Villain On The Mound [EN]: Chapter 204

Thwack-!

“Strike! Batter out!!”

[Strikeout! Jung Ha-sung with his 11th strikeout of the game! Finishes the 6th inning without allowing a run!]

[So far, he hasn’t allowed a single hit or walk, keeping first base a sacred ground.]

Sacred ground.

It was an exaggeration.

But there wasn’t a more fitting word.

[Blue Jays hitters have yet to reach base against Jung Ha-sung.]

Perfect game.

The word began to surface in the minds of the fans.

“Is it a perfect game so far?”

“He hasn’t walked anyone, right?”

“Didn’t he do it last year too?”

“He did.”

A perfect game is something most people never achieve in their lifetime.

Ha-sung was challenging it again.

Just challenging a perfect game was amazing enough.

But Ha-sung was attempting it as a two-way player [a player who both pitches and bats].

Knowing this, the audience couldn’t help but be thrilled by Ha-sung’s performance.

[Jung Ha-sung hasn’t recorded a hit in today’s game, but he’s showing absolute dominance on the mound! We’ll see him at the plate in the bottom of the 6th!]

The announcer informed viewers that Ha-sung would be at bat, then cut to a commercial.

Once the microphone was off, the announcer said,

“He’s really amazing. Another perfect game.”

“It’s still in progress. We have to be careful what we say.”

“That’s right. If we jinx it, they’ll blame us again.”

When a perfect game is in progress, no one mentions it.

It was an unwritten rule.

It was a difficult situation for the broadcasting station.

Promoting it by posting related content would attract more viewers.

But if they did that now, the blame could fall on them.

“It’s a shame, but there’s nothing we can do. Let’s refrain from commenting until the 9th inning.”

The PD [Production Director] came into the broadcast booth and warned the two.

“I know. By the way, how are the ratings?”

“The best. It started lower than the opening game, but as the perfect game became known, more viewers are tuning in.”

“Whew… He’s really something.”

“The ratings are higher than most entertainment programs. It’s a miracle to have these ratings in the morning.”

“If I wasn’t broadcasting, I’d be in front of the TV too.”

Everyone must be thinking the same thing.

A two-way player attempting a perfect game.

No one had expected it.

Knowing that, the current ratings were somewhat understandable.

“Do you think he can succeed?”

“No one knows. Even if he’s done it before, there’s no guarantee he can do it again.”

“Has there ever been a player who achieved a perfect game in two consecutive years?”

“Not even two consecutive years. No one has ever succeeded twice in their career. Even Randy Johnson only succeeded once; it’s that rare of an achievement.”

Perfect game.

It’s considered the most difficult record in baseball.

Only 21 players have recorded it in the 120-year history of Major League Baseball.

No pitcher has ever recorded it more than once.

If Ha-sung succeeds, it would be the first record in Major League history.

“We need to keep a close eye on this too.”

The two nodded at the PD’s words.

* * *

The game continued in a lull.

The Athletics were leading by one point, but they couldn’t pull away further.

A precarious tug-of-war continued.

But Oakland fans weren’t worried.

“Ha-sung is on the mound. One point is enough.”

“That’s right.”

“It would be nice to score more, but with Ha-sung on the mound, we can definitely win.”

Because they had absolute faith in Ha-sung.

Even so, there were just as many fans waiting for more runs.

“The heart of the lineup is coming up this inning, so we can have some expectations.”

“It’s a little disappointing that Ha-sung hasn’t gotten a hit today.”

“He probably needs to focus on the mound more.”

“Yeah, it wouldn’t be easy to focus on both.”

This inning features Arnold, the number 3 hitter, followed by Ha-sung, the number 5 hitter.

The lineup had been boasting powerful offense since the opening, but they hadn’t been performing well today.

But the 6th inning was different.

Crack-!

[He hits it! A long hit over the center fielder’s head! Arnold quickly passes first and reaches second!]

[Arnold records Oakland’s first multi-hit game today.]

[He showed good performance last year, but this year his power and contact both seem to have improved.]

[He was the most outstanding of the rookies who debuted last year. This year, he’s showing even more stability.]

Arnold’s leadoff double opened the door for the offense.

Then, Jack stepped up to the plate, and Ha-sung took his place in the on-deck circle.

‘The momentum is starting to come.’

Ha-sung, watching the field, could tell that the game’s momentum was shifting.

‘In baseball, a long game, momentum will eventually come. The team that seizes that momentum will eventually win.’

All sports have momentum.

If you can’t seize it when it comes, you can’t win the game.

In today’s game, Oakland hadn’t been able to seize the momentum.

It would be difficult to face the next hitter if runners were on base, but the Athletics seemed to be self-destructing whenever they got a runner on.

But not now.

‘With Arnold on second, it becomes difficult for them. Above all, because I have to bat next, they’ll want to get an out somehow.’

Ha-sung knew his position well.

No pitcher likes to face him.

They want to avoid the matchup if possible.

Especially with a runner on base.

And Jack knew that fact well too.

‘They’ll want to compete with me.’

Thwack-!!

“Strike!!”

As expected, they came in aggressively from the first pitch.

As the aggressive pitching came in as expected, Jack also deployed a solution to match it.

‘What I have to do is get on base somehow.’

With a runner on second, the possibility of a double play is extremely low.

What he had to do was fill the bases.

The best thing to do was to hit the good pitches and not swing at the bad ones.

‘I don’t need a long hit.’

Above all, he knew he didn’t need a long hit.

‘Ha-sung will take care of it.’

He had absolute faith in Jung Ha-sung.

This was very unusual.

Major Leaguers were all full of confidence.

Naturally, they had a strong tendency to handle things themselves.

Jack was the same.

But because Ha-sung was behind him, he could rely on him more.

‘If it weren’t for him, I’d still be grinding in the minors [lower-level professional baseball leagues].’

Jack was one of the players whose life had changed after meeting Ha-sung.

That’s why he had absolute trust in Ha-sung.

That belief took precedence over a player’s pride.

It was almost like a kind of religious faith.

Crack-!!

“Foul!!”

[Second pitch is a foul! He cut off a ball that came in on a good course.]

[Jack is showing good concentration.]

Jack increased his concentration, cut off the ball well, and patiently watched, creating a favorable count.

Whack!

“Ball!!”

[Jack holds back on the breaking ball!! Good eye!!]

[This curveball was in the form of a power curve, so it would have been difficult to hold back. He held back very well.]

[The count is three balls and two strikes! Now the pitcher has nowhere to run, right?]

[That’s right. If Jack even gets on base, the next hitter is the most difficult Jung Ha-sung. Toronto definitely wants to avoid that.]

Any team would want to avoid having runners on base before facing Jung Ha-sung.

If first base was empty, they could walk Ha-sung intentionally.

The biggest advantage was that it increased the options, so they wanted to get Jack out somehow.

And Jack knew that fact well too.

‘They’ll want to compete with me, but…’

Jack raised his concentration.

His mind raced to predict what kind of ball the pitcher would throw to compete with him.

‘The possibility of throwing a breaking ball in this situation is low. Eventually, he’ll throw a fastball. The course is…’

Jack’s gaze turned to Arnold on second base.

‘He’ll throw it to the outside course to prevent Arnold from advancing to third.’

If he threw the ball to the outside course against Jack, a left-handed hitter, the batted ball would likely go between second and third base.

If it became a ground ball, it would be a difficult hit for Arnold on second base to run to third.

‘I’ll aim for this one.’

Jack’s calculations were complete.

All that was left was to push the ball coming to the outside well.

At that moment, the pitcher took a slide step from the set position.

And the moment he released the ball.

‘Outside!’

As he expected, Jack started his swing at the ball flying to the outside.

Hamsung’s eyes flashed as he watched it.

‘It’s bait.’

The moment the pitcher threw the ball, Ha-sung could tell.

He could tell that this ball wasn’t a fastball.

He couldn’t express it exactly, but he could tell instinctively.

And Jack, who had received Ha-sung’s pitches, vaguely felt it too.

‘The sound is different.’

It was a sound that he wouldn’t normally hear.

But with his concentration overwhelmingly heightened, he could tell.

The rotation sound of the ball was different.

‘It’s not a fastball.’

The moment he realized that, he stopped his turning lower body and desperately braked.

At that moment.

Whoosh!!

The trajectory of the ball changed and quickly fell downwards.

He braked, but the bat, once it had gained momentum, did not stop immediately as he wished.

‘Please!’

Jack twisted his wrist for the last time and applied the side brake.

At that moment, the swing stopped, and the ball bounced once and went into the catcher’s mitt.

Whack!!

[Did he swing?!]

The catcher, having caught the ball, stood up and pointed to the third base umpire.

It was a gesture indicating a swing.

But the third base umpire spread both hands left and right without any hesitation.

[Safe!! Jack, reading the falling splitter [a type of pitch], barely stops his swing!!]

[Ah~ That was really good eye! How could he hold back on that?]

[The pitcher who threw the splitter at this important moment was also great, and Jack, who saw through it and stopped his swing, also showed a really good play!]

Pitcher and batter.

The two recognized each other’s intentions and made a bet.

But the final winner was Jack.

Jack took off his protective gear and walked to first base.

[The Oakland Athletics get a good chance in the bottom of the 6th! Runners on first and second with no outs!]

The camera showed Ha-sung standing in the on-deck circle.

Even his swinging figure felt imposing.

[And at the plate is the team’s number 5 hitter, today’s starting pitcher! And Jung Ha-sung, the hottest player in Major League Baseball right now!]

Opportunity has come to Ha-sung.