On The Rise As A Catcher [EN]: Chapter 80

“Are you Jang Ae-sun or Yoon Ro-mi?”

“I’m Geum Bo-bae.”

“Geum Bo-bae? Isn’t she a bit chubby rather than glamorous? And her face is so-so… We were supposed to pick someone glamorous like Yoon Ro-mi or slender like Jang Ae-sun. Yoon Ro-mi and Jang Ae-sun are pretty too, by the way.”

The Goat bench buzzed with chatter.

The players couldn’t take their eyes off MBS announcer Yoon Ro-mi as she stepped up for the interview.

The sports announcer, who broadcasted baseball highlights every day, was the most popular figure among baseball fans and players alike.

Many wives of baseball players who received huge sums as free agents were sports announcers.

Recently, sports announcers came from diverse backgrounds, from prestigious universities to girl groups, models, and aspiring public broadcasting announcers.

Among them, Yoon Ro-mi and Jang Ae-sun were the two most popular.

Yoon Ro-mi was a talented individual who graduated from a prestigious overseas university.

She gained popularity early on with her outstanding beauty and glamorous figure, and she rose to stardom with her naturally bright personality.

In contrast, Jang Ae-sun was a former beauty pageant contestant and model.

Her refined appearance, slim figure, and shy personality set the hearts of many baseball players on fire.

She had turned down many advances from players, which, ironically, made her an even more popular announcer.

Yoon Ro-mi was always popular, but today the players were especially glued to her.

The yellow dress she wore today seemed a bit small, making her already glamorous figure even more prominent.

The players’ longing eyes were fixed on Yoon Ro-mi, but Yoon Ro-mi’s eyes were fixed on only one person.

Number 8.

Catcher Song Seok-hyun.

Yoon Ro-mi approached Song Seok-hyun with her usual bright smile.

Soaring as a Catcher

Owner of Jamsil (2) [Jamsil is a district in Seoul, South Korea, known for its sports complex and baseball stadium.]

Yoon Ro-mi approached as Song Seok-hyun sat blankly on the bench.

“Hello, Song Seok-hyun.”

“Yes? Oh, hello.”

Song Seok-hyun stood up.

“Can I have a quick interview?”

“An interview? Ah… sure.”

Before he knew it, cameras swarmed around Song Seok-hyun.

“Nice to meet you, Song Seok-hyun. Do you happen to know who I am?”

“Yes, you’re announcer Yoon Ro-mi.”

“Oh, you know me? That’s a relief.”

“Yes, yes.”

Yoon Ro-mi sat next to Song Seok-hyun and started the interview.

“Goat’s cleanup hitter, Song Seok-hyun. It was hard to imagine before the season, right?”

“Yes, it still doesn’t feel real.”

“I heard you were a rookie catcher straight out of high school. Are you really twenty years old?”

“Yes, I am.”

“But how are you doing so well? Do you have any secrets?”

“Ah… not really any secrets…”

“Every time you hit a home run, the distance is incredible. You seem fit, but you’re not that big. How can you hit such long home runs?”

Song Seok-hyun was 183cm tall and weighed around 80kg.

He didn’t have much body fat, so he looked as slim as 70kg.

Unlike the typical image of catchers, he looked like a fast leadoff hitter.

“Well… um… first of all, I wait for the pitch I want. When that pitch comes, I swing with all my might. Wouldn’t that make a big difference?”

“You swing the bat with all your might. Is that really it?”

“If there’s anything else, it’s that my bat is a bit longer and heavier than others. My current bat weighs 1kg. The length is a bit shorter or similar to 36 inches.”

“A 1kg bat? I heard Kyung-soo uses a 920g bat. Isn’t that too heavy?”

“Usually, they use around 940g, or 980g if it’s really heavy. The standard bat is 34 inches.”

“But is it okay to use such a heavy and long bat? It’s within the regulations, right?”

“Yes, there’s no problem with the regulations.”

“So you’re using a special bat. Why did you start using this bat? It seems like it would be harder to control if it’s longer and heavier than others’.”

“Fine bat control is difficult. So I don’t swing often and wait for the pitch I want before hitting it. Because it’s harder to handle than other bats, it’s also good for putting power into it, so if I hit it cleanly, I can get a long hit.”

Yoon Ro-mi picked up Song Seok-hyun’s bat.

“It’s really heavy. It feels like I’m lifting a lump of iron.”

Yoon Ro-mi turned Song Seok-hyun’s bat around for the camera.

“Song Seok-hyun’s secret is this baseball bat. A man who handles a bat that others can’t, how cool is that? It’s like Guan Yu handling Red Hare [Guan Yu is a famous general from the Three Kingdoms period in Chinese history, known for his strength and loyalty. Red Hare was his legendary horse].”

“I just use it because it’s comfortable for me…”

Yoon Ro-mi put the bat down.

“You’ve become the hottest star recently. What are your family’s and friends’ reactions?”

“Everyone congratulates me and tells me to work hard, but nothing has really changed.”

“You must be getting a lot of love from fans. Goat fans are especially known for their passionate love. Have you had any advances from beautiful women?”

Song Seok-hyun shook his head at Yoon Ro-mi’s playful question.

“I don’t have the looks to receive love from beautiful women, and I’m only doing well for a short time, so it’s not enough to call me a star. More than anything, I don’t have much personal time from when I wake up to when I go to sleep, so it’s hard to even spend time with my family.”

“Oh my, aren’t you at the best age? Do you have a girlfriend?”

“No, I don’t.”

“I think there will be many Goat fans who will be happy with your answer, haha.”

The PD gestured to move on to the next interview.

Yoon Ro-mi winked and stood up.

“Okay, can you say a final word to the Goat fans?”

“Hello, I’m rookie player Song Seok-hyun. I’m not good enough, but I’ll work hard. Please take care of me in the future.”

After the interview, Yoon Ro-mi held out her hand to Song Seok-hyun.

Song Seok-hyun didn’t know why but shook her hand.

“Please take care of me in the future, Song Seok-hyun. Can I drop the formalities next time we meet?”

“Ah… please do. Yes. You must be much older than me.”

Yoon Ro-mi covered her mouth with her hand.

“Oh my, that’s too much. I’m young. I’m only twenty-four.”

“Ah, I’m sorry. I made a mistake.”

Yoon Ro-mi giggled.

“Then give me a better interview next time. Don’t be so stiff like today.”

“…I’ll try.”

“Okay. See you next time. Bye~.”

After Yoon Ro-mi left, the game commentator for today’s game approached.

A distant senior to Song Seok-hyun.

The commentator sat next to Song Seok-hyun with a smile.

“Um, Song Seok-hyun. Can we talk for a moment?”

“Yes, yes, senior.”

* * *

What saved Song Seok-hyun was the strategy meeting.

The pitcher-catcher duo and the infielders went into separate meetings.

“Wow, I thought I was going to die.”

Song Seok-hyun shook his head when he saw Kim Jung-ryul.

Kim Jung-ryul chuckled.

“That’s all good times. Later on, they won’t even give you an interview even if you ask, you little rascal.”

“How many is it today…? I think I’ve done five already. Isn’t it too much? I don’t have time to rest.”

“Still, it’s good for you, you little rascal. You interviewed with Yoon Ro-mi. She’s so hard to interview.”

“Is she?”

“The broadcasting station excludes her from interviews because the players keep hitting on her. Well, you’re still a rookie and hot these days, so Yoon Ro-mi came.”

“Ah…”

“You should have seen In-hwan’s face earlier. Yoon Ro-mi didn’t interview In-hwan and went to you. He was so jealous when you were being interviewed.”

“So In-hwan hyung [Hyung is a Korean term used by males to address older male friends or brothers] likes announcers?”

“Yoon Ro-mi is beyond In-hwan’s reach. Isn’t Yoon Ro-mi the top these days?”

“I didn’t know that much. If I have a chance to interview next time, I should give it to In-hwan hyung.”

“In-hwan is shy, so if you push him too obviously, he’ll be embarrassed and won’t be able to do it. You have to push him subtly, subtly.”

Bang, bang.

The pitching coach knocked on the desk twice with a stick.

It was a signal to focus.

“Okay, today is the Wolves’ 3-game series, so we need to focus more. If we lose to the Wolves, we’ll go back to 5th place. Whether we go up to 4th place or down to 5th place in the first half is big. We need to win at least 3 wins and 3 losses against the Wolves and Wales to take one or two games against the Fox.”

The pitching coach put a screen on the screen.

“The manager has a special order. The goal of this 3-game series is to minimize bullpen fatigue. You know we saved a lot of bullpen in the Phoenix series. But our team’s bullpen fatigue is already chronic. It’s not something that can be solved by resting for a few days. We need to manage it for at least two weeks to a month for the fatigue to return to normal. We can’t not use the bullpen during the Wolves’ 3-game series. But we need to take long innings to minimize bullpen input. Kim Jung-ryul, Jung Chun-woon, Lee Baek-chan, Hong Dae-sung.”

“Yes.”

“Yes.”

“Yes.”

“Yes?”

Hong Dae-sung, who was dozing off, opened his eyes wide.

“The four of you need to eat innings [pitch for a long time]. The manager said that unless you give up 3 runs or it’s a big inning situation, he won’t take you down and will keep you going. You know what that means, right? You have to take it long.”

“Yes, I understand.”

“Let’s try to win this Wolves game somehow. Others say our team will go down, but let’s hit the bottom and go up. Got it?”

“Yes, I understand!”

The Goat entered a radical lineup adjustment to face the Wolves.

Seol Jin-il was put in as the 1st hitter, followed by Kim In-hwan as the 2nd, and Song Seok-hyun as the 3rd.

It was a lineup that was moved up one spot from the existing lineup.

“We can’t afford to save the bullpen as much as we want. But if we want to use tricks, we need to score as many points as possible in the beginning to bring the atmosphere quickly. Seol Jin-il, Kim In-hwan, Song Seok-hyun. We’ll continue with this lineup for this 3-game series. The role of you three is the most important. There are no tactics for you. All-out attack. Go with an all-out attack.”

Ham Seong-hoon’s move was a strong 1-3 hitter.

Seol Jin-il showed the potential of a late-blooming rookie during the 3-game series against Phoenix, showing a 30% batting average, 50% on-base percentage, and 50% slugging percentage.

A so-called 5-tool player who hits well, sees well, catches well, throws well, and runs well.

Although it was a game won in a short 3-game series with Phoenix, Ham Seong-hoon saw Seol Jin-il’s potential and appointed him as the 1st hitter.

“Yes!”

Seol Jin-il danced around alone when he saw the lineup.

Song Seok-hyun approached Kim Jung-ryul and asked.

“Is that senior always like that?”

“He’s a little crazy. He’s not a bad guy, but he’s also a bit of an attention seeker.”

“Ah, I shouldn’t get close to him.”

“Hey, are you treating your senior like a vicious dog?”

“I’m most afraid of people I don’t understand.”

As the home team finished the meeting and came out, the visiting team, the Wolves, who also used Jamsil as their home, were finishing their training.

Song Seok-hyun saw Jang Dae-hee standing far away and turned his head away.

“It’s disgusting.”

As the game start approached, the 1st and 3rd base seats of Jamsil were packed with fans.

The Jamsil rivals and now competing teams for 2nd and joint 4th place.

The commentators smiled broadly as they watched the fans filling up the outfield.

“Today’s Jamsil game is expected to sell out quickly. The infield is already full.”

“Especially today, there are many Goat fans. Today’s game is important. It’s an opportunity to become the sole 4th place.”

“Didn’t the Goat falter after the unfortunate incident? But they quickly recovered and are aiming for the fall baseball again, as if there was such an incident. When Choi Dae-gyu, Kang Moon-gyu, and Lee Nak-gyun’s cleanup trio left, there were many talks that the Goat would be competing for the bottom place.”

“I see three reasons why the Goat has recovered from this situation. First, it was great that senior coach Ham Seong-hoon took over as acting manager. There are many cases where the senior coach acts as the acting manager, but senior coach Ham Seong-hoon’s recovery was good. He boldly took down eight first-team players and brought up second-team players. When the team is in trouble, he takes down so many first-team players? I think most people would have pushed themselves harder to get results. The bold innovation gave the second-team players stimulation and the first-team players rest.”

“What are the other two?”

“It’s the KS duo. In fact, this is the biggest. Acting manager Ham Seong-hoon wouldn’t have believed that the two players would do well unconditionally and raised them. But the potential of the two players exploded and became an incredibly powerful lineup. There were many talks that Kim In-hwan would become the best slugger in the league as long as he exploded. I don’t think it’s 100% yet, but he’s doing his part. In addition, rookie Song Seok-hyun is putting fear into opposing pitchers with home runs that go out of the stadium as soon as he hits. The other is the potential of the Goat. The cleanup is gone, but the Goat’s pitchers and the Goat’s second-team prospects are better than expected. The KS duo’s performance shined because they held on here.”

The national anthem began.

The players and fans of both teams stood up.

After the national anthem, music flowed from the Goat’s cheering section exceptionally.

“There’s no place we can’t go. Even if everyone says it’s difficult, we step on it and climb up again. You just look up to us. We’re the ones who end up standing at the top!”

“Owner of the fall! Ah! Owner of Jamsil! Ah! Goat! It’s the Goat!”

“Goat! Goat! Invincible Goat!”

The cheering song that fills Jamsil.

The Wolves fans were dumbfounded by the unexpected blow.

The home team Goat sang the cheering song by turning on the amp loudly even though it was the top of the 1st inning defense.

“That’s amazing. The Goat fans’ cheers are amazing. I thought it was the Korean Series.”

“The Goat has been steadily pushed back by the Wolves in the head-to-head record. It was said to be the Jamsil rival, but the year the Goat had better results than the Wolves can be counted on one’s fingers. At least for more than 10 years. The 90’s championship is the Goat’s best record. That was already 13 years ago. The Goat has spent a lot of money and invested a lot, but it has always fallen short of the Wolves, but today is different. They swept the Phoenix game, and above all, they produced native sluggers Kim In-hwan and Song Seok-hyun from the second team. The team that used to buy FAs [Free Agents] every day, the team that never had a 30-home run player is now dreaming a sweet dream. Why wouldn’t they be happy? Today’s game is going to be very interesting. I’m curious to see if the KS duo can fulfill the fans’ wishes.”

-Play ball!

With the start of the game, foreign player James came up to the Goat mound.

A handsome blond and blue-eyed man who could be a Hollywood actor.

The catcher who will pair with James is… Seo Il-hyuk.

Soaring as a Catcher

Owner of Jamsil (2)

“The game starts.”

“As the first half is about to end, both teams were expected to come out with their best power, but the Goat put Seo Il-hyuk as the starting catcher.”

“The Goat’s starting catcher was Park Shin-eon. Seo Il-hyuk sometimes came out, but didn’t he mainly replace him to distribute stamina?”

“Yes, Park Shin-eon didn’t look like he was in bad condition, so what’s the reason?”

“Well, it wasn’t an injury, and unless Seo Il-hyuk’s condition is particularly good, it’s an incomprehensible move. James prefers to work with Park Shin-eon, so it’s even more so.”

Starting pitcher James put rosin on his fingertips.

The sudden change of starting catcher was not welcome, but the manager was firm.

“Wolves’ 1st hitter Kim Ha-gyun is coming up. He’s a very fast and tactically skilled hitter. He’s quite a troublesome player when he goes out as a runner.”

Seo Il-hyuk gave a sign.

‘Sinker, outside.’

James’ first pitch.

“He hit it! A ball that cleverly grazed past the second baseman! It’s 빠지네요 [ppajineyo – slipping through]. James did a good job of inducing a ground ball.”

“The pitcher threw a good ball and the hitter made a good swing. Luck followed, but isn’t that baseball?”

James smiled and signaled to the second baseman that it was okay.

It was a lucky 빠진 공이었다 [ppajin gongieotda – slipped ball].

It’s no one’s fault.

However, the fast runner is 신경 쓰일 뿐이다 [gyeong sseuil ppunida – just nerve-wracking].

“Kim Ha-gyun is already increasing the lead width.”

“It’s quite 거슬리죠 [geoseullijyo – irritating, bothersome], right? It stimulates the pitcher’s nerves.”