Professional baseball player Gong Min-kyu of the Samsung Lions hit his second home run of the season. On the 29th, he recorded 1 hit, 2 RBIs, and 1 run scored in an away game against the LG Twins in the Futures League at the Icheon LG Champion Field, including a home run in the 8th inning.

Gong Min-kyu was not included in the starting lineup that day, but he was substituted in as a pinch runner for Lee Chang-yong in the 6th inning, trailing 0-1. In the 8th inning, when trailing 0-8 with one out and no runners on base, Gong faced his first at-bat, and on a 2B-2S count against LG’s right-hander Kim Joon, he hit the fifth pitch over the left-field fence. After hitting his first home run of the season against the SSG Landers on May 29, he enjoyed the sensation again after 31 days. In the 9th inning, with a 1-8 deficit and 2 outs, he added another RBI by drawing a bases-loaded walk against right-hander Heo Yong-joo.

Gong Min-kyu was expected to lead the heart of the lineup when he joined the team in 2018. However, he struggled to grow, recording a batting average of .197 (23 hits in 117 at-bats) with 4 home runs and 12 RBIs over 77 games in the first team, which narrowed his standing within the team.

He thought about quitting baseball, unable to escape the shadow of being a perennial underachiever, but he steadied his heart with the words from senior teammate Lee Seong-kyu (outfielder), "Don’t leave on your own. If you keep going until the end, better days will come."

To make a decisive move in his baseball career, Gong Min-kyu invested nearly all of his salary (40 million won) in personal training at the Kingkang School run by former Pittsburgh Pirates infielder Kang Jung-ho. His strong determination to succeed was evident.

He said before this season, "After last season, I thought a lot about giving up baseball. The doubt about whether I could really do well was so overwhelming that it was really difficult. I told my parents, 'I think I have to stop here,' and they said, 'You are still young. Whether you go to America or anywhere else, let’s do everything you can do without regrets. If it doesn’t work out, we’ll acknowledge it.'"

Investing an amount close to his entire salary is no easy task. He mentioned, "If I said there was no burden, I would be lying. My parents also supported me a lot, saying, 'When else will you get the chance to go to America and learn while playing baseball? You should think of it as investing in your life and earn more by doing baseball well.' There was also a desperate feeling that we should try everything until the end and acknowledge it if things don't work out."

He added, "While my juniors are establishing themselves and becoming stars, I feel a sense of humility because I can’t even secure a position in the first team. I think if there’s no turning point in my life, my baseball career will end here, so I grabbed at straws."

Gong Min-kyu has yet to set foot on the first team this season. His Futures League performance is not remarkable with a batting average of .194 (6 hits in 31 at-bats), 2 home runs, and 3 RBIs. However, this month, he has gradually raised his batting average to .308 (4 hits in 13 at-bats) with 1 home run, 2 RBIs, and 2 runs scored. As the saying goes in baseball, 'It ain't over until it's over,' can Gong Min-kyu deliver a thrilling drama of reversal?

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