Villain On The Mound [EN]: Chapter 39

The Villain on the Mound – Episode 39

Houston Street.

He was a player who had been evaluated as a complete closer.

However, after his rookie season, he became just an ordinary pitcher.

Still, he was good enough to be a reliable closer in Oakland.

‘If I trade him, the pitcher who can replace him in Oakland right now is…….’

Ha-sung accessed the Oakland Athletics’ official website and checked the roster.

In the ’08 season, there were three main relief pitchers who performed well.

But none of them had Ha-sung’s potential impact.

‘There’s a high probability that I’ll become the closer.’

It wasn’t arrogance, just a realistic assessment.

It was limited to one month in September, but during that period, no one in the Oakland bullpen had better stats than him.

Ha-sung was the most promising option the front office had.

‘But they won’t give me a chance right away. The decision will be made at the ’09 season spring training camp.’

Oakland would acquire various players through trades.

They would also bring in released players for tryouts.

In the process, they would test potential pitchers in the bullpen.

He was included in that group.

‘If I show enough performance, I will be appointed as closer.’

That was enough for his current goal.

If you set goals too far in the future, you might get discouraged.

It was time to set achievable goals and work towards them.

‘I’m glad I knew in advance. I can prepare my body properly.’

The pitcher’s mechanics are the same.

However, starting pitchers and relievers need to develop completely different physical conditioning.

‘A starting pitcher is like a marathon runner. Since they have to pitch for many innings, stamina is essential. But relief pitchers are different. You have to build a body that can explode with energy in a short time, like a sprinter.’

The training methods of marathon runners and sprinters are completely different.

The training methods of starting pitchers and relief pitchers had to be different.

‘I have to repay Reporter Baek later.’

He was grateful to Baek Jun-ki for giving him this insight in advance.

Now he could set an accurate goal and build his body accordingly.

‘It’s all about training.’

The opportunity had arisen.

Now it was up to him to seize it.

Ha-sung focused and concentrated on his training.

* * *

The World Series had ended.

As in history, the Philadelphia Phillies were the champions.

As the World Series ended and November began, the weather turned colder.

At that time, news came from the United States.

[Oakland Athletics, relocation plan fails!!]

The Athletics’ dream of relocating had failed.

Chris, the general manager, was swamped because of it.

“Damn it……. If this continues, the attendance will decrease even more next year.”

If revenue decreased further, it would be difficult to operate the team effectively.

“We have to improve the team’s performance somehow. Only then will the fans return.”

The major leagues are completely different from the KBO [Korean Baseball Organization].

The club itself is a business.

You have to be self-sufficient, and the biggest part of that is ticket sales.

If attendance decreases, revenue takes a direct hit.

‘The first thing to secure is the batting lineup.’

Chris turned on his computer and opened the file he had compiled.

It was a file that summarized the Oakland team’s batting record for the ’08 season.

‘Last season, our team’s wRC+ [weighted Runs Created Plus, a comprehensive offensive statistic] remained at 21st place. Damn it, that’s why we can’t win the games we should be winning.’

There are 30 teams in Major League Baseball, so 21st place is in the bottom third.

He had to improve the batting somehow.

‘At the same time, we have to reduce the team’s payroll. We need to find a trade partner with Houston, whose salary is increasing, and bring in a decent hitter.’

Oakland has traditionally been good at trading players with high salaries to acquire needed assets.

In particular, they liked to acquire big-name players before they became free agents (FA).

Their salaries could be a problem, but if they were only used for a short period and then traded, the remaining salary obligations would fall to the next club.

Of course, depending on the contract details, Chris was looking for a deal that didn’t require the Athletics to cover any of the salary.

‘This guy would be good.’

Chris’s eyes were drawn to Matt Holliday of the Colorado Rockies.

‘He was sluggish this year due to injuries, but looking at his career stats, he deserves a large contract. Moreover, this guy’s agent is Scott Boras.’

Scott Boras, an angel to players and a devil to clubs.

His reputation was known even in far-off Korea.

‘The Rockies don’t have the financial capacity to sign a long-term contract with this guy. So they’re putting him on the trading block.’

Chris immediately picked up the phone.

“Connect me to the Rockies.”

The gears of history were turning.

* * *

Around mid-November.

News came from the United States.

[Oakland Athletics trade closer Houston and promising players Carlos Gonzalez and Greg Smith to acquire Matt Holliday from the Colorado Rockies!!]

The first major move of the offseason had occurred.

As expected, since it involved the team Ha-sung belonged to, domestic reporters churned out related articles.

[Oakland’s closer position is vacant! Will this benefit player Jung Ha-sung?]

[Jung Ha-sung to reign as Oakland’s next closer?]

[Jung Ha-sung’s injury issue is the biggest obstacle! What is the condition of his shoulder?]

As many articles poured out, various opinions filled online forums.

-Houston is leaving just like that.

-If you look at his debut season alone, wasn’t he almost Mariano Rivera level?

-Now that Houston is gone, is Ha-sung in charge of Oakland’s back end?

-Isn’t Ha-sung injured?

-Is it official?

-Wasn’t he dropped from the national team because of an injury?

-Who believes that lol

Kim Sang-pil was appointed as the coach for the 3rd WBC [World Baseball Classic], just like the 2nd time.

At the press conference held after the coach’s appointment, the KBO also made an official announcement about Jung Ha-sung.

[Jung Ha-sung was not considered when selecting the national team. He needs to be further evaluated.]

The interview at the time created a lot of controversy.

There were arguments that if you don’t select Ha-sung, who debuted in the major leagues and pitched scoreless for a month, who would you select?

Arguments that it was too much to pick a rookie who had only been around for a month clashed fiercely.

Public opinion was divided, but the KBO did not bother to make a statement on the matter.

Anyway, the public showed great interest in Ha-sung again.

It was a clear indication of who the hot topic in the Korean baseball world was.

* * *

Ha-sung was setting his departure date.

‘I need to move to a warmer place to train. I also need to adjust to the time difference in advance.’

While staying in Korea for a short time, he was naturally adapting to the local time.

In addition, since Korea was in winter, the weather was getting colder every day.

Pitching in this weather was likely to lead to injury.

‘Would it be better to go to Hawaii?’

In his previous life, Ha-sung spent the winter in several places.

At first, he trained in Korea, but as his salary increased, he moved to Okinawa and Guam.

And when he became the team’s ace and his salary rose to 400 million won [approximately $300,000 USD], he went to spring training in Hawaii.

‘When I trained in Hawaii, my body condition was the best. Let’s start there from the beginning in this life.’

It would be nice to have a partner to go with, but unfortunately, there was no such player.

Currently, Ha-sung’s network was very limited.

Of course, there was no one to go to spring training with.

‘I think I can book the hotel where I always stayed. I need to find a fitness center and a trainer who can help me there. I also need to find a pitching practice field.’

There were many things to prepare.

If he had an agency, they would solve these problems for him.

He felt a pang of regret.

‘I should start contacting agencies when I go to Hawaii.’

Sighing, Ha-sung began searching the Internet.

* * *

January.

Numerous reporters flocked to Incheon International Airport.

The reason why reporters gathered was because Ha-sung was leaving the country.

Since the year before last, Ha-sung had been in the spotlight due to a series of significant events.

In particular, last year, he successfully debuted in the major leagues and received more attention than any other sports star.

There were several controversies, but the public’s attention remained focused on him.

Naturally, reporters’ interest was bound to be high.

“He’s here!”

With one reporter’s shout, everyone’s eyes turned.

There, Ha-sung was seen being escorted by Kim Hye-ryeong, the CEO in charge of Ha-sung’s Korean management, and three bodyguards.

Reporters swarmed him, and the airport quickly became chaotic.

“Player Jung Ha-sung! Please say something about your injury!”

The first question was about the injury.

Rumors about the injury had circulated, but there were no follow-up reports related to it.

The reason was that he had not made an official statement.

Ha-sung looked at the reporters and said casually.

“I had a thorough diagnosis. It was a mild inflammatory reaction.”

“So you weren’t seriously injured?”

“It wasn’t a major injury, but it’s true that fatigue had accumulated.”

“Then are you able to join the national team?”

“I know that the national team roster has already been finalized. So there’s no spot for me.”

“If the national team makes an offer, would you be willing to join?”

“I’ll think about it then.”

Ha-sung, who answered smoothly, continued to give standard responses after that.

There were no reporters who asked questions that offended him.

Some reporters had previously suffered from Ha-sung’s sharp responses, so there was no reason to provoke him.

Above all, Ha-sung was likely to start the ’09 season in the major leagues.

There was no point in antagonizing him.

“Let’s wrap up the questions here. Reporters, I look forward to you writing good articles about my performance in the major leagues.”

Ha-sung left Korea with confident remarks.

* * *

Ha-sung arrived in Hawaii, unpacked his luggage at the hotel, and took a two-day break.

‘Rest is always important. I need to finish adjusting to the time difference quickly.’

This time, he used aroma candles to help him relax.

‘It’s a big help. I should send him a ticket.’

He received help, so he gives back accordingly.

That was Ha-sung’s life motto.

Two days passed, and he finished adjusting to the time difference. He went to the fitness center he had signed a contract with.

American trainers have several different arrangements.

Generally, they sign a contract with a personal trainer and receive training.

Ha-sung also hired a personal trainer through the Internet.

“Hello, Jung. My name is Reiner.”

“I’m Ha-sung Jung. Please take care of me.”

“Um? Aren’t you the Athletics rookie?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“Shit!! I knew the name sounded familiar. You were my client! I enjoyed watching your performance in the major leagues last year!”

“I want to perform just as well this year, so please help me.”

“Of course! I’ll do my best!”

Reiner was a good trainer.

He identified and addressed the lacking parts of his program.

“It’s a pretty high-quality program. However, the lower body program is a bit weak. Let’s add a few more exercises.”

His program was excellent.

It seemed like he wasn’t kidding when he said he majored in sports science at university.

“And how are you managing your nutrition?”

“I’m doing it this way.”

“Oh~ It’s well organized.”

“Did you also study nutrition?”

“I know a little. However, I have an expert in that area among my friends, so let’s have him review it.”

“Thank you.”

“If you’re grateful, show us a good performance this season too.”

Reiner helped him with good intentions.

He was lucky to meet someone like this.

Ha-sung continued training with Reiner while also practicing pitching.

‘Don’t be impatient, little by little…….’

He didn’t get overconfident because he succeeded in his first season.

‘What’s important in the professional world is longevity. I’ve just taken my first step. I can’t ruin my second season by getting carried away.’

In his previous life, he was excited by the success of his first season and ruined his second season.

However, in this life, he was able to avoid such mistakes.

Thanks to this, he was able to achieve peak physical condition by the time February arrived.

And an article was uploaded.

[Jung Ha-sung! Leaves Hawaii for spring training camp!!]

Major League Spring Training Camp has begun.