Villain On The Mound [EN]: Chapter 250

The momentum had shifted.

The players on the field, the coaching staff in the dugout, and even the spectators all felt it.

They felt it the same way.

[The Rays have changed their pitcher. I wonder if this will be a beneficial move or a blunder.]

[Taylor, who has been the Rays’ most reliable player this season, is now on the mound.]

[He has appeared in 43 games in the pennant race, recording 1 win and 3 losses, with an ERA (Earned Run Average) of 2.60 and a WHIP (Walks plus Hits per Inning Pitched) of 0.938, showing a great performance.]

[Taylor was originally supposed to pitch as a setup man, but today, Manager Maddon has put him on the mound as the second pitcher.]

[This can be seen as a determination not to concede any additional runs here.]

That was the right answer.

The moment of replacing a well-performing pitcher was the most dangerous in baseball.

Manager Joe Maddon knew that fact well.

That’s why he changed the order of pitcher usage.

‘Above all, I can’t let Moore’s great pitching go to waste,’ he thought.

Matt Moore showed a performance that exceeded his expectations.

He had no intention of letting such a young player’s performance simply disappear.

Of course, there was an even bigger reason.

‘If I put up the other guys against the Yankees’ core hitters, there’s a high chance they’ll get hit.’

The Yankees’ lineup has no weak spots.

That was the general consensus.

No matter what, there was a clear difference in skill between the lower and upper batting orders.

The problem was that the Yankees’ upper batting order was now up to bat.

And the player to be most careful of in the major leagues.

‘Ha-sung is also likely to come up this inning…….’

Jung Ha-sung appears.

From the manager’s point of view, facing Ha-sung was like facing a disaster.

Especially in a situation like now.

‘I have to stop him no matter what.’

To do that, he put Taylor, the most reliable player on the team, on the mound.

Whether this choice is right or wrong would soon be decided.

Joe Maddon stared at the ground with a tense expression.

* * *

Ha-sung watched the mound from the dugout.

‘They’ve brought out Taylor already…….’

The intention was clear.

‘They’re determined to finish the inning without giving up any additional runs.’

It’s an appropriate choice.

There couldn’t be a better choice than this.

‘Will it really go as planned?’

Joe Maddon didn’t make any mistakes in this decision.

But the game is ultimately decided by the players.

No matter how good a choice the manager makes, that choice shines depending on the players performing on the field.

And that situation is well illustrated now.

Clang-!!

[He hit it! The second baseman dove!]

The batted ball flew quickly.

It wasn’t a well-hit ball, but it still had spin, creating an obstacle to catching it.

But since this is the major league, this level of batted ball could be easily handled.

At that moment.

Thwack!

[Ah! The batted ball curved! And the second baseman couldn’t react and it goes behind him!!]

An unexpected variable occurred.

The direction of the spinning batted ball changed rapidly, hitting the second baseman’s glove and flying away.

There was also something fortunate.

[Thanks to the center fielder’s quick backup play, the first runner couldn’t come home.]

[But the runner went to 3rd base, placing him in scoring position.]

[And Robinson Cano is now at bat!]

The attack continues with Robinson Cano.

The momentum has shifted to the Yankees.

[Curtis Granderson is waiting in the on-deck circle, and Jung Ha-sung is waiting in the dugout to come up next.]

[It’s the worst situation for the Rays.]

[Robinson Cano is, of course, a threatening player, and so is Curtis Granderson, right?]

[Yes. He hit more than 30 home runs this season, making it his career-high season.]

[Originally, he was a player with the potential to always hit more than 20 home runs.]

[That potential exploded this season, making it a truly amazing season.]

[Behind Granderson is Jung Ha-sung.]

[A wall behind a wall, and behind that, a fortress is waiting.]

It was an appropriate expression.

Amazing expression.

It’s hard enough to get past a wall behind a wall. And there’s even a fortress behind that.

Ha-sung deserves that kind of expression.

On top of that, there are runners on base, so it’s the worst for the Rays.

-They’re definitely going to score additional points this inning.

-Additional points aren’t the issue lol [laughing out loud].

-The question is how many points they’ll score.

The fans were also expecting this inning to lead to a big inning.

That meant the Yankees had a good chance.

Conversely, the Rays were facing the worst situation.

And in this situation, Joe Maddon made another choice.

[Ah-! They’re intentionally walking Cano here!!]

[They’re creating a bases-loaded situation here. How did this happen?]

It was an intentional walk.

By sending Robinson Cano to first base, all bases were occupied.

[The Rays are creating a bases-loaded crisis with no outs, not even two outs!]

[It’s impossible to know if Manager Joe Maddon’s choice is right.]

Joe Maddon’s choice was somewhat incomprehensible.

But not to Ha-sung.

‘Creating a bases-loaded situation. Joe Maddon, you’re definitely a gambler,’ Ha-sung mused.

Including his past life, Ha-sung’s experience was at a level that even most players and managers couldn’t match.

That’s why he knew that it wasn’t easy to score in a bases-loaded situation.

‘The pressure of being bases-loaded is strong for the pitcher, but the batter also feels strong pressure.’

Bases loaded puts strong pressure on both the defense and the offense.

The defense has the pressure of potentially giving up a large number of runs at once.

Conversely, the offense has the pressure of having to score here.

That’s why, surprisingly, there are many cases where no runs are scored in a bases-loaded situation.

‘Especially in a no-out, bases-loaded situation, it’s not easy to lead to a large number of runs. The moment a ground ball comes out, you have to see two outs go up at the same time.’

In a bases-loaded situation, the influence of the runners decreases.

Because if you throw to the base, the out count goes up.

‘Above all, Granderson has shown weakness in bases-loaded situations.’

This fact was known not only to Joe Maddon but also to most people.

[Joe Maddon made a somewhat risky choice, but considering the next batter, Curtis, it’s an appropriate choice.]

[That’s right. His batting average in bases-loaded situations this season is less than 10%.]

[You can see that he hasn’t been able to perform well in bases-loaded situations.]

He has a strong reputation for being weak in bases-loaded situations, but that doesn’t mean he’ll replace Curtis.

That’s how well Curtis has performed this season.

In fact, Manager Girardi watched Curtis step into the batter’s box without moving.

There was another reason why he didn’t move.

[Even if Curtis fails here, Jung Ha-sung will step into the batter’s box next.]

[This is what makes people question Manager Joe Maddon’s choice.]

[Jung Ha-sung has shown strength in bases-loaded situations this season.]

[He has hit 3 grand slams and maintained a batting average of over 30%, making him a strong man in clutch situations.]

[Above all, they can’t even choose to intentionally walk Jung Ha-sung in a bases-loaded situation.]

Even if Curtis fails, Ha-sung will step up.

This alone was enough reason not to replace Curtis.

Of course, there was also the worst-case scenario.

‘We have to somehow get Curtis to hit into a double play,’ Joe Maddon thought.

What Joe Maddon wanted was just one thing.

That was a double play.

Joe Maddon’s best-case scenario was to get two outs while emptying one base.

Only then could he intentionally walk Ha-sung and face Derek Jeter.

‘Jeter isn’t an easy opponent either. But it’s better than facing Jung Ha-sung.’

These thoughts alone showed how great Ha-sung’s status had become.

Derek Jeter is a player who is guaranteed to be in the Hall of Fame even if he retires right now.

He is not only a permanent number for the Yankees but also regarded as the best shortstop in Yankees history.

But Ha-sung is considered the best player in Major League history.

It’s impossible to know what kind of career he will build in the future, but looking at this year alone, Derek Jeter is no match for Ha-sung.

That’s why he made the bases-loaded play decision, even though it was a somewhat risky choice.

‘It could be the worst move, but if we give up additional runs at this point, the probability of winning today’s game becomes zero.’

A situation where he had no choice but to make a gamble.

Joe Maddon made the decision, knowing full well what kind of criticism would be poured out if this operation failed.

To face the final boss, Ha-sung.

* * *

Clang-!

[The batted ball is flying high! But it’s not going far!]

The center fielder ran forward and took his position.

[The center fielder catches the ball safely! The 3rd base runner can’t come in!]

[If the batted ball had been a little deeper, the 3rd base runner could have tried to score, but it was too short.]

[The Rays get the first out in a crisis situation! But the crisis is not over!]

[Now, an even more difficult batter is stepping into the batter’s box.]

The camera caught Ha-sung.

[Jung Ha-sung, the best hitter in Major League Baseball this season, is stepping into the batter’s box!]

[What Jung Ha-sung needs to do here is score additional points.]

[The best thing would be to record a grand slam, right?]

[That’s right. But even if it’s not a home run, if he scores, the Yankees will definitely win Game 1.]

Ha-sung stepped into the batter’s box in a one-out, bases-loaded situation.

This alone was enough to make Rays fans despair.

“It’s over…….”

“Why did you create a bases-loaded situation and give Ha-sung a chance?”

“You should have aimed for a double play and faced two batters!”

“Joe Maddon made a stupid choice!”

“It might be better this way.”

“What’s better about it?”

“You’re talking nonsense when you don’t even know baseball!”

Rays fans raised their voices at each other.

Conversely, Yankees fans looked at the field with relaxed faces.

“This has decided the victory for Game 1.”

“I know, right.”

“Curtis stepped down in vain, but it’s over when Ha-sung steps up.”

“To foolishly create a bases-loaded situation and try to face Ha-sung.”

“Haha! That’s really a stupid thing to do!”

Anyone could see that facing Ha-sung in a bases-loaded situation was a stupid thing to do.

But Joe Maddon was actually waiting for this situation.

‘It’s not the best I wanted, but…….’

Joe Maddon came up the dugout stairs and sent a sign himself.

[Joe Maddon is sending a sign to the battery (pitcher and catcher).]

[It’s probably a sign to have a difficult match.]

[That’s right. Even if a walk comes out here, taking a head-on match with Jung Ha-sung is…….]

That’s when it happened.

[Ah-!]

[What is it?]

The catcher got up from his seat.

[Could it be……!]

[No way, right?]

Something happened that no one expected.

So they doubted their eyes.

But when the first ball came, they had no choice but to believe it.

Thwack!

“Ball!”

[Ah-! It’s real! They chose an intentional walk in a bases-loaded situation!!]

The choice of Rays’ Joe Maddon to intentionally walk in a bases-loaded situation.