Villain On The Mound [EN]: Chapter 53

Mound Villain – Episode 53

Mound Villain Episode 53

[Jung Ha-sung is on track to be named Rookie of the Month for April, leading the Major League in saves.]

The sports news begins after the evening news.

The first story is about Ha-sung.

Ha-sung’s parents sit in front of the TV, staring intently at their son’s image on the screen.

[Jung Ha-sung recorded his ninth save of the season, retiring three batters against the Tampa Bay Rays. This achievement puts him ahead of Mariano Rivera, the legendary closer for the New York Yankees, to lead the Major League in saves.]

The news about their son made the father beam.

“Honey, you’ll split your face.”

“Hehe! So what if it splits a little? Our son is on ‘Today’s Sports’! And he’s the headline! Aren’t you happy?”

“Of course, I’m happy. These days, the neighborhood women always stop me to chat. I went to the market the other day, and the butcher gave me extra beef.”

“Ah~ So that’s why we had that meat a few days ago? I’m a popular guy at work these days, too. Especially the day after Ha-sung gets a save, the boss calls me in.”

“Oh my! Does that mean he’ll call you in tomorrow, too?”

“I guess so? I need to think of something to talk about beforehand!”

Ha-sung’s performance filled the house with laughter.

* * *

The month of April, the start of the season, was coming to an end.

[Zack Greinke continues his dominant performance! Achieves his 5th win of the season!]

[How far will Zack Greinke’s dominance continue? He’s undefeated in April!]

[Zack Greinke boasts monstrous stats with a 5-0 record and a 0.50 ERA (Earned Run Average)!]

Zack Greinke finished his last appearance in April, virtually guaranteeing the Pitcher of the Month award.

With such incredible stats, there was almost no chance of anyone else winning.

Now, all that remained for Ha-sung was the Rookie of the Month award.

[Super Rookie Jung Ha-sung, will he win Rookie of the Month?]

[He’s the clear frontrunner! But we can’t relax until the end!]

Currently, Ha-sung’s record is 1 win and 9 saves in 10 games.

It was the best record among relief pitchers.

Nevertheless, the reason he couldn’t relax was that he had only pitched 10.2 innings.

[Jung Ha-sung is almost certain to receive the Rookie of the Month award, but there are also uncertainties.

Namely, that he is a relief pitcher.

Because he has pitched so few innings, if he gives up a lot of runs in even one game, the Rookie of the Month could go to another player.]

In the future, with the development of sabermetrics [advanced baseball statistics], the value of ERA is gradually decreasing.

However, in Major League Baseball in the 2000s, ERA was still a major indicator of a pitcher’s performance.

Of course, it was an important factor when selecting the Rookie of the Month.

A relief pitcher’s ERA increases significantly even if they give up runs in just one game.

This was especially true early in the season.

That’s why the media couldn’t confidently predict that Ha-sung would win the award.

In the meantime, the competition for the most saves in April continued.

[New York Yankees’ closer Mariano Rivera earns his 9th save of the season against rivals, the Red Sox!]

[Yankees defeat Red Sox and win the series 2 to 1!]

[Yankees defeat Red Sox thanks to Rodrigo’s home run!]

Yankees and Red Sox.

The first match between the rival teams representing Major League Baseball was won by the Yankees.

It goes without saying that the Red Sox fans were furious, thanks to Rodrigo’s performance.

From the perspective of Korean fans, Rivera’s successful save was a disappointment.

-He’s tied for the lead in saves again.

-Is the save title this season a battle between Ha-sung and Rivera?

-To be fair, Brian or Joe Nathan also have 7 saves each.

-That’s true.

-Those nobodies will fade in the second half anyway.

-Isn’t that possible for Ha-sung too? lol

-A rookie can collapse at any time.

-It’s only April, guys. You’re already talking about titles lol

-Such a premature celebration.

Various opinions were exchanged.

In any case, Ha-sung’s pursuit of the save title was the biggest topic for Korean fans.

Now, there were only a few days left until the end of April.

The Athletics faced the Toronto Blue Jays, their last series opponent in April, at home.

* * *

The Toronto Blue Jays, after their strong performance in the 1990s, had become one of the weakest teams in Major League Baseball.

This season, too, they were not performing well and were essentially an easy win for strong teams.

[Athletics are quickly scoring points against the Blue Jays. Leading 7 to 2 in the 7th inning.]

They were leading with a comfortable lead of 5 points.

At this rate, it might be difficult for Ha-sung to pitch.

-Let’s get Ha-sung some saves-!

-Blue Jays, get some hits!

-The Blue Jays are too weak to score.

-Hey hey-! Rivera is on the mound.

Various comments were being exchanged on the baseball community along with updates on Ha-sung’s situation.

Then someone reported Rivera’s appearance.

The news was also conveyed by the commentators.

[Mariano Rivera has taken the mound in the game currently being held at Yankee Stadium.]

[If Rivera gets a save today, the save rankings will change.]

It was bad news for those who were cheering for Ha-sung.

And the bad news soon became reality.

[The Yankees game has ended. Rivera allowed 1 hit, but secured three outs and recorded his 10th save of the season.]

Rivera achieved 10 saves first.

With this, the save ranking changed again.

[I hope Jung Ha-sung gets a chance to pitch in today’s game.]

The commentator’s heartfelt comment was clear.

But Ha-sung did not pitch that day.

The game continued to the 9th inning without any major changes, and the Athletics won.

* * *

[Save rankings reversed. Is Rookie of the Month still possible for Jung Ha-sung?]

[Rookie of the Month contender Elvis Andrus hits a home run, even though he didn’t play in the game today!]

[Will Andrus take the Rookie of the Month?]

The Rookie of the Month is not only selected for pitchers.

One of the rookies, including pitchers and hitters, is selected.

In other words, they have to compete with hitters as well.

Currently, the strongest competitor is Elvis Andrus.

The media was further promoting Andrus’ performance, perhaps to create more excitement.

However, Baek Jun-ki, a Major League expert reporter, had a different opinion.

[Jung Ha-sung is likely to win the Rookie of the Month in April.]

It was a somewhat provocative headline.

But the content provided enough support for the claim.

[Jung Ha-sung recorded 9 saves in April alone and also earned 1 win.

Elvis Andrus, who is currently mentioned as a rival, is clearly achieving good results, but his performance is inferior to that of Jung Ha-sung.

If Jung Ha-sung continues his current performance in the remaining two games, winning the Rookie of the Month is certain.]

After that, he supported his argument by posting data on other players.

Fans who had been watching Major League Baseball for a long time agreed with Baek Jun-ki’s article.

-There is no rookie in Major League right now who is as good as Jung Ha-sung.

-Andrus or Bailey’s performance can’t beat Ha-sung lol

-Only those who started watching Major League this year think it’s difficult for Ha-sung to receive the Rookie of the Month.

-Real Ha-sung is achieving record-breaking stats lol

In the meantime, reporters visited the Athletics locker room ahead of the second game.

The player the reporters were looking for was, of course, Ha-sung.

Ha-sung’s performance was of great interest in the United States as well.

“Jung Ha-sung, you’ve lost the lead in saves in the American League, would you like to say a word?”

“It’s only been a month since the season started. Isn’t it enough to be in the lead in saves at the end of the season?”

“Does that mean you’re challenging for the save title?”

“Of course.”

“Mariano Rivera, who is in the lead in saves, has an incredible momentum.”

“He’s already earned 10 saves in April alone. Do you think it’s possible to catch him?”

Reporters poured out questions.

There weren’t many players in Major League Baseball who gave interviews like Ha-sung.

So the reporters couldn’t help but like him.

“I also have 9 saves. Rivera’s momentum is good, but I’m not an easy opponent either.”

The reporters’ eyes lit up, perhaps because they liked the answer.

“What do you think about the Rookie of the Month?”

“Of course, I’ll get it. Is there a rookie in the American League this season who is performing better than me?”

“Don’t you have competitors like Andrus or Bailey?”

“My stats are better.”

Ha-sung’s confidence soared.

* * *

Ha-sung’s remarks were soon published and spread throughout the United States.

The reaction of American netizens was enthusiastic.

-Did you see the Jung Ha-sung interview?

-His confidence is amazing.

-His mic work was great?

-An interesting kid debuted.

-Were Korean kids always like this?

-I lived in Korea, and he’s unique.

-I thought Asian kids were polite. There’s a kid like this too.

-That’s subtly racist.

-Racist bastard lol

Ha-sung became a hot topic in various online communities.

To see such Ha-sung, the audience naturally visited the stadium.

It was a wasted trip on the first day, but Ha-sung took the mound in the second game against the Blue Jays.

[Jung Ha-sung is on the mound.]

[He’s appearing in a tough save situation with a 1 to 0 lead. The pressure is on.]

Tough save refers to a situation with a 1-point difference.

It was a situation where you could truly see the ability of the closer.

[The first pitch is important.]

[Jung Ha-sung exchanges signs and throws the first pitch.]

Thwack!!

“Foul!!”

[First pitch is a foul. One strike. The speed was 97 miles per hour, and the pitch was a four-seam fastball.]

[It was a very good ball. The batter was caught off guard.]

[Perhaps because he rested for a day, the ball is even more powerful. He throws the second ball at a fast tempo.]

Boom-!

“Strike! Two!!”

[The second ball is perfectly placed on the outside low corner!]

[The batter thought it was too far outside. Today’s umpire is calling the outside corner generously. Trevor, the catcher, knew that and called for the pitch outside.]

[Trevor made a skillful call.]

Trevor was a good catcher.

He quickly grasped the pitcher’s tendencies and made appropriate calls.

‘You want this, don’t you?’

Ha-sung nodded at Trevor’s sign.

It was a satisfactory call.

Ha-sung, who wound up, threw the third ball.

[Jung Ha-sung throws the third ball!]

Whoosh-!

Whoosh!!

The batter swung the bat this time.

But the ball passed over the bat and went directly into the mitt.

Boom!

“Strike! Batter Out!!”

[Three-pitch strikeout! He gets the first out with a 100-mile fastball!]

[Ah-! It was a really good ball! It was a fast and aggressive pitch, as Jung Ha-sung usually throws.]

As Ha-sung’s aggressive pitching, one of his popularity factors, was on display, the Oakland Coliseum was buzzing.

“Good! I came to see this!”

“Awesome, Jung Ha-sung!!”

“Our rookie is doing well!!”

“Hahaha! He throws fastballs with such confidence!”

Oakland fans poured out cheers.

With such cheers behind him, Ha-sung threw the ball to get the second out.

[He throws the first ball against the second batter.]

Boom-!

“Strike!”

[First pitch strike. The batter just barely fouls off the outside high pitch!]

Thwack!!

“Foul!”

[He hit the second ball, but it goes foul. He throws a high-speed slider.]

Boom!

“Swing! Strike Out!”

[Second three-pitch strikeout! Jung Ha-sung retires two batters with consecutive three-pitch strikeouts!]

[I think another flawless inning is coming.]

Two three-pitch strikeouts.

Naturally, the possibility of a flawless inning came to mind.

And Ha-sung was also aware of it.

‘Let’s do it one more time.’

A smile appeared on his lips.

* * *

[Jung Ha-sung achieves his second flawless inning in his Major League career!!]

[Jung Ha-sung, who earned his 10th save of the season! On the same day, he also recorded his second flawless inning!!]

[Jung Ha-sung, who once again stood shoulder to shoulder with the legendary Mariano Rivera!]

[Declared in an interview with local media that there is no rookie better than him!]

[How far will Jung Ha-sung’s performance continue?!]

Ha-sung achieved his 10th save.

And in the last game of April, he finally made his words a reality.

Boom-!

“Strike! Batter Out!!”

[Strikeout! He achieves his 11th save in the last game of April, surpassing Mariano Rivera and rising to the top of Major League in saves again!]

[Ah-! Jung Ha-sung is showing a truly phenomenal start!]

A phenomenal start.

That word was by no means an exaggeration.

[Jung Ha-sung pitched 12.2 innings in 12 games in April, recording an ERA of 0.74 while achieving a phenomenal record of 1 win, 0 losses, and 11 saves!]

Ha-sung’s first year as a full-time Major Leaguer.

Ha-sung was showing tremendous performance from the very first month.