On The Rise As A Catcher [EN]: Chapter 191

Jung Mi-nam shrugged.

“I’ve been so busy with the shop that I haven’t been able to come much, but I did come to Jamsil [a neighborhood in Seoul] once or twice.”

“Seok-hyun didn’t mention that?”

“I didn’t even have time to see Seok-hyun properly. Maybe an hour? The shop’s doing so well these days. It’s great to make a lot of money, but it’s also tough because I barely have time to study.”

Kang Hyung-chan walked Kim In-hwan after an eight-pitch battle.

Kim Young-seok clicked his tongue.

“That’s the problem. He doesn’t have a decisive pitch, and he’s not bold enough. He keeps trying to play it safe, so he’s too predictable.”

“Two outs, runner on first, and Seok-hyun’s up.”

As Song Seok-hyun came out, even the fans who had been sitting stood up.

“Ooh, Song Seok-hyun the GOAT [Greatest Of All Time]. All-rounder Song Seok-hyun. Home run Song Seok-hyun. Fly! Away! Fly!”

“Fly! Away! Fly!”

“Fly! Away! Fly!”

Kim Na-young frowned and looked around.

The noise was so loud it was giving her a headache.

“Woah woah woah woah!”

“Woah woah woah woah!”

“Fly away!”

The fans didn’t stop cheering.

Jung Mi-nam and Kim Young-seok also stood up and joined in the cheering.

Kim Na-young looked at Song Seok-hyun at the plate.

“Seok-hyun is really popular.”

Kang Hyung-chan threw a bouncing curveball as his first pitch.

Kim In-hwan tried to run, but Jung Yong-wook didn’t give him an opening.

As soon as he took his throwing stance, Kim In-hwan gave up on running.

The commentator couldn’t hide his admiration.

“That’s the Jung Yong-wook effect. Because they know Jung Yong-wook’s throwing ability, it’s not easy to run unless they’re absolutely sure they can make it.”

Jung Yong-wook got back into his stance.

‘Four-seam. Inside the zone.’

Jung Yong-wook held out his mitt.

Kang Hyung-chan nodded and threw three four-seam fastballs that missed outside.

“…….”

Jung Yong-wook frowned as he caught the ball.

Pegasus manager Choi Sung-yeon rubbed the back of his neck.

“That personality of his, ugh… That personality is the problem. He’s too timid. Too scared.”

“I’m sorry.”

The pitching coach lowered his head as if he were the one at fault.

“Thinking too much is the problem. Because he thinks too much, he can’t control his pitches.”

Song Seok-hyun let the third pitch, a changeup, go by.

3-0.

The Pegasus bench signaled to walk him.

“They’re not giving Seok-hyun anything to hit. They’re just walking him.”

“Isn’t that obvious? Who’s going to challenge Seok-hyun these days?”

“Seok-hyun is really good.”

“Of course. Who-.”

“Hey.”

“……Ahem.”

Two outs, runners on first and second.

As Yoo Sun-ho came up, Jung Yong-wook spoke first.

“Welcome. I’ve been waiting for you.”

“In-hwan and Seok-hyun get walked, and they’re pitching to me?”

“Why? Does it hurt your pride?”

“Why would my pride be hurt? They’re better than me these days.”

“You should have done better then. You’ve been off lately. Is this a season off for you? Well, you couldn’t play until the middle of the season. Right?”

Yoo Sun-ho chuckled.

Kang Hyung-chan’s first pitch was a four-seam fastball that clipped the outside corner.

-Strike!

“Ah, good pitch. Sun-ho’s in trouble.”

At Jung Yong-wook’s taunt, Yoo Sun-ho pulled his bat up over his shoulder.

“Yeah, good pitch. Throw it, let me hit it.”

The second pitch was a four-seam fastball.

Yoo Sun-ho pulled the ball with all his might.

Bang!

The ball went far past the right field foul pole and landed on top of the fence.

“Still got some power left, our Sun-ho, he’s got power. Just not the timing.”

Yoo Sun-ho licked his lips.

“After a foul home run… you know? Be careful.”

“You’re relentless. Can’t you shut your mouth?”

“If you don’t like it, hit a home run.”

Kang Hyung-chan’s third pitch was a changeup.

Yoo Sun-ho’s bat started to swing but stopped.

Jung Yong-wook gestured to the third base umpire, but the call was no swing.

“Wow, great core strength. He held back.”

Yoo Sun-ho kept quiet.

Kang Hyung-chan’s fourth pitch was a fastball that went foul, the fifth a curveball for a ball, the sixth a fastball that went foul, and the seventh a changeup for a ball.

3-2, full count.

The Pegasus bench signaled to pitch carefully.

The next batter, Choi Jae-wan, was an easier opponent than Yoo Sun-ho.

They only needed to get one more out to end the inning, so there was no need to take unnecessary risks.

‘Curveball. Bounce it.’

A pitch that would be great if he swung, but they couldn’t do anything if he didn’t.

Kang Hyung-chan threw a curveball.

Yoo Sun-ho’s body twisted.

Jung Yong-wook held out his mitt, but the ball didn’t come in.

The ball, which was about to bounce, caught the end of Yoo Sun-ho’s bat.

“Right field fence! A ball heading to the right field fence! It’s gone! Yoo Sun-ho with a three-run home run! Yoo Sun-ho hits a three-run home run in the top of the first!”

“Yoo Sun-ho timed that perfectly, even though it was a breaking ball.”

“The GOAT takes a 3-0 lead right from the start with Yoo Sun-ho’s three-run home run.”

“Isn’t the difference between Pegasus and the GOAT three games? For Pegasus, the game with their fifth starter Kang Hyung-chan was the most worrying, and in the end, their concerns have become a reality right from the start. Pegasus’s goal was to widen the gap with the GOAT, but it’s not going their way. ”

“Are there only twenty games left? A three-game difference is a long way off, but the GOAT is keeping the flame of hope alive. Yoo Sun-ho has ignited the flame of hope.”

Yoo Sun-ho clenched his fist as he rounded the bases.

The roar of the GOAT fans was a bonus.

To the Top as a Catcher

Number One is Mine (2)

-Out!

-Out!

-Out!

“McKenzie with a three-up, three-down inning! He’s off to a great start, recording three-up, three-down innings in the first, second, and third innings.”

“McKenzie has some ups and downs, but once his pitches start working, there’s no stopping him. That’s typical of pitchers who use cutters, two-seamers, and sinking fastballs.”

“So, it’s 3-0 through three innings. The GOAT is holding onto their first-inning lead. On the other hand, the Pegasus lineup has been quiet today.”

“It won’t be easy until the lineup turns over once. But now it has, right? We might see a different picture in the fourth.”

McKenzie returned to the bench to the cheers of his teammates.

Song Seok-hyun took off his mitt and shook his hand.

“The movement on his pitches is something else…”

At Song Seok-hyun’s words, Kim In-hwan handed him a heated *jjimjil pack* [a heated pad used for muscle relief].

“Here, use this.”

“Thanks, *hyung* [older brother or male friend].”

“Is McKenzie’s stuff good today?”

Song Seok-hyun gave a thumbs up instead of speaking.

“Then do we have a chance to win today?”

“I think we can do it if we hit well.”

The leadoff hitter in the top of the fourth was Kang Ha-young.

Kang Ha-young took a deep breath as he stepped into the batter’s box.

“It’s Kang Ha-young versus Kang Hyung-chan. Kang Hyung-chan gave up three runs early, but he hasn’t allowed any more.”

“I think he’s been decent so far. Three runs against the GOAT’s cleanup is not a bad result.”

“Kang Ha-young has been getting more and more at-bats lately. But his performance is still a bit lacking, right?”

“His batting average is .270. That’s a bit low for a left fielder. His slugging percentage is .380. But, this player’s on-base percentage is a bit unusual. It’s .413. More than .140 higher than his batting average. It’s a very unusual case. Of course, it’s hard to believe it at face value because he hasn’t accumulated enough plate appearances yet, but it’s a record worth noting.”

Whack!

Whack!

Whack!

Kang Ha-young threw his bat out of the batter’s box.

“Walk. It’s a walk. Kang Hyung-chan has walked Kang Ha-young.”

“He should have challenged him there. If he can’t challenge Kang Ha-young, who can he challenge? That’s too bad. Kang Hyung-chan seems to be trying to throw the ball too perfectly. In situations like this, he needs to be aggressive, even if it means throwing it right down the middle. It’s the bottom of the order.”

“The next batter is Jung Baek-sun. He came up as a backup to replace Jung Dong-gyu, who has been feeling fatigued lately, and he’s been putting up surprisingly solid numbers.”

“People have been saying that there’s a big gap between the GOAT’s first and second teams and that they don’t have any promising prospects, but they’ve always had decent backup-level players like Kang Ha-young and Jung Baek-sun. Rather, the GOAT’s weakness has been the lack of clear-cut stars. The GOAT has been filling the gaps with free agents, but there have been shortcomings.”

“They’ve been one of the teams that sign the most free agents, but their performance has always been disappointing compared to their investment.”

“But this time, local boys like Kim In-hwan and Song Seok-hyun have grown, and late bloomer Seol Jin-il and trade acquisition Lee Ji-sung and Yoo Sun-ho have also settled in well, making the first team’s roster more abundant. It’s unfortunate for the existing starters, but it’s a good thing for the team. Many experts say that the GOAT’s depth is lacking, and that’s true if you’re talking about both the first and second teams, but if you’re talking about the first team alone, it’s actually a team with a good balance of old and new players and a good balance of skill.”

“But isn’t it also true that the GOAT is heavily reliant on their cleanup hitters? They haven’t been able to create scoring opportunities outside of the cleanup.”

-Ball. Walk. Batter to first.

While the announcer and commentator were talking, Jung Baek-sun walked to first base.

No outs, runners on first and second.

Kang Hyung-chan took off his hat and wiped away sweat.

“Look at this. It’s true that the GOAT’s bottom of the order is weak, but the bottom of the order is lacking on any team. Even if they can’t score runs from the bottom of the order like they are now, if they continue to get on base and increase the opposing pitcher’s pitch count and pass the offensive chance to the top of the order, that’s more than 80 out of 100 points.”

Catcher Jung Yong-wook raised his mask.

“Time. I’ll go talk to him for a bit.”

As Jung Yong-wook walked to the mound, Kang Hyung-chan kept licking his dry lips.

“What are you going to do if you avoid them? Do you not like them because they’re easy? Do you want to face Kim In-hwan and Song Seok-hyun head-on?”

“No. No, it’s not that…”

“Next is Young-soo. Make sure you pitch like this to the ninth hitter too. Huh?”

“I’m sorry.”

“If you don’t throw a fastball right down the middle as your first pitch, I’m going to throw the ball at your face. Got it?”

“Yes, yes.”

Before going down the mound, Jung Yong-wook tapped Kang Hyung-chan on the stomach.

“Pitch confidently, confidently.”

“Yes. I’m sorry.”

Jung Yong-wook returned to home plate.

The batter was Jung Young-soo.

Holding his bat neither too long nor too short, Jung Young-soo was swaying slightly.

As befitting a shortstop, he wasn’t large, but the muscles showing through his uniform were prominent.

“No outs, runners on first and second. The batter is the ninth hitter. Isn’t now the time to challenge him?”

“That’s right. He needs to challenge him. Now he needs to aggressively pitch inside and aim for a double play. There’s no need to make it difficult. Even if he gives up a big hit, it’s only one run. It’s difficult for Jung Young-soo’s power to bring in even the runner from first. He only has three home runs this season, right? He has almost no power. There’s no need to be afraid.”

Kang Hyung-chan didn’t throw the ball right away.

He fiddled with the rosin bag and swallowed hard.

After taking three, four breaths.

Kang Hyung-chan lifted his leg slightly and threw a fastball right down the middle as his first pitch.

Bang!

Jung Young-soo twisted his body back and swung the bat.

The ball hit by the bat flew high into the sky.

The left fielder slowly walked back towards the fence.

At the same time, the runner on second base also stepped on the base and prepared to run.

“The left fielder reaches out, jumps… but the ball is over! Home run! It’s a home run! Jung Young-soo finally hits a home run.”

“The pitcher couldn’t do anything about that one. He had to challenge him because of the two walks. It looks like the batter timed it well.”

“With Jung Young-soo hitting a home run, the GOAT is getting home runs from both the cleanup and the bottom of the order. I said a few minutes ago that the GOAT’s bottom of the order was weak, but that’s embarrassing.”

“I don’t know how long it’s been since Jung Young-soo hit a home run. Is he playing even better because he’s facing the top team? The GOAT’s offense is unusual today.”

6-0.

The Pegasus bench took the pitcher out.

The GOAT fans were already in a festive mood.

The new pitcher, Jang Ji-hoon, got Lee Ji-sung and Seol Jin-il out on ground balls, but walked Kim In-hwan.

“Pegasus is in trouble again. Another crisis. A table is set for Song Seok-hyun.”

“It’s also ambiguous to walk Song Seok-hyun because Yoo Sun-ho, the hero of today’s three-run home run, is behind him. Facing a hitter who is in good condition is not a good choice.”

“I’m curious about Jang Ji-hoon’s choice.”

Jung Yong-wook scanned Song Seok-hyun from head to toe.

A narrow stride, relaxed shoulders and wrists, shallow breaths.

He doesn’t look nervous.

He’ll only tense up when the pitcher is about to throw the ball.

He’s not a veteran, but he instinctively knows when to relax and when to exert force.

‘Four-seam. Inside.’

At Jung Yong-wook’s sign, Jang Ji-hoon licked his lips once.

Pitching inside to Song Seok-hyun.

While he hesitated, Jung Yong-wook’s finger signaled again.

‘Four-seam! Inside!’

At the movement of the finger accompanied by annoyance, Jang Ji-hoon quickly took his stance.

After checking Kim In-hwan once with his eyes, he threw a ball with all his might inside.

Song Seok-hyun’s movement was exactly as Jung Yong-wook had predicted.