Villain On The Mound [EN]: Chapter 26

The Villain on the Mound – Episode 26

The Villain on the Mound 26

[Successful Settlement in the Major League?!]

[Jeong Ha-seong is Dominating the Major League with a Terrifying Momentum!!]

[3 Consecutive Games with Perfect Performance!! Where is Jeong Ha-seong’s Limit?!!]

[Jeong Ha-seong Selected as “Top 10 Rookies of the Year” by Major League Experts!!]

Korean portal sites were plastered with news about Ha-seong.

Ha-seong’s name was a constant fixture in Major League news.

Some outlets even blatantly copied content from other articles.

As the news coverage increased, Ha-seong naturally gained more public exposure.

-Jeong Ha-seong seems to be doing great.

-Three consecutive games without giving up a run? That’s impressive.

-It’s rare for a rookie to perform this well right off the bat, lol [laughing out loud].

-Is he the next big rookie sensation?

-Shouldn’t he be considered for the WBC [World Baseball Classic] next year at this rate?

-Ah-! Where can I watch the Oakland game!

The public’s reaction was generally positive.

His success made them feel a sense of pride as fellow Koreans.

However, not all comments were supportive.

-It’s only been three games; what’s with the “successful settlement” hype?

-“Terrifying momentum” is a bit of an exaggeration.

-If you say “3 consecutive perfect games,” I’d expect him to have pitched perfect games consecutively.

-Which media outlet actually ranked him as a top rookie?

-I live in New York, and nobody here knows Jeong Ha-seong, lol.

-Prove it in the comments, lol.

Many people pushed back against the overly enthusiastic articles.

And Ha-seong was meticulously checking all of these public reactions.

“These rotten bastards.”

Ha-seong frowned and cursed as he scrutinized the comments one by one.

“Those damn reporters’ sensationalism hasn’t changed, even in this day and age.”

The target of his anger wasn’t the people leaving negative comments.

What infuriated him were the reporters churning out sensationalized articles.

“Top 10 Rookies of the Year? What a load of crap.”

Just to be sure, he did a quick search on Google.

And he found the source.

“‘Major League expert,’ my ass. How is a personal blogger a ‘Major League expert’?”

The other articles were similarly misleading.

“Seriously? After only 3.1 innings pitched, they’re calling it a perfect streak and a Major League ‘bombing’? Give me a break.”

The articles that at least stuck to the facts were tolerable.

“Even though the internet isn’t as advanced in this era, this is still ridiculous.”

Ha-seong had lived in an era where smartphones were ubiquitous.

If these kinds of articles had been published back then, they would have been immediately flagged as fake news.

“At this rate, won’t the people who actually know about the Major League just become even more hostile?”

It’s more troublesome if those informed fans turn into haters.

Being knowledgeable about the Major League in this era meant you were a dedicated fanatic.

Above all, what angered Ha-seong was the reporters’ manipulative tactics.

“Thanks to these bastards, I went back and forth between heaven and hell.”

He was thinking about his previous life when he debuted in the KBO [Korean Baseball Organization].

Even then, Ha-seong was a pitcher who garnered significant attention during his rookie season.

[High School Prospect Jeong Ha-seong! Records 6 Innings, 1 Run, 7 Strikeouts in Debut Game!]

[The Future of Korean Baseball is Bright! The Arrival of a Promising Rookie!]

At the time, Ha-seong was highly regarded as a high school prospect.

As a result, he received considerable attention from the media and baseball fans.

The club also had high expectations for him, and he developed quickly, earning a consistent role as the fifth starter.

And Ha-seong delivered results that lived up to those expectations.

[Big Rookie Jeong Ha-seong! Achieves 10 Wins in First Season!!]

[Baseball Fans Excited About the Emergence of a High School Rookie After a Long Time!]

[The Rise of a Talented Rookie Who Consistently Throws Fastballs Over 150km/h [approximately 93 mph]!!]

The media was actively promoting Ha-seong.

In particular, being a rare fastball pitcher in Korea was a major draw for public attention.

Up until this point, he had only positive experiences with the media.

However, the relationship began to sour during the 2009 World Baseball Classic, where he was first selected for the national team.

[High School Prospect Jeong Ha-seong Selected for the National Team!!]

[Jeong Ha-seong to Represent Korea in His Second Year as a Pro!]

[Some Express Concerns…….]

The media openly expressed their high hopes for Ha-seong, who had been chosen for the national team.

Ha-seong was also confident.

He felt a great sense of pride in wearing the Taegeuk mark [Korean national symbol].

But the outcome was disappointing.

[Jeong Ha-seong Fails to Complete 1 Inning.]

[Jeong Ha-seong Shows His Limitations! Struggles on the World Stage.]

[Was it Too Much Pressure for the Rookie? Poor Performance with 1/3 Innings, 4 Hits, 3 Runs!!]

This could be considered fair criticism of his performance.

Up to this point, at least.

However, as Ha-seong developed into a star, outrageous articles began to surface.

[Jeong Ha-seong! Ignores a Young Fan’s Request for an Autograph!!]

It wasn’t that he was ignoring the fan.

He was signing autographs and moving along, but they cleverly captured a photo that made it look like he was snubbing the fan and then published it.

[Jeong Ha-seong on a Date with a Mysterious Woman!!]

There were also reporters who misrepresented a meal with his youngest aunt as a romantic date.

[(Exclusive Report) A Secret Meeting Between a Sports Star and an Actress?!]

Some reporters even stalked him and filmed his actual secret relationship.

As a result, he ended up breaking up with his girlfriend, with whom he had been happily dating.

What was even worse was the article that came out when he was struggling with the aftermath of the breakup.

[Ace’s Decline Due to Neglecting Baseball While Obsessed with Romance!]

Professional athletes are still human beings.

They experience joy, anger, sorrow, and pleasure, so their performance is bound to fluctuate.

Nevertheless, the reporters only saw him as a source of clicks and views.

“I was such an idiot back then. Even after going through all that, I just let it go, saying I understood.”

But he had no intention of repeating that mistake in this life.

A venomous look appeared in Ha-seong’s eyes as he stared at the monitor.

* * *

After being called up to the Major League, Ha-seong consistently delivered strong performances in every appearance.

As a result, the club began to place their trust in him.

That trust was immediately reflected in the game.

[The Athletics are taking Braden off the mound after holding on until the 6th inning, and rookie Jeong Ha-seong will take the mound in the 7th. Jeong Ha-seong has continued his excellent pitching since his Big League debut.]

[He has appeared in 4 games since being called up, pitching 4.1 innings and recording an ERA [Earned Run Average] of zero.]

[Perfect pitching. It will be interesting to see if he can maintain his strong performance today, coming in with a 4-point lead.]

Because it was an Oakland local broadcasting station, they openly expressed their expectations for Ha-seong.

And Ha-seong delivered pitching that lived up to those expectations.

[Jeong Ha-seong throws his first pitch.]

Thwack-!!

“Foul!!”

[First pitch foul. The batter is late on the 96-mile fastball.]

Whack!!

“Swing! Strike Two!!”

[The bat swings at a high ball. The speed of this ball was clocked at 98 miles.]

[High fastballs are effective for inducing swings and misses. It was a very effective pitch combination.]

[Jeong Ha-seong, who has quickly gotten two strikes, now has many options.]

Because there were many options, the sign exchange between the pitcher and catcher took longer.

But soon a decision was made, and Ha-seong went into his pitching stance.

[Now, I’m eager to see what pitch he will choose for his third pitch. Jeong Ha-seong throws his third pitch!]

Whoosh-!!

Pow!!

“Strike!! Batter Out!!”

[Three-pitch strikeout!! The batter is frozen by the 97-mile fastball that cuts through the zone!]

[It was a bold choice. He effectively exploited the batter’s weakness by attacking quickly!]

[He shows a level of composure that is hard to believe for a rookie!]

In his fifth appearance, Ha-seong delivered another perfect inning.

As a result,

He extended his scoreless streak to 5.1 innings, maintaining his ERA of zero since his Major League debut.

This news was quickly reported to Korea by the media.

[Korean Fireballer Dominates the Major League!]

[The Emergence of a Promising Pitcher Following in the Footsteps of the Korean Express [referring to a famous Korean pitcher]?!]

[How Far Will Jeong Ha-seong’s Scoreless Streak Go?!]

[Jeong Ha-seong Continues a 5.1 Innings Perfect Streak if Counted as a Starter!!]

Ridiculous articles flooded the internet.

Ha-seong was dumbfounded when he saw them.

“If he’s a reliever, he’s a reliever. What do they mean, ‘if you count it as a starter’?”

Of course, not all the articles were sensationalized.

[Athletics’ Jeong Ha-seong Continues Scoreless Pitching.]

[Jeong Ha-seong continued his scoreless pitching.

He suppressed the batters by throwing a high-level cutter and sinker, utilizing a fastball with a maximum speed of 98 miles.]

Reporter Baek Jun-gi wrote an article showcasing his expertise to the fullest.

And there was another positive report as well.

[Rookie Jeong Ha-seong Becoming a Hope for the Oakland Bullpen.]

[Rookie Jeong Ha-seong is performing well and providing much-needed relief for the Oakland bullpen.

The Oakland bullpen recorded an unstable ERA of 4.12 in the second half of the season.

However, in September, since Jeong Ha-seong joined, they are recording a stable ERA of 1.15.]

It was a fairly professional article.

The reporter compared the bullpen’s performance before and after Ha-seong’s arrival.

‘There are people like this too. The reporter’s name is… Kang Da-bin.’

But proper articles were few and far between.

Most of them had sensational headlines and shallow content, designed to generate clicks at all costs.

The reaction of baseball fans to these ridiculous articles was increasingly negative.

-The reporters are going overboard, lol.

-Don’t they know the difference between a starter and a reliever?

-The hype is unreal.

-Isn’t this level of nationalistic뽕 [exaggerated national pride] a lethal dose? ㅋㅋ [laughing]

-Jeong Ha-seong must be paying the reporters behind the scenes at this point.

-Does Jeong Ha-seong have a reporter in his family?ㅋㅋ

Ha-seong’s face turned serious.

“Now there are even people blaming me for this?”

It would only get worse if things continued like this.

The public, emboldened by anonymity, could be ruthless.

Ha-seong, having experienced this before his regression, had no intention of letting it slide.

* * *

Oakland’s general manager, Chris, had been enjoying a happy period recently, thanks to Ha-seong’s performance.

‘The fans are slowly coming back.’

He could track the rising viewership ratings.

After the series against Seattle, which marked Ha-seong’s debut, Oakland had a series of away games.

As a result, they couldn’t play at their home stadium.

Oakland fans had to watch the games on television.

But the viewership numbers were increasing steadily and significantly.

This indicated that fans were starting to take an interest in the team again.

‘In addition, the win rate is also improving as the bullpen has been strengthened since Ha-seong joined.’

Some might argue that it’s only one inning.

But Ha-seong was consistently shutting down that one inning.

From the perspective of the manager who directly oversees the game, he now had a reliable weapon at his disposal.

This stability was invaluable to the management.

‘If we keep playing well, we might even be able to make a run for a wild card spot.’

Currently, Oakland was in third place in the American League West Division.

However, the wild card is awarded to the team with the best record, regardless of division ranking.

‘If we win every game from now on, there’s definitely a possibility.’

It was a challenge bordering on impossible.

But if they maintained their current pace, it wasn’t entirely out of reach.

He was lost in his rosy dreams of the future when…

Knock knock-!

“Manager, the Korean reporters have requested an interview with Jeong Ha-seong.”

“Korean reporters?”

“Yes. Representatives from seven media companies have arrived. Given the number, I thought it would be best to schedule a separate interview.”

“Oh, really?”

Chris’s mind raced.

‘I’ve heard that Korea is a country with strong consumer loyalty to its own stars. If Ha-seong continues to develop like this, it will significantly boost uniform sales.’

That would greatly benefit the club’s finances.

There was no reason to decline.

“Prepare a space, even if it’s just a quick setup, in the empty room right now.”

“Understood.”

* * *

Ha-seong wasn’t thrilled about the idea.

‘Why do I have to gather only Korean reporters for an interview?’

They were people he didn’t particularly like.

In particular, he had a strong aversion to Today Baseball.

‘They were the ones who fabricated stories, going beyond exaggeration and even inventing things that never happened.’

They were the ones who had labeled a personal blogger as a Major League expert.

And those very people were now sitting right in front of him.

‘Reporter Baek Jun-gi is here too.’

A beautiful woman was sitting next to Reporter Baek Jun-gi.

Judging by their conversation, they seemed to be quite close.

As he observed the reporters, an Oakland club employee spoke up.

“Each media company is limited to one question, so please choose carefully.”

As soon as the employee finished speaking, questions poured in from all directions.

“Jeong Ha-seong! How do you feel about maintaining your perfect performance since your debut?”

“How long do you think your perfect streak will continue?”

“Please share your goals for this season!”

“What is the first thing you want to buy with the salary you’ll receive at the end of this season?”

The reporters’ questions were all phrased in a sensational manner.

They were determined to extract newsworthy material from Ha-seong at any cost.

Ha-seong smiled wryly as he looked at the reporters.

“Can you please ask proper questions instead of ridiculous ones?”

The atmosphere, which had been as lively as a marketplace, instantly quieted down at his words.