On The Rise As A Catcher [EN]: Chapter 93

“Relax and be accurate. Accurate. Accurate.”

Catching Streak

Ace of the Dark Ages

Every team has its ace, but the ace of the dark ages is even more special to the fans.

What does an ace who steadfastly does his part while the team collapses mean to the fans?

Admiration, apology, pity, pride, satisfaction…….

It would be impossible to express the countless emotions with just a few words.

Shin Gyu-won was that to the Fox fans.

He is only twenty-four years old, a 5th year pro, but he has already pitched 700 innings.

His career ERA of 3.98 wasn’t necessarily better than the aces of other teams.

Nevertheless, Shin Gyu-won was a source of pride and a sore spot for Busan fans.

Even while competing for 6th and 7th place with the Gwangju Bulls every time, the Fox fans flocked to away games whenever Shin Gyu-won started.

-Playball!

“The game begins.”

“Gote’s starting pitcher is Michael Fish. This player is good enough to have recorded an average ERA of 4 in the major leagues as a starter. Injuries overlapped and the team’s luck wasn’t good, so Gote is lucky to have him as a foreign player.”

“Yes, that’s right. He is currently recording an ERA of 3.11, ranking 3rd in the league.”

“If Michael Fish is Gote’s number one starter, then Fox has Shin Gyu-won playing the role of number one starter.”

“Fox’s foreign player scouting hasn’t worked out well this time either. There is talk of replacing Brent, and Benjamin is recording an ERA of 5.”

“Shin Gyu-won has a heavy burden on his shoulders. He is still young, but he plays a big role on the team.”

Michael Fish handled the first batter with a ground ball.

Just as the Gote players were relaxing after an easy start, Fox’s second batter, Kim Hyung-nam, hit Michael Fish’s curveball over the fence, advancing to second base.

“That was a bit careless. He got two strikes and then threw the curveball too predictably into the strike zone. Kim Hyung-nam is such an aggressive player that if he had dropped the curve, it would have been a swing and a miss.”

Michael Fish nodded as if it was nothing.

He just lost his focus a little.

“Third batter Kim Kyung-shim is coming up. Kim Kyung-shim has been hitting well lately. His batting average for the last five games is .368.”

“Aren’t Kim Kyung-shim and Shin Gyu-won classmates? He should help his classmate out at times like this.”

Michael Fish threw an outside fastball as his first pitch.

Kim Kyung-shim lightly hit the first pitch, and the ball broke through the left-center field, bringing in the runner from second base.

“1-0. Fox is playing baseball easily. They get the first point off ace Michael Fish in the first inning.”

“It’s just one point, but it’s an unpleasant one point for Gote.”

Catcher Park Shin-eon lowered his head.

Michael Fish’s pitches aren’t bad.

In fact, his pitches are better than usual.

The problem is that his pitches are too good.

Because he is confident in his pitches, he throws the ball too casually.

Fox is a lower-ranked team, but their slugging ability is second to none.

Park Shin-eon signaled to Michael to calm down.

As a regular starter in the major leagues, Michael had great pride in his skills.

In addition, he has a hot temper, so if he is in a bad mood, his pitches go wild.

‘Okay, okay.’

Michael signaled that he was okay, but…….

Thwack!

Bang!

Thwack!

“Hit! Another hit!”

“Michael is sticking to the front too much. He doesn’t have any pitches to take away [pitches designed to induce a swing and miss]. If he does this, the hitters will be aggressive. A pitcher succeeds when he makes the hitter hesitate. You shouldn’t give the hitter confidence.”

“It’s already 3 points. They keep giving up points little by little.”

Fox scored additional points, scoring 4 points in the first inning alone.

The Busan fans were excited by Fox’s early momentum and sang cheering songs.

“Spring has come to the camellia island~.”

The power to turn Jamsil [a stadium in Seoul] into Sajik [Busan’s home stadium].

With the support of the Busan fans’ cheering song, Fox’s starting pitcher Shin Gyu-won came to the mound.

“Shin Gyu-won is warming up.”

“His performance this year hasn’t been very good. His ERA has risen to 4? He looks tired.”

“Shin Gyu-won has been responsible for a lot of innings, right?”

“That’s right. He was sluggish in the last game too. He has thrown a lot of pitches in the last 5 years.”

“But an ace is still an ace, right? Shin Gyu-won is starting the game with strong run support for the first time in a while.”

Shin Gyu-won dusted the rosin on his hands.

With a height of just over 180cm and a baby-faced, chubby face, he looked more like a college student who only studies than an athlete.

His fastball speed was also around 140km/h [approximately 87 mph], and his pitching form was so pretty that he was nicknamed Princess by Fox fans.

“Batter Seol Jin-il is in the batter’s box.”

“Gote continues to stick to the lineup of 1st Seol Jin-il, 2nd Kim In-hwan, and 3rd Song Seok-hyun, right? As the players leave and the scoring power decreases, it seems like they are trying to get at least one point faster by putting punchy players in the top of the lineup.”

“The KS duo [Kim In-hwan and Song Seok-hyun] was a bit sluggish in the last Wolves game. If the KS duo fades, Gote’s lineup loses a lot of power, right?”

“That’s right. Other players need to step up besides the KS duo. We can’t rely on the KS duo forever.”

Seol Jin-il faced Shin Gyu-won for the first time.

In the strategy meeting, they emphasized that Shin Gyu-won was an A-class pitcher and should be approached with caution.

They said it was better not to be aggressive and aim for one pitch, but…….

“He hit it! The second baseman jumped but misses! Seol Jin-il gets on base by hitting the first pitch.”

“Seol Jin-il is very impatient. It’s the first time I’ve seen a leadoff hitter who likes to swing at the first pitch. He is very bold from the first pitch.”

“He got a hit, but the commentator doesn’t seem to be very generous in his assessment.”

“Yes, as a leadoff hitter, he should watch the ball for a long time for the team and give other hitters time to analyze the ball. If the leadoff hitter swings at the first pitch and gets out, it’s like wasting more than one out.”

Shin Gyu-won smiled lightly even after being hit.

He forcibly pushed the first pitch thrown outside the strike zone.

Even if he got a hit, it wasn’t bad because it went according to his intentions.

“Hoo-ooh.”

Seol Jin-il stomped his feet, measuring the timing for a steal.

Song Seok-hyun watched Seol Jin-il and Shin Gyu-won from the on-deck circle.

Shin Gyu-won didn’t check first base.

However, he paused for a long time in the set position.

“First pitch!”

Shin Gyu-won threw an outside fastball to Kim In-hwan.

It was a pitch that was barely out of the zone, but the umpire called a strike.

“Strike. It was a good pitch.”

“Kim In-hwan watched it well. You can’t get a good pitch even if you hit this one.”

Song Seok-hyun admired without realizing it.

His control was excellent, but what was even better was his control of the runner.

Instead of checking first base, he delayed the pitch to freeze the runner.

Song Seok-hyun also counted in his head, measuring the timing for the steal.

Just as Song Seok-hyun shouted seven in his head, Shin Gyu-won was already throwing the ball.

This means that the quick motion comes in smoothly within at least 1.3 seconds.

-Strike!

“Kim In-hwan swings and misses, making it two strikes.”

“That changeup was really good, right? Kim In-hwan couldn’t help but swing his bat. It was a ball that fell in a spot that was neither too much in the center of the strike zone nor outside, so he couldn’t help but be fooled.”

“That changeup is Shin Gyu-won’s trademark, right?”

“It’s the pitch that made Shin Gyu-won the ace of the Fox. The release point is the same as the fastball, and the deception, that is, the deception, right? It’s difficult to distinguish between the fastball and the changeup when throwing the ball, so you can’t hit it unless you’re guessing.”

“Isn’t the drop of the changeup also big?”

“That’s right. Shin Gyu-won throws a split-finger changeup, and the hitter seems to see the ball drop sharply. The drop is that big and the speed difference is more than 10km/h [approximately 6 mph], so it’s perfect for fooling the hitter.”

Kim In-hwan retreated by swinging at the third pitch changeup.

Strikeout.

Kim In-hwan headed to the bench with his head down.

“Kim In-hwan’s slump is getting longer. This puts more pressure on Song Seok-hyun, right?”

“If Kim In-hwan is sluggish, you can just walk Song Seok-hyun [intentionally walk him to first base]. Choi Jae-wan’s recent pace hasn’t been good either.”

Song Seok-hyun swung his long bat and entered the batter’s box.

He is a different type of pitcher than any pitcher he has ever met.

In a sense, a true finesse pitcher.

A pitcher who is called an ace even with a fastball that barely reaches 140km/h.

His control is good, he is smart, and his breaking ball is good.

He should assume that the pitches that look good are rather to deceive him and aim for the balls that are just outside the zone.

‘Fastball, outside.’

The catcher chose a strategy to avoid Song Seok-hyun.

He held out his mitt in a position slightly outside the strike zone.

Shin Gyu-won threw the ball lightly.

Whack.

Song Seok-hyun watched the slightly missing ball without swinging his bat.

-Strike!

“Strike! He’s getting ahead easily from the first pitch.”

“It was a borderline ball, right?”

Song Seok-hyun was dumbfounded and tried to look at the umpire, but he held back.

A difference of one or two balls in the strike zone is up to the umpire.

There is no need to argue with the umpire and make things worse.

It’s faster to accept it.

He won’t be able to keep throwing the ball in that spot, so let’s just lay off it…….

-Strike!

“Consecutive strikes! Shin Gyu-won! He must be in really good condition today!”

“Song Seok-hyun can’t touch the outside fastball.”

Song Seok-hyun took a step back from the plate and exhaled.

It’s half a ball more outside than before.

In a typical strike zone, one ball is outside.

If you catch the zone on the outside like this, the batter can only hit a single if he hits that pitch well.

Changeup.

The catcher pointed down with his mitt.

It was a signal to throw the changeup since it was the third pitch.

Shin Gyu-won threw a changeup on the outside course.

Song Seok-hyun swung his bat at the ball coming in the same spot as before.

Shin Gyu-won’s changeup slowed down and fell down.

Song Seok-hyun’s speeding bat cut through the air.

Swing and a miss.

-Strike! Out!

“Strikeout! Strikeout! Shin Gyu-won silences the KS duo with two consecutive strikeouts.”

“Song Seok-hyun must have been surprised too. He was completely fooled by the changeup.”

“The KS duo, which can be said to be the two pillars of Gote, couldn’t use their power in the first inning.”

“It seems like the goddess of victory is smiling on Fox today.”

Song Seok-hyun came to the bench and shook his head.

Kim In-hwan sighed.

“It doesn’t seem right today either. The changeup is too good.”

“I agree. It’s the best changeup I’ve ever seen.”

“What should I do in this case? Is my swing still too big?”

“It’s just that the opponent’s ball is good.”

“Then there’s no other way?”

“It’s also a way to stand at the very front of the plate and attack the changeup before the drop becomes too big. Or put the hitting point deeper in the zone.”

“Will I be able to hit it then?”

“I don’t know either. That kind of changeup is the most effective breaking ball for people like me who use heavy bats…….”

Song Seok-hyun shook his head.

If I fail today, I can already imagine what kind of article will be published tomorrow.

I have to avoid the slump at all costs.

He is the pitcher he has the worst chemistry with, but if he is a professional, he has to find a way.

What cards can Song Seok-hyun play against a pitcher with a generous strike zone on the outside and the best changeup?

After much deliberation, Song Seok-hyun gripped the knob of the bat tightly.

“This is too much of a gamble, but…….”

Catching Streak

Crazy bastard

The silence of the KS duo.

Fourth batter Choi Jae-wan entered the batter’s box.

The KS lineup was pulled forward, so he ended up taking on the 4th spot, but there were no results.

Choi Jae-wan reduced his stride by half.

-What should I do to make good contact?

Choi Jae-wan recalled his conversation with Song Seok-hyun during special hitting practice a few days ago.

He grabbed Song Seok-hyun, who was about to go home, and asked as if he was begging.

After much deliberation, Song Seok-hyun said.

-Contact is ultimately about hitting the ball well, and to hit the ball well, you need three things. First, the ability to recognize the pitch early, then a concise swing, and finally the ideal impact point. You need to think about which of these three you need to improve first.

-Um…… what can I do right now?

-You can’t improve your ability to recognize the pitch right away, and it’s difficult to change your swing during the season. The impact point is also related to the hitting form, so it’s difficult to fix it in a short period of time, but it’s the easiest to change among the three.

-So how do I fix it?

-It’s simple. Lower your batting stance. If you get closer to a level swing, you’ll make better contact. Of course, your power will be weaker, but you’re strong, right? It’s okay because you can hit a long hit if you just hit it, right? Anyway, that’s how you hit in the minor leagues, right?

Choi Jae-wan lowered the height of his bat by about a finger’s joint.

Choi Jae-wan was not a home run hitter even in the minor leagues.

A medium-to-long distance hitter with solid third base defense.

Choi Jae-wan also shortened his long stride and closed his shoulders tightly.

“Gote needs to make up for the slump of the KS duo in front and behind, but they are not able to solve this part. Seol Jin-il is getting on base well, but he is too aggressive and is not doing his job as a leadoff hitter, which is to watch the ball for a long time, and Choi Jae-wan has too many strikeouts. Choi Jae-wan is a young player who came up to the first team in a hurry, so we have to take that into account, but this is still the pros. The pros are a cold place if you don’t show it with your skills.”

The Fox battery exchanged signs.

The first pitch is an outside fastball.

The generous umpire’s strike zone was consistent this time as well.

-Strike!