Villain On The Mound [EN]: Chapter 129

Mound Villain – Episode 129

Albert Pujols, during his time with the St. Louis Cardinals, was a hitter who exuded an insurmountable force.

Because he *was* Pujols, it didn’t seem like it would be an easy matchup.

‘A dangerous hitter, indeed.’

Ha-sung had faced Pujols once this season.

Pujols had shown a strong presence against Ha-sung in that match, even hitting a double.

‘But today, it doesn’t feel like I’ll get hit.’

There are days like that.

Days when your body feels exceptionally good.

‘It felt exactly like this when I pitched the perfect game.’

His body felt like it did when he played in the opening game.

Every muscle, and even his nerves, seemed to move exactly as he wanted.

In this state, he couldn’t help but feel confident in the pitches he threw.

‘Outside, low course.’

Mauer sent the course [the catcher signals where the pitcher should aim].

‘You want this?’

And then he decided on the pitch type.

Though it was a short time, Ha-sung could tell that Mauer was a good catcher.

He definitely knew what he wanted.

Ha-sung straightened his upper body and went into his windup.

[Jung Ha-sung winds up!]

Twisting his body, he kicked and threw his first pitch.

“Hiss-!!”

Whoosh-!!

The ball left his hand with a fierce speed.

Pujols swung his bat as if he had been waiting for it.

Whoosh-!!

Pujols’ bat had a heavy and fast feel, as if it could split everything.

But this time too, Ha-sung’s ball showed tremendous movement.

Whir!

Like a living snake, it moved this way and that, dodging Pujols’ bat and going into the mitt.

Thwack-!

Whoosh!

“Swing! Strike!”

[First pitch, a swing and a miss! The speed is 103 miles! He’s definitely warmed up, throwing his fastest pitches in succession!]

[The speed is one thing, but the movement of the ball is no joke. The hitters’ swing paths aren’t bad, but they can’t even touch it!]

[Perfect, a perfect pitch!]

The replay showed all the balls Ha-sung had thrown.

[So far, Jung Ha-sung has thrown 7 pitches, and they were all four-seam fastballs.]

[It’s all four-seam fastballs, but the movement of the balls is all different, overwhelming the hitters.]

[There are many breaking balls, but in fact, the most powerful ball is the four-seam fastball. Jung Ha-sung’s four-seam, with both power and speed, is truly terrifying!]

People began to notice one by one.

That Ha-sung was facing the National League All-Stars with only his four-seam fastball.

[Jung Ha-sung exchanges signs and throws the second pitch.]

“Hiss!!”

Whoosh-!!

The ball left Ha-sung’s hand and pierced the low part of the strike zone.

Thwack-!

“Strike! Two!!”

[Jung Ha-sung throws a fantastic ball! He gets ahead in the count with two strikes!]

[He’s getting ahead in the count against every hitter, so the hitters’ heads must be complicated!]

[Now he has many options!]

Contrary to the commentators’ expectations, Pujols’ head was not complicated.

‘That’s an interesting guy. It’s just the All-Star Game, but he’s showing that kind of guts in a game like this.’

Pujols glared at Ha-sung as he stepped into the batter’s box.

‘I can’t believe he’s only in his second year.’

He had unbelievable guts and skill.

And he also had the pride to match.

‘So there’s only one pitch he can throw.’

Pujols was reading Ha-sung’s mind.

‘He wants to be the best in the All-Star Game, doesn’t he?’

That’s why he’s doing something so reckless.

‘So the deciding pitch will also be a fastball.’

Pujols, having read Ha-sung’s mind, took his batting stance.

Meanwhile, Ha-sung, having exchanged signs, straightened his upper body, looked at Pujols, and raised the corners of his mouth.

‘You know it too.’

Ha-sung, with his windup and kick, gathered all his strength.

‘Hit it!’

Crack!

With his stride, he rotated his body and transferred all his power to his fingertips.

He exploded the gathered power with all his might.

“Hiss!!”

Whoosh-!!

The ball, thrown with a shout, flew with a fierce speed.

As Pujols expected, the ball that left Ha-sung’s hand was a four-seam fastball.

‘I got him……!’

Pujols started his swing and turned his bat.

It was a swing filled with the will to hit it over the fence this time.

But Ha-sung’s ball was a cut above.

Thwack-!!

Whoosh!!

“Swing! Strike! Out!!”

[Three-pitch strikeout! Jung Ha-sung records three consecutive three-pitch strikeouts! He creates a perfect inning against the best hitters in Major League Baseball!]

[Ah-! What is going on?! He struck out three of the best hitters in the National League with three pitches!]

[Unbelievable!!]

The commentators were in an uproar.

A perfect inning in the All-Star Game?

What was surprising didn’t end there.

[And the speed of the last 9th pitch is…….]

The number for the speed was displayed on the screen.

[A whopping 104 miles! An unbelievable speed of 167 km/h! Jung Ha-sung renews his highest speed!!]

Ha-sung, having left a definite impact, went down from the mound.

* * *

[Jung Ha-sung recorded a top speed of 104 miles.]

[Jung Ha-sung, who played in the All-Star Game, caused another accident!]

[Jung Ha-sung records a perfect inning against the best hitters in the National League!]

[Jung Ha-sung, the 104-mile man, selected as All-Star Game MVP!]

The star of this All-Star Game was Ha-sung.

With an incredible speed of 104 miles and a perfect inning, the impact was enormous.

Ha-sung’s MVP award was natural.

And this news became a huge topic among the public.

-A starter throwing 104 miles.

-What is he?

-I knew Jung Ha-sung was great. But the Major League top-class hitters can’t even move?

-How can he do that?

-Three-pitch strikeout? All three hitters?

-Is this a cartoon?

-No, how should I accept this?

-Crazy lol [laugh out loud].

This kind of interest soon led to product sales.

Vigor’s stores around the world were flooded with inquiries about Ha-sung’s limited edition.

The site crashed, and the phone lines were constantly busy, making it difficult to connect to the customer center.

And then another thing happened that poured oil on the fire [made the situation even more intense].

[The value of the limited edition uniform that Jung Ha-sung collaborated with Vigor skyrockets!]

[Jung Ha-sung x Vigor limited edition uniform sold for $30,000 on eBay, a used goods trading site!]

[Products related to Jung Ha-sung are soaring as much as Jung Ha-sung’s value!]

The value of the product collaborated with Vigor went up.

As a result, interest naturally began to focus on subsequent products.

In other words, the name Jung Ha-sung was becoming a brand.

“Very good.”

The story was flowing as he wanted.

His value as a player and model has definitely increased due to his performance in the All-Star Game.

“Now the second half begins.”

The first half’s performance was perfect.

And the biggest event, the All-Star Game.

It was a perfect season in every way.

Now, if he achieves a beautiful end in the second half, it will be a perfect season in every way.

“Let’s stay focused until the end.”

He prepared for the second half, vowing to himself.

* * *

As the second half began, the Athletics’ run began.

Thwack-!!

[Arnold hits the 3rd pitch hard! It splits the left-center! The runner on 2nd turns 3rd and heads home!! Home in! The Athletics score another run!]

[The batting is on fire as soon as the second half starts!]

From right after the All-Star Game, the Athletics’ hitters began to come alive.

The hitters’ rise naturally led to the team’s winning streak.

[The Athletics run a 2-game winning streak in the second half!]

[The Athletics are averaging 7 points in 2 games!]

[The batting line is coming alive! Will they cause a sensation in the second half?!]

The media began to highlight the Athletics’ performance.

Ha-sung’s power was a big part of this.

‘Thanks to Ha-sung’s great performance in the All-Star Game, media attention is focused on us.’

In fact, the media is now focusing on Ha-sung, who will be in the next game, rather than the Athletics’ performance.

That’s why they were able to receive this kind of attention.

‘Tickets were also selling like hotcakes [selling very quickly].’

As ticket sales for the second half of the game began, he could see how much interest the fans had.

Tickets for July were already sold out.

Tickets for the games in August, where Ha-sung was scheduled to pitch, were also sold out, and the team’s sales for this season were expected to increase significantly.

‘Not to mention uniform sales, Jung Ha-sung has not only skills but also tremendous star quality.’

All attention was focused on Ha-sung.

And Ha-sung started at home in Oakland Coliseum against the Texas Rangers.

[Hello, baseball fans across the country?! Jung Ha-sung’s first appearance in the second half, who shocked the Major League All-Star Game with a 104-mile pitch and won the MVP by turning the National League’s top hitters into a perfect inning, begins!]

[I saw it live, and it was a scene that is really hard to describe in words.]

[Because Jung Ha-sung created such an amazing scene, fans can’t help but pay attention!]

The camera showed the Oakland Coliseum.

[Oakland Coliseum is filled with every seat so hard to find an empty seat! So many people have come to see Jung Ha-sung!]

And the camera’s angle changed and caught Ha-sung.

[Jung Ha-sung, who won his first All-Star Game MVP! Jung Ha-sung’s first appearance in the second half, who is maintaining the only 0-point ERA [Earned Run Average] in Major League Baseball, begins!]

* * *

It was overwhelming.

Thwack-!!

“Strike! Batter out!!”

[Strikeout! Jung Ha-sung finishes the 5th inning by striking out his 10th strikeout of the game today!]

[The 101-mile fastball is really fantastic no matter how many times you see it!]

[Jung Ha-sung is continuing his scoreless pitching in today’s game! He meets the requirements for a win!]

In today’s game, the momentum of the game tilted early.

Against the Texas Rangers, the Athletics’ batting line scored 6 points, and the current score at the end of the 5th inning was 6 to 0.

[If Jung Ha-sung wins today’s game, he will record his first double-digit win in Major League Baseball.]

[That’s right. In fact, if you only look at the pitching content, he should have recorded 10 wins a long time ago. The team’s batting line didn’t help, so he’s only recording it now.]

He met the requirements for a winning pitcher, but Ha-sung went to the mound in the 6th inning as well.

[In the bottom of the 6th inning, Jung Ha-sung, who went to the mound, continues to pitch.]

The number of pitches was still only 83.

Ha-sung easily threw two pitches to the first batter and made a fly ball to the center fielder.

Against the second batter, he struck out in 5 pitches and recorded two outs.

[Jung Ha-sung, who handled the second out count with a fly ball to the center fielder, faces the second batter.]

“Hiss!!”

Whoosh-!

Thwack!

“Strike!”

[The first pitch is a powerful fastball that pierces the body! The speed was 99 miles!]

Thwack!!

“Foul!!”

[The 2nd pitch barely picks up the falling changeup! Two strikes!]

Thwack!

“Ball!!”

[He threw the 3rd high fastball, but the batter’s bat didn’t move.]

The number of pitches Ha-sung threw three balls exceeded 90.

[Jung Ha-sung enters the windup in a situation of two strikes and one ball.]

Ha-sung, who wound up, continued his kicking and stride and threw the ball.

“Hiss!!”

Whoosh-!!

The batter’s bat turned at the fast ball that pierced the body.

Thwack-!

Whoosh!!

“Swing! Strike out!!”

[Swing and miss strikeout! Jung Ha-sung handles the third out count with 3 pitches!]

Ha-sung, who finished his mission, went down from the mound.

The spectators stood up and applauded Ha-sung.

[Although it was only 6 innings, Jung Ha-sung, who showed overwhelming pitching, continues to receive an encore!]

On this day, the Athletics won 8-1.

Ha-sung recorded his first 10 wins of his career, and the Athletics began to chase the Texas Rangers, who were in first place.

The curtain has risen on a full-scale competition for rankings.