On The Rise As A Catcher [EN]: Chapter 261

Hwang Geun-seong, feeling the tense atmosphere on the bench, immediately snapped at the coaches.

“What the hell? Huh? I told you to stop him, but not a single one of you did? Are you just going to let that crazy bastard take over the bench?”

“…We apologize.”

He wanted to unleash a torrent of abuse on the coaches who had scattered before a single player, but the situation didn’t allow it.

Firstly, the players were present. Secondly, he couldn’t make things worse when he himself had run away. That was the second reason.

It was a minor incident, but the Wales manager and coaches were left looking ridiculous.

Kim In-hwan’s mere presence sent them scattering in all directions.

Kim In-hwan’s strength was well known, inspiring fear and worry, but there was no denying it was an embarrassing spectacle.

From this small incident, Hwang Geun-seong realized two things.

One, Kim In-hwan’s approach to the bench was a threat and a warning. Two, Ham Seong-hoon was even more insane than he thought.

To think he would use a player like a commando to charge the opposing bench.

Is he trying to start a war?

“That guy’s crazy.”

Hwang Geun-seong shuddered.

There’s no telling what will happen next.

Only then did Hwang Geun-seong’s spine tingle slightly.

A cornered rat can bite a cat.

And the GOAT [Greatest Of All Time, referring to Kim In-hwan] isn’t rat-sized.

No one knows what the GOAT, fueled by a five-game losing streak, will do next.

Surely the players wouldn’t attack the manager, but when someone is cornered, no one can predict their actions.

After one loss and five wins, it’s time to ease up.

“Let’s tone it down a bit since things have gotten too heated. Got it?”

[The tension was high for a while, but now it seems both teams are calming down.]

[These two teams haven’t exactly been friendly lately, have they? It’s a relief it ended like this.]

[Baseball is a sport for everyone, from children to the elderly, so we must not forget sportsmanship, right?]

[Of course. Bench clearing is a part of baseball culture, but if it gets too violent, fans will turn away. Keeping the fans happy is the number one rule of sports.]

As the game resumed, Lee Chang-hoon immediately gave up a hit.

No outs, runners on first and third.

Lee Chang-hoon ended the inning with a double play and a flyout, making it 1-0.

Bottom of the first. Seong Jong-hyun started for Wales.

Wales’ ace and the team’s biggest star.

Born and raised in Incheon, and becoming the ace of the Incheon team, he receives unwavering support in Wales.

Hwang Geun-seong thought that with Seong Jong-hyun as the starter, he could definitely compete without provoking the GOAT.

Until the game started.

Two outs, no runners.

The batter is Kim In-hwan.

At a full count, Seong Jong-hyun threw a curveball as his finisher.

For Kim In-hwan, who had adopted an upper swing this season, the curveball was the pitch he had been waiting for.

Thwack!

[It’s going, going, gone! It’s huge, it’s gone!]

As soon as it was hit, Seong Jong-hyun’s knees buckled.

[To left-center! It’s over! Kim In-hwan’s solo home run! Kim In-hwan blasts a solo home run over the fence! The score is 1-1. The GOAT answers immediately with a run!]

[He really got all of that one. Kim In-hwan really connected.]

Hwang Geun-seong groaned and watched Kim In-hwan round third base.

Kim In-hwan before fourth hitter Song Seok-hyun.

Kim In-hwan, who can’t be avoided, may be an even more fearsome hitter than Song Seok-hyun.

“…Hoo.”

Seong Jong-hyun, who gave up a home run, sighed.

Stepping into the batter’s box was fourth hitter Song Seok-hyun.

The strike zone looks small.

There’s nowhere to throw.

When Seong Jong-hyun chose an easy outside fastball as his first pitch, Song Seok-hyun responded with a full swing.

[To the left field wall~~~~!]

You don’t have to look to know.

Seong Jong-hyun hangs his head.

[It’s over! Back-to-back! The KS duo [Kim In-hwan and Song Seok-hyun] explodes once again! Once the batting lineup gets going, it can’t be stopped! This is the GOAT. This is the GOAT’s KS duo! The score is 2-1. Wales’ crown prince, Wales’ ace Seong Jong-hyun, can’t easily overcome the wall that is the KS duo.]

[The problem is, the GOAT’s batting lineup becomes even scarier once it catches fire. Yu Seon-ho and Kim Wook are waiting.]

Seong Jong-hyun caught Yu Seon-ho with a fly ball after a full count.

After a rough first inning, a nightmare began for Wales from the second inning onwards.

Four consecutive hits from Kim Wook, Choi Jae-wan, Jung Dong-gyu, and Jung Young-soo were followed by Lee Ji-sung’s bases-clearing double with no outs.

The pitching coach came out and encouraged Seong Jong-hyun, but he then walked Seol Jin-il with no outs.

Hwang Geun-seong immediately changed the pitcher.

He brought up Park Kyung-hyun, the strongest pitcher besides the setup and closer, to hold onto a thread of hope, but it was not enough to stop Kim In-hwan, who was on fire.

Thwack!

As soon as he hit the ball, Kim In-hwan’s bat flew into the sky.

A flashy bat flip.

The white ball didn’t seem to know how to come down from the sky.

[Grand slam! A grand slam has been hit!]

Hwang Geun-seong closed his eyes.

This is it.

This is the problem.

The GOAT’s batting lineup, which doesn’t know how to cool down once it catches fire.

To prevent this, he didn’t hesitate to provoke and test them, but after a brief lull, it quickly catches fire again.

If this is the case, there’s no choice.

Even if we lose today’s game, we have no choice but to start testing them again from tomorrow.

“Change the pitcher, to Jo Sang-hee.”

“Right now?”

“We can’t waste the bullpen on a useless game.”

Soaring as a Catcher

Everyone Just Plays Their Own Baseball (3)

After the game, at the Wales’ accommodation.

Manager Hwang Geun-seong was watching the game review.

On the TV screen, the game between the GOAT and Wales was shown as today’s highlights.

-Yes. If you look here, Kim In-hwan is running. So the Wales coaches were surprised and all ran away.

-Yes. They avoided him.

-Ah, yes. They avoided him. Kim In-hwan’s strength is recognized as the league’s number one, isn’t it? There’s a reason he’s called the Hulk. Kim In-hwan is famous for being kind and gentle, but you never know what might happen. If you really collide with him, you could get seriously hurt.

-Yes, yes. That’s right.

-Ah, this is coming out now too. Manager Hwang Geun-seong, who is usually dignified, couldn’t help but be flustered by Kim In-hwan’s rush. He runs away right away, doesn’t he?

-Yes. He avoided him.

-Hmm hmm. Yes. He avoided him. Anyway. Kim In-hwan’s sudden behavior is not really understandable. The first question is why he suddenly ran to the bench, and the second is why he turned around right after going to the bench, which is also not understandable.

-Well. He ran because he was angry, but maybe he turned around because there was no way to do anything?.

-Yes. That seems to be the most plausible explanation, but since Kim In-hwan is keeping his mouth shut, there’s no way to know.

-Yes. As the GOAT and Wales have emerged as the strongest rivals in the league recently, many baseball fans are paying attention and watching. If bench clearing happens so often and harsh words and actions are exchanged, it would be burdensome for the association, the clubs, the fans, and the players to simply dismiss it as a rivalry.

-The association made an announcement unusually quickly after the game. They said they would severely punish any disgraceful incidents or anything that would damage the honor and reputation of professional baseball in the future. It may be a slightly disappointing statement for GOAT fans, but if they fight every game, it will also damage the league’s image.

-The association’s handling of the matter is very quick. That means they were paying attention, right?

-Yes. The fact that last year’s number one team and popular team GOAT is involved, and the fact that baseball elder Hwang Geun-seong’s image has been tarnished by this incident-.

-Yes. I see. Then shall we watch the next video?

Hwang Geun-seong’s lips twitched.

Even when he changed to other channels, today’s highlight was the bench clearing between the GOAT and Wales.

The sports newspapers the next morning were even more spectacular.

[Hwang Geun-seong Flees! Kim In-hwan Chases!]

The front page, with Kim In-hwan and Hwang Geun-seong as the two main characters, made Hwang Geun-seong’s wrinkled hands tremble.

He skipped lunch and stayed indoors when a phone call came.

“Hello.”

-Hyung [Korean honorific for older brother or senior], it’s me.

The caller was a junior who was in charge of the game operations committee.

“…Yeah. What’s going on?”

-Hyung, you know why I’m calling, right?

“What are you talking about, calling me suddenly?”

-Hyung, the association is also a bit troubled. Why did you have to pick a fight with the GOAT?

“What?”

-Don’t you know they’re the most popular right now? And if Song Seok-hyun gets hurt, things will really blow up.

“Listen to this guy. Are you suddenly calling me to threaten me?”

-Ha, it’s not a threat. Just know that I stepped in to stop the president from saying something directly and made this call instead.

“……”

-Hyung, if you’re back after a long time, you should act a little more maturely. If you act even more harshly than you did when you were active, do you think the juniors will look kindly on the seniors? You know the public opinion too. They’re whispering that an old man took a young manager’s job.

“Hey, hey, do you see me as a pushover right now?”

-I’m telling you this because it’s me. You know there’s a lot of talk behind your back, right?

“Hey, baseball is supposed to be-.”

-Enough with the sermons. Don’t do anything that would embarrass the juniors. The line is clearly drawn. You know what I mean, right? Once you cross the line, it’s hard to come back. I’m really saying this because I’m worried. Hyung, if you’re back after a long time, show us some cool sides.

“Cool sides my ass! Are you trying to humiliate me right now!”

-Hyung, if you play baseball like you do these days, you’ll get cursed even if you win. In the old days, it was all about winning, but times have changed. You know what I mean, right?

“Okay, cut it, cut it.”

-Hyung, let’s have a drink sometime. I’ve blocked as much as I can, so I can’t help it next time. Got it?

Hwang Geun-seong threw the phone on the bed after the call ended.

Hwang Geun-seong, who had been closing his eyes for a while, muttered.

“I’ve been playing baseball like that all my life, and now?”

* * *

The second game of the weekday series against Wales.

After yesterday’s victory, more reporters flocked to the stadium.

Thanks to the attention of baseball fans due to the new rivalry and yesterday’s incident.

The GOAT’s starter is left-handed fireballer Han Min-seok, and Wales’ starter is also left-handed fireballer Gu In-seon.

Both players are fast but are known for their poor control, so an atmosphere like walking on thin ice continued from before the game started.

The first to take the mound was Han Min-seok.

Han Min-seok threw a high fastball close to the first batter from the start.

“Whoa, I almost died.”

Wales’ first batter, Lee Jae-hoon, stuck out his tongue.

A speed of 148 km/h [approximately 92 mph].

No one can guarantee what will happen if it hits you in the face.

The umpire immediately pointed at the pitcher with his finger and gave a warning.

Han Min-seok shrugged his shoulders once.

It meant it wasn’t intentional, but the next ball was also inside.

-Strike!

[Han Min-seok’s second ball is called a strike.]

[That ball went in well. The location was good.]

The third ball was also an inside fastball.

The batter only flinched and couldn’t swing the bat.

The fourth ball was a backdoor slider.

It was a looking strikeout.

“Ah, this is annoying.”

Lee Jae-hoon, who returned to the bench, sighed deeply.

Kim Jae-hong, who came out as the second batter, also struck out, and Choi Dae-gyu, who came out as the third batter, grounded out.

Hwang Geun-seong’s brow narrowed.

“Good job!”

Ham Seong-hoon gave Han Min-seok a thumbs up as he returned to the bench.

Han Min-seok also gave a thumbs up in response.

“Seok-hyun.”

Han Min-seok, who sat on the bench for a while, called Song Seok-hyun.

“Yes, senior.”

“Let’s stick with this concept today.”

“Are you going to keep throwing inside?”

“They’re scared over there. We have to actively use that.”

Song Seok-hyun rolled his eyes.

“Why? Are you worried?”

“If a beanball [a pitch thrown intentionally at the batter’s head] comes out this time, it’s going to be a real mess……”

“Just don’t hit them. We can throw well without hitting them.”

At this time, Lee Chang-hoon said.

“Are you pretending not to know exactly what Seok-hyun is worried about? He’s saying he doesn’t trust your control.”

“Why are you butting in from the side?”

“Don’t stick it too far inside. If a fight breaks out this time, it’s going to be really big.”

“I can not hit them, I’m telling you.”

“Oh, really?”

“Hey, my control is pretty good these days too, you know?”

“Yes, yes. I understand. But don’t put it in too deep. I recommend giving up one line on the inside, even if it means giving up a hit.”

Bottom of the 1st, the GOAT’s attack.

Wales’ starter is Gu In-seon.

Han Min-seok and Gu In-seon were the same age, left-handed, had fastballs and unstable control, and even had sliders as their finishers, but there were two major differences.

Han Min-seok’s third pitch was a changeup, and Gu In-seon’s third pitch was a forkball.

Han Min-seok’s changeup usage was low, but Gu In-seon was able to alternate between sliders and forkballs as his finishers depending on his condition, so he was skilled at forkballs.

Another difference was control.

While Han Min-seok increased his control by lowering his arm angle to a form close to sidearm, Gu In-seon was a little more orthodox overhand.

The difference in the two people’s pitching forms was a difference in style, but on a day like today, it led to contrasting results.

Clang!