…hit a home run, tensed up, then ‘suddenly stopped’ in front of home plate
LG Twins veteran outfielder Park Hae-min, 34, wondered why he did what he did: He hit a home run to put his team on the brink of victory and then committed a crucial boneheaded play at first base, which is far from his specialty.
Park Hae-min started in the No. 9 spot in center field against the Gocheok Kiwoom Heroes on the second day, going 1-for-3 with a home run, one RBI, and one run scored. In fact, he had a chance to be the difference maker in the win. With the score tied 1-1 in the top of the fifth inning, Park lifted a 145-kilometer fastball low and away from Kiwoom starter Ariel Furado for a solo shot.
It wasn’t a bad throw by Furado. It was a surprise turnaround for Park Hae-min, who had 52 home runs in 1,467 career games and just one this season. With LG leading 2-1 going into the seventh inning, it looked like Park’s single would be the game-winner.
However, everything changed in the eighth inning. Park led off the inning with a single and reached first base on a throwing error by Kiwoom second baseman Kim Hye-sung. Up until this point, Park’s luck seemed to be on his side. He even managed to steal second base from Hong Chang-ki at the plate. Hong advanced to third on a grounder to second. First and third with one out. LG had a chance to score a run and seal the win.
Shin Min-jae, who has been performing well, came to the plate. He bunted from the first pitch. Shin laid down a bunt, even though the big right-hander threw a 150-kilometer fastball toward him. The pitch was headed straight at Seung-woo Joo, but he missed the catch.
Here came the twist. Park Hae-min was running home and suddenly stopped between third base and home plate. In a squeeze 먹튀검증가이드 bunt, the runner should have dived for home as soon as the pitcher made the throw, but for some reason, Park didn’t get a quick enough start. There was a mix-up at first.
Park hesitated, which gave Joo Seung-woo, who fumbled the ball, time to pick it up and send it home. Catcher Kim Jae-hyun tagged Park Hae-min at home with time to spare. Park Hae-min raced home, but there was a brief pause, and the outcome was decided.
With that, LG quickly turned the game over to Kium. Kim Hye-sung almost cost her team the game with a crucial error, but she came up to bat in the bottom of the eighth inning and hit a two-run double that slipped through shortstop Koo Bon-hyuk’s glove to bring the game back. Kiwoom’s top of the lineup has been very cohesive lately. They scored three runs in the bottom of the eighth inning to turn the game around and extend their winning streak to five games. They’ve been especially strong against LG this year. 6 wins and 3 losses.