Villain On The Mound [EN]: Chapter 179

Mound Villain – Episode 179

[Buster Posey’s Ninth-Inning Comeback Three-Run Homer Nullifies Jung Ha-sung’s Great Pitching!]

[A Drama Unfolds in Game 4 of the World Series!]

[Closer Bailey’s Blown Save Wastes 107 Pitches of Great Effort by Jung Ha-sung!]

[Jung Ha-sung Alone Wasn’t Enough! Athletics Tie the World Series!]

Articles poured out the day after Ha-sung’s appearance.

But today, the articles felt different.

Ha-sung pitched well, but he didn’t secure a World Series victory.

He continued his scoreless streak in the postseason, achieving a remarkable feat of 8 innings without allowing a run.

However, the media was shocked by the fact that he didn’t win.

[The Loss in Game 4 of the World Series Is a Loss for the Athletics, Not for Jung Ha-sung.]

[That’s right. Jung Ha-sung did his part.]

[He pitched as well as he possibly could.]

Panelists on various programs also overwhelmingly defended Ha-sung.

It wasn’t just in Korea.

Everyone in the United States reviewing the World Series agreed that the loss wasn’t Ha-sung’s fault.

And the fans felt the same way.

-He shut them out for 8 innings. How could they not win this?

-The Athletics can’t do anything without Jung Ha-sung.

-I know, right?

-Jung Ha-sung should just pitch a complete game through the 9th?

-What’s that gonna do, max 3 wins? lol [laughing out loud]

-He’ll be lucky to go once now.

-Whatever, the Giants are gonna win the World Series.

The public now favored the Giants to win the World Series.

The reason was Ha-sung’s absence.

[When Will Jung Ha-sung Pitch Next?]

[Probably Game 6.]

[That’s quite soon, considering the schedule. Is it possible?]

[There’s a travel day after Game 5, so it should be possible. More importantly, if they lose Game 5, the series will be 3-2, putting them in a corner. If not then, there won’t be another chance.]

The Athletics absolutely need Ha-sung to win.

That was the experts’ opinion.

It might be an exaggeration, but Ha-sung was the only player who had truly performed well in the World Series.

Moreover, the momentum of the series had shifted to the Giants.

To stop this momentum, Ha-sung’s appearance was essential.

The problem was that if he pitched in Game 6, he would be pitching after only two days of rest.

[If Jung Ha-sung takes the mound in Game 6, his existing routine will be disrupted.]

[That’s right. Major League Baseball basically has a routine of 4 days of rest and pitching on the 5th day, and Jung Ha-sung has faithfully followed that routine.]

[If that suddenly changes, isn’t there a possibility that he might underperform?]

[We can’t say there’s no chance at all. That’s why the Athletics will be worried.]

The commentator’s assessment was accurate.

As he watched Game 5 unfold, Athletics’ general manager Chris was filled with concerns about the games to come.

‘If we win today, we can keep Ha-sung in reserve and postpone his appearance.’

The best-case scenario was winning today’s game.

That would give the Athletics a variety of options.

But if they lost, those options would disappear.

‘If we lose, we’ll have to put Ha-sung on the mound in Game 6, no matter what.’

The problem was the data on Ha-sung.

So far, Ha-sung had been a player who strictly adhered to his routine.

There was no data on whether Ha-sung could adapt when the formula of 4 days of rest and pitching on the 5th day was broken.

What if they made him pitch on the 4th day after only 3 days of rest?

Even veteran players often struggled with that.

‘From what I’ve heard, Japan and Korea have a routine of 5 days of rest and pitching on the 6th day. They’re used to throwing once a week. Although he wasn’t a professional, Ha-sung, who came from Korea, might be a similar type.’

It was amazing that Ha-sung had stuck to the routine of 4 days of rest and pitching on the 5th day.

But making him pitch on the 4th day after 3 days of rest felt like a gamble.

‘I want to have him pitch in Game 7, safely.’

The problem was that the game wasn’t going the way Chris wanted.

Clang-!

“Ah-!”

[Well-hit ball! It splits the gap in left-center! The Giants’ offense is exploding again!!]

The Giants’ momentum had increased due to their comeback victory in Game 4.

And the Athletics’ pitching mound wasn’t strong enough to stop the Giants’ rising momentum.

In the end, the Athletics lost their last home game, falling behind in the series 3-2.

‘There’s no choice.’

Chris bit his lip and made a decision.

* * *

[Oakland Cornered.]

[Oakland Loses Game 5! One More Loss and They’ll Fail to Win the World Series!]

[No Choice! They Have to Put Jung Ha-sung on the Mound in Game 6!]

[Can Jung Ha-sung Really Be the Savior?]

The focus of all the media was on Ha-sung.

Experts also left their opinions on blogs and social media.

-Oakland has to put Ha-sung on the mound to get to Game 7 of the World Series.

-Ha-sung is the only answer.

-Oakland is like a cornered rat. The only way for them to escape this predicament is for Ha-sung to appear.

Most opinions favored putting Ha-sung on the mound.

But there were also dissenting opinions.

-Ha-sung has stuck to the routine of 4 days of rest and pitching on the 5th day so far. 3 days of rest is an unknown.

-It’s better to keep him in the bullpen and have other pitchers try to hold off the Giants in Game 6.

-If they use the Ha-sung card first, they won’t be able to win Game 7.

-Athletics’ general manager Chris will have to make a difficult decision.

Game 6 and Game 7.

The Athletics were in a position where losing even one game would put them in a corner.

The experts’ opinions were all correct.

Should they guarantee Ha-sung an extra day of rest and have him pitch in perfect condition?

Or should they take a reckless gamble by putting him on the mound in Game 6?

It was a difficult problem, so Chris continued to hold meetings and discussions.

“It’s too much to make him pitch after 2 days of rest.”

“But if we lose Game 6, we can’t even think about Game 7.”

“It might be better to go with a double-starter system.”

“If we win Game 6 that way, we won’t have any pitchers to put on the mound in Game 7!”

Arguments went back and forth.

Various strategies were proposed, highlighting how difficult this decision was.

In the end, Chris decided to ask the player himself.

Knock-knock-!

Chris greeted Ha-sung, who entered with a knock.

“Welcome. Did you get some rest?”

“Yes. I’m resting well for my next appearance.”

Chris smiled with satisfaction at Ha-sung’s answer.

In this situation, the player needed to manage his condition.

Ha-sung was doing a good job of that.

“You’re doing well. I don’t need to worry about you after all.”

“It’s a professional’s job. By the way, did you call me in because of the pitching issue?”

“You know it.”

“It’s in the media every day. And I think I’d have a headache too.”

“It’s quite a headache. So I want to ask for your opinion.”

It’s rare in Korea for an older person to ask a younger person for advice.

And it wasn’t much different in the United States.

But Ha-sung was the team’s ace.

He was a player who achieved results that surpassed his experience, so he needed to be treated well.

And this was exactly that.

“I think it’s better for me to go out in Game 7.”

“Why?”

“I’m a player who is thorough with his routine. I need to stick to it to be able to pitch like I do now.”

“Hmm….”

“Of course, I’ll pitch if you tell me to go out in Game 6. But you shouldn’t expect me to be able to handle long innings as a starter.”

Ha-sung spoke bluntly.

Chris looked somewhat surprised at that.

“You’re quite direct.”

“I know that being indirect about this kind of thing won’t help.”

In his previous life, Ha-sung had to make a similar choice in the Korean Series [championship series in Korean baseball].

He couldn’t say that he couldn’t pitch there.

He thought that an ace should be on the mound in any situation.

But looking back now, it was the wrong choice.

‘If I had the courage to say that I wasn’t in good condition then, my fate might have changed.’

What if he had made a different choice?

He had thought about that a lot.

But it was irreversible, so only regret remained.

‘I won’t repeat the same mistake.’

Ha-sung had already made his decision before Chris even called him.

“If I pitch in Game 6, including the travel day, I’ll only be at about half of my normal condition.”

“Is that so?”

“It’s an estimate, but it’s probably accurate. I can’t give you 100%.”

Chris sighed softly.

If the player himself said that, he had to adjust the plan.

“I have no choice.”

Forcing him to pitch could lead to the worst possible outcome.

It was somewhat risky, but he had no choice.

Baseball was ultimately a team sport, so he couldn’t put all the burden on him.

“But depending on the situation, you may have to pitch.”

“I’ll be on standby in the bullpen.”

He wasn’t going to refuse even this.

Ha-sung’s current position was that he had to throw the ball if the team told him to.

* * *

The atmosphere on the Athletics’ private plane back to Oakland was somber.

The players were silent, and a heavy atmosphere filled the plane.

‘If they lose even one game, the championship will be gone, so the pressure must be immense.’

Ha-sung closed his eyes and focused on his recovery.

‘Even if I go up in Game 6, it will only put more strain on my body. If that strain accumulates, I’ll eventually break down.’

The shoulder is a consumable item.

The more you throw, the more likely it is to break down.

But there was a way to reduce the damage to the shoulder.

That was to stick to a thorough routine.

‘Just because it’s the World Series doesn’t make it special. The reason players get paid so much is because consistent performance is the answer. Even if you pitch well in the World Series, there will only be momentary praise.’

It was a selfish thought that would shock other players and fans if they heard it.

But Ha-sung thought differently.

‘I can’t live on honor. What I need is wealth.’

Knowing that honor disappears, Ha-sung no longer worried and devoted himself to recovering his stamina.

* * *

World Series Game 6.

Most people expected Ha-sung to pitch.

But the announcement was completely different.

[The Oakland Athletics Have Decided to Stick to Their Original Rotation for the Starting Pitcher.]

[That’s a somewhat unexpected choice.]

[That’s right. If they lose Game 6, there won’t be a Game 7.]

[Jung Ha-sung is said to be on standby in the bullpen, but if they bring him up, there won’t be any pitchers to pitch in Game 7.]

[In other words, it would be impossible to put him on the mound.]

Experts expressed concern.

And that became a reality.

[The World Series Game 6 Between the Athletics and the Giants Is Heavily Leaning Towards the Giants.]

[The Athletics made the choice to put their third starter, Sheffield, on the mound, but that has become a mistake.]

[The game is heavily leaning towards the Giants with a score of 7-2 in the 7th inning. The Athletics have used a number of pitchers, but they have not been able to overcome the point difference that occurred in the 1st inning.]

The game was tilting.

And the Athletics were unable to turn the game around and ended up finishing the game.

[The Oakland Athletics Lose World Series Game 6 and Fail to Cross the Threshold of Winning the Championship.]

The 2010 season World Series championship was decided for the San Francisco Giants.

However, the World Series MVP did not come from the winning team, the Giants.

[Jung Ha-sung! The First Korean to Win the World Series MVP!]

[The Team Lost, But Jung Ha-sung Won! Jung Ha-sung Becomes the Second Player in Major League History to Win the MVP While on a Losing Team!]

[Jung Ha-sung Sets a Record After 50 Years!]

Ha-sung’s award luck didn’t end there.

[Jung Ha-sung Wins the Major League American League Cy Young Award!]

[Recognized as the Best Pitcher in the American League for Two Consecutive Years!]

Ha-sung, who became the Cy Young Award winner, capped off the year by winning another award.