Villain On The Mound [EN]: Chapter 164

Villain on the Mound – Episode 164

Villain on the Mound 164

The champions of each division and one team advancing as a wild card.

It was a series to determine two teams to advance to the Championship Series, where a total of four teams would compete for the league championship.

The fans’ attention was focused.

In particular, the game between Oakland and Tampa Bay in the American League Division Series was drawing a lot of attention.

[The Oakland Athletics, of course, have Jung Ha-sung as their starting pitcher.]

[It’s an obvious choice. The Athletics have many great players, but there’s no one to replace Jung Ha-sung.]

[He’s a two-time American League Cy Young Award winner and is almost certain to be the league MVP this season, so it’s only natural.]

[Jung Ha-sung is an irreplaceable player.]

[Many experts say that the key point of this game is whether Jung Ha-sung will show the same strong performance in the postseason as he did in the regular season.]

During the regular season, Ha-sung was untouchable.

He had a season that would go down in Major League history.

No one thought he would collapse.

Winning was a given, and he had been proving that.

But the postseason was different.

[Looking at Major League history, there are countless cases of players who hit and pitched well in the regular season but struggled in the postseason.]

[The pressure is different, so players often can’t perform at their best.]

[But Jung Ha-sung already has postseason experience from last season, doesn’t he?]

[That’s true. But there isn’t enough data. More than anything, he was on the mound as a closer at the time. It’s not comparable to being a starter now.]

Experts offered interpretations from various perspectives.

And the constant refrain was that the postseason is different.

There’s a lot of talk that I’ll struggle in the postseason.

– Come on~ Not Ha-sung.

– But there have been quite a few cases like that, right?

– Still, I can’t even imagine Ha-sung struggling.

– Agreed.

The fans didn’t believe it.

But what the experts said created a sense of unease deep in the fans’ minds.

And that was the same for those around Ha-sung.

“How’s your condition?”

The day before the Division Series.

Isabel visited the hotel.

She, still in an outfit that showed off her voluptuous figure, asked while flipping her glamorous blonde hair.

She had a glamorous appearance that made the men passing by look at her.

“Same as usual. By the way, what’s going on?”

Ha-sung wasn’t particularly interested.

Because she was a business partner, not a romantic interest, Ha-sung deliberately kept his distance.

He knew that it wasn’t good for business partners to get too close.

“Does an agent need a reason to come see a player?”

“But I think there’s a reason.”

“Sigh…….”

She handed over some documents.

‘How long will I have to look at these documents?’

‘In the future, they’ll be replaced with tablets, which will be more convenient.’

‘I wasn’t used to seeing them on paper yet.’

But because I couldn’t complain, Ha-sung took the documents and checked them.

Then Isabel’s explanation came to my ears.

“These are the companies that want Jung Ha-sung. Most of them are large corporations and are considered global companies.”

“The pay is all good.”

“It means Jung Ha-sung’s value has gone up that much. You had an incredible season this year.”

The advertising industry works on a very simple principle.

As the value of a model increases, their price becomes more expensive, and more places want them.

There is only one supply, but the demand increases, so the price goes up.

There’s no need to fight unnecessarily over a target whose price has gone up.

The top priority was to offer attractive conditions and sign a contract with them.

“As expected, good conditions come in as soon as you become famous.”

“I can see why Jung Ha-sung signed an exclusive contract with Vigor.”

“Vigor offered proper conditions even a year ago.”

“That’s right. To think they signed a contract that pays royalties. But they didn’t know. They didn’t know that Jung Ha-sung would achieve these kinds of results.”

“Didn’t Isabel know either?”

Ha-sung looked at Isabel.

She smiled and shook her head.

“I knew. That’s why I didn’t want to lose him to Boras Corporation.”

“That’s a nice answer.”

I looked at the documents in more detail.

There were a total of five companies that offered advertising contracts.

To be exact, these were the ones that Isabel had selected and brought.

As Ha-sung looked closely, Isabel added an explanation.

“The five companies there are the ones that offered Jung Ha-sung the highest conditions in their first offers.”

The conditions were definitely strong.

That’s how clear they were about what they wanted.

“They’re all exclusive.”

“Yes. They’re saying they’ll use the best model in their industry. They’ll treat you that well, so only promote their maker’s model. That’s what it means.”

“Well, the conditions are good enough, so it’s not bad.”

Ha-sung handed over the documents.

“Please make all the contract terms for three years.”

“Three years? Wouldn’t it be better to make it longer?”

“No. The price they’ve set is the current price for me. It’ll be difficult to get better conditions even if my value goes up in three years.”

Isabel’s eyes widened.

Ha-sung has already achieved everything he can as a pitcher.

But Ha-sung was looking higher.

‘What is this man’s confidence?’

I’ve met many sports stars.

From first-class to top-ranked players.

They all had the same overflowing confidence.

But Ha-sung’s confidence was much higher compared to them.

He’s already at the top, but he’s looking even higher?

‘Is it arrogance? Or…….’

Does he have something to believe in?

Isabel’s worries didn’t last long.

Ha-sung had already shown it once.

When he said he was going to switch from being a closer to a starting pitcher.

Everyone said he would fail, but Ha-sung kept his word.

Isabel had watched it from the sidelines, so she had no choice but to nod.

“Okay. I’ll propose a three-year contract as you wish.”

A smile spread across Ha-sung’s lips.

‘It’s getting easier to work now.’

* * *

The next day.

Division Series Game 1.

Oakland Athletics vs. Tampa Bay Rays.

Oakland Coliseum, the Athletics’ home stadium where the two teams faced off, was packed with a sellout crowd.

Not only Oakland residents but also Koreans who came to Oakland for sightseeing.

Everyone visited the stadium, and those who couldn’t get tickets sat in pubs and restaurants watching the game on TV.

[The regular season is over! But baseball isn’t over! Now, four teams representing the league will meet to begin their journey to determine the true champion!]

The broadcast began with the caster’s over-the-top words.

And the camera showed a man standing on the mound.

[The Oakland Athletics can’t think of Game 1’s starter without this player! The man who has virtually secured the American League Cy Young Award! The best pitcher in Major League Baseball in the 2010 season!]

The pennant race results appeared below the man.

[24 wins and no losses! An ERA of 1.27! An untouchable who struck out a whopping 371 batters! Jung Ha-sung is on the mound!]

[I’ve watched his games and broadcast them throughout the season, but it’s really an unbelievable record.]

[Isn’t it even more amazing that he left such a record in his first year as a starter?]

[That’s right. Jung Ha-sung, who set a new Major League save record as a closer last year, had the best season in Major League history as a starting pitcher this year.]

There was no need to talk about Ha-sung’s evaluation anymore.

The best player.

That’s what all the experts and fans at home and abroad were saying.

What kind of performance will Ha-sung show in the postseason?

People’s attention was now focused on that.

[Aren’t Crawford and Mongolia the only hitters to watch out for on the Tampa Bay Rays?]

[That’s definitely the case in the regular season, but the postseason is different. It’s a short-term game, so you never know which player will go crazy.]

[I see. Which player will be able to target Jung Ha-sung! Division Series! The long-awaited Game 1 begins!]

“Play ball!!”

The game began with the umpire’s shout.

Ha-sung lowered his upper body and waited for Trevor’s sign.

Trevor didn’t think much about it.

‘Everyone will expect it…….’

Those who came to the stadium.

Those who are watching TV.

Experts, fans, and even players.

Everyone could predict Ha-sung’s first pitch.

‘Let’s go with a fastball.’

‘Okay.’

Ha-sung nodded without hesitation.

The ball he would throw was decided.

The first game of the postseason.

The first game to announce the start was more important than ever.

I had to completely overwhelm the opponent.

‘There’s nothing more important than taking the initiative in a short-term game.’

Ha-sung had actually experienced it.

He knew that the team that won Game 1 had a higher winning percentage in the entire series.

What I had to do was clear.

‘Overwhelm them completely.’

I wasn’t going to save my strength because it was a short-term game.

“Hoo…….”

Focus.

Until you can feel every reaction of your body.

Concentrate all your mind.

Ha-sung thought as if he were ordering himself and went into a windup.

[Jung Ha-sung! Windup!!]

Swish-!!

He turned his body and kicked his leg up.

Then, he slightly tilted his supporting foot and charged his power.

‘Concentrate…… concentrate…….’

Whoosh!

In an instant, he shifted his center of gravity forward.

His body collapsed and momentum was added.

Ha-sung twisted his body and concentrated all his power to throw the first pitch.

Whack!!

“Gasp!!”

The ball that left his hand flew at a tremendous speed and pierced the batter’s body.

Boom-!!

The ball was stuck in the mitt, but the batter didn’t react.

But the umpire raised his hand without any hesitation.

“Strike!!”

“Wow!!”

“Crazy!”

“Fast!!”

The spectators who came to the stadium cheered all at once.

[103 miles!! Jung Ha-sung throws his highest speed from the first pitch!!]

[Ah…… He’s really fast. Ha-sung is in tremendous form today!]

[The Division Series has begun with Jung Ha-sung’s first pitch, showing perfect condition!]

Best condition.

Ha-sung was letting the world know that in just one pitch.

* * *

It was overwhelming.

[It’s really amazing.]

Some people predicted that Ha-sung would not be able to overcome the pressure of the postseason.

Such opinions spread like a virus, and there were quite a few claims on the Internet that Ha-sung would struggle.

Such claims can also act as stress for the player himself.

That’s why the anxiety was growing little by little.

[It’s a pitch that shows why he’s called the Untouchable.]

But Ha-sung was washing away that anxiety in Game 1.

[He only allowed one hit while throwing 97 pitches in 7 innings.]

[He struck out a whopping 14 batters while recording 21 outs.]

7 innings, no runs, 1 hit, 14 strikeouts.

It was a perfect record.

As he went down the mound, the Oakland fans all stood up and applauded.

“You’re the best!!”

“Jung Ha-sung is awesome!”

“Wow!!”

Ha-sung took off his hat and greeted those fans before entering the dugout.

Tony, the manager, approached him as he high-fived his teammates and drank a drink.

“Good job. You can rest now.”

“Yes.”

Division Series Game 1, which he experienced for the first time as a starting pitcher.

Ha-sung came down from the mound with a perfect record.

* * *

[Jung Ha-sung decorates Division Series Game 1 with a win!]

[Oakland Athletics subdues Tampa Bay Rays!]

[Athletics succeed in taking the lead! Took the first step towards the Championship Series!]

With Ha-sung’s performance, the Athletics won Game 1 of the Division Series.