On The Rise As A Catcher [EN]: Chapter 52

The next batter was Jung Yong-wook.

“…….”

Jung Yong-wook gripped his bat and swayed slightly.

His eyes were on the pitcher, but he was also listening intently to the catcher.

As soon as the batter was ready, the pitcher threw the ball without delay.

Swish.

The catcher’s footsteps were heard.

Jung Yong-wook opened his stance and swung, moving his left foot slightly outward.

-Strike!

Jung Yong-wook’s bat cut through the air.

“Yong-wook’s swing is big,” Pegasus’s battery coach, Lee Man-seong, commented, clicking his tongue.

The hitting coach next to him said, “His swing seems to have gotten bigger since earlier.”

“That’s right. It’s getting bigger and bigger.”

“He’s not usually like that, is he? His swing is bigger than when he was aiming for the home run king before.”

“Hmm.”

“Coach Lee, you’re close to Yong-wook, aren’t you? Is Yong-wook doing that on purpose?”

“Well, I’m not sure about that…….”

“He’ll be called up to the first team tomorrow, but he can’t go up with that kind of swing.”

“Tomorrow? Are you calling him up that quickly?”

“What do you mean quickly? The doctor says he’s okay, and Yong-wook is doing well, so we have to call him up.”

“Still, he had a home plate collision, so shouldn’t we monitor his condition a little more?”

“What’s Yong-wook going to do here? It’s better to rest in the first team, even if he’s resting.”

Jung Yong-wook’s count was already 3-2, a full count.

The hitting coach clapped his hands twice.

“Now is the perfect time for a breaking ball. Yong-wook will hold back, right?”

The battery coach said, “He’s been throwing a lot of high fastballs inside today. Won’t he go that way?”

The pitcher threw the ball.

Jung Yong-wook swung his bat as if he had been waiting for it.

The ball was a high fastball inside.

Jung Yong-wook, who had spread his feet outward, hit the ball with a full swing.

Thwack!

The well-hit ball went straight over the left fence.

-Foul.

Jung Yong-wook smacked his lips as he watched the ball sail far beyond the left foul pole.

As Jung Yong-wook returned to the plate, Song Seok-hyun sat still, like a stone statue.

“…….”

A sense of unease washed over Jung Yong-wook.

He clearly knew that a high inside ball was coming, and he waited and swung. The problem was that his confident swing was too fast; if the timing had been a little better, he would have cleared the center fence.

The battery’s strategy has been exposed.

Moreover, he is a rookie catcher.

It’s normal to be flustered, sigh in relief, or look at the pitcher and the bench.

But there is no reaction from Song Seok-hyun.

There is no fuss.

*Why?*

“Batter, get in here quickly.”

“Yes, yes. I understand~.”

Jung Yong-wook smiled and stepped into the batter’s box.

*He must be frozen because he’s still a kid.*

*If not, that kind of reaction is… um… why?*

His thoughts were cut short.

The pitcher threw the ball as soon as the batter was ready.

*Is there even time for the catcher and pitcher to exchange signs?*

-Strike! Out!

Jung Yong-wook’s bat cut through the air.

The ball was stuck in Song Seok-hyun’s mitt.

Song Seok-hyun took the ball out and returned it to the infielder.

“……Haha.”

Jung Yong-wook grabbed his bat and headed to the bench.

The battery coach, Lee Man-seong, who was standing in front of the bench, patted Jung Yong-wook’s butt.

“Hey, why are you swinging at that kind of ball? Is today lumberjack day? And why is your swing so big?”

“Really? Was my swing big?”

“Anyone would think you’re a lumberjack, not a baseball player. You’re swinging around like crazy.”

“Was I?”

Jung Yong-wook put down his bat and sat down.

“Why did you swing at that last ball? A fastball that misses high and outside is a complete mistake. It’s a ball if you just watch it.”

“Did the ball go out a lot?”

“I don’t know, but it must have gone out by more than one ball.”

“I guess so, since I struck out swinging.”

Jung Yong-wook wiped the sweat from his forehead.

The coach brought a towel and handed it to him.

“Are you hot? Why are you sweating so much when you don’t usually sweat?”

“I know. I’m sweating a lot.”

Jung Yong-wook wiped away the sweat and chuckled.

“Hyung [older brother or close male friend, used as a term of endearment and respect].”

“Why?”

“You remember Jo Bang-cheon, right?”

“……Suddenly? I remember. Why wouldn’t I remember?”

“You know I used to be cocky, saying I would beat Jo Bang-cheon when I was young, right?”

“I know. You were doing well back then too. You hit 30 home runs and won a Golden Glove as a catcher when you were twenty-four or five.”

“Still, Jo Bang-cheon was the number one catcher until he retired, right? You know that too, right?”

“Well… Jo Bang-cheon is one of the best catchers of all time. You were young back then.”

“I knew I was young too, but I was frustrated. It would be okay if I was mediocre, but if I could be number one with just a little more, if I felt like I could be number one but couldn’t because of someone else, I’d go crazy. They say Salieri syndrome [psychological distress caused by feeling inferior to someone more talented] is like that.”

“You’ve been greedy since you were young. You were ruthless. That’s why you succeeded.”

“I even resented the world back then. Why did I have to be active when Jo Bang-cheon was around?”

“You’ve been at the top since he retired. You’ve been at the top ever since.”

“Yeah, I was.”

Jung Yong-wook rubbed his face roughly with the towel and put it on the bench.

“I think it’s a good thing now. Jo Bang-cheon was eight years older than me, right?”

“Why are you suddenly talking about Jo Bang-cheon?”

Jung Yong-wook turned his gaze to the field.

The pitcher was finishing the inning with a double play and high-fiving the catcher.

“I think I understand Jo Bang-cheon’s feelings a little. I understand Jin-woong’s feelings even more.”

“Jin-woong?”

Jung Yong-wook pointed to Kim Jin-woong, who was sitting in the corner with his arms crossed.

“Hyung, raise Jin-woong well. Encourage him from the side. I get angry when a senior does better than me, but I get even more pissed when someone younger than me does well.”

“What are you saying? You don’t mean…?”

The battery coach looked at the opposing bench.

The young opposing team’s catcher, who was taking off his catcher’s gear, was visible.

Jung Yong-wook had already put on all his catcher’s gear and lowered his mask.

“Ha, that guy should have gone to the majors. Why is he causing trouble here?”

Rising as a Catcher

Simultaneous Hatching (10)

Kim In-hwan’s great performance.

He single-handedly swept 2 home runs and 7 RBIs [Runs Batted In, a baseball statistic].

He had been hearing the term “second-team tyrant” every day, but this time Kim In-hwan smiled brightly.

It’s different.

It’s different from before.

After the game, the players packed their bags.

“What do you think? Do you think I’ve adapted well now?”

Kim In-hwan stuck next to Song Seok-hyun and kept asking.

“You can tell by my performance today. It was good today. Totally gooooood! Right?”

“Hey, hey, don’t joke around, seriously.”

“It’s really good. There’s nothing wrong with your batting form. Just watch the ball and hit it like you’re doing now. ‘Like now’. But always pull with a full swing.”

“Pull? Not hit to the opposite field?”

“You already have an in-and-out swing ingrained in your body. Unless your elbow drops, you should always swing fully. Even though you’re a monster, it won’t be easy to hit a home run to the opposite field with that bat when you go up to the first team. Besides, our team’s stadium is Jamsil [a baseball stadium in Seoul known for being difficult to hit home runs in].”

“Re…ally? Always full swing?”

“Full swing. Watch the ball and hit it. Just remember those two things. Later, just practice fixing it if your elbow drops.”

“Elbow, elbow. I just have to remember that, right?”

While Song Seok-hyun and Kim In-hwan were having a lively conversation, someone cleared their throat.

“In-hwan has a good coach.”

Song Seok-hyun and Kim In-hwan turned their heads at the unfamiliar voice.

“Oh? Senior [more experienced player].”

Kim In-hwan bowed his head first.

The unfamiliar voice was Jung Yong-wook.

“Hello.”

“No hello. We already said hello earlier.”

“Jung-ryul went in earlier.”

“Really? I came to chat a bit, but he’s already gone.”

“He usually goes in early on days he pitches.”

“He’s a pro at taking care of his body.”

Jung Yong-wook turned his eyes to Song Seok-hyun.

“You did well as a catcher today. I watched you closely.”

“Yes, thank you.”

“Song Seok-hyun, right?”

“Yes? That’s right. Thank you for remembering my name.”

“It’s nothing special, don’t overdo it. You had a fun game today. The pitcher’s tempo was crazy today. You induced it, right?”

“It wasn’t induced, but it was a decision made after consulting with the pitcher.”

“Did you even exchange signs? There wasn’t even time to breathe.”

“Yes, we did.”

“When?”

“While receiving the ball.”

Jung Yong-wook chuckled.

“Is that exchanging signs? Isn’t that injecting signs?”

“That’s how we can increase the pitching tempo…….”

Song Seok-hyun’s voice trailed off.

The words of Jung Yong-wook, a senior and the league’s best catcher, carry weight.

“No wonder. It was crazy fast. But why did you throw so many inside fastballs? The pitcher’s ball isn’t that fast.”

“I threw more inside balls because the ball wasn’t fast.”

“What if you get hit by one?”

“A pitcher like Glavine [Tom Glavine, a famous MLB pitcher known for his control] can throw only outside balls all day long, but if the ball is slow, you have to throw inside balls to make the outside balls effective.”

“It doesn’t matter if you get hit?”

Jung Yong-wook raised his hand and patted Song Seok-hyun’s shoulder.

“Who taught you that? Who did you learn from?”

“That’s…….”

Kim In-hwan said.

“Seok-hyun has circumstances, so he learned as he could.”

“Really? So it’s self-taught?”

“It’s not really self-taught, but wouldn’t it be more like… unclear?”

Song Seok-hyun said.

“I studied and picked up things here and there.”

“Interesting, interesting. Catchers are self-taught these days.”

Jung Yong-wook put his hands behind his back.

“It’ll be fun when you come up to the first team, hehe. Shin-eon will be sweating bullets. Ah, Il-hyuk will probably be the first to sweat bullets.”

Jung Yong-wook waved his hand at the two of them and left.

Kim In-hwan scratched the back of his head.

“What was that? He just came to pick a fight.”

“……I don’t think he was picking a fight. He didn’t seem to have any malice.”

“Let’s go. I’m in a good mood today, let’s go eat something delicious.”

“Oh, are you buying me meat today?”

“Is meat the problem? Tell me what you want to eat. I’ll buy you anything.”

“Let’s start with meat first. Meat, meat, meat!”

* * *

Before dinner time.

Kim In-hwan headed to the manager’s office at the manager’s call.

Manager Gu Chang-hyun was enjoying refreshments with the coaches.

“Good evening.”

“In-hwan, come in.”

The manager gave Kim In-hwan a seat.