▲ Doosan Bears infielder Park Chan-ho is interviewed after a home game against the LG Twins at Jamsil Stadium in Seoul on the 2nd.
Park Chan-ho, a 31-year-old shortstop in his 13th professional season with the Doosan Bears who led his team to its third consecutive win with a game-winning hit, confessed that baseball remains a difficult game.
Starting as the ninth-batter shortstop in the home game against the LG Twins at Jamsil Stadium in Seoul today (the 2nd), Park put on a strong performance with one hit, one run, two RBIs, one walk, one strikeout, and two stolen bases in three at-bats.
In the bottom of the fourth inning with no outs and runners on second and third in a 3-3 tie, he drove in two runs with a double to turn the game around at 5-3.
Propelled by Park's game-winning hit, Doosan secured an 8-3 victory to extend its winning streak to three games and claimed a winning series against the LG Twins for the first time this season.
After the match, he remarked, "Baseball is a real jerk. When you feel confident that you can hit any pitch, chances do not come. But when you feel like you cannot hit anything, just like this week, those scoring opportunities keep falling into your lap."
He added, "Baseball feels like a bad guy."
Yesterday, Park failed to capitalize on an opportunity with one out and a runner on second in the bottom of the 11th inning of a 2-2 tie.
He was out on a grounder to third base, and the game ended immediately as second base runner Jung Soo-bin was called out for running out of the base path.
Park noted that hitting the game-winning hit today was not enough to lift the heavy weight off his shoulders.
He stated, "It really weighs on me that I haven't done enough for the team. They don't pay me just to play defense. When I fail to deliver in crucial moments, it drives me crazy."
Park sealed the victory with smart base running to secure an extra run today.
After getting on base with a walk following one out in the bottom of the eighth inning with a 7-3 lead, he successfully stole second and third bases consecutively, then crossed home plate on Kim Dae-han's sacrifice fly to right field.
Crediting others, he said, "My stolen bases were created by our tactical analysis team and base running coach. I just do as I am told, and without them, my stolen bases wouldn't exist."
With today's victory, Doosan maintained fourth place with 52 wins, four draws, and 45 losses, holding a winning percentage of 0.536.
The team sits two games behind the third-place LG Twins and 0.5 games ahead of the fifth-place KIA Tigers.
As the starting shortstop leading the infield, Park's sense of responsibility continues to grow.
He shared, "It's really hard to fall asleep around this time of the year. With the fierce race for rankings, it is physically taxing, but even more so mentally."
He also mentioned, "I emphasized to the players that from now on, every single game is a real battle. I asked them to pour all their physical energy into it, and I am grateful they followed through."
Park expressed pride in the recent performances of young players such as Kim Dae-han, An Jae-seok, Kim Min-seok, and Park Jun-soon.
He shared that he was especially thrilled when Kim Min-seok dove to catch LG Oh Ji-hwan's home run-like fly ball in the top of the ninth inning the previous day.
Park smiled, saying, "Led by Kim Min-seok, we seem to be developing into a truly solid team. The younger players show great fighting spirit and run the bases well."
He continued, "(Kim Min-seok's stellar defense) was so exhilarating. I enjoy watching my teammates succeed even more than my own success, so I couldn't hide that feeling."
(Photo: Yonhap News)
※
Copying, redistribution, and unauthorized use in AI training are strictly prohibited.