Villain On The Mound [EN]: Chapter 255

The Villain on the Mound – Episode 255

I remembered what my coach told me when I first started pitching.

‘A pitcher should trust his teammates, but sometimes he shouldn’t.’

I didn’t understand it back then.

It was a difficult thing to say to someone so young.

But as a professional, I understood those words.

‘Your teammates won’t always help you. It’s not intentional, but they’re human, so mistakes happen. If your mentality wavers then, everything will eventually collapse.’

There were a few games where I felt that deeply.

And that experience became a support that kept Ha-sung from wavering now.

‘What I need to do in these moments is become even stronger.’

The momentum was shifting.

If even I waver in this situation, the flow of the game will completely turn.

Knowing that, Ha-sung focused even more.

‘It’s time for me to play alone.’

Ha-sung’s concentration reached its peak.

* * *

[This is the biggest crisis since the postseason!]

It was as the announcer said.

Throughout the postseason, Ha-sung had shown a powerful presence.

He had never allowed a runner into scoring position.

But now, there was a runner on third base.

And only one out.

[Let’s see how he gets out of this crisis. Jung Ha-sung is facing the fourth batter!]

Everyone was worried about Ha-sung.

-Isn’t Ha-sung going to give up a run?

-It’ll be an unearned run anyway, but…….

-Still, giving up a run is giving up a run.

-Damn, is this Major League class?

-How can they make so many errors in a row?

-Replace all the fielders!

-Is this reality?

-It’s no different from the KBO [Korean Baseball Organization, the professional baseball league in South Korea].

-I just feel bad for Ha-sung.

On internet communities, there was sympathy for Ha-sung.

But not everyone was like that.

-This is baseball.

-It was about time Ha-sung gave up a run.

-He’s been showing off for too long, serves him right.

-LOL, the Yankees’ level hasn’t gone anywhere, has it?

There was animosity towards the Yankees.

And there were also those who had animosity towards Ha-sung.

There were also those who were just spewing blind criticism.

While various opinions were being exchanged.

Ha-sung, after exchanging signs with the catcher, threw the ball.

“Hmph-!!”

Whoosh-!!

The ball that left his hand flew fiercely and lodged in the mitt.

Thwack-!

“Strike!!”

[Strike! The velocity is… 100 miles! Despite the teammate’s error, Jung Ha-sung’s velocity remains unshaken!]

That was just the beginning.

“Hmph-!”

Whoosh-!!

Thwack-!!

“Strike! Two!!”

[Two fastballs thrown in a row! This time, it’s clocked at 101 miles!]

[Ah~ That’s a really good pitch! The first pitch targeted the inside, and the second pitch attacked the outside low corner, leaving the batter completely helpless!]

The velocity increased.

Even though it was a set position throw without a windup.

But the surprise wasn’t over yet.

“Hmph-!!”

Whoooooooooosh-!!

The ball that left Ha-sung’s hand.

Thwack-!!

Following that.

The batter’s bat futilely cut through the air.

And the velocity was displayed on the scoreboard.

[103mph]

Yankee Stadium erupted.

[O… One hundred and three miles! Jung Ha-sung! Throws a 103-mile pitch at the most crucial moment, striking out the batter with three pitches!]

[Th… That’s really amazing! To record his highest velocity at a moment of crisis! That’s really amazing!]

It wasn’t the first time Ha-sung had thrown 103 miles.

He had thrown that kind of pitch in the regular season as well.

Not often, but it was a velocity that occasionally came out.

But it was more meaningful because it came at the most important moment.

What was surprising was when he got the third out.

Thwack-!!

“Strike! Batter out!!”

[S… Strikeout! Jung Ha-sung strikes out two batters in a row with three pitches! This time as well, he throws 103 miles, leaving the batter unable to respond!]

[A crisis situation arose, but Jung Ha-sung overcomes the crisis himself with a wonderful pitch!]

Ha-sung, who overcame the crisis himself, came down from the mound.

* * *

Ha-sung’s performance wasn’t just limited to the first inning.

Thwack-!!

“Strike! Batter out!!”

[Strikeout! Jung Ha-sung! Records his seventh strikeout in just the 3rd inning!]

[Jung Ha-sung faced a crisis in the 1st inning, but since then, he has been striking out batters at an incredible rate, sending all the batters back!]

It was an amazing pace.

Has there ever been a player who has recorded strikeouts this quickly in the postseason?

The commentator couldn’t readily come up with an answer to this question.

[What’s most surprising is that all the pitches are being clocked at over 100 miles.]

[That’s right. Since the 1st inning, the velocity of all fastballs has been over 100 miles, and the batters can’t keep up with the speed.]

100 miles.

It’s a velocity that’s not easily seen even in the Major League, which is said to be the dream stage.

It wasn’t easy for batters to steal hits against Ha-sung, who threw that ball freely.

[In the 4th inning, Jung Ha-sung is entering the batter’s box.]

[In his first at-bat, Texas avoided a head-on match and sent him out on purpose with an intentional walk. I wonder what they’ll do in his second at-bat.]

In his first at-bat of the Championship Series, Ha-sung got a walk.

Texas seemed to have chosen to avoid a match with him.

As evidence of that, they thoroughly avoided a match with Ha-sung in his second at-bat as well.

Thud!

“Ball! Base on balls!!”

[Another walk! Jung Ha-sung walks to first base with two consecutive walks!]

[Texas doesn’t seem to want to compete with Jung Ha-sung.]

The Yankees Stadium was filled with boos at Texas’s strategy of completely avoiding a match with Ha-sung.

But the Rangers didn’t budge.

‘It’s more of a loss to have a head-on match with that monster.’

A monster-like guy.

Ha-sung was putting on a performance that perfectly suited that expression.

If they could avoid it, they had to avoid it.

That was the Rangers’ strategy.

‘He won’t be able to throw those kinds of pitches for long. The pitcher will definitely be replaced earlier than usual. That’s when our opportunity will come.’

Texas’s strategy was simple.

They were planning to pour it on from the moment Ha-sung made an all-out effort and went down the mound early.

But their strategy was thoroughly shattered.

By Ha-sung himself.

* * *

Thwack-!

“Strike! Batter out!!”

[Jung Ha-sung adds his 10th strikeout! This time as well, a velocity of 103 miles is recorded!]

Ha-sung was adding strikeouts at an incredible pace.

The speed was tremendous.

Above all, it was unusual to record so many strikeouts in the postseason.

[After searching for information, the current record for the most strikeouts in a single postseason game is 17 by Bob Gibson in the 1968 World Series. Jung Ha-sung, who has recorded 10 strikeouts through the 5th inning, will tie this record if he adds 7 more strikeouts.]

[I can only think that it’s a really amazing pace.]

[Did the crisis in the 1st inning rather stimulate Jung Ha-sung’s competitive spirit?]

[It could be. He may have felt the pressure to solve it himself because his teammates made mistakes.]

[In most cases, pressure often leads to mistakes. But Jung Ha-sung is the opposite.]

It’s ironic.

The mistakes of his teammates became the catalyst for raising his concentration.

Ha-sung, who had raised his concentration once, was taking strikeouts at a terrifying pace.

The pressure to solve it himself became the driving force for him to take strikeouts.

[I’m looking forward to seeing what kind of results Jung Ha-sung will produce in today’s game!!]

People’s expectations began to soar.

It wasn’t just the strikeout record.

[Above all, Jung Ha-sung is currently continuing his no-hit record, and attention is focused on whether the third postseason no-hitter in Major League history will be achieved.]

Unlike Korea’s no-hit no-run, Major League’s no-hit only requires not giving up a hit to the batter.

In other words, it doesn’t matter if a runner goes out on a walk or reaches base due to an error.

Therefore, Ha-sung is still in a situation where he has the potential for a no-hitter.

Whether he can set the third record in Major League history was enough to attract public attention.

[The first game of the Championship Series is already entering the second half!]

And the game was entering the 6th inning.

* * *

When Ha-sung came into the dugout and sat down, his teammates avoided him.

It’s not that he’s being ostracized.

It was a kind of consideration to avoid breaking Ha-sung’s concentration.

‘He’s an amazing guy.’

‘To think he’d record a no-hitter in the Championship Series.’

‘At this pace, he might even set the all-time strikeout record.’

Although they didn’t say it out loud, his teammates were also concerned about his record.

Above all, it was Chavez who welcomed his great pitching.

‘I thought the game might be ruined because of my mistake.’

It was Chavez who made the first error.

Because of that, his heart was heavy.

But Ha-sung didn’t collapse and was instead striking out batters at an incredible pace.

Thanks to that, he was able to relieve the pressure.

‘I definitely want to help him win.’

One disappointing thing was that the Yankees weren’t scoring any runs.

Although he was overshadowed by Ha-sung, C.J. Wilson was also blocking the Yankees’ lineup with great pitching through the 5th inning.

One of the reasons he was able to pitch well was that he had thoroughly shut down Ha-sung.

Although he made the choice to avoid a match with an intentional walk, that alone was enough to break the Yankees’ offensive flow.

‘How frustrated would he be if he pitched this well and still lost the game?’

Chavez wanted to make up for the mistake he made in the 1st inning somehow.

For himself.

And for Ha-sung.

* * *

6th inning.

Ha-sung added two more strikeouts.

[Jung Ha-sung, who has recorded 12 strikeouts through the 6th inning! The number of pitches has already exceeded 80!]

80 pitches.

Considering it’s the postseason, it’s a number of pitches where a replacement can be considered.

But manager Joe Girardi had no intention of replacing Ha-sung.

“At Ha-sung’s current pace, we can even think about a shutout.”

“That’s right. It’ll be a good opportunity to save the bullpen [the team’s relief pitchers].”

There was no game as important as the bullpen in a short-term game.

Girardi, who knew that well, was planning to take advantage of this opportunity.

‘Ha-sung is pitching better than I expected. I don’t know how far he’ll go, but what I need to do now is trust him.’

Ha-sung’s pitching was already beyond common sense.

I couldn’t know how far his abilities would reach.

What I have to do now is watch.

Just watch and support him to see how far he goes.

And.

[Jung Ha-sung is on the mound in the 9th inning as well!!]

Passing the 7th and 8th innings, Ha-sung went to the mound once again in the top of the 9th inning.

[Jung Ha-sung, who started on the mound as a starting pitcher, is on the mound once again to finish the game!]

[It’s really amazing. To throw until the 9th inning even in the Championship Series.]

[What’s even more amazing is that he has recorded 16 strikeouts so far! If he adds 1 strikeout in this inning, he will tie the all-time Major League postseason record for most strikeouts! If he adds 2 strikeouts, he will achieve a new record!]

Ha-sung, who is on the verge of a new record, stepped on the pitcher’s plate.