Villain On The Mound [EN]: Chapter 217

Mound Villain – Episode 217

Where is the best place to play baseball in the world?

Everyone would agree it’s Major League Baseball.

Then, what about the second best?

There’s no room for disagreement on this either.

It’s Japan.

It has the second-longest history and well-established infrastructure after Major League Baseball.

Above all, the population that enjoys baseball is different.

Korea is also gaining popularity, and the baseball population is increasing accordingly, but it is still in its infancy.

For Japan, the emergence of Jung Ha-sung was simply uncomfortable.

‘A player who dominates Major League Baseball comes from Korean baseball, which is inferior to us…!’

Japanese baseball officials had a very strong sense of pride.

They thought they were close to Major League Baseball, though not quite.

The overwhelming number of Japanese major leaguers compared to Korean major leaguers was also evidence of this.

In addition, more Japanese players left meaningful records in the United States.

But suddenly, Ha-sung appeared.

From the moment he appeared, he was breaking not only Asian records but also all-time Major League records.

This fact cracked their pride.

And he doesn’t know Hideki Nomura, Japan’s best pitcher?

“Hideki Nomura is a pitcher who even achieved a perfect game in Japan. Is it possible not to know him?”

“I don’t even know how the KBO [Korean Baseball Organization] is doing. Do I have to know which players are in foreign professional baseball in Japan? That’s very strange logic.”

“Even if you don’t know, your answer is a disregard for players in the same industry!”

“Since when was Japanese professional baseball Major League Baseball? If that player comes to Major League Baseball, he will be in the same industry. And didn’t that player provoke me first? Is it polite to provoke players in the same industry?”

Ha-sung didn’t back down.

Above all, his words made more sense, so the reporter had no choice but to shut his mouth.

Ha-sung looked at the reporters and delivered the final blow.

“I know you want to use me to gain fame, but tell them to do it properly. I have no intention of being dragged into clumsy attempts at creating drama.”

“Then, do you have any intention of participating in this Olympics?”

The question this time was from a Korean reporter.

Since baseball was adopted as a formal sport in the Olympics, Korean baseball fans have had only one interest.

Will Jung Ha-sung join the national team?

There were several opinions on this.

-Will Ha-sung join the national team?

-There is a high possibility that he will refuse again this time.

-It’s better to play in Major League Baseball than to play for the national team.

-Still, isn’t it good to be exempt from military service [a significant benefit in South Korea]?

-He may be able to get a U.S. permanent residency if necessary.

-Give up nationality?

-Well, so what? It’s better to live in the United States than in Korea.

In the past, there were many people who were negative about Ha-sung’s joining the national team.

But this time, opinions were somewhat divided.

-He should join this time.

-I agree.

-Last time, the problem was adapting to Major League Baseball, but not now, right?

-Besides, Major League Baseball also stops the league during the Olympics, right?

-You should stop making excuses for Major League Baseball.

-And is it easy to give up nationality?

-The moment you give up your nationality, the second Steve [referring to Steve Yoo, a Korean-American singer who renounced his Korean citizenship to avoid military service, causing public outrage] is born.

Giving up nationality is quite a sensitive issue for Koreans.

In particular, when military service is involved, they have no choice but to react more sensitively.

As Ha-sung’s popularity increased, there were many opinions supporting him.

But increasing popularity also means that the number of people who envy him increases.

Naturally, there were those who were reluctant to make his decision.

In the meantime, he refuses the national team without any particular reason?

This was nothing more than giving him a chance to be criticized.

And Ha-sung didn’t want to give that opportunity.

“I’m thinking positively about this national team.”

“Oh!”

“However, only if the association doesn’t force anything on me.”

“Force?”

“The association has had many troubles with me. There’s no way to know if this will happen again.”

The reporters also knew it well.

What kind of power struggle has Ha-sung had with the association?

What was surprising was Ha-sung’s behavior of openly revealing these details.

No one has ever done this before.

The association was a group with tremendous power.

If you were disliked by such a group, your baseball life could become tiring.

But Ha-sung didn’t have to worry about that.

One reason was that his skills were overwhelming, and another was that he played in Major League Baseball, where the association’s hands could not reach.

Naturally, it was also possible to fight against the association.

And it was the same now.

His joining the national team depends on the attitude of the association.

Ha-sung was emphasizing that.

* * *

Ha-sung’s national team joining interview became a huge topic in Korea.

-Is Ha-sung finally wearing the national team uniform?

-If the association doesn’t do anything stupid, it seems like it’s possible.

-But isn’t it too arrogant? He speaks as if it’s natural to be selected for the national team.

-What nonsense. If Ha-sung doesn’t wear the national team uniform, who will?

-I agree. Did he drink and drive, or did he get into the news because of a woman?

-If he can’t get into the national team with his skills, then all the current national team members should be cut.

Interest in Ha-sung’s joining the national team increased day by day.

As Ha-sung’s performance was added to it, that interest soared.

[Jung Ha-sung recorded multiple hits in today’s game as well. His consecutive game home run record has been interrupted, but he is still showing excellent hitting power.]

When he declared that he would work as both a pitcher and a hitter, there were many concerns.

But not anymore.

No one in the world was worried about Ha-sung anymore.

Attention was focused on what kind of grades he would achieve.

As data accumulated day by day, Koreans’ expectations for his joining the national team increased.

On the other hand, American baseball fans had separate interests.

[Red Sox in contact with Athletics executives to acquire Jung Ha-sung?!]

It was Ha-sung’s next destination.

-Is he really moving teams?

-There’s still a lot of service time left.

-The problem is that Oakland can’t afford Ha-sung’s salary.

-Besides, the Oakland owner is not very interested in running the team.

-That bastard is a real money grubber.

-Since it’s a team that will be sold anyway, I guess he wants to make a fortune at the end.

The situation of the Oakland Athletics was already widely known to baseball fans.

So, they didn’t seem very surprised by Ha-sung’s trade news.

Above all, Ha-sung’s trade has been mentioned continuously, so they were getting used to it to some extent.

Of course, to himself as well.

‘The fact that this news keeps coming out means that a trade could really happen.’

In Major League Baseball, big-name trades are common.

Even if he is a player who symbolizes the team, he may go to another team depending on the team’s interests.

‘Babe Ruth was also sold to the Yankees.’

At the time, Babe Ruth was a player representing the Red Sox.

But the Red Sox sold Ruth, and this became a trade that remained in history.

‘Whatever it is, I hope it will be decided as soon as possible.’

Ha-sung didn’t have much thought about his trade.

After all, he chose Oakland not because he had great affection for it.

He naturally chose the Oakland Athletics because he chose the team that was easiest for him to break through the roster.

It was a team he chose because his interests matched, but he didn’t have any affection for it.

Of course, he developed affection for the fans’ love while playing, but the trade was not his area.

‘If I trade at this point, there’s nothing I can do to stop it.’

The biggest problem was that he still didn’t know exactly about the trade.

‘Does the general manager know?’

He had no intention of just listening to the rumors around him.

I wanted to know exactly.

What is happening to his situation now?

So, Ha-sung went to see General Manager Chris.

“Welcome.”

Chris welcomed Ha-sung’s visit.

As the team’s top star, it was not difficult to meet the general manager.

Ha-sung, who faced him, immediately brought up the main point.

“There have been many stories about my trade recently.”

“Um… that’s right.”

“I came here because I was curious about what the club is thinking.”

“Um…”

General Manager Chris had a difficult expression.

It is common for players not to be involved in trades.

Occasionally, players request a trade themselves, but Ha-sung’s case was not such a case.

In other words, he doesn’t know what kind of repercussions his remarks will cause.

After thinking for a while, General Manager Chris opened his mouth as if he had made a decision.

“What I’m about to say is Chris speaking, not as a general manager, but as a person.”

“You mean don’t disclose it to the outside.”

“That’s right. If you promise that, I can answer Jung Ha-sung’s question.”

It wasn’t a difficult problem.

When Ha-sung nodded, Chris continued.

“There is talk about Jung Ha-sung’s trade. But I don’t know the details.”

“A trade that the general manager doesn’t know?”

“Yes. Someone above me is moving directly.”

“The owner.”

It was an easy problem to think about.

Currently, his position in Major League Baseball was very high.

He was the perfect player to say that he was irreplaceable.

So, it was difficult to trade at the general manager level.

Then, what was left was the president and the owner.

But if Chris, the general manager, was excluded, so was the president.

In other words, someone higher up was moving. There was only one owner left.

‘If you’re going to sell the club, it would be advantageous to have me. Is the reason why you’re trying to sell me to get more cash?’

He is an irreplaceable player in Major League Baseball.

Selling such a person was the same as lowering the value of the club.

But a deal is not just about increasing the value of an item.

Finding a trading partner that meets the appropriate price range was also part of the deal.

The majority of those who are aiming to acquire the Oakland Athletics are not very wealthy.

So, they were burdened by Ha-sung’s salary.

In addition, Ha-sung’s salary was bound to be much higher next year than this year.

Considering such expenses, it was highly likely that trading without him would be easier.

Ha-sung, who didn’t even know these facts, just seemed like the owner wanted cash.

Anyway, it wasn’t an important issue for Ha-sung either.

“Then, the rumor that I’m being traded is highly likely to become more than just a rumor.”

“It will probably come true.”

“It’s quite fast.”

“That means Jung Ha-sung’s position in Major League Baseball has changed that much.”

“That’s a good thing to hear. Can I know where I’m going to be traded?”

“Nothing has been decided yet. However, I can only tell you that a number of clubs want Jung Ha-sung.”

From Chris’s point of view, he gave the best answer.

Even though he shouldn’t be saying these things.

That was enough.

“Thank you for letting me know.”

“No. I’m sorry I couldn’t be of much help.”

Ha-sung lightly greeted General Manager Chris and got up from his seat.

A transfer to a new team was almost certain.

He was likely to go to a big market that the media was talking about.

‘But nothing will change.’

No matter which team he goes to, what he has to do will not change.

Playing baseball.

That was what Major Leaguer Jung Ha-sung had to do.