“I have a final goal in my baseball life”
“I’ve only been with Samsung for a short time…”
Samsung Lions’ Park Byung-ho expressed his gratitude to the club for their consideration.
Park Byung-ho launched a solo shot against LG’s Kelly in the second inning of the LG Twins game at Samsung Lions Park in Daegu on Wednesday.
It was a moment that marked the 400th home run of his Korean-American career in the Daegu sky. It was Park’s eighth home run of the season, his fifth in a Samsung uniform, and the 388th of his KBO career.
Samsung captain Koo Ja-rook gave Park a bouquet of flowers as he came around the bases, as if proposing to him, which made him smile. After the inning, both teams celebrated Park’s milestone, albeit briefly. LG captain Kim Hyun-soo was happy to join in.
Park’s joy was doubled when Samsung won the game 6-3 to sweep the series and win their fourth straight game.
“I was aware of the 400th home run in Korea-U.S. history,” said Park Byung-ho after the game. I didn’t think much of it,” he said, adding, “I was touched by the bouquet of flowers from Gu Jauk, and I’m really grateful that both teams celebrated with me. I’m also grateful to the team for taking care of me in my short time at Samsung. I’m also happy to set the record at home.”
Lions Park is a relatively home run-prone stadium due to its straight outfield. On the other hand, Suwon KT Wiz Park, home to his former team KT Wiz, has a large outfield.
Considering the distance of his home runs this season, Park Byung-ho can’t attribute his success to the ballpark, but he says, “It’s a hitter-friendly ballpark. From my point of view, psychologically, it’s a little more comfortable when I go to the plate. You don’t have to hit a perfect pitch to get a good hit, so you 사설토토 can relax,” he said, but he didn’t deny the positive impact of Lions Park.
The Samsung starter was no slouch against Lee Ho-seong and LG ace Kelly. Park bounced back with 5 1/3 innings of two-run ball to earn his second win of the season. “The last time I saw him, he had a really good ball and went down early. I wanted to help,” Park smiled.
What was the most memorable moment of his 400 home runs? “Personally, I think it was the moment when I broke 50 home runs for the first time in my career,” Park said, referring to 2014, when he was with Nexen (now Kiwoom Heroes).
Although there are veterans like Kang Min-ho, it’s not easy to adapt to a team with young blood like Kim Ji-chan, Kim Young-woong, and Lee Jae-hyun. “I want to do better,” Park said. I feel like we’ve gotten to know each other, and I’m adjusting. I think the younger players are more uncomfortable than me,” he said, adding, “I’m trying to open up and talk a lot. I want to get closer,” he emphasized.
He expressed his gratitude for Koo’s gesture and added, “Kim Young-woong is 슬롯사이트 순위 playing center field for the first time this year, so he’s been talking to me a lot. We are starting with a light conversation rather than baseball talk.”
Immediately after the transfer, he was batting sixth, but now he is batting fourth. “I want to improve my batting average and become a stable hitter, but it’s not going well yet. I think the manager is trying to make me comfortable. I will try to do better,” he emphasized.
The home run was Park’s 388th in the KBO. His next step is to become the 400th in the KBO.
“I never thought about my personal record before, but if I hit 20 this year, it would be 400. Maybe 400 in the KBO will be my last goal.”