On The Rise As A Catcher [EN]: Chapter 262

-Ball. High.

When Koo In-sun threw two consecutive fastballs inside to lead-off hitter Lee Ji-sung, the umpire took off his mask and warned Koo In-sun.

It was meant as a caution, but Hwang Geun-sung immediately jumped out of the dugout.

“Why are you giving a warning when the batter wasn’t even touched? Are you putting pressure on the pitcher?”

The umpire calmly responded to Hwang Geun-sung’s protest.

“I’m warning both teams to be careful.”

“You didn’t warn Goat that much, did you? Are you discriminating or what?”

“It’s not discrimination.”

The umpire took a deep breath.

“Han Min-seok’s pitches tend to miss to the left and right, while Koo In-sun’s pitches tend to miss up and down, but they’re coming in the same course. If they come in the same course, Koo In-sun’s intention is more obvious. I’m giving a warning considering that.”

“What kind of nonsense is that…….”

The umpire narrowed one eye.

“Nonsense, you say?”

The coach quickly stepped between the umpire and the manager, sensing the unusual atmosphere.

“Anyway, we’ll be careful.”

Hwang Geun-sung didn’t protest further and returned to the dugout.

The umpire clicked his tongue and put his mask back on.

As the game resumed, Koo In-sun threw a fastball to the outside.

The broadcast camera showed the ball crossing the line in the strike zone.

-Ball. Outside.

Both the pitcher and catcher couldn’t hide their disappointment.

When Hwang Geun-sung tried to come out again, the umpire shook his head.

The coach cautiously said to Hwang Geun-sung.

“I… I don’t think we should provoke the umpire.”

Hwang Geun-sung fumed but didn’t leave the dugout.

As Koo In-sun’s ambiguous pitches were called balls in succession, the bases were quickly loaded.

With one out and the bases loaded, Yoo Sun-ho stepped up to bat.

Koo In-sun was strong against left-handed hitters, but the forkball he threw in a 3-1 count went past the catcher, making the score 1-0.

The next batter, Kim Wook, hit a bases-clearing double that pierced through left-center field.

“…….”

Hwang Geun-sung stared at the field with a very displeased look.

Koo In-sun was already a pitcher with not-so-great control.

As the umpire’s zone tightened, Koo In-sun had no choice but to walk batters in succession.

It was the opposite during Goat’s defense.

Han Min-seok frequently mixed in inside fastballs, pushing the Wales batters off the plate.

Han Min-seok’s inside pitches were often balls, but his outside fastballs were consistently strikes.

[It’s too far. It’s too far for the hitters, that course.]

[It seems like the Wales batters can’t get a good feel today. Their bats can’t keep up with the fastball timing.]

[Han Min-seok’s pitching form is fiercer for left-handed hitters, but it’s actually a boon for right-handed hitters. The more the breaking ball curves to the side, the better the ball will be seen by right-handed hitters. But it’s the opposite now.]

[Why is that?]

[Han Min-seok isn’t afraid to throw inside, so right-handed hitters see the ball getting closer and closer, right? Normally, they’d say, ‘Thank you,’ and swing, but they’re afraid of how much deeper that ball will come in. He’s also mixing in sliders now, so if they think it’s a fastball and swing, but it’s a beanball (a pitch thrown at the batter’s head). If you get hit by a beanball from Han Min-seok, it’ll last a long time. He’s also known for having an unusually heavy ball.]

Intimidate with inside pitches and get ahead in the count with outside pitches.

It was a textbook combination, but it worked so well.

Han Min-seok’s tricky pitching form, pitch types, and velocity were a headache for the batters.

Even if Wales wanted to respond in kind, Koo In-sun would get called a ball even if the pitch was only slightly off the strike zone, so there was no need to predict the game’s flow.

Koo In-sun was taken out of the game in the 4th inning after giving up 5 runs.

Han Min-seok came down from the mound after pitching 7.1 innings and giving up 4 runs.

The score at this time was 8-4.

Once Hwang Geun-sung’s hands and feet were tied, it was a battle of skill from then on.

The starters, defense, and bullpen were all similar, but Goat was a step or two ahead in the core lineup.

The second game of the series ended 12-5.

The third game of the series ended 18-3.

With such a huge score difference, Wales fans started leaving early.

The team they met after the 3-game sweep was the Busan Astro Boys.

Goat finished the game with a winning series and returned to a winning streak for the first time in a while.

But this was just the beginning…….

Thriving as a Catcher

Burning Bat (1)

Sunday, June 1st. The last game of the weekend 3-game series.

Goat’s away game was coming to an end in Incheon.

The numbers on the scoreboard read 7-1.

They had just finished the 8th inning and were entering the 9th.

[If Wales loses today, it’s a sweep. It’s already their second sweep.]

[It’s clear that in April and May, there was a lot of talk about Wales taking the upper hand against Goat, but now all that talk has disappeared. Wales’ advantage, the pitching mound, has collapsed, leaving them helpless.]

[I think it’s also a big problem that Choi Dae-gyu and Kang Moon-gyu, whom they put forward this season to aim for the championship, have both left the team.]

[On top of that, Kim Jae-hong has been slumping recently, completely collapsing the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th hitters, so it’s a difficult situation even if Hwata came. Manager Hwang Geun-sung is trying to solve the lineup’s difficulties through the bullpen, but that has already reached its limit. Five of the top 10 in the bullpen overuse index are Wales players. If you expand it to the top 20, there are more than ten.]

[Even Wales, whose strength is the bullpen, can’t do anything about frequent appearances.]

[Wales forced a big deal last year, giving up four pitchers to Goat, right? At the time, it was evaluated that all of them except Jung Hong-min were not immediately ready to contribute, so it was said that Wales had a great trade, but if you look at those players, they are all young and had potential. Wales is even bringing in pitchers who are doing relatively well in the minor leagues, so it will be painful for Wales to have given up as many as four pitchers.]

The game ended with Seol Jin-il and Kim In-hwan’s back-to-back home runs and Jung Jin-oh’s appearance.

Final score 11-1.

Manager Hwang Geun-sung left the dugout before the game even ended.

“Thank you for your hard work!”

“Good job. You’ve worked hard.”

After the game, the Goat players packed their bags and left Incheon.

The players who returned to Seoul left the bus one by one, listening to the coaches’ nagging.

“Don’t play too hard just because it’s a holiday tomorrow, okay?”

“The best thing to do on a day off is to rest well. Got it?”

“Let’s not make trouble, trouble.”

Kim Wook smacked his lips, watching the players quickly disperse.

Yoo Sun-ho put his arm around Kim Wook’s shoulder and asked.

“Why? Why do you look like that?”

“I’m bored. Goat is so boring. I think it’s even more boring than when I was in Wales.”

“You rascal. Why? Are you dying of boredom because you can’t play? Are you dying to hang out with women?”

“I’m past the age of hanging out with women. I just want to have a simple beer, but the kids are all running home, so I can’t grab anyone and say anything.”

Yoo Sun-ho laughed heartily.

“Why, isn’t it good? Work out when you work out, rest when you rest. Isn’t that exactly your style?”

“Still, it’s my pleasure to finish the week with a beer and some dried fish on Sundays.”

“Things have changed a lot here too. The kids who caused trouble last year are all gone, so the water’s being changed, and they usually just talk over coffee and don’t drink much.”

“Anyone who hears that would think I’m a drunkard. I don’t drink much during the season either. It’s just the pleasure of having a simple beer and chicken while chatting.”

“Still, it’s a complete transformation. Goat used to go to rooms [private karaoke bars] and drink all the time, changing women every day, but it’s completely changed.”

“Goat was amazing. Everyone was so envious, saying that even if you only played in the minor leagues in Goat, dating a celebrity was a piece of cake.”

“There were so many chairmen who wanted to buy us drinks.”

“It’s gotten a lot better these days because of Jung-ryul.”

“Because there’s Jung-ryul among the pitchers and me among the hitters, the discipline is in place.”

Kim Wook snorted.

“Oh, that self-praise. Isn’t it thanks to Seok-hyun and In-hwan?”

“What do those young kids know?”

“They’re all playing G-rated because they’re following Jung-ryul, so everyone’s being careful. If those two decided to play, would I have any say as their older brother?”

“It’s also thanks to me that I’m guiding them so well on the right path, thanks.”

“Yes, yes. You have merit. Oh, well. I’m going home to see my rabbit-like wife and fox-like daughter.”

“Isn’t that the opposite? A fox-like wife and a rabbit-like daughter.”

“In my house, what I say is right, okay?”

After Kim Wook left, Yoo Sun-ho smacked his lips.

“So, there’s no one to play with.”

* * *

As soon as Song Seok-hyun got home, he took a shower.

After washing thoroughly to the tips of his fingernails, he put his ear to Kim Na-young’s belly.

“Hello. Daddy’s here. Were you playing well?”

Kim Na-young stroked Song Seok-hyun’s hair.

“You’ve worked hard. You did well today too, a 3-hit game.”

“Is your body very heavy?”

“It’s okay. Maybe it’s because I’m still young. The older sisters’ hands and feet swell and they have a hard time, but I’m still okay.”

“That’s a relief. Hehe. Are you all packed?”

“There’s nothing to pack. Mom’s coming tomorrow to do it for me.”

“Really? Your mother is going through a lot.”

Kim Na-young said with a worried expression.

“But will it be okay if I leave home and go to my parents’ house?”

“I’m away a lot anyway. Stay there for a while. I’ll commute there from now on.”

“You need to rest too. The commute will take even more time.”

“You worry about everything.”

“Sigh, I’m worried. You have to keep up your performance to be selected for the Asian Games this year.”

“Isn’t that the least of our worries?”

Kim Na-young blinked a few times at Song Seok-hyun’s words.

“……You’re not wrong.”

“You just focus on taking care of yourself. Okay?”

“Okay. You’re going to be a dad now, so take care of yourself too.”

“Of course, of course. Hehe.”

* * *

The next day, Song Seok-hyun packed his bags and took Kim Na-young to her parents’ house.

After having lunch together, he met Jung Mi-nam and Kim Young-seok in the afternoon.

“How’s school life going?”

At Song Seok-hyun’s question, the two shook their heads.

“It’s harder than I thought. Why are there so many things to memorize?”

Song Seok-hyun laughed loudly at Jung Mi-nam’s complaint.

“I know, why suddenly go to university when you could just inherit the store and run it well.”

“Don’t I have to enjoy campus life too?”

“So, did you enjoy it a bit?”

Jung Mi-nam shrugged his shoulders.

“I’ve been on blind dates and group dates. I’m satisfied with my life these days.”

“What about you, Young-seok?”

“I’m good too. My parents nag me a lot, but I’m trying to get a job quickly and get out. Mi-nam is already trying to get me to live with him.”

“Living together…… Well, that’s romantic too.”

“You got married and pregnant without any intermediate steps, so you’ll never experience it in your life, right?”

“It sounds like you want me to regret it.”

“Never mind. Hehe. The due date is coming up soon, right?”

“Yeah. Sigh, I’m a little nervous these days. I can’t focus on the game either.”

Jung Mi-nam said.

“You need to keep your head straight too. Goat’s performance is so-so these days. Your performance is so-so too. Your OPS [On-Base Plus Slugging] is high, but you have few home runs or hits.”

“Hey. What can I do if they keep avoiding me? But the older guys in front and behind me are doing well. I’m the connecting link, the connecting link.”

“Can the 4th hitter be the connecting link?”

“You’ll fail if you’re greedy, man. I can’t swing unless the opponent puts up a fight, right?”

Kim Young-seok said.

“Then you’ll swing your bat tomorrow too.”

“Tomorrow? Oh, we’re playing Astro tomorrow.”

“Astro is hot these days.”

“Tomorrow will be fun. Aren’t they a team that puts up a fight? The viewership will explode. Busan vs. Seoul, the two most popular teams are playing, so what is this.”

Jung Mi-nam said.

“Hit a home run tomorrow. I’ll be looking forward to it.”

Song Seok-hyun didn’t refuse.

“I’m going for a full swing tomorrow too. It’s fun these days, Astro Boys.”

* * *

Tuesday, Jamsil Stadium.

The Seoul Goat vs. Busan Astro Boys’ mid-week 3rd game.

The battle between the Astro Boys, who recently rose to first place and are enjoying the highest popularity, and the Goat, the first-place team last year, has reached its peak of interest, regardless of the media or fans.

After Goat’s first place last year, there was a widespread rumor that it was Busan’s turn now.

Goat, aiming for a dynasty, and Astro Boys, wanting to resolve their 20-year-old dream of winning.

The two teams had many similarities.

The starting lineup’s performance was in the middle of the league, but the lineup alone competed for 1st and 2nd place without anyone going first.

In addition to the strong bullpen.

It was also similar that the teams, which competed for 1st and 2nd place in terms of stadium size in the league, also competed for 1st and 2nd place in home runs.

Mid-week 1st game.

Top of the 1st inning.

Goat put up McKinsey and finished the inning with no runs in 7 pitches.

Although it was 7 pitches, McKinsey allowed 2 hits.

“Astro is amazing. If it’s similar from the first pitch, they just swing it.”

The hitting coach clicked his tongue.

“It seems like they’re going more aggressively as the season progresses.”

“The game will end quickly if this happens.”

“The kids are all full swing.”

The coaches added a word each.

Ham Seong-hoon narrowed his eyes.

“It might be difficult today.”