On The Rise As A Catcher [EN]: Chapter 239

It’s a changeup, but this time it’s not a changeup that falls below the strike zone.

Backdoor circle changeup [a changeup that breaks sharply back over the plate at the last moment].

Even Yu Seon-ho, with his powerful swing, is drawing a career-high number of walks.

In a full count [three balls and two strikes], he’d rather take a walk than swing at a borderline pitch.

Since all the previous pitches outside were sliders, he’d be caught off guard by a ball curving even further outside the zone.

At this moment, if the ball breaks back over the plate, he’ll strike out without even realizing it.

Jo Jin-ho was immediately pleased with Jung Yong-wook’s sign.

It’s methodical and textbook.

What could be better than a catcher who anticipates and alleviates the pitcher’s concerns?

Jo Jin-ho threw the ball, slightly relaxing his body.

A pitch just off the outside corner.

With today’s umpire’s strike zone, it’s a strike more often than not.

Yu Seon-ho swayed slightly as he tracked the ball.

Catching Streak

Game 7 of the Korean Series (8)

Thwack!

With a crack like a gunshot, the ball rocketed towards left-center field.

The pitcher turned his head the instant the ball left the bat.

Jung Yong-wook leaped to his feet.

Please, please, please.

The trajectory was low, but the ball connected squarely with the sweet spot.

“Left-center! Left-center!”

The fans in the stadium surged to their feet.

Ooooooh!

The Goat [the team’s] fans craned their necks towards the left-center field fence.

The ball stayed low but carried a long way.

While the left fielder scrambled, center fielder Shim Chang-gyu raced over.

“Fence! Is it going over?”

As the ball neared the fence, its altitude gradually decreased.

The angle of descent was shallow, but the fence was closing in fast.

“Mine! Mine! Get out of the way!”

Shim Chang-gyu pushed off the fence with his foot.

The ball was already a stone’s throw from the wall.

Shim Chang-gyu twisted his body mid-air and extended his glove.

Whack!

-Out!

The spectators groaned, each with their own meaning.

“No!”

“Aaaagh!”

“Nice!”

“We’re alive! We’re alive!”

Yu Seon-ho, halfway to first base, turned back, dejected.

“It’s out! Shim Chang-gyu with an incredible play! What a catch! It almost cleared the fence, but Shim Chang-gyu snagged it!”

“That was like watching a circus act. Pure acrobatics. Amazing!”

“The title of the league’s best center fielder, the greatest of all time, is well-deserved. Shim Chang-gyu! He preserves Pegasus’s one-point lead!”

Ham Seong-hoon squeezed his eyes shut.

Not only is the infield defense airtight, but the outfield is impenetrable as well.

The claim that he’s the best center fielder ever isn’t hyperbole.

Shim Chang-gyu’s outfield coverage surpasses even Hwang Gi-deok, the league’s fastest runner and another exceptional center fielder.

Pegasus is demonstrating why Ham Seong-hoon instructed them to prioritize preventing home runs.

If they can keep the ball inside the park, Pegasus is guaranteed to win at least 60% of their games, even with a conservative approach.

Preventing home runs is paramount, and the Pegasus fielders are at peak concentration right now.

Avoiding a risky, high-scoring game guarantees a slightly better win probability.

Of course, if they fail, they’ll face criticism for defying conventional wisdom and potentially lose their jobs.

“That didn’t go over,” Yu Seon-ho muttered, shaking his head as he returned to the dugout.

The next batter is Jo Ji-ho.

To Jo Jin-ho, having just conquered the formidable Yu Seon-ho, Jo Ji-ho seemed like an easy out.

A perennial power-hitting prospect, but lacking plate discipline, with a career batting average of .230.

His biggest weakness is breaking balls.

Jo Jin-ho boasts the best control in the league and commands his breaking balls with precision.

Jo Ji-ho battled to a full count, briefly raising the Goat fans’ hopes, but then struck out looking on an outside 138km/h fastball, drawing sighs of disappointment.

“Jong-il. Simple. Short and simple. Got it?”

“Yes, yes.”

The next batter, Park Jong-il, nodded at the hitting coach’s instruction.

Two outs, but no special signal from the bench.

No signal means they want him to swing for the fences.

Park Jong-il’s power is undeniable, but his batting average in the low .200s holds him back.

When he makes contact, it’s often a long hit, but making contact is the challenge.

Park Jong-il repeated the hitting coach’s advice in his mind.

‘Simple. Short, simple. Short.’

Whack!

-Strike!

“What are you doing! It’s a fastball right down the middle!”

While Park Jong-il hesitated, Jo Jin-ho fired a 140km/h fastball right over the heart of the plate for a called strike.

A rare mistake, if it happens at all.

Normally, he’d be furious with himself, but today was different.

Only one phrase echoed in his mind: short and simple.

The second pitch was an outside changeup.

Park Jong-il held his swing.

It was too far outside to swing short and simply.

The third pitch was also a changeup, a swing and a miss.

1-2.

The fourth pitch was another changeup, a ball.

2-2.

The fifth pitch was a fastball that clipped the bottom outside corner.

-Strike!

“An exquisite pitch. Full count.”

“It’s not easy to locate a pitch like that. Really difficult. A batter can’t do anything with a pitch like that.”

Full count without even putting the ball in play.

Jung Yong-wook tapped the ground with his mitt.

Jo Jin-ho’s go-to pitch is a downward-breaking changeup.

There’s no pitch more agonizing for a batter than an outside changeup after a full-count fastball on the outer edge.

Moreover, if the batter struggles against breaking balls, nine times out of ten they’ll be fooled in a full-count situation.

The ball left Jo Jin-ho’s hand on the same path as the fastball.

As it approached home plate, the ball lost its velocity and dove.

It was a perfect changeup.

Whack.

-Ball.

“Walk. It’s a walk. Park Jong-il draws the walk.”

“Wow, that breaking ball was perfectly located. I don’t know how he laid off that pitch.”

“Park Jong-il reaches base with two outs in the 6th. The Goat extends the inning.”

The pitcher and catcher exchanged frustrated glances.

How could he have resisted swinging at that pitch?

The Goat bench was equally surprised.

Most batters would have swung at that, but he didn’t even flinch.

“Good eye.”

The first base coach patted Park Jong-il on the rear.

“How did you lay off that pitch?”

As the first base coach whispered, Park Jong-il smacked his lips, looking disappointed.

“I was trying to hit it short and simple, but the ball was too far away.”

“What? Haha.”

The next batter is left fielder Kang Ha-young.

Jung Yong-wook frowned as Kang Ha-young stepped to the plate.

Because of Kang Ha-young’s exaggerated reactions and hit-by-pitches, the umpire’s calls on inside pitches have become tighter.

Swoosh.

As soon as Kang Ha-young entered the batter’s box, he crowded the plate.

He’s clearly willing to get hit again if necessary.

“Ha.”

Like a mosquito.

A trivial annoyance, but incredibly irritating.

Jung Yong-wook considered his options and signaled for an inside pitch.

Hit it if you want.

Better to overpower him than to overthink it.

Jo Jin-ho glanced at first base runner Park Jong-il and took his set position.

With two outs, the runner’s lead is minimal.

Since the runner is slow, there’s no need to worry about a steal.

He only needs to focus on the batter.

Since the batter is crowding the plate, he just needs to avoid making a mistake.

The batter is in a closed stance [stance where the batter’s front foot is closer to home plate than the back foot].

He intends to only swing at outside pitches.

Does he underestimate me because my fastball isn’t blazing?

Jo Jin-ho threw his fastball with maximum spin.

Swoosh.

As the pitcher began his motion, the batter lifted his leg.

‘A leg kick?’

Kang Ha-young isn’t known for a high leg kick, but this one is pronounced.

Thud.

Kang Ha-young strode forward.

The timing of his front foot landing is quick.

Jung Yong-wook realized it when he saw Kang Ha-young’s front foot.

Kang Ha-young’s leg kick isn’t for generating power.

It’s a way to transition from an extreme closed stance to an open stance [stance where the batter’s front foot is further from home plate than the back foot].

As Kang Ha-young planted his front foot towards the outside, his body also opened up.

His lower body rotated, but his shoulders remained closed.

Could it be…?

Is Kang Ha-young trying to pull the ball for a home run?

Jo Jin-ho’s fastball isn’t fast, but it has good spin and vertical movement.

He generates good power relative to his velocity.

Whack!

Kang Ha-young twisted his torso violently.

The ball shot off the bat low and hard.

It was well-struck, but the ball didn’t get much height.

The ball hooked towards the left fielder, heading towards the foul line.

“A long drive! It’s deep!”

Kang Ha-young dropped the bat and waved his other hand.

A gesture hoping the ball would stay fair.

Left fielder Hong Seong-wook positioned himself in front of the fence.

As Hong Seong-wook reached up with his glove, the ball sailed straight…

Ding.

Hit the foul pole.

“…It’s a home run! A home run! Kang Ha-young’s home run! Kang Ha-young’s two-run shot! Kang Ha-young’s two-run shot explodes here!”

Unexpected batter, unexpected timing, unexpected home run.

For a moment, everyone was stunned, then the Goat fans erupted in cheers.

“Uwaaaaaaa!”

“Woowaaaa! Jackpot! Home run! It’s a home run!”

“Kang Ha-young! Kang Ha-young! Kang Ha-young!”

Even Kang Ha-young, who hit the home run, froze for a moment.

He was swinging for a hit, but a home run was beyond his wildest expectations.

Left fielder Hong Seong-wook stared blankly at the foul pole.

“Kang Ha-young’s two-run shot! Top of the 6th inning. Kang Ha-young hits a two-run shot! The score is 6-5 again! 6-5! Kang Ha-young’s two-run shot explodes here!”

“I don’t know how many home runs the Goat has hit today. When they connect, it’s a home run. Other players are stepping up to fill the void left by Kim In-hwan and Choi Jae-wan. Is it because they play their home games at Jamsil Stadium [known for being hitter-friendly]? Is it because they’ve been trained in Jamsil? They’re clearing the fences of Suwon Stadium [the current stadium] with ease.”

“With Kang Ha-young’s two-run shot, the game is once again up for grabs. Reversal after reversal! Pegasus’s key pitcher, Jo Jin-ho, is tagged with a home run by Kang Ha-young, and Game 7 of the Korean Series is heating up again.”

Jo Jin-ho’s shoulders slumped.

The commentator clicked his tongue in disappointment.

“Jo Jin-ho is definitely a good player, known for his consistency, but he seems to struggle every time he faces the Goat this season.”

“Is it a nemesis relationship, something like that?”

“The Goat is a team with a lot of power, and Jo Jin-ho relies on control and breaking balls, despite his average velocity. Even with good control and breaking pitches, against a team that hits home runs so well, one mistake can be costly.”

“The pitcher is being replaced. Jung Gwang-wook is coming in.”

“It’s a little early, but I think they’re planning to use Jung Gwang-wook and Oh Gyu-ok to cover the final 3 innings. Pegasus has been holding back their best relievers, but they can’t afford to wait any longer. It’s only a 1-point lead. It’ll be difficult to come back if the score widens here.”

Choi Seong-yeon covered his face.

His insides were burning.

His heart was pounding.