Talented FA Catcher - Chapter 360
Only Krnovel
Swan song – 1
#
One of the moments when I think I did well being a catcher was right now.
The moment when you can feel the full emotions of the pitcher by running to the mound first after the game ends.
“I did it.”
“Yeah! It was perfect!”
“I did it!”
I don’t remember what Stroud said after that.
Players poured out of the dugout and onto the field and attacked us, and there was lynching.
“Ouch! It hurts! It hurts!”
“You deserve more! You could have done it, but you made me say weird things by crying!”
“What does that mean?”
“They’re just the two of us as usual. Well.”
Willis’s question was easily resolved and he laughed as he watched Lynch still chasing and beating Stroud.
The thought that I might never see those two like that again crossed my mind for a moment, but I left that for later.
“Are you jealous? Then I’ll admit it! Hit me harder!”
“You said that because you want to die right now? Okay, I’ll do whatever you want!”
For now, I’m content with just watching the two of them and enjoying them.
After all that commotion, the situation was finally sorted out.
Unless this was Chase Field, where tens of thousands of people were staring down at us as if they were going to kill us, it just wasn’t appropriate to continue the ceremony.
In the first place, we hadn’t even won yet.
Still, Stroud’s shutout had significant implications.
Not only did he take the lead again, he also threw Stroud’s first shutout in a World Series, against the Yankees at Yankee Stadium.
If the atmosphere is not good, then that’s strange.
But the victory was still not enough to fully enjoy this feeling.
“I know you want to lift the trophy in front of a full house of fans at Chase Field, but I think our fans will understand. Let’s finish the next two games here and then go home.”
At the coach’s words, everyone tried to suppress their still-hot emotions and finished the game in their own way.
I also took out my notebook to organize things, but there was nothing to write down.
Today, Stroud just did well.
I was just finishing up and heading to the locker room.
“Long? Why are you coming out from there?”
The place where Long appeared was the infirmary.
Honestly, there was a good chance it wouldn’t be a big deal.
Since he was selected tomorrow, it was likely that he checked his physical condition, which was something that happened often.
“…It’s nothing.”
Just that slight silence that was different from usual.
The silence that was unusual for the always blunt Long left me a little confused.
But I couldn’t hold on to Long, who said it was okay, so I let him go.
In fact, there was a 99% chance that it was nothing like Long said.
If there’s a problem, there’s no reason why anyone wouldn’t talk to me.
“Kim.”
Yeah, just like now.
“Can I talk to you for a moment? It’s about Long.”
Dr. Herdo’s hesitation made me uneasy.
“As Kim knows, Long’s body is practically at its limit. To be honest, I don’t understand how he’s throwing the ball.”
That anxiety became reality.
#
Why didn’t I notice it sooner?
At 45 years old, with numerous surgeries under his belt, and five years of nonstop running.
If you think about it, it was natural.
The human body has limitations, and Long’s body has far surpassed those limitations.
But I have overcome it so far with an incredible amount of mental strength and effort.
It wasn’t just a day or two.
According to Dr. Herdo, the directors and coaches already knew everything.
Long and the director kept that story a secret from us for fear that it would affect us, and we only heard about it today.
It was not Dr. Herdo’s dogma.
‘I’m sorry, Kim. But you should have known.’
That’s what the director said to me as soon as he saw me today.
I don’t know.
When I see myself upset now, I think that maybe they made the right choice, and I wonder why they didn’t notice it sooner.
But the most regrettable thing is.
“There has never been two consecutive shutouts in the World Series, has there? Let’s try it today.”
The truth is that I know, but I can’t pretend to know.
Although he spoke to Long calmly, his voice was slightly trembling.
“Woooooo-!”
Fortunately, the trembling in his voice was drowned out by the Yankees fans who had been filling the area since two hours before the game.
“Why did you ask us to do it here?”
“It was Tony Cope who suggested it first. He said we should get used to the game early, but it’s just bad taste.”
The rival team’s ace and starting catcher are warming up in the outfield bullpen? There was no way anyone could sit still.
Anyway, seeing that he still has that routine, I guess Long really likes it.
Long smiled faintly as he watched the Yankees fans booing around him, perhaps remembering the old days.
Then the boos grew louder.
But Long, who finished his warm-up without paying any attention, said:
“Let’s go now.”
I thought about it as I headed to the dugout.
Maybe the diagnosis is wrong.
Long’s ball was finished today as well.
So, it’s hard to believe that he’s a 45-year-old pitcher who played most of the 162-game season and even played two games in the postseason.
When I thought about it that way, there was only one answer.
The reason I met Dr. Herdo yesterday.
It must be a painkiller.
But since it’s not something that happens in a day or two, it won’t be effective with just anything, and if there’s pain, you’ll feel it almost as much.
Long is just throwing it away now.
I want to say that we should change the pitcher right now.
Wellington and Williams are also in good condition and are players who can start at any time.
But facing a Yankee lineup full of venom after yesterday’s loss at Yankee Stadium was a tall order.
Even with a decent mental strength, the fans’ voices would overwhelm you and it would be difficult to throw the ball to the ball that goes far even if you just brush past it.
The only selection that could do that right now was Long.
That’s why I couldn’t bring it up either.
It’s a little stuffy.
I wanted to relieve this frustration right away, so I picked up the bat.
#
-Taaaaah!
“Ooh.”
-Taaaaaaaah!
“I knew Kim was good at fan service, but was she good at it with fans of other teams as well?”
“What are you talking about?”
“You idiot. Look at the outfield. There’s a bunch of Yankees fans there right now trying to catch Kim’s pitch.”
Dan Stroud looked toward the outfield and chuckled at Todd Lynch’s words.
“Can you still receive it like that after the game starts?”
“It’s fortunate that you don’t throw the ball away.”
Already, some people got angry and threw the ball onto the ground as soon as they caught it.
But even if the ball returned to the ground, it was meaningless because it would soon go over again.
As Kim Soo-ho’s batting practice ended, Dan Stroud smiled and handed him some water.
“Kim, aren’t you pushing yourself too hard?”
“I have to push myself today.”
“uh?”
“It’s not just me who’s having a hard time. Thanks for the water.”
As Kim Soo-ho disappeared while drinking water, Dan Stroud spoke to Todd Lynch with a blank expression.
“Doesn’t it look different than usual?”
“Oh. It’s really sharp.”
For some reason, the two of them weren’t particularly worried.
“I’ll figure it out. Well, it’s not me who’s the problem. It’s the Yankees pitchers.”
The two were on the same team as Kim Su-ho, and the ones who had to face Kim Su-ho were the Yankees’ pitchers.
A little while after that impactful hitting drill.
Game 4 of the World Series began at Yankee Stadium, which, like yesterday’s game, was filled with mostly Yankee fans and a small number of Diamondbacks fans.
[Yankees starting pitcher, Mark Dalio. He recorded 11 wins and 9 losses in 33 games, 161 innings, 4.64 ERA, 1.35 WHIP.]
[He’s a good pitcher, but he’s only had three quality starts at Yankee Stadium. Now that the Yankees have nowhere to turn, he could be replaced quickly if he doesn’t live up to expectations.]
Mark Dalio is a shaky pitcher against the Diamondbacks lineup that scored eight runs yesterday.
But Yankees fans started cheering with a roll call.
“Rogers!”
“Richard Rogers!”
Roll call starting with Richard Rogers’ name, just like yesterday.
Mark Dalio’s first squeak was when he called out left fielder Pedro Sanchez’s name.
-Taaaaak!
Kris Bryant’s powerful swing continued and the ball hit the fence.
It was such a thrilling hit that the relief that it didn’t become a home run came first rather than the anger that came from getting hit.
But it was an undeniable fact that the leadoff hitter hit a home run right from the start.
The next batter there was Warren McCoy, a Yankees fan favorite.
“Woooooooo-!”
Yankees fans who welcomed Warren McCoy with boos began to put their hands together and pray.
Unlike yesterday’s game where he picked out the ball until the very end, today he swung from the first pitch.
-Ta-aak!
[The shortstop dives but can’t catch it! Pedro Sanchez catches the ball and runs straight home! Luckily, the runner on second base stops at third base.]
[Should we call this a blessing? The Yankees would have rather had Kris Bryant run home. Now Mark Dalio has to face Kim with runners on first and third base with no outs.]
[No more fancy words can describe him! Su-ho Kim! This is the word that best describes him!]
A batter whose name alone has become a terror to the opposing team.
The nightmare of yesterday’s home run and the hits Kim Su-ho showed during batting practice began to replay in the minds of Yankees fans.
The same was true for Mike White.
No matter how close he is with Kim Soo-ho, he was sincere in coming to the Yankees to beat him.
‘hmm?’
When Kim Soo-ho came to the plate, Mike White felt something strange.
Something was different about Kim Soo Ho today.
He doesn’t even give himself a glance and doesn’t even greet the referee.
Just stand at the plate and stare at the pitcher.
“Kim, aren’t you pushing too hard?”
“I’m sorry, I don’t have time today.”
Even White’s jokes are cut off with a decisive blow.
Even though I didn’t know what happened, it was clear that something had happened to Kim Soo-ho.
But whether that was fortunate or unfortunate for the Yankees remained to be seen.
‘This is the first time I’ve seen Kim like this.’
A changeup that takes advantage of something that looks urgent.
Mark Dalio threw a pitch that perfectly suited Mike White’s needs.
A slider that flows naturally downwards as it comes to the center of the zone.
“cheek!”
But Kim Soo-ho’s bat didn’t move at all.
‘Weren’t you aiming for the first pitch?’
Kim Soo-ho is not a player who would spare his bat in this situation.
So, it was the first pitch I requested and the ball was good, but the result was the worst.
Even though only one ball went up, Mike White felt an indescribable sense of frustration.
‘I can’t help it.’
A head-on confrontation is dangerous.
Mike White, who eventually made the choice to avoid the hit, kept sending changeup signs.
Mark Dalio also agreed.
“cheek!”
“cheek!”
But it wasn’t Kim Soo-ho.
Neither the sharp changeup nor even the inside fastball could get Kim Su-ho to swing his bat.
‘under.’
I can’t breathe.
3 ball nothing.
Even if the bases are empty, will you just let Kim Soo-ho go, or will you take a risk and throw him into the zone?
The decision was quick.
‘Even if it’s Kim, or rather, because it’s Kim, you have to throw it now.’
Ultimately, the Yankees need to beat Kim Su-ho to win the championship.
Mike White, remembering that fact, took a stance to receive the ball.
The target is the outer border.
But Mike White felt a chill when he saw the ball’s trajectory.
It’s a bit higher than requested, but it’s definitely formed near the border.
A course where there is a high probability that it will be a foul if the bat touches it.
But Kim Soo-ho swung his sword vigorously as if he had been waiting for it.
-Taaaaah!
Kim Su-ho lost his balance for a moment after hitting the ball as he forcibly pulled it toward the outside.
But it was far enough to be a home run.
Kris Bryant, Warren McCoy passed Mike White one after another, and soon Kim Su-ho also came home.
At that moment, Mike White’s eyes shook as he met Kim Soo-ho’s.
Kim Su-ho’s calm eyes even after turning a difficult course into a home run.
The moment he saw it, Mike White was sure.
‘It’s going to be a very long day.’