On The Rise As A Catcher [EN]: Chapter 203

“Seokhyun, you’re here early too?”

“Yes. I came a bit earlier today.”

There were about ten players in the locker room.

Song Seokhyun took out his phone and checked the time again.

“Did you eat? Aren’t you here too early?”

“Right now? How could I even think about food?”

Kim Jeongryul retorted to Yoo Seonho’s words.

“I don’t think that’s something you should say, considering you were just begging to go to an all-you-can-eat place because you were hungry.”

“Hey, Kim Jeongryul. Do you have to undermine your senior in front of others?”

“So, hyung [older brother or respected male figure]. Are we not going to eat?”

“We have to eat.”

“Then why are you saying things you don’t mean?”

“I’m just saying. Jeez. Do I need permission to joke around?”

Kim Jeongryul stretched and asked Song Seokhyun.

“Did you eat already?”

“No. I was going to eat after coming out here.”

“We haven’t all eaten either. What should we do? Should we go out or order in?”

Yoo Seonho answered instead of Song Seokhyun.

“No delivery food on a day like today. It’s all greasy.”

“Says the guy who eats chicken, pizza, and jajangmyeon [Korean-Chinese noodle dish with black bean sauce] every day?”

“Still, we need to eat something light and Korean today to avoid any problems. Absolutely safely. Got it?”

Yoo Seonho led the players to his favorite restaurant.

The players stared at Yoo Seonho with disbelief as they stood in front of the restaurant.

“It’s a Korean buffet.”

“Exactly. This is the best. Making bibimbap [Korean mixed rice dish] here is the best, the best.”

There was no need to explain what would happen when athletes went to a buffet.

Yoo Seonho confidently said he would eat lightly, but he filled his plate to the brim and emptied it six times.

Song Seokhyun and Kim Jeongryul sat facing each other, slowly finishing one plate.

“Time flies, doesn’t it?”

Song Seokhyun readily nodded at Kim Jeongryul’s question.

“Yes. Already October. It feels like the season was so long, but it’s already October.”

“It hasn’t even been a year since I met you, and it’s almost the postseason.”

“There are still three games left, though.”

Kim Jeongryul put down his spoon.

“Right. And it has to be against the Wolves. Ugh, we have the worst luck. We’ve been running without any rainouts all season, and the remaining three games are against the Wolves.”

“Aren’t the Wolves in a huge mess with Wales right now?”

“If the Wolves lose all three games to us and Wales sweeps, the rankings will change. I don’t know the details since it’s not my team. But what’s certain is that the Wolves are absolutely furious right now.”

“Things weren’t great with them last time, were they? There was a bench clearing too.”

“That’s why we really need to be careful. They might intentionally start a bench clearing.”

“Why? To set the mood?”

“Either way, they’re the ones who are more desperate.”

“It’s not like we’re relaxed either. We’re still one game behind Pegasus.”

“We’re just fighting over 1st or 2nd place. The Wolves are fighting over whether they even make the postseason or not. For us, even 2nd place is a great result, but if they don’t make the postseason this time, it’s a huge disaster, a huge disaster. It wouldn’t be surprising if the manager and president get fired.”

“Really? The president gets fired?”

“They’ve been to the postseason for ten consecutive years, I think. There are already articles blowing up now, imagine if they don’t make it. It’ll be a sight to see.”

“I see….”

Kim Jeongryul crossed his arms.

“That’s why I’m worried. If they get pushed back, it’s really over for them. If they fail to make the postseason, their salaries will be slashed.”

“I thought it was lucky we weren’t playing Pegasus, but it turns out the Wolves are even more troublesome.”

“They played three games against us and then dropped out. So their resentment towards us must be huge. Anyway, people usually don’t look at their own faults first when things don’t go well. They blame others first. So what can we do? They’ve singled us out, the easiest target, and are grinding their teeth.”

Song Seokhyun shuddered.

“We really need to be prepared for a bench clearing.”

“Even if we’re pissed, we need to avoid fighting as much as possible. They’re going to provoke us a lot.”

“Hmm… Have the Wolves and us always had a bad relationship?”

“How could it be good? And more than anything, we’ve always had worse results than them. Actually, we’re probably more frustrated, but they’re winning against us for the first time in a while, so they must be steaming. And now they have a game against us, so it’s the perfect outlet for their anger.”

Song Seokhyun mentioned Kim Inhwan, who wasn’t there.

“If a bench clearing happens, going behind Inhwan hyung would be the best, right?”

“Everyone else is probably thinking the same thing as you.”

Yoo Seonho came back with his seventh plate.

A plate piled high with japchae [glass noodles stir-fried with vegetables and meat].

The players teased him, and Yoo Seonho complained.

“This is dessert, dessert. I’m not going to eat any more after this.”

The players laughed loudly.

As the meal was wrapping up, Song Seokhyun asked Kim Jeongryul.

“Are you having your wedding this year, sunbaenim [respected senior or mentor]?”

“Yeah. I need to have the ceremony before going to spring camp. So I’m busy, busy. There’s so much to do after the postseason. I need to focus only on baseball, but honestly, marriage is a huge life event, isn’t it? It’s a lie if I say I’m not 신경 쓰인다고 하면 구라지 [If I say I’m not nervous, I’m lying].”

“Usually, everyone gets married in the winter, before spring camp, right?”

“Yeah. Why? Are you planning to get married too?”

“Ah, no. I was just curious. Oh, by the way, Inhwan hyung has been coming to work late lately.”

“I heard they’ve already set up a household together. Inhwan commutes from Han Gayeon’s house.”

“Hyung does?”

“Yeah. Han Gayeon is more attached to Inhwan. She’s completely smitten with him. It’s not easy for an announcer to be like that.”

“There must be rumors… Is it okay?”

“Usually, these things are almost 99% likely to lead to marriage, but Inhwan is ambiguous. If he doesn’t resolve his military service issue at the Asian Games next year, he’s definitely going to the army. I don’t know if he’ll get married now… But seeing how Han Gayeon is acting, it seems like she’s really thinking about marriage.”

“Then you’ll get married this year, and Inhwan hyung might get married next year.”

“Maybe?”

“I see….”

Song Seokhyun trailed off, and Kim Jeongryul leaned forward.

“Why? What is it? Are you getting married the year after next?”

“No, it’s nothing like that.”

“You rascal. The sooner you get married, the better. Look over there. If you miss your chance, it gets complicated. You should walk onto the field with your kid at your retirement ceremony. Imagine waving your hand awkwardly alone. It’s not cool.”

Kim Jeongryul pointed to Yoo Seonho, who was scooping sikhye [sweet rice beverage] into his rice bowl.

“That guy has such high standards.”

After the meal, the players returned to Jamsil Stadium.

Before entering the stadium, Song Seokhyun talked to Kim Nayoung on the phone outside.

“Okay, okay. I understand. Okay. Go in.”

After hanging up, Song Seokhyun was about to enter the stadium when he saw a familiar silhouette in the distance.

In a secluded spot in the parking lot, a sturdy middle-aged man and two burly young men were standing.

Song Seokhyun was on the second floor, but he could hear their conversation clearly.

The two men raised their voices at each other and then left.

Song Seokhyun lingered for a moment and then left.

* * *

October 1, 2013.

Fall jackets appear at the baseball stadium.

Because the Goats had almost no rainouts throughout the season, they only had three games left.

Injuries tend to surge in the remaining games of the second half when energy is depleted.

Having few remaining games was a good thing, but the fact that their opponent was their Jamsil rival, the Wolves, was not a pleasant one.

Having recently experienced a bench clearing, the two teams were on bad terms.

The Wolves were desperately clinging to the edge of the postseason.

The Wolves fans were hoping for at least a winning series in the three games against the Goats, and the Goats fans were hoping to secure first place without any injuries.

In the afternoon, Goats and Wolves fans began to appear at Jamsil.

The excited Goats fans sang cheering songs and burst into laughter.

The Wolves fans ranged from those with serious expressions to those who were there to enjoy the baseball game.

Unlike the bustling outside, a cold wave blew through the Jamsil grounds.

After the bench clearing, the two teams were cold and focused only on training, even skipping greetings.

As the start of the game approached, the players from both teams lined up.

“Huh? It’s getting cloudy.”

“Did they say it would rain today?”

“Is it a shower? I didn’t hear anything about rain.”

Thud. Thud, thud.

Raindrops began to fall one by one onto the field.

The baseball fans briefly took shelter from the downpour.

The fans worried about a rainout, but the shower didn’t last more than 30 minutes.

The shower was short, but the amount of rain was significant.

The ground was full of moisture, and the air was humid.

“Both teams, please prepare.”

The game operations committee and the umpire decided to proceed with the game.

The Wolves’ starting pitcher, Mark Rogers, looked up at the sky once and walked to the mound.

The Wolves players also silently took to the field.

With the umpire’s call, the game began.

-Play ball!

* * *

The caster and commentator raised their voices to lift the temporarily dampened atmosphere.

“We were briefly worried about a rainout today, but fortunately, the game has resumed.”

“That’s a relief. If there had been a rainout today, the Wolves would have had to play a double-header. The Goats only have a few games left, but it’s a huge relief for the Wolves.”

“The ground is soaked with moisture. Will this affect the game today?”

“The bouncing balls will be faster and sharper. Defense will be a bit more difficult. On days like this, it’s good to play the bounce short.”

The Wolves’ number one starter, Mark Rogers, pressured the batter with fastballs from the start.

Lee Jiseong’s hit didn’t leave the infield, and Seol Jinil timed the first pitch well, but his bat broke, resulting in an out.

The next batter was Kim Inhwan.

From the first pitch, Mark Rogers threw one close to Kim Inhwan’s body.

“Boo.”

It wasn’t a pitch that went in too deep, but boos already poured from the stands.

Mark Rogers’ next pitch was an outside changeup.

Kim Inhwan swung and missed.

1-1.

The next pitch was another deep inside pitch.

Kim Inhwan frowned.

“Ah, that’s a bit deep.”

“Well… I think the rain is making the ball slippery, making it difficult to control.”

Kim Inhwan stepped back from the plate.

There’s no need to fall for the opponent’s provocation here.

The Wolves are the ones in a hurry.

All we need to do is avoid injuries and secure first place.

Clang!

-Strike!

A fastball coming in on the outside.

The next pitch was an outside curveball.

Kim Inhwan’s knee buckled, and he barely managed to scoop the ball with the end of his bat.

The weakly hit ball barely cleared the second baseman’s glove.

“Hit! It’s a hit. Kim Inhwan’s technical batting was dazzling.”

“Rogers’ control on the outside is good. It’s okay. Kim Inhwan just hit that well.”

“Now Song Seokhyun is coming to the plate. Having a runner in front of Song Seokhyun means it’s always a chance to score, whether the runner is on first or third base.”

“Song Seokhyun has the power to make Jamsil look like a neighborhood baseball field. If he hits it squarely, it’s going over.”

Rogers threw an inside pitch from the first pitch.

A pitch so deep that even Song Seokhyun flinched.

Song Seokhyun stepped back a bit from the plate.

The one with more to lose is just being more careful.

Rogers immediately threw a fastball to the outside.

An inside pitch followed by an outside fastball.

It was a textbook combination, but pitchers often forgot that Song Seokhyun’s bat was longer than others.

Thwack!

It was a low pitch.

As he twisted his waist and pushed forward, the ball flew low as well.

And.

Successively

Mess

The ball hit by Song Seokhyun was low and fast.

The ball flew towards the Wolves’ shortstop, Lee Yongcheol.

Lee Yongcheol ran forward instead of waiting in place to catch the ball.

On slippery days due to rain, the bounce is fast and erratic.

Since the ball was fast, just blocking the ball would end the inning.

The moment the ball, full of spin, touched the ground, a ‘thud!’ sound rang out.

“Ugh!”

Lee Yongcheol literally collapsed.

Kim Inhwan, who was running to second base, and Song Seokhyun, who was running to first base, only realized what had happened after stepping on the base.

“Medical staff! Call the medical staff!”

“Ambulance! Where’s the ambulance!”

The Wolves’ infielders rushed to the fallen Lee Yongcheol.

Lee Yongcheol’s face was covered in blood.

The umpire stopped the game.

“Ah, what’s going on? Lee Yongcheol has collapsed on the field and can’t get up.”

“We’re seeing a slow-motion replay now. It looks like Lee Yongcheol was hit in the face by an irregular bounce. It looks like he was hit in the center of his face, around his nose, cheekbones, and lips… First of all, it seems like he needs emergency treatment to prevent blood from going into his airway.”