Villain On The Mound [EN]: Chapter 15

Mound Villain – Episode 15

[Scoop] Jung Ha-sung Promoted from Single-A to Double-A in Just One Month!

Ha-sung returned to his dorm and checked Korean news articles on his computer.

He navigated to the sports baseball section and found an article about himself, though it wasn’t the main headline.

“Oh, there’s a reporter in Korea who checks the minor leagues.”

He clicked on the article to read it.

[Exclusive: Jung Ha-sung, currently playing for the Oakland Athletics’ Single-A team, the Bakersfield Blaze, has been promoted to Double-A.

Jung Ha-sung demonstrated his skills by pitching three games for the Blaze without allowing a single run.

As a result, he has achieved an unprecedented promotion to Double-A just one month after his debut.]

The article was full of praise.

Ha-sung’s performance was indeed outstanding, but it was still embarrassing to read such glowing accolades.

Only after checking the reporter’s name at the bottom did he understand why the article was so flattering.

[Reporter: Baek Jun-ki]

“This guy really likes me. Even though it’s all true, he’s polished it nicely to make me feel good.”

The first article was excellent.

The comments weren’t bad either.

-He got promoted to Double-A in just one month?

-He’s a monster.

-I was wondering what he was up to. He was in the minor leagues?

-Isn’t this almost Baek Young-ho level?

└ Seems faster than Baek Young-ho.

-Is he going to say, ‘They can’t play baseball,’ later on too?

└ That would be hilarious, lol.

Baek Young-ho, whose mental game was as complex as his baseball skills.

He was also famous for leaving behind many memorable quotes.

“Of course, it was because his skills backed it up that he became a hot topic.”

Passing through the minor leagues at a ‘free pass’ level is unusual in the United States.

Especially for players from Eastern countries, such a rapid ascent is almost unheard of.

Naturally, Ha-sung’s article was enough to become a hot topic.

“Well, this is just the beginning.”

He didn’t plan to stay in Double-A for long either.

‘I won’t stop until I reach the majors.’

His primary goal was to debut in the Major League this season.

* * *

The Double-A Midland RockHounds were in the Texas League.

The Texas League has a total of 8 teams and is divided into 2 divisions.

The RockHounds are in the South Division, which includes the Double-A teams of Houston, Texas, and San Diego.

“I’m Jung Ha-sung.”

After unpacking his luggage in the dorm, Ha-sung joined the team the next day.

The first thing he did was greet the general manager and the manager.

Even though it was a Double-A team, it was separate from the Major League team, so each team had its own general manager.

“Welcome. I’m Ralph, the general manager of the RockHounds.”

General Manager Ralph was a man in his mid-40s.

With a thick brown beard, he looked more like a carpenter than a general manager.

“And this is the manager, Ronald.”

Ronald looked to be in his 50s.

His protruding belly was a cause for concern.

“I’ve heard about your performance in Single-A. They said you were mowing them down.”

“Yes, I pitched pretty well.”

“Haha! Full of confidence. I like that. It’s good for a guy who goes up on the mound to show that kind of attitude. I hope you show the same in the RockHounds.”

“Yes.”

The meeting with the general manager ended simply.

Afterward, he left Ralph’s office with him to meet the team.

“I heard you threw pretty well in Single-A. They say you throw up to 99 miles?”

“Yes, I throw around that much.”

“Not bad. But speed isn’t everything. You can’t forget that.”

“I know.”

“I see. What kind of breaking balls do you throw?”

“I throw sliders and curves, more or less.”

“Okay.”

The conversation ended there.

Because they had arrived at their destination.

Inside the locker room, the players were gathered in groups of twos and threes, changing their clothes.

‘Still cramped.’

Even though it was Double-A, there wasn’t much difference from Single-A.

The team’s finances might be a little more relaxed, but it would still be tight to run the team.

“Okay, everyone, pay attention.”

At Ralph’s words, the players stopped what they were doing and looked over.

“This is Ha-sung Jung, who will be playing with us from today. He’s from Korea. He’s a guy who got called up in just one month from Single-A, so treat him well.”

The players’ eyes sparkled at the mention of being called up in just one month.

“That’s about it for the introduction. You can use the empty locker over there.”

“Yes.”

He moved to the place the manager pointed to and put his bag in the empty locker.

Then, a man next to him reached out his hand.

“Looks like I’m your neighbor. I’m Jack. I protect the RockHounds’ house [catcher].”

“Nice to meet you.”

Protecting the house meant he was a catcher.

After a light handshake and while organizing his things, Jack continued.

“Wow~ you got promoted to Double-A in just one month. That’s quite unusual, isn’t it? What kind of ball did you throw to get promoted so quickly?”

“Want to catch it yourself?”

“Ooh~ full of confidence?”

Jack showed an exaggerated reaction.

“But that’s a great idea. No matter how well you say you throw, it’s not as good as me seeing it myself. I’ll catch for you during today’s pitching practice.”

“Look forward to it.”

* * *

Training wasn’t much different in Double-A.

After basic training and team training, they were divided into their respective positions.

Since the season was in progress, Ha-sung immediately checked his condition in the bullpen.

“Let’s just throw 20 pitches lightly.”

He nodded at the manager’s words.

Was it because it was his first practice pitching?

The manager, pitching coach, bullpen coach, and even the general manager came out to watch the practice.

‘This would make the young guys’ legs shake a bit, wouldn’t it?’

It’s a burdensome situation when all the team’s executives are watching.

But it wasn’t a big deal for Ha-sung.

‘I even went to the Olympics.’

He went to the Olympics, where 50 million people were watching him throw.

In the Korean Series [championship series in Korean baseball league], he even gave up a walk-off hit in front of 20,000 spectators.

Having gone through thick and thin, he didn’t feel burdened by this.

“Okay! Come at me anytime!”

Jack put on his mask and sat down.

He nodded and rubbed rosin [a sticky substance used by pitchers for grip] on his hands.

‘How I throw here will determine my actual deployment.’

The sooner he was put into a real game, the better.

That’s how he could get his value recognized and get a chance to go higher.

‘Then I’ll show them for sure.’

It’s good to show off your self-promotion properly.

‘It’s good to hide your strength, but you have to do it according to the situation, and now is the time to show everything I have.’

What’s the point of a pitcher hiding his strength?

A professional’s value is always evaluated by skill.

There was no reason to hold back.

“Here it comes.”

He stretched out his left hand and signaled.

“Come at me anytime!”

Looking at the confident Jack, he kicked lightly.

There was no need for a windup.

He had to throw while considering that it was practice pitching.

“Hoo…!”

With a breath, he took a stride.

Crack!

The cleat dug into the ground, firmly fixing his lower body.

At the same time, he rotated his lower body, pulling the rotational force up to his upper body.

He transferred the gathered power to his fingertips and threw the ball with all his might.

“Hup!”

Whoosh-!!

The ball left his hand in an instant and flew straight into Jack’s mitt.

Thwack-!!

A tremendous sound echoed throughout the outdoor bullpen.

“Ooh…”

“Definitely.”

“Amazing.”

The executives watching from behind all exclaimed at once.

General Manager Ralph checked the speed gun and checked the exact speed.

’91 miles on the first pitch, even in practice pitching. More than anything, the power was alive, and the control was accurate.’

It was a perfect first pitch.

Ha-sung, who had captured the eyes of the spectators at once, threw the second and third balls in succession.

Thwack-!

Thwack-!!

A tremendous sound echoed in the bullpen every time he threw the ball.

It was like a show of force.

And the general manager, who saw the demonstration, spoke with the manager.

“This is better than expected, isn’t it?”

“That’s what I’m saying. At this rate, we can put him in a real game right away without any adaptation.”

“Then shall we put him in today?”

“Yes. He passed the test in practice, so it’s better to check how he throws in a real game.”

“Okay. Then let’s put him in as a relief pitcher, according to the report from Single-A.”

“Understood.”

Ha-sung’s deployment in a real game was decided by the conversation between the two.

* * *

The level of Double-A is evaluated differently by different people.

Some say it’s at the level of the Korean professional baseball’s third team [developmental squad], while others say it’s the second team [reserve team].

One thing is certain: from Double-A, you’re officially walking the path of a professional.

‘The salary isn’t much, but it’s enough to live on.’

From Double-A, you get a salary of over a thousand dollars.

Lunch isn’t bad either.

“Ooh! It’s ham.”

“Haha! You can’t see this in Single-A, can you?”

“Ha… there’s really only peanut butter there.”

There was also ham for lunch at the cafeteria.

Now, instead of peanut butter or strawberry jam, he could eat lunch with fillings.

“When I got promoted to Double-A, the happiest thing was that I could eat as much ham as I wanted.”

“That’s right. Lunch in Single-A was so bad.”

Stories from his teammates could be heard here and there.

Although it was his first time joining today, there were no players who kept their distance.

The minor leagues were a place where players were frequently called up.

As a result, roster changes were frequent, so it was taken for granted that people would suddenly join and disappear.

‘If I go up to Triple-A, there will be even better meals, right?’

Ha-sung put three slices of ham between the bread, imagining the food that would be placed in front of him in the future.

* * *

It was a lucky day.

‘To have a home game on the first day of promotion, not an away game.’

The minor league road trips were literally hell.

You had to travel long distances by bus, which was exhausting in itself.

‘I almost died when I left for an away game with the Blaze.’

In Korea, you could go almost anywhere by bus in about 3 hours at most.

Even if it wasn’t a bus, you could take a train.

When he was a professional, the team bus was so well-equipped that there was no great inconvenience in traveling.

‘Since it’s a home game, I’ll be able to show them properly, right?’

The impact of the first game is always important.

Knowing that, he knew how important today’s game was.

‘The opponent is the Frisco RoughRiders.’

The RoughRiders, a Double-A team under the Texas Rangers, were founded in 1971.

They signed a contract with the Rangers at the same time as their founding and have continued that relationship to this day.

‘The level of the players is definitely going up as I move up to Double-A.’

The number of people who can go from amateur to professional is limited.

That’s why there were many talented players in Single-A as well.

Among them, there were many players who surpassed the level of Single-A.

However, Single-A was a place where you strongly felt that their talents had not yet blossomed.

‘It’s more like watching Korean professional baseball than Major League Baseball.’

Even if the skills of individual players were outstanding, the overall level of the league was low.

However, from Double-A, you could feel that the basics were significantly improved.

Bang-!!

A well-hit ball flew towards the gap between the shortstop and third baseman.

The third baseman stretched out his glove, but it was a course he couldn’t catch.

Then the shortstop dove and caught the ball that had fallen behind.

‘Just looking at a play like that, you can see that it’s definitely well done.’

These scenes come together to ultimately determine the level of the league.

Double-A was visibly high in that regard.

‘The pitchers don’t just rush in with fastballs.’

What you can tell at a glance is the change in pitchers.

In Single-A, pitchers focus on fastballs rather than breaking balls.

There are many types that overwhelm with speed.

But Double-A was different.

‘Even if they throw around 90 miles, the hitters all respond. That’s why they have no choice but to mix in breaking balls.’

He could see why the manager had asked him about breaking balls.

‘I read in an old article that a Korean minor leaguer said that the level of breaking balls from pitchers changes from Double-A.’

Seeing it for himself, he could understand the meaning of the interview.

‘That’s why I have something prepared.’

Ha-sung lightly turned the ball in his hand and grabbed the grip.

It was then.

“Daniel, and Jung! Let’s start warming up.”

It was time to prepare for the game.