Villain On The Mound [EN]: Chapter 178

Mound Villain – Episode 178

Ha-sung fulfilled the requirements of a winning pitcher thanks to Jack and Trevor’s teamwork.

However, Manager Tony was deep in thought.

‘Should I replace him?’

Ha-sung’s pitch count was over 90.

Normally, he would have been replaced.

But the team’s atmosphere wasn’t great right now, so he was hesitant.

‘It’s only a 1-point lead. It’s impossible to protect this score with other pitchers.’

The bullpen pitchers were definitely performing well.

They hadn’t blown any saves yet, nor had they collapsed and overturned a winning game.

So, there would be nothing unusual about using the bullpen, but Manager Tony decided to trust Ha-sung.

‘If Ha-sung can hold them in the 8th, we’ll immediately switch to Bailey.’

Bailey, Ha-sung’s planned successor, was a reliable closer for the Athletics’ defense.

When he came to the mound, he could perfectly secure the game.

Manager Tony had such calculations in his head.

[With a 1-point lead, Jung Ha-sung is on the mound in the 8th inning.]

[His pitch count is over 95, but Manager Tony’s choice is still Jung Ha-sung.]

[That means he trusts Jung Ha-sung that much, right?]

[That’s right. In fact, even if I were the manager, I would put Jung Ha-sung on the mound.]

Overwhelming skill.

Endurance to throw even after 100 pitches.

Ha-sung had demonstrated these qualities in countless games, so the viewers nodded in agreement with the decision.

And Ha-sung, as if living up to those expectations, pitched fiercely once more.

Thwack-!

“Strike!”

[First pitch strike. The speed is 99 mph!]

[The speed has dropped slightly, but the movement of the ball is still sharp.]

Clang!!

“Foul!!”

[The second pitch, a slider that broke outside, was hit, but it goes foul.]

[It was a slider with such a sharp break that he barely managed to make contact with the end of the bat.]

Ha-sung, with an advantageous two-strike count, threw the 3rd and 4th pitches as bait.

Thud-!

“Ball!”

[The 4th pitch is a ball, making the count one ball and two strikes.]

[It’s a shame he barely managed to avoid swinging at the splitter he threw on the 3rd pitch.]

[It wouldn’t have been surprising if he had swung and missed there.]

[That’s right.]

One ball, two strikes.

Ha-sung considered trying to induce a swing.

But the batter’s concentration was better than expected.

‘I thought he would swing at the high fastball.’

The high fastball on the 4th pitch clocked in at 101 mph.

It was such a good pitch that it wouldn’t have been surprising if the batter, already in a bad count, had swung.

But the fact that the bat stayed still meant the batter was highly focused.

‘It’s better to end it with a direct challenge.’

There was nothing to gain by continuing to try and trick a batter with such good concentration.

In the end, all that was left was to overpower him head-on.

‘I’ll make a bet.’

Trevor nodded at Ha-sung’s sign.

He was thinking the same thing, so he was grateful the pitcher had suggested it first.

As Trevor held out his mitt, Ha-sung slowly went into his windup and gathered strength.

[In a one-ball, two-strike situation, Jung Ha-sung throws his 5th pitch!]

“Hup-!!”

With a stride, Ha-sung created the rotation of his body by turning his waist and threw the ball with a shout.

Whoosh-!!

The batter swung at the ball that was aggressively heading towards his body.

Whoosh-!

As if he had been expecting a fastball, his swing was unrestrained.

But Ha-sung’s ball wasn’t the kind that could be hit even if predicted.

Flick-!

Although it was a fastball, at the last moment, the ball spun, shaking violently from side to side.

This late movement caused it to deviate from the sweet spot of the bat at the moment of impact.

Clang-!!

[He hit it! But it’s a weakly hit ball!]

The weakly rolling ball headed towards the third baseman.

The third baseman caught the ball cleanly and threw it towards first base.

Swoosh-!

Thud!

“Out!!”

[The first out of the 8th inning is recorded!]

[The throw was a bit high, but first baseman Jack handled it well.]

[It didn’t seem like a difficult throw. My heart fluttered for a moment.]

[The players must not lose their concentration.]

Even from the commentator’s point of view, the Athletics players seemed to be losing focus.

But that was unrelated to Ha-sung.

Thwack-!

“Strike! Batter out!!”

[Strikeout! Jung Ha-sung records his 14th strikeout of the game, grabbing the second out!]

He was still showing high concentration even though his pitch count was over 100.

The fans gave generous applause to Ha-sung’s pitching.

“Jung Ha-sung! Jung Ha-sung!!”

Clap clap clap clap-!!

Ha-sung’s concentration wasn’t broken by the fans’ cheers filling the stadium.

‘Cheering and criticism are ultimately two sides of the same coin.’

Ha-sung had experienced falling from the top to the bottom in an instant.

That’s why he was grateful for the fans’ cheers now, but he didn’t let it get to his head.

‘The moment I fail, those cheers will disappear.’

He had to concentrate even more to protect the support of those who were cheering.

[Jung Ha-sung, having secured the second out, is exchanging signs for the last out of the 8th inning.]

Concentration is proportional to stamina.

From the point when he exceeded 100 pitches, it wouldn’t have been surprising if Ha-sung’s concentration had dropped.

But he had a mental strength that surpassed his physical strength.

Because he had failed once, he was able to compensate for his decreased stamina with a mental fortitude stronger than others.

Thanks to that, he faced the last batter of the 8th inning without wavering.

“Hup-!!”

Whoosh-!

Clang!!

“Foul!!”

[He barely makes contact with the first pitch, a 100 mph fastball!]

[Good concentration. He must maintain this focus and execute the pitch.]

“Hup!!”

Whoosh-!

Thud!

“Ball!!”

[Ah~ The batter holds up his swing at the slider that breaks outside on the 2nd pitch! Trevor, the catcher, checks the swing with the 3rd base umpire!]

“Safe!”

[Oh~ The ruling is that he didn’t swing.]

“Boo-!!”

[A huge boo is pouring out from the stands.]

[In fact, it wouldn’t have been surprising if the ruling had been that he swung.]

[That’s right. But since the 3rd base umpire judged that he didn’t swing, pitcher Jung Ha-sung doesn’t need to dwell on it.]

If you dwell on small things, your concentration can be broken.

The commentator was worried about that.

But Ha-sung wasn’t a player with such a weak mentality that he would be bothered by such things.

‘If he didn’t swing……!’

[He throws the 3rd pitch!]

‘I’ll make him swing!’

“Hup!!”

Whoosh-!!

The ball that left Ha-sung’s hand flew towards the outside of the zone, just like the 2nd pitch.

This time, the batter swung as if expecting a fastball.

Whoosh-!!

The moment the bat, which had turned with the sound of cutting through the wind, tried to catch the ball.

Flick!

The ball changed direction, running out of the strike zone.

The batter stretched out his bat, contorting his body to hit it somehow, but it was impossible to follow the ball’s movement.

Thud!

Whoosh!

“Swing! Strike two!!”

[This time it’s a definite swing and miss! Jung Ha-sung induces the batter to swing and miss with a cut fastball (a fastball with a slight horizontal break)!]

[Since he couldn’t induce a swing with a slider, this time he throws a cutter to create a definite swing and miss.]

Ha-sung, with an advantageous count, looked at the stands.

‘Are you more nervous than me?’

There, he could see his parents praying.

Looking at his parents’ faces, which were more nervous than himself throwing the ball, Ha-sung prepared for the last pitch.

‘I can’t ruin the game in front of my parents.’

Ha-sung, having made up his mind, stepped onto the pitcher’s plate.

‘I’ll settle it.’

Trevor nodded at the sign he sent directly.

As he held out his mitt, Ha-sung took a deep breath.

“Hoo……!”

He gathered all his strength with the thought of ending it here.

Ha-sung, who gathered that strength with the windup, threw the ball with all his might.

“Heave-!!”

Whoosh-!!

[He threw it!]

The ball that left Ha-sung’s hand dug into the batter’s body at a fierce speed.

It was a perfect pitch that made it difficult for the batter to swing.

Thwack-!!

At the sound of the ball embedding in the mitt with a roar, the stadium was momentarily silent.

But that was only for a moment.

“Strike!!”

The umpire’s cry broke the silence.

“Batter out!!”

“Wow-!!”

And the crowd’s huge roar erupted.

[Strikeout!! Jung Ha-sung, Game 4 of the World Series! He finishes the inning by recording his 15th strikeout!!]

[It’s really amazing! Jung Ha-sung pitches two scoreless innings on the big stage of the World Series! He’s truly untouchable!!]

Game 1 and Game 4.

The Oakland fans all stood up and applauded Ha-sung, who finished both innings without allowing a run.

[The curtain call is coming!]

[The fans filling the Oakland Coliseum are all applauding Jung Ha-sung!]

Ha-sung, who was entering the dugout, stopped and took off his hat towards the stands to convey his gratitude.

In Ha-sung’s eyes, he could see his mother shedding tears and his father wearing a proud smile.

Ha-sung smiled at the two of them and entered the dugout.

* * *

The reporters were shocked.

“To think he pitched a scoreless game in Game 4 too……”

“Can this be happening?”

“I have no choice but to believe it because I saw it with my own eyes.”

“How on earth did such a player appear in Korea?”

The reporters’ surprise was understandable.

On the other hand, the Korean reporters were simply delighted by the reactions of those foreign reporters.

“How long has it been since they were surprised by our player?”

“I think it’s my first time seeing it.”

“Wasn’t it almost 10 years ago that it last happened?”

“I think the last time was when Big Choi hit three home runs in a row?”

Many Korean players had challenged the major leagues.

There was a time when they surprised the United States even for a moment.

However, only three people left meaningful results throughout the entire season.

But no one has left achievements like Ha-sung.

“Ha-sung will win this World Series MVP, right?”

“There’s no one but Ha-sung.”

“This is like the Jung Ha-sung series.”

The reporters were already talking as if the Athletics had won the championship.

In fact, that wasn’t strange either.

If they win Game 4, the series score will be 3 to 1.

Even if they give up Game 5 and Game 6, Ha-sung can play again in Game 7.

In his current form, it was impossible for the Giants to target Ha-sung.

That was why the Athletics’ World Series victory seemed certain.

But they were forgetting baseball’s famous saying.

[In the top of the 9th inning, with the score 1 to 0, the Athletics’ closer Bailey is on the mound.]

Bailey, who came to the mound as the second pitcher, got off to a good start by turning the first batter into a fly ball to center field.

[Two outs remain until Game 4 is over.]

[Pitcher Bailey is showing good form today too.]

When the thought that the Athletics would win settled in everyone’s mind.

Clang-!!

[He hit it! But it’s a ball going straight to the shortstop!]

A variable occurred.

[Shortstop Ellis catches the ball and throws it to 1st base!]

[Ah!]

With the commentator’s exclamation, the thrown ball sailed over the first baseman’s head.

[The throw was high! The runner reaches 1st base!]

[An absurd error has occurred.]

[It wasn’t a difficult hit either.]

[This was a ball that should have been handled cleanly!]

It was an error that could happen at any time.

But it was an error that shouldn’t have happened in the World Series.

And this error became a snowball.

Thud!

“Ball! Base on balls!!”

[Ah~ A straight walk!]

[Is it because of the error? Bailey’s control is suddenly faltering.]

Manager Tony visited the mound at the sight of Bailey shaking.

Ha-sung frowned as he watched the scene.

‘The momentum has shifted.’

It was just a single error, but Bailey had little experience.

It was enough to shake his confidence.

It could be difficult with just Manager Tony’s visit.

‘It would be better to replace him.’

But it wasn’t an easy decision.

It meant taking down the team’s closer and putting in another pitcher.

In the end, Manager Tony only encouraged Bailey and returned to the dugout.

[With a chance for runners on 1st and 2nd base with one out, Buster Posey steps up to the plate.]

And the worst possible opponent came to bat.

‘I’m uneasy.’

Ha-sung’s anxiety proved correct.

Clang-!!

[Ah! He hit it well!!]

Posey’s bat connected squarely with Bailey’s first pitch, which was right down the middle.

‘It’s gone.’

Ha-sung knew the ball was going over the fence.

And so did Bailey, who sat there watching the ball sail through the air.

[An unbelievable scene is unfolding! A come-from-behind three-run home run with one out in the top of the 9th inning!]

A game that everyone thought they would win.

But the Athletics gave up Game 4, and the World Series score became 2 to 2.