On The Rise As A Catcher [EN]: Chapter 38

The runner on first was Yang Seung-won, the cleanup hitter.

He was a power hitter who bounced between the first and second teams, often mentioned in trade discussions.

Kim Jung-ryul’s trust in Song Seok-hyun solidified with a single sign.

‘Okay, what’s the next sign?’

‘Curveball. High and outside.’

‘Okay.’

With Song Seok-hyun calling the shots, hesitation wasn’t an option.

*That young punk isn’t just physically gifted, he’s smart.*

*If he knows more about baseball than I do and has the brains to back it up, what’s there to think about?*

*I just need to watch the catcher’s mitt and throw with everything I’ve got.*

Thwack!

Again, the runner bolted for second.

The batter flinched at the rising curve, unable to swing.

By the time Song Seok-hyun caught the ball, the runner was already halfway to second.

Song Seok-hyun’s foot was already moving forward.

Pow!

Song Seok-hyun hurled the ball with all his might toward the spot above the pitcher’s head.

A catcher shouldn’t throw looking at second base.

The point where the imaginary line between home and second base intersects the pitcher’s mound.

That imaginary point is the catcher’s target.

Bang!

-Out!

“…….”

“…….”

The fielder who caught the ball and the runner who was called out stood frozen, utterly dumbfounded.

The second baseman didn’t even need to reach; the ball landed squarely in his glove.

The runner slid directly into the out.

There was no room for argument; it was a perfectly timed out.

“Wow.”

“What was that?”

“Where did that guy come from?”

“What the hell was that?”

The Wolves’ bench erupted in confusion.

Even though he didn’t completely neutralize Kim Jung-ryul’s timing, he successfully shut down every stolen base attempt against him.

Normally, it would have been a close call, but this wasn’t even close; it was an out by a mile.

“…….”

Jang Dae-hee bit his lip.

Everyone was fixated on Song Seok-hyun, and Jang Dae-hee went unnoticed.

“What is he? What was he doing out there?”

At the chairman’s question, the president nudged Deputy Manager Park Gi-duk, his chosen employee, in the side.

“Ah, that’s Song Seok-hyun, a rookie who joined us this season.”

“A rookie player?”

“Yes.”

“What round was he drafted? What school is he from?”

“He was an undrafted free agent. He’s from Woojin High.”

“Woojin High? Undrafted?”

The chairman tilted his head.

“Woojin High? Is that even a school?”

“It’s a relatively new school. They’ve been doing quite well recently.”

“Anyway, he’s undrafted?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“Someone like that?”

“Yes.”

“How?”

“……Pardon?”

“How did they miss drafting someone like that? Who’s our scout?”

The president’s lips went dry at the unexpected outburst.

“It’s alright. The important thing is that we picked him up.”

The chairman’s mood brightened again, and he smiled.

The president wanted to clutch his chest.

“Song Seok-hyun, you said? We’ve struck gold. That arm is something else. Is he a good hitter too?”

Park Gi-duk nodded.

“Yes, I haven’t seen it myself, but I’ve heard he’s incredibly strong, even on the second team.”

“He’s strong too? Hahahahahaha!”

The chairman laughed heartily for the first time.

“If he’s from Woojin High, he must be a recent high school graduate?”

“Yes, he’s only twenty years old.”

“Twenty years old? Hehehe, he’s young, very young.”

“He’s still developing, but he has a lot of potential.”

“We’ve got ourselves an interesting player, haha.”

The chairman stood up.

“Let’s go. I think I’ve seen enough for today.”

“I’ll escort you.”

The president took the lead, seeing this as his opportunity.

He needed to get the chairman out of the stadium while he was still in a good mood.

If the game took a turn for the worse, there was no telling how far the chairman’s mood might plummet.

“Baseball is truly entertaining.”

The chairman confirmed that Kim Jung-ryul had finished the inning with an out before leaving the stadium.

“Wow! You were awesome.”

“Song Seok-hyun, that arm is the real deal?”

“Amazing. Congratulations.”

As Song Seok-hyun returned to the bench, the players congratulated him on his impressive debut.

He had made a strong first impression; what more could they say?

Song Seok-hyun offered a small smile.

“Thank you.”

“Good lead.”

Kim Jung-ryul winked at Song Seok-hyun.

Song Seok-hyun gave him a thumbs up.

“Your pitches were incredible. Wow, that curveball was amazing.”

“You think so, kid? Hahaha.”

The battery coach [coach specializing in pitchers and catchers] approached Song Seok-hyun and patted him on the shoulder.

“Good job. Your pop time [time it takes for a catcher to receive the pitch and throw to second base] seems to have improved. That throw would have easily been around 1.8 seconds.”

“Really? I just threw without thinking.”

“Yeah, well, a catcher shouldn’t be thinking about pop time while he’s behind the plate. Good job. You’re performing even better than in practice.”

“Thank you. It’s all thanks to the coach.”

In stark contrast to the beginning of the game, the atmosphere on the Wolves’ bench was somber.

Kim Jung-ryul had completely shut down their offense.

They had been trying to create opportunities with stolen bases, but the newly entered catcher’s arm was far better than they anticipated.

“He can probably throw around 150 km/h [approximately 93 mph].”

At the manager’s words, the battery coach grimaced.

“Try to steal another base later. We need to clock his pop time.”

“Yes, I understand.”

The manager sighed.

“Where does a guy like that come from?”

Behind the manager’s sigh, Jang Dae-hee repeatedly clenched and unclenched his fist.

The manager tapped his fingers and then pointed at Jang Dae-hee.

“Warm up. Get ready to go in.”

“……Yes? Ah, yes. I understand.”

Jang Dae-hee stood up and glared at the Goat’s bench.

Song Seok-hyun.

Song Seok-hyun.

Song Seok-hyun.

Jang Dae-hee squeezed his eyes shut.

“Haa…….”

Success Story as a Catcher

Scaredy-cat

The 8-7 stalemate continued until the 8th inning.

The balance was broken after Kim Jung-ryul was taken out of the game.

*Aim for the new pitcher’s first pitch.*

The Wolves’ batter executed the maxim perfectly.

“Hoo, as soon as I’m out, this happens.”

The Goat’s manager put his hands behind his back.

“Should we get another pitcher ready?”

“No. There are less than two innings left; if we can’t hold on, we can’t. We’re the second team. Giving the kids experience is the priority. We had to put Jung-ryul in earlier because the chairman came.”

The Goat’s manager sighed as he watched the pitcher.

“What good is a great pitch if you can’t throw it where you want?”

Bang, bang.

Song Seok-hyun tapped his mitt.

Even after signaling repeatedly for an outside pitch, the pitcher hesitated.

*Outside fastball.*

There’s not much you can expect from a pitcher who lacks control.

If you have a breaking ball with a significant drop, like a curveball or a forkball, you can get away with some control issues. If the ball doesn’t deviate too much from left to right, the batter can still adjust, even to a bad pitch.

The problem lies with pitchers like the current one, whose primary weapons are fastballs and sliders.

The main secondary pitch for fastball pitchers is usually a slider.

The slider is one of the easiest breaking balls to learn, and its effectiveness increases with the pitcher’s velocity.

The slider is a good pitch, but it used to be called a “Gopher Ball” in Major League Baseball.

Meaning, if you hit it, it’s likely a home run.

For a pitcher who struggles with control, a slider is essentially a home run waiting to happen.

If a slider is out of the question, the only option is the fastball.

*Fastball.*

Song Seok-hyun keeps calling for a fastball, but the pitcher shakes his head.

Song Seok-hyun glanced at the bench.

The battery coach nodded.

“Just a moment.”

Song Seok-hyun asked the umpire for permission and walked to the mound.

The pitcher covered his mouth with his glove.

“What are you going to throw?”

“You keep calling for fastballs. I need to throw a slider.”

“My control isn’t there. The slider will only work if I have some control.”

“Ha! Hey, who doesn’t know that? The other team knows it too. I have to catch them off guard. If they’re expecting only fastballs, anyone will hit my pitches.”

“If anyone could hit your pitches, they wouldn’t be struggling so much. Until you get your control, just throw it outside.”

“Haa…… damn it.”

Joo Pan-seok frowned.

He knew Song Seok-hyun was right, but it felt like admitting his own inadequacy.

“Okay, do whatever you want.”

“Thank you for trusting me.”

“Trusting you? Just hurry back to the plate.”

Joo Pan-seok loosened his shoulder.

Song Seok-hyun positioned his mitt outside.

*If you can’t control it, there’s no point in signs.*

*What’s the point of a sign if the catcher doesn’t know where the ball is going to end up?*

Joo Pan-seok raised his leg and threw the ball.

*……Slider.*

Song Seok-hyun flinched as he saw the ball heading towards the middle of the plate.

The speed, the break, and the spin of the ball screamed “slider.”

A slider down the middle… is a gift for the batter.

Thwack!

With a satisfying crack, the ball soared over the left-field fence.

A home run that didn’t even need to be watched.

The pitcher lowered his head.

“…….”

Song Seok-hyun didn’t get angry or annoyed.

He used to be a pitcher himself.

Unlike batters, pitchers have wins and losses in their stats, meaning they directly determine the outcome of the game.

Because of the immense pressure they face, pitchers can be selfish and temperamental. You can’t reason with or tame a pitcher. You have to accept their fickleness as a given.

*Not yet.*

“What should we do?”

The Goat’s pitching coach asked the manager.

The manager shook his head.

“Leave him in. It’s a learning experience.”

The fact that the catcher positioned his mitt outside indicates that he was calling for an outside fastball.