“I turned around and he ran the hardest. So I gave him a hug.”
Park Dong-won saved the LG Twins and Koo Bon-hyuk also. Koo’s fatal error, which he gave up two runs with two outs in the top of the ninth inning, was just a device to make the drama even more dramatic. Park Dong-won made it that way. 메이저놀이터
In a game against the NC Dinos in the “2024 Shinhan SOL Bank KBO League” held at Jamsil Stadium in Seoul on the 11th, LG won a 4-3 come-from-behind finish after two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning. At the top of the ninth inning with two outs and runners on the second and third bases, Kim Sung-wook’s grounder toward the third base lost the lead 1-3, but he scored three runs in the bottom of the ninth inning to turn the game around.
Austin Dean’s solo home run after one out gave LG hope, while Moon Bo-kyung’s double and Kim Hyun-soo’s walk led to Park Dong-won’s closing chance. Park Dong-won recorded his second walk-off hit since his debut with a two-run double over the left field.
Park Dong-won smiled broadly and said, “I hit it and turned around, but Koo Bon-hyuk ran the hardest. So I only hugged Koo Bon-hyuk,” and joked, “It would have been hard for Bon-hyuk. Otherwise, Austin would have been a walk-off home run.” He also said, “It would have been very difficult. If I had lost, I would have lost more confidence, but since I won, I think I will forget it quickly and play a good defense again.”
Manager Yeom Kyung-yeop felt the same way. “I lost two runs due to a mistake in the ninth inning, but Austin’s homer enabled me to turn the tables, and Park Dong-won made a timely two-run homer to save Koo Bon-hyuk’s mental health, and won the game,” Yeom said after the game.
In fact, Park Dong-won thought it would not be easy when the ball count was 0-2 as he hit back-to-back fouls against Lee Yong-chan. However, with three consecutive balls in the ball count, the chance came back. “I lost the moment I hit two strikes,” Park said. “But I got three balls. Now I think it’s a breaking ball from the full count. Throwing four straight fastballs is burdensome. I missed some breaking balls, and I got good results because I waited for the course.”
He opened his eyes wide, saying, “The left-winger jumped. I thought he caught it. I was surprised.”
Before the walk-off home run, he had two important outs in defense. He blocked Kwon Hee-dong, who was on the third base at the seventh inning, by keeping a sharp check. In the ninth inning, he helped the pitcher by blocking runners on the third base with runners on the first and second bases with no outs. “Honestly, the older players (Kang Min-ho and Yang Eui-ji) are so good at Golden Glove. Honestly, if I want to get an award, I want to get an award in defense,” Park said. “I have no intention of getting an award in Golden Glove.”