On The Rise As A Catcher [EN]: Chapter 83

Wolves even came to the bench to watch, and Jang Gye-seong pitched with all his might.

Wolves’ desperate move.

Song Seok-hyun perfectly attacked it.

“Wowwwww!”

“Song Seok-hyun! Song Seok-hyun!”

The players on the bench rushed out to greet Song Seok-hyun.

The happiest was starting pitcher James.

“I love you! You are my superstar!”

Jang Gye-seong caught the ball thrown back by the catcher.

Only 2 points.

Two runs are manageable for a starting pitcher.

He told himself it was just 2 points, but the flush on his face lingered.

“That backdoor slider was really sharp just now.”

“Song Seok-hyun timed it perfectly. He didn’t just swing; he deliberately aimed for it.”

“How did Song Seok-hyun anticipate the backdoor slider?”

“Wasn’t the backdoor slider the only pitch Song Seok-hyun couldn’t touch from Jang Gye-seong? He threw two fastballs before that, so throwing another backdoor slider was a logical choice. But Song Seok-hyun isn’t just a designated hitter; he’s a catcher. Who knows the pitcher’s tendencies better than a catcher? Using the one pitch the batter struggled with as a deciding pitch makes sense.”

“A logical choice doesn’t always guarantee success.”

“Haha, that’s baseball. Isn’t that why catchers try to make pitch selection unpredictable?”

Jang Gye-seong gave up 2 runs in the first inning, but he was still Jang Gye-seong.

He struck out the 4th and 5th batters with blazing fastballs and headed back to the bench.

Jang Gye-seong ripped off his glove, threw it onto the bench, and stormed behind it.

The camera zoomed in on Jang Gye-seong’s frustrated face.

Success as a Catcher

The Master of Jamsil (4) [Jamsil is a neighborhood in Seoul known for its baseball stadium.]

“Yeah!”

Gote’s starting pitcher, James Mackenzie, roared after striking out a batter.

Already the top of the 3rd inning.

The score remained 2-2.

Even though it was a tie, the electric atmosphere from the 1st inning hadn’t faded.

“James closes out the inning with a strikeout in the top of the 3rd.”

“Both starting pitchers are quality pitchers. They gave up runs early but quickly settled into a rhythm.”

“But the bottom of the 3rd is interesting. Song Seok-hyun is coming up to bat again, isn’t he?”

“Haha, that’s right. Jang Gye-seong had a tough time against him in the 1st, so I’m really curious how he’ll approach Song Seok-hyun this time.”

Bottom of the 3rd.

The batting order started again with the 1st batter, Seol Jin-il.

Bang!

-Strike!

“Wow.”

Seol Jin-il grimaced at the inside fastball on the first pitch.

Usually, an inside fastball has slightly less velocity and power than an outside fastball.

Because pitchers are also human, they tend to be more careful, not wanting to hit the batter.

But this pitch was different.

The pitcher was throwing with everything he had, not holding back at all.

“Second pitch! Strike! Seol Jin-il is frozen.”

“That was a slider that broke sharply towards the right-handed batter’s body. Not many pitchers can throw it like that. But Jang Gye-seong confidently mixes in the slider. Because the slider is so sharp and breaks so late, it’s a tougher pitch to hit than the fastball.”

The count is 0-2.

Seol Jin-il crowded the plate, anticipating the next pitch.

Bang!

-Strike! Out!

“Strikeout! He’s out!”

“High inside fastball! Seol Jin-il didn’t even flinch.”

“It’s 146km/h [approximately 91 mph]! That was a great pitch.”

“It seems like Jang Gye-seong is really bringing the heat today. No easy pitches.”

“Usually, starters pace themselves, right?”

“Jang Gye-seong is naturally an aggressive pitcher, but he’s pushing even harder today.”

Second batter Kim In-hwan swung at a slider that dove out of the strike zone and grounded out.

Kim In-hwan hung his head.

“Now, this is the matchup everyone’s been waiting for. Jang Gye-seong versus Song Seok-hyun. Song Seok-hyun versus Jang Gye-seong.”

“Can Jang Gye-seong redeem himself after the home run he allowed in the first inning?”

Jang Gye-seong rubbed rosin on his hand.

The rosin dust swirled before his eyes.

When the dust settled, he saw Song Seok-hyun’s face in the batter’s box.

“Hoo.”

Song Seok-hyun still had a youthful face.

Jang Gye-seong threw a slider that broke inside as the first pitch.

Bang!

-Strike!

“That was a very sharp slider just now.”

“Song Seok-hyun is taking the first pitch.”

“It was a tough pitch to square up. The angle was too sharp.”

Jang Gye-seong took a deep breath.

He needed to get ahead in the count.

Song Seok-hyun was good at reading pitches, waiting for the backdoor slider in the first inning.

The longer the at-bat goes, the more the pitcher’s tendencies are revealed.

‘Fastball, high and inside.’

The catcher was also calling an aggressive game.

Didn’t he learn in the first inning that being predictable would get him in trouble?

He needed to get the count in his favor quickly.

“Hmph.”

The pitcher inhaled.

A fastball that cuts inside.

The ball sailed outside the catcher’s mitt.

A hanging fastball, right down the middle.

Song Seok-hyun swung his bat effortlessly.

“It’s going! It’s going! It’s going! It’s going!”

Unlike the rocket he hit in the first inning, this time the ball arced high into the air.

A ball that barely cleared the third base line.

The left fielder waited with his glove.

“Left field fence! It’s over! Another home run! Song Seok-hyun’s solo home run in the 3rd!”

“Is that going over? I thought it was just a routine fly ball?”

“Song Seok-hyun capitalizes on Jang Gye-seong’s mistake! He’s taken Jang Gye-seong deep twice today!”

“Jang Gye-seong is hanging his head. Honestly, that last pitch was a clear mistake, so there’s not much to say. The ball had no velocity, and the location was terrible.”

“Jang Gye-seong is making uncharacteristic mistakes. That was an easy pitch to hit.”

“Still, Song Seok-hyun hit it so effortlessly, but it went over… Wow, Song Seok-hyun’s power is really impressive. It’s almost scary at this point.”

Song Seok-hyun rounded first base and then second.

The camera focused on Jang Gye-seong’s face.

A stiff face with a flushed expression.

Silence hung over the Wolves’ bench as well.

“Oooooh!”

“Song Seok-hyun! Song Seok-hyun!”

“Good job! Song Seok-hyun is the best!”

The teammates on the bench cheered for Song Seok-hyun.

Starting pitcher James gave Song Seok-hyun a bear hug.

“Hooah.”

When Song Seok-hyun took off his helmet, Kim In-hwan offered him a fist bump.

Song Seok-hyun tapped Kim In-hwan’s fist.

“You’re seeing the ball well today.”

“I guess so. My bat feels good today.”

“Can you read Jang Gye-seong’s pitches? I can’t see any of them.”

“Well, hyung [older brother or respected male figure] is a left-handed batter, and I’m a right-handed batter. I can’t read Jang Gye-seong’s pitches well either; he has great deception.”

“I’m going crazy. I can’t figure him out at all. Fastball, slider, or changeup… I can’t see it.”

“Really? Is he that good? He usually has good results against left-handed batters, but I didn’t know it was to this extent.”

“Ha, maybe I’m just the problem.”

Manager Ham Seong-hoon glanced at Kim In-hwan and Song Seok-hyun.

The KS duo.

A potent lineup when they’re both hitting, but Song Seok-hyun carries a heavy load.

Kim In-hwan is inconsistent because he struggles with both making contact and being selective at the plate.

If Kim In-hwan doesn’t contribute, Song Seok-hyun’s importance increases even more.

The problem is that there’s no one else in the lineup to support Song Seok-hyun.

If there’s no protection for Song Seok-hyun, opposing teams can just walk him.

What did national team veteran Kyung Soo-in achieve in Phoenix for over 10 years?

Nothing until Kim Young-hoon arrived.

Even a genius batter can’t do it alone.

“Hoo.”

With Ham Seong-hoon’s sigh, the inning ended.

The more home runs Song Seok-hyun hit, the more intense Jang Gye-seong’s pitches became.

Few batters could handle Jang Gye-seong’s venomous pitches.

Song Seok-hyun came to bat again in the bottom of the 6th.

The score was 3-2, with Gote leading.

Jang Gye-seong was still on the mound.

“Leading batter Song Seok-hyun comes to the plate.”

“It’s their third meeting; will Jang Gye-seong challenge Song Seok-hyun head-on this time too?”

Jang Gye-seong pressed his lips together and focused solely on the catcher.

The catcher’s little finger twitched.

A signal to pitch outside.

Jang Gye-seong tapped the brim of his hat once.

Bang!

Bang!

Bang!

Three consecutive outside fastballs.

All of them were pitches that were a ball or two outside of the strike zone.

“It seems like the Wolves are avoiding a direct confrontation?”

“It’s understandable. He’s already hit two home runs today. The score is also 3-2. It’s a close game. A head-on match is risky in this situation. They need to prioritize winning.”

“Jang Gye-seong must be feeling a bit humiliated. Haha, he’s such an aggressive player that he’s nicknamed ‘Fighting Rooster,’ isn’t he?”

“Putting pride first in the current situation is just stubbornness. If it doesn’t lead to positive results, you have to follow the team’s strategy.”

Jang Gye-seong’s fourth pitch was an outside changeup.

It barely clipped the strike zone, and the umpire signaled strike.

“Oh? Is he going to challenge him now?”

“Well, he threw three balls and now he’s going to compete. That’s an inefficient and dangerous choice.”

The catcher dropped his mitt all the way to the ground.

A clear signal to throw a pitch in the dirt.

Jang Gye-seong grimaced and bounced the changeup in front of the plate as the catcher instructed.

“He’s practically avoiding a battle with Song Seok-hyun.”

“Of course. It’s unavoidable. He’s the hottest hitter today. There aren’t any other dangerous hitters besides Song Seok-hyun today.”

The batter after Song Seok-hyun was Choi Jae-wan, the backup for starting third baseman Kang Moon-gyu.

He was still a young player at twenty-two years old and was highly regarded for his potential, but it was still too early for him to fill the void left by Kang Moon-gyu, who received a multi-million dollar FA [Free Agent] contract.

-Strike! Out!

“Ah, Choi Jae-wan. He can’t catch up to Jang Gye-seong’s velocity.”

“Actually, that’s understandable. Jang Gye-seong is not only fast, but his pitching motion is so deceptive that the ball seems even faster. It takes time to adjust to Jang Gye-seong’s pitches. Even after you adjust, it’s still not an easy pitch to hit.”

“But Song Seok-hyun hit two home runs off him in their first meeting today, didn’t he?”

“Haha, Song Seok-hyun is a special case. Jang Gye-seong has good results not only domestically but also in international competitions. His unique pitching motion makes it difficult to pick up the ball, and his fastball has exceptional quality. Major League hitters struggled against Jang Gye-seong’s pitches in the WBC [World Baseball Classic]. That’s how tough Jang Gye-seong is.”

“Is this going to be a rivalry for the ages? A batter who hits a home run in his first at-bat. And that batter is Gote’s cleanup hitter. Isn’t this something that fans would love to see?”

“That’s right.”

Following him, left fielder Oh Jin-young came to the plate.

Oh Jin-young was a left fielder with a career OPS [On-Base Plus Slugging] of just under 0.8, around the league average.

He was a batter with occasional power, but his bat was overmatched by Jang Gye-seong’s sharp pitches.

“A foul ball here.”

“His timing is off, and he’s being overpowered.”

Jang Gye-seong made eye contact with Song Seok-hyun, who was glaring at him from first base.

The staredown between the left-handed pitcher and the first base runner.

Jang Gye-seong averted Song Seok-hyun’s gaze and threw a changeup that dropped away outside.

Oh Jin-young made awkward contact with the ball.

“The second baseman fields it and throws to the shortstop! The shortstop to first base! Out! It’s a double play! A double play here!”

“Jang Gye-seong closes out the 6th inning cleanly.”

“As expected of Jang Gye-seong. He’s showing why he’s a national team starting pitcher.”

Jang Gye-seong’s line today is 6 innings, 3 runs allowed.

Six strikeouts, four walks, and only five hits.

It was a quality start with solid underlying numbers, but the two home runs made Jang Gye-seong frown.

“Relax. Your pitches were good today.”

Catcher Shin Min-ho tried to soothe the young pitcher’s frustration.