Villain On The Mound [EN]: Chapter 18

Mound Villain – Episode 18

Mound Villain Episode 18

San Antonio, Texas.

Home to the Missions’ ballpark.

“Hoo… it’s hot.”

Baek Jun-ki arrived in San Antonio before the Rockhounds.

“There’s still time. Should I grab a bite first?”

With about four hours left until game time, Baek Jun-ki found a restaurant nearby and went inside.

Tired of steak from the last time, he chose a simple sandwich shop this time.

“Welcome.”

He placed his order with the clerk, who greeted him cheerfully, and checked the data while waiting.

‘Ha-sung recorded 2 scoreless innings in his first Double-A game. This brings his scoreless streak to 11 innings, including Single-A.’

Ha-sung had yet to allow a run.

No earned runs, and no unearned runs either.

No, he barely allowed any hits in the first place.

‘He’s only allowed 3 hits in 4 games. No walks, and a very low pitch count of 12 pitches per inning.’

This showed Ha-sung’s pitching style.

Each pitcher has a different style depending on their pitching.

Some pitchers try to induce the batter by throwing breaking balls.

Players with precise control are more likely to be this type.

But Ha-sung was the opposite.

‘He knows exactly what his strengths are…’

He was continuing to analyze the data when…

Ding-!

With an ominous ring, the door opened and a group of people came in.

“Hahaha! Did you see those guys’ faces yesterday? They were so scared they turned pale.”

“I know, right? They looked like they were eating shit. Especially when you grabbed them by the collar, it was quite a sight.”

Two men came in, talking loudly.

They had women with flashy makeup on their arms, and it was clear at a glance that they were no ordinary people.

‘The smell of alcohol is overwhelming.’

Baek Jun-ki frowned at the smell of alcohol wafting from them.

“What’s this? A yellow monkey.”

Just then, a blond man spotted him, frowned, and approached Baek Jun-ki.

‘Yellow monkey? Is he talking to me?’

He had often experienced racism because he came to the United States often.

But most of them were indirect.

This was the first time someone had been so blatant.

“Hey, monkey. Got a problem? Why are you making such a shitty face?”

From experience, getting involved with these guys was troublesome.

Knowing this, Baek Jun-ki was about to step back when…

“Barton! I told you not to cause a scene in my store?!”

A huge man walked out of the kitchen.

“Tch! Why are you at the store at this hour, old man?”

“If a rabid dog comes and goes so often, can the owner leave his post? Anyway, what’s that smell? You bastard! You’re playing in a game today, and you were drinking until this morning?!”

‘Game?’

Baek Jun-ki’s eyes lit up at the word game.

Only then did he notice the jersey this racist was wearing.

‘He was a Missions player.’

Baek Jun-ki memorized his face.

* * *

While Baek Jun-ki was caught up in a commotion, the Rockhounds’ away bus arrived at the Missions’ home stadium.

While the executives exchanged greetings, the team unpacked their luggage in the away locker room.

‘This is my first time in San Antonio.’

The United States is a vast country.

As a result, even after living there for a year, he had only been to a handful of places.

‘I probably won’t have time for sightseeing this time either.’

He came for a game, not for fun, so there was little free time.

He could look around the neighborhood, but truly enjoying the city was impossible.

Above all, Ha-sung wasn’t that kind of person.

‘I should train instead of sightseeing.’

He was a training fanatic in his past life as well.

That hadn’t changed in this life, where he had a healthy body.

He smiled brightly at the thought of training, changed his clothes, and left the locker room.

As he was walking down the hallway to get to the training field, he spotted Baek Jun-ki coming from the opposite side.

“Oh? Mr. Baek. You’re already here?”

“The plane is faster than the bus. Thanks to that, I arrived early.”

“Keu! As expected, the best way to get around America is by plane. I’m jealous. I had a hard time coming here on an old bus.”

“If it was that hard, you should get to the major leagues as soon as possible.”

“I want to. But you don’t look so good?”

Baek Jun-ki touched his face.

He seemed to be trying to hide it, but Ha-sung had experienced a lot in his past life.

It wasn’t difficult to catch that level of change.

“Is it that obvious?”

“A little. Did something happen?”

“Actually…”

Baek Jun-ki told him what had happened with Barton.

After hearing the story, Ha-sung immediately recognized who the man was.

“The Missions’ Mad Dog.”

“You knew him?”

“I heard it from a teammate. But that guy called you a yellow monkey?”

“This is embarrassing. I didn’t think there would still be someone who openly discriminates like that.”

There was something Baek Jun-ki didn’t know.

Racism doesn’t disappear.

Of course, doing it openly like this Mad Dog is decreasing.

They just don’t show it and do it cleverly.

‘Hmm, a yellow monkey.’

And Ha-sung hated those guys.

‘Well, it wasn’t directed at me. I don’t need to get involved.’

He would have stepped up when he was younger.

How dare you mess with a fellow Korean.

But he wasn’t that passionate now.

‘Do I need to make a fuss for nothing? As long as he doesn’t mess with me.’

As long as he doesn’t mess with him, it doesn’t matter.

Only himself.

* * *

Ah… I knew it would turn out like this for some reason.

“Kyak-!”

Gathering thick phlegm.

“Ptooey!”

Ha-sung frowned as he looked at the Mad Dog spitting in front of him.

“Fuck! Why are there so many monkey bastards today? Did they escape from a nearby zoo or something?”

Haha… a zoo?

It was bubbling inside.

But is there a reason to fight with this primitive guy?

“There seem to be a lot of stray dogs in this neighborhood. I can hear a dog barking loudly from somewhere.”

There was clearly no reason, but now that he had been provoked, he had no intention of just letting it go.

He just lightly countered.

But the guy’s reaction was more intense than expected.

“What?! You monkey bastard!!”

“Oops! It looks like it’s a dog bastard who understands human language.”

“You son of a bitch!!”

Barton looked like he was about to pounce at any moment.

How should I deal with that bastard? Just as I was wondering…

“Hey, you bastard! What are you doing to our teammate?!”

Jack appeared.

Behind him, the Rockhounds players appeared in droves.

No matter how crazy he was, he seemed to be intimidated by the numbers.

“You sons of bitches… I’ll see you in the game today.”

He said a villainous line that could only be found in movies and turned around.

I couldn’t even laugh at the sight.

‘I’ve never been scared of guys who say they’ll see me later.’

Then Ha-sung tilted his head.

‘But why does his face look familiar?’

* * *

Baek Jun-ki was sitting in the audience, waiting for the game to start.

‘Hoo… I’m tired, maybe because I was harassed by a racist as soon as I arrived.’

His body was fine, but he was mentally exhausted.

But that was only for a moment.

He finished preparing for his main job and waited for the game to start.

A familiar man caught his eye as he stretched to warm up.

‘Huh? Why is that person here?’

A white man in casual clothes.

In his mid-40s, with a gentle image, Baek Jun-ki could recognize him at a glance.

‘It’s the Padres’ scouting director?’

It was Robert, the scouting director of the San Diego Padres, a Major League team.

‘Robert, who is likely to be the next general manager, why did he come to see a Double-A game?’

A minor league team is a concept subordinate to a major league team.

Minor league teams report on players to the major leagues every week.

But that’s not enough.

There were advantages and disadvantages that could only be found on the field, so it was necessary to check them.

‘That’s why instructors are assigned to the minor leagues.’

There are instructors who check the development of players, as well as hitting and pitching instructors.

Therefore, there was no reason for the team leader to come and watch the game in person.

Moreover, Robert was a person the club was considering as general manager.

It was rare for such a person to come to see a Double-A game in person.

It was natural for Baek Jun-ki to be puzzled.

Meanwhile, Robert was talking to instructor Tevez, who was sitting next to him.

“According to the report, Barton’s growth seems to be going well. What do you think?”

“I’m satisfied. He was originally a guy with potential. Recently, he’s gained power and his slugging ability has improved significantly.”

The instructor reported on Barton.

Barton was one of the promising prospects.

If he grows properly, he will protect the Padres’ infield in the future.

‘He’s a good guy to use as a card.’

Unlike Korea, player trades are active in Major League Baseball.

Even named players could not avoid these trades.

One of the important things when these players are traded is prospects.

That’s why the more promising prospects, the better.

“But there’s one problem.”

“Are you talking about his personality?”

“Yes. I’ve mentioned it in the report several times, but Barton’s personality is not good. We’ve been conducting character education, but he’s slow to follow.”

“That’s a problem.”

Major League Baseball prioritizes skills.

However, they did not completely ignore the player’s character.

That’s why character education for players was included in the curriculum in the minor leagues.

“Hmm, is it that serious?”

“The problem is that he often makes racist remarks, even if other things are okay.”

“A racist…”

This could get a little serious.

“It’s a relief if he doesn’t show that kind of behavior in the game.”

“Fortunately, he has never made racist remarks in the game yet.”

“Okay. That kind of thing shouldn’t happen.”

Major League Baseball is a place where all kinds of races gather to play games.

To make racist remarks in such a place?

A big trouble was bound to happen.

Then the players entered the stadium.

“It’s starting.”

* * *

The game started with the Rockhounds’ offense.

Ha-sung was watching the Rockhounds hitters at the plate from the bench.

‘What is this manager thinking? Sending me out as a starter.’

Ha-sung was the Rockhounds’ starting pitcher.

Sending Ha-sung, who had only been a relief pitcher until now, as a starter could be seen as a somewhat unexpected choice.

But it was a natural thing in the minor leagues.

‘Even though the purpose is to test the players, suddenly a starter.’

The minor leagues are operated for the purpose of development, not performance.

That’s why they test players in various ways.

To see which position the promising prospects who grow every day are best suited for.

That’s why Ha-sung, who was playing as a relief pitcher, was suddenly promoted to starter.

‘I’m sending him up as a starter, but it’ll only be 3-4 innings at most.’

Since the purpose is testing, they won’t have him throw for long.

Knowing that, Ha-sung calculated in his head how he would pitch today.

‘If I pitch well until the 2nd inning and show signs of shaking from the 3rd inning, they’ll confirm that there’s a problem with my stamina, right?’

In fact, you don’t have to worry about this.

Ha-sung clearly knew his limits.

‘To get through the major leagues with my current pitching, 2 innings is the limit.’

It’s only been a year since I started building my body with the memories of the future.

In the meantime, my body has improved and my stamina has increased.

But the major leagues are a place where monsters gather.

To face the hitters there, you have to continue to pitch with all your might.

With my current stamina, I could only continue that all-out pitching for 2 innings.

‘Until I build up more stamina and strength, I have to secure a position as a relief pitcher for now. I have to get to the major leagues as soon as possible to make money…’

That’s when it happened.

Clang-!!

A cheerful sound was heard.

When I broke my thoughts and looked at the ground, I saw Jack sprinting to first base.

‘Is it going through?’

The batted ball was flying towards the gap between third and shortstop.

It was a precarious course.

Then the third baseman dove.

Thud!

The ball was caught in the third baseman’s glove.

It was a nice play.

The subsequent play was also clean.

He quickly got up and threw the ball straight to first base.

Whoosh-!!

‘It’s high.’

The throw went in a little high.

It was an ambiguous height for Barton, who was guarding first base, to catch.

Then Barton kicked off the ground and jumped.

Thud!

And snatched the ball.

‘That unlucky bastard, he caught it…’

Ha-sung’s eyes widened.

In his widened pupils, he saw Jack sliding and Barton bending his knees, aiming at him.

“Danger…!”

He tried to shout, but it was too late.

Thud!

The guy’s knee pressed down on Jack’s back as it was.