Villain On The Mound [EN]: Chapter 138

The Mound’s Villain – Episode 138

Before the Regression.

Ha-sung dominated the KBO [Korean Baseball Organization, the top professional baseball league in South Korea] as a fastball pitcher.

As a right-handed fireballer who could throw up to 155 km/h [approximately 96 mph], he mostly overpowered hitters with his raw power.

But that wasn’t enough to conquer the KBO.

As a starting pitcher, he needed to have a variety of pitches.

The first pitch he learned was the slider.

He overwhelmed hitters by alternating between a high-speed slider and a vertical slider.

The second was the changeup.

He induced swings and misses and ground balls by stealing hitters’ timing with a high-level changeup.

The third pitch he learned after that was the splitter.

‘It was actually a pitch I learned after joining the pros. And it was the pitch I used most effectively in my professional career.’

It was a splitter he had learned back then, but he hadn’t thrown it yet after the regression.

The reason was that he was reluctant to.

‘The last pitch I threw on the day I retired was a splitter.’

Perhaps because that memory was so intense?

Even after the regression, he couldn’t bring himself to throw the splitter for a while.

But not anymore.

‘I’m not the same as I used to be anymore.’

He had already shaken off that trauma a long time ago.

More than anything, it was the perfect pitch to throw in the current situation.

Having made the decision, Ha-sung lowered his upper body and exchanged signs with Trevor.

‘What should I do? Steal his timing with a changeup?’

‘Let’s go with this.’

Ha-sung sent the sign.

The signs exchanged between the pitcher and catcher aren’t different for each pitcher, but are determined on a team-wide basis.

That’s why Ha-sung also knew the splitter sign.

The problem was that Trevor couldn’t accept it.

“Time!”

[Trevor the catcher calls time and visits the mound. Was there a problem with communication?]

[It could be, but I think he’s just double-checking at this important moment.]

While various speculations were exchanged.

Trevor, who visited the mound, spoke with Ha-sung.

“What was that sign just now?”

“What do you mean, what is it? It’s what you saw.”

“Are you really going to throw something you’ve never thrown in this situation?”

“Yeah. So don’t waste any more time and go down. They’re going to notice.”

“Ah, okay.”

If he stayed on the mound for too long, the opposing team might notice.

Realizing that, Trevor hurriedly went down from the mound.

[It wasn’t a big deal. Trevor the catcher comes down from the mound early.]

[I think he just did a quick check.]

[Jung Ha-sung, who will achieve a tie record if he gets this batter out, enters his windup!]

Ha-sung, who raised his arm, took a deep breath.

“Hoo…….”

And as he twisted his body, he strode forward with a kick.

Crack!!

The spikes dug into the mound and Ha-sung’s body rotated rapidly.

Whoosh!!

What’s important in a splitter is the same pitching form as a fastball.

That’s why Ha-sung made all the movements the same as a fastball.

“Hup!!”

Even the shout.

Whoosh-!

[He threw it!]

The ball that left Ha-sung’s hand flew quickly.

At that moment, the batter’s bat also turned sharply.

‘You moron! Another fastball here?!’

Whoong!!

The batter who checked the ball was convinced it was a fastball.

That’s why there was no hesitation in his swing. He was in a mood to end the record even if it was a ground ball.

At that moment.

‘Huh?’

The ball disappeared from his sight.

As the ball that had been flying like a mirage disappeared, all the bat that had lost its target could do was cut through the air.

Whoong-!!

Thwack!

“Swing! Strike out!!”

[Strikeout! Strikeout!! Jung Ha-sung gets his 10th strikeout!!]

10 consecutive strikeouts.

It was the moment he stood shoulder to shoulder with Tom Seaver [Hall of Fame pitcher known for his dominance].

* * *

The ball that Ha-sung threw as a finishing pitch was replayed in slow motion.

[It was definitely a ball that I thought was a fastball until the middle.]

[That’s right. The trajectory of the ball changed after passing the middle. Right here.]

[This is drawing a trajectory like a forkball.]

[From the batter’s point of view, it will feel like the ball has disappeared.]

[Ah, here’s the grip now. Judging from the fact that his fingers are spread apart, it looks like a forkball?]

[The index and middle fingers are not that far apart. I think this should be seen as a splitter rather than a forkball.]

The commentator’s commentary was accurate.

But one question remained.

[Has Jung Ha-sung ever thrown a splitter?]

[Not until now. I think he threw it for the first time in today’s game.]

It was a great boldness.

He threw a ball he had never thrown before.

Even when he was challenging a record that would remain in Major League history.

-Is this real?

-Wow…… what kind of guts is that?

-He’s throwing a ball he’s never thrown before, not even the ball he usually throws, in this situation.

-Isn’t this a strong heart?

-What’s certain is that he doesn’t seem normal.

-He’s really crazy.

From a third-person perspective, people couldn’t help but think that Ha-sung was crazy.

People were impressed not only by achieving the record, but also by making such a choice and putting it into action.

[Jung Ha-sung, who is on par with Tom Seaver, but the game is not over yet!]

The next batter stepped into the plate.

[If he strikes out this batter as well, Jung Ha-sung will write a new history in the record of consecutive strikeouts in one game!]

[You have to grab it when the opportunity comes!]

[I hope Jung Ha-sung achieves the record because I don’t know when this opportunity will come again.]

The camera was on Ha-sung.

He on the mound exchanged signs with Trevor.

[Jung Ha-sung, who exchanged signs, throws the first ball to challenge a new record!]

The ball thrown with the windup was stuck in the mitt.

Thwack-!

“Strike!”

[A fastball that stabs the outside low course! The speed was 96 miles!]

[As the number of pitches increases, the speed is naturally decreasing.]

The speed of the fastball has decreased a lot.

But Ha-sung wasn’t afraid to throw it.

It was a belief in himself.

[He throws the second ball.]

Whoosh-!

The moment the batter’s bat turned, the trajectory of the ball curved greatly and dug into the batter’s body.

Naturally, the angle of the swing did not come out, and the bat cut through the air.

Thwack!

“Swing! Strike Two!!”

[Jung Ha-sung’s slider, whose speed has dropped, is still sharp.]

[Jung Ha-sung, who has regained a favorable count! Will he be able to achieve a new record?!]

Ha-sung, who had a favorable ball count with two strikes, lured the batter’s bat with a vertical slider on the third ball.

Thwack!

“Ball!!”

But the batter’s bat didn’t come out.

Perhaps the batter’s concentration had increased as he thought he might become a sacrifice for a new record.

Again, the situation was two strikes and one ball.

This time, Ha-sung sent the sign himself again.

[Jung Ha-sung sends a sign.]

[Jung Ha-sung often sends signs at important moments.]

[That’s right. Jung Ha-sung, who finished exchanging signs, windup!]

Ha-sung, who entered the windup, threw the fourth ball.

“Hup!!”

Whoosh-!!

The ball that left Ha-sung’s hand flew to a somewhat high position.

The moment the batter judged it to be a high fastball and retracted his bat.

Flick!

The ball suddenly dropped and was sucked into the zone.

The batter hurriedly tried to scoop it up, but it was already too late.

Thwack!

The ball went straight into the mitt, and everyone’s eyes were focused on the umpire.

And the umpire shouted, pulling his leg back.

“Strike! Batter Out!!”

[Strikeout! Jung Ha-sung achieves a new Major League record with a new weapon, the splitter!]

[A new record has been set! He surpasses Tom Seaver and records 11 consecutive strikeouts!!]

It was the moment when the Major League record was broken.

* * *

[Major League Jung Ha-sung succeeded in setting a new Major League record by striking out 11 consecutive batters.]

[Jung Ha-sung’s complete game victory and 11 consecutive strikeouts achieved!]

[Jung Ha-sung, who wrote a new history in his first Major League complete game victory and Major League!]

[Jung Ha-sung, who showed off his new weapon, the splitter! Surpassed Tom Seaver!]

With Ha-sung’s record achievement, a huge amount of articles poured out.

Although the record ended with 11 consecutive strikeouts as he handled the last batter with a fly ball to center field, that alone was great news.

That’s how great the news was that the record of his first Major League complete game victory was buried.

-Jung Ha-sung is crazy.

-He really achieved this lol

-Is this real?

-He’s really on another level.

-Major League is also another, but he’s another there too.

-Does this kind of guy suddenly fall out?

-I can’t say anything.

-This is also Jung Ha-sung for the pitcher of the month in July.

-Isn’t it 4 consecutive months from April?

-ㅋㅋㅋ He’ll get it all season long.

-Others keep getting what’s hard to get even once.

Fans were happy with Ha-sung’s performance.

It was a special fun to see the records that seemed unbreakable being broken one by one.

More than anything, seeing it live in real time was the greatest happiness for baseball fans.

While Ha-sung was putting on this performance, the clubs were actively continuing trades until the deadline.

“So, let’s match our cards properly?”

[I’m sorry, but there’s no one worth bringing from your team.]

“Wait, wait!”

[Toot-! Toot-!]

Chris, the general manager, was also working hard to fill the lacking resources.

But he failed every time.

“Damn it!”

He was the one who swept the Major League in the 2000s, but his strategy was exposed as he had been the general manager for too long.

In a market where you have to hide your cards and make profitable trades, it was a very big loss.

“At this rate, the market will close without any harvest.”

The Athletics were on the rise.

But there was no guarantee that this performance would continue.

‘Ha-sung is firmly in the center of the mound, but there is no player to lead the lineup.’

He was trying to bring in a player with a name value that would be the center of the lineup through a trade.

But it was difficult to match the cards, and the deadline was approaching.

“Damn it…….”

Chris sighed, frustrated with his increasingly ineffective skills.

* * *

[The trade market closes.]

[As August arrived, the trade market closed. While the teams aiming for the postseason succeeded in strengthening their power, the Athletics, Jung Ha-sung’s team, drew attention because they did not make any significant reinforcements.]

[Is it confidence? Or lack of ability? What does General Manager Chris think?]

[Experts pick the Texas Rangers as the winner of this trade market.]

[Can the Athletics challenge the fall baseball game [the postseason]?]

As the trade market closed, articles related to the Athletics poured out.

“General Manager Chris is also at the end of his rope.”

Ha-sung said quietly as he looked at the article.

Chris is one of the general managers who represented the 2000s.

He is the most famous general manager who actively adopted sabermetrics [the empirical analysis of baseball] and operated the team based on Moneyball theory [a strategy of assembling a team with undervalued players].

As such, his strategy was greatly exposed, and he did not show any significant performance in his later years.

“It would have been fun if this guy had gone to the Red Sox.”

There is no if in baseball, but it was something I thought about at least once.

“Anyway, what I have to do is throw like crazy for the remaining two months.”

Two months until the end of the regular season.

Ha-sung’s successful first season as a starter was also heading towards its end.

“Hoo…… It’s a steam room just looking at it.”

The inside of the hotel was not hot because the air conditioner was running.

But the scenery outside was enough to make you sweat just by looking at it.

August.

The full-fledged heat wave has begun.