Villain On The Mound [EN]: Chapter 275

Commissioner Bud Selig, the head of Major League Baseball, visited London for the opening game of the London Olympics, underscoring the event’s importance.

“This event is very important. It’s a golden opportunity to promote Major League Baseball to the world right now,” he stated.

“Yes, sir. I will keep that in mind and make thorough preparations,” an aide responded.

“In particular, ensure there are no disruptions to Korea’s games. It’s a prime chance to showcase Jung Ha-sung to a global audience.”

“We’ve already finalized plans to broadcast Jung Ha-sung’s games worldwide via the internet.”

Commissioner Bud Selig was personally overseeing Korea’s games.

The reason, of course, was Ha-sung.

Ha-sung’s recognition extended far beyond Major League Baseball, reaching a global scale.

Even people with no interest in Major League Baseball knew the name Jung Ha-sung.

Ha-sung had proven his worth with outstanding performance and undeniable star power, earning him unbelievable recognition.

‘This decision was made after suspending the pennant race [the final series to determine the league champion]. If it doesn’t yield results, my position is at risk.’

Suspending the league meant Major League Baseball would endure significant financial losses.

Furthermore, the risk of injury increased as many Major Leaguers were selected for the Olympics.

Despite these risks, Bud Selig made this decision for one reason: to globalize Major League Baseball.

‘And Jung Ha-sung is key. He needs to create a sensation at these Olympics.’

The medal count was irrelevant to Bud Selig.

His sole focus was Jung Ha-sung.

* * *

Ha-sung, upon joining the national team, found himself in a somewhat strained relationship with the other players.

There was a reason for this.

‘The Korean baseball establishment has no reason to like me.’

Especially after his regression [referring to a past incident or controversy].

Ha-sung first made headlines after effectively ousting the manager.

In the Korean baseball world, where connections are paramount, that incident was seen as a clear act of insubordination, making Ha-sung a target.

Since then, he had repeatedly clashed with the KBO [Korea Baseball Organization, the governing body for professional baseball in South Korea].

Of course, Ha-sung wasn’t the first to challenge the system, and he still believed he had done nothing wrong.

‘Have these guys changed at all since I left?’

The chronic problem of Korean baseball was its entanglement with regionalism and school-based cliques.

Problems inevitably arose when factors other than baseball interfered, hindering the development of young players.

He hadn’t intentionally set out to dismantle the system, but he believed he had at least sparked some change.

However, judging by their awkward treatment of him, nothing seemed to have changed.

‘Well, if it were that easy to change, it would have happened a long time ago.’

Once a group stagnates, change becomes difficult.

Knowing this, Ha-sung remained quiet.

He was too preoccupied with his own life.

Just then, Tae-soo approached Ha-sung.

“Long time no see, Ha-sung.”

“Yeah. I hear you’re tearing it up in the KBO these days. Did the training help at all?”

“Did it just help? I feel like a completely different person. How is it that my stamina isn’t dropping even though half the season has passed? Last year, I was starting to feel run down around this time.”

“That just means your basic fitness training was effective. Remember the training we did on that deserted island?”

“Ugh… Ugh…! I feel like I’m going to throw up again. Well, I suffered so much back then. There should be this much reward.”

Ha-sung chuckled, watching Tae-soo’s exaggerated reaction.

Before his regression.

Tae-soo, the only friend who visited him until the end, was now the hottest player in the KBO.

He had risen to stardom in the first half of the season alone, boasting 10 wins, 1 loss, and an ERA [Earned Run Average, a measure of pitching performance] of 2.42.

He was on track to lead the team and the KBO in wins, and he could potentially reach 20 wins depending on his performance in the second half.

Above all, he already had 5 complete games, 3 of which were shutouts.

When Tae-soo, who had struggled with physical issues until last year, suddenly overcame his weaknesses, officials and fans were astonished.

To further fuel the excitement, Tae-soo publicly stated:

“The training I did with Jung Ha-sung was a great help. It was tough at the time, but after the season started, I’m eager to train with him again.”

Training with Ha-sung, the world’s top player, was paying off.

It was a story the media couldn’t resist.

As a result, Ha-sung received numerous interview requests, which he promptly ignored.

“I’m glad to hear you’re doing well. Let’s train together again next year then.”

“Huh? Uh…”

“You seem reluctant?”

“Ahem… Reluctant? Of course, we have to do it together! I’ve adapted to the training to some extent now, so I won’t be staggering around like before!”

“Really? Oh, by the way, the training you received was at the intensity I used right after I debuted in the Major League.”

“Huh?”

“I’m increasing the intensity by about four times now.”

“Uh… Uh…?”

“It’s impossible for you to handle the same intensity as me, so should I just increase it by two times?”

“Ha… Haha… Ah! That’s right! My colleagues asked me to introduce you. Hey, hey, what are you doing? Are you trying to meet a girl? Come here quickly and say hello!”

At Tae-soo’s prompting, two players who had been waiting behind him stepped forward.

“Hello.”

“Nice to meet you. I’m Yang Seok-hwan.”

“I’m Lee Kang-yoon.”

“You know them, right? Lee Kang-yoon, who won the Rookie of the Year award in the KBO last year, and Seok-hwan, who won the Golden Glove [an award for defensive excellence] in his third year.”

Both players were among the most outstanding hitters in the current KBO.

Their presence on the national team was a testament to their skill.

But there was no way Ha-sung would know them.

“Sorry, I don’t know you.”

“Huh?”

“I’m not interested in the KBO. I only know you because you’re my friend, but I don’t know any other players well.”

Lee Kang-yoon, seemingly offended by Ha-sung’s words, retorted:

“Are you looking down on us?”

“Looking down…? Then how about a friendly match?”

“Yes?”

“The only ones I remember are the guys who can hit my pitches.”

He was the best player in Major League Baseball.

Even though such a player was proposing a challenge, Lee Kang-yoon wasn’t intimidated.

“Let’s have a match!”

He was also a professional player with immense pride.

‘This isn’t going as planned…’

Jung Tae-soo had hoped to foster camaraderie between Ha-sung and the national team by introducing his friends.

However, Jung Tae-soo was embarrassed by the unexpected turn of events.

Regardless,

Ha-sung headed to the indoor training facility with Lee Kang-yoon.

Lee Kang-yoon stepped into the batter’s box, and Ha-sung took the pitcher’s mound.

“Three outs. That should be enough, right?”

“How do you determine a hit?”

After a moment’s thought, Ha-sung waved his hand and said, “If you hit my pitch cleanly, we’ll call it a hit.”

“Are you looking down on me that much…? Fine! Throw it!”

“Then, first pitch…”

With a windup, Ha-sung casually released the ball.

Whoosh-!!

Thwack!!

“Huff……!”

The ball blazed past home plate in an instant and slammed into the catcher’s mitt.

The catcher, surprised by the sheer power of the pitch, nearly fell backward, and Kang-yoon’s face hardened.

‘This is… the pitch of the best pitcher in the world…’

He had faced countless pitchers in the KBO [Korean Baseball Organization, South Korea’s professional baseball league] until now.

Among them were former league MVP pitchers and those who had made names for themselves overseas.

However, Ha-sung’s pitch was in a completely different league.

‘I can’t even see the ball properly.’

Kang-yoon was the type of player who could adapt once he saw even the fastest pitches.

But Ha-sung’s pitch was completely different.

It was already passing over home plate the moment he blinked.

“Next one coming?”

Seeing Ha-sung speak as if it were nothing, Kang-yoon’s competitive spirit reignited.

‘I can’t be defeated like this!’

Kang-yoon heightened his concentration.

Although he was surprised by the first pitch, his competitive spirit wasn’t so weak that he would back down.

A gleam appeared in Ha-sung’s eyes as he watched.

‘Good concentration and competitive spirit. He deserves to win a Golden Glove in the KBO.’

Ha-sung was a player who valued concentration and competitive spirit over pure skill.

Skill could potentially be taught, but concentration and competitive spirit tended to be innate.

Above all, he liked Kang-yoon’s attitude of burning with competitive spirit despite the opponent being himself.

‘That’s how a pro should be.’

Not everyone can show such an attitude.

Once you have the title of being the best in the world, the opponent is bound to feel intimidated.

Once you start feeling intimidated, it’s difficult to show your skills.

But Kang-yoon didn’t do that.

Rather, he heightened his concentration while burning with competitive spirit.

That was impressive.

‘Even so…….’

Swish-!

Ha-sung, entering his windup, also heightened his concentration.

‘You still can’t hit my pitch!’

Whoosh-!!

The ball that left his hand flew with incredible speed and sharpness.

Kang-yoon’s bat swung fiercely, as if he wouldn’t miss it this time.

Whoosh-!!

Just as his bat was turning along the trajectory of the incoming ball…

‘Huh?’

The ball didn’t descend as expected and passed right over the bat.

Thwack-!!

Whoosh!!

Confusion clouded Kang-yoon’s eyes as he swung, revealing a significant height difference between the bat and the ball.

‘Why isn’t the ball dropping?’

He swung the bat, calculating the ball’s expected drop, but completely missed.

That meant Ha-sung’s power was unbelievably strong, defying the expected trajectory.

‘That monster…….’

The power was completely different from the pitchers he had faced until now.

He could only describe it with the word “monster.”

That fact further stimulated Kang-yoon’s competitive spirit.

‘So this is the world’s highest level.’

He took his batting stance again.

“Come on!”

Ha-sung smiled at Kang-yoon’s shout.

“I like your guts.”

He was growing more and more fond of Kang-yoon.

* * *

The match was a complete victory for Ha-sung.

The two couldn’t even graze Ha-sung’s ball and only managed to swing at air, becoming mere spectators.

Tae-soo worried that the relationship between the two who lost the match might become awkward with Ha-sung.

But contrary to those worries, the three were surprisingly getting along well.

“So, the guys with good power have less drop on their balls, right?”

“No way, can that even happen?”

“Yeah. It’s called the Magnus effect [a force acting on a spinning body in a fluid], and it’s a phenomenon where the ball drops less. So, when facing guys with good power, it’s better to swing the bat a little higher.”

“Like this?”

“Right. But your arm flares out a bit?”

“Huh? Really?”

“Yeah. In this case, your right arm isn’t supporting you properly. Think of supporting the bat in an L shape and swing.”

“Like this?”

“Oh~ Doing well?”

“The stance is too uncomfortable! How can I put power into it with this stance?”

“Power comes from the rotation of your upper body. Give me the bat.”

Ha-sung, taking the bat directly, slowly demonstrated his swing.

“Watch closely. First, firmly fix your lower body and use the stopping force to rotate your lower and upper body. Here, the elbow of your right arm shouldn’t point outwards. It should be close to your body, creating an L shape.”

The two began to concentrate on Ha-sung’s words.

“And the bat naturally comes out as you rotate your upper body. You’re putting strength into your arm, but you’re not using any strength in your left arm at all. Finally, what’s important is the follow-through. You have to put strength until the end to properly transfer it to the ball.”

“I want to try too.”

“Check me out too!”

Tae-soo wore a bewildered expression as he watched the suddenly impromptu lesson.

But he soon smiled as he watched the three concentrating.

‘Well, as long as the result is good, everything is okay.’

Tae-soo was praising himself for succeeding in his goal of having Ha-sung naturally blend into the national team.