Villain On The Mound [EN]: Chapter 283

Mound Villain – Episode 283

Olympics Final.

The team that wins this game takes home the gold medal.

The American team starts, fielding Clayton Kershaw.

[Clayton Kershaw, the National League Cy Young Award winner, takes the mound!]

[Clayton Kershaw’s performance over 11 seasons has been truly amazing. Like Jung Ha-sung achieving the Triple Crown in the American League, Clayton Kershaw achieved the Triple Crown in the National League, boasting an incredible record of 21 wins, 5 losses, and a 2.28 ERA (Earned Run Average).]

Clayton Kershaw, considered the present and future of the Dodgers, continued his dominant performance this season.

If it weren’t for Ha-sung, all the spotlight would be on him.

As he took the mound, baseball fans focused their attention on him.

[Lee Yong-soo, the Korean national team’s lead-off batter, steps up to face Clayton Kershaw!]

Lee Yong-soo approached the plate.

He was a batter known for tormenting pitchers with his ‘Yong-soo play’.

With a keen eye and excellent contact ability, he was a nightmare for pitchers.

But Kershaw handled him with ease.

Thwack!!

Whoosh!!

“Swing! Strike, batter out!!”

[Strikeout in three pitches!! Clayton Kershaw strikes out Lee Yong-soo in three pitches!]

[He gets a swing and a miss with his signature 12/6 curveball.]

Lee Yong-soo, defeated by Kershaw’s curveball, spoke to Kim Min-soo, the next batter, as he returned to the dugout.

“That guy’s curveball is unpredictable. If you’re going to swing, aim for the fastball or slider.”

“Is he that good?”

“He didn’t win the Cy Young Award for nothing.”

“Huh…….”

Lee Yong-soo’s contact ability was among the best on the national team.

Kim Min-soo was also skilled, but he considered Lee Yong-soo to have superior contact ability.

To hear such praise from Lee Yong-soo made him wonder just how good Kershaw’s pitches were.

Meanwhile, Lee Yong-soo passed Ha-sung as he entered the dugout.

‘If Clayton Kershaw is this good, what the hell has this guy been doing in the major leagues?’

Experiencing Kershaw firsthand, he indirectly appreciated how incredible Ha-sung’s performance was.

‘Who will win?’

The match between Kershaw and Ha-sung was highly anticipated.

* * *

Crack!!

[He hit it! But the ball goes straight to the shortstop! Captain America, Derek Jeter, fields it cleanly and throws to first base!]

Thwack!

“Out!!”

[A great play by Jeter, who easily gets the out.]

[As expected of the American team’s captain, he handles the ball with composure.]

Derek Jeter secured the second out, preventing any runners from getting on base.

Then, Ha-sung walked to the plate.

“Waaaaah!!”

A huge cheer erupted as Ha-sung stepped up to bat.

He hadn’t even hit the ball yet, but his mere presence ignited the crowd.

[A massive cheer reverberates through London Stadium!]

[Proof that Jung Ha-sung is a true superstar!]

Superstar.

He was a villain to opposing players, but a superstar to the fans.

The cheers were enough to unsettle the American team, playing on foreign soil.

“Damn it, feels like we’re playing in Philadelphia?”

Jeter nodded in agreement with Brandon Phillips, the American team’s starting second baseman.

“Yeah, it’s like playing at the Phillies’ home stadium.”

The Philadelphia Phillies were known for having some of the most passionate fans in Major League Baseball.

Like the Busan Giants in Korea, perhaps?

But the American team wouldn’t be intimidated by the jeers.

[Jung Ha-sung prepares to bat!]

Ha-sung completed his pre-batting routine and took his stance.

‘This guy can hit a home run no matter where you throw it.’

The American team’s catcher, Joe Mauer, thought.

He was considered a complete catcher, nicknamed ‘God-given Catcher,’ but he was having a slow season this year.

Nevertheless, his skills were so exceptional that he was selected for the national team.

‘We need to throw him something unexpected right from the start.’

Mauer made his decision and signaled.

Normally, the sign would come from the bench, but Mauer was calling the pitches himself.

This privilege was granted to Mauer, a testament to the bench’s trust in him.

‘Curve.’

Mauer signaled for a curveball, not a fastball, for the first pitch.

He had thrown fastballs to the previous two batters, but he wouldn’t use the same approach against Ha-sung.

Ha-sung was likely watching from the on-deck circle and would be ready for a fastball.

Kershaw nodded and began his windup.

[Kershaw winds up!]

Following his signature herky-jerky motion, he released the ball.

“Hiss!”

Whoosh-!!

The moment the ball left his hand, Ha-sung started his swing.

He took a step and began to rotate his waist.

Swoosh!

He slowed the rotation of his upper body as the ball curved.

‘Curve!’

Ha-sung stopped his swing, holding back his waist rotation.

The ball, arcing through the air, passed through the hitting zone and into the catcher’s mitt.

Thwack!

“Strike!!”

[He lets the first pitch go by! The umpire calls a strike!]

Ha-sung stepped out of the batter’s box, assessing the strike zone.

‘I thought it was lower than I expected and missed. The umpire seems to be calling those low pitches today.’

The strike zone varies slightly depending on the umpire.

It’s a subtle difference, but missing it can throw off your batting.

‘If he’s calling low balls, it favors Kershaw, whose specialty is the curveball.’

This was not good news.

But he couldn’t complain.

‘Then I’ll aim for a different pitch.’

Ha-sung, having found a simple solution, resumed his batting stance.

Kershaw, after exchanging signs with Mauer, wound up and threw the ball.

“Hiss!!”

Whoosh-!!

The ball whizzed towards Ha-sung’s upper body.

It was a difficult pitch to hit, but Ha-sung swung the bat with lightning speed.

Whoosh!!

Crack!!

[He hit it!!]

A loud crack echoed, but Ha-sung didn’t run.

He simply grabbed the head of the bat and looked apologetic.

The trajectory of the ball explained his reaction.

[The ball flies far! But it lands just outside the foul line!]

[It looks like he pulled it too much because the ball was too close to his body.]

[Was his swing a little too fast?]

Contrary to the commentator’s suggestion, Ha-sung didn’t think his swing was too fast.

‘That guy’s ball has a lot of movement.’

The ball landed foul simply because Kershaw’s pitch had so much movement.

If it had been a straight fastball, he would have hit it squarely.

But Kershaw’s ball moved so much that it missed the sweet spot.

‘He’s quite a tricky guy.’

Kershaw’s pitching was excellent today.

He was clearly in top form.

‘You chicken.’

One of Clayton Kershaw’s nicknames was Chicken.

This nickname stemmed from Kershaw’s underwhelming performances on big stages.

He consistently delivered outstanding results during the regular season, but often faltered in the postseason.

This earned him the reputation of being a ‘chicken’ among Dodgers fans.

‘A postseason is a more valuable game than the Olympics.’

The perceived value of each event is subjective.

Some prioritize the Olympics, while others value the postseason more.

It seemed Kershaw felt more pressure because he considered the postseason more important.

‘Whatever the case, he’s at his best in today’s game.’

This was actually reassuring.

It gave him a clear picture of Kershaw’s capabilities.

‘Then I’ll face you at my best too.’

Ha-sung’s concentration intensified.

The surrounding noise faded away, and the scenery blurred.

Only he and Kershaw remained, standing in a dark, isolated space.

‘Come on.’

Kershaw began his windup.

From the delayed leg kick to the stride and follow-through, his motion was fluid and powerful.

The ball left his hand with tremendous velocity.

At least, that’s how it appeared.

‘It’s coming. It’s coming.’

But in Ha-sung’s eyes, the ball seemed to float slowly.

He stepped forward, tracking the ball’s trajectory as if watching a series of still images strung together.

‘Outside.’

He predicted the ball’s location based on its flight path.

Ha-sung’s lower body adjusted its position and began to rotate.

The lower body, initially rotating at a speed of 1, accelerated to 2 as the pelvis turned.

This momentum continued to the upper body, increasing to 3, and finally reaching 4 as it extended to the arm.

The speed continued to build until it reached the bat at the last possible moment.

Whoosh-!!

The world of darkness shattered as the speed reached level 5.

Simultaneously, the ball regained its original velocity and hurtled towards the hitting zone.

But Ha-sung’s bat was waiting.

Crack!!

A resounding crack echoed through the stadium.

Ha-sung completed his swing, putting all his force into the ball.

Watching the ball soar through the air, Ha-sung released his grip on the bat.

Swoosh!!

The spinning bat traced a pattern in the sky as the ball, reflected in Ha-sung’s eyes, disappeared over the outfield fence.

[It’s gone!! Jung Ha-sung hits a solo home run in his first at-bat!!]

Ha-sung’s solo home run put Korea in the lead.

* * *

The score was now 1 to 0.

Since it was only the beginning of the game, the lead could easily be overturned.

But this time, the situation felt different.

-1 point right away.

-Is the game over already?

-Jung Ha-sung wins!

-The American team, made up of Major League All-Stars, can’t beat Ha-sung.

-Korea confirms gold medal in the Olympics.

-Gold medal in this Olympics with a perfect record.

It was just a single point, but many fans acted as if the game was already decided.

There was one main reason for this sentiment.

-Isn’t the game over yet?

└ Ha-sung is on the mound.

└└ Even for the American team, scoring a run against Ha-sung is like reaching for the stars.

└└└ Agreed. The game is practically over.

It was because Ha-sung was now pitching.

[With the Korean national team leading, it’s the bottom of the first inning! Jung Ha-sung takes the mound!]

[Jung Ha-sung, who has won the Cy Young Award every year since his Major League debut, has also pitched 25 scoreless innings in this London Olympics, winning all three of his starts.]

[And he even pitched a perfect game?]

[That’s right. It’s even more impressive because it was a perfect game against the Japanese national team.]

Scoring against him, who had a zero ERA (Earned Run Average) in this tournament, would be a difficult task.

That’s why many believed he would secure another win and a gold medal this time as well.

[Leading off for the American team is the 2011 National League Gold Glove winner, center fielder Matt Kemp, stepping up to the plate.]

But some didn’t believe they had already lost.

That was the American team.

There was no sign of surrender in their eyes.

They were determined to attack Ha-sung.

Watching them, Ha-sung applied rosin to his hands.

‘Okay, let’s do this.’

His competitive spirit ignited.