Ahead of the game against the LG Twins on the 30th, Samsung Lions manager Park Jin-man appeared relaxed. The team is on a four-game winning streak since the game against the KIA Tigers in Daegu on the 24th, and both Kang Min-ho and Koo Ja-wook, who had been struggling with their batting, showed improvement the previous day in the home game against the Lotte Giants.

Kang Min-ho went 3-for-5 with 3 RBIs, while Koo Ja-wook went 2-for-3 with 2 RBIs and 1 run, leading the team to a 9-3 victory. Manager Park Jin-man even took on the role of batting practice pitcher to help them regain their hitting form.

Manager Park Jin-man said, "It's not because I threw well. The timing was just right." He added, "They are talented players, and since they have hit rock bottom, the only way left is up."

Along with the signs of recovery in the batting performance of Kang Min-ho and Koo Ja-wook, 'national slugger' Park Byung-ho, who is tuning his game sense on the Futures stage after a knee injury, also got a taste of hitting.

Park Byung-ho, who recorded 23 home runs last year and truly experienced 'happy baseball' after moving to Samsung, has not been able to showcase his skills this season due to poor knee conditions, finishing with a batting average of .200 (25 hits in 125 at-bats), 9 home runs, and 20 RBIs over 48 games.

After being removed from the first-team roster on the 23rd, Park Byung-ho entered game mode starting from the 27th and has been heating up the bat by hitting safely in four consecutive games. On the 30th against the NC Dinos in Masan, he hit a huge home run of 130 meters. Batting fourth as the designated hitter, he launched a solo shot over the left-center field wall against No Jae-won after one out in the eighth inning while trailing 2-7.

Manager Park Jin-man expressed his confidence, saying, "Park Byung-ho's body condition is not fully recovered, so his training volume has been insufficient. However, once his condition improves, he can hit 30 home runs at any time. After recovery, he will definitely be a great asset." If Kang Min-ho and Koo Ja-wook continue to thrive, and Park Byung-ho returns, Samsung can aim for a more fierce upward trend with a 'complete lineup.'

Meanwhile, Samsung deployed a full lineup of left-handed batters against LG on the 30th. The starting lineup consisted of center fielder Kim Ji-chan, right fielder Kim Seong-yun, left fielder Koo Ja-wook, first baseman Lewin Diaz, catcher Kim Jae-sung, second baseman Ryu Ji-hyuk, shortstop Lee Jae-hyun, third baseman Kim Young-woong, and designated hitter Kim Tae-hoon. Left-hander Lee Seung-hyun took the mound as the starting pitcher.

Manager Park Jin-man explained, "All eight of the remaining players are left-handed, except for Lee Jae-hyun. I considered using Diaz as the designated hitter for workload management, but since he said he feels fine, I included Kim Tae-hoon as the designated hitter."

[OSEN] Reporter