As usual, the 26-year-old shortstop’s presence was felt in the winning moments.
The SSG Landers won the first game of the midweek series against the Lotte Giants 7-4 at SSG Landers Field in Incheon on Sept. 9.
They started the second half with a win in the “Distribution Derby” to kick off the series.
SSG opened the scoring in the top of the first inning with a leadoff home run by Choi Ji-hoon. Choi Jung-jeong followed with a double, Park Sung-sung doubled and Kim Min-sik singled to extend the lead to 3-0.
They gave up a two-run homer to Lotte’s Jeon Joon-woo in the top of the third, but Park Sung-sung came through again in the bottom of the sixth to cut the deficit to two runs.
In the top of the eighth inning, an error and a wild pitch tied the game at 4-4, but Park took advantage of the opponent’s crucial error to score the winning run.
After the game, Park’s jersey was covered in dirt. It was the result of being battered in the field all game. “Today’s weather was bad, and the ground was hard, so it bounced more,” Park laughed.
His swing was light and sharp as usual, and the short All-Star break was a nice break.
The final out was Park’s personal decision. 카지노사이트 “When I got to second base, I realized that the ball was missing, so I ran to third base. After that, I sprinted according to my coach’s judgment. I didn’t think about it anymore and ran hard. I was worried because the ground was hard and I couldn’t get my footing,” he explains.
The game was tied at 1-1 after a series of bad luck, but the leadoff hitter’s contributions ultimately won the game. “I tried not to be impatient because I’m the leadoff hitter. It means a lot to get off to a good start. I hope to continue the good trend in the next game,” Park smiled.
As for the distribution derby, he’s not particularly conscious of it. However, he said that he is more confident against Lotte than NC Dinos (1-9), which was the last game of the first half.
“I don’t care about the standings. I don’t look at the top. I’m just looking at the middle. It’s too close, so it’s a game-by-game situation.”
In 2021, his first year as the team’s starting shortstop, he hit .332 (3-for-2). In 2022, he hit .298, and after a bit of a slump last year, he’s back to near .300 this year. He already has 40 RBIs. He’s on a career high. However, Park said, “Honestly, I think the nutritional value was a little low,” and emphasized, “I will focus on each game in front of me rather than thinking about the three percent or the Golden Glove.”
The likelihood of meeting Shirakawa, whom he had parted ways with affectionately, as an enemy has increased. “I hope he shows good behavior in the new nest. It will be interesting,” Park laughed.
Translated with DeepL.com (free version)