Villain On The Mound [EN]: Chapter 142

Clang-!!

[He hit it!!]

The ball struck by Rodrigo’s bat soared high into the air.

Ha-sung’s face contorted as he watched the ball fly into the distance.

‘Is it going over?’

For a moment, it seemed like it might clear the fence.

However, the ball soon lost momentum and began to fall rapidly.

‘It’s not going over!’

Ha-sung lowered his head to check the position of the right fielder.

‘Is he trying to catch that?’

Ha-sung felt uneasy seeing the fielder sticking close to the fence, timing his jump.

Because the ball went so high, even a slight miscalculation could result in an extra-base hit.

And that anxiety soon became reality.

[Ah-!! He missed the catch!!]

He jumped, but the ball hit the fence and bounced away.

The problem was that the ball was rolling in the opposite direction of where the center fielder was backing up.

[Rodrigo is already rounding second! He urgently grabs the ball and throws it……! Rodrigo slides into third standing up!]

With the unfortunate misjudgment by the defense, Rodrigo reached third base.

[Jung Ha-sung allows his first career triple!]

[He keeps getting picked on by Rodrigo today.]

It was a triple resulting from Rodrigo’s good hit combined with the poor defense.

And Ha-sung allowed another run to score on a sacrifice fly to center field by the next batter.

[Rodrigo walks in, dusting himself off, after the sacrifice fly to center! He scores his second run of the day!]

The score became 2 to 0.

* * *

6 innings, 2 earned runs, 4 hits.

In some ways, it wasn’t a bad pitching performance.

But it was a different story if Ha-sung was the one who recorded those stats.

[Jung Ha-sung pitches his first 6-inning, 2-run game of the season!]

[He got picked on by Rodrigo!]

[Alex Rodrigo achieves the cycle!]

[The superstar was a superstar! Rodrigo’s outstanding performance!]

Rodrigo achieved a cycle [hitting a single, double, triple, and home run in the same game], a rare feat.

He achieved the record of hitting every type of hit a batter can record: a home run, a triple, a double, and a single.

Rodrigo was undoubtedly the MVP of this game.

-Jung Ha-sung got completely shut down.

-He got picked on by Rodrigo today.

-At least he avoided the loss thanks to his teammates.

-lol true

-If Arnold hadn’t driven in two runs, it would have been his first career loss.

-As expected of Alex Rodrigo.

-Has the juice worn off yet?

-Maybe lol

-Or is he still juicing recently?

-How strict is MLB’s drug testing? Would he still do it?

-He did it before, right?

-It’s stricter now than it was then.

Some fans suspected Rodrigo of doping, but it was only a small minority.

Most praised Rodrigo’s performance.

And the reporters had no intention of letting today’s events pass by.

“A-Rod! You had an outstanding performance in today’s game! Can we get a word from you?”

“I feel like I’ve returned to my old self after a long time!”

“You got revenge on Jung Ha-sung, who has been strong lately! Any comments?”

“We’ve only faced each other for a year. There’s no point in discussing our head-to-head record! He’s still a young pitcher. He may grow in the future, but he’s not at my level yet!”

“What do you mean by that?”

“I’ve built my achievements in Major League Baseball for over a decade! How many pitchers have flashed for a year or two and then disappeared in that time?”

“Are you saying Jung Ha-sung will be one of those pitchers?”

“I don’t care whether he is or not! The important thing is that I am a greater player than him!”

Rodrigo was downplaying Ha-sung’s achievements.

Since he was the star of the day, the reporters were busy writing down his words.

That’s when it happened.

“Oh my, a great player died.”

A familiar voice was heard.

Everyone’s eyes turned.

The reporters’ eyes widened as they saw the source of the voice.

“That’s…… Jung Ha-sung!”

“Why is Jung Ha-sung here?”

“What’s going on?”

The interview was taking place in the Yankees Stadium clubhouse.

In other words, it was the Yankees team’s private space.

The reporters couldn’t help but be surprised when Ha-sung, from the opposing team, appeared there.

Team staff members hurriedly approached him from behind, trying to stop him.

“Jung Ha-sung, this area is off-limits.”

“Please go back.”

But despite their efforts, Ha-sung continued to approach Rodrigo.

The staff members grabbed Ha-sung, but they couldn’t stop him from advancing.

The reporters stepped aside, filming him with their cameras.

Ha-sung stopped right in front of Rodrigo and opened his mouth.

“Great performance today.”

“So, are you upset? Is that why you came all the way here?”

“Upset? I am upset. Because I got hit with a home run by a juiced-up bastard.”

“Ha-! A juiced-up bastard? Is that all you have to say after getting a home run off me and coming all the way here?”

“Why? Isn’t it the truth?”

“It was a momentary mistake. More than anything, I’ve already been punished for it!”

“Ah~ So it’s over once you’re punished?”

“I’m going to apologize to the fans for disappointing them by putting on better performances and playing better baseball in the future.”

Rodrigo’s words flowed smoothly.

In fact, he was just repeating what he had said at a past press conference.

Knowing that, the corners of Ha-sung’s lips turned up.

At that moment, General Manager Chris, Manager Tony, and the Athletics players rushed over after hearing the news.

“Jung Ha-sung!”

“Stop it!!”

“What are you doing?!”

Ha-sung glanced at his teammates before turning his head back.

The Athletics players were blocked by the reporters and couldn’t move forward easily.

And the moment their hands were about to reach Ha-sung.

“You juiced again, didn’t you?”

Ha-sung dropped a bombshell.

“What nonsense are you talking about?!”

At Rodrigo’s shout, the reporters’ cameras started flashing.

They had only one thought in their minds.

‘This is a scoop!’

‘Big news!’

‘This is crazy!!’

No matter what the outcome, this would be huge news.

A player accusing another player of using drugs.

And it was a blow thrown by a superstar, not just any player, but a rising star representing Major League Baseball.

And Ha-sung didn’t stop there.

“Can you say that a guy who juiced once didn’t do it again?”

“You bastard! I’ve passed every drug test in Major League Baseball since then! What grounds do you have for saying I doped?!”

Rodrigo couldn’t control his anger and grabbed Ha-sung by the collar.

Ha-sung didn’t resist at all and opened his mouth while being grabbed by the collar.

“Anthony Bonnie.”

Rodrigo’s face hardened at the name.

“The guy who injected you with drugs.”

The reporters were in an uproar at Ha-sung’s words.

“Jung Ha-sung! What does that mean?!”

“Who is Anthony Bonnie?!”

“Are you sure he injected you with drugs?!”

“Do you have evidence?!”

Questions poured out from the reporters.

* * *

An hour earlier.

After finishing his pitching, Ha-sung came out of the dugout and entered the clubhouse.

Originally, he would have stayed in the dugout until the end of the game, but he wasn’t in a good mood today.

‘Damn it……. That bastard definitely juiced again.’

His hitting and reactions were different from usual.

Knowing that Rodrigo used drugs, he could infer it.

‘The problem is that there’s no evidence.’

If he had evidence, he would have exposed the guy’s drug use right away.

The problem was that he didn’t have it.

If he revealed it without evidence, it would be easy to face a backlash.

‘Even if they do a drug test, the fact that his drug use hasn’t been detected during this period means he’s done it so precisely that he can hide it.’

Even if he raised questions about this, there was a high possibility that drugs wouldn’t be detected in his body.

‘Do I have to wait until 2013?’

The Biogenesis scandal breaks out three years from now.

‘In the meantime, isn’t he going to achieve everything he wants and receive all the praise?’

He didn’t like that.

He didn’t like the idea of a drug user reaching 600 home runs and setting a new record of 30 home runs and 100 RBIs [Runs Batted In].

“Damn it.”

No matter how much he thought about it, he couldn’t find an answer.

Ha-sung moved his feet and left the clubhouse.

He was thinking of getting some fresh air.

How long had he been walking?

He could see a man walking towards him from the opposite side.

‘Huh?’

It was the man he had seen at the All-Star Game.

‘That bastard is……?’

Anthony Bonnie.

The director of Biogenesis of America.

‘Come to think of it, in the article……’

Seeing him, an old article came to mind.

(Alex Rodrigo had a fear of needles. So I went to administer the injections myself.)

It was an article containing his testimony on CBS.

In an instant, Ha-sung’s mind raced.

And the moment he greeted him and passed by.

Thud!

He bumped into him with his shoulder.

“Ugh!!”

Anthony Bonnie collapsed with a groan, and at the same time, his bag opened, and the contents inside spilled out.

As numerous vials and syringes spilled out, Anthony Bonnie hurriedly picked them up.

And the moment he tried to pick up the last vial.

“There are a lot of vials?”

“Ah…… Th…… Thank you. I’m a doctor, so I carry some around.”

“A doctor? Are you a doctor affiliated with the Yankees?”

“Ah…… No. I just run a small clinic. I’m sorry, but could you give me that?”

The moment Anthony Bonnie reached out to take the vial, Ha-sung pulled it towards himself.

“What kind of drug is this?”

“It’s just a health supplement. Please give it back quickly! It would be troublesome if the media found out that Jung Ha-sung is doing this, wouldn’t it?”

“Really? Should I call a reporter?”

“Ah…… No. That’s not what I meant!”

“Doctor Anthony.”

“……How do you know my name……?”

“This is PED [Performance Enhancing Drug], isn’t it?”

Anthony Bonnie’s face hardened.

“Ah…… No. It’s just a normal…….”

“Then I can request a component analysis, right?”

Anthony Bonnie couldn’t say anything.

“Now, choose. Either I report you, or you cooperate with the league office yourself and receive a reduced sentence.”

“Ugh……!”

Anthony Bonnie had no choice.

* * *

The bombshell that Ha-sung dropped swept across the world in an instant.

[Did Alex Rodrigo use drugs again?!]

[Drug allegations against Alex Rodrigo begin with Jung Ha-sung’s exposure!]

[Anthony Bonnie, who runs the Biogenesis of America clinic! Testifies that he personally injected Rodrigo!]

[Major League Baseball to hold a hearing!]

[Alex Rodrigo! This is a false accusation! Claims he did not use drugs!]

[Alex Rodrigo receiving cold looks from fans!]

[A major scandal breaks out just three home runs away from 600! What will happen to the great record?]

The articles were instantly filled with allegations of Alex Rodrigo’s drug use.

Baseball fans also showed great interest in this case.

-A-Roid [a derogatory nickname combining A-Rod and steroid] didn’t go anywhere.

-Wow…… Did he juice again?

-Didn’t he say he never juiced since he transferred to the Yankees?

-That was a lie.

-What about the Yankees fans?

-Shouldn’t he be permanently banned at this point?

-If it’s true, he should be permanently banned.

-This bastard was a drug addict.

-He set records with drugs.

-But how did Jung Ha-sung know and expose this?

-No, how did he even think of exposing this in the first place?

-With Alex Rodrigo’s reputation, it would have been scary to expose him.

-Jung Ha-sung is fearless.

The disappointment in Alex Rodrigo soon led to a liking for Jung Ha-sung.

This was an incident that should have broken out three years later.

But with Ha-sung’s intervention, the incident broke out three years earlier.

Even Ha-sung didn’t know what results this would lead to.