Villain On The Mound [EN]: Chapter 110

Villain on the Mound – Episode 110

Ace.

A term for the pitcher who throws the best on the team.

Since the number one starter usually takes on the role, it naturally leads to face-offs between aces.

Early in the season, when schedules aligned, these duels were more frequent.

As a result, intense pitching battles often unfolded.

Clang-!!

[He hit it! But shortstop Derek Jeter fields it cleanly and throws to first base!]

Thud!!

“Out!!”

[Derek Jeter makes the play! Sabathia finishes the 2nd inning with a quick three outs and heads back to the dugout!]

Sabathia continued his dominant performance in the 2nd, retiring the side in order, including one strikeout.

‘He’s on top of his game.’

In my memory, this is a career-defining season for him.

It was a season that resonated even more because his performance declined afterward.

I remember being impressed reading about him back in Korea.

‘Our hitters still don’t seem to have woken up.’

The top of the lineup went down without a fight.

It was the same old story.

It was best to keep expectations low.

‘I should just concentrate on my own performance.’

As Ha-sung left the dugout, the Yankee fans unleashed another torrent of boos.

“Woooo-!!”

“You’re gonna get beaned this time!!”

“You think you can take on our captain?!”

From childish taunts to expletives.

A barrage of jeers and insults continued.

‘No matter how loud you guys are, the fans in Busan and Masan are way more intense.’

Busan and Masan were known for having some of the most passionate baseball fans in Korea.

Ha-sung, who had played in those regions, was used to the fans’ heckling.

‘Derek Jeter, huh……’

Ha-sung ignored the fans and focused on Jeter, who was stepping into the batter’s box.

‘Well, he’s just another batter.’

Regardless of the opponent, his job remained the same.

‘There’s no point in putting any hitter on a pedestal.’

Idealizing a specific hitter could lead to hesitation on the mound.

He had learned this lesson before his regression, especially when facing high-profile players.

“I am the best.”

Ha-sung, as if reciting a mantra, took his position on the pitcher’s plate.

[Bottom of the 2nd! Jung Ha-sung is up against Derek Jeter.]

* * *

Trevor was playing it safe.

‘Jeter can hit almost anything you throw at him.’

He knew Jeter’s reputation, so caution was necessary.

‘Okay… What am I thinking? Jeter is good, but Ha-sung is even better.’

Trevor refocused and signaled the pitch.

‘Inside fastball.’

Ha-sung nodded in acknowledgment and began his windup.

Trevor adjusted his position slightly, moving closer to the plate.

He held out his mitt, ready for Ha-sung’s throw.

Ha-sung, having completed his stride, unleashed the ball.

Whoosh-!!

In the blink of an eye, the ball hurtled towards the plate and slammed into the mitt.

Thwack-!!

“Keuk……!”

Even with the ball hitting the sweet spot of his glove, a sharp pain shot through his palm.

“Strike!!”

The umpire’s call momentarily erased the pain.

‘Didn’t even need to adjust the mitt.’

It was a display of perfect control and power.

Trevor, rising from his crouch, tossed the ball back to Ha-sung and shouted.

“Nice pitch!!”

He was no longer concerned about Jeter, who was taking practice swings near the plate.

He was confident in Ha-sung’s ability to shut him down.

* * *

[Jung Ha-sung gets strike one. Now he’s ready for the second pitch.]

“Hiss!!”

Whoosh-!!

Jeter recoiled slightly as the ball approached.

At the last moment, the ball’s trajectory shifted, curving away from the plate.

Thud!

“Ball!!”

[Ball two. He didn’t bite on the high-speed slider.]

[As expected of Derek Jeter, he wasn’t fooled by Jung Ha-sung’s slider.]

With the count at one ball and one strike, Trevor signaled for an aggressive pitch.

Ha-sung nodded and delivered the third pitch.

“Hiss!!”

Whoosh!!

[Here comes the third pitch!]

Jeter reacted to the ball coming towards his body.

Whoosh!!

The bat swung quickly, attempting to make contact.

Swoosh!

The ball’s trajectory changed, missing the center of the bat and striking the barrel.

Crack!!

“Foul!!”

[He made contact! But the batted ball goes foul!]

[Looks like he was trying to induce a ground ball with a cutter. The ball rolls out of play, giving Jeter another chance.]

At that moment, Jeter spoke to the umpire and headed towards the dugout.

[Ah! The bat is broken.]

[As expected of Jung Ha-sung! He’s transitioned to a starter, but it seems his nickname ‘Bat Breaker’ still holds true!]

Ha-sung’s cutter was still a formidable weapon.

With the count at one ball and two strikes, Jeter returned to the batter’s box.

‘The cutter and fastball are nearly impossible to distinguish.’

Normally, the two pitches were hard to tell apart.

But Ha-sung’s made it even harder.

‘Rivera’s prediction was wrong. He’s just as good as when he was a closer.’

Before the game.

Rivera had suggested that Ha-sung’s cutter might be less effective now that he was a starter.

His reasoning was that throwing a cutter required more grip strength, which he would have to conserve as a starter.

But Ha-sung hadn’t changed his approach.

‘That means he has the stamina to go deep into the game without holding back.’

It could also be because it’s still early in the season.

Jeter gathered his thoughts as he stood in the batter’s box.

‘The key is to be extra cautious of his cutter.’

He was overthinking it.

And that slowed his reaction time.

Ha-sung aimed to exploit that hesitation.

“Hiss!!”

Whooshing-!!

[He throws the fourth pitch!]

The ball darted towards the outside corner with incredible speed.

A pitch that barely clipped the edge of the strike zone.

Jeter’s bat, weighed down by his thoughts, swung a fraction of a second late.

It was only about 0.1 seconds.

It was a fleeting moment, but against Ha-sung’s fastball, that was an eternity.

Thwack!!

Whoosh!

[The bat misses!]

“Swing! Out!!”

[Jung Ha-sung strikes out Jeter in just 4 pitches!! The speed of that pitch was recorded at 102 miles!]

Next up, Alex Rodriguez stepped into the batter’s box to face Ha-sung.

“Rod! Rod! Rod!!”

And Yankee Stadium erupted in cheers.

* * *

[Jung Ha-sung faces Alex Rodriguez.]

[Rodriguez, who was embroiled in a major scandal last season [likely referring to performance-enhancing drug allegations], still managed to record his 13th season with 30 home runs and 100 RBIs. He remains a formidable player.]

[There’s no denying he’s an incredible talent, right?]

[That’s true. But as Jung Ha-sung pointed out in his interview, it’s hard to fully appreciate achievements that might have been aided by drugs.]

Korean broadcasts were supportive of Ha-sung’s stance, but in the United States, the issue of drugs was largely avoided.

It was a sensitive topic, and Rodriguez’s influence was still considerable, so they avoided direct criticism.

[Jung Ha-sung, after exchanging signs with his catcher, throws the first pitch.]

“Hiss!!”

Whoosh-!!

Clang!

“Foul!!”

[Rodriguez is ready from the first pitch, but the batted ball goes foul down the third base line.]

The first pitch clocked in at 99 miles per hour.

It was still approaching 100 mph.

‘He’s definitely fast. His stuff is even better than last year.’

If he approached this at-bat with his previous impressions, he was sure to fail.

‘If I see it a couple more times, I’ll be able to time it.’

It was a great pitch, but not unhittable.

Rodriguez settled back into the batter’s box and glared at Ha-sung.

Ha-sung fired the second pitch at Rodriguez.

[He throws the second pitch!!]

Whoosh-!!

Thwack!!

“Ball!!”

Rodriguez leaned back to avoid the pitch that was coming in high and tight.

It was a close call, and the atmosphere grew tense.

“Wooooooo-!!”

“Can’t even control your pitches?!”

“If you hit him, you’ll be carried out of here!!”

The fans’ jeers rained down, but Ha-sung remained unfazed.

He simply retrieved the ball and exchanged signs with Trevor.

[He throws the third pitch!]

Whoosh!!

Clang!!

“Foul!!”

[Rodriguez gets under the outside pitch! The speed of this ball was 101 miles.]

[Jung Ha-sung is consistently throwing over 100 miles.]

[Jung Ha-sung has thrown three straight fastballs. It might be wise to throw a breaking ball here to disrupt his timing.]

Rodriguez had the same thought.

‘A breaking ball is coming.’

The count was in his favor.

There was no need to be impatient.

The odds of Ha-sung throwing a breaking ball had increased.

With that in mind, Rodriguez stood ready in the batter’s box.

[What will he throw for the fourth pitch? Jung Ha-sung winds up!]

With a powerful stride, Ha-sung unleashed the ball.

“Hiss!!”

Whoosh-!!

The pitch was headed straight for his body.

It was another fastball.

But Rodriguez’s reaction was sluggish.

Anticipating a breaking ball, his bat was late.

Thwack!!

Whoosh!

“Swing! Out!!”

[Strikeout! Jung Ha-sung gets another strikeout with a swing!]

[Incredible! Jung Ha-sung! He struck out two of the Yankees’ star hitters!]

[Everyone was expecting a breaking ball, but Jung Ha-sung’s decisive pitch was a fastball!]

Rodriguez shot a glare at Ha-sung on the mound as he walked back to the dugout.

He entered the dugout and took a seat.

‘I can’t believe he threw a fastball there.’

He was thrown off by the unexpected pitch.

‘I was completely caught off guard. But I’ve seen enough fastballs now. I’ll take him deep next time.’

Rodriguez gritted his teeth and waited for his next opportunity.

The game was still young.

He reminded himself that he would have more chances.

* * *

[Strike! Batter out!!]

[Jung Ha-sung finishes the bottom of the 4th inning with his 7th strikeout! Apart from one hit, he’s still pitching a gem!]

Early in the morning.

Ha-sung’s game was being broadcast live on TV in Korea.

Watching the game, Chief Lee Jin-cheol frowned.

“That damn kid, he’s disgustingly good at pitching.”

Ha-sung’s success was unwelcome news to him.

The better he performed, the more public opinion swayed towards including him in the national team.

‘I’ll include him, but it feels like we’re always the ones begging.’

He was annoyed that he had to plead with Jung Ha-sung, who would normally be an obvious choice for the national team.

“It’s the Asian Games, not some minor competition. He’s the one who needs this, so why are we groveling?”

The Asian Games offered the most direct path to military service exemption.

Yet, Ha-sung still hadn’t reached out.

“I’ll show him who’s in charge this time.”

Lee Jin-cheol pulled out his old-fashioned flip phone and composed a text message to Ha-sung.

A smile crept across his face as he imagined making things difficult for Ha-sung through his carefully crafted plan.

* * *

Bottom of the 5th inning.

Ha-sung returned to the mound.

[The score is still 0 to 0! As expected of the aces, both pitchers are putting on a stellar performance! Jung Ha-sung, with 7 strikeouts already, is set to face lead-off hitter Alex Rodriguez!]

Alex Rodriguez stepped into the batter’s box.

‘He’ll throw another fastball.’

Rodriguez was ready for the fastball.

He was confident he could hit it this time, having seen it enough in his previous at-bat.

[Jung Ha-sung, after receiving the sign, begins his windup.]

Ha-sung, gathering all his strength, unleashed the first pitch.

“Hiss!!”

Whoosh-!!

The ball zoomed towards the inside corner.

Before Rodriguez could react, the ball whizzed past the plate.

Thwack-!!

“Strike!!”