Villain On The Mound [EN]: Chapter 265

The Cardinals fans began to stir.

“Haseong at this timing…….”

“Of course, they’ll have to put him in.”

“Ha-! Why did they make it a bases-loaded situation!”

“They can’t even walk him now, can they?”

It was a bases-loaded situation.

An unavoidable situation.

Even the fans knew it, leaving them with no choice but to despair.

[With the score tied, Jung Haseong steps up to the plate!]

[He’s going to end the game here. Isn’t that right?!]

[That’s right! With the bases loaded, the Cardinals have no choice!]

Even an intentional walk would give up the lead.

The Cardinals had to compete.

‘No choice.’

The Cardinals bench knew it too.

The sign given to Haseong as he stepped into the batter’s box was, of course, to compete.

However, it wouldn’t be an easy contest.

‘Make it as difficult as possible. Even if it results in a hit-by-pitch, there’s no helping it.’

They would compete, but they had no intention of making it easy.

The catcher, having received the sign, nodded and relayed the sign to the pitcher.

‘Let’s make it as difficult as possible.’

‘Okay.’

While the two were exchanging signs.

Haseong, standing in the batter’s box, went through his routine and took his batting stance.

‘I’ll end it here.’

His concentration was higher than ever.

* * *

“Play ball!!”

The game resumed.

[Jung Haseong, who came in as a pinch hitter, faces the first pitch with two outs and the bases loaded.]

The pitcher went into his windup.

It was an unusual occurrence.

A windup with runners on base.

This wasn’t something that happened often, even with the bases loaded.

However, the Cardinals were confident that the runners wouldn’t run.

‘Jung Haseong is up. There won’t be a steal attempt. They’ll entrust everything to him.’

Having played the Haseong card, the Yankees also had to score.

If they attempted a steal and got out, that card would be wasted.

Joe Girardi wasn’t foolish enough to take such a risk.

‘Compete with all your might.’

That was the reason the Cardinals bench allowed the windup.

And their prediction was spot on.

Despite the windup, the runners didn’t move from their positions.

They didn’t even gesture to run.

Everything was entrusted to Haseong.

Even in that situation, Haseong calmly watched the ball leave the pitcher’s hand.

Whoosh-!!

‘Outside.’

Haseong, having identified the course of the incoming ball, checked its trajectory.

‘Low.’

He stopped his bat’s motion as the ball came in lower than his imagined strike zone.

Thwack!!

He thought he would hear the sound of the ball hitting the mitt and the call that it was out of the strike zone.

But.

“Strike!!”

The unexpected strike call came.

[Ah~ they’re calling that a strike!]

[No, if they’re calling that a strike, how wide is the strike zone supposed to be?!]

[They’re showing the replay now. The ball is…… ah~ it’s out of the zone!]

The ball was definitely out of the zone.

Nevertheless, Haseong asked the umpire who called the strike.

“That’s a strike?”

“It caught the zone perfectly.”

The umpire confirmed once again.

Having heard those words, Haseong stepped away from the plate, lightly swung his bat, and organized his thoughts.

‘If they’re calling that ball a strike, it works significantly in the pitcher’s favor. I need to adjust my strike zone.’

Half a ball was clearly out.

Even so, the umpire called it a strike.

There was no reason to protest further here.

‘The ball count is the umpire’s inherent authority. There’s no point in continuing to protest it.’

Having finished assessing the situation, Haseong didn’t complain but instead adjusted his strike zone.

‘Widen the outside zone more than usual. Conversely, reduce the inside zone and watch the situation.’

Each umpire had their own unique strike zone.

Most umpires who generously called the outside zone often called the inside zone harshly.

Having finished adjusting the strike zone, Haseong returned to the batter’s box.

[I hope Jung Haseong isn’t shaken by this call.]

[He won’t be shaken! Jung Haseong isn’t a player who gets shaken by something like this!]

People believed in Haseong.

However, it was inevitable that some anxiety would arise.

In the meantime, the pitcher, having exchanged signs, began his pitch.

‘If they’re generously calling the outside…….’

This time as well, he continued his pitch with a windup.

‘I’ll attack the outside!’

“Hmph!!”

The ball, flying with a shout, headed towards the outside.

At that moment.

Haseong’s lower body turned, and he tried to extend his bat.

Whoosh!!

Then, spin was applied to the ball, causing it to flow outward.

‘Slider!’

Haseong, having discerned that it was a slider, twisted his wrist to stop his swing.

Thwack!!

“Check!!”

As soon as the ball hit the mitt, the catcher requested a check from the first base umpire.

However, the first base umpire spread his arms to the sides, signaling that he hadn’t swung.

[Ah~ he didn’t swing!]

[That’s a relief! He endured the slider that was flowing to the outside well!]

[With this, the count becomes one ball and one strike.]

It was close, but they gained one thing.

‘They’re focusing their attack on the outside.’

It was, in some ways, an obvious choice.

Since the umpire was generously calling the outside, it was advantageous for the pitcher to attack that area.

‘If I know the course, it’s easier to attack.’

If they focused on the outside course, it would be even more advantageous for him.

Clang!!

[He hit the third pitch! But it goes outside the foul line!]

[It went outside the foul line, but a huge hit was produced. If it had been a little closer to the center of the bat, it would have gone over the fence.]

[It seems that Jung Haseong is recklessly attacking the outside because the umpire is generous with his outside calls.]

There was a clear reason why Haseong didn’t hit the center of the bat.

He had to hit a course that would normally be a ball, so it didn’t hit the center.

[Jung Haseong’s count is pressured again!]

[Jung Haseong is fighting not only the pitcher but also the umpire’s strike zone.]

[If it had been the original strike zone, he would have gotten a more advantageous count.]

The commentators were complaining about the umpire’s zone.

However, Haseong didn’t think that way.

‘Since they’ve been hitting the outside continuously, there’s a high probability they’ll throw one inside now.’

He was only focused on the game.

He didn’t care about what had already happened.

Above all, the umpire’s strike zone was not something he could change with his own ability.

Instead of wasting his energy on that, it was a priority to focus more on the game.

[Jung Haseong steps into the batter’s box again.]

Haseong, standing in the batter’s box, gripped his bat and glared at the pitcher.

The pitcher, having exchanged signs, threw the ball with a windup this time as well.

“Hmph!!”

The ball that left his hand dug into the inside as expected.

This time, Haseong just watched the ball.

Thwack!!

“Yes!!”

The pitcher immediately screamed with a heavy sound.

He was confident it would be a strike.

But the call was different.

“Ball.”

“What?!”

[Ah! It’s a ball! A four-seam fastball that strongly stuck to the inside! Fernando, who roared on the mound, is protesting to the umpire with a surprised face!]

Fernando came down from the mound and shouted at the umpire.

“How is that a ball?! Are you blind?!”

Fernando’s protest was quite intense.

Molina quickly blocked him, as the intense protest could lead to an ejection.

“Calm down. What’s wrong?”

“No, you saw it too! How could that ball be……!”

The umpire was about to approach him again.

Molina forcibly dragged Fernando towards the mound.

Watching that scene, Haseong realized once again that Molina was a good catcher.

‘There’s a reason why he’s a legendary catcher. If the pitcher gets ejected at this moment, it’s bound to be a headache.’

Haseong’s gaze turned to Fernando.

‘On the other hand, that guy is surprisingly hot-tempered. Or has the current situation made him like that?’

It was a game that could determine the direction of the World Series.

The most important situation in that game.

As a pitcher, he had no choice but to react sensitively.

‘It’ll work out better for me.’

The most important thing for a pitcher is mentality.

He has to throw the ball calmly on the mound, but that calmness has been shaken, so it was obvious that he wouldn’t be able to throw the ball properly.

And Haseong’s prediction was spot on.

Thwack!!

“Ball!!”

[The fourth pitch is a ball again! He throws an absurd ball and it becomes a full count!]

[Fernando’s concentration seems to have dropped significantly.]

[Did the previous pitch have an effect?]

[It probably did. In the current situation, you can’t help but react sensitively to each ball count. Especially against an elite hitter like Jung Haseong.]

[But isn’t this not good for the pitcher?]

[That’s right. On the other hand, you can say it’s a golden opportunity for Jung Haseong.]

The count was full.

Seeing that, the Cardinals bench had a headache.

‘We can’t change the pitcher here.’

Fernando Salas was the most reliable relief pitcher for the Cardinals.

Even in a shaky situation, they couldn’t consider taking him down and bringing up another pitcher.

‘We have to catch him no matter what.’

Today’s victory was absolutely necessary.

The Cardinals ultimately chose to trust Fernando.

[In a full-count match, the Cardinals battery exchanges signs!]

[Now Jung Haseong has the advantage!]

[They have no choice but to compete here!]

It was a situation where they couldn’t give up a walk-off walk.

Everyone knew that they had to compete somehow.

And that was the same for Haseong.

‘It’s coming outside.’

He specified the course and took a batting ready stance.

Following that, Fernando, having finished exchanging signs, went into a windup.

‘This time for sure…….’

Fernando gathered and condensed all his strength.

What he had to do was throw one perfect ball.

‘One that no one can refute……!’

But there was a problem.

The trouble with the umpire prevented him from fully focusing his mind on the match with Haseong.

It was a big difference from Haseong, who was only focused on the match with Fernando.

‘I’ll throw the ball!!’

Thud!!

His foot was planted on the mound.

“Hmph!!”

He threw the ball with a shout.

Whoosh-!!

The ball that left Fernando’s hand flew with tremendous speed.

The course was outside the strike zone as Haseong had predicted.

It was a good ball like before, but there was one difference.

‘The course is ambiguous.’

Was it because he put too much strength into it?

Or was it because he didn’t concentrate?

Whatever the reason, it didn’t matter.

Unlike the first pitch, the ball flying this time was about half a ball in the usual strike zone.

Haseong immediately took a stride and turned his lower body with all his might.

Whoosh!!

The rotation that started in the lower body passed through the pelvis and continued to the upper body.

Haseong’s bat drew a beautiful trajectory and caught the ball as it was.

Clang!!

[He hit it! And Jung Haseong is……!]

Haseong, caught on camera, threw his bat.

[He threw his bat! The ball goes straight over the fence!!]

The most needed moment.

A grand slam exploded.