Villain On The Mound [EN]: Chapter 229

The Mound’s Villain – Episode 229

Following Derek Jeter, now Jung Ha-sung.

The synergy created by these two players was remarkable.

[The Red Sox battery faces a crucial decision.]

[They must decide whether to face Derek Jeter or Jung Ha-sung, right?]

[That’s right. Derek Jeter is on a hot streak, and Jung Ha-sung is dominating as the best hitter in Major League Baseball this season.]

[Neither choice presents an easy out.]

[Indeed. The best-case scenario for Wakefield here is a double play.]

If Wakefield manages to pull off a double play, the inning ends immediately.

[If they escape this jam with a double play, Jung Ha-sung will come to the plate again with no runners on base.]

[Judging from the Red Sox’s strategy yesterday, might they avoid facing Jung Ha-sung with no runners on base?]

[That’s right. The Red Sox have clearly been avoiding Jung Ha-sung, and that strategy has been somewhat successful in containing him.]

Derek Jeter’s role was more important than ever.

And he knew it himself.

‘Whether I get on base here or not will significantly impact Jung Ha-sung’s destructive potential.’

Derek Jeter is a player with a wealth of experience.

And his abilities are outstanding.

He knew exactly how the game was unfolding and what needed to be done in this moment.

‘What I need to do now isn’t to hit a home run. I need to create an opportunity for Ha-sung to come to the plate with runners on base.’

With one out and runners on first and second.

Derek Jeter knew exactly what kind of hit he needed to make with third base open.

‘If I hit it towards first or second base, it’ll be easy to turn a double play.’

Derek Jeter’s gaze turned towards third base.

‘Considering Youkilis’s defense, I need to send the ball towards third base.’

Kevin Youkilis.

The Boston Red Sox’s third baseman.

His defensive abilities were lacking compared to his hitting ability.

Especially since he transitioned from first to third base, his defensive skills were considered to have declined even further.

Targeting Youkilis was the obvious choice.

‘There’s no need to try to crush the knuckleball.’

Derek Jeter made his decision and stepped into his batting stance.

[With runners on first and second, the Yankees’ captain, Derek Jeter, faces Wakefield.]

[Derek Jeter, who was retired on routine ground balls in his previous at-bats, I wonder what he will do in this crucial at-bat!]

Ha-sung was watching Wakefield’s pitching from the on-deck circle.

‘When there are runners on base, Wakefield’s knuckleball doesn’t move as wildly as before.’

Like Jorge Posada, Ha-sung also recognized Wakefield’s weakness.

‘But the inherent unpredictability of the knuckleball remains. I need to observe its movement as much as possible.’

The reason why he couldn’t properly attack a pitch he was facing for the first time was simple.

Because it wasn’t familiar to his eyes.

No matter how talented Ha-sung was, it wasn’t easy to attack an unfamiliar pitch.

Thwack!!

“Strike!”

[The first-pitch knuckleball dances its way into the strike zone!]

[It looked like it was moving outside the strike zone, but at the last moment, it dropped sharply and barely caught the edge.]

The knuckleball’s movement was so severe that it was often called a dancing changeup.

‘Predicting the ball’s movement is pointless.’

Ha-sung was watching Wakefield’s pitches from the on-deck circle, searching for a way to attack.

‘What if I ignore the knuckleball and only target his other pitches?’

Wakefield threw not only knuckleballs but also two-seamers, four-seamers, and even sliders.

The quality of each pitch was decent, so mixing them with the knuckleball made it difficult for hitters.

‘In fact, half of the pitches he threw to me weren’t knuckleballs. I can’t solely focus on the knuckleball because I have to consider his other pitches as well.’

Wakefield is an experienced player.

Naturally, his ability to read what the batter is aiming for was also excellent.

Clang!!

“Foul!!”

[He seemed to be anticipating the knuckleball, but this time, the two-seamer came in and completely threw off his timing.]

[Wakefield is very experienced. He knows exactly what Derek Jeter is trying to do.]

[With the count at one ball and two strikes, Derek Jeter is starting to get into a tough spot.]

Jeter, facing the unfavorable count, stepped out of the batter’s box.

It was clear to anyone that he was in a disadvantageous situation.

But Ha-sung’s thoughts were different.

‘The batted balls are consistently flying towards third base. Even the foul ball just now landed in the stands on the third base side. It seems like he’s intentionally hitting it that way.’

He immediately grasped Derek Jeter’s intention.

And he could understand the reason as well.

‘He’s an outstanding player after all.’

Ha-sung, having understood Derek Jeter’s intention, watched with anticipation to see what he would do.

[Wakefield begins his windup to try and end the at-bat!]

With Wakefield’s windup, he threw the fourth pitch.

“Hmph!!”

Whoosh-!!

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

‘Knuckleball!’

Derek Jeter’s bat swung as he recognized the pitch.

It was a swing without the slightest hesitation.

‘He’s going to hit it.’

Ha-sung could tell from that swing that Jeter’s bat would make contact.

Whiff!!

At that moment, the trajectory of the ball changed abruptly.

But as if he had anticipated it, Jeter tightened his grip on the bat and adjusted his swing.

‘The trajectory became more predictable with runners on base.’

A runner on base means there are more things for the pitcher to worry about.

Naturally, control and velocity will inevitably decrease.

Sometimes, they even throw pitches that are close to being mistakes.

That was a different issue from experience.

And the knuckleball that Wakefield threw just now was clearly sharper than before.

Derek Jeter didn’t miss it.

Clack-!!

The sound of the bat hitting the ball echoed.

But at the last moment, the knuckleball changed direction once more, preventing a clean hit.

‘Just guide it through!’

Ha-sung shouted inwardly.

As if hearing his words, Jeter didn’t try to pull the ball but instead guided it through.

Thwack!!

The ball, which bounced once right in front of home plate, trickled towards third base.

[He hit it! A weakly hit ball! It’s rolling down the third base line!]

Youkilis, seeing the ball heading towards the third base line, retreated and positioned himself.

At that moment.

Thud!!

The ball hit third base and ricocheted towards the shortstop.

It was impossible for Youkilis, who had already positioned himself, to react.

The shortstop rushed to back him up, but the runners had already reached their bases.

[It’s a hit! Derek Jeter gets an infield hit!]

[He got lucky! The weakly hit ball hit third base and took a fortunate bounce!]

[It’s a hit created by sheer luck!]

[That’s right. From the Red Sox’s perspective, Youkilis’s defense seems a bit lacking. It was clearly a ball he could have charged and caught, but he made a mistake by retreating and positioning himself.]

In fact, it was difficult to see Youkilis’s choice as a mistake.

Positioning himself behind the base was a choice made to handle the play safely.

And mistakes can happen at any time when playing defense.

The problem was the timing.

[The New York Yankees seize a bases-loaded opportunity with one out! And at the plate is the Yankees’ cleanup hitter, Jung Ha-sung!]

Due to that fortunate bounce, the bases were now loaded.

And the worst possible outcome for the Red Sox was that the next batter was Ha-sung.

* * *

Ha-sung, standing at the plate, lightly swung his bat and looked at the mound.

‘Everyone’s gotten busy.’

On the mound were Wakefield, the catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia, and the manager Terry Francona.

[Manager Terry Francona, not the pitching coach, has come to the mound, which indicates a crisis for the Red Sox.]

[That’s right. In today’s game, which is essentially a one-run contest, the Yankees have seized a golden opportunity. On the other hand, the Red Sox have created the worst-case scenario.]

[Will they choose to take Wakefield out here?]

[It’s possible, but I think they’ll trust Wakefield, who has pitched scoreless innings so far.]

The commentator’s words soon became reality.

The manager exchanged a few more words with Wakefield and left the mound.

Ha-sung smiled as he looked at Wakefield, who was left alone on the mound.

The catcher, Saltalamacchia, who was returning to the catcher’s box, saw that smile and asked Ha-sung.

“What’s so funny that you’re smiling?”

“I think what’s going to happen next will be funny.”

“What’s going to happen next?”

“When I hit a home run and run around the bases, this Yankee Stadium will be shaking.”

“Ha! A home run. Aren’t you dreaming a bit too big?”

“You’ll find out soon enough. My goal today is to shut the mouths of those people over there who hate me.”

Ha-sung pointed with his bat to the outfield stands behind the right fielder.

Tommy and his group were sitting there.

They had booed harshly when Ha-sung struck out in his first at-bat.

He knew they were just some old fans who disliked him, so he didn’t take it too seriously, but he couldn’t help but feel a little resentful.

“No matter how great you are, Wakefield is in top condition today. He’s not an easy pitcher for you to dominate.”

Saltalamacchia put on his mask and took his position.

Ha-sung also took his position in the batter’s box and glared at Wakefield.

‘I know he’s not easy. But you know what?’

With the umpire’s call of play, the game resumed.

‘I’m an even more amazing guy.’

Ha-sung focused his concentration.

* * *

The scene of Ha-sung and Saltalamacchia talking was broadcast all over the world.

The commentators offered various interpretations of the scene.

[Jung Ha-sung is pointing somewhere with his bat.]

[It’s a scene reminiscent of Babe Ruth’s called shot [a legendary, possibly apocryphal, home run].]

[Haha! Surely not.]

[He probably just pointed while talking to Saltalamacchia.]

[I wonder what kind of conversation they had.]

“Play ball!”

[The game resumes.]

[Wakefield faces Jung Ha-sung, who is at the plate with bases loaded and one out!]

Tim Wakefield exchanged signs and went into his windup.

With runners on every base.

He didn’t have to worry about them stealing, so he wound up to his heart’s content.

[He throws the first pitch!]

Wakefield’s knuckleball, not having to worry about the runners, moved violently.

The knuckleball flew in, exhibiting an unpredictable movement like a butterfly fluttering its wings.

At that moment, Ha-sung stepped forward.

Crunch!!

The spikes dug into the dirt of the field and stuck firmly.

Ha-sung, having firmly planted his legs, immediately rotated his lower body.

Whiff!!

The rotational force that started from his lower body passed through his core.

At the same time, his pupils were tracking all the movements of the erratically moving ball.

‘Now!’

And the moment the ball’s movement finally stabilized.

Ha-sung’s upper body rotated quickly and powerfully like a tornado.

Whoosh-!!

The bat, which rotated so quickly that it seemed to create a gust of wind, connected with the ball that was about to pass over home plate.

Crack-!!!

With a crisp sound, Ha-sung knew.

‘It’s gone.’

Whiff!!

Ha-sung, feeling the satisfying sensation in his hands, threw his bat and looked up at the batted ball.

‘Huh?’

The batted ball soared towards the right fielder.

In the direction that Ha-sung had pointed with his bat.

“Huh?”

The batted ball sailed straight over the fence and landed in the stands.

[It… it’s gone!! Jung Ha-sung hits a grand slam!!]

[This… this is a called shot!! Jung Ha-sung recreates Babe Ruth’s predicted home run!!]