Villain On The Mound [EN]: Chapter 257

Expectations were rising.

-Are they going to sweep the Championship Series too?

-Wouldn’t that be a first in history?

-A consecutive sweep from the Division Series to the Championship Series would be a first, haha.

-This is definitely Ha-sung’s series, haha.

-It’s like only Jung Ha-sung is playing baseball.

-Even if he doesn’t start, he’ll come out as a hitter. If they can’t stop Ha-sung, there’s no hope.

-Agreed.

Whether the New York Yankees, led by Jung Ha-sung, would achieve a sweep was the center of attention.

However, the Texas Rangers were not an easy team to deal with.

Especially since the game was held at their home stadium, the fans’ support was tremendous.

“This time, we have to win no matter what!!”

“You guys are invincible at home!!”

“Let’s start hunting the Rangers!!”

The fans’ fervent support and cheers, enough to shake the Texas home stadium, poured out towards the Rangers players.

Conversely, they booed at the Yankees players.

“Woooo-!!”

“Go back to your house!!”

“Just get hunted quietly!!”

In the face of the one-sided cheering, the Yankees struggled to perform well.

Crack-!!

[The batted ball soars high!]

Thwack!

“Out!!”

[The second out is recorded.]

[The Yankees’ first and second batters are being dismissed from the plate in vain.]

[Is it because of the Texas fans’ cheering?]

[That’s highly likely. I’ve watched many games, but this is the first time I’ve seen such one-sided support.]

[Above all, the Rangers players’ concentration is very good.]

[Perhaps because they are cornered, they seem to be approaching this as if it’s their last game.]

The Rangers players’ concentration was higher than ever.

However, Ha-sung didn’t pay attention to this situation.

[But the Yankees have this player! Jung Ha-sung is stepping up to the plate!]

[Jung Ha-sung, who is making this postseason his own series, will hopefully show something at the Texas home stadium.]

Most people expected Ha-sung to deliver here as well.

But there was nothing Ha-sung could do.

Thwack!

“Ball! Base on balls!!”

[It’s a straight walk! The Rangers are completely avoiding a showdown with Jung Ha-sung!]

[They’re choosing an intentional walk again.]

[With this, Jung Ha-sung’s intentional walks in this Championship Series have increased to 7!]

[Seven intentional walks in the postseason. This is also likely to be a new record.]

[It seems that Texas’s way of blocking Jung Ha-sung is to avoid the showdown altogether.]

It was, in a way, a cheap tactic.

But it was also the most effective.

[No matter how outstanding Jung Ha-sung is, there’s nothing he can do if they don’t challenge him.]

[If they can block Jung Ha-sung with this method, it can also be one answer.]

Naturally, there was criticism.

-Is this baseball?

-Texas is so cheap, lol.

-No matter how scary Ha-sung is, they’re avoiding the showdown with intentional walks.

-How much are they going to avoid the showdown in this way?

-Won’t there eventually come a time when they have to face Jung Ha-sung?

-Ha-sung must be frustrated.

-He didn’t even come out as a starter today. There’s nothing Ha-sung can do.

He knew these reactions would surface.

Nevertheless, they made this choice.

‘Ha-sung is a monster. There are no players who can face him normally this season.’

Even if a legendary player returns, could they face him?

He couldn’t guarantee it.

That’s how much of a monster Ha-sung was this season, dominating Major League Baseball.

‘We have to avoid him. If we can escape before being eaten by the monster…….’

Texas chose to run.

It was a step back for the sake of victory.

‘I will definitely win.’

Texas had not yet given up on the World Series.

* * *

Texas’s Jung Ha-sung blockade operation worked, at least for one game.

[The Texas Rangers have drawn their sword of counterattack!]

[The Texas Rangers defeat the New York Yankees 3-1 and earn 1 win in the Championship Series!]

The Rangers finally won a game against the Yankees.

In the process, they also endured a humiliating distinction.

[Jung Ha-sung has set a record for the most intentional walks in a single postseason game, earning 4 intentional walks against the Texas Rangers.]

[Some criticize the Texas Rangers for avoiding a showdown with Jung Ha-sung, saying it goes against the spirit of sports…….]

There was considerable criticism.

But as a result, Texas won.

Above all, they didn’t break any rules.

They won the game fairly.

And they proved that they could neutralize Ha-sung with this method.

Ha-sung didn’t seem to care much about this either.

“Jung Ha-sung! The Texas Rangers showed a tendency to avoid Jung Ha-sung in today’s game. What do you think about this?”

“They must have come up with their own countermeasures against me. I don’t care much about it.”

“Then, what are you going to do if Texas continues to avoid the showdown in the future?”

“I have to wait. All I can do as a hitter is to get on base. Other than that, I’m expecting my teammates to deliver. More than anything.”

Mics gathered in front of Ha-sung.

“Can they continue to avoid a showdown with me? Eventually, as we play baseball, there will come a moment when I have to face them. I will wait for that moment.”

Ha-sung’s words were correct.

This showdown would eventually be won by the one with the strongest tenacity.

Above all, the Rangers had to face not only Ha-sung but the entire Yankees team.

With the current method of focusing only on Ha-sung, they will not win this series.

And that was proven in the 4th game.

* * *

Thwack!

“Ball! Base on balls!”

[It’s a walk! The Texas Rangers are choosing an intentional walk against Jung Ha-sung in today’s game!]

[They effectively blocked Jung Ha-sung with this method in the 3rd game, so they’re using the same method in the 4th game.]

[If they face Jung Ha-sung head-on, they are likely to give up a run. So it seems they are trying to block it from the source through this method.]

The Rangers, who perfectly blocked Ha-sung in the 3rd game, used the same method in the 4th game.

Thanks to this, Ha-sung reached first base, setting a rare record of 5 consecutive intentional walks.

But in this appearance, another Yankees legend, Derek Jeter’s competitive spirit was ignited.

‘They’re only paying attention to Ha-sung, huh.’

Derek Jeter was a player who was sure to be inducted into the Hall of Fame even if he retired right now.

He left his mark on Major League Baseball for a long time.

As the captain of the Yankees and a shortstop representing Major League Baseball, he was a legendary figure.

Although his overall stats were declining as he got older, there was no question that he was a great player.

As such a player, his pride was considerable.

Naturally, he couldn’t like the current situation.

‘The Yankees have…….’

He was angry at Texas’s choice, but he was waiting for his moment.

And when his time came.

‘It’s not just Ha-sung!!’

Whoosh-!!

His bat swung sharply.

Crack-!

[He hits the 3rd pitch hard!!]

His bat connected powerfully with the slider that hung in the air, like a hawk seizing its prey.

The moment a satisfying sound echoed through the stadium.

Ha-sung immediately assessed the trajectory of the batted ball.

‘It’s a long hit!’

The moment he made that judgment, Ha-sung started running.

‘I’m aiming for home.’

He decided on his goal from the moment he started running.

His feet didn’t slow down, and he passed second base and ran to third base in one breath.

[Jung Ha-sung is sprinting to 3rd base!]

[The right fielder has finally caught the ball!]

[He has to go for home!]

The commentators shouted excitedly.

Ha-sung thought the same.

As evidence, his sprint didn’t stop as he rounded third base.

[Passes 3rd base as it is!!]

Almost simultaneously, the right fielder charged forward and threw the ball.

“Heup-!!”

Whoosh-!

The ball thrown by the right fielder streaked like a laser toward home plate.

[Direct throw to home!!]

Ha-sung checked his teammate’s signal while looking straight ahead.

‘I have to dive!!’

He could see that the ball was aimed directly at home.

It was as expected.

Ha-sung launched his body in front of home plate.

Whoosh-!

The sound of cutting through the air hit his ears.

Following that, a dull thud echoed.

Thwack!

The ball nestled into the catcher’s mitt.

Chwaaaaa-!!

The catcher tagged Ha-sung with a swift movement.

Ha-sung also reached out and touched home plate.

Dust billowed, and Ha-sung’s uniform was covered in dirt.

And.

“Safe!!”

The umpire spread both hands left and right and declared safe.

“Euryaaaaat!!”

With Ha-sung’s roar, the number 1 appeared on the scoreboard.

[It’s safe! Jung Ha-sung! He gives the team the first point with an amazing run!]

[Ah~ Jung Ha-sung, he was really fast!!]

[Derek Jeter’s batting was also excellent! He swung the bat at the perfect timing and created a long hit!]

[The Rangers’ Jung Ha-sung blockade operation has failed!!]

It was the moment the Rangers’ strategy was broken.

* * *

The Rangers’ strategy was simple.

It was to neutralize Ha-sung’s bat and prevent his performance.

But his performance wasn’t just coming from the bat.

[The moment Derek Jeter hit the ball, Jung Ha-sung knew it was going to be a hit.]

[He assessed the trajectory of the flying ball and accelerated.]

[Above all, he didn’t stop accelerating as he passed 2nd base and reached 3rd base. This was a calculated risk to aim for home.]

The most important thing in base running was decisiveness.

The moment you hesitate, the probability of taking the next base decreases.

You had to make a decision in that short amount of time and commit to the next step.

Ha-sung made a perfect decision in this regard.

[Above all, he slid perfectly, avoiding the catcher’s tag position.]

[He doesn’t often showcase his base running skills, but he demonstrated his excellent base running sense in today’s play.]

[He proved once again that he is a truly complete player.]

Praise for Ha-sung continued.

That’s how impressive this base running play was.

Above all, the biggest significance was that it shattered the Texas Rangers’ strategy.

The Rangers chose the strategy of intentional walks to contain Ha-sung.

This fact delivered a significant blow to the Rangers players.

It meant that their pride was wounded.

The strategy they chose was broken in vain, and they gave up the first point, leaving them quite shaken.

And this shock lingered until the end of the game.

Bang-!

“Strike! Batter out!!”

[The game is over! The 4th game of the Championship Series ends with Mariano Rivera’s cutter!]

[The score is 4 to 2! The Yankees add another win and now only need one more win to end the series!]

Series score 3 to 1.

The Yankees were only one win away from the World Series.