Villain On The Mound [EN]: Chapter 170

Villain of the Mound – Episode 170

Villain of the Mound 170

Series score: 2 to 1.

The Red Sox narrowly escaped defeat.

‘As expected of a prestigious team. They win when they need to win.’

Truthfully, winning the first three games would have been ideal.

That would have been the perfect chance for Ha-sung himself to end the series.

‘If I could end the series, that would be a great moment.’

But what’s done is done.

More than anything, it was a matter beyond his control.

Unless he was playing, his influence on the game was minimal.

In that situation, making the team win was impossible.

‘But today is different.’

Stepping onto the mound, Ha-sung checked its condition while applying rosin [a sticky resin used by pitchers for a better grip] to his hand.

The mound’s condition was good.

There was nothing wrong with it.

The problem wasn’t the mound but the surrounding atmosphere.

‘In this atmosphere, even a mentally strong guy would feel intimidated.’

Ha-sung’s gaze turned towards the surrounding stands.

At that moment.

“Kill him!!”

“That son of a bitch!”

“A pre-announced strikeout to our Beltre?!”

“We’re going to beat you to a pulp today!”

“Forget about walking out of Boston!”

A tremendous amount of jeering poured down.

Still, Boston had once been a friendly place for Ha-sung.

After all, he was the man who had contributed to the downfall of the Yankees’ superstar, Alex Rodrigo.

But with Ha-sung’s pre-announced strikeout, that atmosphere completely reversed.

‘Whew… it feels like I’ve become a traitor. It’s like pitching in Yankee Stadium?’

This jeering wasn’t just directed at Ha-sung.

It affected the entire Athletics team, causing the players to underperform.

‘It’s probably too much to expect help from the other guys today.’

It would be fortunate if they didn’t get in the way.

‘Well, it’s nothing new.’

Ha-sung stretched lightly and stepped onto the mound.

Then, he focused as he watched the batter enter the plate.

“Play ball!!”

With the umpire’s shout, the surrounding scenery seemed to fade.

‘Shall we go wild again today?’

There was only one thing to trust.

His pitch.

* * *

[1st inning, Jung Ha-sung’s pitching begins.]

[As we always say, how he handles the first batter is the most important.]

[I think Jung Ha-sung knows that well too. Jung Ha-sung exchanges signs with catcher Trevor, and throws the first pitch.]

Whoosh-!

“Swing! Strike!”

[First pitch is a swing and a miss. The first pitch wasn’t a fastball but a slider. A rare sight.]

[That’s right. Usually, Jung Ha-sung prefers a first-pitch fastball. But today, he induces a swing and a miss with a slider.]

[I think it was a smart choice. The batters probably know that Jung Ha-sung prefers fastballs.]

[You’re saying it was a surprising strategy?]

[That’s right.]

[Jung Ha-sung, who induced a swing and a miss with a good choice, throws the second pitch.]

Clang!!

“Foul!!”

[Second pitch, a 98-mile fastball! The timing was late, and the hit becomes a foul ball.]

[Because the first pitch was a slider, the batter didn’t react properly to the fastball’s timing.]

Ha-sung quickly gained a favorable count.

One of the reasons many experts say Ha-sung is outstanding is precisely because of his ball control.

He doesn’t throw careless pitches to get into unfavorable counts.

He always secures a favorable count and then dominates the batter.

That’s why it’s difficult to hit Ha-sung’s pitches.

[Jung Ha-sung, having secured two strikes, has gained a favorable position in the match.]

[Now the batter’s head is complicated. He has to cut off most of the pitches, but cutting off Jung Ha-sung’s pitches won’t be easy.]

[What kind of pitch will he choose? Jung Ha-sung exchanges signs and winds up!]

Ha-sung, in his windup, threw the third pitch.

“Gasp!!”

Swaaack-!!

The ball, leaving his hand, seemed to dive towards the batter’s body.

The moment the batter brought his arm close to his body to swing.

Whirlick!

The ball spun and began to break away to the outside.

Seeing that, the batter hurriedly tried to pull his arm back to make contact, but.

Whoosh-!!

The bat couldn’t follow the ball’s movement.

The ball, which changed direction so rapidly, evaded the bat and nestled perfectly into the mitt.

Thwack!

“Swing! Strike out!!”

[Strikeout! Jung Ha-sung throws a slider on the third pitch as well, inducing a swing and a miss from the batter!]

[Ah~ Jung Ha-sung’s slider! It’s so excellent that it can only be described as a masterpiece!]

[It seems the slider’s perfection is getting better day by day.]

Ha-sung easily secured the first out.

A tremendous amount of jeering poured towards Ha-sung from the Red Sox fans.

“Woooooo-!!”

“Get lost!!”

“You son of a bitch! Don’t act cool just because you got lucky with a strikeout!”

Terrible curses were also heard.

From curses starting with F to curses too awful to repeat.

They were similar in intensity to the curses heard at Busan or Masan baseball stadiums [known for their passionate and sometimes aggressive fans in South Korea].

Such curses could be heard even from the dugout, so manager Tony and the pitching coach were worried.

“This jeering is too severe, isn’t it?”

“Even though it’s an away game, the level is too much.”

“Will Ha-sung be okay?”

“Well, he’s mentally strong, so he should be fine, but……”

In fact, they were concerned.

With this level of jeering, even a veteran player could have their mentality shaken.

The intensity and strength were that high.

Even though Ha-sung had shown a monster-like mentality, they were worried about him today.

“I’m worried about the other guys too.”

“Hmm……”

Manager Tony agreed with the coach’s words.

In today’s game, the players generally seemed sluggish.

It was easy to see that it was related to the atmosphere of the stadium.

The atmosphere of today’s game was completely biased towards the Red Sox.

‘At least the mound has to hold up.’

There was only one thing manager Tony wanted.

It was for Ha-sung to buy time for the other players to adapt to this atmosphere.

The problem was that he was worried Ha-sung might also be swept up in this atmosphere.

‘I’m counting on you.’

Manager Tony trusted Ha-sung.

Considering the monstrous performance he had shown so far, he would surely solve this crisis as well.

That belief was in manager Tony’s heart.

And Ha-sung repaid that trust from manager Tony.

Thwack-!

“Strike!!”

[The first pitch, a 100-mile fastball, is lodged in the mitt!]

[It was a pitch that accurately targeted the batter’s body. Even if he had hit it, it was a pitch that would likely result in a weak hit.]

Ha-sung didn’t care whether the stadium was filled with jeers.

The only thing he cared about was.

The batter.

[Throws the second pitch.]

Clang!!

“Foul!!”

[The batter’s bat came out on the second pitch sinker, but it was a weak hit, resulting in a foul ball.]

[He showed very good movement, making the ball deviate from the batter’s swing trajectory.]

[Jung Ha-sung, who has once again secured a favorable count, it will be interesting to see if he will end the game quickly this time as well.]

Towards Ha-sung, who had again secured two strikes, the Red Sox fans sent more intense jeers than ever before.

“Woooooo-!!”

The jeering was so loud that it seemed to shake the entire Fenway Park, even surprising the commentators.

[The Red Sox fans are pouring tremendous jeers at Jung Ha-sung.]

[According to today’s announcement, all 34,000 seats in Fenway Park, its capacity, are sold out. Except for some away supporters, it seems all the Red Sox fans who came to the stadium are pouring out jeers.]

[Thinking about being jeered by roughly 30,000 people is enough to give you goosebumps.]

For an ordinary person, it was enough people to make their legs tremble just standing there.

If that number of people jeered all at once, it would be amazing to be able to stand there sober.

But Ha-sung didn’t care about that atmosphere.

No, he rather enjoyed this atmosphere.

‘I’ve got a good idea.’

Ha-sung smiled and sent a sign to Trevor.

‘You’re going with that?’

When Trevor sent the sign back, Ha-sung nodded.

That was the end.

Trevor didn’t reject the sign Ha-sung sent directly.

Seeing him hold out his mitt, Ha-sung took a deep breath.

“Hoo……”

At the same time as exhaling, he heightened his concentration.

Then, the surrounding scenery seemed to fade to black, and only Trevor’s glove came into Ha-sung’s focus.

It was a phenomenon that occurred from a state of intense concentration.

Thanks to this, Ha-sung could throw his ball without paying attention to the jeering.

‘With all my strength…….’

Ha-sung, who had focused his mind, raised his arm.

Swish-!!

Following that, he kicked up his leg and gathered power, throwing the ball with all his might.

“Gasp!!”

Swaaaaaack-!!

The ball, leaving his hand, flew with fierce speed.

The batter’s bat started to move towards the ball, aiming for the outside of the strike zone.

But before his bat could even turn halfway, the ball passed the home plate and slammed into the mitt.

Thwack-!!

Whoosh!

The umpire’s hand went up without hesitation at the bat that was cutting through the air powerlessly.

“Swing! Strike out!!”

[Three-pitch strikeout!! Jung Ha-sung handles two batters with consecutive three-pitch strikeouts! The decisive pitch was a 104-mile fastball!]

While the commentators were marveling.

Ha-sung’s gaze was directed towards the stands.

The jeering that had been pouring at him until just now had diminished.

The spectators, surprised by the power of the ball he had thrown, seemed to have momentarily forgotten to jeer.

Some fans were still jeering, but its intensity had definitely lessened.

Ha-sung, showing a satisfied smile at that sight, raised his hand to his mouth.

And he raised his index finger and gestured for them to be quiet.

[Ah-! Jung Ha-sung provoking the Red Sox spectators!]

[Haha…… this is a completely unexpected sight.]

[What a great nerve! Provoking the fans who are pouring jeers at him in the heart of enemy territory!]

The commentators were impressed, but the effect of the provocation was tremendous.

“That bastard!!”

“Kill him!!”

“How dare he do that here!!”

“Drag that bastard down right now!!”

“Woooooo-!!”

The Fenway Park, which had been quiet for a moment, began to fill with jeers and curses again.

In that atmosphere, Adrian Beltre entered the plate.

“Beltre!! Hit one out today!”

“You better be on your toes today, or you’re going to be in big trouble!”

“At least hit a single!!”

The pressure from the Red Sox fans wasn’t just directed at Ha-sung.

It was also putting tremendous pressure on his teammate, Adrian Beltre.

Even Beltre, a veteran batter, was experiencing this atmosphere for the first time.

‘I’ve never seen fans this excited.’

The fans’ reaction was so overwhelming that even he felt intimidated.

But why?

‘Why is that guy so calm?’

Ha-sung, on the mound, had no change in expression even though he was listening to the jeers.

Rather, he provoked the fans, drawing out more jeers.

‘It’s like he’s enjoying the situation.’

His reaction was incomprehensible.

“Play ball!!”

But the thought didn’t last long.

The umpire coldly announced the start of the game, and Beltre stood at the plate, struggling to concentrate.

And such Beltre was no match for Ha-sung.

[Jung Ha-sung throws the first pitch.]

Thwack-!

“Strike!!”

[A 103-mile fastball targets Beltre’s body! One strike!]

Clang!!

Whoosh-!

Thwack!

“Swing! Strike two!!”

[The bat swings at the falling splitter! Jung Ha-sung, who has once again secured a favorable count!]

Jeers poured from the Red Sox fans towards Beltre, who was quickly in a bad count.

“Hey, you bastard! Can’t you do it right?!”

“You’re swinging at an obvious ball?!”

“Hit it right!!”

It was hard to tell whether this was home or away.

In that situation, Ha-sung threw his best ball.

“Gasp!!”

Swaaaaaack-!!

Thwaaaack-!!

“Strike! Batter out!!”

[Three-pitch strikeout!! Jung Ha-sung creates another flawless inning!]

[Ah~ three consecutive three-pitch strikeouts! Jung Ha-sung is achieving an amazing feat!]

The camera focused on Ha-sung, who had created another flawless inning.

At that moment, Ha-sung once again brought his index finger to his mouth and gestured for the audience to be quiet.

Was it because they had just seen a perfect pitch?

This time, the Red Sox fans couldn’t jeer and had no choice but to shut their mouths.

“That’s it.”

Ha-sung, who had silenced Fenway Park in an instant, smiled and entered the dugout.