"I feel sorry for my younger teammates, and I am grateful to the manager."
Park Se-woong started for the game against the KIA Tigers in the regular professional baseball season at Sajik Stadium in Busan on the 10th, pitched six innings, 85 pitches, allowed four hits, three walks, four strikeouts and two runs, recorded a quality start and left the mound, leading his team to a 7-3 victory. Park Se-woong earned an emotional first win of the season.
He entered the season with six starts without a win, four losses and a 4.45 earned run average. He had been struggling with an 11-game personal losing streak dating back to last year. But on this day Park Se-woong broke the long chain of losses. He savored the emotion of a win for the first time in 280 days since the Aug. 3 game against the Gocheok Kiwoom Heroes last year.
He started shakily by allowing runs in the first inning. The leadoff batter Park Jae-hyun was retired on a pitcher's grounder. However, he allowed a hit to Park Sang-jun. After that, Kim Seon-bin hit a single to right field, creating a 1st-and-2nd, 1-out crisis. Eventually Kim Do-young hit a run-scoring double to left-center, giving up the first run. With continued 1st-and-2nd, 1-out, Adelyrin hit a sacrifice fly to right field, recording the second run allowed. With 2 outs and a runner on third, he induced a flyout to second base from Kim Ho-ryeong to escape further damage and finish the first inning.
In the second inning he produced a 4-6-3 double play by inducing Dale to hit a grounder to second, Kim Tae-goon to hit a grounder to shortstop and Kim Gyu-seong to hit a grounder to first, ending the inning in order. In the top of the third, he started by allowing a single to the leadoff batter Park Jae-hyun. However, he retired Park Sang-jun on a flyout to center and then picked off the runner Park Jae-hyun at first to add an out. He then retired Kim Seon-bin on a flyout to second, getting through the third inning unscathed.
The offense recovered one run in the second and produced a big three-run third inning to take a 4-2 lead. In the top of the fourth, after the lead change, he started by issuing a walk to leadoff batter Kim Do-young. He then induced Adelyrin into a shortstop flyout. Shortstop Jeon Min-jae misplayed the drop point but caught the runner at first heading to second to add an out; the play was recorded as a shortstop grounder. He then struck out Kim Ho-ryeong and induced Dale into a grounder to third, holding the fourth inning scoreless.
In the top of the fifth he struck out Kim Tae-goon on a swinging strike and retired Kim Gyu-seong on a flyout to center. After two outs he walked Park Jae-hyun and allowed a steal of second, but he struck out Park Sang-jun to get through the fifth and qualify for the win.
In the sixth, he induced Kim Seon-bin into a grounder to third and Kim Do-young into a grounder to the pitcher to record two easy outs. After two outs he issued a walk to Adelyrin but completed the quality-start outing by striking out Kim Ho-ryeong. Leading 7-2, Park Se-woong left the mound, and closer Choi Jun-Yong allowed one run in the ninth but the win was secured.
After the game Park Se-woong, looking relieved and calm, shared his long-awaited victory thoughts. He said, "Putting aside whether you win or lose, when you pitch well and don't get the win it's less disappointing, but even good games were hard to come by. That's why today's game feels even more joyful," and added, "Honestly, saying things haven't gone my way sounds like an excuse, and I often thought maybe it would have been better if I had done a bit more."
How did Park Se-woong endure 279 days without a win? He said, "Before I go up on the mound I always tried to do only what I can do. Also when I'm on the mound I first think about what I can do," and reflected, "There are more times when things don't go as planned, but I thought a lot that it's important to do what I can do."
That day Park Se-woong threw 21 four-seam fastballs that topped out at 151 kph, 33 cutters, 13 curveballs, 11 sliders and seven forkballs. He explained, "Choosing and throwing the pitches I can throw well was effective. Today there weren't many wildly off-target pitches and I wasn't often disadvantaged in the count battles, so it led to a good result."
He threw only 85 pitches through six innings and left the mound. It was his first appearance in nine days since the May 1 SSG game, so he could have pitched the seventh, but Park Se-woong was taken out. He said, "My pelvic area has felt bad since the fourth inning. So the manager and pitching coach showed consideration and ended my outing today," and added, "They will check it now, but it seems unlikely to affect my next start. If I prepare well I should be fine."
The secret to his fighting spirit was responsibility. He said, "First of all, my job was to be responsible for the innings, and I thought it was important to do whatever it took to get through the game before coming out. I stretched and talked with the training staff and got through it."
He had been scheduled to start in Suwon against KT on the 7th, but that game was rained out. The rotation was delayed, so instead of starting in the KIA game at Sajik on the 8th he made this start. Na Gyun-an and Kim Jin-wook were to go first and then Park Se-woong.
Park Se-woong said, "Rather than psychological composure, I feel more sorry for my younger teammates. If I had been in better condition and had achieved better results, I could have gone in and they could have had an extra day off. I feel sorry for my younger teammates," and added, "If I had thrown in normal condition like early last year, I think my teammates would feel less burdened when I pitch later. Still, they've been playing so well that I'm even more thankful."
Because his personal losing streak had lengthened, manager Kim Tae-hyoung would have had reason to worry. But he trusted Park Se-woong and continued to start him. Park Se-woong said, "I'm very grateful to the manager. Even when I was struggling he always trusted and used me, so that became a turning point that allowed me to find my original form. I am grateful to the manager," and bowed his head, saying, "It's not easy to continuously be given opportunities as a starting pitcher, and even when I showed signs of struggling the manager trusted and used me, which I think allowed me to get back to my usual self."
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