Professional baseball player Park Hae-min of the LG Twins led the victory with his excellent defensive play. Opposing team fans once again cast resentful glances towards the 'Jamsil outfield demon.'
LG secured a narrow 2-1 victory against Hanwha in a matchup for 1st and 2nd place held at Jamsil Stadium on the 27th. They pushed Hanwha, now in 2nd place, 3.5 games back and surged into 1st place.
LG reached base after Austin’s single to left field with two outs at the bottom of the first inning, advancing to second on a wild pitch. Moon Bo-gyeong's timely hit to right field scored the first run, followed by a walk for Park Dong-won and a one-RBI hit for Gu Bon-hyeok, making it 2-0.
The LG pitching staff held onto the two runs scored in the first inning until the end. Starting pitcher Im Chan-kyu had an impressive outing, going 7 innings with 5 hits, 2 walks, 7 strikeouts, and 1 earned run to become the winning pitcher. With an 8-1 record, he is tied for the lead in wins. Kim Jin-sung pitched the 8th inning, and Park Myeong-geun pitched the 9th to maintain the one-run lead.
Above all, Park Hae-min's defense, responsible for the vast outfield in Jamsil Stadium, was dazzling. After the batter Lee Jin-young’s hit to left-center in the 2nd inning with one out, Park Hae-min dashed long to snag the ball right before the fence. Im Chan-kyu raised his arms on the mound and applauded Park Hae-min in gratitude.
In the 3rd inning, he also made an impressive sliding catch on a line drive hit by leadoff batter Choi Jae-hun. In the 8th inning, leading 2-1, Park Hae-min caught a line drive hit by Floriel in front of the center field warning track, receiving applause from LG fans. He fully showcased his value in the wide outfield of Jamsil Stadium.
Hanwha fans once again sighed in astonishment at Park Hae-min’s solid defense. Even during the three-game series between Hanwha and LG at the end of March this year, Park Hae-min's defense was described as 'demonic.'
After the game, when asked if he thought Hanwha fans would hold resentment, Park Hae-min joked, 'You want to kill me? But I feel like both sides want to. LG fans probably want to kill me when I'm at bat, and Hanwha fans likely want to when I'm playing defense.'
Park Hae-min started as the 8th center fielder that day, recording 0 hits in 2 at-bats, 1 walk, and 1 stolen base. His batting average for the season stands at .225. While he adeptly fields difficult balls like a spider, he has been struggling with his hitting early in the season. He is aware that LG fans are concerned about his batting difficulties.
Park Hae-min noted, 'When I hear such things from the opposing team, I take it as a compliment, but I still feel the support from fans and the disappointment from those who feel I've fallen short. I try to give my best in what I can do and work hard to improve in areas where I'm lacking.'
At least on this day, he contributed decisively to the victory with his defense. Manager Youm Kyoung-youb also stated, 'The decisive factor in today’s victory was Park Hae-min's excellent defense, and I want to commend the entire team for their focus centered around him.'
Park Hae-min explained regarding his defense, 'I rely on the data team when it comes to incoming hits. When looking at defensive situations, I have pitchers like Chan-kyu or Jin-sung, who can throw to the spots I want, so believing in the paper and trusting the pitchers' control can increase the odds.'
Park Hae-min further explained, 'The catch on Floriel's hit in the 8th inning was made while I was wearing pitch comm. Now, when the count is 3 balls and 1 strike and I get a sign for an outside fastball, knowing that the batter has the advantage in the count, I positioned myself further back, allowing me to make the catch on the ball hit to left-center.'
He remarked on the super catch that denied Lee Jin-young’s 2nd inning double, saying, 'Since he’s a batter who tends to pull the ball, I did some image training to anticipate where the ball would come, thinking about which side has the higher probability, and that’s how the defense came out.'
Park Hae-min stated, 'I can’t only focus on my defense. Since I’ll definitely be coming up to bat three to four times in a game, there could be games where hits won’t come my way when I’m in the field, and it’s actually random. Therefore, I need to regain competitiveness at the plate to some extent.'
He also mentioned, 'I came out a bit earlier this morning to do specialty hitting, and after finishing a week of road games, I’m going to have a week of home games, so I’m trying to practice a lot while watching plenty of videos, and since the coaches are also helping, I believe I can improve.'
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