"I wasn’t going to give a high-five..."
Kim Tae-hyoung, manager of the Lotte Giants, mentioned on the 21st before the game against the Samsung Lions at Busan Sajik Stadium that he had been hesitant to give a high-five to Jung Hoon after their chemistry caused laughter the day before (20th).
The day before, Lotte won 3-1. Maintaining a precarious 2-1 lead, Jung Hoon relieved the tension by hitting a solo homer in the 8th inning.
At that moment, as Jung Hoon stepped on home plate and entered the dugout, Kim Tae-hyoung turned his body. Jung Hoon, unfazed, responded by playfully hitting Kim Tae-hyoung on the backside. Despite the pain, Kim Tae-hyoung welcomed Jung Hoon's home run with a bright smile.
After the game, Jung Hoon laughed, saying, "I don’t even know why I did that. The manager turned his head, and I unconsciously thought it was a joyful moment, and I felt like I did something I shouldn’t have done. Lately, I’ve been trying to move around without getting in the manager’s way. So I couldn’t make any plans like that."
He added, "I didn’t expect the home run, and the manager probably didn’t expect it either. I wanted to hit something after hitting the homer, but I think my hand went out without me realizing it. I plan to avoid him again tomorrow."
Kim Tae-hyoung explained while laughing, "I originally wasn’t going to give a high-five. But I got hit hard. One run is really important. There’s a huge difference between the closer coming in with a one-run lead and a two-run lead."
Despite the rain pouring the day before and the chaotic situation due to interference with defense in the 5th inning, Alex Gamboa pitched six innings, allowing four hits (one home run), four walks, nine strikeouts, and one run. He came in during the 7th inning but gave up a home run to lead-off hitter Park Byeong-ho and after issuing a straight walk to Ryu Ji-hyeok, he had to leave the mound.
Manager Kim praised, "I kept pitching in the rain. There were also many situations that disrupted the tempo in the 5th inning, but he still managed to hold his ground. I can’t think of how it could have been thrown any better."
Jung Hoon, who had said he wouldn’t get noticed after hitting Kim Tae-hyoung the day before, was still included in the starting lineup. He will appear as a left fielder today. The starting lineup included Kim Dong-hyeok (center fielder), Go Seung-min (first baseman), Reyes (right fielder), Jeon Jun-woo (designated hitter), Jung Hoon (left fielder), Kim Min-sung (third baseman), Han Tae-yang (second baseman), Jeung Bo-keun (catcher), and Jeon Min-jae (shortstop). The starting pitcher is Park Se-woong.
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