Villain On The Mound [EN]: Chapter 51

Villain on the Mound – Episode 51

The Major League Baseball (MLB) Player of the Month award recognized players with outstanding performance each month.

This included Pitcher of the Month, Player of the Month, and Rookie of the Month.

With the MLB season about two weeks in, the media was already highlighting potential candidates.

[Who are the most likely candidates for Pitcher of the Month?]

[The top contender is Zack Greinke of the Kansas City Royals. He’s been dominant in his three starts, not allowing a single run and maintaining a perfect record.]

[Isn’t it true that Zack Greinke has continued his scoreless streak from September 13, 2008, for 38 consecutive innings?]

[Yes, he’s ahead of competitors like Felix Hernandez, Tim Wakefield, and Jung Ha-sung.]

Zack Greinke was off to an incredible start to the season.

Ha-sung was mentioned, but his performance wasn’t comparable to Greinke’s.

However, the Rookie of the Month race was a different story.

[Isn’t this player the clear frontrunner for the American League Rookie of the Month?]

[Jung Ha-sung is the favorite to win. He has appeared in 7 games so far, recording 1 win, 6 saves, and an ERA [Earned Run Average, a measure of runs allowed per game] of 1.25 over 7.2 innings.]

[He recently allowed his first MLB home run, but it was impressive how cleanly he handled the subsequent batters.]

[That’s right. He’s a rookie and has been performing well. Suddenly allowing a home run could have shaken him, but he perfectly handled the next batters and secured the save.]

The video shifted to show Ha-sung’s first run allowed.

[Runs can be allowed at any time. The important thing is what happens after. Jung Ha-sung showed that he wasn’t shaken after allowing the run, which makes us look forward to his future even more.]

[The future will be important for Jung Ha-sung to win Rookie of the Month, right?]

[Yes. Starting pitchers are likely to make one or two more starts, but Jung Ha-sung can appear more frequently depending on the game situation. Maintaining his current performance is key.]

[It remains to be seen whether Jung Ha-sung will win Rookie of the Month.]

* * *

The Rookie of the Month award is given to rookies who have performed exceptionally well each month.

The more often a player wins Rookie of the Month, the higher the chance of winning Rookie of the Year.

It had been a while since a Korean player had been in contention for Rookie of the Month.

Naturally, he received intense attention from the Korean media.

[Jung Ha-sung to pitch in the third game against Texas.]

[He’s taking the mound today with a one-run lead.]

[Jung Ha-sung is pitching in an even tighter situation than in the first game. He throws the first pitch.]

Whack-!

“Strike!”

[First pitch is a strike. Looks like a 93-mile cutter [a type of fastball that breaks slightly to the side]?]

[Yes, it comes in on the same trajectory as a fastball but breaks right before it reaches home plate, making it difficult for the batter to make solid contact.]

[Jung Ha-sung gets ahead in the count with the first-pitch strike. He throws the second pitch.]

Whoosh-!

Clack!!

“Foul!!”

[The second pitch was a 98-mile fastball, but it goes foul.]

The 5 mph difference was enough to throw off the batter’s timing.

Ha-sung, after receiving the ball from Trevor, applied rosin [a sticky substance used to improve grip] to his hand and returned to the mound.

‘He enjoys competing in these situations.’

Trevor had figured out Ha-sung’s style.

They had worked together for a month last season and had already played together for over two weeks this season.

Having roughly figured out his partner, he called an aggressive pitch.

‘I like it. Why is this guy ending up as an unknown?’

Ha-sung was pleased with Trevor’s sign but also puzzled.

Trevor was not a player he remembered.

If he was this good at leading pitchers, he should have been memorable, but he didn’t remember him.

‘Well, countless players come and go in the major leagues.’

He wouldn’t know even if someone disappeared at some point.

Right now, it was time to focus on the ball.

“Hoo……!”

Exhaling, Ha-sung wound up, twisting his body and lifting his leg.

At the same time, he bent his supporting left leg and hip, charging up his power.

Then, he stepped forward with his right leg, stopping his breath to maintain abdominal pressure.

Crack!!

As he stepped, he rotated his lower body and hips, transferring the charged power to his upper body.

Passing through his core, which maintained abdominal pressure, and through his chest, shoulder, and arm, the power was further amplified.

The gathered power was concentrated at his fingertips and released all at once.

“Haat!!”

Whoosh-!!

With a short shout, the ball left his hand.

The pitch was inside to the batter.

The batter’s bat swung fiercely.

Whoosh!!

The moment the two trajectories were about to meet.

The ball passed over home plate.

Whack!!

The ball hit the mitt first.

Whoosh!!

The bat swung late.

“Strike! Batter out!”

[Strikeout!! He strikes out the first batter! The speed is 101 mph! Jung Ha-sung throws his fastest pitch and gets the first out count brilliantly!]

[As a player who likes aggressive pitching, he gets the out count quickly.]

[And Michael Young, who gave Jung Ha-sung his first major league home run the other day, steps up to the plate.]

Michael Young stepped up to the plate.

His face was full of confidence.

He was a veteran, and his performance in this series had been outstanding.

[Michael Young has recorded 5 hits, 2 home runs, and 6 RBIs [Runs Batted In, a statistic measuring runs scored as a result of a batter’s hit] in 10 at-bats in this series alone, including the home run he took from Jung Ha-sung.]

[He’s been dominating the series.]

[It will be interesting to see if Jung Ha-sung can get revenge for the first day.]

Michael Young was in good hitting condition.

Above all, he had taken a home run from Ha-sung.

Facing such a batter was challenging.

‘A rookie is bound to be nervous in this situation. The pitch a nervous pitcher will throw is the one he’s most confident in.’

Michael Young was a seasoned hitter.

That’s why he knew pitchers’ psychology well.

He had faced countless pitchers and rookies.

He knew their habits well.

[Jung Ha-sung winds up!]

As Ha-sung wound up, Michael Young gripped the bat somewhat shorter.

‘If he comes in with a full-force pitch, it will be difficult for me to time it.’

It was an action that came from acknowledging Ha-sung.

He also judged that getting on base and accumulating runners was better than trying for a big hit here.

However.

Swoosh!

Ha-sung saw even that.

The fact that the first pitch he chose was not a fastball but a cutter told the story.

Crack!

“Ugh……!”

With a dull sound, the bat broke.

The weakly rolling ball was caught by the third baseman, who threw it straight to first base.

Thud!

“Out!!”

[Out! The only pitch needed to avenge Michael Young, who allowed a home run in the first game, was just one!]

[I thought he would throw his most confident fastball, but he surprised us by choosing a cutter.]

[Jung Ha-sung, living up to his nickname as a ‘bat breaker,’ breaks Michael Young’s bat and avenges his first home run!]

Michael Young glanced at Ha-sung, who had gotten two outs.

‘Is he really a rookie?’

Doubt was the first thing that came to mind.

He read his mind and threw a cutter instead of a fastball.

That meant he was confident in his cutter as well.

Even against the batter who gave him his first home run.

‘These kids are really bold these days.’

Michael felt that he was getting old.

Leaving him behind as he returned to the dugout, Ha-sung faced the next batter.

* * *

[Athletics’ Jung Ha-sung Achieves His 7th Save of the Season!]

[The monstrous rookie who took down Michael Young, who gave him his first home run, in just one pitch!]

[Jung Ha-sung Takes a Step Closer to Rookie of the Month, Will He Win the Award?]

After the game, various articles poured out.

The focus of the articles was on Rookie of the Month.

Only a few Korean players have been selected as Rookie of the Month.

Especially recently, when there has been a drought of Korean major leaguers.

The media, as well as online communities, focused on the performance of the monster rookie who appeared after a long time.

-That’s how you get revenge. by Jung Ha-sung

-ㅋㅋㅋ Michael Young hit a home run and then broke his bat.

-What a waste of the bat.

-The team will give him one anyway ㅋㅋ

-If he’s that class, he’ll buy it himself?

-Wow~ He takes down the Texas franchise star in one pitch.

-Jung Ha-sung doesn’t seem like a rookie.

-Isn’t it highly likely that he’ll win Rookie of the Month for April?

-Seems likely.

-The possibility is high, but if he slips up even once in the remaining games, he’ll lose it.

-That’s the downside of being a reliever.

It wasn’t just the online communities that were excited about Ha-sung’s performance.

“Hehe, our product is selling like crazy thanks to Jung Ha-sung’s performance.”

The brands that had signed with Ha-sung last winter and filmed commercials were thrilled.

That’s because sales began to rise sharply as Ha-sung performed well.

Sales had already increased by more than 300 percent compared to the same month last year.

“Please continue to perform like this.”

Some companies prayed to the heavens.

“Contact the management right away and tell them to proceed with the next advertising contract!”

“Yes, sir!”

Some companies were already aiming for the next advertisement.

However, CEO Kim Hye-ryung was firm.

“I’m sorry, but it’s difficult to extend Jung Ha-sung’s advertising contract.”

Her words, which didn’t give any room for negotiation, left the person on the other end of the line unable to continue the conversation.

An employee asked Kim Hye-ryung.

“Shouldn’t we strike while the iron is hot [take advantage of a situation while it’s favorable]?”

“Why? Are you worried that Jung Ha-sung will collapse soon?”

“I’m honestly a little worried. In the major leagues, even players who are doing well can suddenly start getting hit hard one day.”

“You know that well?”

“I’ve liked baseball since I was young. Anyway, I think it would be good to get high contract terms when he’s performing well now.”

The employee’s words were valid.

The biggest risk for athletes is that injuries or a decline in skills can occur at any time.

It’s a different story for players in the top class.

They have proven their value over a long period of time.

But Ha-sung is a rising star.

Just rising means that he has the advantage of receiving a lot of attention.

But conversely, it also has the disadvantage of not having fully proven himself.

These parts are definitely a risk.

“I know that too. But if the client wants this, there’s nothing we can do.”

“By client… Did Jung Ha-sung say he wouldn’t accept the contract?”

“Yes. He refused not only the contract extension but also new contracts. He said he would prove himself.”

“Prove himself?”

“Yes. His true value. He said he would go into the contract with his value after the season.”

The employee laughed in vain at Kim Hye-ryung’s words.

“That’s a lot of confidence.”

“Don’t you need this much guts to play on the world’s best stage?”

“That’s right. I really can’t imagine that level of guts.”

Kim Hye-ryung got up and looked out the window.

The city’s magnificent buildings were spread out before her eyes.

‘What will happen?’

If he keeps his word, it will cause a huge ripple not only in the major leagues but also in the Korean sports world.

But if he doesn’t.

‘He’ll just be a man who talks big.’

It was interesting.

What kind of result will come out.

“Oh, did you hear? Eun-ha’s new album is getting a good response this time.”

“Eun-ha? The one who filmed the commercial with Ha-sung before?”

“Yes. That became a hot topic, and it was mentioned in some communities, and it seems like a fan club was even created. On top of that, this album is good, so the response is already coming up?”

“Really? That’s good.”

Kim Hye-ryung dismissed it casually.

The singer has an agency.

She didn’t pay much attention because there was no place for management to intervene.

“Okay, let’s do our work.”

“Yes.”

Ha-sung’s performance was also having a big impact in Korea.