Home runs are a surefire way to score runs in a game, and the thrill of a home run, especially in a game-winning at-bat, is one of the best parts of professional baseball. In the 2024 Shinhan Bank SOL Bank KBO League, which was held at SSG Landers Field in Incheon on the 30th, a home run was the difference in the game between SSG and LG.
SSG, which had lost eight straight games the day before, was desperate for a win. The team has been in the top five since the start of the season, but has recently dropped to sixth place. Their win-loss margin is -3. SSG head coach Lee Sung-yong, who boldly fielded two rookies (Jung Hyun-seung and Jung Jun-jae) in the starting lineup, told the media before the game, “I hope we can break the losing streak with everything we have and laugh really hard.”
It was a good start. SSG took the lead in the bottom of the first inning when Choi Jung-jeong hit a sacrifice fly to right field with runners on first and third. However, SSG tied the game in the top of the third inning when Hong Chang-ki hit a double to center field, and in the bottom of the fifth inning when a wild pitch led to an unearned run.
However, Choi turned the tide with a decisive hit. With the bases loaded in the sixth inning, Choi hit a 121-kilometer-per-hour four-seam curveball from opposing starter Choi Won-tae over the center field fence for a grand slam. Choi’s homer, which came nine days after his last one against Doosan on May 21, extended his KBO career home run total to 472. The 14th of the season.
Choi’s home run completely changed the game. SSG added a run in the next inning after Guillermo Heredia singled to right and then scored on an error when Lee Ji-young grounded out to third base. SSG came back to win the game in the seventh inning. Starting with Jung Jun-jae’s triple to right field in the first inning, the team scored four runs on four hits. The score was 8-2, and the game was decided.
After the game, Choi, who finished 2-for-3 with three RBIs, said, “I’ve been struggling at the plate lately. In the home run at-bat, I was only thinking about making contact and connecting with Heredia, but my casual swing led to a home run.” ”I tried a lot of things to revitalize my hitting, and I had a good feeling from yesterday’s game. I felt good in practice before today’s game, and I’m happy to see it come out in the game.”
“Although the team was in a losing streak, the players were not discouraged, but rather treated the game with a new mindset to forget the losing streak. Especially, Coach Kang Byung-sik gave good words to the batters mentally before the game today, so they were able to play without pressure. The coaching staff must have had a hard time mentally, but they tried to make the players feel comfortable and relaxed, so I think we had a good result today,” he smiled.
On the mound for SSG, new foreign pitcher Drew Anderson was the star of the show. Anderson held the LG bats to two runs on three hits over six innings to earn his first win in the KBO. Throwing a 사설토토 heavy fastball that topped out at 156 kilometers per hour and a mix of slider, curve, changeup, and cutter, Anderson struck out seven. “Before today’s game, I was thinking about keeping my changeup in the strike zone a lot and using my fastball for strikes,” said Anderson, who was doused with water by his teammates after the game. “I just wanted to give them six innings,” he said. “It was a win we all wanted. We will try to get more wins in the future.”
Lee finally returned the smile. “We were able to end our eight-game losing streak with the best efforts of the players, coaches, and front office,” Lee said. “We made some mistakes, but we were able to win with our focus. Choi Jung’s game-winning home run, Heredia’s decisive base running, and the energetic play of the rookie duo of Hyun Seung-yi and Jun-jae were impressive. The will to win was evident in the way they moved for one more base,” said Choi after the victory.