"It's hard to even pretend to be bright"...Yang Seok-hwan, in fact, was secretly enduring
"It's hard to even pretend to be bright"...Yang Seok-hwan, in fact, was secretly enduring
Blog Article
I tried to hold out somehow.
Yang Seok-hwan of the Doosan Bears started as sixth batter and first baseman at a home game against the Lotte Giants of the 2024 Shinhan SOL Bank KBO League held at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Seoul on Sunday. He boasted four hits (one homer) and five RBIs from five times at bat. He contributed greatly to his team's landslide 13-8 victory and escape from a two-game losing streak.
On the day, he hit his 21st grand slam in the league, 1,067th in his career, and 7th individual grand slam. He also set a new record of "two grand homers in one game at Jamsil Stadium" for the first time since the inauguration of the KBO League.
When his team was losing 0-6, Yang hit a double to the left with two outs and no runners on the bottom of the second inning. Kang scored on Kang Seung-ho's timely RBI single to the left, creating a point to catch up with 1-6. In the bottom of the fourth inning, he opened the door by hitting a double to the left-center field. Lotte center fielder Hwang Sung-bin missed the ball and stepped on the second base.
The bottom of the fifth inning was the highlight. With the bases loaded with no outs, Lotte relief pitcher Kim Sang-soo took the mound. After Kim Jae-hwan struck out swinging, Yang Suk-hwan appeared. On Kim's fifth pitch, he hit a fastball of 147 km/h to display a grand slam to the left with a driving distance of 115 meters. It was a decisive grand slam to come from 3-6 to 7-6.
At the bottom of the seventh inning with the score tied 7-7, he loaded the bases with no outs and hit a timely RBI single off Lotte reliever Koo Seung-min. He made it 8-7, and this shot became the finishing hit.
Yang said, "I thought I had to win no matter what. I thought it might be a tough start in the beginning, but the players did a great job. I think I won in a good mood."
Regarding the grand slam at-bat in the bottom of the fifth inning, he said, "It was my turn after (Kim) Jae-hwan struck out with the bases loaded with no outs. For batters, such at-bats are one of the most burdensome. So I tried to focus more on contact," he said. "The ball came into my favorite course. It was a day that I was really lucky."
After shooting a grand slam, he looked at his teammates in the dugout and roared. It was a performance that instantly raised morale. "I was in a slump. It was a very important game and I thought it brought the atmosphere, so I intentionally made the action big," Yang said.
Regarding the record of having two grand slams in a game at Jamsil Stadium for the first time in the league, he said, "The first record is always good. It is all the more meaningful because it came out as a really important moment for the team. I am happy to leave a name with (Yang) Ji-hyung."
He struggled in the first half of the season. Through May, he had only 0.230. He had a batting average of 0.271 (26 hits in 96 times at bat) and six homers and 15 RBIs in 25 games in June. Notably, he has displayed good performance in the recent 10 games, including the game against Lotte Corporation, by posting a batting average of 0.333 (12 hits in 36 times at bat) and two homers and 10 RBIs. He posted a batting average of 0.252 (79 hits in 314 times at bat) in 85 games, 19 homers and 63 RBIs, and a batting average of 0.296 (29 hits in 98 times at bat). He ranks sixth in homers in the league.
"Personally, I had a bad start, and the team started poorly. That was why I had a hard time," Yang said. "But a baseball player should speak with his skills on the ground. I was not good enough. Thanks to the help of the older players, (Lee Seung-yeop) coaches, the team did a good job."
Yang continued cautiously. "My father collapsed in May. He is still in the hospital. I didn't feel any better after that happened," Yang said. "That's why it was even harder. I thought it was too stressful to pretend to be bright. Honestly, I used to be dark at the ballpark for a while." "It was unprofessional. I feel sorry for the coach and the team members."
He had to shoulder the weight of the captain. "Looking back, he was paying too much attention to things that I couldn't do. As I was making the captain for the first time, I was focusing on things that were outside my territory. I thought, 'I shouldn't do this,'" Yang said. "There are a lot of things besides just the results on the ground. I couldn't turn a blind eye to it even though I knew there was nothing I could do. I did it because I felt more responsibility as a captain, but I think I became more involved in it myself," Yang said.
Fortunately, he was able to finish the first half by boosting his batting pace. Yang Seok-hwan said, "I made a commitment to finish at least .25 in the first half. If I finish in a good way, it can be a positive sign in the second half," and added, "Lee Young-soo, the batting coach, helped me a lot, a lot. I want to take this opportunity to say thank you."
We need to hang in there until the second half of the year. "Battle of the mood or competition for rankings will become more important in the second half of the year. I will take a lot of action and cheer up the players 먹튀검증," Yang said. "Personally, I haven't had many interviews this year, but I still have a lot of games to play. I said, "I will do my best in the remaining games." But the first half ended. I will do my best in what I can in the second half of the year."