On The Rise As A Catcher [EN]: Chapter 237

Seol Jin-il’s celebratory antics drew laughter from the players and fans alike.

The only ones not sharing in the amusement were those clad in Pegasus uniforms.

Kim Seong-hoon, visibly angered, abruptly rose and stormed out of the dugout.

Choi Seong-yeon squeezed his eyes shut, his jaw clenched tight.

Korean Series Game 7 (6th Inning)

“Jang Ji-hoon is being pulled from the mound after facing just one batter. That two-run homer he surrendered to Seol Jin-il was a real backbreaker, wasn’t it?”

“That tying two-run homer completely erased the runs they had painstakingly scratched together. They haven’t given up the lead yet, but the batting order isn’t in their favor. Song Seok-hyun, who homered earlier today, is now stepping up to the plate.”

“Song Seok-hyun, affectionately known as ‘Mr. Jamsil’ [referring to Jamsil Baseball Stadium, his home field], is renowned as the King of Jamsil. But he’s been on a tear even when he’s not playing at home.”

“He excels in Jamsil, so just imagine how well he performs elsewhere.”

Song Seok-hyun briefly exited the batter’s box to observe the new pitcher warming up.

The new pitcher was Park Jin-wook, a sidearm specialist.

He commanded four distinct pitches—fastball, curveball, slider, and changeup—with his velocity topping out at 145 km/h [approximately 90 mph].

He was a high-caliber sidearm pitcher, though notably lacking a sinker.

He primarily induced ground balls with a fastball that had a slight cutting action, similar to a two-seamer, but his main strength was his fastball.

“Hoo.”

Taking a deep breath, Song Seok-hyun returned to the batter’s box.

The umpire’s strike zone was noticeably wide on both sides today.

The inside corner was called relatively tight, but the outside was still generous.

A slider or curveball that misses outside from a right-handed pitcher is a different proposition than one from a sidearm pitcher.

Even for Song Seok-hyun, who thrived on outside pitches, facing an A-grade sidearm pitcher with a generous outside strike zone presented a formidable challenge.

The pitcher’s first offering was an outside fastball.

It started outside the zone, resembling a backdoor slider, before hooking back in at the last moment.

-Strike!

The pitch was called a strike, despite being a ball’s width outside the zone.

Song Seok-hyun edged closer to the plate, crowding it.

“Hmm.”

Jeong Yong-wook adjusted his mitt, holding it closer to his body.

The pitcher’s pitches were sharp.

There was no need to shy away from challenging the inside corner as before.

A sidearm pitcher’s pitches have more cutting action than those of a right-handed pitcher, making them harder to handle.

Bang!

-Strike!

Song Seok-hyun pressed his lips together and took a step back from the batter’s box.

“Two strikes. Park Jin-wook, brought in to extinguish the fire, is pitching aggressively against Song Seok-hyun.”

“This is a crucial moment. Song Seok-hyun isn’t the type of hitter to fold easily after two strikes. He needs to forget about the count and focus on delivering one quality pitch.”

Park Jin-wook picked up the rosin bag.

A battle between a ten-year veteran and a rookie in his first year.

Park Jin-wook licked his dry lips.

From the dugout, the strike zone seemed expansive, but from the mound, it felt incredibly narrow.

It felt as though Song Seok-hyun’s black bat could connect with any pitch, regardless of its location.

Jeong Yong-wook signaled for an outside curveball.

After an inside fastball, it was important to disrupt the batter’s timing with an outside curveball.

“Ha.”

Park Jin-wook inhaled deeply and delivered the pitch.

A curveball that broke away and outside.

The velocity and angle were both excellent.

However, the batter didn’t offer at the pitch.

-Ball.

“Hoo-ah.”

Park Jin-wook swallowed hard.

He didn’t even feign a swing.

Was he simply taking the pitch?

Jeong Yong-wook’s next sign called for an outside slider.

A slow breaking ball followed by a faster breaking ball.

Jeong Yong-wook’s pitch selection was textbook, regardless of the pitcher he was working with.

Park Jin-wook twisted his body and threw the ball with everything he had.

A slider that initially headed toward the strike zone before breaking away outside.

Song Seok-hyun’s bat flashed through the zone.

Yes!

The instant Park Jin-wook cheered inwardly, a white blur whizzed past him like a bullet, accompanied by a resounding ‘clang!’

A line drive so scorching that he didn’t even register the thought of catching it.

Park Jin-wook stumbled backward.

Bang!!

Lying on the ground, Park Jin-wook looked towards second baseman Choi Young-seok.

Choi Young-seok’s glove, which had been extended towards second base, now held the white ball.

-Out!

“Out! An incredible play by the second baseman! Choi Young-seok with a picture-perfect grab!”

“Wow, that was something else. How did he manage to catch that? It looked like he wouldn’t have caught it even if it had been hit directly at him.”

“I thought that was a sure hit, but he turned it into an out. The score remains tied at 4-4. The Goats leveled the score in the top of the 5th, but they couldn’t seize the lead.”

Song Seok-hyun returned to the dugout, his bat resting on his shoulder.

Yu Seon-ho patted Song Seok-hyun on the shoulder, noticing his disappointed expression.

“It’s alright, man.”

“Pegasus is no pushover.”

The leadoff hitter for Pegasus in the bottom of the 5th was Kim Wook.

Kim Wook addressed Song Seok-hyun as he approached the batter’s box.

“Give me a fastball right down the middle. What do you say?”

“Yes, yes, of course.”

Song Seok-hyun engaged in his usual banter before settling into his position behind the plate.

Kim Wook was a truly unique hitter.

He was just shy of being a pure contact hitter, and equally close to being a typical power hitter.

He wasn’t a living legend like Yu Seon-ho, nor was he a bona fide star player.

Analyzing his individual attributes, he seemed like an unremarkable hitter, but in reality, he was one of the most challenging hitters to face.

The simple designation “Pegasus’s fourth hitter” spoke volumes.

If forced to categorize him, he was like water.

He lacked a defining characteristic, yet he was capable of handling any situation.

Kim Wook would perform his role effectively even if he were batting leadoff.

‘Slider.’

Fish [nickname for the pitcher] relies on fastballs more than 60% of the time.

Kim Wook was likely anticipating a fastball on the first pitch.

Fish appeared slightly displeased by the request for a breaking ball to start, but he complied without argument.

The ball that Fish threw hooked further and further outside from the outside corner.

And with that, Kim Wook swung.

-Strike!

Kim Wook chuckled.

“Wasn’t it supposed to be right down the middle?”

“I guess the ball was defective. It curved on the way.”

The swing he just took was powerful.

If he had made solid contact with Fish’s fastball, it would have resulted in an extra-base hit.

That much was clear.

Kim Wook was also aiming for a big hit at this moment.

The game was already in the bottom of the 5th inning.

There was no more room for gradually accumulating runs.

In that case…….

Fish’s second pitch.

Kim Wook unleashed a mighty swing at the ball that entered the strike zone.

-Strike!

“Swinging strike! Kim Wook swings and misses twice.”

“Fish is effectively mixing in his breaking balls.”

Kim Wook sighed deeply.

He had been completely outmaneuvered.

Even if it was Fish, this was Game 7 of the Korean Series.

You couldn’t expect him to exclusively throw fastballs.

His impatience led to a loss of composure, which in turn clouded his judgment.

“You have to give me one, Seok-hyun, right?”

“Yes, yes, of course.”

Kim Wook struck out looking on Fish’s third pitch.

It was a curveball that caught the bottom outside corner of the strike zone.

It would have been called a ball under normal circumstances, but the umpire’s zone was wide on both sides today.

“Strikeout! Kim Wook is called out on strikes here.”

“There’s still a long way to go, but the cleanup hitter striking out looking is going to negatively impact the team’s morale. Even if he was going to get out, he should have at least made the pitcher work, but he went down too easily.”

Kim Wook shook his head and returned to the dugout.

A combination of a cunning catcher and a lively, hard-throwing pitcher.

Kim Seong-hyun, batting fifth, was known as a contact hitter and a medium-long distance hitter, but he struck out in five pitches.

The Pegasus dugout was growing increasingly quiet.

“Pegasus had been scoring in every inning, but it appears this inning will be challenging. The fourth and fifth hitters have struck out in succession. They went down without putting up a fight.”

“It’s not just about failing to score, it’s about the shift in momentum. The Goats tied the game in the top of the 5th, and now Pegasus has failed to score in the bottom half. Scoring in every inning and then being shut down after the opponent ties the game is a clear sign that they’ve lost the momentum.”

“Jeong Yong-wook is stepping up to the plate.”

“Jeong Yong-wook, as a veteran, needs to get on base and keep the inning alive. Pegasus is a team with strong competitiveness even in the lower batting order.”

Song Seok-hyun wiped the home plate clean with his hand.

He was mentally preparing his approach to facing Jeong Yong-wook.

Wasn’t he considered the most dangerous sixth hitter in the league?

He was a player praised for possessing all the qualities of an ideal catcher, and he was also rated as an A-grade hitter.

Most mind games would be ineffective against him, and he also possessed considerable power, having hit 30 home runs in the past.

In this case…… simplicity is key.

Song Seok-hyun positioned his mitt on the outside corner.

Bang!

-Strike!

The first pitch was an outside fastball.

Jeong Yong-wook watched it pass without swinging.

Given the umpire’s generous strike zone on both sides, he couldn’t risk swinging at a pitch that was clearly on the outside corner.

The next pitch was an outside slider.

Jeong Yong-wook swung and missed.

“Two strikes. Fish quickly gets two strikes on him.”

“Fish is pitching with real aggression. He’s throwing with confidence in his pitches.”

You can’t afford to relax just because it’s a two-strike count.

Song Seok-hyun called for another slider.

Bang!

-Ball.

Jeong Yong-wook flinched, but he held back his swing.

Given the generous outside zone, he must have been anticipating an outside slider.

1-2.

Song Seok-hyun opted for a high pitch.

With Fish’s velocity and movement, it was worth trying to induce a swing and miss with a high fastball.

As Song Seok-hyun rose slightly, Fish delivered the ball towards Song Seok-hyun’s chest.

The height and velocity were perfect.

Bang!

-Ball.

Jeong Yong-wook only regretted not reacting.

“2-2. Jeong Yong-wook takes the pitch.”

Song Seok-hyun licked his lips and settled back into his crouch.

It was a gamble, but Jeong Yong-wook was Jeong Yong-wook.

He wouldn’t have been able to lay off that pitch so easily unless he had anticipated that Fish, known for his fastball, might try a high fastball.

“Hoo.”

Song Seok-hyun took a breath.

The regular season and the postseason are undeniably different.

The true character of players is revealed in the postseason.

No player is a pushover.

Song Seok-hyun pointed to the ground and lowered his mitt.

The sign was for a curveball.

A low curveball after a high fastball.

Fish threw the ball immediately, without hesitation.

Even he thought it was an excellent pitch selection.

The ball, which had been heading towards the top of the strike zone, dropped sharply downward.

Fish’s high velocity and spin rate amplified the effectiveness of the curveball.

The curveball was a little high, but the angle was sharp.

The moment the ball dropped, Jeong Yong-wook swung.

A swing that arced upwards from bottom to top.

It was a compact but powerful uppercut swing.

Bang!

With a crisp sound, the ball sailed towards the left fielder.

Left fielder Kang Ha-gyun, judging the trajectory to be neither too high nor too low, retreated and positioned himself accordingly.

The hit was well-placed, but it lacked significant power, so Kang Ha-gyun ran at a controlled pace, mindful of the outfield fence.