Villain On The Mound [EN]: Chapter 207

The Mound’s Villain – Episode 207

[Jeong Ha-seong Achieves a Record Unprecedented in Major League History!]

[Records His Second Career Perfect Game!]

[Jeong Ha-seong Becomes the Only Player to Hit a Grand Slam and Achieve a Perfect Game!]

Praise poured in from the media.

Not even a month into the new season,

he had already set a major record that would be remembered in Major League history.

[No One Could Stop Jeong Ha-seong.]

[Jeong Ha-seong Showed Perfection in Both Pitching and Hitting!]

[What Kind of Performance Will He Leave in the 11th Season?]

Now, people’s interest was focused on one thing.

What kind of performance would Jeong Ha-seong deliver in 2011?

[Jeong Ha-seong’s Early Pace This Season Is Truly Astonishing.]

[I’m Almost Regretful That My Expressiveness Is Insufficient. Jeong Ha-seong Is Already Rewriting Major League History!]

[When He Declared He Would Be a Two-Way Player, No One Expected Him to Achieve Such Results.]

[Rather than Expectations, There Was Only Hope That It Wouldn’t Affect His Pitching.]

[But Jeong Ha-seong Is Writing History.]

[The Trend in the Baseball World Is Changing. Amateur Players Have Started to Take Jeong Ha-seong as a Role Model and Are Challenging Themselves as Two-Way Players.]

Regardless of East or West, there had been one unspoken rule in the baseball world.

A pitcher should only pitch, and a hitter should only hit.

It was common sense and an absolute rule that had to be followed.

A player who tried to break it was often ostracized, accused of making a mockery of baseball.

They were met with ridicule and pressure, eventually forcing them to choose one or the other.

It was a rule that no one could break.

But that rule was broken.

Ha-seong accomplished it in Major League Baseball, where the best baseball players in the world compete.

The players who saw him began to follow in his footsteps, one by one.

It would take a long time for significant results to emerge.

But the most important thing was that the change had occurred.

And Ha-seong quietly continued on his own path.

* * *

[Jeong Ha-seong Sweeps Player of the Month, Pitcher of the Month, and Hitter of the Month!]

[Jeong Ha-seong Hits 11 Home Runs in April Alone, Aiming for His Second Consecutive MVP Title!]

[Major League Baseball Secretariat [governing body] Enters Discussion on Whether to Consider Hitter Jeong Ha-seong as a Rookie.]

[The Major League Baseball Secretariat’s Headaches Deepen Due to His Unprecedented Appearance!]

Ha-seong wasn’t technically a rookie player.

But he was effectively playing his first season as a hitter.

Due to this, there was talk among fans about whether he should be granted rookie status as a hitter.

Of course, this was a bit of a stretch.

However, the tremendous attention focused on Ha-seong eventually led the secretariat to officially discuss it.

“Clearly, he is having a rookie season in hitting, but he has already received the Rookie of the Year award as a pitcher.”

“That’s right. Although the fans’ demands are strong, giving him rookie status again would set a strange precedent.”

“But wouldn’t it boost popularity?”

“We can’t change the rules just for the sake of popularity.”

In the end, this discussion went nowhere.

The secretariat officially announced that Ha-seong could not be considered a rookie again.

It was a predictable outcome.

But this announcement spoke volumes about Ha-seong’s current standing.

– This announcement is obvious, lol.

– Giving rookie status to a player who received the Rookie of the Year award two years ago, lol.

– I guess that means he’s a really hot topic in the United States.

– How many complaints must have been filed for the secretariat to take action?

– I guess that’s true.

– They’re even holding meetings and making official announcements because of one player, lol.

– Jeong Ha-seong is amazing.

It was an incident that made people realize Jeong Ha-seong’s status once again.

And there was another indicator that showcased Ha-seong’s greatness.

[Jeong Ha-seong’s YouTube Subscriber Count Reaches 10 Million!]

[Jeong Ha-seong Is the First to Reach 10 Million Subscribers on YouTube!]

[YouTube CEO Personally Delivers a Congratulatory Video to Him!]

[Congratulatory Remarks from YouTube CEO and Google CEO Released on YouTube’s Official Channel!]

[Followers on Twitter and Facebook Are Also Increasing Exponentially!]

[Becomes the Most Recognized Star Among Sports Stars Worldwide!]

[Receiving Attention from All Over the World, Beyond Major League Baseball!]

Baseball is a sport that is popular in a limited number of countries.

But Ha-seong’s popularity was surpassing the limitations of baseball.

The reason was his groundbreaking performance that defied expectations.

Thanks to this, the companies that had contracts with him were thrilled.

“Sales of Jeong Ha-seong’s limited edition merchandise are increasing every day.”

“It boasts overwhelming sales, accounting for 7 percent of total sales.”

In particular, Vigor, which had an exclusive contract with Ha-seong for sports equipment, saw sales increase to the point where it significantly impacted their overall revenue.

The same was true for Ohsung Electronics.

“Sales of TVs featuring Jeong Ha-seong as the model are skyrocketing.”

“As Jeong Ha-seong’s performance continues, the value of our company in the global market continues to rise.”

Companies that had contracts with Ha-seong gained tremendous promotional benefits.

Sales of products he endorsed skyrocketed.

This wasn’t just a phenomenon in Korea.

It was happening not only in the United States, where most Major League Baseball viewers are located, but all over the world.

Seeing this phenomenon, the media coined a term for it.

[The Whole World Is Suffering from Jeong Ha-seong Fever!]

[Jeong Ha-seong Is Spreading the Name of Major League Baseball, Which Was Limited to a Small Number of Countries, to the Whole World!]

His influence far exceeded people’s expectations.

And that influence was drawing people to the stadium.

* * *

[First Game Between the Oakland Athletics and the Texas Rangers, Jeong Ha-seong Steps Up to the Plate in the Bottom of the 4th Inning, Trailing by 2 Points.]

[With Runners on Base, Jeong Ha-seong’s Role Is Extremely Important.]

It was a scoring opportunity they hadn’t had in a while.

The fans hoped that this opportunity would lead to a score.

Bang-!

“Ball!!”

[Jeong Ha-seong Takes the First Pitch.]

[Isn’t One of Jeong Ha-seong’s Greatest Strengths His Plate Discipline?]

[That’s Right. Many People Highlight His Power, but His Plate Discipline Is Undeniably Excellent.]

Ha-seong, who recognized the bad pitch, earned a favorable count.

[Jeong Ha-seong Gets the Count to Two Balls, One Strike.]

A favorable count was created.

In this situation, Ha-seong understood the pitcher’s mindset.

‘He’ll try to throw a strike somehow.’

No pitcher likes to fall behind in the count.

That was a universal feeling among pitchers.

When the count is against them, they feel pressured.

They try to avoid those situations.

That was the basis of the battle.

Knowing that psychology well, it was easy to exploit.

‘It’ll be a strike.’

The moment he made that judgment, Ha-seong heightened his focus.

Raising concentration wasn’t a simple task.

The higher the concentration, the more stamina it consumed.

No matter how monstrous Ha-seong’s stamina was, it was impossible to maintain that level of concentration throughout the entire game.

‘But if I can anticipate the moment they’re going to throw the decisive pitch, I can raise my concentration only when necessary.’

Ha-seong is a pitcher himself.

He is also a veteran who has accumulated a lot of experience, including his past life.

Reading the psychology of pitchers came naturally to him.

It didn’t matter whether his prediction was right or wrong.

What mattered was that he had a target to focus on.

‘The pitches a pitcher can throw to get back in the count are limited. Especially the pitch that this guy is most confident in throwing is…!’

When that insight is combined with data, the number of possibilities is further reduced.

Ha-seong, having narrowed down his options, swung his bat without hesitation.

‘It’ll be a fastball!’

Whoosh-!!

The bat, swung with intense concentration, connected with the ball flying at a fierce speed.

Thwack-!!

[He Hit It!!]

The well-hit ball soared away at tremendous speed.

Ha-seong finished his follow-through, feeling the satisfying sensation in his hands, and casually tossed his bat.

Swish-!!

[Jeong Ha-seong Throws His Bat!! And the Ball Sails Over the Fence!!]

Jeong Ha-seong’s home run barrage continued.

* * *

April ended.

With the Major League Baseball season underway, Ha-seong’s dominant performance continued.

He achieved a historic first, earning titles for his performance in his first month as a declared two-way player.

[Major League Baseball Secretariat Selects Jeong Ha-seong as Pitcher of the Month!]

[Major League Baseball Secretariat Selects Jeong Ha-seong as Player of the Month!]

[Jeong Ha-seong Is the First in Major League History to Be Simultaneously Selected as Player and Pitcher of the Month!]

These titles are given to the pitcher and hitter who achieve the most outstanding performance in a given month.

He swept them both.

In a way, it was almost expected.

[The Major League Baseball Secretariat’s Choice Was Quite Unconventional.]

[In Fact, It Should Be Seen as Natural. Jeong Ha-seong Is Showing a Tremendous Pace, Winning All 5 of His Games in April Alone.
This Can Be Said to Be an Overwhelming Improvement Compared to Last Season.]

The doubts about Jeong Ha-seong as a pitcher had vanished.

To be precise, the uncertainty had disappeared.

Experts who predicted that pitching would be a problem when he declared himself a two-way player were now silent.

Instead, many praised his durability and the improvements in his pitching mechanics.

That’s how overwhelmingly successful Jeong Ha-seong was as a pitcher.

What was even more surprising was Jeong Ha-seong as a hitter.

[In Fact, He Has Been Verified as a Pitcher Because He Has Received the Cy Young Award [award for best pitcher] for Two Consecutive Years, Right?]

[That’s Right. He Has Already Proven That He Is One of the Best Pitchers in Major League Baseball as a Whole.]

[But There Was Naturally a Question Mark on Hitter Jeong Ha-seong.]

[That’s Right. Because He Declared an Unprecedented Two-Way Career, There Was Doubt as to Whether He Could Hit Effectively.]

The mechanics of pitching and hitting are completely different.

Therefore, there was a prevailing opinion that even the best pitcher wouldn’t be able to hit well.

That’s why people initially viewed Ha-seong’s challenge as arrogance rather than supporting him.

But in April, the results he achieved left everyone speechless.

[Jeong Ha-seong Hit 13 Home Runs in April Alone, Topping the Entire Major League.]

[It Wasn’t Just Home Runs. Batting Average of .431, Slugging Percentage of .617, etc. He Is Leading Major League Baseball in All Offensive Stats.]

[The Only Thing He Didn’t Rank First in Is Stolen Bases.]

[He’s Not Slow, but When He’s at the Plate, He’s Hitting for Extra Bases Rather Than Singles, So There’s No Opportunity to Steal.]

[Some Even Say That Jeong Ha-seong Would Have Succeeded Even If He Had Come to Major League Baseball as a Hitter From the Beginning.]

April.

Ha-seong’s hitting record for the month was astounding.

That’s why there were articles claiming that no hitter in Major League history had ever achieved such outstanding results as Ha-seong.

[I Wonder If Jeong Ha-seong Will Be Able to Continue This Performance Until the End of the Season. I’m Looking Forward To It.]

The Major League season is long.

Only a month has passed.

Will Ha-seong be able to maintain this level of performance throughout the remaining five months of the season?

That was what baseball fans were most curious about.