Villain On The Mound [EN]: Chapter 232

The Villain on the Mound – Episode 232

San Francisco Giants.

They were one of the most prestigious clubs in Major League Baseball.

However, they carried a sense of regret, having never won the World Series.

But in the 2010 season,

The Giants finally lifted the World Series trophy, reveling in their first-ever championship.

At the heart of that victory was their ace pitcher, Tim Lincecum.

He had led the team to victory the previous season with his outstanding performance.

However, a lingering feeling remained in his heart.

‘Jeong Ha-seong…….’

It was resentment towards Jeong Ha-seong, who had risen to become one of the best players in Major League Baseball.

‘He took a home run off me last year. Thanks to that, I was ridiculed by fans for a while.’

Giving up a home run to a batter is common.

But last year, Ha-seong hit a home run off him not as a batter, but as a pitcher.

And it was a game-winning home run.

This incident shook Major League Baseball for a while.

It was natural for Ha-seong, who hit the home run, to be in the spotlight.

Conversely, every time Ha-seong was in the spotlight, Tim Lincecum’s name was also mentioned.

Since it was the first time in decades that a winning pitcher and a player who hit a game-winning home run appeared in the same game, Lincecum was naturally introduced as the ‘victim’ in the situation.

That was a great source of stress for Lincecum.

‘I’ll get revenge. I’ll definitely get revenge.’

Lincecum had been dreaming of revenge.

He had a clear goal: to get back at Ha-seong and restore his tarnished honor.

And after a long wait, that opportunity arrived.

The chance to meet Ha-seong, who is in a different league, is at most once a year during interleague play.

If Ha-seong hadn’t transferred to the Yankees this season, Lincecum wouldn’t have even had this chance to face him.

‘I won’t miss this opportunity given by the heavens.’

Lincecum waited for the game to begin, consumed by thoughts of revenge.

* * *

Ha-seong arrived at Oracle Park, the home stadium of the San Francisco Giants.

As soon as he arrived, a swarm of reporters surrounded him.

“Jeong Ha-seong, this is your first match against Lincecum since last year. Could you say a word!”

“If you hit a home run in today’s game, you will reach 40 home runs for the season. Do you think it’s possible?”

Ha-seong stopped walking, listening to the reporters’ questions.

“Why are you asking obvious questions like they’re a big deal? 40 home runs? Yes, I’ll achieve it. I’ll go beyond that and reach 50, even 60 home runs.”

The reporters were speechless at Ha-seong’s bold remarks.

How many players in Major League history have recorded 50 or 60 home runs in a single season?

But Ha-seong, who is both a pitcher and a hitter, was declaring he would do just that.

However, no one could really object to his words.

‘If it’s this guy…….’

‘It might actually be possible.’

At his current pace, it was definitely within the realm of possibility.

Knowing that, the reporters couldn’t readily dismiss Ha-seong’s words.

“I hope everyone takes good pictures of my performance and highlights them in your articles.”

With those words, Ha-seong headed to the visiting team’s locker room.

And these remarks by Ha-seong were soon reported and spread like wildfire.

* * *

Ha-seong’s remarks were enough to provoke the Giants fans.

“You son of a bitch!”

“What do you think you’re doing, disrespecting our Giants!”

“Strike him out!”

“No! Just hit him with a beanball [a pitch intentionally thrown at the batter’s head] so he can’t play baseball!”

The Giants fans were among the most passionate in Major League Baseball.

Fueled by Ha-seong’s remarks, they came to the stadium in droves.

Thanks to that, Oracle Park was sold out early and filled with spectators.

“This is a huge crowd.”

“You’re telling me.”

Manager Joe Girardi was standing in the visiting dugout, looking out at the stands.

From the stands, they could already hear voices cursing the Yankees.

“Today will be a tougher away game than usual.”

Away games are always tough.

Because they have to play the game while enduring one-sided support for the home team.

In addition, thanks to Ha-seong’s remarks, the Giants fans’ animosity had increased even further.

Playing a game with no allies at all was not easy.

“But he doesn’t seem nervous at all.”

Assistant coach John’s gaze turned to Ha-seong, who was sitting in the dugout.

He was sleeping.

In this situation where boos were pouring down, he was sleeping soundly with his arms crossed and his eyes closed.

“That’s amazing guts.”

“That’s why he’s dominating Major League Baseball.”

“That’s right. I hope he shows it properly in today’s game as well.”

For the Yankees, each game was crucial now.

The postseason advancement depended on the results of each game.

Knowing that, they had high expectations for Ha-seong.

“It’s good to sleep with guts, but it’s time to go out for the game soon. Wake him up.”

“Yes, sir.”

The assistant coach approached to wake Ha-seong.

Watching that, Joe Girardi’s gaze turned to the mound.

There was a pitcher standing there.

He was a guy with a rather small build and impressive long hair for a Major League Baseball player.

When he first appeared in Major League Baseball, Girardi hadn’t thought he would be very successful.

But in less than a year, he had changed his mind.

‘Genius Tim Lincecum.’

There are countless talented players in Major League Baseball.

But Lincecum was special.

The 100-mile fastball squeezed out of that small physique was enough to captivate the fans.

‘If we can’t attack him effectively today, the entire series could become difficult.’

The Giants’ pitching was very strong this season.

It was just a shame that their batters couldn’t keep up, leading to disappointing results.

The problem was that the Yankees’ batting lineup wasn’t in very good shape either.

If it wasn’t for Ha-seong, they wouldn’t have been able to win the last game against the Red Sox.

‘It’s important how Lincecum approaches Ha-seong in his first at-bat.’

After the Red Sox game,

The Baltimore Orioles also seemed to intentionally avoid pitching to Ha-seong.

In fact, this was a very efficient tactic.

Currently, in the Yankees lineup, if you are careful with Ha-seong, there isn’t another batter who demands particular attention.

In that situation, it was foolish to recklessly challenge Ha-seong.

But today’s opponent was Lincecum.

‘Lincecum has a strong sense of pride. Would such a guy avoid a match with Ha-seong, even if it’s strategically sound for the team?’

Manager Joe Girardi was curious about what the outcome would be.

* * *

Yankees VS Giants.

The game between the two teams started with the Yankees’ first at-bat.

Bang-!

“Strike! Batter out!!”

[It’s a strikeout! Tim Lincecum starts off strong, striking out the first batter!]

[Lincecum overwhelmed the batter with his unique, dynamic pitching form and powerful presence.]

[Lincecum’s condition looks very good today.]

As the commentators said, Lincecum’s condition was excellent.

‘The feel of the ball coming off my fingers is great. At this rate, I won’t allow any extra-base hits unless I really mess up.’

When he throws the ball with this feeling, long hits are rare.

Knowing that, Lincecum threw the ball with even more confidence.

“Hup-!!”

Swish-!

Clang!

“Foul!!”

The ball thrown to the second batter went outside the third base line and became a foul ball.

Watching that, Ha-seong was assessing Lincecum’s condition.

‘He’s in good form today, so he’s not hesitating to throw any of his pitches.’

Having gained a lot of experience as a pitcher himself, he could easily tell what the opposing pitcher was thinking.

‘In that state, he’ll pitch aggressively.’

Ha-seong’s prediction was spot on.

Bang-!

“Strike!!”

The second pitch was a four-seam fastball that powerfully zoomed into the batter’s strike zone.

Because it was thrown so aggressively, the batter couldn’t react in time.

‘The ball maintains its movement until the very end, so the pitch that the batter thought was going to be a ball ended up catching the edge of the plate.’

If you can throw this kind of pitch consistently, it’s not easy to get a hit.

‘I need to narrow my focus even further and be ready for anything.’

After making the decision, Ha-seong practiced his swing timing in the on-deck circle, anticipating Lincecum’s pitches.

Whoosh-!!

In today’s game, he was batting 3rd instead of 4th.

It was manager Joe Girardi’s decision because his batting performance had been so impressive recently.

‘This is the right choice. No matter how important Derek Jeter is to the team’s legacy, considering the efficiency of the 3rd batter, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to have made this change earlier.’

In the past, the best hitter on the team was typically placed in the 4th spot.

However, as modern baseball strategy evolved, it became clear that the 3rd batter was becoming increasingly important.

Since then, starting with Major League Baseball, teams began to place players with better hitting skills and on-base percentages in the 3rd spot.

From that perspective, placing Ha-seong in 3rd was a logical move.

Clang-!!

[The ball is hit high into the air!]

The center fielder caught the ball almost effortlessly.

Thud!

“Out!”

[The second out is recorded! Lincecum gets the batter out with a deceptive forkball!]

[He’s showing great pitching today.]

Lincecum, in excellent form, quickly racked up outs.

And Ha-seong, who was in the on-deck circle, headed to home plate.

[With two outs, Jeong Ha-seong, batting 3rd for the first time since joining the Yankees, steps up to the plate!]

[Manager Joe Girardi has moved Derek Jeter, a team icon, down to 4th and is using Jeong Ha-seong in the 3rd spot for the first time.]

[Doesn’t that highlight how incredibly hot Jeong Ha-seong’s batting has been recently?]

[That’s right. He has gotten on base in every game in the second half of the season, and more importantly, he is consistently driving in runs when the team needs them most.]

As Ha-seong appeared, the Giants fans erupted in a chorus of boos.

“Woooo-!!”

“Get out of here!!”

“Die!”

“What 40 home runs are you talking about!!”

“Lincecum, just hit him in the body!!”

The Giants fans’ boos were deafening, filling Oracle Park.

[The boos from the Giants fans filling Oracle Park are incredible.]

[That shows how much they are focused on Jeong Ha-seong.]

[I think that’s definitely the case. Tim Lincecum faced him once last year. Didn’t Jeong Ha-seong hit the game-winning home run at that time?]

[That’s right. He made Major League Baseball history by being the losing pitcher and giving up the game-winning home run to a pitcher at the same time.]

The meeting between Lincecum and Ha-seong brought back memories of the past.

Thanks to that, the fans were reminded of Lincecum’s humiliating moment, recalling the memories of that time.

-Isn’t he the player who inadvertently showed Ha-seong that he can excel at both pitching and hitting?

-ㅋㅋㅋ That’s right.

-I wonder if he’ll be properly humiliated again today?

-Lincecum’s condition looks good today, so I don’t think so.

-I agree.

-Lincecum’s performance this season is decent, so you never know what will happen.

People’s attention was riveted on the confrontation between Lincecum and Ha-seong.

[Now, with everyone eagerly anticipating how the two players’ confrontation will unfold, the game resumes!]

“Play ball!”

With the umpire’s call, Lincecum lowered his upper body.

He exchanged signs with the catcher and stepped onto the pitching rubber.

[Lincecum, having received the sign, begins his windup!]

As Lincecum lifted his leg on the mound, his body twisted so much that his jersey number was visible to Ha-seong, who was standing at the plate.

Ha-seong carefully timed his swing to Lincecum’s unique pitching motion.

“Hup-!!”

Lincecum unleashed the ball as he rotated his body.

At that moment,

Ha-seong saw it.

‘Danger!’

The ball was flying directly towards his head.

Ha-seong quickly ducked down.

Whoosh-!!

The ball narrowly missed his head and slammed into the safety net behind the catcher.

[Ah-! A dangerous pitch! The ball thrown by Lincecum passed just over Jeong Ha-seong’s head!!]

Ha-seong, who had fallen to the ground to avoid the pitch, got back to his feet.

And he started walking towards the mound.

“This bastard…….”

Unable to hide his anger.