Villain On The Mound [EN]: Chapter 17

Mound Villain – Episode 17

After retiring the first batter with a ground ball, Ha-seong faced the second batter.

‘I wonder how he’ll handle the second batter?’

Baek Jun-gi, the spectators, and the club’s executives were all curious.

How Ha-seong would handle the second batter.

‘He’s the guy who hit a home run in the first at-bat and scored the first run. He also hit a home run in the previous game.’

Ronald, the manager, reviewed the data and focused his gaze on Ha-seong.

‘How is he going to deal with a batter like that?’

The manager was curious.

What kind of ball Ha-seong would throw.

At that moment, Ha-seong threw the first pitch.

Whoosh-!

Clang!!

“Foul!!”

From the first pitch, the batter’s bat swung fiercely.

It went outside the first base line, but the timing was right.

‘The speed is 94 miles [approximately 151 km/h]. He timed that ball right away. His hitting feel is definitely good.’

The batter also knew that fact.

That’s why he swung the bat with confidence.

“Hmm…….”

Ha-seong rubbed rosin on his hand, reviewing the previous pitch.

‘He reacted immediately to the ball close to his body. Did he gain confidence from the home run he hit in the first at-bat?’

The batter’s swing was full of confidence, even from the mound.

It was standard to be cautious of such a batter.

But.

‘So what?’

Ha-seong didn’t care at all.

‘If his timing is good, avoiding him will only lead to running away.’

Batters in good condition appear in every game.

What happens if you avoid them every time?

You end up putting shackles on yourself.

‘Trust me.’

He placed his foot on the pitcher’s plate.

‘Trust my training.’

These were the moments when he had to trust himself.

Ha-seong, under a self-hypnotic suggestion, threw the second pitch.

“Hmph!!”

Whoosh-!!

Whoong!!

The batter swung his bat.

The moment the two trajectories were about to become one.

Whirlick!

The trajectory of the ball changed.

It changed horizontally, curving outward and escaping from the bat.

Whoong!!

The batter’s bat cut through the air.

Thwack-!!

The ball was lodged in the mitt.

“Swing! Strike two!!”

The second strike was called.

The batter’s face contorted as he checked the position of the mitt.

‘Slider? No. It changed near home plate, so it’s closer to a cutter.’

His head became complicated.

‘To throw a cutter that’s close to a breaking ball. Damn it.’

There was a lack of data on the pitcher.

It was necessary to consider the possibility of him throwing other breaking balls.

He moved forward slightly in the batter’s box.

He was thinking of attacking the ball before the change of the breaking ball occurred.

A smile appeared on Ha-seong’s face as he saw that.

‘I don’t know you guys well, but you guys don’t know me either, right?’

It was his first appearance since being called up.

It was too short a time for the opposing team to figure him out.

‘So I’m at an advantage.’

There was no reason to be afraid at all.

Ha-seong rode the momentum and immediately threw the third pitch.

Whoosh-!!

The ball he chose this time was a fastball.

Not a moving fastball that changes, but a four-seam fastball.

Thwack!!

“Strike! Batter out!!”

The batter’s bat couldn’t move at the ball that pierced the body.

There was no difference from the first pitch.

The speed was the same, and the course was also the same.

The only reason the batter couldn’t hit it was one thing.

‘If you have too many thoughts, your reaction will inevitably be slow.’

A pitcher who just graduated from high school.

But inside, there was a seasoned veteran who had experienced all kinds of hardships.

* * *

2 innings, no runs, no hits, 4 strikeouts.

It was the result he achieved in his first appearance in Double-A.

‘We won the game too.’

Starting with Ha-seong, the Rockhounds’ mound began to stabilize.

As a result, the opportunity came, and the batters succeeded in reversing the score by not missing that opportunity.

‘Very good.’

Winning the game always feels good.

As he was about to leave the locker room in a good mood, a man was waiting for him.

“Oh? Reporter Baek?”

“Ah, you’re coming out now.”

It was Baek Jun-gi.

“What brings you here?”

“What do you mean? I came to interview you. Do you have some time?”

“Yes. Well, I can make time.”

“Let’s go. Let’s talk over a meal.”

At the mention of buying him a meal, Ha-seong nodded.

His parents sent him money from home, but his living expenses were tight.

There was no reason to refuse a meal.

The place Baek Jun-gi took him to was a restaurant near the stadium.

It was a place that sold various foods based on steak, and the taste was quite good.

“The food here is not bad.”

“You haven’t been with the Rockhounds for long. You’ve already found a good restaurant.”

“A teammate named Jack told me. Thanks to that friend, I got to know a few restaurants.”

“Oh, really? He pitched wonderfully in today’s game, didn’t he?”

“Haha, did you see it?”

Although it was a minor league, it was broadcast live through local broadcasting.

Thanks to that, the restaurant staff was also able to see his pitching.

“What are you going to eat?”

“Give me a steak. Any suitable cut.”

“Okay. What about you?”

“I’ll have the same.”

“The same?”

“Yes.”

“Hmm, okay.”

The attitude of the employee who turned around was a bit strange, but that wasn’t the important thing.

As soon as the employee left, Baek Jun-gi took out a recorder.

“Can I record the conversation?”

“Yes, it’s okay. You’ll cut out the parts that need to be cut out, right?”

“Of course. I’m a big fan of yours. There’s no reason to put anything that will harm you in the article.”

Baek Jun-gi is a reporter with a strong sense of duty.

Once he makes a promise, he will keep it.

Baek Jun-gi turned on the recorder and continued the conversation.

“You were promoted from Single-A to Double-A in just one month. What are your thoughts?”

“I think it’s natural.”

“Natural…… you say?”

“Yes. If I had signed a contract with a Major League team, I don’t think they would have sent me to Double-A.”

“I…… see. While we’re on the subject, can you tell me why you didn’t sign a contract with a Major League team?”

“The association was awful.”

“Huh?”

“The association, which should protect the players, took care of their own pockets, and the school didn’t give bribes…….”

Baek Jun-gi hurriedly reached out and turned off the recorder.

“T…… this content will be in the interview. Is it okay to answer like that?”

“Yes, it’s okay. Isn’t that what everyone knows anyway?”

That’s right.

Except for one thing.

“But aren’t those words coming directly from your mouth?”

“Just modify the wording a little. Can you just take out the swear words?”

“Ha…….”

He couldn’t say anything more since he said it was okay.

Baek Jun-gi turned the recorder back on.

And continued the questions.

Most of them were contents known to the public.

The corruption of the association and the school.

And the complaints about permanent donations and fund payments.

‘Complaints have been steadily coming out among professional players. But no one has ever said it out loud.’

The power of the association is very scary.

To play baseball in Korea, and to think about the future, there was no reason to be at odds with them.

But Ha-seong was fearless.

‘Anyway, we all live and die.’

If it were his previous life, Ha-seong would have been careful.

But because he was living life again, he was fearless.

Because he knew that everything he had built up would end when he died.

‘If my skills decline, there’s nothing I can get from them even if I try to please them.’

In the end, the only thing to trust is himself.

It was an action that Ha-seong, who knew that so well, could take.

‘I only trust myself.’

Ha-seong continued the interview, talking about his thoughts.

The interview stopped when the employee brought a huge plate.

“Here, the pride of our restaurant, the Big Steak, is here.”

A huge plate that had to be held with both hands was placed in front of Ha-seong.

There was a 2㎏ [approximately 4.4 lbs] sirloin steak on it.

“D…… do I eat all of this?”

“Yes. And the reporter has to eat too.”

“Huh?”

“Here! One more plate! Only the Rockhounds kids order this. I can’t believe a skinny guy like you is eating it. You eat well compared to your body?”

Baek Jun-gi let out a hollow laugh as he looked at the plate placed in front of him.

In the end, it goes without saying that he couldn’t eat it all and 2/3 went into Ha-seong’s mouth.

* * *

[(Exclusive) The emergence of a genius? Interview with Jung Ha-seong, who appeared in Double-A in just one month!]

Two days later.

Ha-seong was able to see his interview through the sports news section.

“Wow~ this guy packages it well.”

He wrapped his fearless eloquence well in wrapping paper and put it out.

The problem is that no matter how well it is packaged, the content is too sharp.

The public’s reaction to that was half and half.

-Kuh-! It’s refreshing~

-He’s really hitting the association’s bones properly.

-LOL He’s throwing another counter at the association with the changed president.

-Seriously, what do these guys use the donations for?

-What? It wasn’t just a one-time payment?

While some people were cursing the association as the facts about the donations were revealed.

-Is he talking too much?

-No, does he think he’s some kind of independence activist? Isn’t he just saying he didn’t want to give money?

-He’s just an kid playing in Double-A, why is he criticizing the association? LOL

-Looking at the association’s donation details, they used it well.

-He’s just talking nonsense because he’s getting some spotlight.

-Is he all talk?

There were also voices criticizing Ha-seong.

“There is light if there is darkness.”

He didn’t expect to receive blind cheers from the beginning.

No matter how popular and respected you are, there are voices that criticize that person everywhere.

“Especially, a protruding nail is bound to get hammered down.”

The most protruding thing in the baseball world right now is himself.

He is going against the current, not following the trend like others.

“Then who would touch me.”

The school’s executives touched his nerves.

The same goes for the association.

The guys who tried to cover up their mistakes.

It’s best to step on these guys whenever the opportunity comes.

“Of course, I have to go higher as well.”

The association will stay still until this year.

Because they are imprinted on the public as bad guys.

But will the public remember next year?

“The public’s memory is not very good. Even if they commit bad deeds, they will take a few years to reflect and then appear with a bang and everyone will forget. Especially in places like associations that have nothing to do with their lives.”

If the current events disappear from the public’s memory, the association will turn the knife on him.

The method will be more vicious than it is now.

Until then, he must grow.

Ha-seong whipped himself and strengthened his resolve.

* * *

Clunk! Clunk!

That resolve was shaking in just one day.

His mind?

No, his body.

“Damn it……. Even if you go up to Double-A, away games are hell.”

“Hehe, but isn’t it better than Single-A? There’s even a toilet here!”

Jack pointed proudly to the back of the bus and said.

Yeah, it’s better to have that than nothing.

The Single-A team bus didn’t even have a toilet, so there were guys who would really pee and dry themselves.

“Haa…… I have to go up quickly.”

“Even if you go to Triple-A, it doesn’t change much. The only thing that gets better is that the meals are a bit better and the bus is better?”

“Jack, have you been to Triple-A too?”

“For about two months.”

“What’s it like there?”

“It’s amazing. Do you know who I saw? I met Braun!”

“Braun, as in Ryan Braun of Milwaukee?”

“Yeah!”

Ryan Braun is a great hitter who dominated the 2000s and 2010s.

He joined the Major League in 2007 and was a player with tremendous talent, ranking first in slugging percentage as a rookie.

‘Well, he’s a drug user.’

But he was caught in a doping test after the 11th season.

He appealed, but later admitted to using drugs, and eventually earned the stigma of being a drug user.

‘Come to think of it, there must still be drug users left.’

There were guys to be careful of when he went up to the Major League.

While he was thinking about those guys, Jack carefully said.

“By the way, there’s a crazy guy on the Missions team that we’re going to for this away game.”

“A crazy guy?”

“Yeah. He’s a complete psycho. His game style is incredibly violent.”

“How violent is he?”

“There was a guy who hit this guy before you came up.”

“On our team?”

“Yeah. Even though it was a mistake, that guy immediately jumped onto the mound and threw an uppercut.”

“He’s completely crazy.”

To throw an uppercut for one mistake.

What kind of crazy guy is that?

“And he’s a racist.”

A guy who is even racist.

Although it has disappeared a lot compared to the past, it has not completely disappeared.

Racism is still rampant.

Such a guy is his opponent.

‘Well, as long as he doesn’t touch me.’

What if he touches him?

‘A beating is the cure for a crazy guy.’

A twisted smile appeared on Ha-seong’s face as he leaned back in his chair.