Villain On The Mound [EN]: Chapter 261

Mound Villain – Episode 261

[Jung Ha-sung steps up to the plate.]

A tremendous roar erupted as he entered the batter’s box.

“Waaaaah-!!”

“Jung Ha-sung, blast one out of here!”

“Let’s go, home run!!”

“Home run! Home run! Home run!!”

The fans’ cheers poured out.

There were plenty of Yankees fans, and many Korean fans as well.

The evidence was the considerable amount of Korean being spoken.

[Many Korean fans have come to the stadium today as well.]

[It seems that more Korean fans are visiting the stadium since the move to New York.]

[I think it’s because the accessibility has become more convenient than when they were in Oakland.]

[This will be a tremendous boost for Jung Ha-sung. Imagine hearing the cheers of your fellow countrymen in a distant land!]

That was certainly a strong possibility.

Unfortunately, however, Ha-sung couldn’t hear the cheering.

“Hoo…….”

With his focus heightened, he saw only the ball in the pitcher’s hand.

‘He won’t try to take the win from me easily.’

Chris Carpenter was pitching well today.

But his style wasn’t one of overpowering the batter.

He covered many innings with a ground ball-inducing style of pitching.

In other words, he was betting on control and ball movement rather than a head-on confrontation.

‘He only has three strikeouts in today’s game, but the fact that he hasn’t given up a run yet is proof of that.’

Three strikeouts were very few compared to Ha-sung’s strikeouts.

But both pitchers were pitching scoreless innings, so the result was the same.

‘Even in the previous at-bat, he didn’t take the battle with me to the very end.’

In his first at-bat, Ha-sung walked to first base.

It wasn’t an intentional walk.

At two strikes and three balls, he endured a breaking ball instead of a head-on confrontation and walked.

In other words, Chris Carpenter was making the battle difficult, but he wasn’t avoiding it.

‘He’s not thinking of avoiding a showdown with me like Texas did.’

He wasn’t underestimating Ha-sung.

He was simply choosing to compete.

‘That’s better for me.’

If he avoided the showdown, there was nothing he could do, but if he didn’t avoid it, there was a lot he could do.

‘I’m used to the ball now.’

The moment Ha-sung heightened his concentration.

Chris Carpenter went into his windup.

[Jung Ha-sung’s second at-bat! Carpenter throws the ball!]

“Hmph!!”

Whoosh-!!

The ball, released from Carpenter’s hand, bore in toward him.

The moment Ha-sung stepped out and started to swing.

Swoosh!!

The ball changed direction.

It dropped sharply, like an animal avoiding its natural enemy.

Ha-sung didn’t try to hit the ball that was out of his swing path and stopped his bat.

Thwack!!

“Ball.”

[Jung Ha-sung holds off on the first-pitch forkball!]

[It was a good breaking ball, but Jung Ha-sung’s eye was even better.]

[It seems the Cardinals have chosen to compete with Jung Ha-sung.]

[Texas did come up with a tactic, but it was hard to call it a real strategy. Above all, since the Texas Rangers lost even with the intentional walk strategy, it seems the Cardinals have chosen the direct approach.]

[The showdown will be difficult, but Jung Ha-sung must also keep in mind that it’s not an intentional walk and focus on his hitting.]

Chris Carpenter obsessively went through his routine on the mound.

‘I had a feel for it in my hand. I held it back at the last moment. He’s definitely a good hitter.’

The National League and the American League.

Because the leagues were different, the two players had only competed in three at-bats.

‘He didn’t look bad when I saw him during the pennant race. He looks even better today.’

It was enough to check Ha-sung’s condition since it was his second at-bat.

‘Then should I try to catch him off guard this time?’

Carpenter, standing on the pitcher’s plate, sent the signal himself.

‘I don’t have a monster fastball like you…….’

[Carpenter exchanges signs and goes into his windup!]

‘But I have experience.’

[He throws the second pitch!]

With the windup, Carpenter stepped forward and threw the ball with all his might.

The ball, released from his hand, flew high and inside.

It was a dangerous course.

Ha-sung seemed to sense it and leaned back.

The ball didn’t change any further and passed right through where Ha-sung’s head had been.

Thwack-!!

“Ball.”

“Wooooooo-!!”

“Where are you throwing the ball?!”

“Can’t you throw properly?!”

“If you hit our Ha-sung, you’re dead!!”

The fans poured out tremendous boos.

It was that dangerous of a pitch.

[Ah~ That last pitch was a bit dangerous.]

[It was a pitch that could have hit Jung Ha-sung if he hadn’t dodged it.]

[It looks like a mistake, but it could have been a headshot if he had missed.]

It looked like a mistake.

But Ha-sung knew that wasn’t the case.

‘He was aiming.’

He was aiming for his head.

‘I don’t know if he intended to hit me, but he definitely threw the ball to a place where I would feel threatened.’

Stepping away from the plate, he took a light swing and sorted out his thoughts.

‘There’s only one reason to throw a ball at my head in this situation.’

Ha-sung was calm even in the face of such a beanball [a pitch intentionally thrown at the batter’s head].

He knew that reacting to these things would only help the pitcher.

[Jung Ha-sung returns to the plate.]

Seeing Ha-sung at the plate, Carpenter went into his windup.

‘The last ball must have left an afterimage, right?’

The reason Carpenter threw the second pitch like that was simple.

He didn’t intend to hit Ha-sung.

He just wanted to imprint the ball in his eyes.

If a ball came in a similar course to the imprinted one, the reaction would be delayed.

‘If I throw a slider here……!’

Carpenter kicked, strode, and swung his arm with all his might.

Whoosh-!!

The ball, released from his hand, flew towards Ha-sung’s head.

As the spectators and commentators were surprised to see it.

Swoosh!!

The ball curved sharply and pierced the strike zone.

At that moment.

Whoosh-!!

Ha-sung’s bat cut through the air and passed over home plate.

And without a moment’s hesitation, he snatched the ball that was piercing the strike zone.

Clang-!!

[He hit it!!]

The ball, which bounced off with a crisp sound, flew straight into the outfield stands of Yankee Stadium.

‘How……?’

Carpenter’s face turned to dismay as he watched it.

Seeing Carpenter’s expression, Ha-sung threw his bat and leisurely ran towards first base.

‘If it was a normal hitter, the reaction to that ball would have been delayed. But it doesn’t work on me.’

Carpenter’s ball distribution, ball speed, pitch type, etc.

Everything was perfect.

He could tell that Carpenter was in good condition today.

‘But because I know he’s in good condition, I knew there wouldn’t be a mistake.’

Carpenter is originally a pitcher with good control.

He was a pitcher who usually got batters out through ground ball-inducing pitching.

Would he make such an absurd mistake twice?

He could do it once, but the chances of doing it twice were very slim.

Especially consecutively.

Knowing that, Ha-sung was able to read Carpenter’s intentions and hit it accurately.

‘You seem to believe too much that I don’t have experience.’

Ha-sung’s major league career is only four years.

This is the first year he has started as a two-way player [a player who can both pitch and hit].

He was putting up great numbers, but he clearly lacked experience.

On the surface, that is.

Including his past life, Ha-sung has played in hundreds of games.

Maybe more than a thousand games. As that experience accumulated, Ha-sung was able to see things that others couldn’t.

It was a kind of insight.

Especially as a pitcher, he was able to read the opponent’s thoughts.

Carpenter may be a veteran, but Ha-sung was a veteran who surpassed him.

‘It’s my victory.’

Ha-sung rounded the bases and stepped on home plate.

[Jung Ha-sung scores his first RBI and run in the World Series!]

The balance tilted.

* * *

It’s only one point.

But it felt like an insurmountable mountain.

Thwack-!!

“Strike! Batter out!!”

The reason was that the person on the mound was none other than Ha-sung.

[Jung Ha-sung erases the 7th inning!]

[He strikes out all three batters, preventing them from threatening the one point he scored!]

[Ah~ It’s only one point, but it doesn’t look like it will be easy to come back!!]

Watching Ha-sung coming down from the mound, Joe Girardi thought.

‘He’s on a shutout pace again today. With this kind of condition, there’s no reason to replace him at all.’

Even after the 7th inning, there was no problem with Ha-sung’s velocity or control.

Rather, the sharpness of the ball was alive and overwhelming the batter.

‘I’m really lucky as a manager.’

It was lucky to be playing in the World Series with a player like this.

He could watch the game without any worries.

“Nice one, Ha-sung!”

“Thank you.”

Joe Girardi smiled as he high-fived Ha-sung, who was entering the dugout.

* * *

Ha-sung’s pitching didn’t waver.

Thwack-!!

“Strike! Out!!”

[Strikeout! Jung Ha-sung adds his 15th strikeout of the game!]

[15 strikeouts in a single game in the World Series……. I wonder how far this player will go!]

15 strikeouts in a single World Series game was a record tied with Sandy Koufax’s 15 strikeouts.

Arithmetically, three more strikeouts were possible, so it was certainly possible to break the record.

[Because it’s only a one-run game, the Cardinals are putting closer Fernando on the mound to stop the Yankees’ lineup!]

The Cardinals didn’t give up either.

One point was a score that could be overturned with a moment’s carelessness or mistake.

Of course, the fact that Ha-sung was on the mound was a big obstacle for them.

Still, they didn’t give up and put Fernando on the mound, tying up the Yankees’ lineup.

Thwack!!

“Strike! Batter out!!”

[Fernando strikes out the third batter! Now the game continues to the top of the 9th inning!]

The last chance came to the Cardinals.

The Yankees’ choice to stop them was, of course, Ha-sung.

[Jung Ha-sung is on the mound in the 9th inning! He has struck out every batter except for one hit in today’s game!]

[In fact, even that one hit was a play close to a defensive error, so he’s having a perfect game.]

[Will he be the first Asian to win a World Series shutout! And will he be able to break the record of the legendary Sandy Koufax! The final inning begins!]

Only three outs.

The Cardinals fans wanted Ha-sung to feel the pressure.

But.

Thwack-!!

“Strike! Batter out!!”

[Jung Ha-sung gets the first strikeout with a 100 mph fastball!!]

[His velocity hasn’t dropped even though he’s thrown over 110 pitches!!]

Ha-sung was still throwing fastballs.

Whoosh-!!

Thwack!

“Swing! Strike out!!”

[He strikes out the second batter with a high-speed slider!]