the 1st and 2nd batters, but gave up a hit to the right fielder to the 3rd batter.

The next at-bat was the 4th batter, Kyung Su-in.

Kyung Su-in pulled Michael Fish’s outside curveball.

“Left field fence! Left field fence~~~ It’s going over! Kyung Su-in’s two-run homer! Phoenix is taking the lead today!”

“Kyung Su-in doesn’t usually swing that big, does he? He’s a hitter with a good on-base percentage and slugging percentage, not a home run hitter, but this time he swung big and knocked it over. Does this show that a great hitter is good even if his style changes?”

Kyung Su-in threw down his bat and walked to first base.

The Phoenix fans stood up and cheered.

“Kyung Su-in! Kyung Su-in! Kyung Su-in!”

Kyung Su-in stepped on home plate, leaving behind the cheers of the fans chanting his name.

Song Seok-hyun clicked his tongue as he looked at Kyung Su-in, who had his teeth clenched.

“Today’s going to be tough……”

Fish got the next batter out with a ground ball.

Fish went to one corner of the dugout and pulled his hat down low.

The players didn’t talk to Fish and avoided him.

“We need to be careful of that guy today.”

Lee Ji-sung asked at Yu Seon-ho’s mutterings.

“Who are you talking about?”

“Su-in. That guy doesn’t usually change his style if he can help it. If he’s clenching his teeth like that and hitting, it could be a headache today.”

“It’s just Phoenix, though. Who else is there besides Kyung Su-in?”

“That’s true, but you never know. Those guys are pros, aren’t they?”

Top of the 2nd inning.

Barnett walked Song Seok-hyun and then faced Yu Seon-ho.

Yu Seon-ho almost hit a huge outfield hit, but center fielder Kang Young-ho dove and caught the ball.

“He caught that.”

Barnett broke the bat of the 6th batter, Choi Jae-wan, and induced a double play.

“Out! It’s out! Barnett is inducing his second double play of the game today.”

“Barnett isn’t a ground ball pitcher, but the pitches are so dirty today that the batters can’t get the timing right.”

“Goth isn’t building up. If they get on base, it immediately leads to a double play.”

“It’s hard to continue if the flow is cut off. Sports is about skill, but in the end, it’s about momentum. There’s definitely a flow.”

Fish blocked the bottom of the 2nd inning without giving up a run.

As the game went past the 3rd, 4th, and 5th innings, neither team scored any more points.

The score remained 2-0.

Top of the 6th inning, Barnett threw a fastball inside to the 9th batter.

The ball hit by the 9th batter, Jung Young-soo, became a ground ball, but the bat broke and fragments flew.

Just as Barnett was about to catch the ground ball, the upper part of the broken bat hit Barnett’s ankle.