Villain On The Mound [EN]: Chapter 58

Mound Villain – Episode 58

Arnold James.

He had left the Double-A RockHounds and was in Las Vegas.

“Hasung recommended this Arnold guy?”

“Yes. He remembers him as the best hitter while he was with the RockHounds.”

“Was it more of a casual mention than a recommendation?”

“Actually, I asked him. Since he played for the RockHounds until last year, I asked if he knew any good players.”

“So, it came up in that context.”

Chris’s gaze turned to the monitor.

It displayed data on the hitters in Triple-A.

“Arnold’s stats are definitely good. His batting average, OPS [On-Base Plus Slugging, a measure of a hitter’s overall offensive performance], SLG [Slugging Percentage, a measure of a hitter’s power], etc., are all up from last year.”

“Most importantly, his strikeout rate is down.”

“He moved up from Double-A to Triple-A, and his strikeout rate went down?”

“Yes. His whiff rate is especially low. His BABIP [Batting Average on Balls In Play, measuring a hitter’s luck] is also high, so the quality of his hits is good.”

“What about his defense?”

“He plays in the outfield, but he also has experience at first base, so it’s worth testing. Besides, Giambi’s first base defense isn’t bad, so we could move him to DH [Designated Hitter].”

There were several options for defense.

But the hitting was completely blocked, with no solution in sight.

Therefore, if they were to call someone up, it had to be a player with hitting talent.

“Hmm, let’s add this player to the list of candidates. Who else is there?”

The two continued their discussion, using sabermetrics [the empirical analysis of baseball] to select potential candidates.

* * *

When hitting isn’t working, it’s not just about failing to score runs.

Players are human, so if one thing isn’t going well, they get stressed, and other things start to fall apart too.

Clack!!

[Hit! The ball is heading towards the shortstop!]

It was a routine ground ball.

It was clear that throwing to first would result in an out.

Shortstop Orlando caught the ball barehanded and lifted it.

At that moment.

Whoosh!

[Ah-! Orlando juggles the ball!]

Juggling.

It refers to the action of throwing and catching the ball again, like in a circus, while picking it up. It’s an unnecessary movement, so it naturally takes longer to make the throw.

Orlando hurriedly threw the ball to first, but the batter had already sprinted through the base.

“Safe!!”

[Ah-! Safe! Orlando makes a ridiculous error!]

[His recent hitting slump is causing problems in his defense as well.]

Stress from other issues is making his play erratic.

The problem is that these errors also stress out the pitchers.

“Ugh… what’s wrong with our hitters? Now we have to worry about the defense too?”

Bailey, who was watching the scene from the bullpen, clutched his head.

He seemed to react to every little thing, perhaps because he was young.

“Don’t worry too much. It’s not like those plays happen all the time.”

“No, Hasung. Aren’t you worried? If he’s missing ground balls like that, he could get hit by the ball, and it would be a hit.”

“I told you, it doesn’t happen often.”

Hasung said firmly.

“They’re people too. They make errors sometimes. If you think those plays will happen every time, will you be able to throw your pitches properly?”

“That’s true, but…”

“What we need to do is throw our pitches. Don’t overthink it.”

“Hmm…”

He couldn’t argue because it was true.

Pitching coach Sanchez, who was watching the scene, his eyes gleamed.

‘Shouldn’t it be the other way around?’

Bailey was 25 years old in American age, and Hasung was 19.

It should have been the other way around, with Bailey advising Hasung.

‘When I look at him, I feel like I’m looking at a 30-year-old veteran, not a 19-year-old.’

He felt like he was looking at a seasoned veteran.

‘Still, it seems like the wavering atmosphere is being stabilized because he’s here.’

Hasung’s presence was not that of a rookie.

He was talking to Bailey, but his words could be heard by the other bullpen pitchers as well.

Naturally, they were able to steady their wavering mentality thanks to his words.

However, unfortunately, the Athletics lost the game that day, recording their first four-game losing streak of the season.

* * *

Hasung returned to the hotel and turned on his computer.

Then, he checked his season stats.

“Tied with Rivera…”

While Hasung was stagnant, Rivera also achieved 19 saves.

They were now tied for first place.

“It can’t be helped. Just because I’m standing still doesn’t mean the others are too.”

There’s nothing he can do.

Feeling impatient in this situation would only be detrimental.

He had to wait and wait as much as possible.

And seize the opportunity when it came.

“By the way, what is our team’s front office thinking? If we keep going like this, we’re really going to fall into a pit.”

The atmosphere in the clubhouse was also gradually becoming tense.

To make matters worse, there was no clubhouse leader.

If a conflict were to arise in this situation, the team could be divided.

There’s nothing more frightening than division in team sports.

That’s why the clubhouse leader is important.

“I’m not thinking of stepping up, but…”

Not just anyone can become a clubhouse leader.

You have to have absolute charisma.

It wasn’t something he, who was only 19 years old, could do.

“Tch, I guess it’ll work out. More than that, there are only a few games left in May.”

Before he knew it, only 3 games were left in May.

“I want to play in at least one game.”

If possible, he wanted to reach 20 saves.

The reason Hasung was greedy was simple.

“If possible, it looks better if it’s a clean number, right?”

If he added one more, he would have exactly 20 saves.

For some reason, he felt like he would be at ease then.

Hasung checked the final opponents for May.

“At least we’re playing against some relatively easy teams.”

The opponent was the Chicago White Sox.

* * *

The Chicago White Sox had a strange jinx after winning the World Series.

They were strong in even-numbered years but weak in odd-numbered years.

And in 2009, they failed to cause a major sensation and maintained a mid-tier record.

[The game between the White Sox and the Athletics is turning into a pitching duel.]

[Neither team’s lineup has been able to break the ice.]

[This is probably due to the recent slump in the batting lineup, right?]

[That’s right. It looks like it will be a one-run game.]

The game between the two teams progressed quickly as a pitching duel.

Hasung watched the game from the bullpen, waiting for his turn.

‘If it’s a one-run game, I’ll get a chance in the 8th inning.’

The player with the most home runs on the team was currently designated hitter Jack Cust.

The other hitters’ home runs were also terrible, but Cust had the highest slugging percentage.

If they were hoping for a big hit, he was the only one in the Athletics’ lineup.

Coach Sanchez seemed to think the same way, calling Hasung in the bottom of the 7th inning.

“Hasung, warm up lightly.”

“Yes.”

The starting pitcher had already left the mound.

He had to warm up in advance in case something happened.

Hasung stretched to loosen his muscles and warmed up by throwing the ball.

[Jung Hasung is starting to warm up.]

[As the game progresses into the later innings, it looks like he’s warming up so he can pitch at any time.]

[I wonder if Jung Hasung will be able to pitch today.]

Recently, not only Athletics fans but also Korean fans were eagerly hoping for Hasung to pitch.

The eagerness was so intense that the community was buzzing just by seeing Hasung warm up.

-Hasung is warming up!!

-Is he pitching?! Is he really pitching?!

-Ah… I want to see Hasung pitch ㅠㅠ

-Seriously frustrating.

-How can the batting lineup be so blocked?

-Let’s get 20 before May is over!!

-Please, let the offense get going!

Contrary to the fans’ eagerness, the Athletics’ 8th inning attack started frustratingly.

“Out!!”

[He hit the 4th pitch, but the center fielder catches it almost in place. One out!]

Every time an out count went up, sighs poured out.

The second batter, Cust, stepped up to the plate.

-Doesn’t Cust occasionally hit a surprise home run?

-At least he hits a long ball well.

-He’s the Athletics’ home run leader ㅋㅋ

-What are Giambi and Holliday doing?

-They’re just singles hitters ㅅㄱ

Athletics fans gave up on Giambi and Holliday.

That’s how terrible their hitting had been recently.

That’s when it happened.

Clack-!!

[He hit it!!]

Cust swung at the 3rd pitch.

With a crisp sound, a large hit flew into the outfield.

-Is it going?! Is it really going?

-That’s over!

It was such a big hit that even the fans could tell.

[It’s over!! The Athletics finally score!]

The score became 1 to 0.

* * *

He didn’t know how long it had been since they had a lead.

The fans’ cheers were louder than ever because it had been such a long time.

“Waaaaa-!!”

“Jung! Jung! Jung! Jung!!”

Oakland Coliseum was shaking.

Along with the fans’ cheers, Hasung’s theme song echoed.

[Jung Hasung is taking the mound!!]

[Jung Hasung’s appearance, who has a 100 percent save rate with 19 consecutive saves, is one of Oakland’s winning patterns.]

[If he records a save in today’s game, he will once again be the major league’s save leader!]

The commentators’ voices rose as if they were excited about Hasung’s appearance.

Hasung, who took the mound, warmed up by throwing practice pitches.

Even though it was just practice pitches, the fans reacted enthusiastically every time he threw each ball.

“We believe in you!”

“End the game!!”

“Do you know how many days I’ve waited to see you?!”

He could have felt pressured by the fans’ cheers.

But Tony, who was watching from the sidelines, wasn’t worried at all.

‘He’s not even nervous; it seems like he can’t even hear the voices.’

Even if others saw it, Hasung’s concentration was amazing.

He wasn’t looking around and was only focusing on the mitt while throwing the ball.

When the practice pitches were over, Tony approached him.

He didn’t have much to say.

“I believe in you.”

Hasung was already the best closer in the major leagues.

No other words were needed except for this.

“Yes.”

And Tony returned to the bench, hearing a more reliable answer than any other.

* * *

[Jung Hasung is carefully exchanging signs.]

[It’s his first appearance in a while. He needs to get the first batter out.]

[Jung Hasung, who exchanged signs, winds up.]

Hasung strode forward with a windup.

[He throws the first pitch!]

Whoosh!!

He unleashed the first pitch with all his might, unwinding his twisted body.

Swaaack-!!

The batter reacted to the ball that quickly crossed the space.

He swung his bat with all his might, turning his lower body.

Whoong!!

The sound of the bat cutting through the air was unusual.

Then the ball stopped in mid-air.

No, it looked like it stopped.

‘Changeup…!’

The batter who saw it hurriedly tried to stop his bat.

But it was already at full speed.

Whoong!

The bat futilely cut through the air.

Thwack!

The ball went into the mitt.

“Swing! Strike!”

[First pitch strike! Jung Hasung perfectly steals the batter’s timing with a changeup!]

[Since it was his first appearance in a while, I thought he would naturally choose a fastball for the first pitch. He completely catches him off guard!]

The batter frowned at Hasung’s surprising first pitch.

But the power of Hasung, who had appeared after a long time, didn’t end there.

[He throws the 2nd pitch!]

Swaaack-!

Whoong!!

Thwack!

“Swing! Strike two!!”

[2nd pitch is also a swing and a miss! This time, he induces the batter to swing and miss with a breaking ball that curves greatly horizontally!]

[Jung Hasung is making a fool of the batter by throwing changeups for both the 1st and 2nd pitches!]

[Jung Hasung, who has gained a favorable count, what kind of ball will he throw for the 3rd pitch! He winds up!]

He threw the 3rd pitch with a windup.

Since it was a favorable ball count, it wouldn’t be strange to throw another changeup.