“We will do better next year.”
Doosan Bears coach Lee Seung-yeop smiled happily as he introduced infielder Park Jun-young (26) like this. Doosan recruited Park Jun-young as a compensation player for catcher Park Se-hyuk (4 years, 4.6 billion won), who transferred to NC Dinos as a free agent at the end of last season. Coach Lee immediately wanted to check out Park Jun-young’s skills in person, but was unable to take him to the Australian spring camp because he was rehabbing from shoulder surgery.토토사이트
Park Jun-young built his body step by step and was registered in the first team for the first time on July 7th. He immediately impressed Coach Lee by continuing his strong batting skills from the Futures League to the first team. At the time, Doosan had an 11-game winning streak, the most in the club’s history, and Park Jun-young quickly established himself as a first-team fixture by contributing greatly to offense and defense. Being able to play both third base and shortstop also helped veterans Heo Gyeong-min and Kim Jae-ho manage their stamina.
Park Joon-young contributed greatly to Doosan’s recent six-game winning streak. From the Jamsil Hanwha Eagles game on the 12th to the Gwangju KIA Tigers game on the 17th, he hit in four consecutive games, hitting as many as three home runs during this period.
Manager Lee gave Park Joon-young the opportunity to show off his hot bat by sending him out as the number 8 designated hitter in the Gwangju KIA game on the 17th. KIA starting pitcher Thomas Panoni is a left-handed pitcher, so he gave the opportunity to right-handed hitter Park Jun-young instead of left-handed hitter Kim Jae-hwan.
The result was successful. Park Jun-young hit a home run that signaled a 3-run big inning in the top of the 5th inning with a 2-1 lead. As the lead hitter, he caught Pa Noni’s high fastball of 141 km/h and sent it over the wall to his left. Thanks to this, Doosan’s batting line was able to catch the flow and win 8-3. In the Gwangju KIA game on the 15th, Park Joon-young hit a tying home run to balance the score at 5-6 to 6-6, laying the foundation for an 8-6 comeback win. Thanks to this, Doosan went on a 6-game winning streak and took an advantageous position in the battle for the semifinals.
Park Joon-young said, “I’m glad that it helped the team achieve a winning streak rather than home runs in two consecutive games. (Panoni) came in a lot toward the body in his first at-bat, so in his second at-bat, he abandoned the outside and only aimed for the near side, but fortunately, it was a good result. “There was,” he answered with a smile.
He tilted his head when he was told that his batting skills were good recently. Park Jun-young said calmly, “I’m not sure if it’s that good. I’m just trying to clear my mind a little and hit a fly ball in the outfield. I think I was lucky enough to miss a pitch and hit a home run.”
Since it was his first game as a designated hitter in his life, there was a lot to pay attention to. Park Jun-young explained, “It was my first time as a designated hitter while playing baseball. Even though I was on the bench, I didn’t know what to do. So, I stayed on the bench and swung from behind without stopping, and I think I was well prepared because I kept adjusting to the pitcher’s timing.”
Coach Lee also paid attention to the fact that Park Joon-young wears a helmet rather than a hat during batting practice. Coach Lee laughed and said, “Usually hitters wear hats during batting practice, but (Park) Jun-young always wears a helmet.” This is a point where you can see how much attention is paid to even the smallest details to the players, including Park Jun-young.
Park Joon-young said, “I wear a helmet during games, and my vision is different when I wear a hat and when I put on a helmet. I sweat a lot, so when I play with a hat on, I get a lot wet. There are many reasons, but now I prefer to wear a helmet.” “It’s become a routine,” he said, laughing.
Doosan is working hard to advance to fall baseball by accumulating as many wins as possible in the remaining 23 games of the season. If Park Joon-young can hit home runs and RBI in every game like he does now, Doosan can gain even more momentum and move up.
Park Joon-young said, “I’m trying to live up to the expectations because the manager trusts me and sends me out. No matter how bad I am, I think it’s better to use my swing even if I strike out a lot rather than look discouraged, so I keep doing that,” adding that he can continue to add strength at the plate. I pledged to become a capable hitter.