On The Rise As A Catcher [EN]: Chapter 259

Even with Yoo Seon-ho’s encouragement, the players could only respond weakly.

In the bottom of the 5th inning, Hong Dae-sung allowed one hit but still maintained a scoreless game.

Both teams continued their scoreless streak until the 7th inning.

Kim Young-hoon pitched a near-perfect game, not allowing a single walk, let alone a hit.

The game’s turning point arrived in the top of the 8th inning.

*Thwack!*

With a crisp sound, Song Seok-hyun’s bat sent Kim Young-hoon’s splitter [a type of fastball with a sudden downward break] flying.

The batted ball shot like a bullet towards second base, slicing through the second baseman’s defense.

“Ah!”

“He connected!”

“Does he have no sense? Why would he swing at that?”

Phoenix fans grumbled as the perfect game was shattered.

Gote fans applauded as if they had just witnessed a home run.

Kim Young-hoon adjusted his cap and smirked.

“The world is wide, so wide.”

Despite allowing a hit, Kim Young-hoon’s pitching remained relentless.

After throwing two strikes, he aimed for a strikeout against Yoo Seon-ho with an outside curveball.

“Hmm.”

The moment he released the ball, one of Kim Young-hoon’s eyebrows twitched.

The curve had a sharp break but hung too high in the zone.

*Thwack!*

As Yoo Seon-ho connected, the ball rocketed through left-center field.

[Hit! Hit! Song Seok-hyun advances to second and then to third! Third! He’s heading home! Home! Home! Home! He’s safe! Safe! 1-0! 1-0! The scoreless game is broken in an instant!]

[A pitcher is only human; mistakes are bound to happen. That curveball was a bit too high, and he capitalized. As expected, veterans are different. They know how to seize opportunities.]

[The perfect streak ends here.]

Kim Young-hoon glanced at his right arm and then turned his gaze toward the bench.

He pointed to his glove, signaling for a change, and the coach brought out a new one.

[Ah, Kim Young-hoon is switching his glove. Does this mean he’s considering pitching with his left hand?]

[It seems he intends to finish the game today. He gave up a run, but he’s determined not to give up any more, that’s what he’s saying.]

Song Seok-hyun returned to the bench and high-fived his teammates.

The players cheered loudly, as if they had just won the Korean Series.

“We can do this! Kim Young-hoon is human, too!”

Song Seok-hyun shouted, trying to boost the team’s confidence.

Even though it was just one run, taking it from the seemingly invincible Kim Young-hoon felt like a major victory.

But the joy was short-lived.

-Strike! Out!

-Strike! Out!

-Strike! Out!

Three consecutive strikeouts.

The last fastball registered 164km/h [approximately 102 mph] on the scoreboard.

Song Seok-hyun, who had been so excited that his face was flushed, now sat slumped on the bench with a gloomy expression.

“It’s like facing a mountain range. Ha.”

Ham Seong-hoon shook his head.

They say no player is bigger than the team?

That’s probably something you can only say if you haven’t seen a player who truly transcends the team.

Kim Young-hoon completed the entire game, pitching all nine innings and coming off the mound with a final score of 1 run allowed and 18 strikeouts.

His performance was a complete game loss, a testament to the team’s offensive struggles.

Hong Dae-sung secured a shutout victory at the end of the 9th inning after throwing 111 pitches.

“Ugh, I won!”

Hong Dae-sung raised both arms and shouted as soon as the game ended, celebrating as if to rub it in Kim Young-hoon’s face, but Kim Young-hoon had already left the bench.

“Sigh.”

In the hallway behind the stadium, Kim Young-hoon was gingerly touching his elbow.

“Still hurting?”

“Oh, hyung [older brother or close male friend].”

Kyung Soo-in had approached and gently took Kim Young-hoon’s arm.

“It’s not completely healed, is it?”

“…Injuries are like that. They rarely heal completely.”

“Shouldn’t you rest more?”

“Even if I rest more, it won’t get any better. I just have to manage it carefully.”

“Sigh, a guy who could easily pitch for another ten years.”

“Don’t worry. I’ll definitely pitch until the end of this season.”

“What about next season?”

Kim Young-hoon gave a bitter smile.

“Who knows? If the intermittent pain becomes more frequent, there’s nothing I can do.”

“Ha.”

Kyung Soo-in closed his eyes.

Miracles often come at a great price.

“You worked hard today. I’m sorry.”

“It’s not like our Phoenix hasn’t struggled to score before.”

“Ah, geez. Are you trying to twist the knife?”

“If you play on this team, you have to accept it.”

After the game,

Song Seok-hyun returned to the dorm, showered, and lay down.

After finishing a video call with Kim Na-young, he closed his eyes again.

“…….”

Fastball max speed 164km/h.

He’s too good to be playing in Korea.

Throwing with his right hand is almost like a casual game for him.

If he decided to pitch exclusively with his left hand, no one in the league would be able to hit him.

Of course, Song Seok-hyun wasn’t confident he could hit him either.

That kind of speed is rare even in the major leagues, and he commands it with precision.

He managed to get a hit and even score, but he couldn’t fall asleep easily.

Restless, Song Seok-hyun went outside.

As he waited for the elevator, someone tapped him on the back.

“Oh, hyung.”

“Where are you headed?”

It was Jung Cheon-woon who had tapped Song Seok-hyun on the back.

“Ah. Just, you know, can’t sleep, so I’m going for a walk. What about you, hyung?”

“Me? Just the same… Should we walk together?”

The two bought a drink each at the convenience store and walked aimlessly.

When they felt they had walked quite a distance, Jung Cheon-woon spoke up.

“I guess it’s impossible for me to ever become like Kim Young-hoon, no matter what I do, huh?”

Song Seok-hyun paused for a moment before answering.

“Well, yeah. That’s probably true.”

“Because my speed and control aren’t that great.”

“Kim Young-hoon is one of a kind.”

“I had a lot of thoughts while watching him today. If I can’t overpower the batter with my pitches, then the only answer is to let them hit it.”

“Um? Hyung, you’ve always been good at pitching to contact.”

“It’s not like I intentionally pitched to contact from the beginning; it just happened that way as I pitched.”

“Is there a difference?”

“There is, you idiot. I get greedy when I’m in the starting rotation. In the bullpen, I just throw as hard as I can, and if it doesn’t work, I’m done, but it’s not like that for a starter, right? I have to manage my stamina and try to pitch deeper into the game. There’s a lot to think about. That’s why things get more complicated.”

“Hmm. Is that so…?”

“But after seeing Kim Young-hoon’s pitching today, I think my mindset is changing.”

“Changing? How?”

“I can’t throw like that guy, right? My pitches aren’t good enough to dominate the batter either. I think it’s better to just throw it and let them hit it. Instead of overthinking and worrying, I’ll save my stamina, clear my head, and just focus on getting them to make contact.”

“What? Isn’t that what you’ve always done? Hyung, you’ve always been good at pitching to contact.”

“I’m a starter, a starter. I tried to do better because I’m a starter, but after seeing Kim Young-hoon’s pitch, I just gave up on trying to be something I’m not.”

Song Seok-hyun tilted his head.

“Um… is that a good thing?”

“Letting go of greed is the hardest thing, but I’ve let go of greed, so it’s a good thing. To be exact, I’ve accepted my limitations.”

At the word “limitations,” Song Seok-hyun scratched his nose.

Accepting one’s limitations is never easy.

Especially for Jung Cheon-woon, who is still a relatively inexperienced rookie.

“So, that’s what I’m saying. Hyung, you’re starting tomorrow, right? You know that?”

“Yeah. I know.”

“Hyung might get roughed up tomorrow, so you have to score some runs. That way, I can pitch with peace of mind.”

“What? Everyone’s asking me to score runs. It’s not easy.”

“Dude, I was just joking, don’t be so serious.”

Jung Cheon-woon playfully slapped Song Seok-hyun on the shoulder.

“Let’s head back. We need to get some sleep so we can wake up early.”

Succeeding as a Catcher

Everyone Just Plays Their Own Baseball (1)

The next day, Jung Cheon-woon pitched six innings, allowing three runs – a quality start [a start where a pitcher pitches at least six innings and allows three or fewer earned runs]. He came down from the mound.

More noticeable than the three runs allowed were the nine hits and one walk he surrendered.

Gote shook off the previous day’s narrow victory and won 7-2.

After the game, pitching coach Yeon Woo-shik called Jung Cheon-woon aside.

“Your pitches looked good today, didn’t they?”

“Thank you.”

“Yeah. You need to pitch aggressively like that. Your best asset is the ‘dirty’ finish on your pitches [pitches with late movement that are difficult to hit], but that strength was fading because you were too focused on control. You know it well, but no pitcher can consistently hit the outside corner every time. You shouldn’t intentionally throw mistakes, but throwing strikes with the *intention* of inducing weak contact is where you excel. Like today.”

Yeon Woo-shik patted Jung Cheon-woon on the shoulder.

“Good job. You’re doing so well; why were you hesitating so much until now?”

Jung Cheon-woon scratched the bridge of his nose.

“Because I was greedy.”

“What greed? Greed for results?”

“Results are part of it… um…”

Jung Cheon-woon hesitated.

“I know I’m a bit lacking to be a top-tier starter. Even last year, they said I was the best ‘fifth starter,’ but that’s just another way of saying I’m a fifth starter. Just someone who can fill in when there’s a gap in the rotation, right?”

“Hey… come on. Why are you overthinking this?”

“It’s the pros; you’re evaluated based on your skills. I understand that. That’s why I wanted to do better. I really wanted to make the most of this chance to start.”

Yeon Woo-shik nodded.

“Yeah. A player has to have that kind of ambition.”

“But I realized something after watching yesterday’s game. You can’t always get what you want, and you can’t become everything you want to be. Everyone has inherent strengths and weaknesses. You can compensate to some extent with training, but you can’t change your fundamental nature. It’s not like I can throw 150km/h [approximately 93 mph], and it’s not like people say I have pinpoint control like Chang-hoon hyung, so what can I do? I have to focus on what I *can* do.”

“Haha.”

Yeon Woo-shik put his arm around Jung Cheon-woon’s shoulder.

“You have a great finish on your pitches, but you also have another great advantage that others don’t.”

“Me? What advantage could a pitcher who doesn’t have overpowering stuff possibly have?”

“When evaluating a batter, they talk about a ‘five-tool player,’ right? They judge based on five things: power, accuracy, speed, throwing arm, and fielding ability. There’s no equivalent, precisely defined system for pitchers, but I also judge based on five things: speed, control, pitch quality, stamina, and mentality.”

Yeon Woo-shik spread out five fingers.

“When people look at pitchers, they focus on speed the most, followed by control and pitch quality. Next is stamina – how many innings can you handle? But what’s often overlooked at the pro level is the pitcher’s mentality. Mentality is important in any sport, but pitching is the most precise and demanding task in all of sports. Even if you bring in the best pitcher in the world, no one can throw the ball in exactly the same spot twice. That means pitching can change with even the slightest variation. But if your mentality is weak? Then even if you have speed, control, pitch quality, and stamina, you can never reach your full potential as a pitcher.”

“It’s not like you can become a great pitcher just because you have a strong mentality.”

Yeon Woo-shik wrapped his arm around Jung Cheon-woon’s neck.

“Of course not. It means that mentality has to *support* the other attributes. A pitcher can only succeed to the extent that their mentality allows. Mentality is the foundation, the first floor. The first floor has to be wide and solid for the second and third floors to be stable. You have a very well-built foundation. It’s rare to see a guy who recognizes that as quickly as you do at your age. There are a lot of guys who throw hard, but it’s rare to see a guy who is self-aware. There are tons of guys who never figure it out until they retire. Most of them say, ‘Ah, I could have done more; why didn’t they give me a chance?’ They’re not self-aware. But you are.”

Yeon Woo-shik released Jung Cheon-woon’s neck.

“It’s not easy to improve speed or control significantly, but if you keep working at it, something will improve, right? Keep pitching like you did today. Even if you give up a hit, stick to your approach. It’s not good to be stubborn, but players have to have their own identity. Bland guys disappear without a trace.”

The next day, they won 5-3 thanks to McKinsey’s solid pitching.

McKinsey allowed seven hits but only issued two walks, recording seven innings and allowing three runs.

The three-game series against Phoenix ended in a sweep for Gote.

A sweep was something to celebrate, but they couldn’t afford to be complacent.

The next three-game series was against Wales.

This season, they had lost five consecutive games against Wales after winning the first one, putting the players and even the fans on edge.

On the day of the game,

Ham Seong-hoon even received a call from the chairman in the manager’s office.

-Are you really confident?

“Of course. I’ve prepared something special this time.”

-If those guys try anything underhanded again, crush them completely. If there’s any trouble, I’ll assign the best lawyers to you, so don’t worry.”

“Thank you for your support.”

-Anyway. You know that a sweep this time… is unacceptable, right?

“…Yes. Haha. Of course.”

Ham Seong-hoon sighed deeply after hanging up the phone.

The coaches immediately asked when they saw his expression.

“What did the chairman say?”

“Is he going to fire everyone if we lose again this time?”

“Is the chairman really angry?”

Ham Seong-hoon raised his hand.

“Everyone, calm down. The chairman called because he’s concerned, but there’s nothing to worry about.”

The quiet battery coach spoke up.

“Isn’t the fact that the chairman called in the first place something to worry about?”

“…Well, that’s true.”

Ham Seong-hoon shrugged his shoulders.

“I’ve prepared something too, so this three-game series won’t be easy for them.”