The fearsome Hanwha Eagles are frightening, but that doesn't mean we are willing to give up 1st place. Park Dong-won hit a home run today to maintain 1st place, crouching at home plate to showcase fantastic synergy with the ace.
Park Dong-won started as the fifth catcher in the season's fifth game against Doosan Bears at Seoul's Jamsil Stadium on the 6th, leading the team to a 5-1 victory with a performance of 1 hit, 1 home run, 1 RBI, and 1 run scored in 3 at-bats.
The first at-bat was intense. Leading off the second inning with the score tied at 1-1, he launched a home run to take a 2-1 lead. In a favorable count of 2B-1S, he targeted Doosan's starting pitcher Choi Won-jun's fourth pitch, a fastball (142 km), smashing a 120-meter home run that sailed over the left field. It was his ninth home run of the season, coming after three games since the matchup against the SSG Landers on the 4th. It was the moment he hit the game's decisive run.
After the game, Park Dong-won noted, "I feel great to have contributed even a little to the team's victory. Honestly, I think Austin's home run was bigger than mine. Because our players got on base well before Austin hit his home run, we were able to score in bulk." He added, "Playing baseball for about 6 to 7 months, batters can't keep hitting well all the time. There are times when we need to take a break, and it seems everyone has had a bit of a long break. Now, players like Moon Bo-kyung and the entire lineup are rising overall. So, it's really good."
On this day, Park Dong-won also shined defensively, teaming up with ace Yoni Chirinos to deliver a brilliant performance of 7 innings, allowing 4 hits with no walks, striking out 5 batters and giving up 1 run. From the second inning with one out through the seventh inning with two outs, he induced an impressive 16 consecutive ground balls. The chemistry with Kim Jin-sung and Jang Hyun-sik that followed was also excellent.
Park Dong-won said, "I didn't know about the 16 consecutive ground balls. When I become aware of such things, records tend to get broken. I just tried to take it one batter at a time." He also praised Chirinos' pitching, stating, "It seems like our foreign scouting team is bringing in really good players. Our foreign pitchers always yield great results, and that is thanks to the club's interest and selection process."
The once-unstoppable LG allowed the surging Hanwha Eagles to share the lead after losing to Doosan the previous day. Although they avoided extending their losing streak with a victory that day, Hanwha maintained its joint lead with an 8-game winning streak.
Park Dong-won said, "It’s true that Hanwha is striking fear as they are coming up strong. They are performing really well, which makes it tough for us." He added with a smile, "However, if we stay focused and follow our path, I believe we can achieve great results again. We are prioritizing what we need to do."
Manager Yeom Kyung-yeop addressed the shared lead situation prior to the game, stating, "There’s no reason to look at the standings right now. Rankings are determined after 100 games," but Park Dong-won's opinion differed.
Park Dong-won said, "I check our rankings every day. It seems the manager said that to help the players approach the game comfortably, but when I'm out there, I'm in a position where I handle the ball the most, and many situations arise, so I want to stay in first place as much as possible. I'm also keeping an eye on Hanwha's performance."
Park Dong-won is also having an impressive season, with a batting average of .318, 9 home runs, and 25 RBIs in 36 games played alongside LG, with a slugging percentage of .609, an on-base percentage of .411, and an OPS of 1.020.
When asked about his goals for the remaining season, Park Dong-won stated, "I try not to look at my records at all. Honestly, I don't even know what my batting average is. I realize how I'm doing while watching highlights." He added, "We've only played 36 or 37 games. There are still 110 games left, so how we handle those games will be more important."
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