Samsung Lions infielder Jeon Byeong-woo led the team to a six-game winning streak with a gutsy effort that spared no part of his body.
Jeon Byeong-woo delivered a game-deciding two-RBI double and finished 2-for-4 with two RBIs and one run scored in the away game against NC Dinos at Changwon NC Park on the 9th, leading the team to a 5-4 victory.
Starting at third base and batting sixth that day, Jeon Byeong-woo left a regretful moment when he grounded into a 3-6-3 double play with no outs and runners on first and second in the second inning. But he showed savior mode in later at-bats.
Leading 1-0 in the fifth, he opened the frame with a double that cleared the left fielder's reach, setting the stage for an additional run. After settling on third on Yang Woo-hyeon's sacrifice bunt, he scored on Kim Do-hwan's sacrifice fly to left by aggressively crashing the plate. The ball was shallow, but he did not hesitate.
The decisive moment came in the eighth. With one out and runners on second and third and Samsung leading 3-2, Jeon Byeong-woo ripped a two-RBI double to center-right, putting the game out of reach. Samsung held off NC's charge and won by one run, extending their winning streak to six games since the April 3 game in Daegu against Hanwha Eagles.
After the game, Jeon Byeong-woo's uniform was covered in dirt. In the fifth, during the dash for home, his right arm was scraped on the ground and bled as he threw his body into the play.
Jeon Byeong-woo said, "I felt heavyhearted for not taking the good opportunity in the second inning, but I feel much lighter now that I played an important role later."
About the fifth-inning score, he recalled, "The ball was shallow, but coach Lee Jong-wook told me to go straight home. I thought it was risky, but I tried to avoid the tag by sliding, and it turned out well."
He was unconcerned about the injury. He smiled and said, "My skin was scraped badly and bled, but it's okay because the team won."
Having struggled recently with a .167 batting average over the past 10 games (5 hits in 30 at-bats), one home run, two RBIs and four runs, Jeon Byeong-woo expressed gratitude, saying he found a turning point with the help of the scouting and analysis department.
Filling in at third base for Kim Young-woong, who is out with a hamstring injury, he also emphasized the importance of managing his condition. "It's been a while since I've been playing regularly, so at first I thought I was fine, but I lost about 3kg. I'm eating a lot to recover and trying to sleep about nine to ten hours a day," he said.
The team's mood is at its peak. Jeon Byeong-woo said, "Of course it's hard to put into words how good it feels because the team's results are good. It feels even better after captain Gu Ja-wook returned," and added, "If we keep going like this, I think we'll be in a higher position by the end of the season."
Samsung is riding the momentum and accelerating its push to return to first place. It was a game shaped by Jeon Byeong-woo's gutsy effort.<
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