Villain On The Mound [EN]: Chapter 160

Villain on the Mound – Episode 160

Villain on the Mound Episode 160

[The American League’s race for the most wins in Major League Baseball is fiercely competitive.]

Major League Highlights.

This was the most popular Major League program currently airing in Korea.

It was a program that delivered news about the day’s games and overall Major League news, and it was praised for providing fairly accurate information.

The program focused most heavily on individual title races.

[Currently, Ha-sung Jung leads the American League in wins with 23. C.C. Sabathia is close behind with 22 wins.]

[It’s truly a novel experience. To think a Korean player would record the most wins in Major League Baseball, and even surpass 20 wins!]

[But the wins title isn’t 확정 [hwakjeong – confirmed] yet, is it?]

[That’s right. If C.C. Sabathia, who is starting tomorrow, wins, the two players’ competition for the most wins will likely continue until the end of the season.]

Sabathia and Ha-sung’s profiles appeared on the screen.

[Currently, Ha-sung Jung has already secured the lead in strikeouts and ERA [Earned Run Average].]

[These are truly remarkable stats. 358 strikeouts and an ERA of 1.24 are almost beyond words.]

[He’s already achieved great results, but I guess he can’t help but want more.]

[Of course, he should want more. You never know when you’ll achieve these kinds of records again, so it’s best to win the title when you can challenge for the Triple Crown.]

If he wins the most wins title, Ha-sung’s Triple Crown will be complete.

And at the same time, Ha-sung was also in a position to win the league MVP [Most Valuable Player award].

[Currently, there’s talk in the United States about Ha-sung Jung winning the league MVP, isn’t there?]

[That’s right. Major media outlets are predicting that he could win the league MVP.]

[There are definitely those predictions, but there are still many predictions that he won’t receive it.]

[But in a virtual poll conducted in the United States, Ha-sung Jung won the MVP, didn’t he?]

The screen changed and a graph appeared.

There were two players’ names on it.

Josh Hamilton of the Texas Rangers and Ha-sung, who were performing the best this season.

[This graph shows the results of a poll conducted on Major League Mania, the largest Major League fan site in the United States, asking who is more deserving of the league MVP between Josh Hamilton and Ha-sung Jung.]

[Ha-sung Jung received an overwhelming number of votes.]

[Yes. The total number of voters was 17,000. Of these, 14,000 voted for Ha-sung Jung.]

The fans knew.

That Ha-sung should receive the league MVP.

[But the results don’t always come out the way fans want, so we’ll have to wait until the end of the season to see what happens.]

[It remains to be seen what choice the reporters will make, and whether Ha-sung Jung will be the first Korean and only the second Asian to win the Major League MVP.]

* * *

The next day.

Sabathia started and became the winning pitcher, pitching 8 innings, allowing 3 runs, and striking out 11.

Ha-sung, watching him, licked his lips.

“He throws damn well.”

Sabathia’s pitching was definitely artistic.

He wasn’t a fireballer, but all the breaking balls he threw were powerful.

“So, it’s a tie.”

The most wins title was also a coveted title for Ha-sung.

The reason was simple: winning it would mean achieving the pitching Triple Crown.

“I’ve only done it once in the KBO [Korean Baseball Organization].”

When he was playing in the KBO, Ha-sung succeeded in winning the Triple Crown in his fourth year.

Was it because he had tasted it once?

Or was it because the record was now within reach?

Ha-sung became greedy for the Triple Crown.

“It’ll be decided in the last game after all.”

Ha-sung and Sabathia.

Both pitchers had one start left.

He had no intention of ending in a tie.

There was a chance that there could be two winners of the most wins title.

But Ha-sung’s thoughts were different.

“I have a feeling there will be only one.”

There was something he couldn’t express in words.

That’s exactly how it was now.

Either him or Sabathia.

Only one of them would be able to win the most wins title.

“Of course, it has to be me.”

Ha-sung’s eyes shone as he had no intention of missing the opportunity.

* * *

The competition for the most wins between Ha-sung and Sabathia was a hot topic in the United States.

[The race for the most wins between Yankees ace C.C. Sabathia and Athletics ace Ha-sung Jung is fierce.]

[If Ha-sung Jung wins the most wins title this season, he will achieve the Triple Crown…]

[If he achieves the Triple Crown, he is also likely to receive the league MVP.]

[The two players’ last starts of the season are on the same day, and all the attention of Major League fans is focused on them.]

Ha-sung and Sabathia’s last starts were coincidentally scheduled for the same day.

The two teams weren’t directly facing each other.

The Yankees were facing the Toronto Blue Jays in the same Eastern Division, and the Athletics were facing the Seattle Mariners in the Western Division.

Neither team could be called a strong team.

That’s why it was even more uncertain who would win the most wins title.

[The probability of the two pitchers being hit hard against the Blue Jays and Mariners is very low.]

[In fact, isn’t it highly likely that both pitchers will win?]

[That’s possible, but there’s a very high chance that the two teams’ lineups won’t be able to perform.]

[Well, the Yankees’ team atmosphere has been very bad recently.]

[Since the Biogenesis scandal [a controversy involving performance-enhancing drugs] , the Yankees’ lineup has collapsed. As a result, they gave up first place to their division rival, the Red Sox.]

Originally, the Yankees should have advanced to the postseason.

But the Biogenesis scandal that Ha-sung broke and the incidents that Rodrigo had caused in succession had collapsed the giant team that was the Yankees.

The players, whose atmosphere had deteriorated rapidly, were stressed, and as a result, the lineup collapsed, and the Red Sox were now in first place.

[But the Yankees are the Yankees. As in Sabathia’s previous game, they are a team that explodes when they need to.]

[On the other hand, isn’t the Athletics’ lineup frustrating?]

[That’s right. The average score in the last 5 games is 2.7 points, which is a very low figure.]

[Major League experts point out that the biggest problem is the slump of Arnold, the cleanup hitter.]

[He’s still a young player, so he could change in an instant, but he definitely has problems with his hitting recently.]

Arnold’s hitting had been in a slump ever since he found out that his friends were trying to attack Ha-sung.

His slump, who should have been the anchor, caused the lineup itself to fail to perform.

But there was no suitable player to replace him in the Athletics right now.

‘Arnold’s power is a home run that can turn the game around. I can’t change him.’

Manager Tony started him as usual in Ha-sung’s game.

But Arnold couldn’t concentrate properly throughout the game.

‘Damn… I can’t concentrate.’

Arnold himself knew the reason well.

It was shocking that his childhood friends were trying to attack his teammate.

Black people have their own culture.

One of their cultures, the community, recognizes neighborhood friends as very close people.

If one person in the community succeeds, that person would support all members of the community.

This is called the homie culture, and it has led to many successful stars going bankrupt.

In a word, it means that they think of friends as family.

That’s why Arnold’s shock was beyond imagination.

‘My family tried to kill my friend…’

The shock was too great for young Arnold to accept.

He had to focus entirely on himself, but he couldn’t, so it was difficult to concentrate on the game.

Ha-sung, watching him, approached him.

“Arnold, why do you look like you’re about to cry when you have to go out to the game soon?”

“Ha-sung…”

Arnold looked up at Ha-sung.

“Don’t tell me you feel guilty because of your friends?”

“…They’re not just friends. They were friends who grew up like family since we were kids.”

“You’re talking about homie culture.”

“You know about it?”

“I had a black friend when I was young. I heard it from him. That in your culture, the community, a successful person has to support not only their relatives but also their friends.”

“It’s not support. It’s responsibility. Just because I earn money doesn’t mean it’s all mine.”

It’s a unique black culture.

Ha-sung couldn’t understand it at first either.

He had seen superstars who came to the United States living difficult lives to support their friends.

He was puzzled by the sight and asked.

Why do you support your friends even though it’s so hard?

The answer that came back was obvious.

[Because that’s how I grew up.]

It wasn’t just a culture that had been formed for 1-2 years.

Since he had grown up with black people, telling him to throw it away was like saying something impossible.

‘Telling me to get out of the homie culture is the same nonsense as saying it hurts because it’s youth.’

He didn’t want to give advice that deviated from the essence.

He had to acknowledge their culture and offer solutions that fit it.

Ha-sung plopped down next to Arnold and put his hand on his shoulder.

“I really want to win today.”

“Huh?”

“I want to try to win the most wins title since I have the chance.”

“Ah…”

“If I get this, it’s the Triple Crown. You know that, right? That the Triple Crown is hard to do.”

“I know.”

“But no matter how well I pitch, it’s impossible to win the game alone.”

Ha-sung looked at Arnold.

“So, I need your help.”

“My help…”

“Yeah. Aren’t I your friend too? So, please help me when I’m having a hard time.”

Arnold was a responsible player.

The problem was that his responsibility was more for the people around him than for himself.

‘There are quite a few types like this. The type that takes care of the people around them first without taking care of themselves.’

Arnold was quite a serious type among them.

Words like hit for yourself don’t work for this type.

Rather, it was better to touch on the parts that he considered important.

“I trust you.”

It was about entering his boundary.

Homie culture was ultimately just an extension of the concept of family to the community.

In other words, if he asked him as a friend, Arnold would feel responsible for it.

“Then I’ll ask you for a favor in today’s game.”

To others, it was like putting pressure on him.

But these words ignited Arnold’s sense of responsibility.

‘Ha-sung believes in me.’

Arnold, whose sense of responsibility began to burn, raised his concentration.

* * *

[Ha-sung Jung is making his last start of the season against the Seattle Mariners at home! He must win today’s game to win the most wins title!]

The camera caught Ha-sung on the mound.

[I hope he has a good end to the season as it is his last start!]

2010 season.

The last pitching of the regular season began.

“Play ball!!”