Villain On The Mound [EN]: Chapter 162

Opportunity follows crisis.

That’s the usual flow.

And that flow was emerging in this game as well.

[Top of the 6th, Jung Ha-sung overcomes the scoring crisis, and the Athletics’ offense continues.]

[The batting order for this inning is favorable. Starting with Jack at the top, and Arnold, who showcased excellent defense, is up third.]

[Hopefully, they can capitalize on this momentum and score.]

[Indeed.]

Everyone supporting Ha-sung hoped for a score.

Ha-sung also sat on the bench, watching his teammates bat.

‘The momentum feels good.’

Having experienced this many times, he knew a score was likely in moments like these.

And the game unfolded as he anticipated.

Crack-!!

[A solid hit on the 4th pitch! A hit that lands in front of the center fielder! Lead-off hitter Jack is on base!]

Jack reached first.

He delivered a well-placed hit with a compact swing.

And the next batter stepped up to the plate.

Thwack!

“Ball! Base on balls!!”

[It’s outside the zone! He holds off on a ball that’s clearly out of the zone during a full count! Runners are now on first and second with no outs!]

[This is the best scoring opportunity of the game!]

[And Arnold, who made that amazing Superman catch in the top of the 6th, is now at the plate!]

[Arnold has been racking up hits and displaying great hitting and defense today. Let’s hope he can deliver a home run here.]

Arnold was in excellent form.

So much so that it was hard to believe he’d been in a slump recently.

‘As I thought, he seems to thrive when playing for others, rather than just himself.’

Ha-sung watched Arnold from the bench, convinced his assessment was accurate.

It was a somewhat extreme personality trait, but not necessarily a bad one.

‘I’m looking forward to this at-bat.’

He was eager to see what Arnold would do.

And Arnold didn’t disappoint Ha-sung’s expectations.

Thwack-!

“Ball!”

[Arnold holds off on the breaking curveball! His eye is sharp today!]

[He looks to be in great condition. That’s probably why he was able to make that Superman catch!]

[The count is three balls and one strike. Arnold has a favorable count!]

[He can swing aggressively here!]

The pitcher was clearly in a tough spot.

Arnold faced the 5th pitch with a significant advantage.

[The pitcher gets the sign and delivers from the set position!]

“Hmph!!”

Whoosh-!!

The pitcher’s full-power pitch targeted the outside low corner.

It was a perfectly placed pitch.

The ball had both power and speed.

It would be difficult for the batter to react properly to such a pitch.

Even if he made contact, it would likely be a ground ball.

It was that perfect.

At that moment.

Swoosh-!!

Arnold’s bat snapped around.

As if anticipating the pitch, he met the ball with an uppercut swing, lifting it from below.

Crack!!

With a satisfying crack, the ball soared high.

And the quickly ascending ball landed in the stands in an instant.

Thud!

[It’s gone!! A three-run home run!! Arnold delivers at the most crucial moment!]

Arnold’s three-run homer exploded.

* * *

3 to 0.

The Athletics began to pull ahead.

While the Athletics’ offense, now in a favorable position, continued to press.

Crack-!!

[A well-hit ball! It splits the left-center field! The runner on second rounds third and heads for home! He scores! The score is now 3 to 2!]

[Yankees’ pitcher Sabathia is starting to show signs of fatigue in the top of the 7th.]

[As he approaches his pitch limit, Sabathia’s control is wavering.]

[The problem is that there are still runners in scoring position.]

[It will be interesting to see if manager Joe Girardi will replace his ace here.]

Ace.

It refers to the most outstanding starting pitcher on the team.

Their job is to secure victories.

The pride of an ace is immense because of the crucial role they play.

That’s why Girardi couldn’t easily walk to the mound.

‘I should replace him here. Rationally, that’s what I’m thinking, but…’

Sabathia was sending a signal.

He was indicating that he wanted to take responsibility.

When the ace expresses such determination, the manager can’t easily pull him.

‘I have no choice.’

Because he’s the ace, I have to let him continue.

Even if it risks the team’s defeat.

[With one out and a runner on second, Sabathia faces the next batter.]

Sabathia was well aware of the situation.

Thwack-!

“Strike!”

[A 91-mile fastball finds the catcher’s mitt! Strike one!]

Going to the mound at this moment was the right choice.

Crack!

“Foul!!”

[The 2nd pitch goes foul on the 3rd base side! The second strike is called!]

But because he was the ace, he couldn’t back down.

He wanted to secure the victory with his own hands and solidify his lead in wins.

Whack!

“Ball!!”

[He doesn’t swing at the slider! One ball and two strikes! His pitch count rises to 117!]

It could be seen as unnecessary stubbornness.

It could also be argued that a pitcher’s victory isn’t solely his to protect.

But this was a game with a title on the line.

He wanted to finish this kind of game himself.

Above all, he was confident.

‘I’m confident I can get through the 7th.’

Sabathia, having made his decision, threw the 5th pitch.

Whoosh-!!

[He throws it!!]

Swoosh-!!

The batter swung as if he had been waiting for it.

The moment the bat tried to connect with the ball.

Swoosh!

The ball dropped sharply, passing under the bat and into the catcher’s mitt.

Whack!

“Swing! Strike out!!”

[It’s a strikeout! Sabathia strikes out the batter in a critical situation! A pitching performance worthy of the Yankees’ ace!]

7 innings, 2 runs.

Sabathia left the mound with a chance to earn the win.

* * *

By the time Sabathia’s pitching performance was over.

The Athletics’ mound was still being guarded by Ha-sung.

[I hear that Sabathia has just been taken out. He pitched 7 innings, allowing 2 runs, and the score is 3 to 2. It looks like he’ll be credited with the win.]

[As expected of Sabathia. He delivered a great performance.]

[If this holds, Sabathia’s 24th win seems almost certain.]

[Considering the Yankees’ bullpen, that’s likely to be the case.]

The Yankees’ bullpen had Rivera [Mariano Rivera, legendary Yankees closer].

Although a veteran, Rivera was still in excellent form this season, recording over 30 saves.

The only unsettling factor was that his save percentage was in the mid-80s, the lowest it had been in the last five years.

[Now, the key to the most wins title has been passed to Ha-sung Jung.]

Ha-sung, who took the mound in the top of the 7th, faced three batters in a row.

“Hmph!”

Whoosh-!

Thwack!

“Strike! Batter out!!”

[Strikeout! Ha-sung Jung records his 12th strikeout of the game!]

Clang!!

“Mine!!”

Thump!

[The second baseman makes the catch! Two outs!!]

Clang!!

[Well-hit ball!!]

Thump!!

[The third baseman fields the ground ball down the line and throws to first!]

Whoosh-!

Thump!

“Out!!”

[Out! Great defensive plays end the inning!]

[The Athletics’ players are showing great concentration!]

His teammates knew it too.

That Ha-sung was determined to win the most wins title.

That’s why they wanted to protect him.

‘If our ace wants it, we have to get it for him.’

‘We won’t give up a single run.’

The entire team’s concentration intensified.

* * *

Everyone started to speculate.

-Is a shared title for most wins possible?

-Seems likely.

-Both are pitching well.

-There’s no way Ha-sung will give up more runs, right?

-LOL, true.

It doesn’t seem like we’ll lose.

It seems like they’ll share the most wins title.

Although the game wasn’t over yet, both teams were playing so well that it felt inevitable.

[Ha-sung Jung takes the mound again in the top of the 8th.]

[No one is warming up in the Athletics’ bullpen.]

[It sounds like Ha-sung Jung is going to finish the game.]

[There’s a good chance. Ha-sung Jung isn’t just fast; he’s showing the stamina of a true inning-eater [a pitcher who can pitch many innings].]

The image Ha-sung projected as a pitcher was tremendous.

His strikeout ability was a given, and he was proving his ability to eat innings, which is crucial for a starting pitcher.

That’s why, even with over 90 pitches, no pitcher was warming up in the Athletics’ bullpen.

[Ha-sung Jung faces the first batter of the 8th.]

Ha-sung, who took the mound in the 8th, handled the batters with relative ease.

His velocity was dropping, but his pitches were still difficult to hit.

“Hmph!”

Whoosh-!

Thwack!

“Strike! Batter out!!”

Ha-sung, who secured the last out with a strikeout, left the mound.

“Nice pitching!”

“Thanks.”

He was lightly bumping gloves with his teammates as he entered the dugout when…

“Hey! Jung!! Rivera blew it!”

A man in the stands shouted.

To have “blown it” meant he had a blown save [failing to hold a lead in a save situation].

Ha-sung, who returned to the dugout, immediately looked for the manager.

“What’s the Yankees’ score?”

“Uh…….”

The manager was flustered.

Because he had already been told by Tony not to deliver related news.

Just then, manager Tony approached.

“It’s 3 to 3. Rivera recorded a blown save.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. I didn’t want to tell you because you might get rattled.”

Manager Tony stared at the ceiling.

Because they were close to the stands, useless information sometimes drifted in.

This was one of those times.

But Ha-sung’s thoughts were different.

“Did you think something like that would shake me? I’m a little disappointed, then.”

“There’s always a ‘what if’.”

“It’s okay. I’ll finish the game.”

“Hmm…….”

Manager Tony’s hesitation didn’t last long.

Because he knew Ha-sung was capable of it.

‘We can even give him a break until the postseason, so it’ll be okay.’

Today is Ha-sung’s last appearance of the regular season.

His next appearance is in a week.

He nodded, knowing Ha-sung would get enough rest.

“Okay. Then make sure you grab the most wins title with your own hands.”

“Yes.”

* * *

[Breaking news! Yankees’ closer Mariano Rivera blows the save, ruining Sabathia’s chance at his 24th win!]

[If Ha-sung Jung wins today’s game, he’ll take the sole lead for most wins!]

[Actually, it wouldn’t be surprising to replace him now. Will Ha-sung Jung pitch the 9th as well?]

At that moment, the camera focused on Ha-sung walking out of the dugout.

[No sooner said than done, Ha-sung Jung is taking the mound.]

[He’s going to end the game himself.]

Ha-sung, who took the mound, continued his dominant pitching.

* * *

[Ha-sung Jung gets ahead with a one-ball, two-strike count against the first batter. He throws the fourth pitch!]

“Hmph!”

Whoosh-!

Clang!!

[He hit it! The second baseman dives!]

Thump!

[He makes the catch! And immediately throws to first!]

Thump!

“Out!!”

[The first out is recorded!]

[It was a hard-hit ball. Second baseman Mark made a great play.]

A defense that didn’t lose focus.

[Ha-sung Jung gets two strikes on the second batter. He throws the third pitch!]

“Hmph!”

Whoosh-!

Thwack-!

“Strike! Batter out!!”

[A 98-mph fastball catches the inside corner! The batter doesn’t even flinch!]

Ha-sung’s amazing pitching.

The Athletics, with the combination of his pitching and their defense, were formidable.

[Ha-sung Jung gets two outs in the 9th! Now, only one out remains!]

The Mariners were no match for a team playing with such determination.

Clang-!!

[He hits the 4th pitch hard! The ball flies high!]

[Ah-! This is it!]

Arnold positioned himself under the high-flying ball and raised his glove.

Thump!

“Waaaaaah-!!”

The crowd roared as the ball settled into his glove.

And Ha-sung, on the mound, raised his fist and celebrated his victory.

[Ha-sung Jung achieves his 24th win of the season! And at the same time, he confirms his place as the major league leader in wins!!]

It was the moment Ha-sung’s journey to the Triple Crown [leading the league in wins, ERA, and strikeouts] was complete.