Villain On The Mound [EN]: Chapter 263

Mound Villain – Episode 263

The momentum of World Series Game 2 had shifted.

[Derek Jeter’s home run puts the score at 2-0!]

[Captain Jeter delivers again! He’s the Yankees’ hero in this crucial moment!]

The Yankees’ energy surged.

Scoring wasn’t just a morale boost.

It was Derek Jeter who had scored.

[Derek Jeter is an icon for the Yankees. For such a player to score the first run with a home run, it’s only natural that the team’s morale would soar.]

Derek Jeter’s leadoff run ignited the Yankees’ offense.

Clang-!!

[He hits it hard! The Yankees get consecutive hits after the first run!]

[The Yankees’ offense is relentless!]

The Yankees’ hitters began to relentlessly target the struggling Garcia.

He was clearly a talented pitcher, but Garcia’s biggest weakness was his inexperience.

[Is it because he gave up a home run? Garcia, who had been pitching so well, is starting to falter!]

[It was already impressive that he pitched so well in the World Series. However, it seems difficult for him to recover from the shock of that home run!]

[Seeing this, I can’t help but feel how amazing Jung Ha-sung is.]

Garcia was still a rookie, not yet eligible for salary arbitration [a process where an independent arbitrator determines a player’s salary].

It was unreasonable to expect too much from such a young pitcher.

Eventually, the Cardinals’ manager went to the mound.

[The Cardinals are changing pitchers!]

The course of history had changed.

‘Originally, Garcia would have shut them out until the 6th inning, but that’s changing now.’

The 2011 World Series featured games so good they were considered classics.

That’s why it remained so vividly in Ha-sung’s memory.

In particular, Game 2 was remembered as potentially the best pitching duel in World Series history.

That duel was now broken by Ha-sung.

‘This time, my involvement isn’t that big, but…….’

Derek Jeter solved it, so should the credit go to Derek Jeter?

In any case, as the pitcher changed, the game’s landscape began to shift.

How would today’s game end?

Everyone’s attention was focused.

* * *

The result of World Series Game 2 ended surprisingly anticlimactic.

[World Series Game 2 goes to the New York Yankees.]

With the Yankees’ victory.

[Starting pitcher James Garcia showed excellent pitching through the 4th inning, shutting down the Yankees’ lineup against CC Sabathia.]

Garcia’s performance in the early innings was definitely noteworthy.

[However, in the 5th inning, with one out, he walked Jung Ha-sung, then allowed a two-run home run to Derek Jeter, and began to falter, allowing subsequent hits and eventually being taken off the mound. After replacing the pitcher, the Cardinals couldn’t stop the Yankees’ momentum and collapsed.]

It was a decisive victory.

The Yankees even saved their bullpen as CC Sabathia pitched through the 7th inning.

[With the World Series score now 2-0, the Yankees will lift the trophy if they add two more wins.]

In a best-of-seven series, the Yankees’ chances of winning the World Series rose to 70 percent after taking a 2-0 lead.

[Now, the World Series stage moves away from New York to the St. Louis Cardinals’ home stadium, Busch Stadium!]

Busch Stadium.

The home stadium of the St. Louis Cardinals.

In other words, the Yankees would be playing in enemy territory.

[Above all, isn’t there a lot of discussion about Jung Ha-sung and Games 3 through 5?]

[That’s right. Jung Ha-sung has been playing as a designated hitter. But from Game 3 onwards, that won’t be possible.]

[That’s because they follow the National League rules, right?]

[Yes. The World Series is a match between the champions of the American League and the National League. Almost all the rules are similar, but there is one major difference: the designated hitter rule.]

[The designated hitter rule is familiar to baseball fans. But the National League doesn’t have this rule.]

[The World Series follows the rules of the home stadium, so the designated hitter cannot be used at the Cardinals’ home stadium, which belongs to the National League.]

[In other words, the pitcher must also step into the batter’s box.]

[This means that Jung Ha-sung, who has been standing in the batter’s box instead of the pitcher, cannot stand in the batter’s box unless he plays a position.]

[Of course, the possibility isn’t zero, is it?]

[If Jung Ha-sung plays defense, he can bat, but the chances of that are very low.]

Ha-sung’s role became ambiguous when they went to the National League.

And this was the answer to a question that had been raised.

[Will Jung Ha-sung be able to be a two-way player in the National League as well?]

It was time to get an answer to that fundamental question.

* * *

Like the top star he was, all eyes were on him whenever something related to him happened.

This time was no different.

-Is Ha-sung not going to be able to play in the World Series Games 3-4?

-He’ll probably come out as a pinch hitter at best.

-You should assume he won’t be playing full games.

-Wow~ this is how it turns out.

-This was obviously expected.

-That’s why Ha-sung went to the New York Yankees.

-He can’t go to the National League.

-Who knew there would be such a weakness in being a two-way player.

Some people expected it, and some didn’t.

And Ha-sung was one of those who expected it.

“I guess the reactions are as expected.”

Ha-sung, who had anticipated these reactions, turned off the internet and looked out the window.

“Ohtani also played in the American League all the time while being a two-way player.”

Before his regression [referring to a decline in performance], he was amazed by Shohei Ohtani.

Because Ohtani was a player who opened a new path as a two-way player.

He also played as an outfielder, but he was primarily a designated hitter for most of the season.

That’s how difficult it was to combine defense with being a two-way player.

From physical strain to the risk of injury.

Considering those aspects, Ohtani’s choice was wise.

And Ha-sung didn’t really want to play defense either.

“Unless I practice and drastically improve my skills, would I ever play defense in the World Series?”

It didn’t matter what they were saying on the internet.

He just had to focus on his own path.

Thinking that way, Ha-sung got some rest.

Preparing for the remaining World Series games.

* * *

People’s predictions became reality.

[The Cardinals beat the Yankees and take Game 3 with a victory!]

The Cardinals, returning home, won Game 3 and took a 2-1 lead in the series.

The reason for today’s game result was clear.

[The Yankees’ loss today was due to a lack of offensive firepower compared to usual.]

[Jung Ha-sung’s absence made a big difference in the team’s power.]

[That’s right. He came to the plate in the 6th inning with no outs and runners on first and second, but the Cardinals intentionally walked him.]

Ha-sung came to the plate, but was walked intentionally [a strategic walk given to a batter to avoid them hitting].

Thanks to that, the Yankees scored one run, but that was it.

[The follow-up hits didn’t come, so they only managed to score one run.]

[Considering that Jung Ha-sung’s at-bats usually led to a large score, isn’t this a disappointing result?]

[That’s right. And Jung Ha-sung was immediately replaced in the field, so in a way, they didn’t properly utilize the Jung Ha-sung card.]

Ha-sung became a secret weapon that could only be used once.

The problem was that the Cardinals knew the power of that weapon too well, so they avoided the attack by simply avoiding him.

[If the Cardinals win all their home games, the series score will be reversed.]

[The Yankees’ lineup won’t collapse just because Jung Ha-sung is missing, but it’s definitely a crisis.]

As the situation turned out this way, manager Joe Girardi had no choice but to pull out a new card.

[But the Yankees have also drawn their sword of counterattack. They have scheduled Jung Ha-sung to start in the 4th game tomorrow.]

[That’s right. If Jung Ha-sung starts, he will be batting at least 2-3 times.]

[If the Yankees win Game 4, they will regain the lead.]

Ha-sung would start as a pitcher.

Many people were predicting the Yankees’ victory just because of this.

In fact, many bookmakers bet on the Yankees as the winner of Game 4, and the odds tilted significantly.

But the predictions were far off.

[World Series Game 4! The St. Louis Cardinals win!!]

[Major upset! The New York Yankees lose even after putting untouchable Jung Ha-sung on the mound!]

[The Yankees’ World Series score is tied! Experts predict the Cardinals’ victory!]

[Mr. Zero Jung Ha-sung! Pitched 8 innings without giving up a run, but watched the team’s defeat as the lineup remained silent and Mariano Rivera collapsed!]

Ha-sung was on the mound, but the Yankees lost.

The formula that Ha-sung’s appearance = Yankees’ victory had collapsed.

The biggest reason for this result was the Yankees’ silent lineup.

[The Yankees remained silent for 9 innings, getting only 2 hits.]

[They didn’t properly attack the Cardinals’ pitching.]

[That’s right. In addition, the Cardinals blocked the attack by using the Jung Ha-sung blockade operation that the Texas Rangers used.]

[In Game 4, Jung Ha-sung only got 3 walks and didn’t launch any significant attacks.]

[There were no opportunities at all. He was completely shut down by the Cardinals.]

Unlike Games 1-2, the Cardinals thoroughly avoided competing with Ha-sung in Game 4.

Experts judged the Cardinals’ moves as follows.

[Perhaps this is an expression of their determination to win at home games where National League rules apply.]

[Certainly, the atmosphere is going according to the Cardinals’ intentions so far.]

[The problem is that the Yankees’ situation is not good, as they failed to win even after using the Jung Ha-sung card.]

[That’s right. Jung Ha-sung threw 107 pitches in this appearance as well. He has thrown more than 100 pitches in this game as well as in the first game.]

[Isn’t there a physical problem?]

[That’s highly likely. The 5th game is only about one at-bat anyway, so it’s not a big problem. It will be difficult to come out in the 6th game.]

It was well known that Ha-sung’s stamina was impressive.

But after throwing more than 100 pitches, he also needs to rest.

If he forces himself to pitch, he can come out in the 6th game, but he may not be in normal condition.

The most ideal appearance is the 7th game.

The problem was that if that happened, the Yankees might not have a chance.

[If the Yankees lose by the 5th game, the series may be decided in the 6th game. In that case, they have to use the Jung Ha-sung card. If that happens, they may not be able to use him as a starter in the 7th game.]

[Hmm… The Yankees are in a situation where they have to consider several scenarios.]

[Yes. The defeat in Game 4 was a result that is difficult to simply say that the series was tied.]

It was just one loss.

But with that, the Yankees were in a more complicated situation than ever before.

That’s why many experts began to predict that the Cardinals would win the World Series.

[The World Series, which seemed to be one-sided! But now, let’s rebalance and look forward to the 5th game with the card of fate!]

World Series Game 5.

It became a game that virtually determined the direction of the championship ring.