Villain On The Mound [EN]: Chapter 163

Villain on the Mound – Episode 163

Villain on the Mound 163

24 wins, 0 losses.

That was Ha-sung’s record for the 2010 season after transitioning to a starting pitcher.

He recorded an ERA [Earned Run Average, a measure of runs allowed per game] of 1.27 and 371 strikeouts.

[Jung Ha-sung Finishes the Regular Season!]

[An Amazing 2010 Season!]

[Korean Major Leaguer Conquers the MLB!]

[There Has Never Been a Starting Pitcher This Perfect!]

[24 Wins, 0 Losses, and a 1.27 ERA: The Best Pitching in the Live-Ball Era!]

[Surpassed Nolan Ryan in 1974! Jung Ha-sung Ranks 4th All-Time in Live-Ball Era Strikeouts!]

[Confirmed MLB Pitching Triple Crown! Season MVP in Sight!]

[Will He Win Both the Cy Young and MVP Awards?!]

[Jung Ha-sung to Win His Second Consecutive Cy Young Award!]

In short, it was chaos.

Articles related to Ha-sung poured out from every baseball-playing country, including Korea, the United States, Japan, and China.

Especially in Korea, a veritable syndrome erupted.

[Let’s Delve into Jung Ha-sung, the Player Who Conquered the MLB!]

[It’s Doubtful Another Player Like This Will Ever Emerge in Korean Baseball History.]

[The Future of Korean Baseball is Bright!]

[How Was Jung Ha-sung Born? Let’s Investigate!]

Various programs created and aired special segments related to Ha-sung.

Public interest was so high that even terrestrial broadcasting stations, not just cable TV, were reporting on Ha-sung’s news.

The internet, of course, was no exception.

– Jung Ha-sung caused an accident.

– Wow… is this real?

– 24 wins, 0 losses, lol [laughing out loud].

– Didn’t he set a new record as a closer in the ’09 season?

– Yeah…….

– Every season he plays, he sets a new record.

– Can another guy like this ever come out in Korean baseball history?

– Seems impossible, lol.

– What’s up with Taeil High not putting a guy like him in games, lol.

– Resurrection is amazing.

– They’ve been in their coffins for a long time.

– The baseball team disappeared, lol.

While Taeil High, eternally suffering, was being ridiculed, reporters visited the KBO [Korean Baseball Organization].

Their target was the KBO Commissioner.

“Commissioner!”

“Jung Ha-sung had a historic season in the MLB [Major League Baseball], could you say a word, please!”

The Commissioner looked at the camera filming him and said with a benevolent smile.

“First, I would like to congratulate Jung Ha-sung for his outstanding performance while enduring hardships in a foreign country.”

The camera flashes went off in rapid succession.

Reporters busily moved their hands to capture his comments.

“Jung Ha-sung will be remembered as the greatest player Korean professional baseball history has ever produced.”

The Commissioner gave a bright smile.

The reporters who saw it were puzzled.

‘Why is Jung Ha-sung a player produced by Korean professional baseball history?’

‘He’s never played in the KBO, though?’

‘He’s not even an association player, so what’s with the Korean professional baseball history?’

‘Anyway, he’s trying to get his foot in the door somehow.’

‘Ugh! Annoying.’

The Commissioner was always like this.

He would get involved in things that had nothing to do with him and act as if he had helped.

However, no reporter could voice these complaints.

Because if they upset the Commissioner, they could be disadvantaged in their coverage.

Even if they were dissatisfied with the words of the Commissioner, who held absolute power, the reporters remained silent.

* * *

The Athletics’ last game of the regular season.

Clang-!!

[Arnold hits the 3rd pitch hard! The ball is huge!! Huge!!]

[Ah~ that’s gone over.]

[It’s over! Arnold hits a grand slam in the last game of the season! His hitting feel has definitely returned!]

With Arnold’s grand slam, the Athletics finished the season with a complete victory.

As befitting a team that finished first in the division, numerous reporters gathered in the clubhouse.

“Arnold! You hit a grand slam today, can you give us a word on your feelings!”

“Trevor! You had a successful season this year, how did you feel?”

Reporters stuck to the players, trying to get interviews.

In particular, the player with the most reporters gathered around him was, of course, Ha-sung.

“Jung Ha-sung! How do you feel about becoming the best pitcher in the MLB this season!”

“Congratulations on winning the Triple Crown!”

“You’re also a strong candidate for this season’s MVP [Most Valuable Player]. Do you think you’ll be able to receive it?”

Questions poured out from the reporters.

Ha-sung was one of the reporters’ favorite players.

Because he would drop hot comments every time he was interviewed, making it easy to write articles.

And today, Ha-sung’s mouth did not hit the brakes.

“Of course, I think I will win the MVP award.”

“Some corners are predicting Josh Hamilton’s win.”

“Hamilton also played well, but he can’t keep up with my performance. If he receives it, I will be very disappointed in the voting panel.”

His own award is likely, but he’ll be disappointed in the voting panel.

The reporters’ hands became busy at Ha-sung’s remarks.

“You’re likely to start Game 1 of the Division Series! You participated as a closer last year and didn’t perform well. Are you confident this season?”

“It’s not that I didn’t perform well last year, but rather that I didn’t have the opportunity. But this season is different. I don’t know who our opponent will be, but I want to tell them to give up hope of winning against me.”

“Ooh~”

It was a clear declaration of war.

As Ha-sung’s fiery remarks continued, smiles spread across the reporters’ faces.

After the American reporters’ barrage of questions ended, the Korean reporters’ questions followed.

“Jung Ha-sung! A syndrome-like reaction is occurring in Korea. What is your schedule when you visit Korea after the end of this season?”

“I’ll think about that after the season ends.”

“Are you not participating in the Guangzhou Asian Games?”

“That’s already a done deal. Don’t you have any questions with substance?”

A reporter raised his hand at Ha-sung’s words.

“Speak.”

“Did you see KBO Commissioner Lee Min-gyu’s interview?”

“I didn’t. What did he say?”

“He offered his congratulations to Jung Ha-sung. He said, ‘I congratulate Jung Ha-sung for his hard work in a foreign country, and he will be remembered as the greatest player Korean professional baseball history has ever produced.’”

Ha-sung’s lips twisted.

“Why am I a player produced by Korean professional baseball history?”

“Pardon?”

It was an unexpected answer.

Everyone had it in their heads, but no one expected him to say those words out loud.

No matter how much it was Ha-sung, no one expected him to just say those words.

All the reporter wanted was a sarcastic remark.

But Ha-sung didn’t hit the brakes.

“I was kicked out of high school baseball and came to America alone, and I entered the major leagues with my own strength. What does the KBO have to do with me that they keep trying to involve me?”

The reporters’ hands became even busier.

“I’m telling Commissioner Lee Min-gyu clearly. I am a player who has nothing to do with the KBO. Stop trying to put a spoon on my achievements.”

It was the moment when a heavy fastball hit Commissioner Lee Min-gyu.

And this news was transmitted across the Pacific to Korea as it was.

[Jung Ha-sung! Snipes Commissioner Lee Min-gyu in His Last Interview of the Season!]

[‘It’s My Achievement! Don’t Put a Spoon on It!’ Jung Ha-sung Throws a Straight Ball at Commissioner Lee Min-gyu!]

[‘I Have Nothing to Do with the KBO! I Came to the Major Leagues on My Own Strength!’ Jung Ha-sung’s High-Level Remarks!]

[There Were No Brakes! Jung Ha-sung’s Interview Directly Throws a Fastball at Commissioner Lee Min-gyu!]

Reporters poured out articles one after another, and all portal sites were plastered with related articles.

The netizens’ reaction was hot.

– lololol [laughing out loud] I’m going crazy.

– Jung Ha-sung, you crazy bastard, lol [laughing out loud].

– Wow, he’s blowing it up like this.

– There are no brakes even for the head of the KBO.

– But isn’t he right?

– He’s right. What help did the KBO give Ha-sung?

– Korean professional baseball history, lol [laughing out loud].

– His comments are as refreshing as his pitching~.

– Anyway, I was annoyed by the old farts trying to get a spoon on everything, but it’s refreshing!

Most of the reactions were good.

Ha-sung’s remarks were refreshing.

But there were also opposing opinions.

– As far as I know, professional baseball supports amateur baseball a lot.

– He wasn’t registered with the KBO, but wouldn’t he have received support without knowing it?

– Even so, it’s too much for an adult.

– It’s a bit much to say that it’s refreshing to talk nonsense…….

– What’s with the expression ‘putting a spoon’ on the head of an organization?

There were also many complaints about Ha-sung.

However, he himself did not care about such things.

That’s what you could tell from his YouTube channel.

[A Party in the Clubhouse on the Day the Pennant Race Victory is Confirmed!]

The day the controversial article came out.

A video of the champagne party taking place in the clubhouse was uploaded to his YouTube channel.

It was a scene that made you feel that he didn’t care at all about the negative opinions about him.

But the person who was hit could only grind his teeth.

“That damn bastard……!”

Commissioner Lee Min-gyu doubted his eyes when he saw the article.

Who would dare to say such things to him?

Even a mere baseball player.

“To spout such nonsense at me……!”

He was angry.

His cheeks were trembling with rage.

But what made him even angrier was that he couldn’t do anything.

“If this guy was affiliated with the KBO……!”

He would have chewed him up.

But he’s a major leaguer.

He couldn’t touch him.

The only option was to endure this anger now.

“Damn it!!”

Bang!

Commissioner Lee Min-gyu’s face, unable to overcome his anger, slammed his fist on the table and turned into a goblin.

* * *

Ha-sung’s YouTube channel was growing rapidly.

“How is it?”

“The number of subscribers is increasing like crazy. It’s already over 300,000.”

“Not a million yet?”

“How many people *are* a million?”

“Tsk……. Well…….”

A million YouTubers are not common in this era.

Although the number of YouTube users is increasing every year, it has not yet become popular.

“Is the editing going well?”

“Yes. I’m hiring a new editor this time to proceed. I think I can increase it to twice a week.”

Currently, Ha-sung’s YouTube channel is being uploaded once a week.

Subscribers were asking for more, but until then, there was a lack of manpower to do so.

But now that an editor has been hired, there is more room to spare.

“But it costs a bit. Are you really okay with that?”

“Don’t worry about the money. He’s the biggest star in the major leagues.”

“But his salary is still…….”

“Don’t worry about that either. It’ll go up a lot at the end of this season.”

“Was that news real?”

“What rumor?”

“The rumor that you’re extending your contract! There’s a lot of talk in the community that you’re going to sign a $100 million contract?”

Not only in the baseball community but also on social media, there were countless stories that Ha-sung would sign an extension contract with the Athletics.

Ha-sung smiled mockingly, knowing where the source of the rumor was.

“It’s a false rumor.”

“Oh? Is that so?”

“A mere $100 million can’t catch me.”

“Wow…….”

A mere $100 million.

It was unbelievable.

But Tommy had no choice but to nod, knowing well what kind of achievements the person in front of him was leaving in the major leagues.

“Oh, I came up with a filming idea this time.”

“What kind of idea?”

“It’s to film and upload me going up to Game 1 of the Division Series. How about it?”

“Even preparing for it? That’s good?”