Villain On The Mound [EN]: Chapter 268

Tony La Russa, the manager of the Cardinals, stared in disbelief.

‘Is this real…? Am I dreaming?’ he wondered.

An unbelievable series of events unfolded before him.

*Thwack-!*

“Strike! Batter out!”

He knew better than anyone just how talented Jung Ha-sung was.

That’s why he had prepared so meticulously.

But it was all for naught.

‘Consecutive strikeouts?’ he thought, the realization dawning on him.

The culmination of Ha-sung’s skill was unfolding right before his eyes.

His strikeout record had reached an astounding 18 by the 6th inning.

In other words, every out so far had been a strikeout.

‘Is this even possible?’ La Russa questioned internally.

An unbelievable reality was taking shape.

Ha-sung’s strikeout prowess was already well-documented in the Major League.

But a performance like this was unprecedented.

Not just him, but no player in Major League history had ever achieved such a feat.

And he was doing it in the World Series, in a game that could decide the championship.

‘Is our batting lineup weak?’ La Russa even entertained, for a fleeting moment, this absurd thought, a desperate attempt to deny reality.

That couldn’t be the case.

If the batting lineup were weak, they wouldn’t have made it to the World Series.

*Thwack-!*

“Strike! Batter out!”

Yet the batters continued to swing their bats with wild abandon.

Watching this, manager Tony had no choice but to accept the truth.

‘That guy is a monster,’ he conceded.

He didn’t seem human.

To Tony, Ha-sung appeared as an unbeatable force of nature.

* * *

It wasn’t just the opposing manager, Tony, who was astonished by Ha-sung’s performance.

[I can’t believe what I’m seeing,] exclaimed one commentator.

[I’ve been involved in baseball for over 40 years, including playing and broadcasting, but I’ve never witnessed anything like this before,] added another.

[How can we even begin to explain this record?] a third commentator wondered aloud.

Even the commentators were too amazed to properly call the game.

The viewers at home fully understood their awe.

-Is this even real right now?

-8 innings, perfect game in progress… 24 strikeouts.

-This is something straight out of a comic book.

-Even comics would get criticized for writing it like this!

-Ha-sung was already a monster, but is this even possible?

-Wow… I never thought something like this could happen in modern baseball.

-If he gets the next three outs with strikeouts, he’ll have gotten every out in the game with strikeouts, right?

The total number of outs needed to finish a game is 27.

The number of outs Ha-sung needed to achieve a perfect game was 3.

And if he got all of them with strikeouts, he would record 27 strikeouts.

This was a record that no one in Major League history had ever achieved.

And for the Cardinals, it was a potentially humiliating prospect.

[Top of the 9th, Jung Ha-sung takes the mound,] announced the commentator.

[The current score is 2 to 0. Jung Ha-sung has been phenomenal in today’s game, going 2-for-2 with two hits, but what’s even more astonishing is that he has recorded every out count with strikeouts so far.]

[Will he be able to get all three out counts with strikeouts in this inning as well! Ah~ the Cardinals are sending in a pinch hitter here!]

A new batter stepped up to the plate.

[Muffin, who has a batting average of .297 this season, steps up to the plate.]

[He’s not a bad hitter, but can he really handle Jung Ha-sung?]

What manager Tony wanted wasn’t a miracle comeback.

‘Just get on base somehow,’ he pleaded silently.

His goal was no longer to win the game.

‘I can’t let us become a footnote in this humiliating record,’ he thought grimly.

His sole purpose became to break Ha-sung’s streak.

But Ha-sung’s focus was unwavering.

*Thwack-!*

“Strike!”

[The first pitch, an 84-mile curveball, cuts through the zone!] the commentator exclaimed.

[Look at the break on that curve! A perfect waterfall curve dropping from 12 o’clock to 6 o’clock!]

Ha-sung wasn’t just a power pitcher who relied on fastballs.

Each of his changeups was among the best in the Major League, and he mixed them effectively.

*Thwack-!*

*Whoosh!*

“Swing! Strike two!”

[The second pitch is a 99-mile fastball!! The batter’s bat swings in vain!] the commentator shouted.

[Like a snake fastball thrown by a sidearm pitcher, the ball has tailing action, causing a tremendous change in direction right in front of home plate!]

[Above all, there will be few hitters who can hit a 99-mile fastball right after seeing an 84-mile curveball.]

[The perceived speed difference must be enormous, right?]

[That’s right. The actual speed difference is 15 miles, but the perceived speed difference would feel like more than 20 miles.]

Ha-sung, having quickly gained an advantageous count, wasted no time.

[Jung Ha-sung gets the sign, winds up!!]

He threw the third pitch without hesitation.

The ball left his hand and seemed to be heading straight for the batter’s body.

Muffin was startled and instinctively leaned back.

At that moment.

*Swoosh!*

The ball curved sharply like a blade and was sucked right into the strike zone.

*Thud!*

“Strike! Batter out!”

[Strikeout! Jung Ha-sung records his 25th strikeout with a three-pitch strikeout!!] the commentator announced.

[Ah~ it was an incredible high-speed slider. Muffin had to lean back as if it was flying at his body, it was such a sharp break!]

[It had such a tremendous change that it makes you wonder how anyone is supposed to hit a ball like that.]

Only two outs remained.

Tony played another substitution card.

‘I can’t rely on the lower-ranked hitters,’ he thought, desperation setting in.

These were substitutions that he wouldn’t make if he were thinking about the future.

But Tony used another substitution card to try and get at least one hit.

[Another substitution here! This time, he’s bringing in the left-handed hitter Hamilton!]

[Jack Hamilton has appeared in 3 postseason games and has gotten 4 hits and 3 walks.]

[He’s definitely a player with a good eye.]

[That’s right. And he has good contact ability. It seems manager Tony wants to stop Jung Ha-sung’s historic performance at all costs.]

Now everyone understood Tony’s intentions.

*Clack!*

“Foul!”

[First pitch is a foul.]

[It was 100 miles again, but Hamilton’s bat made contact with the ball.]

[You can definitely see that he’s a hitter with good contact.]

As Tony had hoped, Jack Hamilton began to make contact with Ha-sung’s pitches.

Seeing that, a glimmer of hope flickered in Tony’s eyes.

‘He got a hit off Ha-sung even in the pennant race. He has a good chance,’ he thought optimistically.

But that thread of hope was fragile.

*Thwack!*

“Strike!”

[Second pitch, a 101-mile fastball! The umpire’s hand goes up!] the commentator exclaimed.

[It was a great pitch that went in the form of a crossfire.]

[That ball crossing the plate like that is truly hell for a left-handed hitter.]

Ha-sung, who increased his speed on the second pitch, threw the third pitch without hesitation.

*Thwack-!*

*Whoosh!*

*Clack!*

“Foul!”

[He hit it! But it’s a foul that hits the back net! This time, the speed of 102 miles is recorded!] the commentator announced.

[He exquisitely aimed for the outside low corner.]

[Ah~ to throw a ball over 100 miles so freely even in the 9th inning. He’s truly a monster with stamina.]

Getting a strikeout meant that he pitched with everything he had.

Ha-sung, who had already gotten 25 strikeouts, must have used more stamina than usual.

In fact, there had been talk that he was tiring, as his average speed had dropped below 100 miles starting in the 6th inning.

But Ha-sung overwhelmed the batter by pitching over 100 miles again in the 9th inning.

[Jung Ha-sung puts pressure on the batter by getting two strikes in an instant! He gets the sign and throws the 4th pitch!!]

With the windup, Ha-sung took a stride.

Hamilton, watching that, gritted his teeth and stepped forward.

‘It’ll be a fastball again!’ he anticipated.

It was a well-known fact that Ha-sung’s main weapon was the fastball.

It was natural to use his best pitch in such a crucial moment.

Above all, Ha-sung was increasing his speed, perhaps because his pride was wounded when Hamilton touched the first pitch.

He would want to throw a fastball again and send him back to the dugout.

Hamilton’s swing, based on that assumption, started early.

And he thought his prediction was correct the moment the ball left Ha-sung’s hand.

*Whoosh-!*

‘It was a fastball after all…!’

He thought so only until the ball had traveled about halfway at high speed.

At that moment.

The ball seemed to stop in mid-air and didn’t come any closer.

‘Huh?’

Only then did he realize that something was wrong.

But the swing, already committed with all his might, could not be stopped.

He tried to check his swing somehow, but the bat didn’t stop and passed over the plate in vain.

*Whoosh!*

*Thud!*

“Swing! Strike out!”

[Strikeout! Jung Ha-sung, who had been throwing balls over 100 miles, throws a 79-mile changeup this time, inducing the batter to swing in vain!] the commentator exclaimed.

Hamilton had a blank expression on his face as he looked at the speed recorded on the scoreboard.

‘A guy who was throwing 100 miles suddenly throws a ball under 80 miles?’ he wondered, bewildered.

He lowered his head and turned towards the dugout.

‘How are you supposed to hit a ball like that?’

It was a pitch that even fellow major leaguers would shake their heads at.

Manager Tony was devastated when even the substitutes couldn’t touch Ha-sung’s pitches.

‘It ends like this after all…’ he thought, resigned.

He used his last substitution card.

But he was also helpless against Ha-sung.

[Jung Ha-sung has gotten 26 strikeouts! Now there’s only one out left!] the commentator announced.

*Thwack-!*

“Strike!”

[He gets a strike with a 100-mile fastball on the first pitch!] the commentator shouted.

With the last out remaining, all the spectators stood up from their seats.

Yankee Stadium was a cauldron of excitement, and baseball fans around the world who had heard the news sat glued to their TVs.

*Thwack!*

“Strike two!!”

[The 2nd pitch is recorded at 102 miles!] the commentator exclaimed.

[Now there’s only one strike left!!]

Although the attention of the world was focused on him, Ha-sung maintained his composure.

‘With this ball…’ he thought, focusing all his energy.

*Whoosh!*

Following the windup, Ha-sung, kicking up his leg, concentrated all his strength.

‘I’ll finish it!’ he resolved.

“Hup!!”

*Whoosh-!*

The ball left his hand with tremendous force, heading towards the batter.

[He threw it!!] the commentator yelled.

The batter also swung his bat, trying desperately to make contact.

It wasn’t a swing aimed at getting a hit, but a desperate attempt to simply touch the ball.

But.

*Thwack-!*

The ball passed over the bat.

The umpire, watching the bat swing and miss, raised his hand decisively.

“Swing! Strike out!!”

[The game is over!! Game 6 of the World Series!! He wins the game with a 103-mile fastball!!] the commentator roared.

[It’s truly unbelievable! He sets a new record by achieving a perfect game with 27 strikeouts, a feat never before accomplished in Major League history!] the commentator continued.

[Will there ever be another player like this? Jung Ha-sung leads the Yankees to victory!!]

On the TV screen, Ha-sung shook hands with catcher Martin and celebrated his first World Series victory.

After that, all the Yankees players rushed onto the field and celebrated the moment of victory with him.