Villain On The Mound [EN]: Chapter 45

Villain on the Mound – Episode 45

Ninth inning.

Just one inning to shut down, and the game is over.

The team wins.

Conversely, if they can’t stop that one inning, the game turns around.

The team loses.

The hard work of teammates could be wiped out in an instant.

That pressure weighs down on the pitcher.

[The mental pressure on a closer is immense.]

[Jung Ha-sung needs to focus on pitching as usual.]

The camera focused on Ha-sung on the mound.

That image was broadcast live not only in the United States but also in Korea.

-Wow-! Has Ha-sung always been that big?

-He bulked up a lot before this season.

-I kept hearing he got bigger, but he’s really huge.

-This is my first time watching the game. He doesn’t have the physique of an Asian, does he?

-Amazing.

-For some reason, I feel like he’s going to get hit with a home run.

-Let’s go for a come-from-behind loss-!

-Can’t you stand to see someone else succeed?

The community’s reaction was also heated.

As news spread that Ha-sung was on the mound, even people who hadn’t been watching TV turned on their sets.

Meanwhile, Ha-sung, having finished his practice pitches, stepped onto the pitcher’s plate.

[The catcher who will be working with Jung Ha-sung is Trevor.]

Ha-sung exchanged signs and took his stance.

‘Closers are evaluated on many abilities. A strong mentality is considered the most important….’

He wound up, gathering strength.

[Jung Ha-sung! Winding up!!]

Whoosh-!!

Following through with a kick, he twisted his body.

‘The first thing I think about is…!’

Releasing the twist in his body, he stretched out his leg and stepped forward with all his might.

Thud!!

Whoosh!!

The spikes dug into the mound, and his body rotated in succession.

‘A weapon that overwhelms the batter!’

Swish-!!

He gathered all his charged power and released it at his fingertips.

The ball left his hand with fierce speed and passed over home plate.

Thwack!!

“Strike!!”

[Strikes the batter inside! The speed is… 99 miles!]

[He’s overwhelming the batter with a tremendous pitch from the very first ball.]

A pitcher with a weapon that overwhelms the batter is fearsome.

Ha-sung knew that well.

‘Hit it if you can.’

The unspoken pressure weighed down on the batter.

But.

Whoosh!!

The opponent is also a major leaguer.

It wasn’t easy.

‘He throws a great ball.’

The leadoff hitter for the Angels was Vladimir Guerrero.

Although he was an aging veteran, he still managed a .300 batting average and 27 home runs in the ’08 season.

In short, he was a monster with both experience and skill.

‘Fast. And he has great confidence in his pitches. He also has the guts to put it in the zone.’

Guerrero calmly organized his thoughts.

‘But I’ve faced a lot of guys like that.’

Vladimir Guerrero.

A hitter who deserves the title of monster.

Ha-sung also knew him well.

‘A monster who will be in the Hall of Fame in the future. His son is also a monster.’

Guerrero’s son, Junior, would also become a major leaguer.

Anyway, that wasn’t the important thing right now.

‘He’s not an easy opponent, but….’

[Jung Ha-sung exchanges signs and throws the second pitch!]

‘There are no easy hitters in Major League Baseball!!’

“Hmph!!”

Swish-!!

The ball left his hand and flew with fierce speed.

Guerrero swung his bat as if he had been waiting for it.

Clang-!!

[He hit it!!]

A crisp sound echoed.

But Ha-sung didn’t turn around.

And Guerrero didn’t run towards first base either.

[The batted ball curves out of the third base line!! It’s a foul!!]

Both of them seemed to know it would be a foul.

‘He’s amazing. It was definitely the same fastball. But it curved slightly at the end. Is that a moving fastball?’

It’s not a cutter or a sinker.

It’s just that the end of the ball had some late movement.

That’s why it went slightly off the hitting point.

‘He throws an interesting ball.’

Even though the count was against him, Guerrero didn’t panic.

Rather, he calmly collected himself and stood at the plate.

Trevor looked at Guerrero and gave a sign.

‘Guerrero is a dangerous guy. Let’s throw one pitch away here and see his reaction.’

The request was for a slider.

A pitch that would start in the strike zone and then break out.

It was Trevor’s experienced call, knowing that Guerrero was a bad-ball hitter [a hitter known for hitting pitches outside the strike zone].

But Ha-sung shook his head.

‘Let’s go with something else.’

‘Why? We can induce a swing and miss with this pitch.’

‘I want to go with the fastball.’

Ha-sung sent the sign himself.

He also knew that Guerrero was a bad-ball hitter.

But he wasn’t just a guess hitter [a hitter who anticipates the type of pitch].

Nevertheless, he was a hitter with an excellent K/BB ratio [strikeout-to-walk ratio].

Not striking out often meant he was a hitter who could hit bad balls.

‘Damn it! What on earth is he thinking…? Even if he gives up a big hit here, he’ll only give up one point.’

The score was a 3-point difference.

Giving up one point wouldn’t be a big problem.

Above all, Ha-sung is an excellent pitcher.

It didn’t seem like this guy would be stubborn for no reason.

‘Okay, do as you please.’

Trevor sent the sign and held out his mitt.

‘The sign exchange was long. What were they talking about for so long?’

Guerrero watched Ha-sung wind up on the mound and tightened his grip on the bat.

‘I don’t care what comes. I’ll hit every ball.’

Ha-sung kicked and threw the third pitch.

The ball left his hand and flew with fierce speed.

At the same time, Guerrero’s bat turned.

‘What kind of ball is it? Slider? Curve?!’

Guerrero thought the trajectory of the ball would change.

Because it was two strikes.

There are hardly any cases where they go head-to-head in a count that is favorable to him.

Above all, the second pitch was a foul that went out of bounds.

If he had hit it just a little more squarely, it could have been a home run.

There is no such thing as ‘what if,’ but as a human being, that fear occupies his mind.

That’s why it wouldn’t be strange to see a breaking ball at least once.

But.

‘It doesn’t change!’

The trajectory of the ball did not change.

However, Guerrero was not flustered.

‘If it doesn’t change…!’

Whoosh!!

The speed of the bat’s swing increased.

‘A good prey!!’

And like a hawk snatching its prey.

Clang!!

He hit the ball.

[He hit the third pitch!!]

The camera captured the high-flying batted ball.

[But the batted ball doesn’t go far! The center fielder runs out and catches it easily!!]

Guerrero, who was running to first base, turned his gaze to the scoreboard.

‘It was definitely a fastball. The timing was right too. But one thing was different….’

[The speed is a whopping 101 miles!! Jung Ha-sung renews his highest speed in a regular game!!]

‘Was it the speed and power?’

Just 2 miles.

But because his eyes were accustomed to the 99 miles of the first pitch, the timing was late.

‘He’s an interesting guy. I hope I have another chance to face him.’

Guerrero glanced at Ha-sung and returned to the dugout.

Seeing that, Ha-sung rubbed rosin on his hands [a sticky substance used by pitchers for a better grip].

‘I was trying to induce a swing and miss. But he hit it. The timing was also late, and the vertical movement would have been different from other pitchers.’

The most difficult type for hitters is a pitcher they meet for the first time who throws fastballs.

Because the timing is different from usual.

If the vertical movement is also high, it is even more difficult to catch the timing.

But Guerrero did it.

‘He’s a monster after all.’

It was a scene that made me realize why the legendary hitter is a legend.

And I felt one more thing.

‘I caught a guy like that.’

A thrill ran through his hand and spread throughout his body.

It was a sense of accomplishment that I thought I would never feel again.

‘This is fun.’

Baseball became fun again.

* * *

[Oakland Athletics’ Jung Ha-sung secures the team’s first regular-season victory with a perfect inning, allowing no runs and striking out one. Jung Ha-sung, who took the mound in the bottom of the 9th inning with the team leading 6 to 3, turned away leadoff hitter Vladimir Guerrero, a monster, with a fly ball to center field in just three pitches…….

(Omitted)

Jung Ha-sung made a good start as a closer, achieving 1 save and raising expectations for this season.]

Articles about Ha-sung poured out.

Reactions to him also poured out in various communities.

-Did he really get Guerrero out?!

-Wow… he turns away that monster in just three pitches.

-I can’t believe a Korean pitcher would throw over 100 miles.

-That was really awesome.

-I changed my underwear.

-His control was perfect too, wasn’t it?

-It was no joke when he faced the other two hitters.

-Jung Ha-sung is amazing.

Fans were enthusiastic about getting the big-name Vladimir Guerrero out.

And Ha-sung moved forward with the support of those fans.

Thwack-!!

“Strike!! Batter out!!”

[Game over!! Jung Ha-sung secures the team’s victory with his 2nd save!]

Fourth game of the season.

1 inning, 2 strikeouts, no runs allowed, 1 hit.

Clang!!

“Mine!!”

Thud!

“Out!!”

[The right fielder catches the ball almost on the spot and gets the third out! Jung Ha-sung earns his 3rd save of the season!]

Sixth game of the season.

1 inning, 1 strikeout, no runs allowed, perfect.

Crack!!

[The bat breaks!! The batted ball is a routine ground ball! The second baseman dashes to catch the ball and throws it to first base!!]

Thud!

“Out!!”

[He gets the third out, breaking the bat! Records his 4th save of the season!]

Eighth game of the season.

1 inning, 2 strikeouts, no runs allowed, perfect.

Ha-sung appeared in 4 of the 8 games Oakland played and achieved saves in all of them.

100 percent season save rate.

As he continued his streak of allowing no runs, his name gradually became known in the United States.

With Ha-sung’s performance, the Athletics’ performance also soared.

[Anyone watch the Athletics game yesterday? These days, I really enjoy watching Athletics games in the evening.

They’ve only played 8 games, but they’re running first in the Western Division with 6 wins and 2 losses!

There are many frustrating plays, but when it comes to the end of the game, I watch with the expectation that Jung Ha-sung will take the mound.

Who is Jung Ha-sung?

Don’t you know the super rookie who throws 100 miles? Then grab the remote and turn on the TV.

Oh, of course, you know you have to listen to all my broadcasts, right?]

The local radio was filled with stories about the Athletics every day.

In addition, newspapers and broadcasters covered the recent performance of the Athletics, raising the interest of local residents.

“Jung Ha-sung is the super rookie who was active last year, right? That guy became the closer?”

“That’s right! He’s come up in 4 games so far. And he hasn’t allowed any runs yet!”

“Saves?”

“He’s succeeded in all 4 of them.”

“Oh, really?”

“Yeah! And his pitches are so fast, he throws 100 miles easily!”

“A monster like that came out? I have to see this with my own eyes.”

The residents’ interest soon turned into footsteps heading to the stadium.

* * *

Chris couldn’t hide his smile as he listened to the report.

“The number of spectators visiting the stadium has increased by 22 percent compared to last year. It’s been steadily increasing day by day… General Manager?”

“Huh? Ah, yes! Report.”

“Your smile is a bit much [a Korean expression implying someone is being overly enthusiastic or 부담스럽다].”

“Haha! Is that so? But what can I do? The fact that spectators are coming means the team’s finances are improving!”

“That’s true. So, I was wondering if we should hold an event for the spectators.”

“Isn’t Bobblehead Day scheduled?”

Bobblehead refers to a figure made in the likeness of a player.

These bobbleheads are sold as merchandise, but the club also designates a specific day as an event to distribute them to fans who visit the stadium.

“Yes. Originally, we planned an event to produce and present bobbleheads of Matt Holliday and Giambi. I was wondering if we could exclude one of them and produce a bobblehead of Jung Ha-sung.”

“Hmm, who should we exclude?”

Matt Holliday was currently the most famous player in the Athletics.

His performance in the early part of the season was insignificant, but in terms of recognition alone, he was in the top tier within the team.

The same goes for Giambi.

He is one of the hitters who represents the Athletics.

Although he left the team and returned, he was popular in the Oakland area.

Both hitters were popular, so it was ambiguous to exclude anyone.

But Catherine was firm.

“It’s right to exclude Giambi and include Jung Ha-sung.”

“I guess so?”

“Yes. Giambi is a has-been star, but Matt is a rising star. There will be more demand for making Matt’s bobblehead.”

“You’re really cold [a Korean expression implying someone is being very rational or 냉정하다].”