Villain On The Mound [EN]: Chapter 172

Mound Villain – Episode 172

Mound Villain 172

7th Inning.

The Red Sox pitcher was changed.

[John Lester, who pitched well, is being taken off the mound, and the bullpen is now in play.]

[This is an inning where the momentum can shift.]

[Oakland’s lineup is strong too. Starting with Jack at number 2, followed by Arnold at number 3 and Trevor at number 4.]

Ha-sung felt like a change was coming this inning.

Sitting on the bench, wiping away sweat, Ha-sung thought about this.

Despite the cool weather, Ha-sung was sweating a lot.

Maintaining such high concentration demanded a lot of stamina.

On top of that, throwing balls over 100 miles per hour was physically exhausting.

He looked fine, but Ha-sung was quite tired.

‘It would be great if we could score this inning.’

You can’t win the game if you don’t score.

Even if the starting pitcher throws a perfect game.

It wouldn’t matter much in the pennant race, but the Championship Series was different.

Ha-sung desperately wanted to win.

‘It’s frustrating, but there’s nothing I can do.’

It was the most frustrating feeling for a starting pitcher.

Just then.

Clang-!!

With a crisp sound, the batted ball flew past the infield and landed in front of the center fielder.

[Jack gets a good hit! A hit that drops in front of the center fielder!]

[He got a hit by attacking the new pitcher’s first pitch!]

[A hit at just the right moment.]

Jack’s leadoff hit started to subtly change the atmosphere.

And Arnold kept that momentum going.

Thwack!

“Ball! Base on balls!!”

[Arnold draws a walk on a full count!]

[He gets on base with a good eye.]

[He wasn’t greedy and passed the opportunity to the next batter!]

[Oakland now has runners on first and second with no outs!]

[This could be their best chance in today’s game.]

[And Trevor, Jung Ha-sung’s teammate and cleanup hitter, steps up to the plate.]

The Red Sox fans booed loudly as Trevor appeared.

“Woooooo-!!”

Trevor shook his head at the Red Sox fans’ jeers.

‘How can he throw with all this noise?’

He suddenly wondered what Ha-sung was thinking when he threw the ball.

It must be tough to stay focused amidst such loud booing.

‘As a teammate, I can’t just ignore it.’

The pitcher and catcher are called a battery, referring to their teamwork.

In Korea, the bond between these two positions is very close, almost like a couple.

Naturally, Trevor wanted to help Ha-sung somehow.

And now he had the chance.

Thwack!

“Strike!”

[Trevor watches the first fastball go by.]

[Very good. It was a well-placed ball on the outside corner, low in the zone. A pitch that could easily result in a double play if you make weak contact.]

Trevor focused intently.

He waited for the pitch he wanted, refusing to swing at anything sloppy.

As a result.

Thwack!

“Ball!”

[It’s a ball! Trevor works the count to two balls and two strikes!]

[In this situation, the pitcher is forced to be aggressive.]

[From the pitcher’s perspective, he wants to avoid a walk because it would load the bases with no outs.]

[So, he’s going to try to win this at-bat.]

Trevor thought the same thing.

‘If I were the catcher, I would try to get a strike here.’

He would want to avoid a full count.

‘In this situation, if it’s a pitch that can get a strike while avoiding a solid hit……’

It won’t be a fastball.

Muckley’s fastball, who is currently on the mound, wasn’t very fast.

‘It’s going to be a slider.’

Muckley’s slider is excellent.

The speed isn’t high, around 85 mph, but the horizontal movement is significant, making it a good finishing pitch.

Remembering that, Trevor anticipated the slider as he stepped into his batting stance.

[Trevor is at the plate.]

[Let’s see if he can get a hit here!]

[He throws the 6th pitch!]

Muckley’s sixth pitch, thrown with a slide step [a pitching motion focusing on delivering the ball quickly to home plate], came towards the inside of the plate.

It might have looked like a mistake, but Trevor stepped forward and rotated his hips.

‘It’s a slider!’

Whoosh-!!

At that moment.

The ball’s trajectory changed and entered the strike zone.

But Trevor’s bat met the ball perfectly, like a hawk swooping down on its prey.

Clang-!!

[He hit it!!]

The well-struck ball soared towards the outfield.

Checking the direction of the batted ball, the runners on first and second took off.

And Jack and Arnold, seeing that the ball had cleared the center fielder, picked up their speed.

[It gets through! A huge hit that bounces off the wall!]

[Both runners can score!]

Jack, the lead runner, touched home plate safely.

Arnold also rounded third base and headed for home to score the first run.

[The runner rounds the base, and the center fielder fields the ball and throws it! The second baseman, who moved to the outfield, catches it and throws it home at the same time!!]

A relay play executed flawlessly.

Arnold dove, reaching for home plate.

Almost simultaneously, the catcher, having caught the throw, blocked the plate and collided with Arnold’s shoulder.

Splash-!

Thwack!

It was a very close play.

Everyone’s eyes turned to the umpire.

The umpire spread his arms wide.

“Safe!!”

[He’s safe!! Trevor hits a two-RBI double!!]

[He hit the pitch he was looking for perfectly! It’s a shame it wasn’t a home run!]

[Huh? What’s going on?]

The camera focused on home plate.

There, Arnold was shown clutching his shoulder, collapsed on the ground.

[Arnold can’t get up.]

[He’s in a lot of pain.]

[The trainer is out to assess the situation.]

[If Arnold is injured, this is a major blow. He is a key player in the Athletics lineup.]

Arnold was the Athletics’ best player this season.

And he was considered the driving force behind their offense, playing a crucial role in the postseason.

Arnold’s injury was bound to be a significant setback for the Athletics.

[In the end, he is helped off the field by the trainer.]

[Let’s hope it’s not a serious injury.]

Although they scored the first run, the atmosphere quickly dampened.

Ha-sung approached Arnold, who had returned to the dugout, and checked on him.

“Ugh…….”