Villain On The Mound [EN]: Chapter 104

Villain on the Mound – Episode 104

Ha-sung’s amazing performance in the opening game was astonishing.

– Awesome.

– Had to change my underwear.

– He barely dropped below 100 mph until the 5th inning.

– Seriously, is this the number of pitches against major league hitters for real?

– At this rate, he might even complete the game?

– It’s not just about a complete game, he could even pitch a perfect game.

– All the talk about him being overrated has disappeared.

– Cl-ean!

The fans were ecstatic.

The previously uneasy atmosphere made it feel even more dramatic.

Everything was going according to the scenario Ha-sung had hoped for.

Ha-sung returned to the mound, focusing his concentration.

‘Now is the crucial part. As I approach 100 pitches, the power and focus of my pitches will decrease. I need to be careful.’

He had no experience as a starting pitcher in this life.

But in his previous life, Ha-sung was a starting pitcher who threw more pitches than anyone.

Having accumulated various experiences, he knew when and at what timing a crisis would arise.

‘But…….’

Ha-sung, with rosin on his hands, stood on the mound.

‘For some reason, I don’t feel like my stamina is dropping yet.’

Stamina is not infinite.

Throwing fastballs meant consuming stamina.

So, it wouldn’t be strange to get tired at any moment.

Ha-sung planned to adjust his pace once his stamina started to decline.

However, there was no sign of his stamina dropping.

‘I’ll throw until I get tired. That’s what I need to do now.’

He had acquired new hardware.

The only way to test the limits of this machine was in a real game.

Ha-sung cleared his mind of unnecessary thoughts and focused solely on the game.

“Hoo…….”

He took a breath and exchanged signs with Trevor.

[In the top of the 6th inning, batter number 7, Franklin Gutierrez, steps up to the plate.]

[Franklin couldn’t do anything in his first at-bat.]

Franklin, who struck out in his first at-bat, was determined.

‘I saw the ball in my first at-bat, so I should be able to see it this time.’

Others had the same thought as Franklin.

They wondered if they could hit Ha-sung’s pitches now that the batting order had come full circle.

But that was just a needless worry.

Thwack-!!

“Strike!!”

[Swinging strike on a fastball that nips the inside corner! Strike one!]

Whoosh!!

Thwack!

“Swing! Strike two!!”

[A 90-mph slider gets him swinging! That’s strike two!]

[Since the batting order has turned over, he’s mixing in sliders at perfect times, making things complicated for the hitters.]

[It’s truly exquisite pitching.]

Ha-sung started throwing sliders in earnest from the 4th inning.

The hitters, who were anticipating cutters and fastballs, were repeatedly fooled by Ha-sung’s sliders, putting them at a disadvantage in the count.

As the count became unfavorable, the hitters began to feel anxious.

And those hitters were nothing more than good prey for Ha-sung.

“Hmph!!”

[He throws the third pitch!!]

The ball left his hand, heading to the farthest point from the batter.

It flew towards the outside border of the plate.

Whoosh-!!

The batter stared blankly at the ball passing over home plate.

Thwack!!

The ball landed squarely in the mitt.

Followed by.

“Strike!! Batter out!!”

The umpire raised his hand.

[Strikeout! The batter could only watch as the exquisite pitch landed in the mitt! He records double-digit strikeouts in his first start!!]

[This pitch was clocked at 101 mph. Even though he’s thrown over 60 pitches, his velocity hasn’t dropped at all.]

[Jung Ha-sung is truly amazing!]

Ha-sung, having recorded 10 strikeouts, put rosin on his hands and looked at the next batter.

‘I’m seeing this guy a lot since I became a starter.’

A slender, Asian player was stepping into the batter’s box.

[Stepping up to the plate is the legend of Japan! Suzuki Ichiro!!]

Suzuki Ichiro.

One of the greatest contact hitters in Major League history.

* * *

Suzuki Ichiro was a baseball hero in Japan.

After dominating Japan, he came to Major League Baseball and recorded over 200 hits every year.

Especially in the 2004 season, he set a new Major League record by hitting 262 hits.

He continued his success from Japan.

[Ichiro recorded over 200 hits in the 2009 season, marking his ninth consecutive season with 200 or more hits. He’s truly an amazing hitter.]

[That’s right. He hit a walk-off hit against Korea in the WBC [World Baseball Classic].]

[I can’t help but wonder what would have happened if Jung Ha-sung had been there at that time.]

[Considering he got Ichiro out with a fly ball to center field in just five pitches in their first encounter, it’s definitely a shame.]

Ha-sung won the first match.

If it had been last year, that would have been the end of the contest, but not this year.

[Wouldn’t a head-on confrontation with a player like Ichiro be risky in his second at-bat?]

[That’s right. His slugging percentage has decreased since coming to Major League Baseball, but he has become a hitter with incredible accuracy. If you continue to compete against such a player with a simple pattern, there is a high possibility of giving up a hit.]

[I wonder what choice Jung Ha-sung and Trevor the catcher will make. Jung Ha-sung, after exchanging signs, goes into his windup!]

The commentators were thinking somewhat complicatedly.

That would be true for an ordinary pitcher.

But Ha-sung was thinking even more simply.

‘Ichiro? He’s a good hitter. A legend in Major League Baseball, but…….’

He raised his leg and focused all his strength.

‘My condition is better today!’

Wham!

The spikes dug into the mound, and his body rotated rapidly.

Whoosh!!

“Hmph!!”

At the end of the rotation, he threw the ball with a short shout.

Whoosh-!!

The ball left Ha-sung’s hand and flew with fierce speed.

Ichiro checked the trajectory of the ball and swung his bat simply.

Clack!!

“Foul!!”

[First pitch foul! Ichiro hits a fastball that bores inside!]

[He just watched the first pitch go by in his first at-bat. Maybe it’s because it’s his second time up, but he made contact right away.]

[It was a 101-mph fastball, but Ichiro’s bat is precise as ever.]

The commentators’ reactions were somewhat exaggerated.

But considering that Ha-sung had recorded 10 strikeouts against 15 batters in today’s game, their reactions were understandable.

‘He’s hitting inside pitches right away. Should I go with a slider for the second pitch?’

After finishing preparations for the second pitch, Trevor sent a sign.

It was a signal to proceed with caution.

But Ha-sung shook his head.

‘I’m going with a fastball.’

‘Stubborn as always…….’

Trevor shook his head and held out his mitt.

[Jung Ha-sung, after exchanging signs, throws the second pitch!]

Whoosh-!!

Clack!!

“Foul!!”

[Another foul! The bat was completely pushed back!]

[It was clocked at 102 mph this time. Even though the game is past the midpoint, Jung Ha-sung’s velocity shows no signs of dropping!]

[Jung Ha-sung is displaying incredible power! I’m curious to see what kind of pitch he’ll throw for the third pitch!]

Ichiro’s mind became complicated.

‘The second one was faster than the first. My bat was completely pushed back. Thanks to that, I’m in a bad count.’

Two strikes.

Now the advantage had completely shifted to the pitcher.

‘I need to watch as much as possible and lead the match to my advantage.’

You can’t be impatient just because you’re in a bad count.

He had to somehow create a favorable count.

‘I’ll get rid of any ordinary pitches.’

Ichiro, having made his decision, stepped into the batter’s box.

After concentrating and going through his routine, he finished his batting preparations, and Ha-sung went into his windup.

[Jung Ha-sung winds up with two strikes!!]

Following a stride from his tall height, a quick rotation that didn’t match his massive size followed.

“Hmph!!”

[He throws the third pitch!!]

The ball that left his hand plunged toward Trevor’s mitt.

Ichiro swung his bat at the pitch that was coming in on a slightly high course in the center.

‘A mistake!’

It was such an honest course that it felt like a mistake.

Ichiro’s bat turned to snatch the ball.

Whoosh!!

The moment his bat passed over home plate.

The ball no longer dropped and passed over the bat, landing directly in Trevor’s mitt.

Thwack!!

“Swing! Out!!”

[Strikeout! The powerful Jung Ha-sung strikes out two batters in a row with three pitches each!!]

[Ah-! He strikes out Ichiro! Jung Ha-sung is truly amazing!]

[The third pitch that Jung Ha-sung threw was clocked at 103 mph again!]

[He’s proving that it wasn’t a coincidence by clocking his highest speed again in the 6th inning!!]

103 mph.

As the speed of 165 km/h [kilometers per hour] was recorded again, the Oakland fans cheered in unison.

“Wowww!!”

“Jung Ha-sung, you’re the best!!”

“Hahaha! That’s so refreshing! So refreshing!!”

Ha-sung didn’t avoid the challenge.

The fans were thrilled that he had struck out the best contact hitter in Major League Baseball with three fastballs.

– WTF, he struck out Ichiro with 3 pitches.

– And they were all fastballs lol.

– 101 mph, 102 mph, 103 mph, is this real?

– Is he increasing his speed every pitch like it’s a game?

– If you made a game like this, you’d get roasted for being unbalanced.

– This game’s balance is trash.

The fans were ecstatic about Ha-sung’s performance.

And Ha-sung struck out the third batter as if to respond to the fans’ cheers.

Thwack-!!

“Strike! Batter out!!”

[The batter can’t even flinch at the fastball that nips inside! Jung Ha-sung finishes the inning with a strikeout!]

[It’s a shame! He couldn’t create a perfect inning by throwing four pitches against this batter.]

[But he is currently putting on an incredible performance, not allowing a single one of the 18 batters to get on base!]

Ha-sung’s flawless pitching, not allowing a single hit against 18 batters, began to attract attention.

* * *

There is something called an unwritten rule.

It was a rule that was not formally established but was implicitly followed.

There were several unwritten rules in baseball, but one of the most representative was not mentioning when a pitcher was in the middle of a perfect game or a no-hitter.

The same was true for the broadcasting team.

Therefore, neither the announcer nor the commentators brought up related stories during the broadcast.

But that wasn’t the case for the broadcast.

[Jung Ha-sung 6 innings perfect game in progress.]

The caption was clearly displayed so that viewers could see it.

– Hey, hey, Jung Ha-sung is pitching a perfect game for 6 innings?

– Is he going to cause an accident today?!

– It would be awesome if he recorded a perfect game in the opening game.

– A perfect game in his second year ㅋㅋㅋ [Korean slang for “lol” or “laughing”].

– It would be amazing if he set this record in his first year after switching to a starter.

The fans couldn’t help but expect it.

But not everyone was like that.

– A perfect game isn’t like some random dog’s name. Do you think just anyone can do it?

– There are still 9 outs left.

– Perfect games are usually broken in the late innings.

– Agreed.

– Besides, Jung Ha-sung has thrown 70 pitches, right? He has 3 innings left, do you think it’s possible?

– It’s about time for him to start losing steam, so it’s absolutely impossible.

– Plus, there are no runs, so do you think it’s possible?

Antifans came out as if they had been waiting and started to jinx it.

And their claims weren’t exactly wrong.

The easiest time for a perfect game or no-hitter to be broken was in the late innings.

After the 7th inning, the pitcher’s stamina decreases, causing his control to waver and allowing batters to get on base.

There was another obstacle for Ha-sung.

[It’s the bottom of the 6th inning, but the score is still 0-0. Both ace pitchers are shutting down each lineup.]

The fact that no runs were being scored.

Even if he pitches a perfect game through the 9th inning, the game will continue if no runs are scored.

A perfect game is only recognized when the game ends.

Thwack-!!

“Strike! Batter out!!”

[Strikeout! Hernandez also shuts down the 6th inning, continuing his perfect pitching!!]

And those antifans’ reactions began to ignite even more, thanks to Hernandez’s good pitching.

– It would be so fun if he pitched a perfect game for 10 innings and it went down as unofficial ㅋㅋㅋ.

– ㅋㅋㅋ There was such a case in Korea too.

– The Athletics’ lineup is too weak.

– Agreed.

The game has now moved on to the 7th inning.