At the moment when the team could not guarantee victory, a pinch hitter changed the mood with a home run. Doosan Bears infielder Park Jun-young, who laid the foundation for 5 consecutive wins, played the role of a ‘luxury supporting actor’.
Doosan won 8-6 in the 13th game of the season against the KIA Tigers of the 2023 Shinhan Bank SOL KBO League held at Gwangju-KIA Champions Field on the 15th, winning 5 consecutive wins, reaching 62 wins, 1 draw, and 57 losses (0.521). As the gap with KIA, which fell to 5th place, has completely disappeared, there is a possibility that Doosan can regain 5th place depending on the results of the game on the 16th.
Looking at the game as a whole, the power of infielder Kang Seung-ho, who achieved the 30th cycling hit in KBO League history, and the scoreless relay of bullpen pitchers Lee Young-ha, Kim Kang-ryul, Kim Myung-shin, and Jeong Cheol-won was powerful. However, the player who embarrassed the opponent in the second half of the game was Park Jun-young.
It was in the top of the 8th inning that Park Jun-young, who was waiting on the bench, was called. When leadoff hitter Cho Soo-haeng was at bat, Doosan manager Lee Seung-yeop hired Park Jun-young as a pinch hitter. This decision was made considering that left-hander Choi Ji-min was on the mound instead of ‘submarine pitcher’ Im Ki-young.
Park Jun-young, who wanted to perform his duties as a pinch hitter, pulled Choi Ji-min’s third pitch change-up in a situation where the ball count was 0-2, and the batted ball passed over the left wall. It was the moment a home run hit three days after the Jamsil Hanwha Eagles game on the 12th. Additionally, this was Park Jun-young’s first pinch-hit home run since his professional debut. Thanks to this, the team, which was trailing by 1 point, maintained its hopes for victory by balancing the score at 6-6.
Another opportunity for Park Jun-young before the game ended was with bases loaded and two outs in the top of the ninth inning. After Kim In-tae, the previous batter, made a 7-6 comeback with a walk, Jang Hyun-sik took the mound instead of Jeong Hae-young. After being driven to a ball count of 1-2, Park Jun-young cut the 5th and 6th pitches in succession after the 4th pitch, endured the 7th pitch, and even endured the 8th pitch slider, recording a push walk.카지노
If they had entered the bottom of the 9th inning with a 1-run lead, Doosan could not have guaranteed victory, but Park Jun-young’s performance allowed them to score an additional run and put their mind at ease a little. Closing pitcher Jeong Cheol-won, who took the mound to end the game, also threw the ball with a lighter heart.
Park Jun-young’s presence shone in defense as well. Playing shortstop, he caught leadoff hitter Kim Tae-gun’s difficult grounder in the bottom of the 9th inning with a sliding catch, then quickly threw the ball to first base for an out. Considering the bounce calculation, movement, etc., it was not an easy defense.
Park Jun-young, who faltered last month, is doing his part this month with 5 hits in 14 at-bats, a batting average of 0.357, 2 home runs, 3 RBIs, and 2 walks. He is evaluated as having high utility value in defense as well. Although he does not get a chance to be selected every day, Park Joon-young is performing the role given to him and perfectly meeting the expectations of the head coach.