Unlike a pitch, a pick-off throw is exposed...

Professional baseball player Son Ho-young of the Lotte Giants led his team to an extra-inning victory against the KT Wiz in Suwon on the 12th with five hits, but after the game, during an interview with reporters, he first expressed concern for Jang Du-seong, who was transported to the hospital, putting aside the joy of his performance.

Jang Du-seong started as the No. 1 center fielder on this day and was transported by ambulance after suffering an unexpected injury during the top of the 10th inning of extra innings.

In the top of the 10th inning, tied at 7-7 with one out, Jang Du-seong drew a walk against KT's closer Park Young-hyun. Later, while Go Seung-min was at bat, he was hit hard on the left side of his body by Park Young-hyun's pick-off throw while on first base.

Despite the pain, Jang Du-seong ran to second base upon seeing the ball go behind him, but after arriving at second, he lay down and vomited blood while expressing significant pain. Coach Yoo Jae-sin gestured that something was coming out of Jang Du-seong's mouth and requested emergency measures. Fortunately, Jang Du-seong was able to lift himself up, but he was urgently transported to the hospital in an ambulance.

Son Ho-young noted, "I think winning is important, but I sincerely hope that nothing serious is wrong with Du-seong. It seems he got hit in a very painful area, and I am quite worried. All my joy from performing well has vanished, and that's all I've been able to think about. It’s the first time we won, but the atmosphere is so subdued like this."

Generally, most baseball players can walk away from the plate without serious issues after getting hit by a fastball exceeding 150 km/h. However, Jang Du-seong vomited blood and expressed immense pain after being hit by a less powerful pick-off throw.

Son Ho-young explained, "When you get hit by a pitch from a pitcher, your instinctive defense mechanism kicks in instantly, but that thought doesn't occur at all with a pick-off throw, so it hurts more."

Ultimately, Jang Du-seong suffered bleeding in his lung area after being hit by a pick-off throw in an unprotected state. A Lotte representative reported on the morning of the 13th, "As a result of the examination, Jang Du-seong has bleeding due to lung contusion. He will be hospitalized for 4 to 5 days at Hwaseong Hospital (Suwon) and will return to Busan to monitor his condition."

Jang Du-seong, a graduate of Dongsan High School, was drafted in the 10th round as the 93rd pick by Lotte in the 2018 rookie draft. He initially was utilized primarily as a substitute fielder and pinch runner but has recently spread his wings this season, boasting a .300 batting average with 47 hits, 23 RBIs, 34 runs scored, and 9 stolen bases in 61 games, but this unexpected injury has put him on the road to recovery. This injury is particularly painful for Lotte, as he had been excellently filling the gap left by Hwang Seong-bin.

On the 11th, Jang Du-seong faced Park Young-hyun in the KT game and was struck out after 11 pitches but received praise from manager Kim Tae-hyoung for supporting Lotte's remarkable comeback victory. He was leading Lotte's fighting spirit as injuries piled up among players.

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