Korea's professional baseball player Kim Seok-hwan of the Kia Tigers hit a dramatic home run after 1,064 days, leading the team to its sixth consecutive victory.
Kim Seok-hwan came in as a pinch hitter in the eighth inning during the game against the SSG Landers held at Incheon SSG Landers Field on the 22nd.
Kia was leading 2-0 when starter Neil allowed a three-run home run to Han Yoo-seom in the seventh inning, giving up a 2-3 lead. In the top of the eighth inning, after one out, pinch hitter Han Jun-soo walked.
Against SSG's reliable pitcher Noh Kyung-eun, Kim Seok-hwan swung and missed at the first pitch slider. He also swung and missed at the second pitch forkball. In a 2-strike, disadvantageous count, he hit Noh Kyung-eun's 135 km forkball on the third pitch, and the ball flew over the right-center fence as a line drive. It was a two-run home run with a launch angle of 19 degrees and a distance of 120 meters.
This was Kim Seok-hwan's first home run of the season. It was the first home run recorded in an astounding 1,064 days since the game against the Lotte Giants on July 24, 2022.
When asked about his feelings after hitting the home run, Kim Seok-hwan said, “Rather than feeling anything about hitting a home run, I think the fact that I was able to contribute to the victory is such a great happiness for me right now.” He had an impressive bright smile as he walked around the field. When asked how good he felt, he laughed and said, “I think this is the happiest I have been in a while.”
What was he thinking? He said, “I honestly had no thoughts while running the BASS. I was just really happy and didn't think of anything else.”
When asked how he had prepared when he stepped to the plate as a pinch hitter, Kim Seok-hwan said, “I saw Jun-soo walk and thought the battle was going to come quickly since the count was fast. With a runner on first base, I hoped for a hit if I could just make contact and put the ball in play, but I also thought that a double play could occur, so I decided to swing when my pitch came to me. I looked towards the closer side and luckily, even with a 2-strike no balls count, the ball came into the zone I was thinking of.”
It's not easy to hit a hit with two strikes against you, yet he hit a crucial home run. This came after missing twice and then making solid contact.
Kim Seok-hwan said, “Senior Choi Hyung-woo always tells me that when a breaking ball drops well, after I swing and miss, I should not try to hit it after seeing it drop but rather make my swing at that point. It’s inevitable for it to drop well, but if I bring my timing back just because I missed once, I'll just hit foul balls. I always kept that in mind when stepping to the plate, and today I got a good result right away.”
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