Doosan Bears infielder Yang Seok-hwan delivered a spectacular home run to the home fans who visited the baseball stadium on Sunday afternoon, leading the team to a winning streak. He is one step closer to hitting 20 home runs for the third consecutive year.
Doosan won 8-2 in the 14th game of the season against the Samsung Lions of the 2023 Shinhan Bank SOL KBO League held at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Seoul on the 10th. Following an 8-7 comeback win on the 9th and a 4-0 win in the second game of the double header on the 10th, they achieved 3 wins over a 4-game weekend and laid the foundation to continue their battle for the semifinals.스포츠토토
Yang Seok-hwan started as the 5th hitter and first baseman on this day and bombarded the Samsung mound with 2 hits in 4 at-bats, 1 home run, 3 RBIs, and 2 runs scored. Although he was in a physically difficult situation after playing a double header the day before, he swung the bat with more energy than anyone else.
Seok-Hwan Yang did his part from his first at-bat. With the team tied 0-0, he came out as the leadoff hitter in the bottom of the second inning and opened the attack by reaching base with a left-field hit against Samsung starting pitcher Choi Chae-heung. Then, during Kim Jae-hwan’s at-bat, he even succeeded in stealing second base, shaking up the Samsung infield. Kim Jae-hwan’s right-handed hit advanced to third base, and then Kang Seung-ho’s 2-RBI double hit home plate, giving Doosan the first run.
Seok-Hwan Yang’s performance continued. In the bottom of the 5th inning, when Doosan was ahead 3-0, with 2 outs and runners on 1st and 2nd base, he hit a 3-run home run against pitcher Noh Geon-woo, who changed the score to 6-0. After hitting his 18th home run of the season against the Jamsil KIA Tigers on the 7th, he restarted his home run four days later.
He hit a 144km high fastball on the 4th pitch with a perfect swing at a disadvantageous count of one ball, two strikes, and sent the ball flying 125m over the left wall.
Doosan defeated Samsung and maintained 6th place, 3 games behind 5th place SSG Landers, thanks to the combination of the power of the batting line, including Yang Seok-hwan, and ace Raul Alcantara’s excellent pitching, allowing 1 run (unearned) in 6 innings.
After the game, Yang Seok-hwan said, “I felt like the home run in the bottom of the 5th inning would go over the moment it hit the bat. It was my favorite highball, so I swung with confidence and it led to good results. It was a physically difficult week, but I still finished the weekend series with a good performance.” “I’m glad I was able to finish it,” he said.
He also did not hide his desire to hit 20 home runs for three consecutive years. After being traded from the LG Twins to Doosan just before the start of the 2021 season, Seok-Hwan Yang broke his personal career high by hitting 28 home runs in the regular league. Last year, he hit 20 home runs, continuing his status as a ‘Jamsil heavy hitter’, and is on the verge of achieving 20 home runs this year as well.
As he becomes eligible for free agency for the first time in his career after the end of this season, he expressed his determination to hit as many home runs as possible in the remaining games, not only for himself but also for the team. He believes that Doosan can only smile if the ‘Heart Ceremony’, which is shown after hitting a home run, must be performed frequently on the pitch.
In the case of Yang Seok-hwan’s ‘Heart Ceremony’, Doosan coach Lee Seung-yeop also participates with a brighter expression than anyone else. On this day’s game, coach Lee Seung-yeop also participated in the ‘Heart Ceremony’ with a bright smile right after Yang Seok-hwan’s home run.
Yang Seok-hwan said, “I said this at the beginning of the season, but I am a player with no merit if I cannot hit 20 home runs. I think I need to hit at least 20 home runs.” He added, “Home runs are very important for the team to win a lot. During our winning streak, “While there were a lot of home runs, there weren’t many home runs during the losing streak,” he explained.
“The coach knows the importance of a home run better than anyone else, so I think he is happy when I do the heart ceremony,” he said, laughing. “I need to show it more often, but it seems difficult because Jamsil is so big.”