On The Rise As A Catcher [EN]: Chapter 68

“You’re a catcher too?”

Seo Il-hyuk nodded once and turned away.

“Okay, let’s work well together in the future.”

As Seo Il-hyuk turned, Song Seok-hyun couldn’t continue the conversation.

After the meal and greetings, it was finally time to board the bus.

They had to leave early for the away game.

Song Seok-hyun swallowed hard as he boarded the first-team bus.

Jung Cheon-woon and Lee Baek-chan were also with Song Seok-hyun.

Both were 21 and 22 years old, and they were pitchers who had already worked with Song Seok-hyun.

Brummm.

The bus to the away game was quiet. Most of the players were either sleeping or looking out the window.

The trip from Seoul to Daejeon took two and a half hours.

The Daejeon Stadium came into view through the bus window.

Screech.

As the door opened, the players piled out and gathered their belongings.

Song Seok-hyun followed and packed his things.

Daejeon Stadium.

He had watched baseball here with his father before.

Song Seok-hyun looked up at the sky.

Tap tap.

Someone tapped Song Seok-hyun on the back.

When Song Seok-hyun turned around, hitting coach Kang Yeon-tae was standing there.

Kang Yeon-tae whispered in Song Seok-hyun’s ear.

“Hold back as much as possible during batting practice later. You know what I mean, right?”

“Yes?”

“You’re a secret weapon today, so don’t get caught.”

“A secret weapon?”

Kang Yeon-tae didn’t answer and walked away.

Song Seok-hyun blinked, not knowing what was going on.

Success as a Catcher

Phoenix Game (1)

Song Seok-hyun looked around as he entered Daejeon Stadium.

He wanted to reminisce about the memories of walking around with his father when he was young, but it had been so long that he couldn’t remember where anything was.

His heart pounded as his feet touched the ground, where the lights were shining brightly.

The words “secret weapon” that the hitting coach had said earlier lingered in his ears.

“Okay, okay. What are you all doing? Don’t just stand there, let’s move quickly.”

The coaches stepped up to encourage the players.

The mass departure of key players.

Incidents and accidents that would soon dominate the news.

A constantly falling ranking.

The players forced themselves to shout fighting, encouraging each other and themselves.

“Okay. One, two, three, four. Straighten your backs. Stretch your legs.”

First-team training was no different from second-team training.

First-team training was simpler and more basic than second-team training.

It was more like a condition check than training.

After group training, they gathered separately by position to train.

Song Seok-hyun also gathered with Park Shin-eon and Seo Il-hyuk to train.

Park Shin-eon and Seo Il-hyuk, known for their defensive skills as catchers, had clean, efficient movements.

Even though it was training, Song Seok-hyun didn’t fall behind the pace of the two.

“Shall we get Seok-hyun’s shoulder warmed up?”

Kim Tae-woo, who had been promoted from second-team battery coach to first-team battery coach, winked at Song Seok-hyun.

Throwing practice to match up with the fielders.

Park Shin-eon showed a demonstration first.

Thwack!

Park Shin-eon’s throw was accurate.

It was a throw that was faithful to the basics of dividing the mound in half.

Thwack!

Seo Il-hyuk’s throw that followed was also perfect.

The ball wasn’t fast, but the speed of taking the ball out, the throwing posture, and the accuracy were close to perfect.

“Okay, okay! Seok-hyun! Show them what you’ve got!”

Kim Tae-woo called Song Seok-hyun’s name in a loud voice on purpose.

First first-team debut.

The youngest of the team.

It was necessary to show off his skills to the players.

“Hmph!”

Song Seok-hyun took a breath and threw the ball.

Thwack!

Park Shin-eon and Seo Il-hyuk narrowed their eyes as they watched Song Seok-hyun’s throw.

Song Seok-hyun’s average pop time was 1.88 seconds.

Even considering that he had a good shoulder, it was a time that was only possible if there were no unnecessary movements from taking the ball out to the throwing motion.

Park Shin-eon let out a hollow laugh at Song Seok-hyun’s second throw.

“He’s different because he used to be a pitcher.”

Unlike Park Shin-eon, who was smiling, Seo Il-hyuk stared at Song Seok-hyun with a blank expression.

The infielders who watched Song Seok-hyun’s throw looked at each other.

Fast.

Second baseman Jung Dong-gyu said to shortstop Jung Young-soo.

“What a shoulder.”

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything like that.”

“Is that shoulder major league level?”

“So Jung-ryul’s words weren’t a lie?”

The manager, who had been watching Song Seok-hyun’s throw, came to the battery coach.

“What’s his pop time?”

“Right now?”

“Now and usually.”

“Usually it’s around 1.88 seconds.”

“1.88 seconds?”

“Yes, right now it’s 1.84? Measuring by hand isn’t accurate, so it’s a useless number.”

“An average of 1.88 seconds is top class in the major leagues.”

“At least as far as his shoulder is concerned, Seok-hyun is the best in Korean catcher history.”

“I knew he used to be a pitcher, but pop time isn’t just about having a good shoulder……”

The battery coach put his hands behind his back.

“It’s talent. If you look at Seok-hyun’s movements, you’ll see that even though it looks rough, there are no unnecessary movements. It’s the same as Seok-hyun’s personality. Seok-hyun is especially good at moving his pivot foot. Maybe it’s because he used to be a pitcher, but he’s amazing at throwing a four-seam fastball without being taught.”

“If you were to score his throwing, how many points would you give him?”

“Hmm… 80 out of 100.”

The manager rested his chin on his hand.

“80 points? That’s too stingy, isn’t it?”

“Throwing isn’t just about throwing to second base. Whether to throw in 1st and 3rd base situations, whether to throw to 2nd base or 1st base when a bunt comes out. Isn’t deciding these things an important part of throwing ability? Seok-hyun not only has little professional experience, but also little experience as a catcher, so the parts excluding his physical ability are questionable. I’m giving him 80 points at most.”

“Then we can think of it the other way around. Even if his situational judgment isn’t good, his shoulder alone makes him a league A-class catcher?”

“With that shoulder, he doesn’t even need to throw. That shoulder is like a powerful stolen base prevention charm.”

“……Hmm.”

The manager looked back and forth between Seo Il-hyuk and Song Seok-hyun.

The battery coach noticed the manager’s gaze and cleared his throat.

“You’re not thinking about a trade, are you?”

“Unfortunately, I don’t have that kind of authority.”

“If the manager strongly wants it, wouldn’t a trade be possible? Still, you should think carefully. There’s no backup like Il-hyuk. As a backup, he’s the best in the league, isn’t he?”

“I don’t have the authority to trade, but if I were to trade, now would be the right time. Il-hyuk is a free agent next year, and he’s a catcher who could be a starter on another team. Shin-eon is thirty-one this year, and considering his age, he’ll be performing at a certain level for the next 3-4 years. 3-4 years is enough time for Song Seok-hyun to grow.”

“You have to be careful. You don’t just give away catchers easily.”

“We also have Jung Ji-hwan, don’t we? Compared to Seo Il-hyuk, Jung Ji-hwan is only slightly lacking in hitting stats, but his defensive ability is good enough to work in the first team.”

“Ji-hwan is a good catcher too. But compared to Il-hyuk, he’s definitely a little behind.”

“Letting Il-hyuk go could be a good thing for him. He still hasn’t filled his FA [Free Agent] days, but if he goes to another team and becomes a starter, he can fill them easily, right?”

“Manager, are you really thinking about a trade?”

“I saw that Song Seok-hyun’s defense was good earlier, and if his hitting is good too, then we need to seriously consider a trade.”

“Still, you have to be careful.”

“There’s a little over a month left until the trade deadline. If I’m sure, I’ll discuss it with the coach then.”

The last part of training was free batting.

Kim In-hwan showed off his home run show as usual, announcing that he was still in good shape.

When Song Seok-hyun stepped up to the plate, the players fell silent.

He was impressive just with his throwing, but Kim Jung-ryul’s words also remained deeply in their minds.

He had confidently said that he would be number one in the Goat team, except for Kim In-hwan.

They were skeptical, but they had seen Song Seok-hyun’s shoulder, so they were deeply interested.

Bang!

Bang!

Song Seok-hyun didn’t forget the hitting coach’s words.

He was satisfied with just getting into a rhythm and pushing the ball to the outfield along the grain.

The players quickly lost interest and went back to their own things.

Seo Il-hyuk looked at Song Seok-hyun and nodded.

“What’s wrong? Why are you being so careful today?”

Kim In-hwan asked Song Seok-hyun, who had come down from the plate.

“Oh, nothing.”

Song Seok-hyun didn’t tell him what the hitting coach had said.

It was because of the word ‘secret’.

“The lineup’s out. Check it.”

The players walked to the bench one by one.

The first ones to go read the lineup out loud.

“Designated… 4th batter Song Seok-hyun?”

The players buzzed at the lineup announcement.

It’s not common for a rookie who just came up today to be in the lineup right away. What’s more, Kim In-hwan is here, but he’s playing as a designated hitter.

With Kim In-hwan in good shape, no one had expected him to be the 4th batter.

“4th?”

Song Seok-hyun checked the lineup and rubbed his eyes.

It was hard to believe that he was a designated hitter, but he was the 4th batter.

The players looked at the lineup and then at Song Seok-hyun.

“Is he that good?”

“He hit a bit in the second team, but putting him in 4th right away is too much.”

“Has the manager lost his touch?”

Among the buzzing players, Seo Il-hyuk’s expression hardened.

Park Shin-eon silently patted Seo Il-hyuk on the back.

Seo Il-hyuk took a deep breath and exhaled slowly.

“Ah……”

Song Seok-hyun didn’t have time to look around.

Designated hitter, 4th batter.

Both were difficult things, but both were happening to him.

“The manager is bold.”

“That’s what I’m saying.”

Kim Jung-ryul and Kim In-hwan quietly exchanged words.

“I didn’t know that you said you didn’t want to be 4th, so he’d put Seok-hyun in 4th.”

“That’s what I’m saying, I thought I’d be coming out as a pinch hitter.”

“He was quiet when he was a hitting coach, but he’s unexpected as a manager.”

“But, hyung [older brother/friend].”

“Huh?”

“Didn’t Seok-hyun say earlier that he would never be 4th?”

“……Usually that’s normal.”

“Seok-hyun must be under a lot of pressure. The pressure of being 4th is no joke.”

“Then you should hit better.”

“How great would it be if I could do that as I please.”

The KPBL [Korean Professional Baseball League] lineup announcement was 1 hour and 30 minutes before the start of the game.

It was KPBL’s custom for the manager to meet with the press, announce the lineup, and give an interview about the game.

This time, even the Goat manager didn’t meet with reporters in person.

Currently, Goat had many entangled incidents.

The calm before the storm.

The reporters were delaying the announcement at the request of the Goat club, but Choi Dae-gyu’s drunk driving would break today or tomorrow.

In addition, Kang Moon-gyu and Lee Nak-gyun’s club sexual harassment and molestation case was also becoming difficult to hide under the surface as the victim filed a complaint.

There was an embargo, so they couldn’t ask the manager, and the manager wouldn’t answer, but there was a lot of tension over who would write the article first.

Just in time, the lineup was announced.

“4th batter Song Seok-hyun?”

“Who is Song Seok-hyun?”

“Isn’t Kim In-hwan 4th?”

“There was a kid named Song Seok-hyun?”

“Who is he to push out Kim In-hwan and be the 4th batter?”

Compared to the big incidents and accidents, the lineup announcement was just a minor happening, but one man set fire to it.

“Oh my, you’re all so slow. Don’t you know Song Seok-hyun, who’s the hottest in the second team these days?”

The man’s name tag read Seok Su-il.

“Reporter Seok, do you know Song Seok-hyun?”