Villain On The Mound [EN]: Chapter 116

Villain on the Mound – Episode 116

45 consecutive scoreless innings pitched.

Ha-sung stood shoulder to shoulder with legends.

This news became a huge topic among Korean fans.

– (Breaking) Jung Ha-sung achieves 45 consecutive scoreless innings!

– Insane.

– Wow~ He actually did it.

– Does he make history every time he pitches?

– If you add the minor leagues, it would be even more, right?

– Did you see him throwing only fastballs against Mauer at the end?

– Yeah, that was epic.

– The guts to throw that is even more amazing.

As news of Ha-sung’s record spread, the internet exploded.

Search terms related to Ha-sung’s record dominated the top rankings on portal sites.

[1st: Jung Ha-sung]

[2nd: Jung Ha-sung’s New Record]

[3rd: Consecutive Scoreless Innings]

[4th: MLB New Record]

Records related to Ha-sung occupied the top 10 spots.

That’s how much attention was focused on him.

This phenomenon also appeared offline.

[Jung Ha-sung, who set a new record, will take the mound in the 4th inning.]

[If he shuts out this inning as well, he will surpass Carl Hubbell’s 45.1 innings, ranking 6th all-time.]

The commentators on TV explained, but an English teacher who didn’t understand asked,

“Who is Carl Hubbell?”

None of the students answered him.

Then, a male student adjusted his glasses and spoke up.

“Carl Hubbell was a famous pitcher who dominated Major League Baseball in the 1930s. He mainly threw screwballs [a type of pitch that breaks in the opposite direction of a curveball]. It’s said that his arm became twisted after retirement because of how he twisted it while throwing.”

“Kim Tae-hyun, how do you know that?”

“I’m a bit of a Major League Baseball fan.”

“Really? Then please tell me more in the future!”

“Ooh~”

“Tae-hyun is awesome!”

Kim Tae-hyun smiled contentedly at the reactions of his friends around him.

He felt proud of himself for delving into Major League Baseball.

Watching baseball during class was ridiculous, but it meant that Ha-sung’s performance was becoming a social phenomenon.

Not only schools but also office workers were watching the game in between work, showing how much interest was focused on Ha-sung’s game.

[Thwack!]

[Strike! Batter out!]

[Jung Ha-sung strikes out the third batter, surpassing Carl Hubbell’s record!]

[Record aside, he’s having a really great game today as well.]

As the game continued, Ha-sung was writing new records.

* * *

[Major League Baseball’s Jung Ha-sung continues his scoreless pitching through 7 innings with 10 strikeouts, achieving his 6th quality start plus of the season.]

[Jung Ha-sung surpasses Bob Gibson!]

[Jung Ha-sung pitches 49 consecutive scoreless innings! Ranked 5th in MLB history!]

[Jung Ha-sung’s amazing records, from the best closer to the best starting pitcher!]

Ha-sung continued his scoreless pitching streak in the game against the Twins, continuing his impressive performance.

All the spotlight was focused on him.

[Jung Ha-sung’s incredible second season continues.]

[That’s right.]

[It’s a performance that dispels all the concerns that arose when he first announced his transition to a starting pitcher.]

[It’s not just dispelling those concerns, but making them a laughing matter. Jung Ha-sung’s performance is one of the best in Major League Baseball history.]

Major League Baseball Jung Ha-sung special program.

A program focusing on Ha-sung’s performance was created on public television, allocating a 30-minute time slot.

This was a very unusual event.

Public broadcasting schedules are tightly packed.

Advertisements are pre-sold, so the schedule cannot be changed arbitrarily.

Nevertheless, the broadcasting station changed the schedule.

‘The advertisers welcomed it with open arms. It wasn’t a big deal.’

The PD [Production Director] watching the broadcast had a smile on his face.

Advertisers welcomed the broadcasting station’s decision.

Advertisements were attached to a program featuring the hottest player in Korea and the United States.

From the advertisers’ point of view, it was like getting free rice cakes while sleeping [a Korean idiom meaning an unexpected windfall].

Therefore, a special program could be organized without much difficulty.

[What are some reasons why Jung Ha-sung has been able to perform so well?]

[We should see it as a successful bulk-up and a successful modification of the pitching mechanism to match it.]

[Jung Ha-sung’s bulk-up was the target of enormous criticism before the season started, but ironically, it has now become the reason for his success?]

[If muscle mass increases significantly, problems with flexibility can occur, causing abnormalities in the mechanism. However, Jung Ha-sung also modified the mechanism.]

[In short, he upgraded the hardware and installed the appropriate software in advance.]

[Is it possible that a 21-year-old pitcher thought that far ahead on his own?]

[He probably has an excellent trainer by his side. It’s not easy to prepare by looking that far into the future.]

Of course, Ha-sung thought and prepared on his own.

This was possible because he had dedicated more than 20 years of his life to baseball, combining his time as a player and a coach.

A month after the season started.

Ha-sung was being recognized as the best starting pitcher in Major League Baseball.

* * *

May.

The second appearance is just a day away.

‘If I finish this game without giving up a run, will I surpass Walter Johnson?’

Big Train Walter Johnson.

A player called the greatest right-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball history.

The fastball that came out of his tall stature was so fast that it was said to be faster than a train.

He was a pitcher who dominated the early 1900s when precise measurement was impossible, but his reputation continued even after the 2000s.

‘If I pitch 7 innings, I’ll surpass his record.’

Even Walter Johnson had his name on the list of consecutive scoreless innings records.

His record was 55.2 innings.

Ha-sung, who pitched 49 innings, had to pitch more than 7 innings in today’s game to surpass his record.

‘At the current pace, it’s not a big deal.’

He had never failed to achieve a quality start plus since the opening.

Fans couldn’t even remember him giving up a run anymore.

‘This is when you have to be the most careful…….’

Ha-sung knew it well.

That the moment something becomes natural is when you have to be the most careful.

That’s why he was sticking to his routine even more thoroughly.

The day before the game.

He came to the stadium and checked his physical condition with running, weight training, and bullpen pitching as usual.

“Perfect.”

As manager Tony said, Ha-sung’s routine was perfect.

“Do you have a Terminator-like robot inside your skin? I don’t know how you can keep such a perfect routine.”

Manager Tony even joked.

It was a scene that showed how satisfied he was.

After finishing training, Ha-sung finished showering in the clubhouse and came out.

“Okay, I got it. I can go out now, right?”

At that time, he heard someone talking on the phone.

When he turned his gaze, he saw Rajai Davis, the team’s center fielder.

‘What kind of call is he making that he’s talking so cautiously?’

It was a strange sight considering Davis’s usual personality.

He felt something was wrong, but soon thought it was nothing. Until he heard his next words.

“What about the Spider?”

Ha-sung, who was about to turn around, stopped at the word Spider.

* * *

There were many dark histories in Major League Baseball.

The most representative of these was the era from the mid-1990s to the early 2000s, called the steroid era.

During this era, hitters were producing tremendous home runs, rewriting the history of Major League Baseball.

In particular, the 1998 season, when Sammy Sosa and Mark McGwire competed for the most home runs in a season, was a year that focused the attention of the United States and the world.

However, when it became known that all these records were made with drugs, Major League Baseball faced a dark age.

‘I thought it would end with that, but another drug era is opening.’

2013.

The Biogenesis scandal broke out, involving numerous players, including Rodrigo, creating another issue.

‘The most talked about thing in that scandal was the guy called Spider.’

The Spider is famous for being a candy containing synthetic testosterone that Alex Rodrigo ate in the locker room.

‘Why is Davis mentioning that?’

He doesn’t know much about the Biogenesis scan.

There are dozens of players involved.

It was almost impossible to remember them all.

The reason he remembers Rodrigo is because he is a big name. If it wasn’t for Rodrigo, he might not have remembered.

‘The spider may not necessarily refer to that. It could be too hasty of a judgment.’

It was a kind of slang, so he couldn’t say that Davis was taking drugs just because he mentioned it.

Ha-sung secretly followed him and moved to the back of the stadium.

‘I’m getting more and more anxious.’

Davis’s actions of moving to a deserted place amplified his anxiety.

Arriving at a specific location, he looked around and waited for someone.

And after a while.

“Why are you so late?”

“Sorry. It’s too far from here. Here.”

“Does this really increase power when you eat it?”

“Yes. It’s the same thing Rodrigo eats, so there’s no need to doubt it.”

“Okay. Here.”

Davis handed over the money and received the item.

The man who handed over the item soon disappeared, and Davis opened the black bag to check the contents.

That’s when it happened.

“Davis.”

Davis was startled by the voice calling his name and hid the bag behind his back.

“Ha…… Ha-sung. What are you doing here?”

“What about you? What’s that you’re hiding behind you?”

“Hi…… Hiding? Ah~ this? It’s candy that a friend sent me.”

“Candy?”

“Ye…… Yeah. Look. It’s just candy.”

Davis held out the bag and took out one of the contents.

The surface of it, which was close to chewing gum, had a spider-shaped pattern drawn on it.

“Spider candy? Sounds delicious? Give me one too.”

“So…… Sorry. This is something my friend specially brought for me, so it’s hard to give it to you.”

“That friend of yours is unique. Giving candy for $10,000.”

Davis’s face hardened.

“Davis, have you been taking testosterone before?”

Davis’s face turned pale at Ha-sung’s words that drove a wedge into it.

“I know that candy contains synthetic testosterone. If you confess now, I’ll pretend I didn’t see it.”

“Fi…… First time. I…… It’s really the first time.”

Davis’s head fell.

* * *

Davis said it was the first deal until the end.

Then he showed him his smartphone.

It contained all the circumstances of exchanging messages with a person called a doctor.

‘It’s really the first time.’

As Davis said, the conversation between the two started as a conversation between strangers.

It also contained the content that he could not give a large amount because this was the first transaction.

“Who introduced you?”

“Th…… That’s…….”

“You’re just an attempted offender, so there’s a high possibility that you won’t be punished. But if you’re thinking of cherishing the person who introduced you and moving on, you know that’s not going to happen, right?”

“Haa…….”

Davis was lost in thought.

If he was going to introduce something like this, he must have been quite close.

So it was clear that telling that story was not going to be easy.

After much deliberation, Davis opened his mouth.

“Can you hide that I said it?”

“Of course.”

“……It was Braun.”

Ryan Braun.

The name of one of the key figures in the Biogenesis case came out of his mouth.