On The Rise As A Catcher [EN]: Chapter 236

Climbing to Victory as a Catcher

Korean Series Game 7 (5)

Kim Seong-hoon immediately attempted a pickoff when Kang Ha-young flinched.

“Safe.”

Kang Ha-young slid in easily.

When Kim Seong-hoon went into his quick motion, Kang Ha-young brazenly increased his lead.

Kim Seong-hoon’s pickoff attempt failed.

“Kim Seong-hoon is actively trying to pick him off. Kang Ha-young isn’t exactly known for his speed.”

“They’ve already given up a run. Their best bet now is a double play. To get a double play, they need to keep the runner close to first base. Kang Ha-young knows that, so even though he knows Kim Seong-hoon has a good pickoff move, he’s still taking an aggressive lead.”

Jung Yong-wook signaled to the pitcher.

Inside fastball.

Jung Dong-gyu had been caught off guard with an outside pitch.

This was the time to aggressively challenge the batter inside to try for a double play.

Kim Seong-hoon glanced at Kang Ha-young and then threw the ball.

A fastball that came in tight.

Jung Dong-gyu’s hands instantly rose above his shoulder, and he chopped down on the ball.

“He hits it! A high-bouncing ball!”

Kim Seong-hoon started to run forward to catch the ball but hesitated.

The ball bounced too high.

The ball slipped between the third baseman and the pitcher.

Kim Seong-hoon twisted his body to barely catch the ball.

“First!”

Jung Yong-wook pointed to first base, but the ball was already flying toward second.

“The throw is high!”

It was a forced catch.

Throwing to second after twisting his body more than 180 degrees, the ball veered to the side like a sidearm pitcher’s slider.

If the ball got past him, it would be at least runners on second and third with no outs, and the runner could even score.

The shortstop, Kim Hyung-woo, caught in reverse motion, dove to the side.

Bang!

“He caught it!”

The ball barely caught the edge of Kim Hyung-woo’s glove.

Kim Hyung-woo immediately threw the ball to second, but Kang Ha-young was already safe.

Runners on first and second with no outs.

“Waaaaah!”

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

The GOAT fans sang their hearts out.

The Pegasus fans, with runners in scoring position, sighed deeply.

“He could have just thrown to first for the out, why did he throw to second there?”

“Ah, Seong-hoon is making mistakes.”

“Frustrating, so frustrating.”

Kim Seong-hoon, with a dark expression, thanked shortstop Kim Hyung-woo.

Kim Hyung-woo dusted off his uniform and stood up.

“Just now,” the commentator said excitedly.

“Just now, they traded blows. The GOAT executed a Baltimore Chop [a technique where the batter intentionally hits the ball into the ground to create a high bounce, making it difficult for the fielders to handle]. They intentionally bounced the ball high. The course of the hit was good, and if the ball bounces high, a double play becomes a little more difficult. Kim Seong-hoon should have abandoned his greed and thrown to first, but he threw to second.”

“And then a bad throw came out.”

“First, he was too hasty, and second, the problem was his posture. He caught the ball going towards third and then tried to throw to second, so he had to twist his body a lot, right? This throws off his balance. If the ball had gotten past him, it would have been a major accident, but Kim Hyung-woo caught it again. You don’t win a Gold Glove [an award given to the best defensive players in each position] for nothing. He caught it even in reverse motion.”

“Kim Hyung-woo’s picture-perfect play prevented a major accident.”

“The GOAT’s strategy was good, but the Pegasus’s defense was even better. Because baseball is played by humans, mistakes will eventually happen somewhere, sometime. A single mistake can determine the outcome of a short series, and Kim Hyung-woo prevented that.”

“There’s a reason why they’re called the best center line in professional baseball history.”

Pegasus manager Choi Seong-yeon clenched his fist.

Runners in scoring position.

5th inning, 3-point lead.

Manager Choi Seong-yeon prepared the bullpen.

“If we give up just one more run, I’m replacing him immediately. Get ready.”

Fortunately, the next batter was number 9, Jung Young-soo.

He’s a hitter who knows how to put power into the ball, but his contact rate is low, and he hits into a lot of double plays.

A double play would make it two outs with a runner on third, and one more out would mean no runs allowed.

Kim Seong-hoon would be replaced after the 6th inning, depending on the situation, which was the best-case scenario.

Bang!

Jung Young-soo hit the ball hard as soon as he came up to bat.

The ball went straight to the shortstop for a ground ball.

“Second baseman steps on the base and throws to first! Out at first! Double play!”

“It was a good chance, but they hit into a double play here. The GOAT fails to capitalize on a good opportunity.”

A smile appeared on Choi Seong-yeon’s face.

The game was unfolding as he had planned.

This was Pegasus baseball.

This was the baseball he wanted.

Lee Ji-sung’s home run yesterday was a concern, but luck only needs to happen once.

“Lee Ji-sung steps up to the plate. He hit his first Korean Series home run yesterday, didn’t he?”

“He’s a player who rarely hits home runs, but he hit one against Jo Jin-hee. That home run was the starting point. Jo Jin-hee suffered a rare defeat yesterday and came down from the mound.”

“Many fans will be expecting Lee Ji-sung to hit another one today, but unfortunately, he hasn’t hit one yet. Haha.”

“Right now, there are two outs with a runner on third. The best thing would be a hit, but if that’s not possible, he needs to get on base.”

Lee Ji-sung swung at the first pitch, an inside fastball.

Bang!

He swung with all his might, but the ball went foul, going behind.

Lee Ji-sung clenched his fist for a moment.

“…….”

His wrist throbbed slightly.

He didn’t know if it was throbbing because he hit the ball off the end of the bat or if his injury was acting up.

Lee Ji-sung looked at the bench.

If he got injured here, Jung Byung-sun would come out as a backup.

Jung Byung-sun is a good fielder, but his hitting is terrible.

In a brief moment, Lee Ji-sung did the math.

Would it be okay if Jung Byung-sun came out instead of him……?

Since Jung Byung-sun has hardly played in the postseason, he wouldn’t be of any help to the batting lineup.

Tightly.

Lee Ji-sung gripped the bat a little longer and stepped away from the plate.

To reduce the strain on his wrist as much as possible, the point where the ball hits and the position of his hand must be far apart.

His goal was to foul off difficult pitches and endure, but now he had no choice but to swing big, even if it meant striking out.

If his wrist injury flares up here…….

Lee Ji-sung shook his head.

“0-1. The pitcher has finished signaling with the catcher.”

The second pitch was an inside fastball.

Lee Ji-sung tried to swing but quickly twisted his body in the opposite direction.

Bang!

Even shrugging his shoulders and taking a step back from the plate.

The umpire glanced at Lee Ji-sung.

-Ball.

“1-1. It’s ruled a little too inside.”

Jung Yong-wook held the mitt with the ball in it for a long time.

A silent protest, but he didn’t argue with the umpire.

Originally, it would have been a strike according to the strike zone, but today, from the beginning of the game, the strike zone was wide.

With Jung Yong-wook’s framing, the pitch should have been a strike given the flow of the game.

Jung Yong-wook’s gaze was fixed on third base.

Kang Ha-young.

Kang Ha-young’s overreaction caused the umpire to tighten the call again.

He wanted to say something about the umpire having no backbone, but he didn’t want to stir up trouble in Game 7 of the Korean Series.

“Hey, why are you overreacting when you didn’t even get hit?”

Jung Yong-wook chided Lee Ji-sung, but Lee Ji-sung didn’t respond.

‘Changeup.’

Jung Yong-wook held his mitt to the outside.

If he doesn’t fall for the inside pitch, he can just challenge him on the outside.

If the outside pitch works, the inside pitch becomes easier to throw.

In the first place, Kim Seong-hoon is a pitcher who is strong with outside pitches.

Kim Seong-hoon looked at the runner on third and immediately threw the ball home.

A changeup that came outside and then dropped sharply.

The end of Lee Ji-sung’s bat barely touched the ball.

“Between the shortstop and third baseman! A ground ball that pierces the gap! Neither the shortstop nor the third baseman could catch it! The runner is heading home. Safe at home. 4-2. The GOAT chases after another point in the 5th inning. Lee Ji-sung’s RBI single.”

Lee Ji-sung stood on first base and took off his protective gear.

He thought that since an inside fastball came, the next pitch might be an outside breaking ball, and he guessed right.

He was burdened by hitting Kim Seong-hoon’s fastball, so he waited for the breaking ball, and he even had luck on his side.

“What should we do?”

At the Pegasus pitching coach’s question, Choi Seong-yeon sighed.

The last pitch was a hit, but it was a lucky, mis-hit single.

In the regular season, the pitching coach wouldn’t have even asked.

But he had already said something.

Didn’t he say in yesterday’s game that he would change the pitcher if they gave up just one more run, but he didn’t take Jo Jin-hee down, which caused a problem?

Right now, the best pitcher on the Pegasus is Kim Seong-hoon without a doubt.

If Kim Seong-hoon finishes this inning safely, he can pitch until the 6th, maybe even the 7th.

Thanks to Jo Jin-hee collapsing too early yesterday, they used the bullpen a lot, so the bullpen pitchers aren’t in good condition.

To be cold-blooded, it would be right to finish this inning and see how things go in the next inning, but breaking his word twice would also damage the manager’s reputation.

“Don’t change him.”

“Yes, sir.”

The pitching coach went up to the mound.

Kim Seong-hoon saw the pitching coach and turned his head.

“Seong-hoon, you’ve done a good job.”

Instead of looking at the pitching coach, Kim Seong-hoon pulled his hat down deeper.

“Let’s go down now.”

“……Can’t I pitch more?”

“You’ve already pitched well enough. It’s better to come down here.”

“Please let me finish this inning. There are no runners in scoring position.”

“I’m not changing you because you’re not doing well. The situation is like this, so I have no choice but to change you. Understand.”

Kim Seong-hoon sighed deeply and handed over the ball.

Seeing this, Seol Jin-il clicked his tongue in disappointment.

“He was just getting a feel for it.”

Song Seok-hyun, in the waiting batter’s box, breathed a sigh of relief.

He did hit a home run, but Kim Seong-hoon’s fastball is really tricky.

There’s so much spin that even a slight misalignment can result in a foul ball.

“The next pitcher is Jang Ji-hoon. Jang Ji-hoon is coming up.”

“He’s a right-handed fireballer [a pitcher who relies on throwing very fast pitches]. He’s a bullpen pitcher who only throws fastballs and sliders, but that alone is enough to make him a league-class bullpen pitcher. He’s been a little sluggish in the postseason, but he’s not an easy pitcher.”

Jang Ji-hoon came up to the mound and warmed up.

Bang!

The sound of the mitt reverberating was unusual.

A fastball exceeding 150 km/h.

Seol Jin-il entered the batter’s box with an indifferent expression.

‘Fastball. Inside.’

Seol Jin-il is good at targeting the first pitch.

To throw the first pitch, it’s better to either push through with power or take it completely off.

Jang Ji-hoon looked at Lee Ji-sung on first base.

One out.

No need to worry about stealing.

However, there is one thing to be concerned about.

Unlike the beginning, the umpire’s zone has become tighter on inside pitches.

He needs to throw it well, not too deep and not too shallow.

Jang Ji-hoon threw the ball with all his might.

“Okay.”

Seol Jin-il smiled and twisted his body.

Jung Yong-wook felt a chill down his spine.

Bang!

Seol Jin-il slightly pulled his front foot to the outside and twisted his body.

The pitch was well placed inside, but with Seol Jin-il’s stance open, it was no different from being right down the middle.

“Ah…….”

Choi Seong-yeon let out a sigh as soon as the ball was hit.

He could tell without looking.

He could tell just by the sound of the ball being hit.

“Left field fence! Left field fence! The ball is going straight to the left field fence! Straight! Straight! Straight!”

Seol Jin-il threw his bat away.

“It’s gone! Seol Jin-il’s two-run home run in the top of the 5th makes it 4-4. The GOAT chases after 3 points in the 5th inning alone! The Pegasus had been scoring in every inning so far, but the GOAT ties the game in just one inning.”

“The game is up for grabs now. A tie in the 5th inning is like starting over from the beginning.”

Seol Jin-il stepped on third base and headed home, stretching out both arms forward like Superman.