Villain On The Mound [EN]: Chapter 65

Mound Villain – Episode 65 (65/285)

Mound Villain Episode 65

38 saves in the first half.

Ha-sung was challenging this record, set just a year ago.

[Jung Ha-sung, who debuted this season, is truly dominating as the Athletics’ closer.]

[He has a perfect record with 1 win and 37 saves in 38 appearances, with zero blown saves.]

[Looking at the entire Major League this season, Jung Ha-sung is the only closer without a blown save, right?]

[That’s right. Above all, his ERA in the 0.00s is incredible.]

ERA [Earned Run Average, a measure of runs allowed per nine innings pitched], an old stat in the future.

However, in the 2000s, ERA was the absolute stat for evaluating a pitcher’s ability.

An ERA in the 0.00s was a remarkable achievement that would be a major topic even in the future.

In the Major League, no less, an ERA in the 0.00s.

It was an impossible record in modern baseball.

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

Ha-sung went into his windup.

[Jung Ha-sung lifts his leg high in his kick, his wildness evident even in his pitching form.]

[Unlike other domestic pitchers, Jung Ha-sung’s pitching form is very dynamic.]

The difference between Ha-sung and domestic pitchers is evident from the windup.

Most domestic pitchers had the same pitching form, like precise machines.

This was because Korean coaches forced it.

They preferred teaching according to a pre-set manual rather than the player’s individual characteristics.

This was because it had already been proven safe.

The advantage of this method is that you can grow to a certain level.

Anyone can.

But it is impossible to aim for anything beyond that.

On the other hand, Ha-sung’s pitching form was perfectly suited to him.

Thanks to this, he was able to use all his power.

Crack!!

The cleat dug into the mound with his stride.

Ha-sung rotated his lower body, opened his hips, and transferred his power.

Whoosh!!

The tremendous rotational energy gathered at his fingertips.

“Hup!”

Swish-!

[With a shout, he throws the first pitch!]

The ball, released from his hand, cut into the batter’s body.

The batter twisted his wrist to stop his swing.

Almost simultaneously, he leaned back, avoiding the ball.

That was a mistake.

Whir!

The moment the batter leaned back.

The trajectory of the ball changed, cutting into the zone.

Thwack!

“Strike!”

The ball exploded as it hit the mitt.

Following that, the umpire raised his hand with a flamboyant motion.

[Strike one! A 96-mile cut fastball!]

[The batter thought it was too inside and leaned back, but it changed at the last moment and entered the strike zone.]

[Jung Ha-sung’s cutter is really amazing.]

[A typical cut fastball changes in the section where the batter recognizes the pitch. But Jung Ha-sung’s is similar to Mariano Rivera’s.]

Mariano Rivera, who elevated the cutter to the level of art.

His cutter was a pitch that deserved the expression ‘magic ball’.

Thanks to this, various programs poured out analyses of his cutter as a special feature.

[Mariano Rivera’s cutter changes later than other pitchers.]

[That’s right. The grip he uses to throw is also different, so it flies like a normal fastball and then changes. So, from the batter’s point of view, they can only think it’s a fastball.]

The reason why Ha-sung’s cutter is so powerful is that it is difficult to distinguish from a fastball.

And there was another pitch like this.

[Jung Ha-sung throws the second pitch.]

He threw the second pitch with the same pitching form as before.

“Hup!”

Swish-!

The ball, released with a shout, flew sharply towards the mitt.

The batter swung with all his might, as if determined to hit it this time.

Whoosh!!

The bat swung fiercely, but the ball thrown by Ha-sung did not come.

‘Damn it!’

He tried to slow down the bat’s swing speed, but it was impossible to stop the accelerated bat.

Only after the bat had fully rotated did the ball pass over home plate and weakly hit the mitt.

Thud!

“Swing! Strike two!!”

[Jung Ha-sung steals the batter’s timing with an 87-mile changeup!]

[This is the essence of a changeup. Jung Ha-sung’s control of pace is truly beyond words.]

[Jung Ha-sung was powerful even when he only threw fastballs, but since throwing the changeup, he feels untouchable.]

[Because there are more things for the batters to think about.]

The mere fact that the number of possibilities has increased has made it very difficult to face Ha-sung.

And Ha-sung was a pitcher who used it very well.

[He throws the third pitch!]

“Hup!!”

Swish!

The ball thrown this time was a high fastball.

The batter’s upper body was thrown back by the high ball that stuck to his body.

Thwack!

“Ball!”

[It’s a ball. The pitch was somewhat high, causing the batter to lean back.]

[Jung Ha-sung often throws these kinds of pitches when his control wavers.]

From a third-person perspective, it seemed like his control was wavering.

But Ha-sung had precise control.

‘The closer it is to the eye, the faster the ball looks…’

Ha-sung, who received the ball, prepared for the fourth pitch.

‘The farther away, the slower the ball speed seems.’

The perceived speed and the actual speed are different.

The perceived speed has the effect of appearing faster the closer it is to the eye.

Even at the same speed, it varies depending on how close or far it is from the eye.

Ha-sung was a pitcher who used this well.

[He throws the fifth pitch!]

The ball, released from his hand, flew with a fierce speed.

The course was a low outside course.

The batter swung his bat as if he had been waiting.

Whir!!

The swing was about 0.x seconds faster than before.

This was because the previous ball remained in the batter’s mind as an afterimage.

But the ball was slower than before.

Completely out of sync with the timing of the swing.

In addition, the ball thrown by Ha-sung was not a fastball but a slider.

The batter took a posture of pulling his hips back to somehow hit the ball that was slowly running away to the outside.

However, as if teasing such a batter, the ball ran away even further.

Whoosh!

Thud!

“Swing! Out!!”

[Strikeout! Jung Ha-sung perfectly steals the batter’s timing with a slider! Now, only two out counts remain until the new record!]

Ha-sung sets various traps even when throwing a single ball.

These traps complicate the batter’s mind and prevent them from swinging properly.

‘Damn it, what kind of guy is that? It’s like facing a veteran who has been playing for decades, not a rookie.’

The batter realizes these traps only after facing Ha-sung.

Even though they were leaving behind excellent records, the perception that Ha-sung was a rookie was ingrained in their minds.

That’s why they had no choice but to fall into the traps that Ha-sung had set.

* * *

It took only three pitches to get the second out.

Thwack-!

“Strike! Batter out!!”

[Strikeout!! Jung Ha-sung strikes out the second batter following the first!]

[He threw mainly breaking balls to the first batter, but he quickly went for the win by throwing mainly fastballs to the second batter.]

[His pitching that overwhelms with power is really impressive!]

An Asian overpowering with power in the Major League.

This was not something that could be easily seen.

That’s why his country’s baseball fans were even more enthusiastic.

-One more until Jung Ha-sung’s new record!

-He really throws 100 miles easily.

-KBO [Korean Baseball Organization] is a fastball pitcher even if he only throws 150 km [kilometers] ㅋㅋ

-It’s a reality that it’s hard to find those kids.

-Crazy guys from Taeil High School. They tried to bury this kid with factional fighting.

-Is KBO real? They don’t pick Jung Ha-sung for the national team.

-If they had picked him for the national team, they could have easily won the championship.

As Ha-sung’s performance continued, arrows turned to the organizations that had been hostile to him.

Taeil High School became known as the school that kicked Jung Ha-sung out of a prestigious baseball high school, and the number of new students decreased rapidly.

Thanks to this, its position in the amateur baseball world has greatly decreased this year.

KBO is not as bad as Taeil High School, but it was also criticized.

They achieved a decent result of runner-up at the WBC [World Baseball Classic] held this year, but stories poured out that they could have won the championship if Ha-sung had joined.

-I want to see him wearing the national team uniform too.

-Won’t he play in the Asian Games?

-He’ll play because of the military issue.

-Will KBO accept him then?

-What are they going to do if they don’t accept him ㅋㅋ

Already, public opinion was on Ha-sung’s side.

The military service issue was a sensitive issue.

In the past, there were cases where superstars could not enter Korea after acquiring US citizenship to avoid military service.

Even after that, they reacted sensitively to celebrities’ evasion of military service.

Nevertheless, public opinion of Ha-sung was not bad.

Of course, not all of them were like that.

[Jung Ha-sung winds up for the last out count.]

Ha-sung threw the ball with a windup.

Thwack-!

“Ball!”

[First pitch is a ball. It’s judged to be a bit low.]

It is not common for the first pitch to be a ball.

Ha-sung, who received the ball back, lightly rotated his shoulder and rubbed rosin on his hand.

‘Am I nervous?’

Then he asked himself.

If he gets this out count, he will tie the Major League record.

It would be ridiculous not to be nervous in that situation.

‘Still…’

Ha-sung stood on the mound again.

‘It’s less nerve-wracking than dying, right?’

Ha-sung recalled the moment he died.

The car shakes and countless thoughts flash through his mind.

The moments that come to mind in a flash.

The moment he went to the game for the first time in his life.

The moment he took the mound to win the high school tournament.

The moment he took the mound for the first time as a professional.

All the moments came to mind and disappeared.

Recalling that time, his trembling heart calmed down a bit.

‘Either way, this is also a passing moment.’

He had to concentrate in order not to regret it in the future.

‘Concentrate… concentrate…’

Ha-sung raised his concentration.

The surrounding scenery was dyed in darkness, and only Trevor’s mitt was visible.

“Hoo…”

He breathed alone in the space of silence and shook off the tension.

[Jung Ha-sung throws the second pitch in a one-ball situation.]

He felt the movement of his muscles and the transfer of power as he wound up.

[He needs to get a strike this time.]

Following the kick, he stepped forward.

Crack!

The spikes dug into the mound and his lower body turned.

The accumulated power moved as the pelvis opened, and it moved through the core to the chest and arm.

[He throws!]

“Hup!!”

Swish-!!

He released his power in an instant and threw the ball with all his might.

At the same time, the black background that had dyed the surroundings disappeared and the complete scenery came into view.

Crack!!

Following the sound of the bat breaking, he saw the batted ball rising high.

“Mine!!”

Ha-sung turned around at the call sign from behind.

The second baseman took his position under the high fly ball and raised his glove.

Thud!!

With his stable catch, Ha-sung clenched his fist.

[Out! It’s out! Jung Ha-sung achieves his 38th save of the season! With this, he ties the all-time Major League record for most saves in the first half!]

[Ah-! Jung Ha-sung is really amazing! He made his name in Major League history in his debut year!]

[It’s not over yet! Jung Ha-sung has two more chances!]

[That’s right. With two more chances until the All-Star break, attention is focused on whether Jung Ha-sung will be able to break the record!]

Achieved his 38th save.

He stood shoulder to shoulder with Francisco Rodriguez.

Now, people’s attention was focused on whether Ha-sung could set a new record rather than a tie record.