Villain On The Mound [EN]: Chapter 88

Villain on the Mound – Episode 88

Alex Rodriguez stepped up to the plate.

The sheer size of him was intimidating.

‘He looks to be in good form today, too.’

He had shown good form in his previous at-bats.

Although he hadn’t managed a hit, the two walks he drew were evidence of his good condition.

‘Doesn’t matter.’

Haseong, with rosin on his hands, stood on the mound.

‘There’s no room for carelessness when facing him. I have to assume he’s always at his best.’

Haseong heightened his focus.

However, this time he couldn’t concentrate solely on Alex.

‘I can’t predict when Jeter will run.’

Derek Jeter had successfully stolen 30 bases this season.

It was the third-highest number of steals in his career.

Even as a seasoned veteran, he still possessed quick feet and precise timing.

‘If I only focus on Alex, he’ll run at any moment.’

Trevor knew this too and signaled to remind him to watch Jeter.

‘I want to focus on him too, but the problem is I might get hammered by this guy if I do.’

If his concentration was divided, the sharpness of his pitches would inevitably decrease.

He needed to concentrate to feel the movement of his muscles and the transfer of power while pitching.

A lack of focus meant he couldn’t put his full power into each throw.

‘Still, it’ll be a headache if he runs.’

Haseong stepped onto the pitching plate, getting into his pitching stance.

He glanced at Derek Jeter, who showed no signs of running, and found his rhythm with a slide step [a shortened stride used to deliver the pitch more quickly when a runner is on base].

“Hoo…”

Leaving Jeter, who didn’t seem inclined to run, behind him, Haseong took a slide step and strode forward.

Crack!!

As he planted his foot, he rotated his body and unleashed his first pitch.

[First pitch thrown!]

Whoosh-!!

The pitch was low and inside.

Clang!!

Alex’s bat connected with the ball.

The ball shot off like a clothesline, landing just foul along the third base line.

It was a close call, and the third base umpire’s decision was crucial.

“Foul!!”

[A powerful hit on the first pitch, but it’s foul!]

[Even though it was foul, it was a well-hit ball.]

[Alex’s hitting is fearsome.]

[He certainly seems to be in good condition, but the first pitch was a bit lackluster.]

[Probably because there’s a runner on base, right?]

[Yes. When there’s a runner, you can’t fully concentrate on the pitch. Even though it’s a slight difference, it’s not enough when facing Alex in top condition.]

A slight difference.

But that difference made it difficult to subdue Alex.

The difference continued to show in the second and third pitches.

Thwack!!

“Ball!”

[Alex holds up, not biting on the changeup!]

Thwack!

“Ball!!”

[Alex doesn’t even flinch at the slider breaking outside!]

He had thrown breaking balls twice.

But it wasn’t enough to induce a swing from Alex.

‘The slider is breaking even more sharply.’

Above all, the third pitch was a breaking ball intended to get a strike.

But it broke more than usual, resulting in a ball.

The count was two balls and one strike.

A disadvantageous count for Haseong.

‘It seems like Jeter is affecting my pitches, making them different than usual. But it’s a very subtle difference. Can Alex see that?’

It was a difference that even he, who was catching the ball directly, could barely perceive.

Yet Alex seemed to clearly recognize that difference while standing at the plate.

‘He’s a remarkable guy.’

Trevor thought to himself.

And Haseong.

‘You drug-addled bastard.’

Haseong was convinced that Rodriguez was using performance-enhancing drugs.

‘I heard he took something called Spider before the game to boost his concentration.’

Spider was a type of ADHD medication.

To treat ADHD, it was necessary to increase norepinephrine, a neurotransmitter [a chemical messenger that transmits signals between nerve cells].

Norepinephrine stimulated the sympathetic nervous system, which had the effect of increasing concentration.

Of course, it was a banned substance.

However, the Spider that Rodriguez took at the time was a special drug designed to avoid detection.

‘I don’t know how it’s possible, but what’s certain is that a doctor was involved.’

The revelation that a doctor had directly provided the drug caused a major uproar in Major League Baseball.

Haseong, being in the same industry, had heard the news.

In any case, his current level of concentration was beyond simply being good.

‘If I go in half-heartedly, I won’t be able to handle him.’

The situation wasn’t good.

Jeter reaching first base alone created an unfavorable situation for Haseong.

There was only one way to overcome this situation.

‘I’ll go with the fastball.’

Trevor nodded at Haseong’s sign.

The choice wasn’t bad.

No, it was closer to the right answer.

In the current situation, it was better to throw his most confident pitch than to throw a mediocre one.

For Haseong, that pitch was naturally the fastball.

‘Huh?’

As Haseong entered his set position, something strange happened.

‘Why isn’t he checking Jeter?’

He was giving Derek Jeter free rein.

It wasn’t just that he wasn’t looking at him.

Derek Jeter couldn’t know because his back was turned, but Trevor, who was facing him, could clearly see it.

Derek Jeter had vanished from Haseong’s mind.

He was completely ignoring the runner and focusing solely on pitching.

‘Damn it! Jeter can’t notice! Throw it quickly!’

Perhaps reading Trevor’s thoughts,
Haseong took a slide step at a faster tempo than usual.

Crack!

He planted his foot.

Whoosh!!

Rotating his lower and upper body, he threw the fourth pitch.

“Hmph!!”

Whoosh-!!

The ball, released from his hand, aggressively targeted Alex’s inside.

Thwack-!

“Strike!!”

[Fourth pitch is a strike! A 100-mile fastball pierces deep inside on Alex!]

[That was a great pitch! A sharp pitch that Alex couldn’t even flinch at!]

Two balls and two strikes.

And Jeter noticed.

‘He’s not paying attention to me.’

He could be sure after confirming the signs with Alex and the dugout.

‘He’s ignoring me to face Alex. Not a bad choice.’

It was the audacity of a rookie.

He used to be like that when he was young.

There were times when he showed the boldness to give up something else to get one thing.

‘But that’s too obvious to this old man.’

Because he had that experience, he knew exactly what he had to do in this situation.

‘I’ll run.’

The dugout gave the okay sign to Jeter’s signal.

The plan was soon relayed to Alex at the plate.

‘Sacrificing the runner for a showdown with me. That’s something a kid would think.’

The bench also noticed it and ordered a bold play.

‘Run and hit. Not a bad plan.’

It was the perfect plan in a situation where the pitcher had abandoned the runner.

‘The playoffs are different from the regular season, kid.’

Alex, with a poker face, stepped into the batter’s box and took his stance.

The sign exchange was quick.

Haseong sent the sign, and Trevor accepted it.

As Haseong entered his set position after the sign exchange, Jeter increased his lead slightly.

Even so, Haseong took no action.

[Jeter’s lead has increased, but Jung Haseong isn’t throwing a pickoff.]

[Focusing solely on the batter isn’t a bad choice either.]

[He’s throwing the fifth pitch!]

At that moment.

Haseong took a slide step.

At the same time, Jeter pushed off the ground and started running towards second base.

[Ah-! Derek Jeter attempting to steal!!]

It was a perfectly timed steal, but all Haseong could do was throw the ball home.

‘Come on! I’ll definitely hit it!’

Alex’s eyes widened.

“Hmph!!”

Whoosh-!!

With a short shout, the ball left Haseong’s hand.

At that moment, Alex’s eyes widened even further.

‘What? Why is it going there?’

The ball was completely missing the strike zone, going far outside.

Alex, who was swinging his bat, had no choice but to stop his swing urgently.

The ball passed before his eyes, and his gaze naturally followed the ball.

And there he saw Trevor, standing up completely to catch the ball.

[Ah-! Completely pulled the pitch! Trevor the catcher stands up to catch the ball! Throwing to second base!!]

Whoosh-!!

The ball, released from Trevor’s hand, passed over Haseong’s head and went straight into the second baseman’s glove.

Thwack!!

The second baseman, who caught the ball, tagged Jeter’s shoulder with his glove as he slid headfirst into the base.

Everyone’s eyes turned to the second base umpire.

“Out!!”

[Steal failed!! The Yankees’ plan was perfectly read by the Jung Haseong and Trevor battery [a term for the pitcher and catcher]!]

With the runner gone, the first out was recorded.

The count was three balls and two strikes, but it was a good situation for Haseong.

[Now that the runner is gone, Jung Haseong can throw his pitches without reservation!]

* * *

Haseong exchanged signs to throw the sixth pitch and entered his windup.

[Jung Haseong, throwing the sixth pitch in a full count!]

Haseong, gathering strength in his windup, rotated his body following his stride and threw the ball with all his might.

“Hmph!!”

Whoosh-!!

The ball came in on a somewhat high course.

But because it pierced the strike zone, Alex’s bat turned fiercely.

Whoosh-!!

The moment his bat tried to strike the ball like a hawk aiming for its prey.

The ball no longer dropped and passed over the bat.

‘Damn it!’

He had swung his bat expecting a rising fastball, but the ball didn’t drop as much as he thought.

It was impossible to hit a ball coming in higher than he anticipated.

Thwack!!

“Swing! Strike, out!!”

[Strikeout! Jung Haseong strikes out Alex Rodriguez in a full count battle!! What a great match!]

[The match was great, but Jung Haseong’s play in the fifth pitch was excellent!]

[I never expected him to pull the pitch there.]

[It was a bold play that risked a full count.]

Trevor was astonished.

He never expected such a sign to come out there.

‘Did he know Jeter was going to run?’

He wasn’t a god, so he couldn’t know that.

Trevor simply thought it was a coincidence.

But it wasn’t a coincidence.

‘I predicted that he would run because Jeter is a great player.’

Derek Jeter is a good player.

He wasn’t just a great hitter, but he understood and played the game.

That’s why he predicted that he would definitely run if he saw him ignoring him.

And that prediction came true.

‘The risk was high, but the reward was just as great.’

High risk, high return.

Someone might call it crazy.

But Haseong bet on the odds and was able to reap the rewards.

[Only one out left! Jung Haseong faces Mark Teixeira for the team’s first win in the Championship Series!]

Only one out remained until victory.

* * *

[Jung Haseong achieves his first save in the Championship Series!]

[Jung Haseong’s super save saves the team from the brink!]

[Jung Haseong strikes out Alex Rodriguez!]

[Jung Haseong’s statement in the interview, “I predicted Jeter would run,” becomes a hot topic!]

[When asked by a local reporter about Jung Haseong, Yankees’ Alex Rodriguez said, “I have nothing special to say. It’s just one at-bat. I don’t attach much significance to it!”]

The game was over.

Thanks to Haseong’s performance, the Athletics secured a valuable win, bringing the series score to 2-1.