On The Rise As A Catcher [EN]: Chapter 227

“How old are they that you’re still trying to develop them? The manager isn’t at fault. Is it the manager’s fault that two key players left during the Korean Series? It’s just bad luck.”

“The Wolves also had two key players leave and fell in the semi-playoffs [the round before the final playoff]. We can’t really blame anyone. It’s our fault too.”

“Hmm, that was an accident. But Pegasus clearly aimed for it.”

“Everything that happens on the field is an accident, unless someone admits it was intentional.”

“You’re so sharp about these things.”

Kim Hak-in scratched the back of his head.

“Anyway, thanks for the support. We’ll do our best to win today’s game. With Fish pitching, I think our starting lineup is as good as any other team’s.”

“Of course. I’m really looking forward to it. You’ll definitely win today.”

The two men got up from their seats.

Kim Hak-in was about to leave the manager’s office but turned back to look at Ham Seong-hoon.

“Um, but Manager.”

“Yes?”

“Do you perhaps have any special tactics for today? I’m just so curious. I feel like you must have something up your sleeve.”

“A plan? Hmm…….”

Ham Seong-hoon pointed to the ceiling with his finger.

“It’s very windy today.”

“Yes.”

“…….”

“……?”

“Then.”

At Ham Seong-hoon’s dismissal, Kim Hak-in went out the door.

Kim Hak-in tilted his head and walked down the hallway.

A passing employee asked Kim Hak-in.

“What’s wrong?”

“Oh? Nothing.”

Kim Hak-in muttered the words ‘ceiling’ and ‘wind’ until he sat back down at his desk.

“Is it nonsense……?”

* * *

Korean Series Game 5, Jamsil Baseball Stadium.

Despite the GOAT’s 1-3 record against Pegasus’s 3-1, Jamsil Stadium was already packed.

-Run! GOAT! Run! GOAT! Whoa whoa whoa whoa!

-GOAT, GOAT invincible GOAT, there’s no place we can’t go. Even if everyone says it’s hard, we step and step and climb up. You can only look up at us. In the end, we’re the ones who stand at the top.

-The masters of autumn, the masters of Jamsil, GOAT, it’s GOAT!

The commentator and color commentator stood on the field, holding microphones.

“Can you hear that, baseball fans? Here in Jamsil, the voices of the fans still supporting GOAT are this loud.”

“Pegasus fans are also amazing and enthusiastic, but they can’t overcome the cheering of GOAT fans, at least not in Jamsil.”

“When it comes to passion, GOAT fans can’t be left out.”

“But the team’s record is 1 win and 3 losses. If they lose today’s game, the Korean Series is over.”

“Kim In-hwan and Choi Jae-wan. The injury of two key players was a big blow. The team’s 1st and 3rd basemen are supposed to be power hitters. Losing the 1st and 3rd basemen means a big gap in the offense, not just the defense.”

“As you said, GOAT has been suffering from a lack of offensive punch in the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th games after winning the 1st game. There were also three errors in defense, though not at 1st and 3rd base.”

“Looking at the defensive errors, they came from the shortstop and 2nd baseman positions, right? Jung Young-soo and Jung Dong-gyu are not great hitters, but their defense is among the best in the league. But the fact that these two players made errors isn’t a matter of their skill. It’s a chain reaction, caused by them running around trying to cover the narrow defensive range of Jo Ji-ho and Park Jong-il. That’s how I see it.”

“GOAT has come to the 5th game without a clear solution. Can GOAT lay the foundation for a comeback today?”

“First of all, Song Seok-hyun needs to perform well, but Pegasus is thoroughly avoiding Song Seok-hyun. This is common to all teams. With Kim In-hwan out and Choi Jae-wan also out, the cleanup hitters have become weaker. There’s not much pressure even if they walk Song Seok-hyun. Pegasus will probably walk Song Seok-hyun again today and go up against Yoo Sun-ho……. Even Yoo Sun-ho’s well-hit balls have been continuously resulting in outs, cutting off his good hitting flow. For GOAT to win, Fish has to hold them off, and Yoo Sun-ho has to come alive.”

“That’s not an easy task. Isn’t it the hardest thing for a player in a slump to get out of it?”

“It’s difficult, but that’s the reality, so what can we do?”

Before the game, the GOAT bench.

Ham Seong-hoon gathered the players.

The eyes of the GOAT players were half and half.

Some players were burning with fighting spirit, while others were already losing energy.

Ham Seong-hoon stood with his hands behind his back, pausing for a long time.

“It’s windy today. Right?”

Ham Seong-hoon clapped his hands and spat out a word.

“Today, unconditionally hit it high. From Ji-sung to Young-soo, everyone.”

That was all Ham Seong-hoon said.

As Ham Seong-hoon stepped back, starting pitcher Fish called the interpreter and spoke to the players.

“I won’t give up a single point until the 5th inning.”

The players who heard Fish’s words looked straight at Fish’s face.

Fish continued.

“The rest, you guys can do it, right?”

The first to answer was Yoo Sun-ho.

“Yeah. Let’s give it a try. If it doesn’t work out, there’s nothing we can do.”

Song Seok-hyun also added.

“GOAT!”

Kim Jung-ryul shouted.

“GOAT! Let’s go!”

“Let’s go!”

At the resounding shout, the Pegasus bench also wondered what was going on and poked their heads out.

“What a show.”

The Pegasus players were already laughing comfortably, as if they had already confirmed their victory.

Top of the 1st inning, Pegasus’s attack.

The batting order consisted of Choi Young-seok at 2nd base, Shim Chang-gyu at center field, and Kim Han-sung, a power hitter, considered the best center line in history.

Ace Fish proved that his words were not empty boasts.

Choi Young-seok and Shim Chang-gyu were handled with ground balls, and Kim Han-sung struck out with three pitches.

Fish struck out on purpose and roared as if to show off.

“He’s overdoing it, really.”

“Haha.”

Pegasus didn’t tense up at Fish’s spirit; rather, they laughed.

They had won the Korean Series three times recently.

Pegasus didn’t shake easily.

Bottom of the 1st inning, Pegasus’s pitcher was Roy Scheber.

A starting pitcher who uses only three pitches: a heavy fastball and precise control of his fastball, curve, and changeup.

After striking out leadoff hitter Lee Ji-sung after 8 pitches, he allowed a double to Seol Jin-il.

1 out, runner on 2nd.

The batter is Song Seok-hyun.

“Song Seok-hyun is batting 3rd today. Seol Jin-il and Jo Ji-ho have been taking turns at 3rd, but it doesn’t seem to have been very effective, right?”

“Yes. It might be a good idea to pull Yoo Sun-ho up to 3rd, but Yoo Sun-ho is also in poor condition right now, so it seems like they pulled Song Seok-hyun up to 3rd.”

“Will they walk him again this time?”

“That’s very likely, right?”

The first pitch is a fastball that goes outside.

Song Seok-hyun didn’t budge.

The next pitch is a curve that goes outside.

Song Seok-hyun didn’t budge; instead, he put his bat on his shoulder and stood with his legs stretched out.

“Song Seok-hyun is provoking him. It seems like he has no intention of hitting at all.”

“This makes the pitcher very upset. It’s annoying enough that they’re not facing him head-on, but to provoke him like that……. Moreover, the pitcher is a foreign player. If a foreign player who has played in a higher league is provoked like that by a twenty-year-old rookie, it’s hard to bear.”

Roy Scheber cursed and spat.

He was furious, but he had no intention of falling for Song Seok-hyun’s obvious trick.

-Ball.

“Three balls. Roy Scheber is just avoiding him.”

“He’s saying he’ll walk Song Seok-hyun and face Yoo Sun-ho. Yoo Sun-ho will also be very upset. Haha.”

Just as Roy Scheber was about to throw the fourth ball,

Song Seok-hyun yawned loudly.

Bang!

-Strike!

“Strike! Roy Scheber threw a fastball right down the middle. 144km/h [approximately 90 mph]. But Song Seok-hyun didn’t budge.”

“Was that a mistake just now? Or did he throw it out of anger?”

“Well, can’t we tell if we watch one more ball?”

Roy Scheber wanted to hit Song Seok-hyun in the head right away.

The Pegasus bench was telling him to quickly give him a walk and send him out.

Send Song Seok-hyun out and then double play.

Recently, Yoo Sun-ho has been getting caught in the shift, and even well-hit balls have been resulting in outs.

Thinking rationally, there was no reason to face Song Seok-hyun.

-Ball.

“Walk. He just gives him a walk.”

“That was the natural course of action. It’s good for aiming for a double play, and Yoo Sun-ho is a little easier to deal with than Song Seok-hyun right now.”

Yoo Sun-ho stood at the plate and rotated his shoulders.

Roy Scheber’s first pitch was a curve.

Yoo Sun-ho let the ball go.

1-0.

Jung Yong-wook called for a changeup in response to Yoo Sun-ho’s reaction.

The changeup fell to the ground, and Jung Yong-wook blocked it.

2-0.

Jung Yong-wook fell into 고민 [agonizing deliberation].

The timing is for a fastball, but Yoo Sun-ho will be waiting for it.

If he throws another breaking ball and gives up a ball, Yoo Sun-ho, who has a good eye, will definitely get a walk.

Then it’s bases loaded.

If it’s not a double play, it’s a run right away.

-Four-seam. High.

It’s not a breaking ball, but he won’t give him a strike either.

Induce a swing with a fast, high ball.

At Jung Yong-wook’s sign, Roy Scheber threw the ball with all his might.

Tang!

“High! High! A high fly ball! The right fielder is settling under it-.”

The strong wind in Jamsil was unpredictable.

Pegasus right fielder Song Min-joon was a power hitter with a slugging percentage of .500, but he had weaknesses in his defense.

The erratically shaking ball didn’t come into Song Min-joon’s glove.

“He missed it! The runner on 2nd steps on 3rd and goes home! Home! Home! Safe! The runner on 1st to 3rd! Safe at 3rd! The batter-runner to 1st! 1 out, runners on 1st and 3rd. Today, GOAT takes the first run.”

“Song Min-joon, it would have been better if he had been a little more calm. It wasn’t an easy play, but it’s a shame. He should have caught that.”

Ham Seong-hoon applauded.

Jamsil is large and wide and is called a pitcher-friendly stadium.

Ham Seong-hoon thought there was something wrong with this statement.

The larger the stadium, the greater the outfielder’s defensive range.

If the wind is strong, the difficulty of defense increases even more.

Even if Pegasus has a league-class center fielder like Shim Chang-gyu in the outfield, he can’t handle all the balls alone.

Every team has a weak link.

The offensive power of Pegasus’s left and right fielders is not inferior to any team in the league, but their defense is average at best.

It’s okay as long as the ball doesn’t go ambiguously to the center of the outfield.

Whether it’s to the left or right, if it goes to the corner, it becomes a threatening ball even if it’s not a home run.

If it’s a hitter with power like Yoo Sun-ho or Song Seok-hyun, they’ll clear the fence.

“Good, good. Let’s keep going as is.”

GOAT fans started singing the cheering song again at the top of their voices.

승승장구 [Ever-Victorious] as a 포수 [Catcher]

Hometown

Bottom of the 3rd inning. The score is 1-0.

After GOAT’s first run, neither team scored any additional runs.

Lee Ji-sung’s ground ball ended the bottom of the 3rd inning.

Top of the 4th inning. Kim Han-sung came up as the leadoff hitter for Pegasus.

Tang!

“Hit, hit! Kim Han-sung’s double to left-center. Kim Han-sung creates a runner on 2nd with no outs, and Pegasus opens the 서막 [curtain] of a counterattack.”

“Pegasus’s batting order is good right now. Pegasus needs to take advantage of this opportunity.”

4th batter Kim Wook came in.

Song Seok-hyun changed the sign while looking at Kim Wook’s feet.

‘Curve.’

Kim Wook swung at the curve that was powerfully breaking in from the first pitch.

It was a powerful swing that turned his helmet around.

“Ah, I 딱 [exactly] expected a curve.”

Kim Wook licked his lips and returned to the plate.

Seeing that his stride was a little wider than usual, Song Seok-hyun thought that Kim Wook was aiming for a breaking ball and 역으로 [inversely] called for a breaking ball to induce a swing.

Kim Wook was 여유만만 [composed] enough to swing at the bouncing curve.

Bang!

-Strike!

The next ball is a fastball that sticks to the body.
The 3rd ball is,

-Strike! Out!

“Strikeout with three pitches! Kim Wook strikes out here.”

“Kim Wook couldn’t do anything about the fastball that was 붙이는 [sticking] close to his body. I think he was thinking about a breaking ball.”

“Is it because Fish is confident in his 구위 [pitching prowess]? He’s competing 시원시원하게 [coolly/confidently].”

The next batter is Kim Seong-hyun.

He was a 까다로운 [finicky/difficult] hitter who was precise enough to hit .300 for 10 consecutive years and also had a 한 방 [big hit].

Fish’s choice was two consecutive fastballs for two strikes.

Fish stuck one ball close to his body and then stuck another fastball on the outside.

-Strike! Out!

“Looking strikeout! It was a 기가 막히게 [amazing] ball that came in on the outside. Kim Seong-hyun couldn’t do anything.”

“A ball close to the body and then a ball on the outside. It’s 멉니다 [far]. It looks too far away.”