On The Rise As A Catcher [EN]: Chapter 213

“Kim Jung-ryul, strike three!”

The ball hurtled toward the bottom of the strike zone, then broke sharply downwards.

Was he worried about the previous pitch being too high? This one was way too low.

Swish.

Song Seok-hyun thought they should abandon this pitch, but the batter had other ideas.

Baek Hyun-sung swung upwards from below, like swinging a golf club.

Clang!

“Center-left! Center-left! A hit piercing through center-left! Baek Hyun-sung reaches first, and heads to second! To second! Safe at second! Baek Hyun-sung pulls off a miraculous, bizarre hit!”

“Is Baek Hyun-sung showing us a miracle? I didn’t think he could get a hit like that, but he turns it into a double.”

“This is a scoring opportunity. Jeong Byung-soo, a powerful hitter, steps up to the plate. A home run would tie the game, and even a single would narrow the gap to one point.”

Kim Jung-ryul loosened his shoulders.

There was nothing he could do about it.

A hit like that was a bizarre anomaly, maybe happening once or twice a season.

If he threw that to a hundred people, ninety-nine of them would ground out, even if they made contact.

A miracle born from Baek Hyun-sung’s desperation and raw power.

Like the veteran he was, Kim Jung-ryul immediately put it behind him and focused on the batter.

Fifth batter Jeong Byung-soo was also a left-handed power hitter.

Song Seok-hyun called for an outside sinker as the first pitch.

Just one more out.

He would avoid inside pitches that risked hitting the batter.

Even just throwing an outside sinker would make it difficult for the batters to get a good read on it before the batting order rotated again.

The batter couldn’t hide his tension.

When a batter gets nervous, they react in one of two ways.

Either they swing at every pitch they see, or they overthink and freeze up.

Song Seok-hyun knew Jeong Byung-soo well.

These power hitters have a compulsion to be the hero and solve the problem themselves.

If it’s even close, they’ll swing.

“Hoo.”

Kim Jung-ryul didn’t even worry about the runner.

Just a ground ball.

All he needed was a ground ball.

As he took a breath, time seemed to slow down.

As he exhaled, it slowed down even more.

Kim Jung-ryul threw the first pitch.

A ball flying to the outside.

With all that spin, it would curve even further outwards near home plate.

If he made contact, the ball would probably go to the third baseman.

Third baseman Choi Jae-wan was young, but a reliable fielder.

Thwack!

Just as Kim Jung-ryul had imagined.

“Third baseman! The third baseman safely fields the ball and throws to first. Safe? Safe at first! Jeong Byung-soo makes a head-first slide and is safe! What just happened?”

“Just now, ah. We need to see a slow-motion replay of this.”

“Didn’t Choi Jae-wan field and throw it well?”

“Ah, this is… It looks like Choi Jae-wan was too nervous. He could have taken a step or two to catch and throw it, since the ball was traveling slowly. But he didn’t move enough, trying to field it safely. Jeong Byung-soo isn’t particularly fast, but he ran like his life depended on it and slid.”

“Is the Wolves’ desperation paying off? Two outs, runners on first and third. They failed to end it twice when they had the chance.”

The players preparing to go to the mound hesitated.

A sigh escaped from the bench.

The most flustered was third baseman Choi Jae-wan.

He never expected Jeong Byung-soo to dive headfirst.

He was just trying to be safer, but it turned into a huge mistake.

“It’s okay! Jae-wan, it’s okay.”

Kim Jung-ryul first comforted Choi Jae-wan, who looked visibly flustered.

Choi Jae-wan didn’t know what to do, and his face turned red.

Kim Jung-ryul was the most disappointed, but the next batter was Kang Ki-soo.

A batter with declining hitting ability.

And a right-handed batter.

He could freely use sliders and curves that he couldn’t throw to left-handed batters.

If the opponent had luck on their side twice, they’d used up all their luck.

Whack!

-Strike!

Whack!

-Strike!

“Kim Jung-ryul’s pitching with fury. He gets to two strikes right away.”

“Kang Ki-soo can’t even touch it. He can’t do this. He needs to be aggressive.”

The Wolves’ bench signaled him to swing at all costs.

Getting on base here is meaningless.

They have to end it somehow.

Song Seok-hyun called for an inside sinker to Kim Jung-ryul.

A sinker coming inside to a right-handed batter.

It’s more effective and powerful than a sinker thrown to a left-handed batter.

Kim Jung-ryul shook his head.

He induced a ground ball well in the previous at-bat but couldn’t finish it.

The pitcher had to take responsibility and end it with a strikeout.

With outside sliders and curves remaining, he was confident he could get a strikeout.

To be safer, Song Seok-hyun called for an inside sinker once more.

He was worried about the outside changeup that came in high.

He wanted to end it with a sinker, since Kim Jung-ryul’s sinker was the best of his pitches today.

Shake, shake.

Kim Jung-ryul gave his own sign.

A curveball.

He would end it with a curveball.

Song Seok-hyun didn’t insist any further.

Kim Jung-ryul’s curveball, the UFO curve, was one of the best breaking balls in the league.

“Kim Jung-ryul, pitching!”

The pitch that might be his last.

The ball soared from low to high.

The spinning ball soared upwards, upwards.

Kang Ki-soo swung his bat with the single-minded determination to hit it.

A swing coming down from above.

The ball didn’t rise and rolled towards the shortstop.

“Shortstop Jung Young-soo!”

Kim Jung-ryul turned his head.

Jung Young-soo might not be a great hitter, but his fielding was A-class in the league.

One of the few A-class resources among the Wolves’ franchise players.

Instead of waiting for the ball like Choi Jae-wan, Jung Young-soo dashed forward to meet the bounce.

As Jung Young-soo reached out his glove, the ball bounced right then.

At the same spot where the Wolves’ shortstop Lee Yong-cheol was injured, the Goat’s shortstop Jung Young-soo missed the ball.

“Ah! Irregular bounce! An irregular bounce! It goes behind the shortstop! The runner on third, back to home! The runner on first has already reached third! Left fielder! The left fielder is running in! Will he catch the ball and throw it home?”

The runner on first had already reached third base, and the batter-runner was on first and just rounding the corner.

Since the runners had already touched all the bases, the left fielder should have stopped there.

Was it the obsession with not giving up a run?

The left fielder threw the ball home, not to third, second, or first base.

“Hey!”

Kim Jung-ryul was the most surprised.

Kim Jung-ryul jumped and ran to cut off the throw himself.

Meanwhile, as the ball flew towards home, the batter-runner didn’t slow down and ran to second.

He didn’t know that Kim Jung-ryul had cut off the throw, and continued his sprint towards second base.

Kim Jung-ryul didn’t hesitate and immediately threw the ball to second.

“No!”

Song Seok-hyun’s shout was too late.

Without realizing it, Kim Jung-ryul threw the ball from low to high, like a pitch.

Second baseman Jung Dong-gyu jumped, but the ball went right past his glove.

“Ah! A bad throw! A bad throw! The runner on third to home! Safe at home! The batter-runner to third! Uh? He’s running! He’s running home! Is he going for home?”

Center fielder Lee Ji-sung caught the ball.

Maintaining his running speed, he threw it straight home.

Lee Ji-sung’s throw was accurate and fast.

But batter-runner Kang Ki-soo’s feet were faster.

By the time Song Seok-hyun caught the ball, Kang Ki-soo had already stolen home with a slide.

-Safe!

“Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!”

“Uwaaaaaaaaa!”

“We won! We won! It’s a comeback!”

The Wolves’ players poured onto the field.

The Wolves’ players were crying and hugging each other.

The Wolves’ fans were shouting and crying too.

The Wolves’ front office staff ran onto the field with prepared banners.

“Wolves! Wolves! Wolves! Wolves!”

Though they were fourth place, the Wolves’ fans cried as if they had won the championship.

The Goat’s fans were bewildered and confused, not knowing what to do.

The Goat’s players just stared at each other, panting.

* * *

The game was over.

4-3.

The Wolves’ come-from-behind victory.

Along with the Goat’s loss, the Scorpions won.

The regular season, which had been a close race until the very end, resulted in the Pegasus in 1st place, the Goat in 2nd, the Scorpions in 3rd, and the Wolves in 4th.

The Goat and the Pegasus both lost, but the Goat had to give up 1st place to the Pegasus due to their head-to-head record.

Third baseman Choi Jae-wan was out of it, muttering to himself.

Center fielder Lee Ji-sung stared at his right arm for a long time.

Even Kim Jung-ryul couldn’t comfort and smile at his juniors today.

After the game, in the Jamsil Stadium hallway.

Sobbing leaked out.

The players passed by, pretending not to see Kim Jung-ryul, who had pulled his hat down low.

Song Seok-hyun placed a clean towel on Kim Jung-ryul’s shoulder.

“I’ll make sure we win the championship. Don’t worry.”

Despite Song Seok-hyun’s comfort, Kim Jung-ryul slammed his head against the hallway wall and sobbed, his shoulders shaking for a long, long time.

Success as a Catcher

Semi-Playoffs

The regular season was over.

Once the remaining games were over, the team would be at a crossroads.

Would they prepare for the post-season, or would they wrap up this season?

Even if they failed to make the post-season, the team wouldn’t rest.

Preparing for new player recruitment, creating the educational league roster, organizing released players, and reorganizing the development squad.

While others were celebrating, the teams that failed to make the post-season would begin reorganizing the team.

Even if they survived the release list, salary negotiations would soon be approaching.

For teams and players who failed to make the post-season, the end of the year was a painful and difficult season.

Of course, not all teams that made the post-season were happy.

The Wolves barely made it into the post-season, but their joy was short-lived, as criticism of their performance was rampant both inside and outside the team.

This was because they had fallen behind their Jamsil rivals, the Goat, in the standings for the first time in over 10 years.

The Goat wasn’t happy either.

Having slipped up just before securing sole first place, rumors were constantly swirling.

The Goat’s farce in the last game and last inning of the regular season led to concerns from fans and criticism from the media.

While Kim Jung-ryul secluded himself, the players received a short vacation.

* * *

A screen baseball field [a batting cage-like simulator] somewhere in Seoul.

Thwack!

Thwack!

A cheerful sound of batting echoed.

The source of the sound was a man in plain clothes.

Every time the man hit, the ball flew like a bullet.

“Hey. You’re going to break the bat. Aren’t you taking a break?”

Song Seok-hyun stopped swinging when Jung Mi-nam appeared.

“How long have I been swinging to need a break?”

“Stop swinging and let’s go. We’re late for our appointment.”

“Already?”

“What do you mean already? It’s been at least 30 minutes. You’re out of it, aren’t you?”

Song Seok-hyun had gathered with Jung Mi-nam, Kim Young-seok, and Kim Na-young for the first time in a while.

It was a celebration of making the post-season and a chance to catch up, but the atmosphere was as heavy as the expression on Song Seok-hyun’s face, the main guest.

“Just a minute. I need to use the restroom.”

While Song Seok-hyun was away, Kim Young-seok emptied his beer glass and said.

“Seok-hyun must be under a lot of stress. Right?”