On The Rise As A Catcher [EN]: Chapter 24

The pitcher’s first pitch a moment ago wasn’t a mistake either.

He induced a double play, but it turned into a bases-clearing hit down the line.

It’s not that he messed up, but the opponent played well…

Tock!

Tock!

The score widened with successive hits.

The pitcher finished the inning only after giving up hits to three more batters.

In the next inning, Taisei, back on the mound, retired three batters in a row with ground outs.

The eighth inning passed, and then the ninth.

The game was heavily tilted with a 7-point difference.

Taisei went up to the mound again.

“Why isn’t he coming out? Is he planning to pitch the game of his life today?”

Kim Jeong-ryul frowned as he looked at Taisei.

Even though it’s a practice game, Taisei is a pro.

Since there’s a clear difference in skill, shouldn’t he have come out after pitching only 1-2 innings?

The Okinawa Bears took Kim Jeong-ryul and Kim In-hwan out a while ago.

Song Seok-hyun came in as a pinch hitter and hit a home run, but Song Seok-hyun is only a pro in name; he didn’t even graduate high school.

Hero Magic hasn’t taken out Ryosuke, Taisei, and Hiroshi from the start.

“Do these teams have bad blood or something?”

At Kim Jeong-ryul’s question, Song Seok-hyun and Kim In-hwan only shrugged.

How would they know?

*Paang, paang, paang, paang.*

Taisei walked the batter on four straight pitches.

Kim Jeong-ryul crossed his arms.

“He seems to be running out of steam. Why aren’t they replacing him?”

Despite Kim Jeong-ryul’s question, Taisei walked another batter.

Two batters in a row walked on four straight pitches.

Both teams’ benches were puzzled.

The only ones who were calm were Taisei and the Hero Magic coach.

“He’s walking another batter.”

“Something’s strange, isn’t it?”

“It doesn’t seem like his balance is off.”

Taisei walked three batters in a row.

The next batter was Song Seok-hyun.

Song Seok-hyun picked up his bat and headed to the on-deck circle.

As Song Seok-hyun went out, Kim In-hwan lowered his voice and said to Kim Jeong-ryul.

“I think…”

“I think he wants to get revenge on Seok-hyun for hitting a home run against him?”

Kim In-hwan licked his lips.

“…I think so too.”

“He’s got guts. Does he have the confidence to get everyone out?”

“Looking at his skills, it doesn’t seem impossible.”

“Hmm, that’s true.”

“I’m worried this might make things difficult for Coach Hiroto.”

“He’s really angry. Seok-hyun needs to strike out a few times for him to cool down.”

Taisei walked another batter.

A run scored with a bases-loaded walk.

Only then did both teams’ benches realize Taisei’s intention and started buzzing.

The next batter is Song Seok-hyun.

The protagonist who hit an out-of-the-park home run.

A high school student who hasn’t shed his boyishness yet.

The pride of the next closer, who is about to enter the Japanese professional baseball league’s first team, was cut in half.

Even if he can’t undo the home run he already gave up, he can at least vent his anger.

“This is something.”

Song Seok-hyun couldn’t help but know what was going on.

Taisei never looked at him once, but he made it obvious that he was *shinkei ni suru* [concerned/bothered] about him with his whole body.

“Our youngest’s pride has to be hurt for this to end.”

“Seok-hyun might win, you know.”

“Earlier, the pitcher threw a fastball right in the middle. Honestly, he underestimated him. If they compete properly, it won’t be easy for Seok-hyun either. It’s hard to distinguish a pro’s forkball, especially the forkballs in Japan, where there are many masters of forkballs. Since he already hit a home run, he should just swing his bat wildly and come back.”

“Hmm.”

Kim In-hwan clenched his fist.

He knows well that baseball is a game where the pitcher has the advantage.

Baseball is a game where the batter is called a winner even if they only win once out of three times.

He hit a big one in the first at-bat, so it wouldn’t matter if he got out in the next at-bat, but even if he knows that, a batter can’t help but not want to lose to the pitcher.

“Hooah.”

Song Seok-hyun stepped into the batter’s box.

Neither the catcher nor the pitcher looks at the batter.

It’s as if they’re treating him like he doesn’t exist.

Song Seok-hyun slightly raised his bat and spun it around.

Bases loaded, no outs.

Both teams’ benches and the players on the field watched Song Seok-hyun.

They must want to see the end of the fledgling who openly provoked the pride of a pro.

“Ha!”

The pitcher threw the first pitch with a shout.

A ball that sticks close to the body.

Song Seok-hyun’s bat…

My Precious!

*Paak!*

With a dull sound, the ball shot towards third base.

A line drive that the third baseman could catch if he just put his glove out.

The third baseman put his glove out but pulled his body away.

The ball went straight past third base and out of the foul line.

Foul.

The third baseman moved his body straight into the foul territory.

Broken bat pieces were scattered where the third baseman had been.

“Hmm.”

Taisei bit his lip.

It was a ball that was perfectly hit inside.

A pro player would have made an out.

Even though the bat broke, the fragments weren’t big or fast enough to make a fuss and avoid them.

It was a shame, but what could he do?

Small differences separate pros from amateurs.

Rather than blaming the third baseman, he found significance in producing a ball that was hit as intended.

“Wait a minute. *Chottomatte. Chottomatte kudasai* [Wait a moment. Please wait a moment].”

Song Seok-hyun asked the umpire for permission and headed to the bench with the broken bat.

He was about to go into the bench to find a spare bat, but the Okinawa Bears coach quickly handed him a bat.

“Ah…”

Song Seok-hyun was going to use his own bat, but when the coach handed him a bat, he unconsciously grabbed it.

“*Ganbatte* [Do your best].”

“Ah, *arigato gozaimasu* [Thank you very much].”

Song Seok-hyun grabbed the bat and swung it around.

He only swung it twice, but his eyes naturally went to the bat.

A practice bat.

A bat that is slightly heavier and longer than a normal bat.

Song Seok-hyun usually used a bat around 900g. Usually, practice bats are 980g~1,000g, and there were often cases where heavier bats were used.

The weight of this bat is uncertain, but he could feel with his hand that it weighed around 1kg.

Looking at the end of the bat, the length of the bat also seemed to be more than 1 inch longer than 34 inches.

“Hoo…”

It was also funny to ask for another bat. Everyone is watching his match with Taisei. If he changes the bat and gets a ground ball, it will be even more embarrassing.

“Okay?”

The umpire asked as Song Seok-hyun approached the plate.

“Okay.”

Song Seok-hyun nodded and stepped into the batter’s box.

“Fighting! Seok-hyun fighting!”

At Kim Jeong-ryul’s loud cheering, the Okinawa Bears players also chanted together.

“*Paito!* [Fight!/Let’s go!]”

“*Paito!*”

Song Seok-hyun took a deep breath.

Taisei’s first pitch wasn’t a fastball.

A splitter.

A splitter is a good ball to play tricks with your fingers. With a little bit of finger play, you can make the ball curve left and right like a two-seamer.

Taisei induced a ground ball with a splitter that had less horizontal movement than a sinker but fell towards the body.

“Hoo.”

He’s a difficult opponent.

It would be a headache if a pitcher like that came out as a closer.

There’s a forkball on the outside and a splitter on the inside.

If you aim for a breaking ball, he’ll push you with a fast fastball. The bat is also heavy, making delicate bat control difficult.

Song Seok-hyun slightly gripped his bat.

-Play ball!

Taisei exchanged signs with the catcher.

Pitching after a clean windup.

*Paang!*

-Strike!

This time, it was a splitter that stuck to the body.

“Heh heh.”

Taisei smiled as he received the catcher’s ball.

As expected, an amateur.

He froze at a good first pitch and didn’t swing.

Taisei adjusted his hat.

This is the difference between a pro and an amateur. Pushing with only strength is not a pro. Pitching must be art. You have to suppress the opposing batter with your head, not with strength.

Three strikeouts flashed through Taisei’s mind.

Two strikes.

The kid’s bat control can’t hit a body splitter.

The batter is aiming for only one thing: an outside fastball.

Even if he swings and misses, the batter has nothing to aim for except an outside fastball.

Then…

Nod, nod.

Taisei raised his leg.

If you see what the batter wants, the pitcher sees where to throw.

*Pat!*

The ball that left Taisei’s hand aims for the outside strike zone.

Song Seok-hyun’s bat starts up.

A shout heard from one corner of Taisei’s heart.

Got it.

The ball, which has passed the batter’s recognition point, changes its angle and falls.

This is the forkball that you know but still get hit by.

Two strikes is a forkballer’s counter.

The batter must compete with the forkballer before two strikes.

*Paang.*

“…”

Taisei twitched his eyebrows.

On the Okinawa Bears bench, ohs and ahs of admiration erupted.

“He held back on that.”

“I thought Seok-hyun was going to hit it, but he held back.”

“He’s not losing in the battle of wits?”

Taisei managed his expression.

It’s not that he didn’t hit it at all, but his bat started up but he didn’t swing it.

Was it a feint?

Or did he see the forkball’s tell?

Or did he distinguish the forkball?

A confident ball didn’t work.

Anxiety sprouted in one corner of Taisei’s heart.

“Waa.”

Song Seok-hyun stroked his chest.

That was really dangerous just now.

I started the bat, but the bat was heavy and didn’t come out as much as I wanted. When I felt like it was a forkball, the bat stopped coming out.

The result was indeed a forkball.

If I had swung the bat, I would have definitely swung and missed.

‘One more.’

The catcher signals for a forkball.

Taisei nods.

There’s no way that such a kid can pick out his forkball.