“Right now, we don’t have to look down. Let’s just focus on our game and keep the good vibes going.”
An Olympic gold medal, an Asian Games gold medal, a Premier12 title, a World Baseball Classic runner-up finish, and a Korean Series title are just a few of the accomplishments. But they have yet to win a pennant in the seven-month pennant race. This year is their chance to make amends. LG leader Kim Hyun-soo, 35, shared his thoughts on winning the regular season.
He fired the cannon when it was needed most. Kim Hyun-soo capitalized on an error by opposing pitcher Moon Sung-hyun in the bottom of the eighth inning against Jamsil Kiwoom on Nov. 11. With the count 3-1, he took advantage of Moon’s slider up the middle to give his team a 5-3 victory.
With the win, first-place LG improved to 59 wins, 35 losses, and two ties on the season. They are six games back of second-place SSG and are on pace to reach 60 wins. Here’s what Kim Hyun-soo, who hit the game-winning home run, had to say to the media after the game.
-It was a bad pitch in the middle. How did you feel at the moment of the home run?
It wasn’t a hit. However, the ball count was in my favor and I was waiting for the pitch to come. I knew that Moon Sung-hyun is a very aggressive pitcher, so I didn’t think it would be easy to get a hit. The pitch came and I was able to hit a home run.
-I’ve been having a really bad season with no home runs. That’s why this game-winning home run means so much.
I don’t think I’ve ever hit a home run in my life. But there’s still a lot of season left, so I’m going to keep trying and do well. The home run today was nice, but it feels even better to help the team win.
-I have a good batting pace right now. I did well in the game that was canceled due to rain. On the other hand, I don’t know if my hitting cycle has ever been as volatile as it has been this year. I’m having a season with a lot of ups and downs.
I think it’s possible to have bad years like this. But that’s something you have to overcome. So I think if I train more and keep training, it will be solved. I’m feeling good again now, so hopefully it will work out from now on.
-You’ve been hitting a lot lately, but you’re also hitting a lot of outside pitches to left field. Do you have a secret?
I’ve been working on my hip turn. I feel like my hip turn has improved since then. I focus on my hip turn and center of gravity. Before, I was trying to pull too much with my upper body, so I wasn’t hitting to the left, but now that I’m turning, I’m hitting the outside on course.
-I’m getting closer and closer to the championship I want so badly.
As the coach said, there is no peace of mind. It’s still a crisis. I think the crisis is when we think the title is in front of us. I always tell the players, ‘Let’s just play today and hope that (the title) will follow. Now we don’t have to look down. Let’s just focus on our game and keep the good vibes going.” I said, “It’s going really well right now, let’s keep it going.
-When did you say that?
In Daegu. After we lost the first two games, I said it because I felt like the players were looking at other teams. I think now we don’t care about other teams, we just need to stick to what we do and play our game.
-The last time we won the Korean Series, we didn’t win it as a team. We worked our way up from the bottom. So you must be desperate to win this one.
It is. I really want to win the title, I really want to do it, but like I said before, we’ll just take it one game at a time, tomorrow’s game, the day after tomorrow, and so on.
-Yeom Kyung-yup said that with less than 50 matches left, it’s all about now. How important is this time in your long professional career?
First of all, the coach said it’s a game, so it’s a game. The players have to follow the coach’s words and goals. I think it’s also a time when it’s hard for me personally and the hard part is over, so I have to take care of my body and manage it well so that everyone can play. The team is stronger with more players who can play, so I hope all of our players are healthy.안전놀이터
-When I was doing the home run ceremony today, I didn’t hit the coach hard enough.
I was off-balance, and I had my head coach next to me, and I was trying to go easy on him, and I was trying to go hard on him, and then when I needed to go hard, I was off-balance.
-Austin protested the call and was ejected. Did you say anything to him?
I told him it’s okay, that he can do that, and I think the referees can send him off. It’s part of the game and there’s nothing more he can do, so I told him to go back and rest. I said, “Let’s get ready for tomorrow.
-There was a bit of chaos after the match. What did you say to the players besides Austin?
It’s hard, you’re tired, and when you’re not playing well, you can be sensitive. I told the guys that the tide wasn’t always going to be in our favor, so let’s just accept it and move on.
-Last year, you and Oh led the team in home runs. This year, we’re both in the same situation, so I think it’s kind of like a battle.
We talked about doing well, but we didn’t say anything in particular. As for Ji-hwan, he has a lot to do as a captain and he plays a lot of defense. I’m just trying to think that if we all win, we’ll be happy.