Villain On The Mound [EN]: Chapter 196

Mound Villain – Episode 196

His first at-bat resulted in a home run.

It was enough to excite the viewers.

“Wow… how does a ball fly like that?”

“That’s really amazing, isn’t it?”

“He just snatched a 92-mile fastball that was coming right at his body.”

“Where does that kind of power even come from?”

The audience was in awe of Ha-sung’s home run.

The reporters were no different.

“He took an open stance as soon as the ball came inside, didn’t he?”

“His reaction speed was no joke.”

“He took an open stance as if he knew it was coming from the start.”

“Has he worked with Trevor a lot, so he can read how he’s going to pitch?”

“That’s highly possible.”

“His bat speed is insane, isn’t it?”

“If he can swing the bat like that, he can turn any inside pitch into a home run.”

What Ha-sung showed in his first at-bat wasn’t just a simple home run.

His batting itself was technically complete.

He showed a level of batting that was so perfect it was hard to believe he had achieved it in such a short time.

This sight surprised not only the reporters but also Chris and the Oakland officials.

‘I knew his batting was top-notch, but was it this good?’

Ha-sung was a pitcher who was good at batting.

He had so much power that it felt like if he hit it, it would go over.

But his accuracy was poor, and he lacked the skill to hit the ball properly.

So, I coldly thought he would fail as a two-way player.

‘I couldn’t properly check it because he hits good balls in batting practice. But today was different.’

He hit the first pitch from Seager, a major league starting pitcher and the team’s number two starter.

Seager’s control didn’t miss, and the ball’s power wasn’t bad either.

He wasn’t in his best condition, but his control was perfect.

Ha-sung’s skill in easily hitting such a ball was impressive.

‘He might really succeed.’

Chris became convinced that the green light for two-way play had grown brighter.

* * *

The minor league team’s top of the first inning ended.

The score was 1 to 0.

Ha-sung’s solo home run was hit, but the subsequent batters failed to hit Seager’s pitches.

That’s why Ha-sung’s home run shone even more.

“Seager’s in very good condition, isn’t he?”

“What is Ha-sung who hit a home run off such a Seager on the first pitch?”

“I never dreamed he would be this good at batting.”

The better Seager pitched, the higher the evaluation of Ha-sung, who stole a home run from him, rose.

After the first inning ended like that.

Ha-sung appeared on the mound during the minor league team’s defensive situation.

“Is he really coming out as a starting pitcher?”

“This is really a rare sight.”

“A pitcher who plays both offense and defense.”

“Was Babe Ruth like this too?”

Babe Ruth, a legend of Major League Baseball, was also a two-way player.

Ha-sung’s performance naturally reminded people of him.

“But can he really throw properly after bulking up like that?”

“I know, right.”

“It seems like his balance might be all messed up.”

However, there were also people who expressed concern.

They were expressing concern about Ha-sung after seeing articles posted on the internet.

In a way, it was a natural thing.

Ha-sung’s change was dramatic, and that appearance was enough to make people feel uneasy.

But the time needed to break that anxiety was very short.

“Play ball!”

With the umpire’s shout, Ha-sung exchanged signs with the catcher.

‘He said to go with a fastball on the first pitch, right?’

The player wearing the mask and crouching in the batter’s box was Jonathan, who was playing in Triple A [the highest level of minor league baseball].

His good physique made him a good target as he settled into the batter’s box and held out his mitt.

‘He seems bigger than Trevor. It’s easy to aim and throw.’

Ha-sung, who had exchanged signs, took a breath and went into his windup.

Whoosh-!!

With a kick, Ha-sung, twisting his body, threw his first pitch.

“Hmph!!”

The moment he released the ball from the release point with his follow-through.

Ha-sung let out a shout and released his power in an instant.

Swaaaaaaack-!!

The ball that left his hand seemed to pierce the batter’s body.

The batter was about to swing, expecting the ball to come inside.

Thwack-!!

The ball blazed over home plate and embedded itself in the catcher’s mitt.

“Strike!!”

At the umpire’s shout, the batter’s gaze snapped to the ball lodged in the mitt.

‘Damn… I couldn’t even react.’

Control, speed, and power were all perfect.

The reporters who watched the scene were in shock.

“Didn’t they say there would be problems because he bulked up?”

“There were many such claims. But seeing it in action, there’s no problem at all?”

“It feels like his power has gotten even stronger.”

“The heaviness of the ball is different. I felt it was heavy last year, but it’s even stronger this year.”

Ha-sung’s fastball is already considered top-tier in Major League Baseball.

But this year, it felt like its power had become even more formidable.

What’s even more surprising is that today is just the first practice game.

“How well did he build his body before coming to camp?”

“That means those muscles aren’t just for show.”

“I can once again appreciate the greatness of Team Ha-sung.”

The reputation of Ha-sung’s dedicated trainer team, known as Team Ha-sung, was growing day by day.

In particular, their abilities were being recognized as Ha-sung’s skills improved.

The fact that their market value has skyrocketed shows how impressive Ha-sung’s performance is.

“This year is going to be really interesting, isn’t it?”

“He’s going to cause a real sensation.”

Jeong Ha-sung, who declared that he would be a two-way player.

But the media and the public met his challenge with skepticism and negative opinions.

But Ha-sung didn’t care about such public opinion and prepared meticulously.

And now, through actual combat, he showed what he had prepared and erased the question marks.

No, not stopping at the level of erasing, but now making people have expectations.

‘Is he really going to succeed?’

Such expectations began to be held by Chris, the general manager.

* * *

[Jeong Ha-sung Starts Successful Two-Way Play in First Actual Game!]

[Jeong Ha-sung, who hit 2 hits and 1 home run in 3 at-bats, showed perfect pitching with 5 innings of no runs on the mound!]

[The team lost, but Jeong Ha-sung’s performance was perfect!]

[Jeong Ha-sung challenges the history of Major League Baseball! Will the challenge end successfully?!]

Ha-sung’s first practice game ended.

All domestic and foreign media showed great interest by posting articles about his challenge.

The public who read the articles also had higher expectations for Ha-sung.

-He hit a home run?

-No, does this make sense? lol

-When I watched the video, it was directly embedded, wasn’t it?

-Was the opponent a minor league player?

-No no, it was Oakland’s number two starter.

-A home run against Seager?

-Was he in bad condition?

-It was over 90 miles in the video.

-No, but what is 5 innings of no runs lol

-If Ha-sung had played until the end of the game, the minor league team would have won lol

-This is really going to be a successful two-way play.

The public, who had previously expressed negative opinions, also showed enthusiastic reactions to Ha-sung’s performance.

Naturally, interest in him increased.

* * *

Ha-sung’s performance continued at camp.

As he raised his condition through training and games, the public wanted to see him play with their own eyes as soon as possible.

Until now, he had only shown his abilities through internal practice games, so it was all about watching videos.

That video was also uploaded as a highlight reel, not a full game, so it was difficult to satisfy the public’s thirst.

In the meantime, an article came out.

[Athletics’ Jeong Ha-sung to Participate in First Exhibition Game!]

[Jeong Ha-sung to start as pitcher and bat 6th in first exhibition game!]

It was news about Ha-sung’s first exhibition game.

-He’s really starting as a pitcher and batting ㅋㅋ

-Does this make sense?

-Wow… what I saw in novels is becoming a reality.

-I think I’d get roasted if I wrote this in a novel ㅋㅋㅋ [Korean slang for receiving harsh criticism].

-Wasn’t there a cartoon like this?

-One thing is for sure, this exhibition game is important.

-Even if you do well in practice games, there’s no guarantee if you fail in exhibition games.

-I’m really curious about what will happen ㅋㅋ

The exhibition game was a game where major league players faced off.

Of course, the players played with intensity close to actual combat.

If Ha-sung succeeds in two-way play here, it means that he can deliver similar performances in the regular season.

As everyone’s attention was focused, major media outlets naturally poured out inquiries to cover Ha-sung.

But Ha-sung was firm.

“I’m sorry, but Jeong Ha-sung is declining all interviews to control his condition.”

Ha-sung declined the interview.

It’s for condition control, but in fact, Ha-sung had other thoughts.

‘There’s no reason to do an interview with the media. All public attention is already focused on me.’

It may be an arrogant thought, but it was a fact.

Everyone who is interested in baseball was watching Ha-sung.

The story of two-way play came out through the media every day.

Even if Ha-sung didn’t have any special performances, he was consistently in the top ranks of real-time search terms in Korea.

The products he was endorsing were consistently sold out.

All of this showed that public attention was concentrated on him.

In that situation, there was no reason to conduct an interview with the media.

‘Rather, it’s a good way to amplify public curiosity while maintaining an air of mystery at times like this.’

Sometimes, not being exposed to the media was a way to focus public attention.

Ha-sung’s plan, which thought that far ahead, worked perfectly.

-Isn’t Ha-sung doing interviews or anything?

-I heard they’re declining all interviews.

-Why is he being like that?

-Ah~ I want to hear just one comment.

-Video uploaded on YouTube.

-Really?

Ha-sung chose YouTube as a channel to quench the public thirst.

He talked about his current feelings in an interview format through his channel.

Of course, the public’s reaction was explosive, and his YouTube subscriber count skyrocketed.

As time passed, the day of the exhibition game dawned.

* * *

The exhibition game held ahead of the pennant race [the regular season of Major League Baseball].

Each team finalized the lineup with the pennant race in mind as the game is revealed to the public for the first time.

In other words, all the players participating here will participate in the pennant race.

And each player steps into the game in the best condition.

The quality was very high as it was a game resembling actual combat.

Of course, the most attention in this exhibition game was naturally on the Oakland Athletics.

[Hello to all baseball fans across the country?! Finally, the baseball season is back! Major League Exhibition Game! The Oakland Athletics and the San Francisco Giants are facing off!]

Oakland’s first opponent was the San Francisco Giants.

[The two teams that clashed in the 2010 season World Series are facing off again in the exhibition game.]

[That’s right. The Giants won in the World Series, but I’m curious to see if they can do that in the exhibition game.]

The showdown between the Athletics and the Giants drew a lot of attention.

[In today’s game, the Athletics are starting the untouchable Jeong Ha-sung as the pitcher.]

[It’s an obvious choice. What’s even more surprising is that Jeong Ha-sung’s name is on the 6th batter.]

[He showed a great performance by hitting a home run in the practice game, right?]

[That’s right. It’s his first season after declaring two-way play, and I’m really excited to see what he will show in the exhibition game!]

[I think you can see that now! Jeong Ha-sung is stepping onto the mound!]

The exhibition game started as the camera focused on Ha-sung stepping onto the mound.