Villain On The Mound [EN]: Chapter 7

Mound Villain – Episode 7

160 km/h.

In Major League Baseball, quite a few pitchers could throw that fast.

But in Korea?

‘So far, 160 has only been recorded three times in professional baseball. And two of those times, the pitchers couldn’t control it.’

Even in the professional league, it had only happened three times.

So, what would it be like if we limited it to high school baseball?

‘There’s no precedent.’

There had never been one.

Unsurprisingly, the reaction was explosive.

“160?!”

“Is the speed gun broken?”

“There’s no way three of them would break at once!”

“Was he always this good?”

“Wasn’t he injured?!”

The scouts couldn’t hide their astonishment.

And one more person.

“No way……”

Coach Lee Gi-seong, who had been standing on the bench steps with his arms crossed and a triumphant expression, mumbled with a blank look, his arms half-unfolded.

“Hey! Lee Gi-seong!”

Just then, someone called his name from the stands.

He turned his head and saw a middle-aged man who looked like a scout holding onto the net.

“Ah…… Senior.”

“What’s going on?! I heard Jeong Ha-seong’s arm was ruined? But what’s with the 160?”

“Well…… that’s…….”

“You son of a gun! If he could throw like this, you should have contacted me in advance!”

“I also…….”

How could I contact you when I didn’t even know?

He forced himself to swallow the words that were hitting his Adam’s apple.

The moment he said that, it would be the same as admitting his incompetence.

“It was a…… surprise.”

“What?!”

“Is this punk kidding me!!”

Lee Gi-seong didn’t know.

He never imagined he would be scolded by his seniors at this age.

That was only for a moment.

Thwack!!

“Strike!!”

As Ha-seong’s pitching continued, all eyes were focused on him.

* * *

‘Perfect through the 3rd inning.’

Baek Jun-gi’s gaze turned to the mound as he checked the record.

‘Except for the first pitch, the rest of his pitches are maintaining in the early to mid 150s. He must be focusing on control.’

His gaze returned to the record.

‘He hasn’t even walked anyone, let alone fallen behind with a three-ball count. He’s overwhelming the batters with aggressive pitching.’

In high school baseball, throwing a ball over 150 km/h is like a cheat code.

With just that, most batters couldn’t even touch the ball.

But occasionally, an exceptional player appeared.

Clang-!!

“Oh!”

“He hit it!”

Hwang Seok-woo, the leadoff hitter for Daeil High, swung his bat fiercely.

The ball caught by his bat flew with a sharp speed.

But soon, it spun and fell outside the line.

“Foul!!”

“Tch!”

Hwang Seok-woo clicked his tongue as if he was disappointed when the foul was called.

‘The timing was right. But he couldn’t hit the center of the bat.’

Baek Jun-gi’s eyes lit up as he checked the hit.

‘If the next ball is also a fastball, he might be able to make solid contact. He deserves to be a first-round pick.’

Hwang Seok-woo was a player who had received a first-round pick from the Seoul Angels.

He was a player with great potential, so much so that he was called one of the biggest prospects in this draft.

He received a signing bonus of 600 million won, so you could see how great of a player he was.

‘He shouldn’t stick to head-on battles, should he?’

If he only insisted on head-on battles against Hwang Seok-woo, a professional-level high school player, he could be in trouble.

‘Since it’s the second time through the batting order, Hwang Seok-woo’s eyes are used to the ball. With his talent, he can hit even balls in the 150s.’

That was why he thought it would be difficult if he only insisted on head-on battles.

How will this confrontation end?

Just as he was wondering.

Ha-seong went into his windup.

And threw the ball.

“Gasp!!”

Whoosh-!!

The trajectory of the rapidly flying ball was like a fastball.

‘With the same ball……!’

Just as he was about to judge that.

Hwang Seok-woo’s bat rotated to devour the ball.

‘Huh?’

At that moment, the trajectory of the ball changed slightly.

As a result, the ball hit the head of the bat, deviating from the sweet spot.

At that moment.

Crack!!

“Argh!”

The bat broke in two, and a scream erupted from Hwang Seok-woo’s mouth.

When a bat breaks, it gives a different kind of shock than before.

Hwang Seok-woo, who experienced that, screamed without realizing it.

But that was a mistake.

Thud!

“First!”

While Hwang Seok-woo was in pain from the scream, the batted ball rolled and went into the hands of the second baseman.

The second baseman threw the ball to first base, easily getting Hwang Seok-woo out.

Thud!

“Out!!”

The out count went up.

Hwang Seok-woo, who was expected to go straight to the pros as a super high schooler, was dismissed futilely in his second at-bat as well.

And Baek Jun-gi and the other scouts felt a chill from this ball.

‘What is it?’

‘What kind of ball is it?’

‘It definitely flew like a fastball, but it changed near home plate.’

‘Was it a slider?’

Some scouts didn’t even understand what kind of ball it was.

But Baek Jun-gi accurately saw through it.

‘It was a cutter. And it was a perfect control changeup.’

The cut fastball.

A changeup called a cutter causes a change near home plate.

It’s a changeup like a slider, but the change is small and the speed is similar to a fastball.

‘The scouts are confused. It can’t be helped. There are very few pitchers in Korea who can throw a cutter properly. Above all, to use such a perfect cutter like that…….’

Baek Jun-gi was lost in thought for a moment.

And then he shook his head.

‘There isn’t even one in the pros.’

A high school player with this level of cutter.

Today, events that make you doubt your eyes happened one after another.

‘Throwing a 160 ball and throwing a perfect cutter? And at a timing that can completely dominate the batter?’

A pitcher shouldn’t just throw fastballs.

In fact, pitchers who threw balls over 150 km/h often failed in the pros.

The reason was the lack of control and problems with game management.

‘But that guy Jeong Ha-seong is different.’

First, he showed a 160 km/h ball.

With that, he captured everyone’s attention at once.

He overwhelmed the batters in an instant.

After that, he threw balls in the early to mid 150s and showed precise control.

The batters were thoroughly fooled by that control.

Finally, when it was the second time through the batting order, he took out a joker called a cutter.

This kind of game management was rare even in the pros.

‘It’s a management method that you can occasionally see in Major League Baseball. How can a mere high school senior do this kind of management?’

If you only watch the game management, he was like an old fox.

‘A guy like that should go to Major League Baseball.’

Baek Jun-gi was disappointed.

As of 2008, there were no Korean players playing in Major League Baseball.

There were some players in the minor leagues, but none in the big leagues.

‘In the early 2000s, there was a flood of major leaguers.’

For Baek Jun-gi, who had been watching Major League Baseball since the 1990s, it was a deeply regrettable situation.

But there was a talent in front of him who could play in the big leagues.

‘The problem is whether he will go to the big leagues.’

If today’s game is known, Major League Baseball scouts will rush in.

Ha-seong’s game today was that overwhelming.

He continued his perfect streak through the 7th inning, turning every batter into a strikeout or a ground ball.

‘It’s not high school level.’

Even the players who received first-round picks couldn’t touch his ball.

There was no way that Major League Baseball scouts wouldn’t move with this amazing performance.

‘Professional clubs are also eyeing him. And at the current time, the perception of going straight to Major League Baseball is too negative.’

In the early 2000s, there was a flood of Korean major leaguers.

The players who signed contracts with Major League Baseball clubs during their high school years exploded their potential and were on a roll.

The promising players who saw that signed contracts with Major League Baseball clubs en masse.

Dreaming sweet dreams.

But the results were mostly failures.

‘Most of them can’t get over the wall of the big leagues and remain in the minor leagues. In the meantime, the promising players who signed contracts with domestic clubs shined and gained wealth and fame.’

The growth of the KBO [Korean Baseball Organization] market was also one of the reasons.

Unlike in the past, FA [Free Agent] contracts worth billions of won were frequently occurring in the KBO.

Although it cannot be compared to Major League Baseball, there are more players who say they will become kings in Korea rather than in a place with a big skill gap.

‘They’d rather be the head of a snake than the tail of a dragon [a Korean proverb meaning it’s better to be a leader in a small organization than a follower in a large one].’

Baek Jun-gi thought Ha-seong would make that choice too.

That was the current trend.

It wasn’t easy for a young player to overcome that trend.

That’s why he felt even more regret.

Thwack!!

“Strike! Batter out!!”

“Another strikeout!”

“That’s 14 strikeouts, right?”

“No, more than that, if he gets through the 9th inning, it’s a perfect game!”

Perfect game.

It was a record that had not yet been achieved even in the KBO.

Of course, high school baseball is at a lower level, but that made it even harder to achieve.

It’s harder to get help from the fielders.

But Ha-seong was doing it on his own.

While getting 14 strikeouts.

Baek Jun-gi, who was watching the scene, grabbed a pen.

‘I should meet him once. Even if I just make him think that there is such a path, I can achieve my goal.’

Watching this, he wanted to send Ha-seong to Major League Baseball even more.

* * *

Lee Gi-seong couldn’t hide his astonishment.

‘This kid was throwing this well?’

A perfect game was in sight, let alone winning the President’s Cup.

He had been wasting such a player until now.

‘Isn’t the principal an idiot?’

No matter how important the school’s honor is, how could he make such a player sit on the bench.

‘Well, it doesn’t matter. Everything will be resolved once today’s game is over.’

He didn’t pitch this year?

Injury issues?

Everything will be silenced.

At that time, Ha-seong got up from his seat and approached Lee Gi-seong.

‘What is it? Don’t tell me he’s going to say he’s going to stop pitching?’

A perfect game is in sight.

If this record comes out, it will be a huge issue.

But he’s going to quit here?

He was going to stop him no matter what.

Then Ha-seong opened his mouth.

“I’ll be back.”

“Huh? Uh……”

Lee Gi-seong stuttered at the unexpected words.

Ha-seong headed to the mound without saying anything.

He couldn’t understand what he was thinking.

* * *

9th inning.

There were only 3 outs left.

“Play ball!”

With the umpire’s cry, the spectators focused on the game.

Even if it’s high school baseball, it’s a perfect game.

The meaning was very great.

Whoosh-!!

With a windup, Ha-seong threw the ball.

Whoosh-!!

Thwack!!

“Strike!!”

A strike was thrown on the first pitch.

“What’s the speed?”

“It’s 152.”

“He’s throwing over 150 even in the 9th inning? Even though the number of pitches wasn’t even 100…….”

Baek Jun-gi checked the record.

‘That ball was the 89th pitch. Despite the many strikeouts, the number of pitches was well managed. That means he was that aggressive. But it’s not strange for the speed to drop with that number of pitches.’

But the fact that it didn’t drop meant one of two things.

‘Either his stamina is crazy or he wasn’t throwing with all his might.’

Either way, it was amazing.

Thwack!!

“Strike! Batter out!!”

“Oh! 2 left!”

“Crazy! Is he really going to succeed?”

There were only two outs left.

Then the Daeil High bench moved.

“Pinch hitter.”

“Daeil High is also doing their best.”

“They don’t want to be a sacrifice.”

No team wants to be a sacrifice for a perfect game.

But.

Thwack-!!

“Strike! Batter out!!”

“Even the pinch hitter is a strikeout.”

“The highest speed is 156…….”

“The speed is increasing?”

“Is he crazy? How can the speed increase in the 9th inning?”

Ha-seong turned the batter away while increasing his speed.

Now there was only one out left.

He should have been nervous, but Ha-seong threw the ball like a machine.

Whoosh-!

Clang!!

“Foul!!”

The first pitch was a foul.

The timing was off.

Whoosh-!!

Thwack!

“Strike! Two!!”

The batter couldn’t move at the ball that dug into his body.

“This time it’s 158.”

“Crazy…… it keeps increasing.”

“Should we bet on the next ball?”

There was only one strike left.

The choice was passed on to Ha-seong.

Ha-seong went into his windup without much hesitation.

‘With this…….’

He raised his leg and threw the ball with a stride.

Whoosh-!!

‘It’s over!’

The ball left his hand.

The batter swung his bat to match the trajectory of the fastball.

At that moment.

The ball swerved, completely deviating from the bat’s swing trajectory.

The catcher’s mitt hardly moved, but the ball was accurately lodged in the mitt.

Thwack!!

Whoosh!!

The batter’s bat belatedly cut through the air in vain.

And the umpire immediately declared the call.

“Strike! Batter out!! Game set!!!”

The game was over.

It was the moment when a perfect game was achieved.

“Crazy!!”

“He really achieved it!!”

“It’s a perfect game! Call the headquarters right away!”

“We have to pick him in the 2nd designation, 1st round, no matter what!”

The scouts became noisy.

What was noisier than that was the ground.

“We won!!”

“Ha-seong, it’s all thanks to you!!”

“A perfect game! You’re really crazy!!”

His teammates approached Ha-seong.

While patting his shoulder and congratulating him.

Lee Gi-seong was walking out of the bench and coming to the mound.

Ha-seong, who saw the scene, pushed aside his congratulating colleagues and approached him.

“Ha-seong, well done! I knew you could do it! But a perfect game! You’re really amazing! You’re making our Taeil High baseball team shine……!”

Just as he was about to finish speaking.

Ha-seong took off his glove.

And held it out to Lee Gi-seong.

“Huh? Why is this?”

Ha-seong’s lips curled up as Lee Gi-seong asked with a puzzled face.

“I’m leaving the baseball team as of today.”

“Huh?”

“Didn’t you hear me?”

Ha-seong said again, clearly.

“I’m quitting.”

Lee Gi-seong’s expression was one of surprise.

On the contrary, Ha-seong’s smile deepened.