On The Rise As A Catcher [EN]: Chapter 82

The batter always stands with the fear of a beanball [a pitch thrown intentionally at the batter’s head].

If the pitcher had poor control, Song Seok-hyun would have stepped back in the batter’s box.

But because the opponent was Jang Gye-seong, he took an even deeper breath instead of backing down.

Song Seok-hyun’s bat slowly began to find its rhythm.

Jang Gye-seong and Song Seok-hyun locked eyes.

Dominating as a Catcher

Owner of Jamsil Stadium (3)

Wolves’ catcher Shin Min-ho glanced at Song Seok-hyun, who hadn’t moved back from the plate.

“Do these kids have no fear these days?”

“Or do they have something to believe in?”

‘Fastball, outside.’

The catcher placed his mitt on the outside corner.

Jang Gye-seong’s second pitch was…

-Ball, outside.

“The pitch was a bit outside.”

“It was just a ball’s difference. If that had come in, the batter wouldn’t have been able to touch it; it was such a good location.”

Jang Gye-seong looked disappointed.

An inside fastball to intimidate, followed by an outside pitch.

It’s a simple combination that everyone knows, but it’s still effective.

“Hoo.”

Song Seok-hyun exhaled shallowly.

The catcher pondered the third pitch.

‘This batter isn’t intimidated by inside pitches.’

He watched the outside pitch.

‘What is he aiming for?’

‘Changeup, down low.’

The catcher pointed to the ground.

Show an outside fastball, then come inside and drop one [a changeup].

It’s a standard and efficient pitch.

Jang Gye-seong nodded immediately.

A reasonable pitch selection.

Jang Gye-seong’s changeup flew towards the mitt.

Song Seok-hyun also started his swing.

Whack!

-Ball, low.

“Song Seok-hyun! He holds back on that one!”

“His bat was almost all the way out, but he stops it at the last moment.”

“Catcher Shin Min-ho looks at the umpire with disappointment. But even from the broadcast booth, the bat didn’t go around.”

“Good stop. He held back well.”

3-0.

In an instant, the count was full.

Jang Gye-seong frowned.

The catcher met eyes with the pitcher.

A cleanup hitter [typically the team’s best hitter] with a 3-0 count.

First base is open.

The standard is to walk him and face the next batter.

Jang Gye-seong shook his head.

‘He may be the number 3 hitter, but he’s just a twenty-year-old rookie.’

The national team starting pitcher’s pride wouldn’t allow him to avoid a rookie batter from the first inning.

Then…

The battery [pitcher and catcher] exchanged signs.

Jang Gye-seong checked the runner on second base with his eyes and then threw the ball.

A pitch that drifted slightly outside.

Song Seok-hyun watched it go by.

The ball hooked into the strike zone at the last moment.

-Strike!

“Strike! He threw a good pitch in a 3-0 situation.”

“That was a backdoor slider, right? It came in on a good course. The batter watched it because he had the count in his favor. The pitcher threw a good pitch, and the batter picked it well.”

1-3 situation.

Jang Gye-seong tapped the rosin bag.

The razor-thin tension is the best moment a pitcher can enjoy.

Players with weak mentality or lack of skill crumble under the pressure, but Jang Gye-seong was different.

When the back of his neck feels cold, his pitches become sharper.

‘Fastball, outside.’

The catcher’s mitt is inside the strike zone.

A signal to overpower him with strength.

Jang Gye-seong nodded once.

‘Isn’t a power-versus-power pitch the flower of baseball?’

Jang Gye-seong stepped forward with all his might.

The ball, loaded with his weight, shot out with a ‘pang!’

At the same time, Song Seok-hyun’s hips also moved forward.

Crack!

“It’s big! It’s big! It’s big! Foul! But it goes past the foul pole.”

“Even though it went past the pole, Song Seok-hyun’s power is really amazing. I thought his timing was a bit late, but he pushed it over the fence with his strength. The ball wasn’t far from the pole either.”

“Wow, you really have to acknowledge Song Seok-hyun’s power. Jang Gye-seong’s pitches are also known for being heavy, aren’t they? He pushes back Jang Gye-seong’s pitch with his power.”

“This match is interesting. Both teams are going at it from the first inning.”

Jang Gye-seong turned his head to find the ball that went over the fence.

The full-force pitch went foul.

He thought it would be a foul at best, but he never imagined that the pushed ball would fly so far over the right field fence.

“Ah…….”

Song Seok-hyun dropped his bat and put his gloves back on.

He hesitated.

The afterimage of the previous backdoor slider made him late to react to the outside pitch.

A little, just a little faster, and it could have been a home run.

It would have been a home run against another pitcher.

The pitch of the national team starting pitcher aiming to advance to the major leagues was different.

His top speed is around 145km/h, but his deception makes it feel like 150km/h or more.

The ball’s tailing is also good, so the ball seems to be alive.

They often call it a snake fastball, a whip-like ball, but Jang Gye-seong’s ball is like a barbed whip.

Even with a bat weighing nearly 1kg, his hands are tingling.

“3-2, full count. The game is getting longer.”

“Song Seok-hyun is proving that his performance isn’t just from facing the Phoenixes. He’s not showing any signs of being pushed around against the national team starting pitcher. The Wolves’ battery is also being very careful when facing Song Seok-hyun. This means they acknowledge him as a cleanup hitter.”

“He’s the number 3 hitter today.”

“Ah, yes. Haha, number 3 hitter. Anyway, it means they acknowledge him as the opponent’s ace.”

Song Seok-hyun moved closer to the plate.

The catcher breathed out through his nose.

‘How will he react to the provocation to throw an inside pitch?’

The catcher called for an outside changeup.

Dori dori [shaking the head].

Jang Gye-seong shook his head.

The senior is willing to indulge the junior’s provocation.

He nodded at the sign for an inside fastball.

“Full count. The highlight of today’s game is coming in the first inning. A head-on match between Jang Gye-seong and Song Seok-hyun!”

Jang Gye-seong gritted his teeth.

‘If a player aiming to advance to the major leagues can’t win against a green rookie, how can he even dream of the majors?’

Jang Gye-seong put all his strength into it and recorded his highest speed of the game.

A 147km/h fastball pierced the inside of the strike zone.

Crack!

“It’s going! It’s going! It’s going!”

The ball, flying in a straight line, flew towards the left field fence of Jamsil Stadium.

Both the Goat fans and the Wolves fans turned their eyes to find the ball.

“Ah! It went past the foul pole again! This time it was a really close call. It wasn’t even 1m off!”

“The Wolves’ bench breathes a sigh of relief. It went directly over the left field fence of Jamsil Stadium. This is really… Haha, it’s scarier than Kim In-hwan’s debut. Goat hasn’t had a hitter who can be called a slugger until now, but now there are two terrifying hitters, Kim In-hwan and Song Seok-hyun. Song Seok-hyun clears the Jamsil fence like it’s his neighbor’s fence.”

Catcher Shin Min-ho swallowed hard.

A fastball that came in perfectly inside.

Jang Gye-seong throws this kind of pitch once or twice in a game.

An ordinary batter would be called out on a looking strike.

Even an A-class hitter would swing and miss.

Only a special-class hitter would end up with a foul.

Song Seok-hyun hit a foul, but it went far over the fence.

It would have been a home run if the ball hadn’t curved at the end.

It would have been a home run in another stadium.

His spine tingled.

‘He can’t get a strikeout even with his best pitch?’

‘And the pitcher is Jang Gye-seong?’

“Hoo.”

The pitcher was the most embarrassed.

The smile on his face disappeared.

His signature pitch became a foul.

Until now, it was a battle of pride.

The pride of a national team starting pitcher to make a rookie feel the wall of the pros.

But after seeing two fouls, his chest turned cold.

Maybe…

“Who would have thought that the highlight of today’s game would come in the first inning? Even though Song Seok-hyun’s stock has been rising a lot lately, his opponent is Jang Gye-seong. He’s a pitcher who’s easily in the top ten in the league, even including foreign players. Jang Gye-seong, who is preparing to go straight to the major leagues, is having a difficult fight with a twenty-year-old rookie.”

“The cheering from both teams was great from the start of the game, but now it’s quiet. This means that the audience is also focused on the game, right?”

“Baseball fans will know how thrilling this scene is. It’s a battle between a hitter who can hit it over the fence and a national team left-handed fastball pitcher. They’re not avoiding each other. They’re facing each other with power against power!”

The Wolves’ manager’s hand moved.

At the same time, the strategy coach’s hand also moved.

The catcher’s eyes darted left and right.

Jang Gye-seong took a breath as the catcher’s sign was delayed.

‘It’s the bench’s sign.’

The bench’s judgment is that they can’t just wait and trust Jang Gye-seong’s pitches.

“Ha.”

Jang Gye-seong bit his lip.

The bench intervened in just the first inning, blocked by a twenty-year-old rookie.

Song Seok-hyun isn’t particularly big or covered in muscles, but the strike zone looks narrow.

Gulp.

Song Seok-hyun also swallowed as the sign was delayed.

‘What kind of pitch will it be?’

‘Fastball? Changeup? Slider?’

Jang Gye-seong also often throws an inside slider to right-handed hitters.

A sharp horizontal slider is good for creating ground balls.

Song Seok-hyun shook his head.

‘If he thinks too long, he’ll hesitate.’

‘He has to decide.’

‘The one pitch I’m aiming for.’

Song Seok-hyun relaxed his shoulders and pictured only one pitch in his mind.

Nod.

Jang Gye-seong finished exchanging signs.

Silence also fell in the stands.

It’s time for a decisive pitch after two consecutive foul balls.

Jang Gye-seong looked at the runner on second base once and then stretched his leg forward.

The closed hips rotated, and the hand hidden behind popped out.

“The pitcher! Throws!”

The ball extends outward.

Song Seok-hyun swung his bat at the ball that was out of the strike zone.

The ball stuck to the bat like a magnet, as if he had been waiting for it.

The pitch that Song Seok-hyun was thinking of, the pitch that the Wolves’ bench decided on was…

A backdoor slider.

Whack!

The white ball flew like a rocket into the reddened sky.

“Left field fence! Left field fence! Left field fence! It goes over and further! Further! Further! Further! All the way out of the stadium! It goes!”

“He hits a home run out of Jamsil Stadium! Song Seok-hyun! It’s really terrifying power!”

“Over the left field fence! Out of the stadium! Song Seok-hyun hits a two-run home run out of Jamsil! Do you see the Goat fans? There, there, a female fan is crying!”

“Hahaha, it’s not the Korean Series, it’s not the postseason, but she’s crying at a home run.”

“Song Seok-hyun’s home run completely eliminates the tight tension! Right now, Jamsil is! Goat’s! Home stadium!”

“Oh, Goat’s Song Seok-hyun. All-around Song Seok-hyun. Home run out of the stadium Song Seok-hyun. Fly! Away!”

Both teams shared the same 2 points in the first inning, but the atmosphere was contrasting.

It wasn’t a bad pitch, and it wasn’t a lucky hit.