“I have something to praise today.”
LG Twins manager Yoon Kyung-yeop spoke to reporters before the team’s game against Hanwha in Daejeon on Nov. 13, and before the questions were even asked, he began. He was impressed with the performance of his senior players in the previous game, a 4-3 come-from-behind win over Jamsil NC on Nov. 11.
On that day, LG gave up two runs on an error in the top of the ninth inning with the score tied 1-1. With runners on second and third, Koo Bon-hyuk (27) missed NC’s Kim Sung-wook’s grounder in front of the third baseman. He couldn’t get it out of bounds and should have blocked the ball that bounced sideways with his body. Koo is known for his defense, but he made a ridiculous error on an ordinary hit. Anyone can make a mistake, but the fact that it came with the game tied in the top of the ninth was fatal.
However, LG rallied in the bottom of the ninth with a solo home run by Austin Dean, followed by a double by Moon Bo-kyung and a walk by Kim Hyun-soo to put runners on first and second with two outs, and then Park Dong-won hit a two-run double over the left field fence to win the game 4-3. Koo Bon-hyuk, who had been watching the game with trepidation from the dugout, was the first to run to Park and give him a big hug.
The 4-3 come-from-behind victory was great, but the dugout scene after the error was even better.
“When Bon-hyeok came in after his error, I was worried about how to comfort him. He’s a player we need to use, so I was thinking about how to save him so that his mentality doesn’t collapse, but (Kim) Hyun-soo, (Oh) Ji-hwan-yi, (Park) Dong-won, (Park) Hae-min, and (Hong) Chang-gi all went to him and comforted him without doing anything else. The seniors did what the coaching staff should have done,” he said.
This could have been a mental breakdown for Koo Bonhyuk. But the seniors came up to him and encouraged him, 바카라사이트 saying, “It’s okay, Bonhyuk, you can turn it around, you can win.” “They really turned the game around, just like they said. It must have been a huge comfort to him. The older brothers not only said it, but also showed it through their actions.”
“When I saw that the seniors took care of themselves to the point where the coaching staff didn’t have to do anything, I realized that our team was moving in a good direction. I want to praise the seniors for showing good leadership, not only in the way they play and train, but also in the way they lead. When Bonhyuk becomes a senior, he will do the same. A good system is being created by connecting people,” he said.
In the past, LG was often criticized for its rigid atmosphere and lack of cohesion.
However, after Kim Hyun-soo joined the team in 2018, the atmosphere slowly changed, and the entire squad became a cohesive unit after winning its first title in 29 years last year.
“A good organization is one in which everyone is willing to help each other overcome difficulties. I wanted to create such an atmosphere, and I’m very grateful that the seniors did a great job.” “If this atmosphere is created, it will continue for the next 10 years with or without me. So the future of LG is bright. It’s completely different from the LG culture we had before. We have the strength to become stronger outside of the company,” he assured.
Against Hanwha on the 13th, LG won with baseball that overcame the mistakes of its teammates. In the top of the ninth inning, tied 2-2, Ahn Ik-hoon attempted a bunt with no outs, but the first pitch was fouled off by the first baseman. But the next batter, Hong Chang-ki, singled to left to bring home Park Hae-min from second base for the game-winning run. It erased Ahn Ik-hoon’s failed bunt.
In the next at-bat,
Hong Chang-ki was thrown out trying to steal third on Shin Min-jae’s grounder to shortstop, and in the second at-bat, Shin was thrown out at first on a throwing error. Two missed bases could have changed the tide, but Yoo Young-chan closed out the ninth inning. He allowed a single and retired the next three batters to preserve the 3-2 victory. It was a “team win” that overcame the mistakes of his teammates.
With its recent five-game winning streak, second-place LG has 59 wins, 48 losses and two draws (a .551 winning percentage) and maintains a four-game lead over first-place KIA (64 wins, 45 losses and two draws, a .587 winning percentage). It’s not easy, but it’s not a gap to give up. “Last year, when we were in first place, we were in a chasing position. It’s definitely more comfortable to chase than to be chased. In baseball, you don’t know what will happen until the end,” he said, vowing to keep chasing first place until the end.