Villain On The Mound [EN]: Chapter 225

Ha-sung entered the dugout, a wave of adrenaline still coursing through him after hitting his first home run as a Yankee.

He slapped high-fives with some of his teammates, but others pointedly ignored him.

‘Childish bastards,’ he thought.

Ha-sung shrugged it off.

In his opinion, their behavior was simply immature.

Acting like that as grown men.

But Ha-sung understood the dynamic all too well.

‘People don’t change much, even as they get older. Especially when someone new comes into their territory and shakes things up, they can become even more petty.’

Meritocracy.

That was Ha-sung’s guiding principle.

However, he knew not everyone shared that view.

‘Some people prioritize other things over skill. Like politics or who they know.’

The Major League wasn’t much different.

It wasn’t just about the team; it was about the people within it.

‘It’s a waste of my energy to try and win those guys over. Best to just ignore them and focus on the game.’

He had lived a full life before, after all.

Ha-sung knew how the world worked.

Even if he was considered an oddball in this life for not playing the usual social games.

Ha-sung didn’t spare a glance for the players who snubbed him, focusing instead on the ongoing game.

However, just because Ha-sung didn’t care didn’t mean others didn’t notice the tension.

“The atmosphere in the Yankees dugout seems a bit… strained?” one reporter observed.

Reporters typically congregated in two main areas at the baseball stadium.

One was the media room, and the other was a designated space offering a close-up view of the field.

The media room was a staff-only area.

The other space consisted of press seats positioned around the dugout, separate from the spectator seats, allowing reporters to observe the players and the game with greater detail.

The reporters in those seats had picked up on the subtle tension between Ha-sung and the rest of the Yankees team.

“Could it just be because it’s his first day in the Yankees uniform?” another reporter wondered.

“Maybe, but considering the history between the Yankees and Ha-sung, I doubt that’s the only factor.”

“Are you referring to the BioGenesis scandal from last year?”

“Exactly. Ha-sung was the catalyst for that whole mess. And let’s not forget, the one who suffered the biggest consequences was Rodrigo, practically a Yankees legend.”

The reporters began piecing together the puzzle.

“That makes sense.”

“Yeah, if Ha-sung, the guy who effectively ousted Rodrigo, a leader in the dugout, suddenly becomes your teammate, things are bound to be awkward.”

“So, Ha-sung, currently the biggest star in Major League Baseball, joins the team, and the Yankees dugout feels like walking on eggshells.”

“Will this lead to synergy? Or will it be a major disruption?”

The reporters explored various angles.

Regardless of their speculations, their fingers were already flying across their keyboards, drafting articles.

Anything related to Ha-sung was guaranteed to generate buzz.

The reporters weren’t about to miss that opportunity.

* * *

The first game between the Yankees and the Red Sox after Ha-sung’s arrival.

As many predicted, Ha-sung delivered a stellar performance, going 3 for 3 at the plate.

Including a home run, earning him the MVP award for the game.

However, the team still lost.

[Jung Ha-sung’s Great Performance! But the Team’s Batting Concentration Collapses!]

[Mound Falls Apart! Closer Rivera Doesn’t Even Get a Chance to Pitch!]

[Yankees Suffer Loss in Second Half Opener!]

As a flagship team representing Major League Baseball, the outcomes of the Yankees-Red Sox games were always headline news.

However, one particular article garnered more attention than the game results themselves.

[Subtle Tension Detected in the Yankees Dugout!]

[Jung Ha-sung’s Arrival, the Trigger for the BioGenesis Scandal! Will It Benefit the Yankees?]

[Ha-sung Hits a Home Run, But the Dugout Remains Subdued.]

As the events in the dugout were reported, public attention zeroed in on the relationship between Ha-sung and his new teammates.

-Ha-sung is still Ha-sung, doing his thing.

-He crushed it in the Home Run Derby and then blasts a homer right after the break. Unreal.

-Some players were worried about messing up their swing by participating in the Derby.

-Doesn’t seem to apply to Ha-sung lol.

The majority of the comments were still praising Ha-sung’s skills.

However, the articles about the dugout atmosphere were starting to gain traction.

-I’m hearing there’s some tension between Ha-sung and the Yankees?

-What are you talking about?

-It’s in the local news. Apparently, the dugout was quiet when Ha-sung homered.

-And that’s enough for a whole article?

-Ha-sung is truly world-class, though.

-But isn’t it obvious? Ha-sung is the reason Rodrigo is gone.

-True.

-Wow, it’s only been a year? I almost forgot.

-There are probably still a lot of guys in the Yankees dugout who are loyal to Rodrigo.

-But Ha-sung didn’t actually do anything wrong, did he?

-True, but is that how things work in real life?

-WTF, what are you guys even talking about?

-Just play good baseball.

Some commenters dismissed the issue.

But the internet rarely works that way.

People began adding their own speculations and embellishments to the story.

And these new narratives spread like wildfire.

* * *

The clubhouse is the heart of a team’s atmosphere.

You could gauge the team’s current state by the mood within those walls.

The recent atmosphere in the Yankees clubhouse was undeniably cold.

‘One bad apple spoils the bunch,’ Ha-sung thought, recognizing the truth in the saying.

Ha-sung could feel the chill in the air.

He also knew he was the cause of it.

‘But I have no intention of doing anything about it.’

It wouldn’t be difficult to smooth things over.

He could apologize or make the first move to connect with his teammates.

But he refused to take action.

‘There’s no reason for me to bow down and apologize for something I didn’t do wrong.’

That was Ha-sung’s core principle.

This tense atmosphere extended into the dugout as well.

[Yankees vs. Red Sox 2nd Game! Red Sox Take Early Lead After 1st Game Victory!]

[Yankees Already Trailing 4-0 by the 4th Inning.]

The Red Sox hitters were relentlessly attacking the Yankees’ pitching, while the Yankees hitters struggled to respond.

[Yankees Hitters Display Weak Performance Today.]

[Even When Hits Occur, Follow-Up Hits Fail to Materialize, Stalling the Offense.]

[They Are Showing a Lack of Focus Compared to Usual.]

The Yankees’ batting lineup was suffering from a lack of concentration.

When a runner reached base, a timely hit was crucial to capitalize on the opportunity.

But that wasn’t happening, and the offensive momentum fizzled out.

[Usually, Jung Ha-sung Would Resolve This Situation, But He Is Not Doing So in Today’s Game.]

[That’s Right. But This Is Not Jung Ha-sung’s Fault.]

Ha-sung was hitless in today’s game.

But it wasn’t that he couldn’t get on base.

He had successfully reached base in both of his at-bats.

Both times via a walk.

[The Red Sox Battery Is Not Competing Head-On With Jung Ha-sung Today.]

[Yes. Both Times, Even Though There Were No Runners on Base, the Pitches Were Nowhere Near the Strike Zone.]

Ha-sung had noticed the strategy.

‘Those guys have no intention of challenging me directly today.’

It was an understandable tactic.

Currently, Ha-sung had already hit 35 home runs.

His batting average hovered in the mid-.300s, and his slugging percentage was approaching .600.

He wasn’t just the best hitter this season; some were even drawing comparisons to Barry Bonds in his prime.

Barry Bonds, during his peak, had pushed the boundaries of human performance with the aid of performance-enhancing drugs.

The fact that Ha-sung was being compared to that version of Barry Bonds highlighted the magnitude of his achievements.

‘I can understand them avoiding me.’

There was no logical reason to challenge Ha-sung, who was having a historic season, head-on.

Especially when the bases weren’t loaded.

‘This might become a common occurrence in the future.’

Of course, the solution to this strategy was simple.

Create a situation where walking him wasn’t an option.

For example, by placing strong hitters both before and after him in the lineup.

And the Yankees had an abundance of such hitters.

‘The problem is that those guys are in a funk.’

There was Robinson Cano batting in front of him and Derek Jeter behind him.

In addition, they had excellent hitters like Mark Teixeira and Jorge Posada in the lineup.

Even if they walked him, it shouldn’t guarantee a win.

Nevertheless, the Red Sox were employing this strategy for one reason.

The Yankees’ batting lineup was performing at its worst today.

‘It’s because they’re distracted by unnecessary things.’

Not all the hitters were affected.

But many were subconsciously preoccupied with Ha-sung, hindering their performance.

Even if they were fully focused on the game, a win wouldn’t be guaranteed, but with their minds elsewhere, there was no way they could swing properly.

“Pathetic bastards,” Ha-sung muttered.

Ha-sung frowned, observing his teammates in the dugout.

He didn’t know how long this situation would persist.

One thing was certain: even within a prestigious team, human nature remained the same.

No, it felt even worse than Oakland.

‘It must be because they have it too easy.’

Being a part of the Yankees meant receiving a substantial salary.

In other words, it meant they were financially secure.

Of course, not everyone was like that, but the majority of the players were.

As a result, they were focusing on things other than the game.

That manifested as a power struggle.

‘I don’t like it.’

These were the guys he had to rely on in the future.

But he couldn’t help but sigh at their pathetic state.

‘And tomorrow is my first start as a pitcher.’

With the same lack of support as today, he couldn’t expect much help in tomorrow’s game.

“Well, it doesn’t matter.”

It wasn’t as if he had been relying on his teammates to win games.

‘I won’t expect any help.’

Ha-sung steeled himself and prepared for tomorrow’s game.

* * *

The Yankees fans’ expectations had skyrocketed after the second half of the season began.

-Now that Ha-sung is here, we have to win the championship.

-I agree.

-Considering how much we paid to sign Jung Ha-sung, we absolutely have to win the championship.

-This season, let’s go all the way-!

They anticipated winning the championship with the addition of Ha-sung, the best player in Major League Baseball.

They expected an immediate boost in the team’s performance.

But the result was two consecutive losses.

The two consecutive losses were concerning, but the fact that they were against the Red Sox made it even worse.

-Why do we always have to lose to the Red Sox?

-Ugh! I’m so frustrated.

-We should have just traded Ha-sung to the Red Sox.

-I don’t know why we signed him for so much money.

-I didn’t go to the stadium to watch us lose to the Red Sox.

-I’m so annoyed.

The Yankees fans’ complaints flooded social media.

Some even argued that they shouldn’t have signed Ha-sung in the first place.

The biggest reason for their frustration was the apparent discord among the team members during the first game.

It might seem unreasonable to complain after just two games.

But the internet was a breeding ground for such sentiments.

Many people anonymously vented their frustrations and asserted their opinions.

Naturally, the number of people who agreed with those opinions grew, creating the illusion that they represented the majority view.

This atmosphere also spilled over from online to offline.

And the third game perfectly illustrated that phenomenon.

Ha-sung stepped onto the mound amidst a wave of fan discontent.

[Jung Ha-sung Takes the Field as Starting Pitcher and 4th Batter to Save the Team That Has Fallen into Two Consecutive Losses!!]

It was his first start as a pitcher for the Yankees.