Villain On The Mound [EN]: Chapter 278

The Villain on the Mound – Episode 278

Murakami’s provocation became a hot topic in Korea as well.

– What’s with this guy, always trying to stir things up?

– He’s the Japanese Sawamura Award winner.

└ What’s the Sawamura Award?

└└ It’s like the Cy Young Award [an award given annually to the best pitchers in Major League Baseball].

– He’s going to the Major League next year, so he’s probably trying to get some attention, lol.

– Hah Sung has grown a lot. Now he’s even a target for attention-seeking.

– I thought I’d never see Ichiro’s infamous remarks again.

└ That’s just a rumor.

└└ Well, it became reality, didn’t it?

– Why are the Japanese so desperate to tear us down?

└ Probably because they already conquered us once.

└└ They’re like pathetic ex-boyfriends calling and begging.

– I hope Hah Sung crushes him.

Considering the relationship between the two countries, Murakami’s provocation crossed the line.

Naturally, the Korean people were furious and hoped that Hah Sung would somehow retaliate against Murakami.

With his skills, that is.

The media was well aware of this and bombarded Hah Sung with questions.

“Jung Hah Sung, Murakami, the ace of the Japanese national team, has publicly provoked you. Do you have anything to say?”

Previously, Hah Sung had responded to Murakami’s provocations with indifference, but not this time.

“There’s some uncivilized person who keeps mentioning my name. Well, fine. I’ll just consider it a downside of being famous. He said in an interview that he’s a better player than me.”

The corners of Hah Sung’s lips turned up, forming a clear sneer.

“Tell him to stop talking nonsense. I’ll make sure he remembers what kind of person I am in tomorrow’s game, even with his limited intelligence.”

Hah Sung’s remarks were strong.

The reporters were taken aback, not expecting this level of response.

Hah Sung turned away from the reporters.

Watching him, the reporters knew.

‘He’s really angry.’

They realized that Hah Sung was truly pissed off.

* * *

The war of words continued until the day of the game.

Murakami must have seen Hah Sung’s interview because he continued to make remarks targeting him.

The reaction from both countries to this news was hotter than ever.

Interest soon led to people heading to the stadium.

And third parties also came to the stadium to see Hah Sung. With the addition of those who heard the news, this became the most attended game of the Olympics.

The Korean broadcasting team, who came to broadcast live from the field, were surprised by this sight.

“Wow, why are there so many spectators?”

“I know, right? I thought a lot of people would come because Hah Sung is popular, but I never thought the stadium would be completely full.”

London didn’t have a baseball stadium.

So they were using a soccer stadium.

Thanks to that, the capacity was much larger than that of Major League stadiums.

Even so, the stadium was sold out.

This showed how much attention was focused on this game.

“It’s all thanks to the war of words between Murakami and Jung Hah Sung.”

“I never dreamed that such a battle would break out off the field. Especially Hah Sung’s strong wording…….”

“Jung Hah Sung has always had strong wording. Like when he flipped off the reporters in the past.”

“Well, yeah, that’s true.”

Hah Sung lived estranged from the media, to the point where he was called a weirdo among baseball players.

Especially his actions in the early days of his Major League debut were so extreme that people worried he might get sued.

It was hard to adjust to Hah Sung’s strong words after so long, but knowing his past, they soon nodded in agreement.

“Anyway, today’s game will be amazing.”

“Wouldn’t it be the de facto final?”

“We can’t be sure yet, since the US is still in the running…….”

The commentator said, looking at the stadium.

“The team that wins today’s game has a high chance of winning the championship.”

“Stand by!”

At the PD’s words, the two began to prepare for the broadcast.

Soon, the players from both countries entered the field, and with a countdown, the caster opened his mouth.

[Baseball fans in Korea, and citizens! Hello! I’m caster Kim Myung-guk, broadcasting the fateful Korea-Japan match in the London Olympics baseball today.]

[I’m Lee Byung-chul, here to provide commentary.]

With the introduction of the two, the Korea-Japan match began.

* * *

Korea started on defense.

Naturally, Hah Sung was on the mound for Korea.

[Jung Hah Sung is on the mound.]

[Ace Jung Hah Sung showed why he is untouchable in the previous game against the Australian national team, pitching a scoreless game.]

[I hope he shows a good performance in today’s game as well.]

The caster’s hope soon became reality.

“Hmph!!”

Whoosh!!

Thwack!!

“Strike! Batter out!!”

He struck out the first batter.

Crack!!

“Ugh……!”

[The bat broke! The ball is rolling to the shortstop! Shortstop Lee Young-seok easily catches it and throws it to first base!]

Thud!

“Out!!”

The second out count was caught with a ground ball to the infield.

The last third out count was also easily caught.

Clang!!

[He hit the first pitch! But the ball is flying high! The center fielder catches it almost in place!]

Thud!

“Out!”

[The third out count is up! It only took 5 pitches to finish the first inning!]

[As expected, it’s Jung Hah Sung. He quickly turned away three batters with aggressive pitching, finishing the first inning.]

Hah Sung, who turned away three batters with overwhelming pitching, came down from the mound.

Murakami, who was going up to the mound he vacated, clicked his tongue while looking at his teammates.

‘Seriously, it’s not that great of a pitch. What are you guys doing, not being able to hit that kind of ball?’

He was annoyed at his teammates for not being able to target Hah Sung.

‘Let’s think of it as a good thing. If I show that I’m fighting evenly by showing that I can’t target that bastard, I’ll get more attention.’

Murakami’s head was filled with thoughts of how he could stand out, rather than winning.

It was thorough selfishness, and he had no intention of choosing means to achieve it.

‘In the age of self-promotion, a fool is someone who doesn’t promote himself.’

As Hah Sung expected, he was trying to get attention for his Major League debut.

If the skills are the same, a player with star quality receives more money.

Realizing this, Murakami was simply targeting Hah Sung, the biggest star of this era.

‘Now, shall we catch Hah Sung in this inning and become a star?’

With a smile on his face, Murakami stood on the mound and began to prepare to pitch.

* * *

Murakami’s pitches were good.

At least, the pitches he was throwing in today’s game certainly looked that way.

‘His control, velocity, and speed aren’t bad at all.’

He didn’t receive the Japanese Sawamura Award for nothing.

He had pitches that he could try out in the Major League, and it seemed like he could achieve some results.

‘Murakami was quite active in the US even before the regression.’

He had encountered Murakami in his previous life as well.

Hah Sung often went to international matches, so he naturally encountered him.

But at the time, he wasn’t this type of character.

‘His wording was strong back then, but he wasn’t the type of character to cling to a player to this extent.’

The answer to why he changed was actually simple.

It was because of himself.

‘Could it be that he thought he became famous because he saw how I treated the media and did it that way?’

It was entirely possible.

There were people who thought that way about Conor McGregor, the UFC star who would appear a few years later.

And some players tried to follow in Conor McGregor’s footsteps by imitating his trash talk.

But no player followed in his footsteps.

The difference between them and Conor McGregor was clear.

It was skill.

‘Conor McGregor proved his worth with his skills. But other players only did trash talk and failed to recognize their value.’

The same goes for Conor McGregor.

His popularity soared when his trash talk and skills matched.

But when he only did trash talk and his skills declined, he only became a laughing stock.

Of course, that was after his value had already skyrocketed.

‘I wouldn’t be in my current position if I had treated the media that way and failed to show my skills.’

Anyway, Murakami provoked him, and the time to pay the price was approaching.

Thwack!!

“Strike! Batter out!!”

[Strikeout! Murakami pitcher turns away two Korean national team players in a row by striking out the second batter!]

[Regardless of his harsh words, his skills are certain. He seems to be in good condition, hitting a top speed of 155 km/h today.]

[From our perspective, he’s annoying, but he’s definitely a skilled player.]

[That’s right. But I wonder if this player can be overcome.]

The camera showed Hah Sung walking to the plate.

At that moment, the stadium shook.

“Waaaaaaaaah!!”

The cheers of nearly 90,000 spectators were truly tremendous.

The Japanese national team felt like they were playing a game away from home.

Murakami on the mound felt the same way.

‘Damn it……. Is Jung Hah Sung’s popularity this high?’

London could be said to be in the heart of baseball’s barren land.

That’s why he thought that even Hah Sung wouldn’t be able to feel much popularity.

But that was all a mistake.

Even if they didn’t know the Major League, they couldn’t not know the name Jung Hah Sung.

At least in London, Hah Sung had that kind of recognition.

In fact, the Major League Secretariat is actively trying to enter Europe using Hah Sung as a model.

It was natural for fans to react enthusiastically when Hah Sung stood at the plate.

‘I’m going to pour cold water on this atmosphere.’

Murakami gritted his teeth, not liking the atmosphere of the stadium.

Hah Sung, who was at the plate, had already entered a state of concentration and could not hear such cheers.

Murakami, who exchanged signs, entered the windup.

“Hoo…….”

He raised both arms to the sky, took a breath, and twisted his body.

Then, he kicked off and took a stride, gathering strength with the kicking.

Crunch!!

The spikes of his cleats were embedded in the mound.

Whoosh!!

His body rotated quickly.

After maximizing the rotational force, he gathered that power and threw the ball with all his might.

“Heup!!”

He shouted, but it was buried in the cheers of the crowd and quickly disappeared.

The ball left his hand and pierced towards Hah Sung’s body at a fierce speed.

Swish-!!

Hah Sung also took a stride and swung his bat with all his might.

Whoosh!!

The bat, which turned with a wind close to a whirlwind, snatched the ball as it was.

Clang!!

With a cheerful sound, Murakami’s head turned reflexively.

In his eyes, he saw a ball passing over the center of the stadium.

“Crazy…….”

Behind Murakami, who unknowingly uttered profanity, Hah Sung was seen throwing his bat and slowly running to first base.

[It’s a home run!! Jung Hah Sung swings his bat from the first pitch and sends it over the fence!! The Korean national team scores the first point!!]

Score 1 to 0.

The game had just begun.