Villain On The Mound [EN]: Chapter 227

Jorge Posada.

He was clearly a has-been catcher.

But his chemistry with Ha-sung wasn’t bad.

Thwack-!

“Strike! Batter out!!”

[Strikeout! Jung Ha-sung cleanly dismisses three batters in the first inning!]

[He’s off to a great start, recording two strikeouts out of the three outs!]

Ha-sung’s pitching wasn’t affected by the team.

He had consistently pitched well in all Major League ballparks.

Even at Coors Field, known as a graveyard for pitchers [due to its high altitude and dry air, which affect the ball’s trajectory], he had good stats.

While Yankee Stadium is known to be a hitter-friendly ballpark, it didn’t have a big impact on him.

Ha-sung pitching well was perhaps expected.

But Jorge Posada was different.

“Posada doesn’t look bad even after a long time wearing the mask, huh?”

“I know, right?”

“His chemistry with Ha-sung is good too, isn’t it?”

Even the spectators could see that the combination of Jorge Posada and Ha-sung was good.

Posada seemed to feel it too, as he offered Ha-sung a fist bump as he entered the dugout.

“That was a great pitch. It’s my first time catching for you, but I can see why you’re the best in the Major League.”

“Thanks.”

“After seeing the pitches you threw in the first inning, I think we should lead with fastballs. What do you think?”

“I think so too. And considering how good my slider feels today, that could be effective as well.”

“Exactly. I was thinking the same thing. Then I’ll call mostly fastballs and sliders in the second inning.”

“Okay.”

Talking with Posada, Ha-sung clearly felt it.

‘His skills as a catcher or batter may have declined with age, but his ability to reassure the pitcher has improved.’

In a way, it was obvious.

Because as you get older, your wisdom increases.

‘Well, not everyone, though.’

He knew there were exceptions, but Posada wasn’t one of them.

‘I can pitch comfortably.’

His first pitch as a Yankee felt good.

* * *

Bottom of the 1st.

The Yankees’ offense ended with a three-up, three-down [retiring three batters in a row].

Perhaps because they had just suffered a two-game losing streak, the batters didn’t seem to be in good condition.

[Jung Ha-sung takes the mound in the top of the 2nd inning.]

[We hope he continues the perfect pitching from the 1st inning.]

As Ha-sung took the mound, an even louder roar erupted than in the 1st inning.

“Jung! Jung! Jung!!”

“Ha-sung, we believe in you!!”

“Just pitch like you did in the 1st!!”

With the enthusiastic cheers of the Yankees fans behind him, Ha-sung lowered his upper body.

‘Out low.’

Posada set the course.

‘Let’s go with the fastball.’

Once the pitch was decided, Ha-sung nodded without hesitation.

[After exchanging signs, Jung Ha-sung goes into his windup.]

Ha-sung rotated his body with the kick and threw the ball.

“Hmph-!!”

Whoosh-!!

The ball, released from Ha-sung’s hand, accurately lodged into Posada’s mitt.

Thwack-!!

“Strike!!”

[First pitch strike! The speed is 100 mph! Jung Ha-sung continues his aggressive pitching with a fastball!]

[He’s showing good pitching just like in the 1st inning.]

Catching the ball, Posada was impressed.

‘His control is so precise that I barely have to move the mitt. And yet, he throws 100 mph with ease.’

Speed and control are inversely proportional.

When speed increases, control worsens, and when control improves, speed decreases.

It was extremely rare for both to improve together.

‘To have good control even at this speed means he’s not pitching at full power yet.’

100 mph.

Even in the monster-filled Major League, it’s called the dream speed.

It was a speed allowed only to a small number of players.

To throw that 100 mph and not be at full power?

It was hard to believe, but catching it directly made it clear.

‘Indeed, this is why he’s dominating the Major League.’

There was a reason why he became the best pitcher in the Major League in just his third year.

And Posada could clearly feel that reason.

‘Leading a guy like this is a pleasure. Should I go with this next? In-low slider.’

Ha-sung nodded at Posada’s sign and went into his windup.

The ball he threw with his stride dug into the batter’s body.

Whoosh-!

‘Huh?’

The batter checked the trajectory of the ball and widened his eyes.

‘Too close!’

It was coming in too close to be called inside.

‘It’s going to hit me!’

The trajectory of the ball didn’t change, and it was clear to anyone that it would hit him.

The batter quickly chose to twist his body to avoid the ball.

At that moment.

Swoosh!!

The trajectory of the ball changed rapidly and began to enter the strike zone from the batter’s body.

Thud!!

“Strike!!”

The batter twisted his body to avoid the ball, but the umpire called a strike.

The batter looked at the mitt with a dumbfounded expression.

“That went in?”

“It came in perfectly. Aren’t you being too scared?”

“Ha-! Would you say that if you were in the batter’s box?”

Posada only smiled at the batter’s words.

‘I would have tried to avoid it too. Because the trajectory of the ball was flying perfectly towards the body, no matter who looked at it.’

A breaking ball that can make this much of a change?

‘He’s really going to cause an accident today.’

Ha-sung’s ball was exceeding his expectations.

And with a pitcher like this, nothing that happened would be strange.

* * *

Thwack-!

“Strike! Batter out!!”

[Strikeout! Jung Ha-sung strikes out the third batter in the 2nd inning, increasing his strikeouts to 4!]

[He’s averaging two strikeouts per inning, overwhelming the Red Sox lineup.]

[Jung Ha-sung is showing an untouchable presence on the mound! Now, let’s meet him at the plate!]

Returning to the dugout, Ha-sung grabbed his helmet and bat and came back out.

At that time, Posada called out to him.

“Hey, Ha-sung. No matter how urgent it is, you can’t forget your gloves.”

Whoosh!

“Ah, thanks.”

Ha-sung took the gloves Posada threw him, expressed his gratitude, and left the dugout.

Some players were displeased with Posada’s actions, but they couldn’t show it.

Although his status had declined, Posada was one of the New York Yankees’ most senior players.

Directly expressing dissatisfaction with him was the same as indirectly opposing players with similar careers.

‘Posada seems to like Ha-sung.’

Manager Joe Girardi read the atmosphere and thought positively.

‘If a veteran accepts him as a member first, other players will inevitably follow a similar path. And if Ha-sung proves himself with his skills…?’

The atmosphere of the current clubhouse could change in an instant.

Ha-sung had that much charisma.

‘I hope he shows the same performance at the plate as before.’

Ha-sung is showing an extremely strong presence on the mound.

If Ha-sung shows a good performance at the plate as well, the atmosphere of the clubhouse could change in an instant.

Joe Girardi was hoping for that.

“Hoo……”

Standing in the batter’s box, Ha-sung took a deep breath and looked at the pitcher.

‘The most difficult guy to face on the Red Sox is out.’

Today’s starting pitcher for the Red Sox was Tim Wakefield.

A rare knuckleballer in the Major League, he is a great pitcher with 196 wins to date.

‘It’s my first time facing a knuckleball.’

The reason Ha-sung thought Wakefield was difficult to face was because of his lack of experience.

[Jung Ha-sung steps into the batter’s box to face Tim Wakefield, a rare knuckleballer in the Major League. How will this confrontation turn out?]

[I don’t think anyone can predict this. No matter how outstanding Jung Ha-sung’s batting ability is, he has never faced a knuckleball before.]

[Is that so?]

[Yes. There are currently two knuckleballers active in the Major League. Tim Wakefield, who he’s facing now, and R.A. Dickey.]

[Come to think of it, that’s right.]

[So he won’t be familiar with the knuckleball. No matter how great a batter is, it’s not easy to hit a ball you’re not familiar with.]

The knuckleball is the only ball that can be called a magic ball.

It’s difficult to use in a real game because even the pitcher who throws it doesn’t know where the ball will go.

But Wakefield is a pitcher who has thrown that knuckleball and is on the verge of 200 wins.

‘And judging from what he threw in the 1st inning, his control is definitely on point.’

Judging from the fact that he finished the 1st inning with a three-up, three-down, he was definitely in good condition.

‘But I can’t whine.’

He was already in the batter’s box.

In other words, he had entered the battlefield.

A fight had begun, and he couldn’t whine about it being his first time facing it.

‘Maximize concentration.’

Ha-sung raised his concentration from the beginning.

‘If the ball slows down as my concentration increases, I can hit it even if it’s a knuckleball.’

In a state of high concentration, Wakefield’s movements appeared slow to Ha-sung.

[Wakefield exchanges signs and throws the first pitch with a windup!!]

Wakefield threw the first pitch.

The ball, released from his hand, flew with a chaotic trajectory.

It was a knuckleball from the first pitch.

‘He’s trying to seize the initiative in the match against me with his most confident ball?’

With his high concentration maintained, Ha-sung saw the ball flying with the chaotic trajectory unique to the knuckleball.

‘It’s slow. And the trajectory keeps changing.’

It was his first time facing a knuckleball, so his eyes were dizzy from the trajectory.

‘But……’

Whack-!!

Ha-sung took a stride and fixed his lower body.

Then he rotated his pelvis to add rotational force.

But the bat didn’t go out, and he checked the change in the ball until the end.

‘The knuckleball changes until the very end. I have to hold back my swing until the last moment.’

It’s not easy.

Once the lower body starts rotating, the upper body must also start rotating due to inertia.

Forcibly holding it back puts a strain on the body.

For most players, their muscles would scream.

‘Trust my body!’

But Ha-sung trusted his body.

He invested a lot of time in flexibility training to make his muscles flexible.

The muscles created in this way were able to withstand Ha-sung’s swing.

‘Now!!’

Ha-sung held back until the last moment and then started rotating.

Whoosh-!!

The bat, filled with tremendous power, turned through the air.

‘It hit!’

Ha-sung was sure after confirming that the trajectory of the ball and the bat matched.

That his bat would blow the ball away.

That’s when it happened.

Swoosh!

‘Huh?!’

The trajectory of the ball, which he thought had finished changing, changed once more.

Even right in front of home plate.

‘Damn it!’

Ha-sung gritted his teeth and tried to change the trajectory of the bat.

But even for Ha-sung, it was impossible to change the trajectory of the bat that had already turned halfway.

In the end.

Whoosh-!!

The ball fell below the bat and went straight into the catcher’s mitt.

Thud!

“Swing! Strike!!”

[Swing and a miss! Jung Ha-sung aimed for the first pitch but was completely fooled by Wakefield’s knuckleball!!]

Ha-sung, whose posture was broken due to the swing being too big, clicked his tongue and straightened his posture.

‘This is a knuckleball……’

The change was more severe than he had expected.

‘It’s not an easy ball to attack.’

There was a reason why it was nicknamed the last magic ball of the 21st century.

The knuckleball, which he faced for the first time, was nothing more than a magic ball.

“Interesting.”

A smile appeared on Ha-sung’s lips.

For the first time in a while, his competitive spirit began to burn.