Meeting the Rival's Overwhelm
The atmosphere inside the Daejeon Magpies' dugout was foul after a long stretch of losses. Even though the team had looked respectable since opening day in late March, they had already dropped three straight to the Incheon Cranes and then three more to the Seoul Falcons. The loss chain had pulled them deep into a losing swamp.
"Manager, how long are we keeping Choi Seungtaek in the minors?"
The moment the meeting started, the first-team manager jumped right in with his opinion.
"We… how much time did we actually give the catchers who came up from the minors?"
"About a little over a week."
The first-team manager's face was grim.
Still, three years and four years from the minors had made it to the first team, yet the chain reaction had been terrible because of the poor catchers. That had forced pitchers to take on too many innings, and several of them had already thrown more than a starter would in a full game.
"Manager, we're about to burn through April too. And if these bullpen guys keep getting called up like this, we'll be completely depleted by summer."
Even if Choi Seungtaek returned, the manager didn't expect his bat to suddenly jump. His face grew even more worried.
"We've given the minors enough chances. It's time to bring Seungtaek back to the first team."
"That's right, Manager."
The pitching coach picked up the thread as well.
"Pitcher management is getting harder by the day. Especially Russell is beyond annoyed. He keeps complaining that the catchers can't even handle the ball properly."
With the only remaining foreign pitcher on the roster already in a foul mood, the coaches' main job had been baby-sitting the players.
"And in the end, Seungtaek was right, wasn't he? Song Geumho is definitely going back to the minors, so it makes sense to promote him."
For reasons no one could explain, Song Geumho kept giving up hits every time he took the mound.
Exactly as Choi Seungtaek had said, his fastballs were being destroyed with terrifying ease. Once the fastball lost its punch, the breaking balls lost theirs too. In the end, the pitcher who couldn't even make it through one inning on the mound was sent down to the minors.
The other pitchers were suffering because of it, but the bigger reason was simply to bring the starting catcher up.
*"What an odd, weird guy."*
Manager Han Geunseong thought of Choi Seungtaek.
*A rookie catcher who had such a sharp sense of the field.*
Manager Han already knew Song Geumho's story inside and out. That was why he had requested the FA signing of the struggling pitcher from Gwangju. But he still hadn't figured out exactly what was wrong with Song Geumho.
While training here, the man's velocity had clearly risen and his command had improved. Yet even after confirming he had no visible tells, he still couldn't help giving up hits every time he took the mound.
"When do we expect him back?"
"From the rehab update, he's recovering faster than expected. He should be ready by early June. We'll put him in the minors from mid-May and bring him up at a good time in June."
"What about the others?"
"Hyeongho has a bad clavicle fracture; he's out for the whole season next year. Gyeokpo's expected return is September. The same applies to the other guy… it's going to be tough."
Manager Han made his call.
"Then… the answer is clear. Bring Choi Seungtaek back to the first team. This season he starts at catcher."
Manager Han disliked the idea of starting a rookie catcher, but the situation left him no choice. Still, the small flashes of catcher potential Choi Seungtaek had shown gave him a sliver of relief.
* * *
Woo-woong. Woo-woong.
Choi Seungtaek was resting at home on Monday when his phone buzzed. The name "1st Team Manager" flashed on the screen.
"Hello! Manager-nim."
"Yeah! Seungtaek-ah! Good news!"
"Good news…?"
"The manager wants you back in the first team."
*'Ah, so early? I thought it would be May at least.'*
He had expected May. Instead, it was coming much sooner.
"And from the meeting, it looks like the manager is going to start you as the full-time catcher this year. Congratulations."
*'Great. Then I can do it.'*
"All right. Thank you. Where should I report tomorrow?"
"Right now you're in Daejeon, right?"
"Yes."
"You have an away three-game series against the Falcons. Arrive at Jamsil Stadium by ten a.m."
"Got it."
As soon as he hung up, Seungtaek headed straight back to his desk.
*"Okay. Time to really dig in and study them."*
Returning to the first team, Seungtaek laid out a plan to lighten the pitchers' load.
"Hmm… what's this? Kang Taepoong is the starter tomorrow. Wow, he cracked the fifth starter slot already? Insane. Wednesday is Dustin, first starter, and Thursday it's Yoo Hee-wang, the second starter."
After confirming the Falcons' starting pitchers, Seungtaek turned to the batters.
He studied each player's favorite pitch, pitch they avoided, swing tendencies, pull vs. pull side, and where the balls were headed.
*"Perfect. The plan is locked in."*
Seungtaek had spent the entire Monday analyzing the Falcons and their next opponent, the Seoul Falcons. Now he checked his own condition.
*"What the—?!"*
Using the System for the first time in a while sent a shock through him.
*Is this real?*
[Choi Seungtaek: B Grade Hitter] [Contact: C+ Power: C+ Eyes: A]
He had expected his hitting to have dropped, yet it had actually risen. A new "Eyes" attribute had appeared, and the C+ hitter was now B.
*'No way…'*
His own feeling hadn't changed. It was just that Kim Gwang-gyeon had been too overpowering. His hitting sense was still climbing.
*'What the hell. I have to train harder right now!'*
[Choi Seungtaek: B Grade Catcher] [Blocking: C+ Framing: C+ Runner Holding: A+ Pitcher Lead: B]
Not only had his hitting jumped. His catcher grades had also climbed to B. The biggest leap was Runner Holding, which had shot to A+. A brand-new Pitcher Lead attribute had appeared.
*'Right. I remember now.'*
In high school, after he had studied and copied Mitchell Nelson's form to raise his own batting grade to A, the System had taught him that grinding through extreme physical training was one way to improve, but learning and mastering a form that suited him was far faster.
Of course, it offered no explanation.
*'You bastard. I almost got beaten to death with my own power.'*
He could have kept grinding and raising his own power, but with solid guidance he could have learned the right technique and climbed even faster.
*"Not now."*
Seungtaek called the first-team manager again.
"Woo-woong."
"Yo, Seungtaek-ah? What's up?"
"Manager, can we use the training facility again?"
"Of course."
"Can I come now?"
"The training facility? Ah, yeah. You haven't been able to train properly for a while, so it makes sense. The hitters are out there right now. Want to join?"
The manager immediately understood his situation and the fact that he was eager to train made him smile.
*'Wow! Training on Monday too! I should have guessed.'*
Seungtaek actually felt a little relief at the brutal training schedule.
"Yeah! I need to raise my senses, so I'll head over right away."
With game prep done, he immediately sprinted to the first-team training field to check his hitting feel.
* * *
Midweek three-game series against the Falcons. The Falcons' fifth starter, Kang Taepoong, faced the Magpies' first starter, Russell.
Seungtaek's return made Russell genuinely happy. Even while loosening up, he told Seungtaek how good it was to have him back.
When the game started, Seungtaek put his plan into motion.
Bottom of the first, Falcons' offense.
Seungtaek looked up at the mound where Russell had just taken it.
[Russell: B+ Grade Starter] [Condition: Good] [Notes: Stability gained from Seungtaek's lead on the home plate, command rising]
Because Seungtaek had changed his lead position on the plate, the System added that the command had improved.
Thanks to their old battery work, Russell felt stable with Seungtaek catching.
*'Ah, so that's it? Even better.'*
Seungtaek called for a tough pitch to the Falcons' leadoff hitter.
[Low outside fastball]
Nod.
Swoosh.
Thwack!
Strike!
Seungtaek felt Russell throwing with more freedom than before. The usual tight style had opened up once Russell began working the outside corners.
[Inside fastball]
Nod.
Thwack!
*'Oh crap!'*
The Falcons' leadoff batter knew the Magpies' third base was weak and tried a sneaky bunt.
"Got it!"
The third baseman was a step behind and had to rush his throw to first, but the batter was safe.
*'Damn.'*
Seungtaek was caught off guard but stayed calm.
*'Second batter, Park Gyeongmin. Left-handed, pulls the ball too hard, speedster but terrible at bunting or small-ball.'*
Worried about the bunt, Manager Han had ordered an infield shift. But Seungtaek overrode the call.
[Shortstop to second base area, second baseman to the deep hole between first and second]
The shift was executed exactly as Seungtaek had signaled, and the first-team manager nearly jumped.
*'Did he just call a shift from the bench?'*
Seungtaek didn't care about winning the game. His only goal was to preserve the pitchers' arms.
He wanted to cut innings per game, not win at all costs.
*'Not a mistake. What was it called…? Overhauling?'*