On The Rise As A Catcher [EN]: Chapter 25

Even in the second-string team, his forkball is considered top-notch.

Many say he could be effective even if he were immediately called up to the first team.

The consensus is that Taisei isn’t on the first team because of his still-developing control and the quirks that arose while changing his form. However, his pitches themselves are at a first-team level.

*Thwack!*

This time, Taisei throws the forkball a bit further inside.

If it were a fastball, it would have been slightly off the mark.

*Clang.*

Taisei’s brow furrows.

“……”

2-2.

The batter didn’t even consider swinging this time.

This means he didn’t just see the forkball; he anticipated it from the start.

“Interesting.”

Hiroshi, who was at shortstop, grinned.

Taisei is a closer candidate that even the SoftBank team values.

Contrary to his appearance, he’s the type whose competitive spirit burns intensely. Who would have thought that his pride would be wounded in a practice game he participated in with a light heart?

Because Taisei is throwing with all his might, it will be difficult for that kid to get a hit.

But his pride has already been dented by that one home run, and if he barely manages to get an out after a difficult match, he’ll be a laughingstock for a long time.

Ryosuke and he were already ready to tease him.

‘If he gets a hit here, we won’t even be able to tease him.’

If this match ends with a ground ball, the home run will just be considered an accident. It will remain a story for Hiroshi and Ryosuke.

Conversely, if a hit comes out here, today’s events can’t be mentioned for the time being. You can’t carelessly mention something that touches a pitcher’s pride.

Hiroshi, in another sense, hoped that Taisei would handle Song Seok-hyun with a ground ball.

He shakes his head.

The signs exchanged between Taisei and the catcher grew more elaborate.

2-2.

If one more ball goes in here, it’s a full count.

It’s also a blow to his pride to have a full-count match against a kid. Won’t he think he’s having a difficult match just because he gave up a home run?

The catcher signaled for a high ball.

The intention was to induce a swing and miss with a high ball, since he had been keeping his eyes low with continuous low balls.

Taisei shook his head.

Even if the home run was an accident, Song Seok-hyun hit his fastest fastball.

That means his bat speed is fast.

“……Ha.”

The catcher sighed and changed the sign.

A splitter [a type of fastball with a sharp downward break] towards the body.

It’s a ball that the batter couldn’t even touch in the first place.

Taisei nodded.

A splitter would be a good choice.

“Hah!”

Taisei put strength into his throw and threw the ball.

It’s not often that pitchers put extra strength into their throws. Taisei was among those who didn’t do it often.

Taisei was so deeply immersed in this match against Song Seok-hyun that he didn’t even realize he was putting strength into his throws.

*Clang!*

The catcher stretched his mitt forward.

Song Seok-hyun stood still without moving.

Both teams’ players looked at the umpire.

‘Ball, inside.’

The catcher lowered his head at the umpire’s words.

Even if he wanted to argue, the ball had come in one and a half balls outside of the strike zone.

As the catcher lowered his head, Taisei clenched his teeth.

Control is the problem after all.

In the end, a full-count match against Song Seok-hyun.

Losing here is even more unacceptable, but it was also difficult to accept that he had been driven to this situation.

“Wow, Seok-hyun is no joke?”

“Could you have endured that?”

“I would have already swung at the forkball on the third pitch.”

“You’re saying that like it’s obvious. You should have endured it.”

“It’s weirder to endure it. How can you endure that?”

“He endured it.”

“Maybe he predicted it? Otherwise, he couldn’t have endured it.”

“Then what do you think this one will be? Fastball? Fork?”

“If they called Seok-hyun to the plate even going to this extreme, wouldn’t they strike him out?”

“So you’re saying an outside fastball?”

“If they showed him one inside ball, it’s perfect to stick an outside fastball in.”

“No. I’m the opposite. It’s a fork.”

“A fork? Here? Then it’s a walk? That would be a complete blow to his pride.”

“No, no.”

Kim Jeong-ryul wagged his finger.

“Not throwing a fork here is more of a blow to his pride. It means he’s not confident in his forkball.”

“The forkball just got called a ball, would he throw it again? I think it’s a fastball.”

“I say forkball. Let’s see, what kind of ball he throws.”

Kim In-hwan flicked his finger.

“Then will Seok-hyun endure that? The forkball?”

“I don’t know about that. I think there’s an 80% chance his bat will come out. The angle of the forkball is good. It’s not easy.”

Taisei fiddled with the ball.

When pitchers fiddle with the ball in their glove, they usually hold it with a two-seam grip [a specific way of holding the baseball].

If you hold the ball with a fastball grip and then change it back to a two-seam grip, you might reveal a tell or not get a proper grip.

Slightly widen the two-seam grip for a forkball.

Narrow the two-seam grip for a fastball.

Taisei fiddled with the ball while exchanging signs.

‘Fastball.’

The catcher’s sign was textbook.

Outside fastball.

He had cornered the opponent by throwing one inside ball.

After the inside ball, an outside ball is bound to look even further away.

If his head is full of thoughts of a forkball, the ball will look even further away.

Above all, since the forkball isn’t working now, there’s no other choice.

He shakes his head.

Taisei shook his head.

He doesn’t think his forkball isn’t working. It’s just that the opponent predicted the forkball and didn’t swing. It was just luck.

There’s only one thing the opponent is aiming for.

Outside fastball.

It’s clear that the batter is waiting for him to throw an outside fastball.

“Hoo, hoo.”

Taisei wiped away sweat and chuckled.

He’s sweating.

He’s sweating and pitching against that kid.

It’s ridiculous, but his mouth feels parched.

If he makes things this big and gives up a hit, what kind of disgrace would that be?

‘Fork?’

He nods.

The catcher swallowed hard.

It’s the pitcher’s stubbornness, but he has to trust him here.

It’s just a practice game, but it’s a battle of pride.

It’s the first time they’ve met today, but the pitcher’s competitive spirit that he can’t lose has been transferred to the catcher’s heart.

*Clang, clang!*

The catcher hit his mitt.

Good.

There’s no need to think complicatedly.

The pitcher just needs to throw the ball he’s most confident in.

Why is he racking his brain so complicatedly against a batter who still has a lot of boyishness?

“Hwaiting!” [Korean cheering phrase]

“Ganbatte!” [Japanese cheering phrase]

With the cheers, the pitcher spread his fingers.

And…….

Winding up.

For the catcher, it’s been a series of victories in his mind.

Aiming complete.

“Hap!”

With Taisei’s shout, the ball shot out.

The ball flew forward like it was shot from a gun.

Song Seok-hyun’s bat started up.

Got it!

Taisei felt goosebumps on his spine.

There are moments when the battery’s [pitcher and catcher] strategy perfectly matches the batter’s weakness.

A strikeout that turns the batter away in a moment of crisis.

There’s no more thrilling moment for a forkballer than this.

*Whoosh!*

The catcher watched the bat coming down fiercely and thought.

Song Seok-hyun’s bat is not a whip but a hammer.

No, maybe it’s a sledgehammer.

‘If that ball gets hit by that bat, it’ll be split in two.’

The game is over the moment the bat starts up.

Unless Taisei’s forkball doesn’t drop as a mistake, the course and angle were excellent.

Not only can he not hit the fork, but even if he hits the outside, it’s a ground ball.

Not that a ground ball itself will come out.

The catcher’s mitt went down to prepare for the falling ball.

‘Huh?’

The catcher felt a sense of incongruity.

He thought he had already won the match and completely toyed with the batter, but the back of his head was itchy.

The bat that should have been cutting through the air was going down, down, following the catcher’s mitt.

The ball was falling at a distance that couldn’t be reached unless the batter knelt, but the bat was swinging along with the ball.

‘It fell well……!’

Taisei’s forkball fell perfectly.

The ball goes like a fastball and then suddenly drops.

Originally, it’s a ball that the batter’s bat should be cutting through the air.

Song Seok-hyun pushed his bat into the trajectory of the forkball.

*Clack!*

A clear sound rang out as the ball met the bat.

Both the pitcher and catcher’s eyes widened.

He’s hitting this?

Song Seok-hyun hit the ball accurately without effort.

The ball flew towards the right field line.

“Right fielder! Fly! Fly!”

“Catch it! Relay! Prepare for the relay!”

“Second base! Second base! Take your positions!”

The catcher stood up and shouted.

He luckily hit the ball, but it was just hitting a ball that had gone astray.

He acknowledges the skill of hitting a fly, but the match between the batter and pitcher is over. Now it’s time to get an out.

One out for the batter, two outs for the runner.

If the runner doesn’t get out, he has to at least block the base running.

“Right fielder! Immediately throw…….”

The wind blew.

A wind that made the right fielder blink.

The right fielder thought the ball was coming quite far.

Why is a ball that was just tapped coming so far?

Why is the wind blowing at this moment?

Where is the ball, where is the ball going……?

*Thud.*

The right fielder froze with his glove outstretched.

The ball slightly crossed the fence.

Song Seok-hyun also blinked his eyes.

“Huh? This is?”

The Okinawa bench also burst into hollow laughter instead of cheers.

“Ehhhh?”

“What is that?”

He lightly pushed it.

It was a clear fly ball that anyone could see.

The picture that everyone expected, where the right fielder would catch it comfortably and throw it, disappeared.

Everyone was wondering whether it would end with one out or whether they would get two outs here.

At that moment, the ball floating in the sky went over the fence with a thud, like a cat crossing a fence.

“Waaaaaaaaa.”