It seemed like (Kim) Seo-hyeon would be able to hit the ball...
Even while having a unique experience, there was a sense of regret. KT Wiz closer Park Young-hyun made a surprise appearance as a batter. Park Young-hyun, on July 12 at Hanwha Life Park in Daejeon for the KBO All-Star Game, stepped in as a batter and struck out.
As a member of the Dream All-Stars, Park Young-hyun took the mound as the last pitcher for the team in the bottom of the eighth with two outs and no runners on, trailing 6-7. However, he was greeted by a solo home run from the first batter, Kim Tae-gun. The gap widened to 6-8, and after that, he retired Lee Do-yoon with a pop-up to the third baseman to finish the inning.
The problem came next. A situation arose where Park Young-hyun had to step into the batter's box. The Dream All-Stars had previously lost the designated hitter spot when third baseman Choi Jeong took the mound in the second inning. With a pinch hitter for the pitcher and other fielders occupying their positions, they had no available pinch hitter for the last attack in the top of the ninth.
Eventually, Park Young-hyun stepped into the batter's box as the leadoff hitter after Jeon Min-jae led off the ninth inning with a hit to left-center. Park Young-hyun stood in the left-handed batter's box. On the mound was Kim Seo-hyeon, the player who received the most votes in the All-Star fan poll this year and currently the closer for the strongest team, Hanwha. He watched the first pitch, a 149 km/h fastball, and swung and missed at the second pitch, a 121 km/h curve. He laid off the third pitch, a 138 km/h changeup, but ultimately swung and missed at the fourth pitch, a 152 km/h fastball. Park Young-hyun's 'experience of using both hands' ended disappointingly.
After the All-Star Game, Park Young-hyun explained, “There were no other pinch hitters who could hit. So, (manager) Lee Kang-chul asked SSG's Jo Hyeong-woo if 'Jo Byeong-hyun could hit well.' I was told he said no, so they used Byeong-hyun first, and I got to hit as a closer. The manager told me to go left-handed, so I stood in the left-handed batter's box.”
However, Park Young-hyun is a right-handed pitcher and hitter. It was inevitable that his swing would be awkward from the left-handed batter's box. Additionally, he had not had any batting experience since his senior year of high school. “I remember hitting once in my senior year of high school, but it has been a long time since I stepped away from hitting. I now lack talent,” he said. Still, he was sincere.
He said, “Seo-hyun seemed to be throwing gently. I couldn't check the velocity. I was out of it,” but added, “I thought I could hit after watching the first pitch. I thought he would throw a fastball at the end and swung, but I missed.”
He continued, “The manager told me not to swing. But I really wanted to try hitting. It was true that the ball was good, and I was also scared, but I still wanted to hit. The tension in the batter's box felt different,” adding, “This All-Star Game became such a great memory for me. Chances to step into the batter's box come few and far between, and it was fun to have that opportunity. Next time, I want to step in properly as a right-hander and at least make contact with the ball.”
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