Villain On The Mound [EN]: Chapter 144

The Mound’s Villain – Episode 144

Ha-sung had taken this matter a bit lightly.

Anthony was the key figure who orchestrated this.

He had gained Rodrigo’s trust to the point of directly injecting him with the drug.

Therefore, he thought that if Anthony confessed, everything would be resolved.

‘I didn’t expect him to refuse the test, even if it meant facing disciplinary action.’

Refusing the test alone could result in sanctions.

The problem was that the sanctions were less severe than those for a repeated doping offense.

Isabel continued her explanation to Ha-sung, who was deep in thought.

“Rodrigo has excellent lawyers around him. They’re telling him how to escape this situation.”

“Ways to escape with the least amount of punishment, you mean.”

“Exactly. And Rodrigo will take that route, even if it means facing criticism.”

“Does that even matter? His image will be shattered in the eyes of the fans just for refusing the doping test.”

Isabel shook her head.

“Rodrigo isn’t worried about the fans’ opinions. He’s worried about his career and breach of contract penalties.”

‘Well, that’s a valid reason.’

Rodrigo is a major league superstar.

He has built an incredible career, which will be a huge advantage in his future endeavors.

Currently, he was also making a tremendous amount of money from endorsement deals.

“Did the endorsement deals have clauses related to doping?”

“Typically, doping-related clauses aren’t included, but there’s usually a penalty for significant damage to his image.”

“Hmm, so Rodrigo’s trying to avoid the fallout from a doping conviction, which would ruin his image.”

“Yes, that’s right.”

He’s making a fortune from endorsements.

Conversely, the penalties for violating those contracts would be astronomical.

In that situation, he was unlikely to admit to doping.

“What’s the penalty for refusing a doping test?”

“He’ll be suspended for up to 100 games. That’s the agreement with the players’ union.”

“Any chance that could change?”

“The union will reject it. CBA [Collective Bargaining Agreement] negotiations are still a ways off, so it won’t change before then.”

The league office and the union regularly meet to negotiate the major league regulations.

The problem was that these agreements couldn’t be changed unilaterally.

Adding new clauses also required consultation with the union, so there was no way to change the current doping test system.

“So, there’s only one thing we can do to Rodrigo.”

“Only the penalty for refusing the doping test.”

It was still a frustrating situation.

He should have looked into this aspect before making it public.

No, even if he had known, he didn’t expect Rodrigo to act so petty.

“A superstar who represented Major League Baseball is showing his worst side.”

Isabel couldn’t say anything.

Even if she were Rodrigo’s agent, she would have advised him to respond in the same way.

Just then, her phone rang.

“Excuse me for a moment.”

Ha-sung watched her get up to answer the phone, lost in thought.

‘If this suspension is confirmed, I won’t be able to stand seeing him retire with his career intact.’

In his previous life, seeing him finish his career made him want to curse.

He felt disgusted at the thought of seeing that happen again.

But there was nothing he could do since there was no other way.

More than anything, if he doesn’t play this season, it won’t cause him much damage.

Sometimes, he needed to be satisfied with things like this.

Just then.

“What? Is that true?”

Isabel’s voice grew louder as she answered the phone.

She hung up the phone with a serious expression and approached Ha-sung.

“Is something wrong?”

“Things have gotten a bit complicated.”

“What is it?”

“The news is that Rodrigo is preparing to sue Jung Ha-sung.”

Rodrigo’s counterattack had begun.

* * *

Through Isabel, he had a meeting with a lawyer.

“First of all, this lawsuit will likely be nothing more than intimidation.”

The lawyer stated firmly.

Ha-sung, who knew how defamation worked in Korea, looked somewhat puzzled.

“Isn’t there such a thing as defamation by stating the truth?”

“Ah, Korea has such a law. But here in the United States, defamation doesn’t hold up just for stating the truth.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes. Rodrigo’s lawyer must know that. It should be seen as a form of media play.”

In the United States, only defamation based on false information was possible.

Of course, the victim had to prove it.

Rodrigo couldn’t possibly be unaware of that.

Yet, the fact that this article came out meant it was a form of intimidation.

A threat that if he didn’t stop now, he would be held responsible.

‘He’s messing with me.’

He already didn’t like him.

But he was continuing to do things that he disliked even more.

Several methods of dealing with this guy came to mind.

Just then, the lawyer looked at his smartphone and handed it over.

“This article just came in from the office. You should take a look at this.”

Another article related to the scandal was on the smartphone he handed over.

[Ryan Braun also received drug injections?!]

An article about Ryan Braun had been published.

The lawyer’s words didn’t register.

The moment he saw this article, a past memory flashed through his mind.

‘Rodrigo sold out his teammates to divert public attention from himself.’

The most prominent players were Ryan Braun and his teammate Francisco Cervelli.

Selling out teammates was taboo in Major League Baseball.

‘When it became known that Rodrigo had actually sold out his teammates, the argument for expelling him from the union gained momentum.’

What would happen if Rodrigo was abandoned even by the union?

‘He’ll be alone.’

He was currently being protected by the union, but once Rodrigo was alone, he wouldn’t be able to do anything.

If the union and the league office agreed, Rodrigo would become a sitting duck.

‘I need to move the players first.’

A plan was forming in Ha-sung’s mind.

* * *

The Biogenesis scandal [a major doping scandal in Major League Baseball] was a setback for Major League Baseball.

“Major League Baseball? Why would I go see that? Those guys are all juiced up anyway.”

“Sports are supposed to be fair and square. There’s no need to go see guys who are using drugs strutting around.”

“Baseball is over.”

Old fans were disappointed by the players who used drugs and began to leave the ballpark one by one.

The teams’ revenues decreased noticeably, and empty seats were caught on camera.

[It’s been a while since we’ve seen empty seats at Yankee Stadium.]

[That’s proof of how disappointed the fans are.]

In particular, the New York Yankees, Rodrigo’s team, which was at the center of this incident, suffered the most.

Yankees fans had been defending Rodrigo all along, shielding him from other fans who criticized him.

But when Rodrigo was once again plagued by drug allegations, they felt a sense of disillusionment with what they had been doing.

Some even became disillusioned with baseball, feeling a sense of deprivation.

However, there was one team that was unaffected.

[The Athletics’ home stadium is still filled with many fans.]

It was Ha-sung’s team, the Athletics.

Unlike other teams, it was hard to find empty seats in the Athletics’ home stadium.

[That’s to be expected. After all, their player, Jung Ha-sung, exposed his teammate’s drug use.]

[The Oakland media is applauding Jung Ha-sung.]

Ha-sung’s reputation was very good in Oakland.

But with this incident, his reputation became even better than before, and the team was maintaining its income without any significant impact.

However, they weren’t completely without worries.

‘If interest in Major League Baseball itself declines, we could also be affected.’

Chris, the general manager, saw this scandal as a destabilizing factor for Major League Baseball.

This was the case not only for him but also for the general managers of other teams and the league office.

Only the union was still carefree.

‘Damn it… They must think it’s okay since they’re not directly affected.’

He didn’t like it.

But knowing the power they held, he couldn’t say much.

‘I need to think about alternatives slowly.’

Chris was reorganizing his thoughts when.

“Wow!!!”

The fans who came to the stadium erupted in a huge roar that shook the ground.

Their cheers were understandable.

Ha-sung was coming up to the mound.

[The Athletics’ ace! Jung Ha-sung is taking the mound!]

[Although he suffered an unexpected blow by Rodrigo in the previous game, there’s no need to worry.]

[That’s right. It’s not easy to compete against a player who’s using drugs.]

[That’s right. More than anything, Jung Ha-sung has a track record of catching Rodrigo, who used to take drugs, red-handed. We should be proud of that.]

In Korea, Rodrigo had already been established as a drug user.

This was a view shared by the majority of baseball fans not only in Korea but also in the United States.

However, the media was still being cautious.

But the Korean media was still siding with Ha-sung, highlighting Rodrigo’s drug use.

They thought it would be more beneficial to them.

[I’m looking forward to seeing what kind of pitching Jung Ha-sung will show in today’s game.]

A huge issue of Rodrigo’s drug use had erupted, but the season continued.

And Ha-sung had to take the field even in this situation.

That’s why many people were worried about his mental state.

But that it was just a concern was soon revealed when the game started.

“Play ball!”

[The game has started. I’m looking forward to seeing what kind of pitching Jung Ha-sung will show against the Seattle Mariners.]

Today, Ha-sung’s opponent was the Seattle Mariners.

Ha-sung showed a strong performance against the Mariners from the first inning.

“Hmph-!!”

Whoosh-!

Thwack!

“Strike! Batter out!!”

[Strikeout! Jung Ha-sung strikes out all three batters!]

[He showed such a strong presence that it’s hard to believe he gave up a home run in the previous game.]

With a top speed of 102 mph, Ha-sung struck out all three batters.

It was a pitch that made the viewers feel refreshed.

The fans couldn’t help but be enthusiastic about Ha-sung’s pitching.

“Our Ha-sung is amazing as always.”

“I know, right.”

“He can’t be compared to a drug addict like Rodrigo.”

“But I saw on the internet that Ha-sung might have used drugs too?”

Then someone said something strange.

The Athletics fans around him glared at him.

“What are you talking about?”

“Who said that?!”

“You’re asking for it!”

He hurriedly denied it in response to the fans’ angry reactions.

“I’m not saying I did, but there’s a story like that on the internet.”

“What are you even talking about?”

“They’re questioning how Ha-sung knew so much about drugs, and how he knew Rodrigo was using drugs, even though he’s only been in the major leagues for two years.”

“That’s just a question, isn’t it?”

“That’s the problem. They’re saying that since Jung Ha-sung has information that he wouldn’t know unless he used drugs, the league office must have moved.”

The internet is a place where countless rumors are created.

A place where people hide behind the mask of anonymity and create stories.

Rumors about Ha-sung were being created there now.

Whether he knew it or not, Ha-sung’s powerful pitching continued.

* * *

[Jung Ha-sung is showing a strong performance again today.]

[So far, he hasn’t allowed any runners to reach base except for one walk.]

[Jung Ha-sung, who hasn’t allowed a hit, is taking the mound again in the top of the 7th inning.]

Ha-sung’s no-hitter game continued.