Villain On The Mound [EN]: Chapter 55

Mound Villain – Episode 55

Ha-sung began seriously competing for a starting position at the age of 23.

At that time, the club identified and developed him as a potential starting pitcher because he could throw a fastball at 150 km/h [approximately 93 mph].

(Your fastball is perfect as is. So, let’s focus on mastering breaking balls.)

Following the 2nd team manager’s advice, Ha-sung dedicated himself to learning breaking balls.

He learned the slider and mastered the sinker, which was the coach’s signature pitch at the time.

His skills improved rapidly as he learned to control the ball’s placement, throwing it both inside and outside the strike zone.

The fact that his fastball already reached 150 km/h only amplified the effectiveness of his breaking balls.

This is because hitters generally time their swings based on the speed of the fastball.

After dominating the 2nd team, he was called up to the 1st team the season he turned 24.

(I’ve heard a lot about you. I’m looking forward to this season.)

Before leaving spring training camp.

He learned about the high expectations for him in an interview with the 1st team manager.

And as he participated in spring training, practice games, and exhibition games, his confidence soared.

(Rising star Jung Ha-sung! Overwhelms the opposing lineup with a top speed of 151 km/h!)

(4 innings, no runs allowed, 1 hit, perfect pitching! The emergence of the next-generation ace, Jung Ha-sung!)

The media also focused on Ha-sung, openly expressing their high hopes.

In the early part of the season, Ha-sung performed well, living up to these expectations.

(New star Jung Ha-sung wins in his first appearance!)

(6 innings, 1 run allowed, perfect pitching! Jung Ha-sung wins his second victory!)

He had a record of 4 wins and 1 loss through May and was a leading contender for both 10 wins and Rookie of the Year.

Up until this point, Ha-sung felt like he had it all.

He admits he became arrogant due to his strong performance on the 1st team stage.

However, these dreamlike days were shattered in June.

(5 innings, 4 runs allowed, Jung Ha-sung suffers his second loss of the season!)

(4 innings, 5 runs allowed! Jung Ha-sung, a struggling new star for two consecutive games.)

(2 innings, 6 runs allowed! The falling star)

After struggling in three consecutive games, Ha-sung’s performance began to decline.

The media, which had previously supported him, turned against him, and the fans voiced their criticism.

He experienced tremendous stress and fell into a slump.

Eventually, he was sent down to the 2nd team and spent time there making rehabilitation appearances.

However, his condition did not improve easily.

(Ha-sung’s speed keeps decreasing.)

(Since his breaking balls aren’t effective, his fastball, which was his strength, is also getting worse.)

The fastball was Ha-sung’s greatest asset.

Ha-sung knew this very well, not just from what others told him.

That’s why he relied on it so heavily.

As the power of that fastball diminished, he began to develop a mental block, a trauma, about pitching itself.

That’s when a benefactor came to Ha-sung’s aid.

(How about learning a new breaking ball?)

With the advice of the 2nd team pitching coach, he began to learn a new breaking ball.

* * *

[Jung Ha-sung is facing his first crisis since his major league debut.]

[He got the out, but he’s not as dominant as before.]

The commentators’ worried voices echoed through the TV.

His father clenched his fists tightly, watching the broadcast anxiously.

‘Son, you can do it, right?’

He felt helpless, wishing there was something he could do to help.

All he could do was offer his heartfelt support.

[One out, runner on 1st base, Jung Ha-sung will face the next batter.]

[Seattle’s hitters are making solid contact with Jung Ha-sung’s pitches. I think it would be a good idea to vary the pitch selection a little.]

[What choice will he make? Jung Ha-sung throws the first pitch!]

[Crack!!]

The sharp sound made his heart sink.

[Foul!!]

[First pitch foul! He made good contact, but the ball landed just outside the 1st base line.]

[Judging from the late movement, it looks like a cutter.]

“Hoo…….”

After confirming it was a foul, his father sighed.

‘I won’t live to my full life at this rate.’

If he was this stressed, how difficult must it be for his son who was actually on the mound?

[Seattle’s lineup is timing the cutter well, which is a dangerous situation.]

[How will he get through this crisis? Jung Ha-sung throws the second pitch.]

[Thud!]

[Ball!]

[Second pitch is a ball. He tried to bait him with a slider, but the batter didn’t swing.]

One ball and one strike.

The count was even, neither favoring the pitcher nor the batter.

[He throws the third pitch!]

Ha-sung took a stride and threw the ball with all his might.

The batter’s bat swung quickly at the rapidly approaching ball.

But.

[Thud!]

[Swing! Strike Two!!]

[Ah-! What is this? The batter’s bat is spinning uselessly! And the speed is… 86 miles!]

The slowest speed among all the pitches Ha-sung had thrown was recorded.

* * *

The batter’s face, who had stepped out of the batter’s box, hardened.

‘What? Wasn’t that a fastball? I definitely timed my swing… but the ball just stopped.’

As Ha-sung expected, Seattle had thoroughly analyzed him and drilled their hitters on how to attack him.

They were likely to face each other frequently during the season since they were in the same division.

So, they started analyzing him early on, and it was paying off today.

‘I don’t have data on that kind of ball?’

However, the batter’s mind became complicated when an unexpected pitch appeared.

‘Damn it……. What should I do?’

He tried to calm his confused thoughts. But time was running out.

“Don’t take too long, get back in the batter’s box.”

“Yes.”

At the umpire’s warning, the batter had no choice but to step back into the batter’s box.

‘Is that ball coming again this time?’

Various scenarios ran through his head.

He had to choose one, but he couldn’t make a decision easily.

At that moment, Ha-sung began his windup.

‘Damn it… I haven’t decided yet…!’

Whoosh!!

He screamed inwardly, but Ha-sung didn’t hesitate.

He finished his motion in an instant and threw the 4th pitch.

‘It’s a fastball!’

The ball flew quickly.

Before it left the pitcher’s hand, the batter anticipated the pitch and started his swing.

But.

‘It stopped again!’

The ball seemed to pause in mid-air as the bat swung.

The ball, which only resumed its flight after the bat had passed over home plate, went right under the bat and straight into the catcher’s mitt.

Thud!

“Swing! Out!!”

“Waaaaa-!!”

The fans who filled the Oakland Coliseum roared in unison at the strikeout.

* * *

[Jung Ha-sung achieves his 13th save of the season!]

[Super rookie Jung Ha-sung! Unveils a new weapon!]

[Experts say Jung Ha-sung’s new weapon appears to be a changeup!]

[Jung Ha-sung overcomes the crisis and breaks out of it himself!]

Ha-sung’s new weapon became a major topic of discussion.

-Wow… I thought Ha-sung was going to blow the save today.

-Seattle’s hitters are tough.

-The changeup came out at that moment! lol

-Did you see the batter’s expression when he threw the changeup? lol

-He looked completely bewildered.

-They’re expecting a ball over 100 mph, but suddenly an 80 mph changeup comes in, it’s gotta be frustrating.

-The changeup movement is amazing too.

-Yeah. It dropped like a sinker.

-Isn’t this a four-pitch pitcher now?

Four-pitch pitcher means that a pitcher has four or more pitches that he can reliably throw in a game.

Until now, Ha-sung was considered a two-pitch or three-pitch pitcher.

It depended on whether the cutter was classified as a breaking ball or a fastball.

However, with the introduction of this changeup, he now has another weapon in his arsenal.

And these claims began to appear in online communities.

-Shouldn’t Jung Ha-sung be starting at this point?

-Seriously. If you can throw 100 mph with four pitches, it’s better to start him.

-Is a closer the same as a starter?

-Just because you throw 100 mph as a closer doesn’t mean you can throw 100 mph as a starter.

-There are still many factors to consider, including stamina.

-Above all, why would you convert an untouchable closer into a starter mid-season, especially one as dominant as him?

Various opinions circulated online.

With this level of fan interest, baseball programs focused on Ha-sung’s performance that evening.

[Jung Ha-sung has achieved his 13th save of the season. This record is impressive, but what’s even more amazing is the emergence of a new weapon, isn’t it?]

[That’s right. Jung Ha-sung baffled the hitters by throwing a changeup.]

The screen changed, showing footage of Ha-sung’s pitching.

[Actually, I thought he was in trouble when he gave up a hit to the first batter and walked the second batter?]

Early in his appearance.

Footage of Ha-sung struggling against hitters was shown.

[There were some tense moments against the third batter as well. But everything changed with this pitch he threw as the 3rd pitch.]

A clip of Ha-sung throwing the ball was shown.

The batter reacted, and the ball followed a trajectory that dropped sharply into the mitt.

[He completely disrupted the batter’s timing. He perfectly executed the change of pace, which is another term for changeup.]

[Change of pace?]

[Some people consider the changeup a breaking ball, but the primary reason pitchers throw a changeup is to disrupt the batter’s timing.]

[That’s right. In that sense, Jung Ha-sung’s changeup completely threw off the batter’s timing.]

Domestic baseball experts showered praise on Ha-sung’s changeup.

-Kuh-! Experts are also praising Ha-sung’s changeup.

-How can a 19-year-old throw a ball so well?

-I’m really excited about his future.

-Could he potentially dominate the major leagues at this point?

Netizens’ reactions were enthusiastic.

But where there are fans, there are always haters.

-What kind of experts are they lol

-He threw the changeup well, but he was getting hit hard before that lol

-The hitters were only fooled because he suddenly pulled it out.

-It looked like he just threw it to get out of the jam lol

-It looks like his bubble will burst soon.

Some people argued that Ha-sung’s success was unsustainable, claiming it was a bubble that would soon burst.

Although they were a minority, some agreed with this opinion.

But Ha-sung continued to pitch well, seemingly defying these critics.

* * *

Bang-!

“Strike! Batter out!!”

[Jung Ha-sung achieves his 14th save of the season! He is 3 saves ahead of Rivera, who is in 2nd place!]

Crack!

[The bat is broken! Ground ball, the 3rd baseman fields it and throws to 1st base!]

Thud!

“Out!”

[Game set! Jung Ha-sung achieves his 15th save of the season! He is 6 saves away from the rookie consecutive most saves record!]

Ha-sung increased his save total whenever he had the opportunity.

Above all, the reason why Ha-sung is so highly regarded is his save success rate.

Ha-sung was the only closer in the major leagues with a 100% save success rate so far.

Other closers this season had either blown a save or had fewer than 5 saves.

As a result, the fact that he was leading the league in saves and had no blown saves was significantly increasing Ha-sung’s value.

With Ha-sung’s outstanding performance, the local broadcasting station also began to take notice.

“It’s been a while.”

“It’s been a while! Director Chris, the Athletics have been doing great recently!”

Charles from KTVU, an Oakland local broadcasting station, came to visit.

He had closely covered the Athletics in the past and even made a documentary about them. He was visiting again after a long time.

“Recently, the Athletics’ popularity has been growing day by day in Oakland. Viewers want to know more about the Athletics.”

“I know very well that the residents are enjoying it. The number of visitors has also increased compared to before.”

“Now that the previous controversy has subsided, fans are trying to reconnect.”

“Haha.”

Moving the club was always a sensitive topic.

He wouldn’t have suffered so much if it wasn’t for the owner.

Anyway, that was in the past now.

“You must have a specific reason for coming today.”

“Of course. I want to follow the Athletics and make a documentary to broadcast.”

“Is it the same format as before?”

“Yes. I’m planning to focus on Jung Ha-sung.”

Chris pointed to Jung Ha-sung.

He was once again reminded that Ha-sung is currently the hottest player on the Athletics.

“Is there anything we can do to help you?”

“I’d appreciate it if you could cooperate as well as last time.”

“That’s not a problem.”

If it airs on TV, the number of local fans will likely increase.

There was no reason for Chris to refuse.