On The Rise As A Catcher [EN]: Chapter 238

Kang Ha-kyun stretched his glove toward the ball flying over the fence, but it passed by, missing the glove by half a ball, and sailed over the fence.

“Home run! It’s a home run! Jung Yong-wook’s solo home run! The Pegasus scores again in the 5th inning! Captain Jung Yong-wook! The Pegasus’s main catcher! He proves who the master of Suwon is in front of Song Seok-hyun! The score is 5-4. The Pegasus shakes off the Goat, who had grabbed their neck, and takes the lead again!”

“It wasn’t a very powerful hit, but the course and timing were perfect. Suwon Stadium isn’t a big stadium, but it’s not a small one either, right? It barely cleared the left field fence. A concise but powerful swing. That’s Jung Yong-wook’s signature.”

“With this, the Goat falls behind once again. Just when they think they’ve caught up, the Pegasus pulls ahead again. The Goat players must be losing their morale. They gave up a home run right after tying the score.”

“It doesn’t end here. The Pegasus lineup is strong even in the lower batting order. We’ll have to see if the Goat will continue to let Fish pitch, or if they’ll make another substitution here.”

Ham Seong-hoon made a move.

Pitcher change.

Fish looked dumbfounded but soon came down from the mound.

The new pitcher was left-hander Jung Hong-min.

The Pegasus players, as well as the Goat players and fans, were surprised and buzzed at the removal of ace Fish.

The Goat’s owner, Chairman Kim Myung-jin, frowned and pursed his lips.

Ace Catcher

Korean Series Game 7 (7)

The Goat fans buzzed as Fish came down from the mound.

“Already changing him?”

“Fish should just keep going.”

“What are they doing?”

The Goat’s Chairman Kim Myung-jin even groaned.

Fish is undoubtedly the league’s number one starting ace.

Taking Fish out already is quite a gamble.

It would be different if the pitcher could return to the mound after being replaced, but Fish’s substitution now was a decision that Ham Seong-hoon would normally find difficult to make. [In baseball, once a pitcher is substituted, they cannot return to pitch in the same game.]

The new pitcher, Jung Hong-min, stood on the mound, taking deep breaths.

“Ha. What timing.”

His shoulders felt heavy.

The batter at the plate is shortstop Kim Hyung-woo.

The fact that the shortstop has a career batting average of over .300 alone makes him a nearly complete shortstop. [.300 is considered an excellent batting average in baseball.]

He’s not just good with the bat, but he also uses his natural athletic ability to execute plays well.

It’s two outs, but if even one hit comes out here, the momentum will swing to the Pegasus again.

Swish, swish.

Song Seok-hyun confidently signaled Jung Hong-min to throw, bringing his mitt close to his body.

Jung Hong-min smirked.

Seeing Song Seok-hyun makes him feel comfortable.

He doesn’t get intimidated by any opponent and calls for bold pitch combinations.

Boldness doesn’t always lead to good results, but it’s different when Song Seok-hyun calls for it.

Because he has faith that Song Seok-hyun can recover the score even if he gives up points.

From the first pitch, Jung Hong-min threw a fastball close to the batter’s body.

Clang!

The batter hit the ball, but it went foul.

Kim Hyung-woo looked at his bat for a moment, then stepped out of the batter’s box.

“Ah, the bat broke.”

“Jung Hong-min. His pitches are sharp as expected. It’s masked by the slider, but he’s also a good pitcher with a good fastball.”

Kim Hyung-woo took the new bat and stood in the batter’s box again.

He narrowed his stance and put his weight on his front foot.

He was completely abandoning any thought of a long hit and focusing solely on getting a single.

If a batter who easily hits .300 focuses only on making contact, he naturally becomes more difficult to deal with.

Song Seok-hyun brought his mitt to the outside corner, low in the strike zone.

Jung Hong-min’s signature pitch, a fast vertical slider.

It’s like a cutter that falls downwards, making it difficult to distinguish from a fastball, and even more difficult to hit squarely. [A cutter is a type of fastball that breaks slightly to the side.]

A unique form in which the hand shoots up from below like a catapult and then presses down again.

In recent years, he is a rare extreme overhand pitcher, and since his control isn’t very good, left-handed batters are often unnerved by the ball suddenly appearing from behind their heads.

Thump.

Jung Hong-min lifted his leg with all his might and leaned his body back.

The form that is greatly loaded and released like a catapult was as powerful as it looked.

Swish!

-Strike!

The batter swung, but the ball slipped under the bat.

“A swing and a miss! Kim Hyung-woo completely missed the ball.”

“It’s like an unhittable ball for left-handed batters. Because the ball comes in at such a high angle, the downward break is significantly more pronounced.”

“0-2.”

Once again, Jung Hong-min’s slider.

Kim Hyung-woo struck out.

It was a swing and a miss that missed by a mile.

“Strikeout! Inning over! Although they allowed the go-ahead run, the Goat doesn’t allow any further runs in this inning.”

“Taking Fish out and bringing in Jung Hong-min was a risky move, but Jung Hong-min justifies the decision with his skill.”

The Pegasus’s manager, Choi Seong-yeon, couldn’t hide his disappointment.

It’s two outs, but the batters following Kim Hyung-woo, Hong Seong-wook and Song Min-joon, have the potential for extra-base hits.

If the opportunity had continued, they could have widened the score difference even more…

Kim Hyung-woo, who returned to the bench, threw off his helmet.

“Ah. I can’t see it, I can’t see it at all. What kind of ball is that?”

After the 5th inning, both teams had a field maintenance break.

The restrooms were soon crowded with fans, and fans trying to buy food during the short break were also in a frenzy.

The players also took advantage of the short time to eat bananas or munch on snacks.

“Okay. Listen up while you eat.”

Ham Seong-hoon sat in front of the bench and scanned the players from left to right.

“We’re down by one point, but don’t worry about that. Our goal isn’t just one point anyway. If we play for just one point, we’ll be no better than the Pegasus. Swing big. It’s okay if you don’t hit it. Swing big. Swing big enough that the opponent gets scared and loses control.”

Yoo Seon-ho raised his hand.

“Do you mean even bigger than now?”

“The bigger we swing, the more the Pegasus will try to avoid pitching to us. Conversely, the more cautious we are, the more daring they will be. Have you noticed it since earlier? The opponent is working the outside and the inside, and the left and right sides of the plate well. Not to mention their good defense. It’s not easy for us to string together consecutive hits. If hits are difficult, we have no choice but to get on base with a walk. Isn’t that right?”

Ham Seong-hoon lowered his voice.

“If it’s close, be aggressive. Very aggressive. So that the opponent is forced to throw the ball outside the strike zone completely. The Pegasus isn’t afraid of walks. They’re confident in getting ground ball outs, so they’re attacking the inside of the plate aggressively. We’re taking advantage of this. We gratefully accept it when the opponent gives us a walk. And we’re giving up trying for singles. Swing for a home run. Even with two strikes, swing for a home run. Unless there’s a sign from the bench, swinging big is the default. Of course, if you’re confident in hitting through the opponent’s infield, you can push the ball to the opposite field or pull it as much as you want. But what’s the default?”

Song Seok-hyun said.

“Home run swing.”

“Yes. Good. That’s it.”

As soon as Ham Seong-hoon finished speaking, Yoo Seon-ho cautiously asked Song Seok-hyun.

“What’s ‘default’?”

“Ah… It’s the basic setting.”

“Basic setting?”

“Yes. It means to swing big whenever possible.”

“The manager sometimes speaks in a complicated way. Right?”

The Goat’s attack in the top of the 6th inning began with Yoo Seon-ho leading off.

“The Pegasus has changed pitchers again. It seems they judged that it would be difficult to bring in a sidearm pitcher since the batter is a left-hander.”

“Both teams are changing pitchers frequently today. I guess it can’t be helped since it’s the Korean Series, right?”

“The pitcher is Jo Jin-ho. He’s the core and key of the Pegasus bullpen, right? He’s a versatile player with everything from eating innings to performing well against both left-handed and right-handed batters. He’s being used as an all-around player rather than a fixed closer because he’s so good. Jo Jin-ho’s changeup is truly a masterpiece. Especially against left-handed batters, his tenacious pitching on the outside corner is a sight to behold.”

“He’s a pitcher whose circle changeup, fastball, and slider all dance around the edge of the strike zone, right?”

“That’s right. If you think it’s a fastball and commit to the swing, it’s a slider, and if you think it’s going outside, it’s a backdoor changeup [a changeup that starts outside the plate but curves back into the strike zone]. If you’re worried about the changeup, it’s a fastball with good spin. Jo Jin-ho’s fastball speed is in the low 90s mph [early 140s kmh], but his changeup is good and his fastball spin rate is high, so it’s really difficult for left-handed batters to face him.”

“But isn’t the batter Yoo Seon-ho? He’s a living legend of Korean professional baseball.”

“Yoo Seon-ho is also a player with good eyes and good plate discipline. That’s why I’m even more excited about this matchup.”

Jo Jin-ho went to the mound and shook the rosin bag in his hand.

Yoo Seon-ho is the key.

If he gets past Yoo Seon-ho, only easier batters will follow.

The fact that the manager brought him in now means that he was thinking of getting through at least the next inning, even against left-handed batter Lee Ji-sung, as well as shutting down Yoo Seon-ho.

Jo Jin-ho needs to hold the lead until the 7th inning, followed by setup man Jung Kwang-wook and closer Oh Kwang-ok from the 8th inning.

It’s a typical Pegasus winning formula.

All the pitchers that can come out are coming out.

‘Slider.’

Jung Yong-wook’s first pitch sign is a slider.

Jo Jin-ho nodded.

He knows the importance of getting ahead in the count with a first-pitch strike, but he doesn’t want to be too aggressive from the first pitch against a veteran like Yoo Seon-ho.

If you try to deal with Yoo Seon-ho too easily, you’ll end up getting burned.

The best thing to do is to pitch carefully, very carefully, with a walk in mind.

He’s a batter who has good eyes and will swing even in a two-strike, no-ball situation.

Carefully, more carefully.

Jo Jin-ho relaxed his shoulders and shortened his stride.

You shouldn’t exert maximum effort in high-pressure situations.

80-90% of your strength.

If you try to do your best, your body will tense up and you’ll make a mistake.

Thwack!

The ball that left Jo Jin-ho’s hand flies accurately to the outside corner.

It’s a bit close, but considering the angle of the slider, Yoo Seon-ho’s tendencies, and the fact that it’s the first pitch, Yoo Seon-ho will likely take it.

Yoo Seon-ho is a batter who doesn’t swing rashly until it’s in his hitting zone and he has a favorable count.

Tick!

With the sound of something brushing, the ball passed over the catcher and umpire’s heads.

-Foul.

“Foul. Jo Jin-ho’s first pitch is fouled off.”

“Yoo Seon-ho. He’s eager. His swing is big.”

Yoo Seon-ho adjusted his turned helmet and took his stance again.

A foul that was almost a swing and a miss.

It was a foul that barely grazed the top of the bat.

Jung Yong-wook and Jo Jin-ho exchanged signs.

Yoo Seon-ho’s swing is big.

It’s different from the usual Yoo Seon-ho.

‘Slider.’

Then you have to test him once.

Jo Jin-ho also realized the meaning of the sign given by Jung Yong-wook.

Jo Jin-ho’s second ball is also a slider.

This time it’s a little further outside.

-Ball.

“1-1. This time, Yoo Seon-ho wasn’t fooled.”

Jung Yong-wook looked at Yoo Seon-ho’s feet.

His stride is also a little wider than usual.

He’s looking for a long hit.

He can’t challenge Yoo Seon-ho on the inside now.

Since Jo Jin-ho’s ball isn’t particularly fast, he completely abandoned the idea of pitching inside.

Jung Yong-wook pointed to the ground with his mitt.

Changeup, low and away.

If the opponent is aiming for something big, the battery can just avoid it.

Jo Jin-ho’s third ball.

The circle changeup that came in low and sank was a beauty.

Swish!

-Ball.

“2-1. Yoo Seon-ho takes the pitch again.”

Jo Jin-ho let out a sigh.

It seemed to have been a good pitch this time, but Yoo Seon-ho wasn’t fooled.

Was the big swing on the first pitch just a feint?

It was Jung Yong-wook who figured out Jo Jin-ho’s complicated calculations.

‘Changeup.’

You can tell just by looking at Yoo Seon-ho’s stance.

Yoo Seon-ho is aiming for something big.

Yoo Seon-ho was clearly waiting for a fastball in the strike zone.

Jo Jin-ho hesitated for a moment and threw the ball.

This time, the ball is dropping even further down than before.

Yoo Seon-ho didn’t move.

“3-1. The changeup isn’t working well.”

“Isn’t he still getting a feel for it? It becomes difficult if he can’t control it.”

‘Slider.’

Jung Yong-wook didn’t call for a fastball.

At 3-1, he’s really going to swing now.

He’s clearly going to swing, waiting for just one fastball.

He showed two slow changeups, so he induces a swing and a miss with a fast slider to make a full count.

Jo Jin-ho’s fifth ball was a slider that broke to the outside.

Whoosh!

A huge swing that made his helmet turn.

3-2. Full count.

Jung Yong-wook’s expression softened a little.

“3-2 full count. The Pegasus battery is carefully playing the game against Yoo Seon-ho.”

“Yoo Seon-ho’s swing is too big. He seems to have too much tension in his shoulders. If this happens, he’s vulnerable to changeups. The Pegasus battery knows this and is tenaciously challenging him with changeups.”

Jo Jin-ho’s expression also brightened.

As expected, it’s Jung Yong-wook.

He was worried that he was only throwing changeups, but he had a plan.

Yoo Seon-ho’s first pitch swing wasn’t a lie.

Now, what will he decide on for the final pitch?

Jo Jin-ho waited for Jung Yong-wook’s sign with expectant eyes.

‘Changeup.’