Villain On The Mound [EN]: Chapter 272

Joe Girardi, who led the Yankees to victory in 2011, continued to manage the team in 2012.

As spring training camp opened and he focused on the players’ training, he arranged a meeting with Ha-sung as soon as he returned.

‘It’s only been a few months, but he’s built himself up well in that time,’ Girardi thought.

Ha-sung, whom he faced, looked to be in great condition at a glance.

The muscles that had diminished during the season had grown back, and his physique was clearly defined.

Above all, the density of his muscles had also improved.

‘Having a lot of muscle isn’t necessarily good for a baseball player, but Ha-sung is a player who uses those muscles well. He’s at least in similar condition to last year.’ Girardi mused, assessing Ha-sung’s physique. He knew a player’s awareness of their physical condition directly impacted their performance.

Ha-sung had been dominating the major leagues by utilizing his bulked-up muscles.

What if he suddenly showed up with less muscle?

That would be strange and something to worry about.

“It seems you’ve prepared well during your break.”

“I have to earn my keep.”

“Haha! That’s true. You’ve become the highest-paid player in Major League Baseball, after all.”

“Yes. That’s why I want to start the season in perfect condition.”

“I hope so too. If you enter the season in less than perfect condition, it’ll be a big problem for me as well.”

“So, I hope you can help me out, Manager.”

“Tell me comfortably. I’ll listen to anything I can help with.”

“I’d like to minimize my appearances in practice games.”

“Huh? What do you mean by that?”

“Isn’t the purpose of practice games to check the players’ condition, both for themselves and for the coaching staff?”

“That’s right. And it’s also for the fans who come to watch the practice games.”

Manager Girardi began to feel uneasy.

‘Why is this player beating around the bush like this?’ he wondered.

As his anxiety grew, Ha-sung said, “I only want to play in one practice game.”

“Only one game?”

“Yes. I’ve signed a new contract, so I want to be in the best condition for the opening game.”

“Hmm… you’re saying you want to conserve your energy in practice games?”

“Rather than that, I want to perfectly control my condition. And I want to show my best performance in the opening game.”

Ha-sung had a history of causing major incidents.

He first announced his transition from closer to starting pitcher through the media, and the same was true when he started as a two-way player.

He never consulted with the front office or discussed things in advance.

Therefore, Manager Girardi was grateful that he was consulting with him first.

“Alright. Then we’ll schedule it that way.”

“Thank you.”

Seeing Manager Girardi accept so readily, Ha-sung’s lips curled up.

* * *

Spring training proceeded normally.

Ha-sung participated in the camp’s training, showing off the things he had prepared one by one.

Even though it was just practice, many reporters and fans flocked to watch his every move.

“Jeong Ha-sung is no joke this year either?”

“I know, right? The quality of his pitches seems even better than last year.”

“No way. How could it get any better than last year?”

“That’s true, too?”

Ha-sung had already performed beyond the norms of Major League Baseball.

Of course, no one could imagine him going any higher.

But Ha-sung was clearly showing better condition than last year.

‘This year, other teams will research and try to exploit me. If I want to perform as well as last year, I have to get even better,’ Ha-sung thought.

It was a simple theory.

But putting it into practice was very difficult.

It’s not for nothing that people say fighting against oneself is hard.

People expect better performances, and the person in question often tries to meet those expectations.

If you overdo it, it can lead to a vicious cycle of injuries.

There’s nothing as difficult as maintaining your own pace.

But Ha-sung had no intention of overdoing it.

‘The way I want to…’

*Thwack!!*

‘Believing that the path I’m taking is the right one…’

*Crack!!*

‘That’s how I run.’

Ha-sung prepared for the new season, accurately maintaining his own pace.

* * *

He finished his final preparations during spring training.

Now, all that was left was to improve his game sense through practice games.

“You’re starting in the first practice game.”

He knew he would be starting even before Manager Girardi told him.

It would be strange if he didn’t.

Ha-sung had perfectly prepared his physical condition accordingly.

“The batting order is set at number 3, so prepare accordingly.”

“Yes.”

Ha-sung finished his meeting with Manager Girardi and headed back to his accommodation.

A bald man approached Ha-sung.

“Mariano.”

“Going to the accommodation? Let’s go together.”

Mariano Rivera, the greatest closer in Major League Baseball history and the Yankees’ guardian deity.

“I heard you’re retiring at the end of this season. Is it true?”

“It’s about time I let go. I’ve been doing it for a long time, haven’t I?”

“Well, you’re the most seasoned veteran among the seasoned veterans.”

“What did you say?”

“Haha! Why? You said yourself you’ve been doing it for a long time.”

“Sigh… don’t you have any respect for your seniors?”

“Of course, I respect you. You’ve left such great achievements in Major League Baseball history.”

When the words ‘respect’ and ‘achievements’ came out, Mariano Rivera looked at him in surprise.

“Why?”

“I just wondered if you could say such things.”

“Believe it or not, I come from the Land of the Rising Sun [a respectful, if somewhat old-fashioned, term for Japan].”

“So, is that why you keep stirring up trouble with the media every time?”

“That’s a kind of entertainment. It’s a way of making myself known to the public. And you agree that the media is messed up, don’t you?”

“Hmm… that’s true.”

Not many players liked the media.

They just put up with it because they had so much power.

But Ha-sung didn’t.

He said what he wanted to say, and those parts resonated well with the fans.

His character was perfectly established, becoming Ha-sung’s trademark.

“Anyway, congratulations on retiring. It’s amazing that you’re retiring without any scandals.”

“Hehe, thanks for that. But there’s still one year left. I have to finish strong.”

He decided to retire at the end of this season, but in fact, Rivera cannot retire.

He will be injured during defensive training and be out for the season.

With regrets, he reverses his retirement, playing until 2013 and then retiring.

“Be careful in training.”

“Huh? Training?”

“Don’t push yourself too hard and postpone your retirement.”

“Haha! Of course, man!”

That’s all he could say.

The two continued to chat about trivial things as they headed to their accommodation.

* * *

The Yankees’ first practice game was against the Rangers.

The Rangers, who were defeated by the Yankees in last season’s Championship Series, were actively recruiting players during this season’s off-season.

The Rangers’ general manager declared in an interview that they would definitely target the Yankees’ Jeong Ha-sung.

And they entered the practice game with a strong lineup, aiming to target Ha-sung this season.

As it was Ha-sung’s first appearance of the spring, the seats for the practice game were naturally sold out.

In Korea, it was decided to broadcast live from the local site via satellite.

Koreans also visited Florida to watch the practice game, making it the month with the most Korean visitors ever.

Ha-sung, who drew such tremendous attention, stood on the mound.

[Jeong Ha-sung is on the mound after a long time. Having signed a long-term contract with the New York Yankees last year, everyone is already looking forward to seeing what he will show!]

[Judging from the training he underwent during the camp period, his condition looked very good. I have no doubt that he will show a good performance once he finds his game sense.]

People didn’t think Ha-sung would fail.

– How many wins will Ha-sung have this season?

– Now that it’s come to this, let’s go for 30 wins!!

– 30 wins in modern baseball, lol

– But it doesn’t seem impossible, so it’s absurd again

– Agreed

– 30 wins and 70 home runs possible?

– Ah… I want to say it’s crazy, but it’s Ha-sung, so I don’t know.

– Seriously, if they can’t win the World Series with Ha-sung, it’s a crime.

The belief in Ha-sung was close to religion.

Ha-sung, who received unwavering faith, could have felt burdened.

But he wasn’t pitching for others.

‘Well, shall we get to work today?’ he thought.

In his previous life, he lived for others.

That’s why, having gained another life, he was living only for himself.

For Ha-sung, who lived such a life, the burden of others’ expectations was no different from a story from another world.

“Play ball!!”

The game began with the umpire’s cry.

Ha-sung, having exchanged signs with the catcher, went into a windup.

“Hoo…”

Ha-sung, taking a deep breath, threw his first pitch of the practice game with a kick.

“Hiss-!!”

*Whoosh!!*

The ball, leaving his hand, flew across the space and landed straight into the mitt.

“Strike!!”

* * *

After the first practice game, many reporters flocked to the locker room to cover Ha-sung.

The club set aside time for reporters to gather separately and conduct interviews for the convenience of the players.

Thanks to this, Ha-sung had to answer questions in front of the reporters as if it were a press conference.

“Jeong Ha-sung, you only pitched 3 innings in today’s game. Was there something wrong with your physical condition?”

“How could there be? Three innings were enough to control my condition, so that’s all I pitched.”

“You struck out all nine outs in 3 innings. Isn’t that overdoing it?”

“If I pitch a little, you say there’s something wrong with my physical condition, and if I do well, you say I’m overdoing it, so I don’t know what to say.”

The reporters were taken aback by his barbed words.

But they knew what would happen if they provoked Ha-sung recklessly, so they couldn’t push him too hard.

However, one person couldn’t contain their anger.

He tried to provoke him indirectly.

“Recently, someone has emerged in Japan to challenge Jeong Ha-sung. Are you aware of this?”

“A challenge?”

“Yes. Murakami, a pitcher playing in Japanese professional baseball, defeated Jeong Ha-sung’s Korean national team at the London Olympics and said that he will also challenge in Major League Baseball starting next year.”

Ha-sung chuckled at the reporter’s words.

“Why are you laughing?”

“No, does that mean you don’t have the guts to challenge Major League Baseball if you can’t beat me?”

“That’s…”

“If you think Japan is too small, you can come to Major League Baseball. The doors of Major League Baseball are always open. Anyone can challenge. Whether they succeed is another matter.”

“Are you saying that Murakami will not succeed?”

“I don’t even know who that player is.”

“Are you saying you don’t know the ace who had 24 wins in Japanese professional baseball last year?”

“There are hundreds of players in Major League Baseball alone. It’s enough to worry about them. There’s no reason to remember a player playing in Japanese baseball.”

Ha-sung was anticipating how this would be interpreted.

But he didn’t care.

“If you want to challenge me, tell him to move with actions, not words.”

Because that was his true feeling.