His mindset before stepping up to the plate paid off. LG outfielder Ahn Ik-hoon hit a sacrifice fly to end a chaotic ninth inning.
LG won 6-5 against Lotte on Sunday in Jamsil. Leading 5-3 heading into the top of the ninth inning, reliever Yoo Young-chan struggled with his pitches to make it 5-5.
But in the bottom of the ninth, Lotte closer Kim Won-joong walked again, and with the bases loaded, Ahn Ik-hoon hit a sacrifice fly to center field. The pitch was shallow, but center fielder Kim Min-seok’s catching stance was shaky and third baseman Park Hae-min took advantage of it to score the winning run.
With the win, LG has won two straight games and booked a three-game midweek series. Their season record now stands at 11 wins, 10 losses, and one draw.
After the game, Ahn Ik-hoon said, “It feels really good to win. There were fast runners on base, including (Park) Hae-min and (Kim) Hyun-soo, so I wasn’t nervous,” he said, adding, “I just went to the plate thinking that even if I didn’t hit it, it was a game.”
As for the moment the ball went out of play, he said, “I saw Hae-min getting ready. I knew I could run. When I looked at the outfielder, his hands were down, not up. From the time we analyzed the power, we said that the Lotte outfielders’ shoulders weren’t 100%, so I thought Hae-min could come in.”
Ahn Ik-hoon has changed his position a lot over time. After joining the team in 2015, Ahn quickly rose to the first team with his excellent defense. At one point, he was considered a future LG leadoff and played a lot of first-team games, but before and after his military enlistment, the LG outfield depth was among the deepest in the league. It became difficult for him to even make the roster, let alone start in the first team.
“In the past, I would have suffered a lot,” Ahn said. But I’ve been with LG for 10 years now, and I’ve had many experiences like this. Now, I’m just training and playing with the idea that if I prepare well, my chance will come one day. I have a strong idea to be 100 percent when they call me up.”
That’s not an empty statement. Ahn is batting .444 (12-for-27) in the Futures League this year. He also hit .335 in the Futures League last year. He made the first team roster at the end of last season and played in the Korean Series. He’s not a starting outfielder, but he’s the number one option in case of an outfield 카지노사이트 vacancy.
“I think I know a little bit about hitting now,” said Ahn, who used to specialize in defense. I feel like I’m establishing myself as I play a lot of games in the second team and accumulate at-bats. However, the Futures League doesn’t use ABS yet. I think it will be important for me to adapt to ABS in the first team. I’m optimistic that it will work out as I continue to play in the first team.”
Finally, Ahn expressed his gratitude to the coaches who helped him in the second team despite not being included in the spring camp roster due to injury.
“I entered the rehabilitation group and trained hard. From the second team training coaches to the manager and coaches, they cared a lot, so my body condition is better than before the injury. I am very grateful to the second team coaches.”
“It was a tough game overall, but I think we were able to win with the players’ focus on winning, and I want to praise them for that,” said coach Yoon Kyung-yup. “Park Hae-min’s bold baserunning made the difference. Today was a crucial point in the pennant race, and I’m glad we were able to win,” said Park.
He added, “Thanks to the fans who came out in large numbers even on a weekday, we were able to win in the end. Thank you,” he said to the fans.
LG has announced Casey Kelly as its starting pitcher for the 18th. Lotte will start Park Se-woong.