On The Rise As A Catcher [EN]: Chapter 221

That evening.

Song Seok-hyun, having finished his call, sat on the bed with a troubled expression.

Kim In-hwan, who came out after showering, saw Song Seok-hyun and tossed him a dry towel.

“What are you doing? Not showering?”

Song Seok-hyun received the towel and draped it over his shoulders.

“I should shower…….”

“What’s with the reaction? Mr. Neat Song Seok-hyun, why are you so down without even showering? What’s wrong?”

Song Seok-hyun shook his head.

“What is it?”

At Kim In-hwan’s continued questioning, Song Seok-hyun opened his mouth.

“It’s about Na-young.”

“Yeah. Your girlfriend?”

“I don’t know if she’s sulking or what these days.”

“Sulking? Why? Did you do something wrong?”

“Ah. I wish I had done something wrong so I could at least understand. She’s just been lukewarm on the phone lately, and there’s no reaction.”

“Suddenly? There must be a reason.”

“That’s why it’s frustrating, because I don’t know the reason.”

“Really……?”

Kim In-hwan scratched his head.

“I don’t know much about these problems, so I have nothing to say. I need to know the reason to say something.”

“Sigh, I wish I knew the reason so I wouldn’t be so frustrated. It’s even harder because she’s not usually like this. She’s not the type to hide her feelings and sulk.”

“Nothing going on?”

“Nothing like that. As far as I know.”

“Looks like something you don’t know about.”

“If you put it that way, there might be something I don’t know. But we share almost everything with our families. There’s usually nothing I wouldn’t know.”

“What is it, then?”

“I don’t know. Sigh.”

Song Seok-hyun picked up the towel and stood up.

“I’ll shower first. I need to think while I shower.”

“Okay. Don’t worry too much. You know tomorrow’s game is important, right? Let’s just focus on the game for now.”

“I know. I know, hyung [older brother or close male friend].”

Song Seok-hyun was lost in thought throughout his shower.

What could it be?

It was a day when he thought he might be the most frustrated person in the world.

* * *

The next morning.

“…….”

Jo Yang-cheol, the Scorpion’s cleanup hitter, put down the newspaper he was reading from late in the morning.

[The Difference of One Swing, Goat and Scorpion. Scorpion is Hungry for Home Runs!]

It was an article comparing Goat, which kept hitting home runs, and Scorpion, which followed closely with 1 or 2 points but eventually missed out.

The article compared team colors, but digging deeper, it was no different from comparing Song Seok-hyun and Jo Yang-cheol, who were the key hitters and cleanup hitters.

“This guy must have everything he could ever want.”

Jo Yang-cheol sighed as he looked at Song Seok-hyun’s picture.

Twenty years old, starting catcher, Seoul team, cleanup hitter for the most popular team in the country.

Song Seok-hyun is a person made up of things that don’t make sense when you look at them one by one.

If the most popular player on the Goat team was twenty years old, all sorts of women, from celebrities to ordinary people, would already be swarming around him.

How happy would a life be if it was successful from the age of twenty?

What about himself in comparison?

He’s the Scorpion’s cleanup hitter, but he’s been pushed around here and there.

When Yoo Seon-ho was around, he was overshadowed by Yoo Seon-ho, who was Scorpion’s sacred son.

When Yoo Seon-ho was struggling with injuries, Lee Nak-gyun’s potential exploded.

Unlike himself, he had an outgoing personality and gained explosive popularity with his reckless swing.

He even became a home run king and was called the Daegu Idol.

Unlike himself, who practiced every day until the calluses on his hands peeled off, Lee Nak-gyun went out with a different woman every day and still achieved good results, and his popularity was even higher.

When he missed a scoring opportunity, he was criticized for being timid, but when Lee Nak-gyun missed an opportunity, it was dismissed as unavoidable.

Lee Nak-gyun even left as a free agent, and he thought the time had come for his true worth to be recognized…….

Unfortunately, a monster named Song Seok-hyun appeared before next year’s free agency.

Jo Yang-cheol is a cautious, serious player who is good at team batting.

He has been comforting himself that it is enough for the cleanup hitter to score a lot of RBIs [Runs Batted In] even if he doesn’t hit many home runs, and after Yoo Seon-ho’s slump and Lee Nak-gyun’s departure, Jo Yang-cheol’s evaluation has greatly increased.

But.

After Song Seok-hyun appeared, the evaluation changed.

Song Seok-hyun was cautious but smart, good at team batting, and his home runs were even more terrifying.

No matter how you look at it, he is a hitter one class above himself.

Even his style was similar to his own, so he was compared even more.

Complete defeat considering the position.

It was unprecedented for a twenty-year-old high school graduate catcher to wear a mask as a starting catcher, and he showed off an aggressive lead and a stolen base percentage that was far ahead of second place.

He is a strong candidate for this year’s Golden Glove award, even though Jung Yong-wook, who is in the ranks of legends in professional baseball history, is still around.

The difference between himself, who was pushed back by Jung Dae-han in first base defense, and Song Seok-hyun, who is competing for the top spot in the catcher position, is beyond measure.

Just when he thought he was finally spreading his wings after being compared to Yoo Seon-ho and Lee Nak-gyun every time, a rookie named Song Seok-hyun appeared.

When Jung Dae-han appeared last year, he envied his talent, but he didn’t compare himself to him because they were different.

Squeeze.

Jo Yang-cheol clenched the newspaper tightly.

It’s over if he gets pushed back now anyway.

Isn’t a true ace the one who saves the team when it’s in trouble?

Jo Yang-cheol’s biceps bulged even more.

He just needs to show them.

That he is also a home run hitter worthy of being a cleanup hitter.

* * *

Playoff Game 4.

Goat with 2 wins and 1 loss, Scorpion with 1 win and 2 losses.

The team to advance to the Korean Series will be decided in today’s game.

Scorpion started with Jo Sang-woong, who was playing as the 4th starter.

All pitchers on standby except for Champion, who will play in tomorrow’s game, and Kang Gu-il, who played in yesterday’s game.

It was a desperate start to Game 4, but Lee Ji-sung continued his 14-pitch battle against Jo Sang-woong from the first at-bat, raising concerns.

Ttak!

“Lee Ji-sung gets a hit. It was a ground ball that went through the gap between third base and shortstop.”

“He aimed well at the empty spot. Lee Ji-sung may lack long hits, but his bat control is the best in the league.”

At Seol Jin-il’s at-bat, Lee Ji-sung stole second base.

Seol Jin-il flew out to right field after a full-count battle.

Lee Ji-sung advanced to third base.

The 3rd hitter is Kim In-hwan.

Kim In-hwan hit the changeup hard.

The ball hit the end of the bat broke through the infield, and Lee Ji-sung scored.

The Scorpion players were discouraged by Goat’s easy and quick score.

“It’s going smoothly…….”

Ham Seong-hoon smiled.

The more the KS duo’s performance shines, the more aggressively the opponent will have to play against the first and second hitters.

Lee Ji-sung lacks long hits, and Seol Jin-il lacks the ability to pick pitches.

Since the weaknesses are clear, the opposing team comes out more aggressively.

Opportunity comes from the gap between reality and planning.

Lee Ji-sung lacks long hits but has a high on-base percentage, and Seol Jin-il lacks the ability to pick pitches, but his ability to hit the ball is excellent.

Lee Ji-sung gets on base, Seol Jin-il advances, and the KS duo scores.

The more the opponent focuses on the Goat’s KS duo’s long hits, the more the opponent’s plan is blocked from the start.

-Ball.

“Another walk to Song Seok-hyun. It’s really cruel. It seems like they have no intention of facing Song Seok-hyun at all.”

“There are only two ways to face Song Seok-hyun. Either avoid him or push him with force. Song Seok-hyun is a hitter who aims for home runs even with balls, so if you hit carelessly, it’s good, and if you don’t hit, a careless pitch can cause a bigger accident.”

“This at-bat is for Yoo Seon-ho. Yoo Seon-ho has had a lot of chances in this playoff, but he hasn’t taken advantage of them as much as he thought.”

“It can’t be helped. Scorpion is the team that knows Yoo Seon-ho better than anyone else. Isn’t Choi Jae-wan behind Yoo Seon-ho? If not, they can just compete with Choi Jae-wan, so they can comfortably lead the game with Yoo Seon-ho. It is most important for a hitter like Yoo Seon-ho to understand the opponent’s intentions, but it is not clear whether the opponent will compete with him or not, so Koo Seung-cheol, who knows Yoo Seon-ho’s patterns well, is very comfortable leading.”

“But if Yoo Seon-ho is sent out now, it’s full base. Isn’t now the time to compete?”

“It’s the right timing to compete. But if the ball is concentrated, they can send Yoo Seon-ho out and go for a full base strategy. After all, there is a difference of more than 8푼 [pun – a traditional Korean unit, approximately 0.12 inches] between Yoo Seon-ho and Choi Jae-wan just by comparing batting averages. This is a huge difference.”

The pitcher bent down and exchanged signs with the catcher.

Right-handed pitcher Jo Sang-woong has three pitches: fastball, slider, and changeup.

The balls that can be thrown against left-handed hitters are 90% fastball and changeup.

The slider should be saved as a last resort, only for a back door.

Paang! Paang! Paang! Paang! Paang!

Five consecutive balls.

Yoo Seon-ho never swung once.

“Full count. Jo Sang-woong is driven to a full count.”

“He’s trying too hard to throw outside right now? Throwing the ball like that doesn’t necessarily mean it will go outside. It’s good to pay attention to control, but to pull the hitter’s bat, you have to widen the zone and vary the speed and quality of the ball. Or you have to push with force.”

Jo Sang-woong licked his dry lips.

Indeed, it’s Yoo Seon-ho.

Just as Scorpion knows Yoo Seon-ho well, Yoo Seon-ho also knows Scorpion well.

Jo Sang-woong is a type of pitcher who leads the hitter’s ground ball by mixing a changeup and a cutter-like horizontal slider with a fastball that barely exceeds 140 [kilometers per hour].

He puts one ball on the outside and then takes it out, scattering the hitter’s timing.

Yoo Seon-ho knows this well, so he narrows the zone and waits.

He’s saying that he’d rather strike out than hit carelessly because the ball he hits carelessly could become a double play.

‘Changeup.’

Koo Seung-cheol brought the mitt inside the zone.

Since he kept throwing the ball outside, he expected that he would react easily to the ball coming inside the zone.

Jo Sang-woong’s changeup wasn’t sharp enough to strike out, but it was enough to make a ground ball.

The moment he threw the ball, Jo Sang-woong frowned.

‘It’s pushed!’

A ball that is pushed instead of hitting is bound to be a mistake.

Jo Sang-woong’s changeup became a mediocre fastball and headed for the center of the zone.

Tang!

Yoo Seon-ho swung with all his might.

“It’s going! It’s going! It’s going! It’s going~~~! Right fence! It’s over! Yoo Seon-ho’s three-run homer! Yoo Seon-ho shows off his health in front of the Daegu fans!”

“It was a swing that properly aimed for the mistake.”

“With Yoo Seon-ho’s three-run homer, the score is 4-0. 4-0. Goat is off to a strong start.”

“Yoo Seon-ho’s performance in this playoff seems to be all or nothing. A three-run homer in today’s game that decides the advance to the Korean Series. It may be a wedge home run in today’s game. If this happens, Scorpion’s energy will be sapped before they even start. The energy just drains away.”

In the bottom of the 1st inning, Scorpion started the attack, but Mackenzie’s power was fierce.

Breaking two bats in a row and three batters in a row with ground balls.

In the bottom of the 2nd inning, Jo Yang-cheol hit a solo home run to raise the atmosphere, but there were no follow-up hits.

Goat’s attack in the top of the 3rd inning.

Director Lee Geon-hoo closed his eyes tightly.

“Home in! Lee Ji-sung scores another point with Kim In-hwan’s sacrifice fly. 5-1. Goat scores points easily, easily.”

“I think this is the umbrella effect. They start by thinking about avoiding Song Seok-hyun, so they have to compete with the hitters in front and behind him? They give up points by competing with Kim In-hwan, and they give up points by competing with Yoo Seon-ho. At this point, I wonder if it’s a good strategy to just avoid Song Seok-hyun. They keep giving up points little by little.”

Director Lee Geon-hoo did not change his strategy.

Avoid Song Seok-hyun and compete with Yoo Seon-ho as planned.

Yoo Seon-ho got a walk and went to first base.

The next hitter is Choi Jae-wan.

Changed pitcher Seo Jin-woong threw an outside fastball from the first pitch to the 2할 5푼 [2 hal 5 pun – a batting average of .250] hitter Choi Jae-wan to get the count.

Tang!

Choi Jae-wan responded with a full swing that turned his whole body from the first pitch.

“It’s going! It’s going! It’s going! It’s going~~~! Left fence! It’s over! Choi Jae-wan’s three-run homer! Is today the day of three-run homers? Goat hits another three-run homer! The score is 8-1! Goat extends the score to 7 points in the 3rd inning!”

“Choi Jae-wan is a very useful player. His defense is above the league average, but his hitting is a bit disappointing. But he hits a home run like this once in a while. It’s all because he’s relaxed. They are being defeated because they are looking down on Choi Jae-wan and trying to go easily, easily while facing Kim In-hwan, Song Seok-hyun, and Yoo Seon-ho.”

“It seems like the playoff Game 4 may end easily like this.”

“In my opinion…… To be honest, I think they’ve already crossed the 9th ridge [a Korean expression meaning the end is near], although Scorpion fans don’t want to hear it. Scorpion needs to make a big inning to make a comeback, but how many more hits would Scorpion, which has few home run hitters, need to score 8 points? It’s not easy. It’s not easy. Scorpion has many good players, but there is no such thing as a definite home run hitter.”

“You mean there is no player with a definite home run?”

“That’s right. Jo Yang-cheol is fighting hard, but I think the game is already over.”

Designated hitter Jo Yang-cheol, who was on the bench, looked at Song Seok-hyun, who was coming home.

He doesn’t even have a home run or a hit, but the players and fans chant Song Seok-hyun’s name.

Even if he hits a home run, it’s a useless home run, and all he gets is a few claps.

He hit a home run as the 4th hitter as planned, but no one is cheering.

“It’s not working out…….”

Jo Yang-cheol shook his head.

Success as a catcher

Force with force?

3rd inning change time.

In the Scorpion stands, a child fan was seen sobbing.

The sobbing turned into wailing, and the father hurriedly left, unable to soothe the child.

“……I’m going crazy. Why, how did this happen?”

“I’ve lived my life, and I’m seeing Goat get beaten up. Why.”

3rd inning 8-1.

It’s a score that would have caused people to get up and go home in the regular season.

It’s a score that would have caused people to swear and express anger and frustration.

Playoff Game 4, 1 win and 2 losses.

The Scorpion fans couldn’t leave their seats or get angry.

They fell into silence and desperately hoped that they would follow even one point, one point.

Scorpion’s attack in the bottom of the 3rd inning.

On the mound was Mackenzie, who was not only healthy but also in top condition.

“It may be physically difficult for Scorpion to overturn the 7-point difference here, but they must open the prelude to the counterattack. It’s true that the game is very tilted, but if you follow one point at a time, you never know when another opportunity will come.”

“Mackenzie’s strength is that the end of the ball is dirty, but the repertoire is simple. It’s a two-seam, cutter, and changeup, but in the end, the trajectories are all similar. It is important to narrow the zone and hit carefully.”