Villain On The Mound [EN]: Chapter 101

Villain on the Mound – Episode 101

Villain on the Mound 101

After training, Miguel spoke with the coaching staff and took a break.

“Ugh… My head is still buzzing.”

He felt like he had a mild concussion.

He thought about the ball that had caused this.

‘I definitely positioned my mitt correctly to catch the ball. But at the last moment, it didn’t drop as expected.’

It was a first for him.

He had caught many fastballs with high vertical movement that didn’t drop much.

And he had caught Ha-sung’s pitches hundreds of times.

Miquel had been the one helping him warm up in the bullpen.

But this felt different.

‘It was a movement that made it impossible to predict its trajectory until the very end.’

The vertical movement was significant, and the horizontal movement was so pronounced it made his eyes dizzy.”

Then, Miguel heard someone calling his name.

“Hey, Miguel. You okay?”

“Oh, Ha-sung.”

Ha-sung handed him a cold drink and sat down next to Miguel.

“Something cold will help.”

“Thanks. Whew… I think I have a slight concussion; I’m still dizzy.”

“You should have caught it better.”

“What? Man! The ball is moving much more than before. How can I adjust to that so quickly?”

“Did it really move that much more?”

“The drop is secondary; the ball’s movement was insane. How did it get so much dirtier than last year?”

Miquel shook his head.

Ha-sung’s pitches were already known for their deceptive movement.

Both vertical and horizontal movements were significant, making clean hits difficult.

But the movement had become even more pronounced.

“If I’m seeing it that way, the hitters will too.”

“The hitters are going to have a tough time. By the way, did you really throw that with a four-seam grip?”

“Yeah. Nothing’s changed from the grip I used last year.”

“Wow… it changes that much.”

“Anyway, thanks for the feedback. I look forward to working with you in the future.”

Watching Ha-sung get up, Miguel sighed.

“Haa… am I going to have to keep catching those balls? This is going to drive me crazy.”

Miquel was filled with dread.

* * *

He found the right stride.

But that wasn’t the end.

‘Now I have to completely internalize it.’

Finding the right stride wasn’t the finish line.

Now he had to make it completely his own.

A starting pitcher throws nearly 100 pitches in a game.

Sometimes they throw even more, but the key difference is the significantly higher volume compared to a reliever.

Maintaining consistent pitching form while throwing so many pitches is difficult.

That’s why mistakes happen, and control falters.

‘To truly own the stride, I need to practice. I have to make it second nature before the pennant race starts.’

Every one of those 100 pitches had to stem from the same, reliable stride.

Only then could he consistently deliver pitches with perfect control and power.

In Major League Baseball, even a single mistake can lead to disastrous results.

‘But it’s a relief. I identified the problem and the solution faster than I expected.’

What if he had been a rookie in his first year?

He wouldn’t have understood the root cause, let alone found a solution.

He would have sensed something was off with his throws but would have fixated solely on speed.

He knew this because he had actually done that before.

‘Now it begins.’

* * *

Ha-sung skipped the second scrimmage and pitched again in the third.

This time, the spectators were especially interested in Ha-sung’s performance.

‘What will happen this time?’

Chris also watched the game closely, observing Ha-sung’s condition.

“Hmph!”

Whoosh-!

Thwack!!

“Strike!!”

The umpire signaled a strike as the first pitch landed in the catcher’s mitt.

Chris’s eyes lit up as he watched the ball.

‘The control is perfect. And the power is much stronger than before. It’s like watching Ha-sung from last year.’

The speed was slightly lower than last year.

But it wasn’t a major concern.

‘Because it’s Ha-sung, he’s probably conserving energy, thinking about the longer outings as a starter. He’s managing well.’

If it were another pitcher, he might have been worried.

But because it was Ha-sung, he remained optimistic.

Then Ha-sung threw the second pitch.

“Hmph!!”

Whoosh!

Thud!!

“Ball!!”

This time, the pitch sailed high.

It looked like the ball slipped out of his hand, causing him to lose control.

‘What was that? He never showed that kind of inconsistency when he was a closer.’

Chris started to feel anxious again.

After that, Ha-sung’s pitches were a mixed bag – some landed powerfully in the mitt, while others were awkward and erratic.

‘Too unstable?’

He felt like the reliability he had as a closer had vanished.

‘He has to handle more innings as a starter than as a closer. If he’s this 불안하면 [unstable]…….’

He wondered if he could trust him with longer outings.

Ha-sung’s second appearance ended with those doubts still lingering.

* * *

[Jung Ha-sung records 3 innings, 1 run, and 4 hits in the second scrimmage.]

[The 모습 [image/presence] of the untouchable could not be found.]

[A question mark is placed on the move to become a starter.]

[Experts continue to say that excessive bulking is affecting pitching.]

Negative articles about Ha-sung’s performance increased.

Naturally, anti-fans also began to stir.

-Has the bubble finally burst?

-Jung Ha-sung’s bubble bursts in less than a year, lol.

– 근돼 [muscle pig, derogatory term for someone who only focuses on building muscle] should just do bodybuilding, lol.

-He was cocky to his seniors at last year’s awards ceremony; serves him right.

-His personality is important. Skill follows personality.

-ㅇㅈ [agree]

-There’s no need to play this season. He’s already washed up.

With overwhelmingly negative reactions, Ha-sung participated in the exhibition game.

In the exhibition game, he took the mound as the starting pitcher.

The exhibition game was essentially a practical test, a final check before the regular season.

That’s why Major League fans were so interested.

More spectators came to the stadium than in the practice game, creating an 열기 [atmosphere/fervor] similar to the regular season.

“All tickets are sold out.”

“I hope this 열기 [fervor] continues into the regular season.”

“It might be like that now, but if Jung Ha-sung shows an 불안한 모습 [unstable performance], I don’t know how long it will last.”

Chris sighed at Catherine’s words.

“The coaching staff wants to wait and see, so there’s nothing I can do.”

“Is there really nothing you can do?”

“Your sarcasm hasn’t changed. You’re right. Ha-sung is no longer a player the club can easily control.”

“He’ll have to be sluggish for at least half a season before you can bench him.”

Catherine’s words were accurate.

Ha-sung’s influence had grown that much.

It was impossible to remove him from the roster after just one or two bad games.

The challenge was balancing fan engagement and 성적 [performance/results] while supporting him.

‘If the 성적 [performance] drops, the audience will eventually leave. That would be a fatal blow to our finances.’

The club’s finances were just starting to recover.

The primary reason for this was, of course, Ha-sung.

If Ha-sung showed a sluggish 모습 [performance], fans would naturally lose interest again.

That was the worst-case scenario.

“Play ball!”

The game started with the umpire’s call.

Catherine offered a word of comfort to Chris, the general manager, who was watching the game with mixed feelings.

“Still, he’s super rookie Jung Ha-sung. Let’s wait and see.”

“I have to.”

However, in this game, Ha-sung pitched 3 innings, allowed 2 runs, and the powerful 모습 [performance] from before was nowhere to be found.

He also recorded 1 walk, his first unofficial Major League walk.

* * *

After the game.

Numerous reporters waited for Ha-sung, who was changing in the locker room.

When Ha-sung opened the door, they swarmed him like bees.

“Jung Ha-sung! You were sluggish in today’s game. Was your condition off?”

“No, it was fine.”

“Then why were you sluggish?”

“Well, everyone has off days.”

“You’ve been sluggish in scrimmages, too.”

“Well, I guess there have been days like that.”

Ha-sung answered the questions nonchalantly.

The reporters’ questions became more aggressive, fueled by his seemingly indifferent attitude.

“Some experts believe your bulking up has backfired. What do you say to that?”

“It hasn’t had any particular effect.”

“But isn’t the difference between this year and last year too significant to ignore?”

“It’s just an exhibition game. I don’t know why you’re making such a big deal out of it.”

“Are you saying things will be different when the pennant race starts?”

“Yes. When the pennant race starts, I’ll show you the 모습 [performance] of the untouchable again.”

The reporters quickly began scribbling down Ha-sung’s words.

Ha-sung, noticing this, smiled and said to the reporters.

“Is that the sound bite you wanted?”

None of the reporters answered.

Ha-sung said, pushing past them.

“Then, I’ll be on my way since I’ve given you something to write about.”

The reporters frowned as they watched Ha-sung leave.

They seemed annoyed by his attitude, his lack of fear.

But no one dared to say anything.

Ha-sung was still the hottest player in Major League Baseball.

“Let’s see how long he stays so arrogant.”

Other people nodded in agreement with the reporter’s words.

* * *

The reporters published Ha-sung’s remarks in the media.

[Jung Ha-sung says, “Don’t read too much into exhibition games,” with confident remarks!]

[Jung Ha-sung declares he will be different when the pennant race starts!]

[Jung Ha-sung promises to return to the 모습 [performance] of the untouchable, but experts remain skeptical.]

Other reporters published comments from other players, perhaps to criticize Ha-sung.

[Unlike last year, Jung Ha-sung’s pitches lack power!]

[Yankees’ Rodrigo expresses confidence, saying, “He bulked up too much. A pitcher with broken balance isn’t scary!”]

Rodrigo’s comment, in particular, grabbed readers’ attention.

Ha-sung frowned as he read the article.

“Damn drug cheat. Why is he so obsessed with me?”

On reflection, it was understandable.

“Well, I did hit him pretty hard. Is it natural for him to do this? Whatever, I’m used to being hated.”

Of course, he had brought it on himself.

So he didn’t regret it.

His recognition increased with each of these comments.

“There’s a limit to how far you can go with just skill. Ultimately, star power depends on how much 화제성 [buzz/attention] you generate.”

The reason for making provocative comments was to increase his star power.

His debut season had perfectly demonstrated this, making Ha-sung the hottest topic in Major League Baseball.

And Ha-sung planned to become the best player by repeating that this season.

“Ultimately, my consistency will determine my true value.”

Ha-sung was no longer worried about the slump that the media and the public were concerned about.

Instead, he embraced the moment.

‘My pitching is becoming more and more stable. One more game, and I’ll have it completely dialed in.’

There was no need to reveal everything in the exhibition game.

“Isn’t it true that dramatic narratives resonate with the public?”

He was planning to craft his own storyline and capture the public’s imagination.

“I’m already looking forward to the pennant race.”

The corners of Ha-sung’s mouth turned up as he looked out the window.