"I rarely get a fastball."

Kia Tigers' new hope, Oh Sun-woo (29), hit a valuable home run that led to victory. On the 27th, in a game against the Kiwoom Heroes at Gwangju-Kia Champions Field, he hit his 4th solo home run of the season, leading his team to a 7-5 victory. The team broke free from a two-game losing streak, recording 25 wins and 26 losses.

Starting as the right fielder in 2nd place, he faced a forkball that dropped inside, leading to a strikeout swinging with no outs and a runner on first base in the first inning. He walked in the third inning but in the fifth, with no outs and runners on first and second, he grounded into a double play. However, in the tight game tied at 3-3 in the seventh inning with one out, he smashed a 120-meter solo home run from Yang Ji-yul's third pitch fastball.

Kia pushed harder after Oh Sun-woo's solo home run and created a big inning with four runs, seizing the momentum at 7-3. Oh's hit successfully changed the flow of the game. It became his second game-winning hit. Since being promoted to the first team on April 12, he has been showing consistent performance. Although facing increased scrutiny from opponents has slowed him down, he boasts a solid batting average of .308, with 14 RBIs and 13 runs scored, and an OPS of .828.

Oh Sun-woo said, "The hitting coach told me not to focus too much on the results but to stick to the preparation. I set my strike zone a bit late, but I got a good hit. It was two balls and no strikes, and there were no runners on base. I was told to swing if it passed my zone, and it connected well. I felt a bit pushed, but I think the power carried it over." He smiled.

He added, "These days, I feel a lot of pressure from the opponents. There are hardly any fastballs, and many breaking balls are coming in. It’s a challenge I need to overcome. When going into the game, I tend to strike out a lot. I’m trying not to let that happen twice. You can't always perform well in baseball. Even if I strike out in the first at-bat, there are second and third chances. It’s a rare opportunity, so I’m doing my best not to waste the at-bats."

He is a multi-fielder who can cover both first base and the outfield. However, he is still a bit shaky in the outfield. He made great plays, but mistakes also occurred. On this day, he was slow to start on Kim Tae-jin's hit in the seventh inning, giving up a double, and in the ninth inning, after catching Song Seong-mun's hit, he made a throwing error during the relay process.

"The outfield is harder. There were also many minor mistakes. I consider this all part of the experience. Senior Hyung-woo told me that when an outfielder catches the ball, I need to quickly relay it to the infielders. I’m learning well. (Kim Tae-jin's) double was hit over the fence. If it went straight back, I could have caught it," he expressed regret.

Now, in his seventh year since debuting, he is making the most appearances of his career. For the first time, he surpassed 100 at-bats. He is literally going through the process of becoming a first-team player while learning every day. Before the game that day, he asked Kim Do-young how to deal with breaking balls. "You have to be deceived to learn. If you think of it as part of the process, that’s fine," he said with a smile.

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