The professional baseball team Samsung Lions, though they ended their winning streak at '3', found solace in 'national slugger' Park Byung-ho's 3 consecutive home runs.
Samsung lost 6-8 to NC Dinos in the second game of the season held at Daegu Samsung Lions Park on the 26th. This marked the end of their 3-game winning streak since the season opener against Kiwoom Heroes on the 22nd. Samsung demonstrated their powerful offense, achieving double digits in scoring for 3 consecutive games, but they struggled against NC starter Shin Min-hyuk's impressive performance. Left-handed pitcher Lee Seung-hyun, making his season debut, took the loss after pitching 3⅔ innings, allowing 7 hits, 4 walks, 1 strikeout, and 5 earned runs.
Batting seventh as a first baseman, Park Byung-ho hit a 2-run homer in the 9th against NC's new closer Ryu Jin-wook, bringing the score to 4-8. Kim Young-woong, leading off, hit a double into right-center, reviving the fading spark.
At the plate was Park Byung-ho. After a ground ball to shortstop in the 3rd and a swinging strikeout in the 5th, he was disappointed after grounding out with 1 out and runners on 1st and 3rd in the 6th, but he delivered a powerful hit against Ryu Jin-wook. On a 2B-2S count, he targeted a fastball (147 km/h) on the 5th pitch and sent it flying over the left field wall. Afterward, Ryu Ji-hyuk (ground ball to second base), pinch-hitter Kim Heon-gon (fly out to right field), and Kim Ji-chan (line drive to shortstop) all made outs, preventing any dramatic situations, but Park Byung-ho's hit was indeed powerful.
Park Byung-ho has been hitting home runs in 3 consecutive games since the match against Kiwoom on the 23rd. His performance is also quite nutritious. In a home game against Kiwoom on the 23rd, during the 6th inning with a score of 6-3, he hit his maiden home run in a situation that required additional scoring. In a 2 out and 2 on situation, he hit a 4th pitch two-seam fastball from Lee Kang-jun and planted it in the right field stands. In the 8th inning, leading 13-5 with 1 out and no runners, he took a crucial solo homer against Kim Jae-yeol, a key member of NC's pitching staff from last year.
Park Byung-ho, a representative home run hitter in the KBO League, became a new member of Samsung through a 1-for-1 trade with Oh Jae-il (KT Wiz) last May. On September 4, he achieved his 400th career home run in a home game against Doosan Bears, contributing to Samsung's advancement to the Korean Series with 23 home runs last year. Manager Park Jin-man noted, "Park Byung-ho's home runs always came at crucial moments. He hit homers not only to score the first run but also when a big hit was needed, showing his valuable home runs."
Reflecting on his first year after the transfer, Park Byung-ho said, "I have a strength in producing long hits, and using a hitter-friendly ballpark as my home ground, I feel proud to have contributed to the team's victory. I was really happy to hit a lot of home runs in dramatic situations or with runners on base. I am grateful that my teammates and fans have accepted me as part of Samsung."
Using Daegu Samsung Lions Park as his home ground this season, Park Byung-ho, who was expected to deliver tremendous performances over a full-time role, expressed his serious determination before the season started.
"Veterans must prove themselves with performance. Seeing the older players still perform well is truly amazing, and I draw strength from them. I too will compete against younger players on a skill-for-skill basis and aim to win."
Park Byung-ho is proving his status as a national slugger with 3 consecutive home runs. While it is unfortunate that Samsung's winning streak ended, they found solace in Park Byung-ho's performance.
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