On The Rise As A Catcher [EN]: Chapter 273

Astro Boys’ mercenary pitcher, Kent, hung his head low.

He was a pitcher who could hurl fastballs nearing 160 km/h [approximately 99 mph], but his control was lacking.

Most hitters in the domestic league would flail at pitches exceeding 150 km/h [about 93 mph], but for Kim In-hwan and Song Seok-hyeon, an erratically thrown 160 km/h fastball held no fear.

Having been seasoned early by Kim Young-hoon’s pitches, it was just another ordinary pitch to them.

“Ahem.”

Manager Jefferson suppressed a groan as he watched Song Seok-hyeon round the bases.

A textbook in-and-out swing.

He barely taps the ball, seemingly without effort, yet it sails effortlessly over the fence.

He doesn’t differentiate between fastballs and breaking balls.

He sees it, hits it, and sends it soaring.

That’s all there is to it.

The thought of facing Song Seok-hyeon in the postseason weighed heavily on his chest.

“A direct confrontation… might not be easy, would it?”

Hitting coach Dion cautiously offered his opinion to the manager.

Jefferson didn’t confirm or deny it, he simply groaned.

[Yoo Seon-ho gets a hit! A hit! A hit that rockets through center field!]

[Kim Wook’s hit slams against the fence! A shame it wasn’t a home run, but it’s enough to drive in a run. 4-0. The Goths are showcasing their offensive power right from the first inning.]

Bottom of the 1st, Astro Boys’ turn to bat.

The Goths’ pitcher is Mackenzie.

Mackenzie loosened his shoulders, awaiting the first batter.

[Mackenzie has successfully turned his season around in the second half. His ERA [Earned Run Average, a measure of pitching performance] for the last 5 games is 2.78. His performance was inconsistent from the start to the middle of the season, but it has steadily improved since the second half.]

[Originally, he was a pitcher who favored quick innings with fastballs, as expected from his bullpen background, but after adjusting his pitching form, he also changed his style. He started by slightly reducing his speed, but focusing on concealing the ball as much as possible during his delivery. Due to his height and high release point, left-handed hitters claim they can’t see the ball at all, and right-handed hitters say the ball seems to suddenly appear.]

[And he utilizes his curveball effectively too, right?]

[The curveball itself isn’t exceptional, but he employs a variety of curveballs, ranging from slow curves in the 100 km/h range [approx. 62 mph] to high-speed curves in the 130 km/h range [approx. 81 mph], making it difficult for hitters to time their swings. Especially the outside curve; it’s tempting to chase even when you anticipate it. That’s how precise his control is.]

[During my last interview with him, he mentioned changing his style based on Song Seok-hyeon’s recommendation. Song Seok-hyeon’s influence seems significant, impacting both offense and defense, as well as the overall team dynamic.]

[Isn’t Song Seok-hyeon an exceptionally intelligent and quick-thinking player? He’s the league’s best catcher and hitter, and he also has a keen understanding of pitching. He’s the ideal person to advise pitchers. Jung Jin-oh and Jung Cheon-woon have also benefited from Song Seok-hyeon’s advice, demonstrating the high level of trust he commands within the team.]

[Well, his performance speaks for itself.]

[Hahaha. That’s right. In professional sports, performance is everything.]

Meanwhile, Astro Boys’ leadoff hitter, Park Chan-hee, stepped into the batter’s box.

Mackenzie quickly gained the upper hand in the count, 1-2.

As Song Seok-hyeon positioned his mitt, Mackenzie’s pitch landed precisely in it.

Simultaneously, the batter’s bat swung through the air.

-Strike! Out!

[A swing and a miss strikeout with a high fastball! Park Chan-hee is the leadoff hitter, and he has hit 10 home runs this year, indicating good power, but Mackenzie challenged him aggressively with the high fastball.]

[He caught him off guard. Mackenzie has been relying on his curveball frequently lately, so the hitter likely anticipated a curveball as the finisher. He went the opposite direction.]

Astro’s following batters were Kim Hyung-nam and Kim Kyung-shim.

Both players had hit over 20 home runs and were enjoying career-best seasons, but they were both retired with routine groundouts.

The key to retiring the two players was the quick, high fastball.

Mackenzie finished the inning with just eight pitches and returned from the mound.

“Aren’t you being too aggressive?”

Mackenzie asked Song Seok-hyeon before heading back to the bench.

“Their hitting stance is higher than I anticipated. Until they adjust to target the high fastball, I think we can continue to exploit it.”

The 2nd inning remained scoreless for both sides.

But the 3rd inning unfolded differently.

When leadoff hitter Kim Jung-deok reached base after being hit by a pitch, second hitter Seol Jin-il executed a fake bunt and slash play.

The Astro’s 1st and 3rd basemen, who had become complacent due to the significant score difference, were caught off guard, and Seol Jin-il capitalized with a hit that sailed over the 3rd baseman’s head, placing runners on 1st and 3rd with no outs.

[With this, Kim In-hwan comes to the plate with runners on 1st and 3rd and no outs.]

[I’m curious to see if they’ll go head-to-head again here, or if they’ll intentionally walk him. I wonder what Astro will choose.]

Manager Jefferson pondered for a moment and signaled for a showdown.

However, he also signaled for inside pitches.

The signal was to aim for a double play, even if it meant conceding a home run.

Kent threw consecutive low inside pitches, but they were all too far inside.

3-0.

Ultimately, an intentional walk was issued, loading the bases with no outs.

“Hoo.”

Manager Jefferson repeatedly licked his dry lips.

In the batter’s box was Song Seok-hyeon.

Pitcher Kent also swallowed hard.

As expected, the bench signaled for inside pitches.

If they couldn’t avoid him, they would challenge him with their best pitch.

A fastball reaching 160 km/h [approx. 99 mph] on the inside corner would be a challenge for any hitter.

Whack!

-Strike!

Song Seok-hyeon watched the first pitch go by.

It was slightly outside, but the umpire called it a strike.

The next pitch was an outside slider.

A slider that dropped low.

It was a tempting pitch to induce a swing, but Song Seok-hyeon managed to connect with the ball.

[Left-center~~ It’s through! Song Seok-hyeon gets a hit! The runner from 3rd scores, the runner from 2nd scores! Even the runner from 1st base, Kim In-hwan, scores! A play at the plate! Safe at home! Safe! The batter-runner advances to 2nd. Stops at 2nd. A bases-clearing double! No home run this time, but he gets the RBIs [Runs Batted In]. Song Seok-hyeon is already over 140 RBIs. At this rate, a new RBI record is all but certain.]

[The game is tilting. It’s definitely tilting. This is what’s frightening about the Goths. Once they start scoring early, it often leads to a barrage of runs. When they establish an early lead like this, the opposing team tends to lose their fighting spirit and their morale plummets.]

[Ah, is the pitcher being replaced? Astro is making a pitching change. It’s only the 3rd inning, but they’re already pulling the pitcher. And it’s a foreign mercenary pitcher.]

[Even if you’re a pitcher who throws 160 km/h [approx. 99 mph], it won’t be effective against top-level hitters if you don’t have a reliable breaking ball. If your control isn’t precise, your breaking ball has to be dependable.]

On this day, the Astro Boys were soundly defeated 14-5.

Kim In-hwan hit his 58th home run, and Song Seok-hyeon set a new record with 148 RBIs.

The pride of the first-place team, Astro Boys, was tarnished.

The nickname of Astro Boys, “the artillery corps,” felt awkward in the face of the Goths’ KS [Kim and Song] line.

Astro Boys’ 4th hitter, Choi Jae-guk, reached the milestone of 40 home runs, but unfortunately, his opponents were Kim In-hwan and Song Seok-hyeon.

Even if you combine the home runs of Astro Boys’ 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 6th hitters, it doesn’t exceed the combined home run total of Kim In-hwan and Song Seok-hyeon.

From the second game onward, Manager Jefferson opted to avoid Kim In-hwan and Song Seok-hyeon, like other teams, but in the second game, Yoo Seon-ho and Kim Wook combined for 2 home runs and 9 RBIs, resulting in a crushing defeat of 16-2.

Before they knew it, they were tied for 1st place.

Manager Jefferson declared a state of emergency and announced that they would face each other head-on by mobilizing even the bullpen……

“What the…….”

He was speechless as he witnessed Kim In-hwan’s 60th home run and Song Seok-hyeon’s 55th home run.

A sweep.

The Goths swept the last 3 games against the 1st place Astro Boys and ascended to sole possession of 1st place.

The Astro Boys fell to 3rd place, and the Bulls settled in 2nd place.

4th place was the Jamsil [a district in Seoul] rival Wolves, 5th place was Scorpion, and 6th place was Phoenix.

* * *

“Congratulations!”

“Congratulations!”

After the 3-game series in Busan, Manager Ham Seong-hoon was constantly receiving congratulations.

“There are still 2 games left. We don’t know yet.”

“Come on, Manager. It’s just Phoenix. Unless we lose both games, we’re definitely in 1st place. Our head-to-head record against Astro is superior, so even if Astro wins both games, we’ll still take 1st place.”

“Still, it’s too early to be complacent. Kim Young-hoon is pitching.”

“Even if we lose that one, we’re still safe. Do you think they can beat us?”

The other coaches laughed heartily.

“Congratulations. Let’s go straight to 1st place.”

“Let’s win the Korean Series [championship series] easily this time.”

The Goths’ remaining schedule consisted of just two games.

And that was a 2-game series against Phoenix in Jamsil.

The first game was expected to be challenging as Kim Young-hoon was scheduled to start, but no one doubted the Goths’ advancement to the Korean Series.

The Goths’ recent offensive performance solidified this belief.

Even excluding the KS duo, Kim In-hwan and Song Seok-hyeon.

Center fielder Kim Jung-deok OPS [On-Base Plus Slugging, a comprehensive hitting statistic] 0.912.

Right fielder Seol Jin-il OPS 0.865.

1st baseman Yoo Seon-ho OPS 0.952.

3rd baseman Kim Wook OPS 0.869.

2nd baseman Jung Dong-gyu OPS 0.781.

Shortstop Jung Young-soo OPS 0.685.

Except for the 2nd baseman and shortstop, everyone boasted career-best offensive numbers, with an OPS of over 0.8.

Not only was the firepower of the core hitters formidable, but the table setters [players who bat at the top of the lineup] and veterans were also achieving peak results, so even if one or two players were in a slump, the other hitters were compensating by performing at an even higher level.

It was a hitting-heavy league, but the Goths’ offensive prowess was on a different level from other teams, a fact that couldn’t be concealed even if they tried.

It wasn’t just the coaches who were excited, but the players as well.

Direct entry to the Korean Series.

The players were thrilled about their offensive capabilities, which were twice as potent as the previous year.

“Korean Series, here we come!”

Success as a Catcher

Good bye (1)

Monday evening.

A man in a training suit jogged along the Gapcheon stream.

It was a fall evening, and despite the early hour, few people were out.

“Hoo. Hoo.”

The man ran, his gaze fixed ahead on the worn asphalt path.

The yellowish-orange streetlights illuminated the darkness that crept below his knees.

-Woo Woong. Woo Woong. Woo Woong.

The man stopped running after checking the caller ID.

“Hello.”

The lights reflecting off the stream illuminated the face of the man as he removed his hat.

The man catching his breath was Kim Young-hoon.

-Hello? Where are you? You sound winded. Are you working out?

The caller was Phoenix’s general manager and Kim Young-hoon’s friend, Kim Si-yoon.

“I’m just doing some running. Enjoying the autumn breeze for the first time in a while.”

-The autumn breeze is chilly these days. You’re pitching tomorrow; you should be taking care of your body. Where are you going?

“I’m taking care of my body precisely because I’m pitching tomorrow. Why are you nagging me?”

-What I mean is… Do it at the gym, at the gym. Don’t catch a cold from the cold wind.

“I appreciate your concern, but I hardly think it’s likely I’ll catch a fall cold given my size and muscles, don’t you think?”

-Players are assets, assets. They’re precious treasures of the team.

“That treasure is about to become obsolete, right? The expiration date is almost here, so there’s no need to cherish it so much. That’s just a waste.”

-……Do you really have to put it that way?

Kim Young-hoon unzipped his training jacket.

A sweat-soaked T-shirt was visible through the opening.

“Ahem. Anyway. Are you calling because you’re worried about me catching a cold?”

-I’m just calling because I’m concerned. Tomorrow’s game might be the last game you ever play.

“Well…… there’s a high probability of that, right? The game after tomorrow is Gwangwoo, so the probability of playing in the fall baseball is about…… 30%?”

-You’re being generous.

“You have to leave some room for dreams and hopes. If it wasn’t for the Goths, I would have given it more than 40%.”

-It’s so ironic. The last game of the season is against the Goths. The red-hot Goths these days.

“I know. I guess this is fate. A stern warning from the baseball god to stop feeling sorry for myself and retire gracefully?”

-That’s not funny.

“Ha, I’m sorry. I’m not that funny of a person.”

-I know that.

“Still, shouldn’t friends say something like, ‘You’re funny, you’re funny’ at times like this?”

-Because we’re friends, we have to be honest, even more so.

“Ah~ That’s no fun. You’re a boring type too. You know that, right?”

-If I look the way I do, I don’t need to be funny. Men are eager to make me laugh, you know?

“……Okay, okay. That’s great. They say a beautiful woman passes three high-level exams, but you’re beautiful and rich, so you’ve passed nine high-level exams. That’s great for you. You suddenly called to make fun of me. Okay, okay. I’m going to hang up if you don’t have anything else to say. I have to keep running. If I rest here any longer, my momentum will be broken, and it will be even harder to start again.”

-What. Are you really going to hang up?

“Yeah. I don’t have time to listen to your boasting.”

-No, I wasn’t trying to brag. I was just trying to ease your tension…….

“Okay, okay. All the tension is gone. Okay? Let’s hang up if you don’t have anything else to say. Do you have anything to say?”

-…….

“You don’t have anything to say. Then let’s hang up. We’re going to see each other tomorrow anyway. If it’s not urgent, let’s talk tomorrow. Okay?”

-……Okay. Sorry for interrupting your workout. Keep at it.”

Kim Si-yoon hung up after saying that.

Kim Young-hoon put his cell phone back in his pocket.

“How bland.”

Kim Young-hoon zipped up his jacket and started sprinting again.

* * *

“…….”

Kim Si-yoon hung her head after ending the call.

Kim Si-yoon was standing in a Korean restaurant decorated in the style of a traditional Korean house.

Kim Si-yoon leaned against the wall and sighed deeply, her expression somber.

How much time had passed?

A burly man approached Kim Si-yoon.

“What are you doing here?”

“Ah, oppa [older brother, used by females],”

The person who spoke to Kim Si-yoon was the president of CK Chemical, the parent company of Phoenix, the son of CK’s chairman, and Kim Si-yoon’s cousin.

“I came to find my cousin, who said she was going to the bathroom and then disappeared.”

“Sorry. I’ll go back in now.”

As Kim Si-yoon moved towards the restaurant, her cousin asked.

“Do you hate it that much? Relinquishing control of the baseball team?”