Villain On The Mound [EN]: Chapter 111

Villain on the Mound – Episode 111

The second showdown between Ha-sung and Rodrigo was growing more intense.

Clang!!

“Foul!!”

[Another foul on the 5th pitch! This duel is heating up! The count is two strikes!]

He reached two strikes after his fifth pitch.

It was an unusual count.

But given the pitches Ha-sung had thrown, it wasn’t entirely surprising.

[Jung Ha-sung has thrown nothing but fastballs this at-bat.]

[Isn’t he relying too heavily on the fastball?]

[Yes, it’s his strongest weapon, but throwing only one type of pitch is a bit of a gamble.]

Ha-sung’s four-seam fastball was ranked first in MLB pitch value in the 2009 season.

That’s how dominant his fastball was.

But relying solely on one pitch was risky, especially against Alex Rodrigo, a top-tier hitter in the major leagues.

Clang!!

[He hits it! Down the left-field line! Foul ball! The 6th pitch was another fastball from Jung Ha-sung! 98 miles!]

[He needs to change it up.]

Rodrigo’s timing was improving.

The direction of the batted balls proved it.

More concerning was Ha-sung’s decreasing velocity.

‘The first pitch was 103 miles. Now it’s down to 98.’

A smile crept across Rodrigo’s face as he stepped out of the batter’s box, adjusting his batting gloves.

‘Too early for him to be losing steam. Is he getting impatient as his pitch count rises?’

It was a strong possibility.

The fastball was his most potent weapon.

It wasn’t surprising he’d be frustrated having it fouled off repeatedly.

‘He made a lot of noise in the media, wanting to put on a show, but I didn’t expect him to challenge me with just a fastball.’

Rodrigo returned to the batter’s box.

‘You fool.’

He smirked as he settled into his stance, and the umpire signaled to resume the game.

Ha-sung, after receiving the sign from his catcher, began his windup.

‘I’ll crush it this time!’

Rodrigo’s eyes flashed.

Simultaneously, Ha-sung strode forward and released the ball.

“Hmph!!”

[He throws the 7th pitch!!]

Rodrigo had already mastered the timing.

He’d seen it six times this at-bat, and felt it in the previous one.

He had a perfect feel for it.

‘Got it!’

Whoosh-!!

Confirming it was another fastball, Rodrigo unleashed his swing.

The rotation began in his legs, flowed through his hips, and into his torso.

As his upper body coiled, his bat whipped around.

‘Huh?’

Something felt off to Rodrigo.

The ball was arriving faster than anticipated.

‘Oh no!’

Before his bat could reach the hitting zone, the ball whizzed past home plate.

Rodrigo was helpless.

He’d already committed to the swing.

There was nothing he could do.

Thwack!!

Whoosh!!

[He swings and misses!!]

“Strike! Out!!”

The umpire’s call echoed as Rodrigo stumbled.

The camera zoomed in on Rodrigo, kneeling, completely off-balance.

[Rodrigo’s powerful swing threw him off balance! Jung Ha-sung’s control was too much!]

The camera shifted to Ha-sung on the mound.

He stood tall, looking down at the kneeling Rodrigo.

[Jung Ha-sung is staring down Rodrigo with a confident pose!]

[Ah~ It’s like he’s announcing a new era! ‘It’s my time now!’ That’s what Jung Ha-sung’s pose seems to be saying!!]

Rodrigo, back on his feet, glared at Ha-sung before heading to the dugout.

Ha-sung held Rodrigo’s gaze until Trevor’s voice broke his focus.

“Nice ball!”

Ha-sung caught the returned ball and turned.

The scoreboard caught his eye.

[On that 7th pitch, Jung Ha-sung threw 103 miles again, striking out Alex Rodrigo.]

[Ah~ That was tenacious pitching. He got Alex Rodrigo with just one fastball!]

[It’s incredible! I don’t think there’s ever been a pitcher like this!]

It wasn’t just any out.

Ha-sung had struck out Rodrigo with nothing but his four-seam fastball.

-He struck out A-Rod with just a fastball lol

-Wow… I can’t believe it.

-Does that even work?

-He did it, so it works lol

-The 6th pitch was 98 miles. The 7th was 103, that’s insane lol

-Easy to lose timing with a 5-mile difference.

-Did he intentionally lower the velocity?

-Maybe he just put everything into that last pitch?

-What’s with that pose?

-Wow… I almost sh*t myself watching it.

-Felt like the changing of the guard.

Ha-sung’s pose became as big a talking point as the strikeout itself.

It was a memorable moment, etched in the minds of the fans.

That day,

Ha-sung pitched seven scoreless innings, completely shutting down the Yankees’ lineup.

* * *

Ha-sung’s dominant performance became a major headline.

[Jung Ha-sung Shuts Down World Series Champions!]

[Jung Ha-sung Records Quality Start Plus [pitching at least six innings with three or fewer earned runs] for Four Consecutive Games!]

[The Second Showdown with Alex Rodrigo Was a Masterpiece!]

[Jung Ha-sung Wins Against the Yankees, but the Athletics Lose!]

Ha-sung pitched flawlessly.

But the batting lineup failed to ignite, costing Ha-sung the win.

To make matters worse, they surrendered the first run in the 8th, losing the game.

“Tch, I have no luck with wins.”

Ha-sung clicked his tongue in disappointment upon arriving at the hotel.

Two wins in four games.

Not a terrible record.

But disappointing considering his pitching.

“I’ve had a near-perfect game and three quality start pluses in four games, but only two wins.”

He thought of a certain player from the future.

“It’s not like I’m deGrom [referring to Jacob deGrom’s excellent pitching records with the New York Mets, often undermined by poor run support].”

New York Mets ace Jacob deGrom.

From the late 2010s to the early 2020s, he became a pitcher representing the major leagues, but he was incredibly unlucky with wins.

He felt like he had become him.

“Well, victory isn’t something I can control. But why the hell are these guys constantly texting me during the game?”

Ha-sung looked at his smartphone.

(This is Lee Jin-cheol, the director of the KBO [Korean Baseball Organization]. Please contact me after the game.)

It was Lee Jin-cheol.

He had been constantly contacting him.

The problem was the timing he wanted.

“Contact me after the game? Are you kidding me? They don’t care about my routine and just want me to 맞춰주다 [match; accommodate] them?”

Routine is important for a pitcher.

If that routine is broken, the rhythm is broken, which can directly affect performance.

Routine exists before the game, but it also continues after the game.

For Ha-sung, returning to the hotel and relaxing was part of his routine.

He needed to completely separate work and get enough rest. But Lee Jin-cheol ignored that and just told him to contact him, which only annoyed him.

“Damn bastards. See if you can keep acting like you’re in charge until the end.”

Ha-sung ignored him and fell asleep.

* * *

The next day.

An article was published.

[Jung Ha-sung Refuses to Represent the National Team?]

It was an article about Jung Ha-sung.

The content of the article was simple.

[The Asian Games are just around the corner.

The KBO is finalizing the national team roster to represent Korea.

However, there is a part that is causing headaches.

It’s Jung Ha-sung.

To include Jung Ha-sung, who has been performing excellently recently, in the roster, we have been periodically requesting contact, but Jung Ha-sung has not even responded, making it difficult to form the roster.]

The article continued at length.

The text messages sent by a high-ranking KBO official to Ha-sung were even attached.

These were materials that would be difficult to obtain without internal help.

Above all, the content was provocative.

Although it didn’t directly attack Ha-sung, it was filled with content blaming him.

As soon as the article was released, the public’s reaction immediately surfaced.

-Why aren’t you answering?

-That’s strange.

-Doesn’t this mean you don’t want to play for the national team?

-He keeps refusing the national team, just like last year’s WBC [World Baseball Classic].

-ㅅㅂ [Korean slang, similar to ‘f***’] Traitor.

-What kind of pitcher represents Korea like that?

-Isn’t it because of the time difference in the United States that he can’t be reached?

-Look at the attached text messages. It’s evening in the United States at that time.

-ㅇㅈ [Abbreviation for 인정, meaning ‘ 인정합니다’ which translates to ‘I acknowledge’ or ‘I agree’].

-And he was asked to contact him after the game.

-He’s a traitor.

The reactions were mostly anger towards Ha-sung.

In this era, the public’s fervor for patriotism was very strong.

Therefore, turning away from the national team was seen as an act of betrayal.

But not everyone felt that way.

-That’s strange.

-Shouldn’t Ha-sung be the one requesting to be on the national team?

-Since he’s not exempt from military service, he should be the one contacting them first for the benefit of military service.

-Why isn’t he answering?

-I think we should stay neutral for now?

Of course, there were also opinions to remain neutral.

However, the firepower of the antis [anti-fans or haters], who had been holding back, was very strong.

-BEST: Jung Ha-sung, who refuses the national team, is a traitor.

Their firepower was enough to make the 악플 [malicious comments] the top comment.

“Huh?”

Waking up, Ha-sung looked bewildered at the numerous texts and calls on his phone.

“What’s this?”

Most of the texts were from CEO Kim Hye-ryung and his parents.

The missed calls were the same.

(Son, are you okay?)

(Call me when you wake up.)

(Jung, there’s a big fuss in Korea right now. Link)

Ha-sung checked the article through the link sent by CEO Kim Hye-ryung.

After roughly grasping the content, Ha-sung made a dumbfounded expression.

“Are you going to play the media like this?”

He immediately grasped the KBO’s purpose after reading the article.

The meaning was to suppress his spirit through media manipulation.

Rather than being annoyed by the obvious tactic, he felt absurdity.

“Huh?”

Ha-sung’s eyes fell on a comment as he scrolled down.

“The top comment is… I’m a traitor? You sons of bitches…”

He felt a little upset.

But it wasn’t enough to truly rile him up.

However, he lost his composure at the second comment.

-Jung Ha-sung is the second Steve Yoo!

Ha-sung couldn’t maintain his composure when he saw that.

“Damn it! I’m Steve Yoo?! Are you putting me in the same frame as that draft dodger?!”

He couldn’t contain his anger.

And the arrow of that anger was directed at the KBO, who had framed him like this.

“Lee Jin-cheol, is it? Oh yeah! Let’s have a proper fight!”

* * *

Numerous reporters gathered in the visiting clubhouse of Yankee Stadium.

Most of them were Korean reporters.

There have been more Korean reporters recently, but today there were even more than usual.

What they wanted was Ha-sung.

The reporters were waiting with bated breath for him to come in.

“Will Jung Ha-sung come today?”

“He will.”

“No, but even if that news broke in Korea, would he come? He might avoid it.”

“Well, it’s the day after his start, so he might.”

The reporters’ opinions were divided.

There was also talk that he might not come because of the article in Korea.

That’s when it happened.

“Huh?”

“It’s Jung Ha-sung!”

They spotted Ha-sung walking towards the clubhouse.

The reporters rushed and surrounded him.

The staff hurriedly formed a barricade with their bodies, but the reporters’ offensive was fierce.

“Jung Ha-sung! There’s an article in Korea that you’re avoiding the national team! Is it true?!”

“The KBO has stated that the article is true! Please say something!”

“Don’t you want to represent the country?!”

Ha-sung opened his mouth to the reporters’ questions.

“The national team? I don’t really want to do it.”

A shocking statement was made.