Villain On The Mound [EN]: Chapter 81

Mound Villain – Episode 81

As they shouted, Ha-sung got out of the Ferrari parked in the parking lot.

Wearing sunglasses, he approached the reporters, casually smoothing back his hair with his right hand.

The watch on his wrist gleamed in the sunlight.

“Oh… isn’t that a Rolex?”

“Since when did Jung Ha-sung wear a Rolex?”

“Anyway, film that too!”

Reporters began filming the scene.

As Ha-sung arrived in front of the reporters, questions poured out.

“Jung Ha-sung! A word on your first Division Series, please!”

“How’s your condition today?”

“Aren’t you nervous?!”

Faced with the barrage of questions, Ha-sung looked at them and quietly began to climb the stairs.

The reporters were taken aback by his unusual behavior.

They tried to follow him, but employees, signaled by Ha-sung, came and stopped them.

“What’s wrong? Why is he acting like that?”

“Isn’t he feeling well today?”

“This is a big problem?!”

Ha-sung always presented a confident appearance in front of the camera.

But today, he was different from usual, and the reporters began to speculate.

News about Ha-sung soon reached Chris’s ears.

“What? Ha-sung refused to interview with the press?”

“Yes. Unlike usual, he asked the security to block the reporters.”

“This has never happened before.”

“As far as I know, not even once.”

“Alright.”

Chris, having received the report, wore a perplexed expression.

“What happened? Just two days ago, he was in such good condition that he was arguing with me.”

“Could he have caught a cold?”

Chris’s face hardened at Catherine’s words.

It was already October.

The daily temperature range was quite large, enough to catch a cold.

Moreover, Ha-sung had lived in Korea, so this was his first time experiencing autumn in a different climate. It was entirely possible.

“Send the medical team immediately to check Ha-sung’s condition.”

“Understood.”

As Catherine left the room, Chris remained alone, deep in thought.

‘Ha-sung can’t show poor condition. He’s the core of our team.’

If Ha-sung’s condition wasn’t good, they would have to revise the strategy.

Chris’s head began to ache.

* * *

“Then please tell me immediately if you feel anything wrong with your body.”

“Understood.”

The medical team returned without any particular findings.

It couldn’t be helped.

‘I guess I’m acting pretty well, right?’

Ha-sung was pretending to be in poor condition. The reason for this effort was simple.

‘They’ll try to put more burden on me for no reason. It’s better to add some seasoning in advance [to manage expectations].’

He needed an excuse to give when he was told to go out from the bench.

More than anything, there had to be a valid reason for the fans to see when he refused the bench’s request.

If he refused without doing so, only his image would plummet.

‘The moment the public turns its back, my value will inevitably fall as well. I have to keep the fans on my side somehow.’

That’s why he was doing this troublesome work.

‘If I do this much, Chris will revise the strategy to protect me as much as possible, right?’

Ha-sung, whose postseason overuse had been the reason for his retirement in his past life, needed this preemptive measure.

‘I have to be careful of injuries. If I get injured now, the amount of time I can earn money will be pushed back.’

Right now, he was young, so there was little chance of an injury that would lead to retirement.

Moreover, the injury that had been dormant like a time bomb had been completely healed.

But injuries can come anytime, anywhere.

In particular, injuries accumulated from overuse often resulted in the worst outcome for pitchers when they exploded.

If a gap occurs due to injury, the damage must be borne entirely by Ha-sung himself.

‘That will never happen again.’

Ha-sung was thoroughly preparing to ensure that it would not happen again for the sake of his goal.

* * *

The Division Series began.

The first game could be called Arnold’s series.

Thwack-!!

[He hit it!! And this hit is huge! Huge!! It’s over! Arnold’s three-run homer puts the Athletics ahead!!]

[Ah-! Arnold’s wonderful swing came out! Despite being his first Division Series, he perfectly showed his swing!]

It was such a big hit that you could tell it went over the fence as soon as he hit it.

‘Come to think of it, wasn’t it from the postseason that he started to shine?’

The first time he saw an article about Arnold was the grand slam he hit in the Championship Series.

Arnold, who began to make his name known from there, quickly rose to stardom.

‘He sparkled the following year and then had an accident, but seeing him in person, he’s really amazing.’

His performance could only be described as amazing.

Arnold had an outstanding performance in the first game of the Division Series, sweeping 4 hits, 3 runs, 1 home run, and 5 RBIs [Runs Batted In], and was selected as MVP [Most Valuable Player].

And thanks to Arnold’s performance, Ha-sung didn’t have to play.

* * *

After the first game, articles about Ha-sung began to pour out in earnest.

[Oakland Athletics decorate the first game of the Division Series with a complete victory!]

[Rookie Arnold is the MVP of the first game!]

[Oakland Athletics, who won the first game! But they can’t just laugh!]

[Is it the end? Jung Ha-sung’s poor condition?]

[Jung Ha-sung, who refused the interview! Some are worried that he may be injured!]

There were more articles about concerns about Ha-sung’s injury than news of the Athletics’ victory.

It showed how much Ha-sung was at the center of Oakland.

The internet reaction was also hot.

-Is Jung Ha-sung injured?

-Athletics 1 win-!

-The Twins are no match for us.

-No, that’s not the problem. Is Jung Ha-sung injured?

-His condition isn’t very good.

-He refused the interview.

-Didn’t he like interviews?

-He was always confident in front of the media.

-A video came out, he glanced at the reporters and just left. Then the guard blocked him.

-Link please.

-Ah-! What do we do in the second half of the game if Ha-sung is injured?

-The Twins will win…

Fans also began to express concern about Ha-sung’s injury.

Chris also became aware of these fans’ reactions.

‘All the fans are starting to worry about Ha-sung’s health. If I recklessly put him on the mound, a backlash might come.’

The residents of Oakland still don’t have a deep affection for the team.

They’ve made it to the postseason now, but you can’t say that the fans have completely returned.

‘In fact, it’s Ha-sung who has brought the fans back…’

Fans started coming to the stadium as he achieved the most saves of the season.

Considering that, if Ha-sung gets injured from overdoing it, it was obvious what the audience would do next season.

‘They won’t come to the stadium again. Because there’s no player who can attract interest.’

Fans don’t just come to watch the game.

The vast majority of the audience comes to see the players on the team.

‘I have to change it after all.’

Having won the first game, there was no need to use a reckless strategy.

Chris picked up the phone and called Tony.

* * *

The second game of the Division Series was flowing as a close game.

[It’s hard to believe yesterday’s slugfest, the second game is a pitching match.]

[The two starting pitchers are shining!]

Currently, after 5 innings.

The score of the two teams was zero.

“We’ll have a lot of work to do today.”

“That’s what I’m saying.”

Ha-sung nodded at Bailey’s words.

Then the bullpen phone rang.

“Yes, yes. I understand. Then I’ll prepare like that.”

Sanchez, who hung up the phone, looked at Bailey.

“Bailey! Start warming up.”

“Already?”

“You rested yesterday, so you might go out early. The Division Series is different from the regular season. Keep in mind that you may be on the mound at a different timing than usual.”

“Yes, I understand. Oh? What about Ha-sung?”

At Bailey’s question, Sanchez’s gaze turned to Ha-sung.

“Ha-sung is the closer. The closer’s job is to finish the game. He won’t be out in the middle unless he has to.”

“Well, that’s true.”

“If you understand, warm up quickly!”

“Yes! Then I’ll warm up first.”

“Okay.”

Ha-sung, who was watching Bailey walking to the bullpen, turned his gaze to Sanchez.

‘The fact that Sanchez gave that answer means that Chris has changed his mind.’

He knew very well that fans were more worried about him after the first game.

A smile appeared on Ha-sung’s lips, thinking that it would have changed Chris’s mind.

‘If I do well in today’s game, I might be able to go out.’

In this atmosphere, there was a high possibility that it would be a one-point game.

Ha-sung was a little nervous thinking about his first postseason appearance in a long time.

‘Still, the situation is better than then.’

He recalled the postseasons in his previous life.

‘I never dreamed that I would go out for 4 games in the Korean Series [championship series in Korean baseball].’

At that time, Ha-sung only had the team and the fans in his head.

That’s why he went to the mound even when he was sick and tired.

The result was the worst, but thinking about that time, he had a much better idea now.

‘I just need to nail 1 inning perfectly.’

Ha-sung calmly controlled his mind and watched the game situation.

* * *

As Ha-sung expected, the game became a 1-point game.

[In the bottom of the 8th inning, the Athletics score 1 point and end the inning.]

[Still, it’s a relief to score 1 point! If they only score 1 point, the probability of the Athletics winning increases significantly!]

[That’s right! The End Jung Ha-sung is waiting to be dispatched in the 9th inning!]

The camera showed Ha-sung walking out of the bullpen.

As his appearance was shown on the electronic display board, the audience cheered all at once.

“Waaaaaa!!”

“It’s Jung Ha-sung!!”

“I came to see you!!!”

“Hyung [older brother/term of endearment]! I came to see you from Korea!!”

Korean was also heard in the middle of the cheering.

There were also enthusiastic fans who came from Korea to see Ha-sung’s game.

And they became the prey of the camera.

[I also see the audience waving the Taegeukgi [South Korean flag]! Are they Korean residents?]

[That’s highly likely, but according to the article, there are also people who went directly from Korea!]

[It’s really amazing passion! Here at Oakland Coliseum, the fans’ cheers for Jung Ha-sung are endless!]

For this Division Series, the broadcasting station was sending a live broadcast team to broadcast live via satellite.

The reaction to the broadcast was very hot.

-Jung Ha-sung dispatched-!

-The End came out to finish the game.

-Keu-! I went to see this live.

-Wow… what are the live viewers? Passion is amazing.

-How much money do those people have? lol

-Thanks to Jung Ha-sung, I’m watching live at school lol

-We play it at work.

-I’m watching while drinking daytime.

-I took a monthly leave today.

Numerous fans flocked to the TV to watch Ha-sung’s game.

The distribution of smartphones had begun, but since the environment was not yet properly equipped, watching TV was more frequent.

Anyway, Ha-sung, who gathered people in front of the TV like this, checked his physical condition while lightly practicing pitching.

Then, Tony, who finished his practice pitching, came to Ha-sung and asked.

“How’s your physical condition? I heard you’re not in very good condition.”

“It’s true that it’s not very good. What can I do? I’ll do my best.”

Ha-sung spared no acting until the last moment.

The strategy could change at any time, so he didn’t want to show any gaps.

“We have to win today’s game and move on to Minnesota. That’s the best.”

“Yes.”

“I trust you.”

Tony, who patted Ha-sung on the shoulder, went down the mound.

Ha-sung, who was left alone on the mound, looked at the batter entering the plate, rubbing rosin on his hands.

‘I have no intention of giving up any points.’

Giving up points means that his image will be damaged.

He didn’t want to create such a thing.

But the batter entering the plate was not easy.

[Jung Ha-sung is on the mound to protect the 1-point lead! The first batter that Jung Ha-sung has to face is the symbol of the Twins! Joe Mauer!]

A catcher designed by God.

Joe Mauer was entering the plate.