Villain On The Mound [EN]: Chapter 176

San Francisco was in shock.

[Ace Lincecum Collapses.]

[The Emergence of an Ace Who Defeated the Ace.]

[What Was Lincecum’s Mistake?]

[Giants Lose Game 1 of the World Series!]

It wasn’t just a simple defeat.

They lost after allowing a home run to the opposing team’s starting pitcher.

This fact plunged the fans and Giants players into shock.

And against those Giants, the Athletics achieved another overwhelming victory in Game 2.

Clang-!!

[He hits it! Consecutive hits lead to a score for the Athletics!]

[The Athletics’ momentum is rising with the Game 1 victory!]

[Jeong Hah Sung is caught on camera now, looking bright despite his overpitching the previous day.]

[He must feel relieved after changing the history of Major League Baseball.]

[Yesterday’s scene will definitely be in highlight reels every time from now on.]

Judging by the current momentum alone, it felt like the World Series was already over.

The incident Hah Sung triggered caused an enormous ripple effect.

But Hah Sung knew.

‘It won’t end like this.’

Although it wasn’t the World Series, Hah Sung had experience playing on various stages, including international competitions and the Korean Series [championship series in the KBO League].

In long-term battles like the pennant race [the regular season in Major League Baseball], variables don’t occur much in a short period.

Players and coaching staff all have leeway in their minds, so they try to slowly resolve any issues.

But short-term battles are different.

‘Even a series that’s going well can suddenly shift momentum. The biggest problem is the players’ condition.’

Players are human, so they can’t always be in top condition every day.

If that’s possible, it’s one of two things.

Either they prepare their daily routine to maintain the best condition, or they are naturally gifted.

In Hah Sung’s case, it was the former.

His daily routine was the same every day unless something special happened.

This is because Hah Sung doesn’t just enjoy it, but he understands baseball well.

But not all players are like that.

It can be difficult to stick to a routine when living a social life.

Once a routine starts to break down, it takes a long time to get back on track.

‘It’s not a big deal for me, though.’

Hah Sung was thorough in sticking to his routine.

Even if it broke down once in a while, he had the mental strength to bring it back.

He was able to do that because he had already failed once in his life.

‘I have no intention of going back to that failed life. I’d rather die than do that.’

Having lived that life, he was able to maintain his routine in this life.

No matter how difficult it was, he had endured even greater hardships.

But that’s not possible for other players.

The less experienced a player is, the greater the tendency to pursue immediate pleasure.

As a result, there weren’t many players who could stick to their routines thoroughly.

‘I wonder how many of our team’s players can stick to it?’

If they get caught up in the immediate victory, their concentration will eventually waver.

If that happens, this victory will not last long.

But Hah Sung had no intention of saying that.

‘People eventually learn from their own experiences.’

He had no intention of leading the team.

He was just with them for his own victory.

Hah Sung watched his teammates’ victories and waited for his next appearance.

* * *

[Oakland Athletics Celebrate Victory in Game 2 of the World Series!]

[Athletics’ Batting Lineup Explodes After Jeong Hah Sung’s Solo Home Run!]

[The Giants’ Mound Collapses and the Batting Lineup Fails to Recover!]

[Will the Giants Collapse Like This?]

Game 2 of the World Series was an anticlimactic match.

The Athletics achieved a complete victory, and the Giants lost powerlessly, tilting the atmosphere.

Bookmakers bet on the Athletics’ victory, and the Giants’ odds began to rise.

Experts also predicted the Athletics’ victory through various channels.

[This is evidence that the Giants’ recent atmosphere is very bad.]

[Fans, bookmakers, and even experts are predicting the Athletics’ victory.]

[Some suggest that this World Series might end anticlimactically.]

[If that happens, Jeong Hah Sung will be the first Korean starting pitcher to win a championship ring.]

In Korea, they were already expecting Hah Sung to return home with a championship ring.

Very few people worried about other variables like Hah Sung.

And that was the same for the players.

“Everyone worked hard to win the first two games. But the World Series is not over yet. We need to concentrate more and quickly take the remaining games!”

Starting with the general manager, Chris.

“We need to win when we can. In short-term battles, the flow can change in an instant.”

Manager Tony and the coaching staff also tried to refresh the players’ atmosphere by saying similar things.

The veteran players in the clubhouse also worked hard.

However, the team’s main players were mostly rookies or players with few years of experience.

They were listening to the advice, but they weren’t taking it to heart.

Some even found it annoying.

“Come on, we’ve already got the *bungi-gi* [Korean for ‘vibe’ or ‘momentum’], so what does it matter?”

“That’s right. The Giants are no match for us!”

“We’ll take them down in one go and win the championship! Just watch!”

The players’ confidence soared.

Watching that, General Manager Chris returned to his office and sighed.

“What’s wrong?”

In response to Catherine’s question, General Manager Chris pressed his temples as if he had a headache and replied.

“The players are too confident.”

“Isn’t that a good thing?”

“It’s good to have confidence. The problem is the side effects that come out when it’s too excessive.”

“Hmm… but they’re professional players, so they’ll do well in the game.”

“It’s not bad to be confident. The problem is that it can be too much and affect the game.”

Chris had been the general manager for a long time.

That’s why he knew that the current atmosphere was dangerous.

However, in Major League Baseball, the front office and the field are separated.

In particular, they prioritize the professionalism of the players, so they don’t coach them individually.

Trusting and entrusting them is the operating method of Major League Baseball.

“I can only hope that this flow doesn’t change.”

It was frustrating that he could only hope that the players would do well.

* * *

Hah Sung and Chris.

The two people’s concerns soon became reality.

Clang-!!

“Waaaaaaah!!”

[He hits it! A well-hit ball!!]

The flow of the short-term battle changed in an instant.

The player who caused that change was just one person.

[This ball! It goes over!!]

Posey, who was watching the ball disappear over the fence, ran towards first base.

[It’s rookie Buster Posey who saves the Giants, who were completely cornered at 2-0!!]

[They say a hero appears in times of chaos. That’s exactly what it means! It was monster rookie Jeong Hah Sung who saved the Athletics, but Buster Posey is the hero who saved the Giants!]

Buster Posey, who had performed well in Games 1 and 2, exploded in Game 3.

He led the team to victory with 3 hits, including 2 home runs.

The citizens of San Francisco cheered for the hero who appeared in a crisis.

“Posey! Posey! Posey!!”

[The enthusiastic cheers of the Giants fans fill the stadium!]

[Buster Posey saves the Giants from the edge of the cliff.]

Buster Posey’s performance brought the Giants victory in Game 3.

The problem was that it wasn’t all.

[It’s a pity that the Athletics’ batting lineup didn’t concentrate in today’s game.]

[That’s right. The Giants recorded a total of 11 hits today, and the Athletics recorded 9. In fact, the number of hits was similar for both. But while the Athletics’ hits were sporadic, the Giants created hits with concentration when opportunities arose.]

[In other words, they seized the opportunity when it came.]

[That’s right. As a result, they lost the game.]

World Series Game 3.

With the Giants taking the victory, the series score became 2-1.

And the stage was moved back to Oakland.

* * *

Although the team lost, the atmosphere in the *seonsu-dan* [Korean for ‘team’ or ‘squad’] on the private jet was not bad.

“Ah~ Game 3 was just unlucky.”

“I know, right.”

“If we had *teo-jyeot* [Korean for ‘exploded’ or ‘gone off’] consecutively, we would have just caught them.”

“Well, we can lose about 1 game.”

The players were dismissing the Game 3 loss as just bad luck.

That’s how high their confidence was.

‘It’s going to be dangerous.’

Watching them, Hah Sung thought that Game 4 would also be dangerous.

Hah Sung was scheduled to pitch in Game 4.

His physical strength was not a problem as he had taken enough rest, including a day of travel.

But the problem was that he had to follow the American League rules.

‘There’s nothing I can do on the scoring side.’

He was confident that he wouldn’t give up any runs on the mound.

But there was nothing he could do as he couldn’t stand at the plate.

In the end, it meant that the batters had to work hard and score runs.

However, it was true that it seemed somewhat difficult in the current atmosphere.

‘I’d be pissed if my victory flew away too.’

It didn’t matter much if the batters didn’t perform well and they didn’t win the World Series.

Winning the World Series doesn’t have a significant impact on his value.

His value will be high enough just based on his performance in the World Series so far.

In addition, salary is mostly determined by performance in the pennant race.

So it wasn’t a part to worry about.

He just wanted to win because of the special nature of the World Series.

If he worked hard and pitched but there was no reward, there would be nothing more annoying than that.

‘Hmm…’

His worries deepened on the returning plane.

* * *

Although they lost Game 3, the public opinion was still in favor of Oakland.

However, some experts began to diverge, giving meaning to the Giants’ Game 3 victory.

But in Game 4, the bookmakers’ betting ratio was overwhelmingly skewed towards Oakland.

The reason was simple.

[
Jeong Hah Sung to Pitch in World Series Game 4!]

[Can the Giants Overcome Jeong Hah Sung’s Wall?]

[Oakland, with Jeong Hah Sung, Who Rewrote the History of Major League Baseball! Will They Reclaim the Advantageous Position in the World Series?!]

The appearance of an untouchable ace named Jeong Hah Sung.

Just with that, the story that Game 4 was already over was circulating among fans.

That’s because Oakland had won every game in which Hah Sung had started in the postseason.

In addition, Hah Sung was showing the best performance, not giving up a single point.

That’s why the fans’ expectations were by no means excessive.

‘I just need to score 1 point.’

Ahead of Game 4, General Manager Chris stayed in his office until late.

He also knew it well.

As long as Hah Sung is on the mound, scoring just 1 point is very advantageous for Oakland.

‘But why am I so anxious?’

Is it because they lost Game 3?

Or is it because he’s worried about the atmosphere of the *seonsu-dan* [Korean for ‘team’ or ‘squad’]?

Even though Hah Sung was about to pitch, the anxiety didn’t disappear.

‘Damn it…’

Chris pressed his temples with his hands and waited for the next day to come.

* * *

World Series Game 4.

Oakland citizens headed to the stadium early for the World Series, which was being held for the first time in a long time.

“Let’s finish the series in Oakland!”

“Oakland Fighting!!”

“There’s no need to go back to San Francisco!”

“Let’s definitely catch Game 4 first!”

“Anyway, Hah Sung is going up today. We’re just going to win!”

“That’s right!”

Hah Sung’s appearance is directly linked to victory.

As if it were a formula, Oakland citizens visited the stadium with light hearts.

Hah Sung, who is receiving the expectations of such people, was sitting in the clubhouse and concentrating.

“Hoo…”

As the time approached, a club employee approached him.

“It’s time to go up.”

Hah Sung, who nodded, grabbed his glove and left the clubhouse.

It was time to pitch for the victory of Game 4.