Villain On The Mound [EN]: Chapter 20

The Villain on the Mound – Episode 20

News from the minor leagues doesn’t often reach the public eye.

Even in the United States, the minor leagues are so niche that you have to actively seek out information.

Perhaps that’s why the game between the Rockhounds and the Missions ended as just a ripple in a teacup.

But in Korea, it was a bit different.

‘Whew~ The reaction is insane.’

Baek Jun-gi wrote an article and uploaded it to a portal site.

This time, he didn’t just write an article; he also included a video.

The video showed Ha-sung throwing the headshot and the aftermath.

The public’s reaction was divided once again.

-Why would you throw a headshot like that?

-Isn’t that attempted murder?

-His personality is rotten.

-The guy has no professional ethics.

Some people reacted negatively to the headshot, while others said:

-There’s a previous video uploaded too.

-That batter is a crazy bastard?

-It was obvious he was aiming for a headshot.

-But what’s with this guy? That maniac is charging at him, and he’s just walking away.

-He’s got guts.

-We need a guy like this in Korea too.

Some people praised Ha-sung’s actions.

While various reactions were being exchanged,

another video was uploaded.

It was a scene where the fifth pitch thrown by Ha-sung deflected and hit Barton in a sensitive area.

Someone who saw it left a comment.

-Ouch… my fire egg hurts [slang for testicle].

-That’s too much…

-Agh…

Regardless of nationality,

it was a scene that would make any man cringe.

* * *

Chris, the general manager of the Oakland Athletics, was handling a busy schedule.

‘To move up in the second half, we need to reinforce the bullpen. Are there any players you can recommend?’

The Athletics were currently third in the American League West.

They were only three games behind the second-place Texas Rangers, so it wasn’t time to give up on the postseason race yet.

That was why there had been so many meetings recently.

‘Jordan in AAA [Triple-A, the highest level of minor league baseball] is currently in the best form. He has a record of 4 wins and 1 loss, with an ERA [Earned Run Average, a measure of pitching performance] of 1.36. He has shown great composure in save situations, successfully saving every game.’

Jordan was the Athletics’ best pitching prospect.

His potential for growth was so immense that other teams were also eyeing him.

‘Let’s put Jordan as our top priority. What about the other pitchers?’

The meeting continued.

The more pitching resources, the better.

Especially in the second half, when the expanded roster is applied, up to 40 players can be registered on the roster.

With more registered players, there is more flexibility in game management.

It was a great opportunity for minor league players to enter the major leagues.

‘A right fielder playing in AAA…’

‘Outfielder Randall is finding his batting rhythm.’

‘Jonathan’s pitching stats are improving day by day…’

The scouts listed the names of the players they had been watching.

The positions and players were all different, but one thing was the same.

They were all players playing in AAA.

The minor league promotion system was well-organized.

A system of developing players step by step and debuting them in the major leagues.

That system was well-established, so the Athletics’ scouts were following it.

‘Most of them are familiar names.’

But Chris didn’t like their answers.

Because they were all names he already knew.

Knowing them meant that they had already finished reviewing whether they would be helpful to the team.

‘Bringing them up would help, but can they carry the team to the postseason?’

Chris was feeling pressure this season.

In the 2007 season, they suffered the tragedy of breaking the .500 winning percentage for the first time in nine years.

That’s why they had to aim for a winning percentage above .500 and even a postseason appearance this year.

He was going to use a bold strategy again.

‘Are there any good players in AA [Double-A, the second-highest level of minor league baseball]?’

He was looking for players directly from AA.

Occasionally, there were players who skipped Triple-A.

Chris was also one of the general managers who used sabermetrics [the empirical analysis of baseball] well.

That meant he valued data more than a player’s career.

But the scouts hadn’t yet caught up with Chris’s boldness.

‘We haven’t looked into Double-A yet.’

The scouts were still accustomed to the existing major league system.

That’s why they hadn’t found any players in Double-A.

‘There’s no need to only look for players in Triple-A. There are excellent players in Double-A too. So let’s check Double-A as well.’

‘Understood.’

The meeting ended like that.

After the meeting, Chris returned to his office and took a breather.

He grabbed a baseball and lightly tossed it over his head.

He caught the baseball as it fell back down due to gravity, seemingly about to touch the ceiling.

Chris organized his thoughts while repeating that action.

‘Should I really move Jordan, who I want to use as a starter, to the closer position?’

He highly valued Jordan.

Someday, he would become a major league ace.

If that happened, his value would increase significantly.

That meant he would be a good trade chip.

On the other hand, if he became a closer, the story would be different.

‘I can better lead the team by trading for more players if I develop him as a starter rather than a closer.’

It had been nine years since Chris took on the position of general manager.

During that time, they had advanced to the playoffs five times.

But the team’s support hadn’t increased much.

The Athletics still remained a representative small-market team.

That didn’t mean the responsibility had decreased.

‘I need to get to the playoffs this season to move up to the president position I want.’

Chris was aiming for the team’s presidency.

That’s why he had turned down the general manager position offered by the Red Sox.

To become president, he needed to solidify his career further. To do that, a rebound was needed this year.

‘A good player in Double-A…’

Ring-!!

At that moment, the phone in the general manager’s office rang.

* * *

Chris paused for a moment after hanging up the phone.

‘The Padres put Barton on the market?’

He was familiar with Barton.

He was a player ranked A among the prospects held by the Padres.

Considering his potential and growth rate, he would be playing in the major leagues in two to three years.

But the Padres put him on the market.

‘And that news came to me.’

The Padres’ general manager had called.

Suggesting they match up prospect cards [trade prospects], including Barton.

Trading prospects happened frequently in the major leagues.

It wasn’t unusual.

But he was suspicious because the other party was the Padres.

‘It’s unlikely that a guy about to retire would worry about prospects. Robert’s intentions must have been applied.’

Chris was also well aware of the Padres’ internal affairs.

He knew that Robert was preparing to become the next general manager.

Major League general managers are either brought in from the outside or promoted from within.

The Padres had chosen the latter, and that process was proceeding sequentially.

Robert was a very skilled and capable person.

That’s why he was suspicious.

‘Does that mean they couldn’t control Barton’s personality?’

Barton’s biggest weakness was his personality.

The problem was that his potential was big enough to cover up the weakness.

The fact that they put him on the market meant that his strengths couldn’t cover up his weaknesses.

‘What I’m curious about is why they contacted us…’

There must be a reason why he was contacted directly.

The major leagues didn’t move without a reason.

‘I need to find out the reason.’

Chris picked up the phone.

‘Investigate Robert’s recent activities. Yes, I’m talking about Padres team leader Robert.’

* * *

The away game against the Missions was over, and the Rockhounds returned home.

‘I’m glad Jack’s injury wasn’t serious.’

Jack’s detailed examination revealed a simple contusion [bruise].

He would probably be back in a few weeks.

The injury wasn’t serious, but he felt sorry, so he came to visit him in the hospital.

‘Yo.’

As he entered the hospital room, Jack raised his hand to greet him.

‘A guy with a shoulder injury is raising that hand?’

‘Haha, it’s nothing. Where’s the gift?’

‘Sigh, what’s with a hospitalized guy asking for a hamburger?’

‘Hospital food sucks.’

It seems hospital food isn’t great regardless of East or West.

He handed over the cheeseburger and asked, watching Jack swallow half of it in one bite.

‘How’s your shoulder?’

‘It’s fine. It doesn’t hurt that much.’

‘I’m glad to hear it’s okay.’

A moment of silence passed.

Ha-sung, who was watching, carefully said.

‘I’m sorry.’

‘What for?’

‘In a way, it’s my fault that Mad Dog went wild like that.’

‘Does a mad dog have a reason for going wild? He just went crazy on his own. Don’t worry about it.’

Jack brushed it off nonchalantly.

That made him feel even more sorry…

‘What did they say about rehab [rehabilitation]?’

‘The trainer will take care of the schedule. It’s not difficult. It’s not like I’m doing rehab for a day or two.’

Injuries are a part of life for athletes.

It wasn’t like he hadn’t done rehab for a day or two.

So he didn’t seem to think much of it.

‘I learned an exercise in Korea. Should I teach you one?’

‘What exercise?’

Ha-sung smiled at Jack’s question.

* * *

Sports science is a field that is developing day by day.

The field of sports itself was a business that generated enormous amounts of money.

Naturally, people wondered how to generate revenue more efficiently.

The major leagues were at the forefront in that regard.

Especially after the 2010s, they introduced high-tech equipment to help players grow.

All to maximize the team’s profits by developing players.

‘Compared to then, the current sports science is very low level.’

Ha-sung began to seriously study sports science in the 2020s.

From the mechanics of pitchers to the mechanics of batters.

How can you throw a faster ball, and how can you hit the ball farther?

Sports science provided very detailed answers to these simple questions.

‘As a result, pitchers throwing 100 miles per hour and batters hitting those pitches came out in droves.’

The advancement of science precisely analyzed the mechanics of players and provided answers on how to become faster and stronger.

Teams developed players with those answers and made them even better.

As a result, many changes occurred in baseball in the 2020s.

The launch angle of the batted ball was considered important, and the spin rate of the ball thrown by the pitcher was in the spotlight.

Having studied in such a place, Ha-sung was able to give advice to Jack.

‘If Jack faithfully performs the stretching I taught him, he will become a better player than he is now.’

The advice wasn’t difficult.

It was simply stretching to make the muscles around the shoulder more flexible.

It was also a simple stretching to correct the body’s imbalances.

Ha-sung saw that Jack’s shoulders were unbalanced.

‘If he works hard, it will be a great help in rehab.’

That’s all the advice he could give.

From then on, it was up to him to faithfully perform the stretching.

Stretching is a boring and repetitive movement, so many people skipped it.

But there was one thing Ha-sung was overlooking.

‘Hoo… Hoo…’

It was Jack’s sincerity.

He was a very serious person when it came to baseball.

And he also had a mind to trust those he considered his people.

That’s why he continued to do the stretching that Ha-sung taught him every day since the day he left.

It was a very simple stretch.

The three stretches using the band were extremely boring.

But.

Drip! Drip!

He focused and continued stretching.

So focused that the sweat dripping from his forehead fell to the ground.