On The Rise As A Catcher [EN]: Chapter 219

Early 7th, the Scorpion’s Attack.

Lee Baek-chan shut down the Scorpion’s lower batting order.

The combination of a 150km/h fastball and slider was simple but effective.

Adding to that, the pitcher’s quick tempo, almost breathless, didn’t allow the batter any room to breathe.

Bottom of the 7th, the Goat’s attack resulted in no score.

Top of the 8th. After getting two outs, he allowed a hit to Jeong Dae-han.

The Goat immediately replaced the pitcher with Hong Dae-sung.

“Goat’s first-round picks from last year and this year are making a big impact in the bullpen. Both players are hard throwers who can throw over 150km/h, right?”

“Lee Baek-chan was shaky until earlier this year, but now he’s got a feel for it. Hong Dae-sung is proving the saying that you should bring in a left-handed fireballer even from hell. I think both players will be in the starting rotation starting next year.”

Hong Dae-sung came to the mound with an indifferent face.

He yawned while touching the rosin bag [a small bag containing powdered resin used by pitchers for a better grip].

“……Hah.”

Hitter Jo Yang-cheol frowned.

The result was a three-pitch strikeout.

Hong Dae-sung struck out Jo Yang-cheol with three fastballs.

“Three-pitch strikeout! Number 4 hitter Jo Yang-cheol couldn’t do anything.”

“His pitches are definitely fast. The point of impact is also forming low. If he throws pitches like that, it will be difficult to attack even if he only throws fastballs.”

Bottom of the 8th, the Goat’s attack.

Tak Gi-deok came to the mound for the Scorpion.

“Tak Gi-deok is already up. The Scorpion is going strong today.”

“Are they bringing up closer Tak Gi-deok now? The score is only a 3-point difference. Manager Lee Geon-woo isn’t holding back any cards. It’s important to win at all costs in a short-term series.”

The Goat’s leadoff hitter in the bottom of the 8th was Seol Jin-il.

Tak Gi-deok made two foul balls with fastballs and then struck him out with a forkball.

Kim In-hwan also struck out.

Song Seok-hyun hit a ball that went to the left-center, but Hwang Gi-deok made a good play and got him out.

Ham Seong-hoon emptied a bottle of water.

The Scorpion succeeded in their decision to bring up the closer in the 8th.

Protecting the 3 points until the end, 5-2.

The Scorpion boasted their impenetrable bullpen and took Game 2 of the playoffs with a victory.

“With today’s game, the Scorpion takes the victory and achieves a not-so-bad result of 1 win and 1 loss in the Jamsil away game.”

“Goat has designated Pisi as the starting pitcher for Game 3. Changing the starting rotation due to team circumstances may be helpful in Game 3. The Daegu away game won’t be easy. The Scorpion is strong at home. Since the stadium isn’t big, we can expect the hitters to perform well tomorrow.”

“Goat conceded points and failed to score due to several misfortunes in today’s game. I wonder if they will be able to turn it around in Game 3.”

* * *

Success Story as a Catcher

Where Did the Glorious Days Go?

The location of the playoff Game 3 is Dalgubeol [another name for Daegu, South Korea, often used in a baseball context].

The players, who arrived a day earlier, unpacked their luggage and spent the afternoon with light training.

In the evening, they gathered by position and as a group to prepare for the Scorpion Game 3.

The power analysis team even came to Daegu with the team leader to help prepare for Game 3.

* * *

Daegu ×× Hotel Conference Room.

Ham Seong-hoon led the strategy meeting himself with the help of the power analysis team.

“As you all know, Kang Gu-il will be the starting pitcher tomorrow. Kang Gu-il. He was really great in the past. He was a player who continued the lineage of right-handed aces. Ah, of course, we had Jeong-ryul before that.”

Kim Jeong-ryul waved his hand greatly, and the players laughed.

“You all know what happened after that. He wore out his elbow in the Korean Series championship season, and he had a lot of ups and downs after that, including shoulder surgery. He used to be a pitcher who relied on fastballs and forkballs, but now he’s a pitcher who mainly uses two-seamers and splitters. As his velocity has decreased, he induces a lot of ground balls with low pitches.”

Ham Seong-hoon flipped the PPT [PowerPoint] screen.

“As you can see from the pitching zone, he thoroughly targets the outside low zone. An outside ball coming to the high course is likely to be a feint. He shows a high ball and then pulls it to the outside. He throws the two-seamer well, but the fastball usage rate is also not low. He often throws inside pitches to right-handed hitters, but it’s only for show.”

The next screen flipped over.

“As you can see from the strikeouts, it’s higher than average for a ground ball pitcher.”

Ham Seong-hoon, who continued to explain about Kang Gu-il, reached a conclusion.

“We will reduce our goals during our attack to three. First, we will abandon the inside pitches. If an inside strike comes after two strikes, we have no choice but to respond with a foul. Second, we will abandon the low pitches.”

The players stirred.

“Does that sound strange? But look at the pitching zone. Kang Gu-il’s throwing course is obvious, so why are the hitters giving him strikes? Seok-hyun.”

“Yes?”

“What do you think?”

Song Seok-hyun scratched his head.

“Well… um… it’s because they think the ball coming in low might be a splitter. Usually, forkballs are easy for hitters to strike out, but splitters are specialized in inducing ground balls as well as strikeouts. Before the count gets too high, the low course that can become a ground ball should be approached with caution, so that’s why, right?”

“That’s right. If I add one more thing, Kang Gu-il doesn’t walk many batters. If you wait, there’s a high probability of getting on base with a walk. So, they wait for the obvious ball that comes in to catch the count on the outside low course. It’s better to aim for a walk than to hit it and become a ground ball. This is why Kang Gu-il has a high strikeout rate even though his velocity has decreased. Against Kang Gu-il, hitters tend to watch the outside ball before the counter gets too high. Then, when they are caught in the counter, they either strike out with a good-angled splitter or give up a walk.”

Kim In-hwan raised his hand.

“Then shouldn’t we be more aggressive in attacking the first pitch?”

“That could be a good method. But Kang Gu-il is a smart pitcher. He’s a pitcher who strikes out with a ball that barely exceeds 140 km/h. If we go out aggressively, he won’t give us a good ball, even if it means walking us. Ground ballers are confident in double plays, so they don’t feel burdened by runners getting on base. He’s also a very good pitcher at holding runners. In a word, he’s a fox.”

Yu Seon-ho nodded.

“That guy is very smart. When you see him playing Go-Stop [a Korean card game], his intuition is no joke.”

“Our strategy is to narrow the zone and wait. But I told you to abandon the inside ball, right? We’ll stick close to the plate and aim for the ball coming in from the outside. A ball that comes in low and perfectly? That’s because the pitcher threw well, so you can praise him. But no pitcher can keep throwing low to the very bottom. If throwing low was that easy, everyone’s ERA [Earned Run Average] would have dropped by more than 1 point.”

The pitchers chuckled.

“Raise the ball one or more strikes from the bottom of the pitching zone and hit any ball that comes here unconditionally. It doesn’t matter if it’s a splitter. Full swing. The Daegu stadium is one of the smallest of the 8 stadiums. Kang Gu-il not only has a lot of ground balls but also has a high slugging percentage. It’s a bit difficult to hit, but if you hit it, it goes far. It’s okay to strike out. Draw the zone longer horizontally and narrower vertically than usual. I said Kang Gu-il walks a lot, right? The more we swing, the harder it will be for Kang Gu-il to control the ball as precisely as usual. Instead of getting on base with a hit, we get on base with a walk, and if we stack runners, we get home with one long hit. This is our strategy for tomorrow.”

The conference room was quiet.

Yu Seon-ho took the lead.

“Um, Manager.”

“Yeah. Do you have any questions?”

“Isn’t it a fight for one point at a time in these short-term games? The Scorpion’s bullpen is also very good, and it’s usually very difficult to take back even one or two points. The Scorpion I know will do anything to win, so a quick hook for the starter is nothing. I don’t think it’ll be easy to aim for something so big, is it okay?”

“That’s a good point. But we’re going to go in a completely different direction from the general short-term plan tomorrow. Now, let’s think about the difference between us and them. We have good starters and long hits. They are good at bullpen and tactics. But can we win if we go the same way as them? Pisi will be out tomorrow. Pisi’s ERA against the Scorpion this year is in the 2s. Pisi can hold out long enough for us to score. And this is Daegu. It’s much easier to hit home runs than in Jamsil. It’s an opportunity to make the most of our strengths. I’m sure that the current Kang Gu-il won’t be able to last even one round of our batting order, let alone the old Kang Gu-il.”

Song Seok-hyun raised his hand.

“But I think you said three things earlier, what’s the last one?”

“Oh, that? There are no tactics tomorrow. Pick out a lot of balls and swing hard. That’s all. If they play small ball, we’ll go big~ball.”

After completing a brief analysis of the Scorpion hitters, the meeting ended.

Ham Seong-hoon returned to his room and checked the weather forecast.

“If it doesn’t get rained out, we’ll take 80% of it tomorrow…….”

* * *

Game 3 Day.

The autumn sky was clear without a single cloud.

The Scorpion’s starting pitcher, Kang Gu-il, bought a cup of coffee from his usual cafe and sat in the corner of the coffee shop.

The time to blank out before going to work was perhaps the happiest time of the day.

Creak.

As soon as Kang Gu-il sat down, male and female college students rushed to the table in front of him and took their seats.

“Ah, should I buy a black market ticket today?”

“Just watch it on TV with us. Why go all the way to the stadium?”

“Yeah. It’s Kang Gu-il anyway. Well, he’ll throw a little in the 1st and 2nd innings, get hit, and come down crying.”

“Ha, how fleeting life is. How did our ace become like this?”

“When was he an ace? When are you talking about Kang Gu-il? It’s frustrating.”

“Don’t waste money on expensive black market tickets, and buy more chicken with that money. How about it? I’ll buy more beer. Let’s watch it at Jin-gang’s house. Call?”

“Ah, but it’s Game 3…….”

“Don’t waste expensive money on Kang Gu-il’s game, let’s have chicken and beer.”

After the college students left, Kang Gu-il put the coffee cup, which hadn’t been emptied even a sip, on the pick-up counter and left the cafe.

* * *

Playoff Game 3.

As the two teams had exchanged one win and one loss, the fans of both teams entered the cheering match from before the start of the game, shouting until their voices were hoarse so as not to fall behind each other.

While the Daegu stadium was buried in the cheering sound, Kang Gu-il was talking to the coach.

“I won’t let you do more than 5 innings at most, so throw at 100% from the start. With the mindset of not giving up a single point. We’ll block the back somehow, so don’t worry about the back. Huh?”

“……Yes.”

“Yeah. I’m not putting a lot of pressure on you. Throw comfortably and cheerfully.”

After the coach left, Kang Gu-il leaned his back against the wall.

When he closed his eyes, 7 years ago came to mind like yesterday.

“You’re the only one I can trust. Let’s hold on a little longer, even if it’s hard. Huh? If we win this game, we’ll win the championship. You don’t want to miss it either, do you? There’s no one to throw. You have to take responsibility and stop them. Please, Gu-il. We should win the championship now, too. Don’t you think?”

Kang Gu-il opened his eyes.

His right arm trembled.

A spasm that sometimes comes after surgery.

As Kang Gu-il took a slow breath, the spasm quickly subsided.

“Yeah. When was Kang Gu-il? Let’s do what I have to do.”

* * *

-Play ball!

Under the hot cheering heat, Kang Gu-il came to the mound in the top of the 1st inning.

The first batter is Lee Ji-sung.

Kang Gu-il smiled bitterly as he looked at Lee Ji-sung.

The first pitch is an outside fastball.

It was a ball to check the strike zone.

Clang!

“Hit! It’s a hit. Lee Ji-sung’s hit in front of the right fielder.”

“He’s the first hitter, but he’s very aggressive from the first pitch.”

Kang Gu-il licked his lips.

It was a slightly missed ball, but he knew how to aim for it.

Kang Gu-il kept checking Lee Ji-sung.

Lee Ji-sung looks like a model student, FM [Field Manual, implying someone who follows the rules strictly], but he has a strong desire to win.

He’ll try to steal if he gets a chance.

“Kang Gu-il throws the first pitch.”

Since the strike zone setting is not over yet, he took the ball out a little from the outside to check the border line again.

Clang!

The ball, which was hit almost at the end of the bat, slightly passed the first baseman’s key.

Thanks to the right fielder who came forward, Lee Ji-sung stopped at 2nd base, but with two balls, it became no outs, runners on 1st and 2nd.

“Kang Gu-il doesn’t seem to be in very good condition today. He throws two balls and sends runners to the scoring position.”

“Goat is very aggressive today. You have to think about this carefully. As a pitcher, you have to know how to handle your ball according to the situation of the day.”

Kang Gu-il held the rosin bag.

The next batter is Kim In-hwan.

The next batter is Song Seok-hyun.

The next is Yu Seon-ho.

It’s a batting order that makes you breathless just thinking about it.

Yu Seon-ho, who is good at aiming, knows pitcher Kang Gu-il better than anyone else.

The 1st and 2nd games were foreign pitchers, so Yu Seon-ho didn’t know the pitchers well, but domestic players are different.

Like the existing 1st and 2nd games, it is not a good method to pass Song Seok-hyun and compete with Yu Seon-ho.

That means that you have to make a double play with a ground ball here and compete with Song Seok-hyun.

‘Splitter.’

Catcher Gu Seung-cheol’s conclusion was similar.

If the opponent is aggressive today, there is no need to compete.

You just need to take the ball out little by little and watch the opponent’s timing.

Clang, clang, clang.

“3-0. Kim In-hwan picks out the ball like a ghost.”

“The first two hitters, the table setter [batters who bat at the top of the lineup], came out aggressively, but rather the center hitter, Kim In-hwan, comes out cautiously. It’s usually the opposite. The table setter puts the emphasis on getting on base and playing, and the center hitter puts the emphasis on RBIs [Runs Batted In], but Kim In-hwan is cautious.”

Kang Gu-il sighed.

It was clearly a well-missing ball below, but he didn’t move.

Did he get caught with his habit?

3-0. A very favorable count for the hitter.

Each hitter has a different tendency, so some hitters wait for a ball outright, and some hitters swing hard even if it’s just a little similar.

Kang Gu-il took out one ball and threw it again this time.

Clang.

-Ball. Low. Hitter runner to 1st base.

“Full base! It’s a full base. A full base comes out here.”

“Kim In-hwan picks out the ball like a ghost, and Kang Gu-il falls into crisis. Song Seok-hyun comes out with no outs and bases loaded.”

“It’s the worst scenario for the Scorpion. It’s the worst!”

“The next hitter is Yu Seon-ho. Yu Seon-ho comes out. What kind of trick of fate is this? The batting genius of Dalgubeol enters the plate to stab his parent team in the back.”

The college student fans who were eating chicken and beer shook their heads while watching TV.

“Look at that. I told you he can’t do it. It’s been too long since he’s been out of date.”

* * *

Success Story as a Catcher

Old soldiers never die

No outs, bases loaded, 4th hitter Song Seok-hyun.

Song Seok-hyun was struck out looking after a full count match.

Song Seok-hyun also stuck out his tongue at the ball that was persistently laid down low even while taking the ball.

The next hitter is Yu Seon-ho.

Yu Seon-ho entered the plate, dropping his bat.

As the cheering shouts of the Goat fans grew louder, the silence of the Scorpion fans deepened.

Kang Gu-il closed his eyes.

He waited until the noise in his ears subsided and the boiling blood cooled down.

His ball is no longer a fastball that threatens the hitter.

He doesn’t put emotions on the ball.

More accurately, more precisely.

Kang Gu-il’s first pitch was a fastball that pierced the outside low.

-Strike!

“The first pitch is a strike! Kang Gu-il puts the first pitch in an amazing spot.”

“If the control is like that, the hitters have nothing to do.”

Yu Seon-ho didn’t move.

Kang Gu-il’s second pitch is again an outside fastball.

Yu Seon-ho flinched.

-Strike!

“Two strikes. Kang Gu-il threw the ball again in the same spot as if it were a déjà vu.”

“The control is really amazing. I think it’s a typical example of pin point control.”