Villain On The Mound [EN]: Chapter 203

Rest was essential for a starting pitcher.

Only through rest could they recover and continue pitching in optimal condition.

But for Ha-sung, this wasn’t necessarily the case.

Even during his supposed rest days, he continuously appeared in games as a designated hitter.

Therefore, the possibility of his routine being disrupted had to be considered.

This was why the experts’ concerns were valid.

However, the fans’ opinions differed.

-Haven’t the experts been wrong every time?

-That’s true, but I think they might be right this time.

-Hasn’t Ha-sung always defied common sense? What makes you think he won’t do it again this time?

-Of course, he’ll defy it, lol [laughing out loud].

-I believe in Ha-sung.

-That guy will definitely shatter conventional wisdom with ease.

-Let’s go-!!

Netizens showed absolute support for Ha-sung.

They knew what he had shown them so far.

He had shattered common sense and pushed his way through, so fans gave him absolute support.

Amidst such support, Ha-sung’s pitching day approached.

* * *

Ha-sung took a day off before his start.

‘Is a day off enough?’

It was a different routine than usual.

Even Ha-sung himself wasn’t sure if this routine would be the right answer.

It was a challenge into the unknown for him as well, and a slight sense of tension crept in.

“It’ll be alright.”

He believed in himself.

He knew how great his efforts had been so far.

It wasn’t self-praise or arrogance.

It was a conclusion he reached objectively.

“Even in my past life and now, the training volume of those who claim to train hard can’t keep up with me. Above all, the systematic approach is different.”

Training systems have evolved rapidly with the times.

In particular, sports science has made remarkable progress in line with the advancement of science.

Naturally, the sports science of the future, where science is more advanced, was superior.

The sports science of this era and that of 10 years later were incomparable.

“Things that were considered common sense in this era were revealed to be absurd in the future.”

In particular, Shohei Ohtani’s emergence gave a major inflection point to sports science.

Because he succeeded in doing both pitching and hitting, which many said was impossible, scientists studied how it was possible.

And they developed a way to succeed in both pitching and hitting more efficiently.

Thanks to this, in the future, doing both pitching and hitting was rare but not impossible to see.

That’s the biggest reason why Ha-sung was able to succeed in doing both pitching and hitting.

“There hasn’t been anything wrong with my choices so far.”

After regression [returning to a previous state or time].

Ha-sung made several choices.

He chose the major league instead of staying in Korea, and he chose Oakland, a small market team, instead of a big market.

All of these choices benefited him.

This pitching and hitting endeavor was the same.

People were worried, but it was successful.

His value soared.

He became a player representing Major League Baseball.

He had risen to a position that no one could touch anymore.

“If I succeed this time, that’s all I need.”

Untouchable.

Like his nickname, Ha-sung wanted to become an icon symbolizing Major League Baseball.

To do so, this challenge had to end successfully.

The first hurdle was tomorrow.

Ha-sung focused his mind and prepared for his second start.

* * *

Ha-sung’s second start.

It was a game that every baseball fan was curious about.

The stadium was sold out early, and people used TVs and various media to connect to watch the game.

With such attention focused, Ha-sung took the mound.

[Oakland Athletics’ ace! Jung Ha-sung is on the mound!]

[I’m really curious how he will play today’s game.]

[I think it’s a game that not only the commentators but all baseball fans and officials are curious about, right?]

[That’s right. Jung Ha-sung, who is playing both pitching and hitting this season, has been playing as a designated hitter every day since his opening game start. As a result, he is facing his second start without proper physical recovery.]

[In fact, this situation is unusual, right?]

[It is difficult to find a precedent in the history of baseball around the world, including Major League history.]

The camera showed Ha-sung starting his practice pitches.

Even in the meantime, the commentators and casters continued their explanations.

[There is an article that Jung Ha-sung, who declared that he would do both pitching and hitting, made this routine decision with 100% of his own opinion.]

[I also checked separately, but it turned out to be true. The club actually advised Jung Ha-sung to rest, but he wanted to continue playing in the game.]

[Does that mean he is confident in his physical condition?]

[That’s very likely. Jung Ha-sung is well known as a player who takes good care of himself.
Besides, he didn’t make tremendous preparations while declaring that he would do both pitching and hitting?]

[That’s right. Every year, he surprised reporters when he appeared at spring camp.]

[That’s why Jung Ha-sung must have a reason for this routine.]

The time has come for the veil to be lifted.

A batter walked into the batter’s box to face Ha-sung, who had finished his practice pitches.

[Toronto Blue Jays’ number one hitter, Niki, is entering to face Jung Ha-sung today.]

[He is famous for his very accurate hitting, with a .300 batting average and 30 stolen bases last season as the Blue Jays’ leader.]

Niki Jameson.

He didn’t have power, but his accuracy was among the best in Major League Baseball.

In addition, he was fast, ranking first in the entire Major League in infield hits.

[Not only Jung Ha-sung but also the infield defenses must be nervous when facing this player.]

[That’s why the infield defense is playing forward. The outfielders are also playing quite far forward.]

[It seems to be a formation to prevent the fast-footed Niki from stepping on the next base.]

Ha-sung also knew Niki Jameson well.

‘He knows his strengths well and has adjusted his hitting mechanism accordingly.’

Niki Jameson stood out last year.

There wasn’t a lot of data accumulated, so there were still question marks, but Ha-sung knew that he would become a leadoff hitter representing the future of Major League Baseball.

‘Originally, he is a talented player. He is a genius who has put in the effort.’

Niki Jameson will become an excellent hitter, earning the reputation of being Toronto’s Ichiro [referring to Ichiro Suzuki, a famous Japanese baseball player known for his hitting prowess].

But that was a story of the future.

‘Right now, he is just an immature player.’

Ha-sung knew how to handle him.

[Jung Ha-sung exchanges signs and goes into his windup.]

[The first pitch is important. Depending on what ball he throws and how he gets the count, the match against Niki Jameson can be difficult or easy.]

The ball that Ha-sung chose as he went into the windup was one.

‘When he doesn’t have much experience, I’ll definitely press him down.’

Lack of experience meant that he had not yet adapted to the fastballs of Major League Baseball.

In particular, Ha-sung’s fastball was at a unique level even in Major League Baseball.

‘There’s no need to throw a breaking ball to that accurate guy and boost his confidence.’

That was the reason for choosing a fastball.

Ha-sung, who went into the windup, moved his center of gravity forward with a stride along with kicking.

Crack!

The moment the spikes were embedded in the mound.

Whoosh!

Rotating his lower and upper body, he concentrated all his power on his fingertips.

‘Concentrate all the power from the tip of my foot.’

I felt that the power was gathering in a different dimension from last year, as I felt in the opening game.

Should I say that the transmission of power is better?

Above all, I was accurately catching how the power was moving.

That meant that my concentration was good.

When all the power was concentrated on his fingertips, Ha-sung stretched his arm forward and scratched the seams of the ball.

“Hup!!”

Whoosh-!!

Ha-sung, who had been holding the ball with his fingertips until the last moment, exploded with power at the last moment.

The ball, shot out with such concentrated power, penetrated Niki Jameson’s body.

‘Too fast!’

Niki was surprised by the speed of the ball, which exceeded his expectations.

‘Too close!’

One more thing.

The trajectory of the ball seemed to be coming too close to his body.

‘I’m going to get hit!’

Niki leaned back without realizing it at the threatening trajectory of the ball.

That moment.

Whoosh!

The trajectory of the ball shook and then hit the catcher’s mitt along a normal trajectory.

Popping!!

“Strike!!”

The umpire’s hand went up mercilessly, and Niki’s face crumpled.

“Wasn’t that too close?”

“It was exactly on the borderline.”

“No, how can I hit a ball like that? I had to lean back to avoid it.”

“Aren’t you too scared?”

Niki was upset by the umpire’s words, but he stopped there.

Even in the United States, the authority of the referee was strong.

He knew very well what would happen if he continued to complain about their decisions, so he had no choice but to shut his mouth.

[Jung Ha-sung throws a tremendous fastball with a speed of 101 miles in the first pitch! Niki had to lean back to avoid it, but the umpire’s hand went up without hesitation!]

[Jung Ha-sung’s fastball doesn’t move in a straight line, but comes in very dirty and shaky. That’s why Niki seems to have avoided it because he thought it was coming too close.]

Also known as a moving fastball.

Ha-sung was famous for throwing balls with dirty ends.

In particular, the fastball had very high vertical and horizontal movement, making it a very difficult ball for hitters.

[Jung Ha-sung, who caught the first pitch well, has speed as well as power. No matter what point you look at, there are no aftereffects of playing as a hitter.]

[It’s just the beginning of the game, but the start is very good!]

It was a ball that dispelled the concerns so far.

[It seems like there was no need to worry about Jung Ha-sung.]

[It’s a path that he’s never been on before, so other people can’t help but worry, but he’s calmly going his own way.]

Ha-sung’s run, which erased the concerns of the experts who were worried about Ha-sung, did not stop.

Popping-!

“Strike! Batter out!!”

[Jung Ha-sung strikes out the first batter, Niki Jameson!]

Turning away a difficult hitter.

Clang!!

[A high fly ball!]

Thud!

“Out!”

[He handles the second batter with a fly ball to center field!]

He earned two outs with only five pitches.

[He is accumulating outs in an instant!]

The fans who had been uneasy were no longer uneasy.

The fans cheered and were enthusiastic about his performance at Ha-sung’s good pitching.

[Jung Ha-sung is exciting the fans so much that the stadium is shaking! It seems impossible to predict his limits!]

The caster’s voice also rose.

Ha-sung’s performance was enough to excite everyone.

‘Not bad.’

Ha-sung himself was also positive about his physical condition.

He thought that the physical part would be a problem, but so far there was no big problem.

Still, he didn’t let go of the tension.

‘It’s just the beginning.’

He is a starting pitcher who has to digest as many innings as possible.

That’s why he shouldn’t let his guard down yet.

‘Don’t let go of the tension and…….’

Ha-sung stepped on the pitcher’s plate.

‘Lead today’s game to victory.’

His concentration increased.