On The Rise As A Catcher [EN]: Chapter 277

Kim Young-hoon tilted his head, puzzled.

Kang Young-ho drew a walk after a full count.

A walk against Ace Fish after throwing ten pitches.

Fish muttered to himself, his face flushed.

[If this happens, there will be runners on first and second with no outs. As long as they avoid a double play, the Phoenix will be in a good position.]

[That’s the hard part. If you try to avoid a double play, you’re more likely to hit into one.]

The second batter is Kim Jin-pil.

He was a hitter who didn’t use a stride when hitting, like cleanup hitter Kyung Soo-in.

Although he didn’t put as much power into it as Kyung Soo-in, he had improved remarkably, recording a .300 batting average and a .400 on-base percentage this year.

[Kim Jin-pil is crowding the plate. What does that mean?]

[If he does that, it’ll be difficult to hit inside pitches. Right now, the opponent is aiming for a double play. The probability of an inside pitch is high. He should move back from the plate a bit.]

Fish scoffed, looking dumbfounded.

As if determined, he threw an inside pitch, and Kim Jin-pil pulled away.

Clang!

With a light sound, the ball flew backward.

– Foul.

Fish threw another inside pitch.

– Foul.

This time, he threw an outside fastball, then a changeup.

Kim Jin-pil staggered but managed to hold back.

The following curve almost missed, but Song Seok-hyun caught it.

[2-2. Kim Jin-pil is putting up a persistent fight.]

Fish frowned.

This time, an inside high fastball.

The decisive pitch, packed with power, was a ball.

Full count.

Fish threw an inside fastball as the decisive pitch.

[Walk! It’s a walk. Bases loaded with no outs. The Phoenix has a real opportunity here.]

[Fish is shaking. His control isn’t there.]

[With bases loaded and no outs, the third batter, Hong Chan-yeol, comes up to bat.]

[He’s a player with a knack for guessing the pitch. A hitter with good instincts tends to shine more in clutch situations. The more a pitcher is cornered, the more they stick to their patterns.]

Fish took a deep breath.

To build the count, he carefully placed each ball, starting from the outside.

Ball, strike, ball, strike, ball, foul, foul.

In an instant, a full count situation.

Fish aimed for an outside changeup as the decisive pitch.

A good pitch to aim for a double play, even if it’s not a strikeout.

The runners prepared to run.

Whoosh!

The ball, released from the pitcher’s hand, soared toward the strike zone.

Hong Chan-yeol’s waist twisted as his bat started to come around.

“Ugh!”

The batter groaned, gripping the bat tightly.

The swing was halfway out before stopping.

Song Seok-hyun stood up and appealed to the umpire.

[Ah, no swing! No swing by Hong Chan-yeol! That’s a walk. The Phoenix closes the gap with a run batted in by a walk.]

[Hong Chan-yeol really did his part admirably. That’s not easy. No, it’s difficult. As a hitter with good instincts, swinging would mean he was determined to hit the ball, but he held back at the last moment. Incredible concentration.]

[A walk-off run. I didn’t expect Fish to give up a run with a walk.]

Fish took off his hat and put it back on.

[The next batter is the fourth batter, Kyung Soo-in. Kyung Soo-in with bases loaded and no outs. What a huge chance.]

Kyung Soo-in stepped into the batter’s box with a determined expression.

Before Song Seok-hyun, he was the national team’s fourth batter, the legend of Korean baseball, Kyung Soo-in.

A right-handed hitter with a career .300 batting average, .400 on-base percentage, and .500 slugging percentage, the holder of the best cumulative records.

Song Seok-hyun carefully gave the sign.

– Changeup.

He tries to gauge the opposing batter’s intentions with an outside breaking ball.

Fish usually hates wasting pitches, but this time he followed without complaint.

Having been in Korea for two years already, he knew how formidable the Phoenix’s Kyung Soo-in was.

Clang!

– Ball.

[Kyung Soo-in doesn’t move an inch.]

[As expected, he usually doesn’t swing at the first pitch, right? He’s a hitter who familiarizes himself with the opposing pitcher’s pitches before swinging.]

[He’s a hitter who doesn’t often swing at the first pitch, so why did the pitcher throw a breaking ball for the first pitch?]

[He’s a hitter who doesn’t often swing at the first pitch, but that doesn’t mean he never swings at the first pitch. In these scoring situations, he aims for the first pitch about two or three times out of ten. That’s why the pitcher hesitates.]

1 ball.

The pitcher and catcher’s signs are getting longer.

Song Seok-hyun’s sign is an outside curve.

He doesn’t easily go for a fastball battle.

Even if he gives up another walk-off, he avoids pitching directly to Kyung Soo-in.

The Phoenix’s batting order is still Kyung Soo-in and the rest.

Fish threw a curveball.

Song Seok-hyun froze for a moment.

Fish’s release point was fast.

The curve came in higher than expected.

Kyung Soo-in was seen starting his swing.

A curveball coming in high is… the perfect pitch for a long hit.

Kyung Soo-in gritted his teeth and swung.

Clang!

Goodbye (5)

The ball hit by Kyung Soo-in’s bat was like a bullet.

Before it could be distinguished with the naked eye, it was already in front of the third baseman’s face.

The third baseman, Kim Wook, reflexively blocked his face with his glove.

Thud!

It hit the palm of his hand instead of the end of the glove, making his hand tingle, but that’s not important.

Before he could think, Kim Wook moved his body.

Seeing the frozen third base runner, he stepped on the base, and seeing the first base runner running back, he threw the ball.

[Kim Wook! Steps on the base and throws to first! Out at first! A triple play! A triple play comes out here!]

[As expected, it’s Kim Wook! Not just anyone can be the national team’s third baseman. He moved immediately as if he had predicted it.]

[The Phoenix throws away a good opportunity like this. It was a really good opportunity. A bases-loaded, no-out situation with the fourth batter, Kyung Soo-in, doesn’t come often.]

[Only 1 point with a walk-off from bases loaded, no outs. The Phoenix must be so disappointed.]

Kyung Soo-in closed his eyes.

If only he had lifted it a little more.

He put too much power into it.

If he had just hit it as it came, it would have been a bases-clearing hit.

There was no need to aim for a home run.

Kyung Soo-in returned to the bench, reproaching himself.

Kim Young-hoon smiled broadly, showing no sign of disappointment.

“Wow, I even got to see your triple play here, hyung [older brother/friend]. The entertainment is top-notch, hyung.”

“… Ha, sorry. I couldn’t capitalize on that.”

“What are you sorry about? You have so many things to be sorry about? Take the pressure off your shoulders. Why are you trying so hard? Relax. Just do what you always do.”

After that, the game continued as a close match.

No additional runs were scored by either team through the 5th inning.

During the break, Kim Young-hoon stroked his arm on one side of the hallway.

“We’re almost there. Just hold on a little longer.”

Top of the 6th inning, the Goat’s attack.

Kim Young-hoon clenched and unclenched his fist.

The lead batter is Seol Jin-il.

[He’s a hitter who likes to swing at the first pitch. The first pitch selection is the most important for him. He needs to choose carefully.]

Kim Young-hoon threw a fastball to the outside of the batter.

Seol Jin-il swung at the ball but hit a ground ball.

The bat shattered.

“Hmm…”

Song Seok-hyun narrowed his eyes.

The movement of the ball just now was unusual.

The ball slightly broke downward in front of home plate.

If his eyes weren’t deceiving him, it was a cut fastball.

He knew that Kim Young-hoon threw a two-seam and cut fastball well, but the pitcher himself didn’t utilize it well.

He enjoyed facing hitters with orthodox pitches like curves, sliders, and changeups.

He’s a pitcher who records a 0 ERA [Earned Run Average] even when throwing only with four pitches, including fastballs.

There’s no need for other pitches.

Of course, it’s also a forced choice due to the Phoenix’s weak infield defense.

Kim Young-hoon throwing a cut fastball means that today’s game will be more difficult.

Thud!

In the meantime, Kim In-hwan’s bat broke and rolled toward the pitcher.

Kim Young-hoon caught the ball and threw it to first base for an out.

Only three pitches to get two batters out.

Song Seok-hyun swallowed hard.

[Two consecutive batters have broken their bats. It’s not something you see easily.]

[If what I saw is correct, they were both cut fastballs. Kim Young-hoon doesn’t usually throw that pitch well, but he changed his pattern from the 6th inning.]

Song Seok-hyun moved slightly away from the plate and took his position.

Kim Young-hoon threw an outside fastball for the first pitch.

0-1.

Instead of swinging, Song Seok-hyun checked the trajectory of the ball.

As expected, it was a cut fastball.

With good tunneling [when pitches look the same out of the pitcher’s hand], it’s impossible to distinguish it with the naked eye from the release point.

The only option is to predict and hit.

Fortunately, his bat is heavier and thicker than others, so it doesn’t break easily.

In particular, a right-handed pitcher’s cut fastball often hits the head of a right-handed batter’s bat, so the bat breaks less often than for left-handed batters.

Kim Young-hoon’s second pitch.

An inside fastball.

Song Seok-hyun tries to swing but stops.

He followed the trajectory of the ball with his eyes.

The ball hooked inward at the end.

– Strike!

[Two strikes. Kim Young-hoon is quickly getting ahead in the count.]

[Even the great Song Seok-hyun is playing it cautiously.]

Song Seok-hyun sighed.

How many pitchers can throw a cut fastball and a sinking fastball at the same time?

Even if there are, how many can throw both at a high level?

If baseball were a game, wouldn’t Kim Young-hoon be a final boss?

Kim Young-hoon’s third pitch is an outside fastball.

It was a high course that seemed like a mistake.

Song Seok-hyun swung, but the ball grazed over the bat.

– Strike! Out!

[Three-pitch strikeout! Inning over! He strikes out Song Seok-hyun.]

[148km/h [approximately 92 mph]. He gets a strikeout with a high fastball. It’s not common courage to throw that kind of pitch to Song Seok-hyun.]

[The KS Podo [likely a team name] isn’t making a big impact against Kim Young-hoon today. They’re still leading 3-1, but there are no additional points.]

[If this happens, the Phoenix can still do it. Soon, Fish will have to come down from the mound.]

Song Seok-hyun returned to the bench.

The last high fastball.

With the cutter and sinker lingering in his mind, the four-seam fastball, which boasts the best vertical movement of all time, is a magic ball.

The already tricky four-seam fastball becomes several times sharper.

Even if he only throws the cutter, sinker, and four-seam without other breaking balls, the hitters won’t be able to get a feel for it.

It was a great relief for the hitters that it had been sealed up until now due to the Phoenix infield.

Bottom of the 6th inning.

The Goat took Fish down early.

The pitcher taking over is Jung Jin-oh.

He was a resource who went back and forth between starter and bullpen, with a speed in the early 140km/h range [approximately 87-89 mph] but with a knuckle curve.

His unique deception was so tricky that he boasted an ERA of 1 in the left-handed pitchers.

The batter is the 7th batter, second baseman Park Seong-min.

Jung Jin-oh threw an outside curve to right-handed batter Park Seong-min to get the count.

[That’s it. That backdoor curve. Left-handed hitters also have difficulty with that curve, but right-handed hitters can’t hit that backdoor curve easily either. The angle is sharp.]

[The backdoor curve is impressive, but doesn’t he also induce a lot of swing and misses with that ball?]

[Jung Jin-oh knows how to adjust the angle of the curve. He makes the angle large when throwing it to the outside like that, but he throws it like a slider when trying to induce a swing and miss.]

Song Seok-hyun pointed to the ground with his mitt.

The batter swings and misses at the pitcher’s ball.

The batter bit his lip as if he was upset.

[As expected, it’s as expected. You can’t easily attack that ball even if you know it. It’s that good of a curve.]

The next ball is a high fastball in the high part of the strike zone.

Jung Jin-oh’s highest speed was 145km/h [approximately 90 mph], but with the curve, it feels like a 150km/h [approximately 93 mph] fastball to the batter.

Jung Jin-oh’s fastball has a lot of spin, so the high fastball is especially powerful.