Bottom of 9th inning, 2 outs, bases loaded. The score is only 1 point difference. How does the pitcher standing on the mound feel at this time?
At the moment Hanwha confirmed its 6th consecutive win, closing pitcher Park Sang-won (28)바카라사이트 was there. Sang-won Park appeared as a relief pitcher in the bottom of the 9th inning in the ‘2023 Shinhan Bank SOL KBO League’ game against Kiwoom held at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul on the 10th.
Hanwha only led by one point, 9-8. Hanwha had a comfortable 9-2 lead until the top of the fourth inning, but was sweating due to Kiwoom’s fierce pursuit. Kiwoom, who had already caught the momentum of the chase, launched a fierce attack in the bottom of the 9th inning. When Park Chan-hyuk and Kim Si-ang had hits, Kim Hye-seong walked and grounded out, filling the team with three players.
Park Sang-won was cornered with two outs and the bases loaded, but he did not avoid a fight with Ronnie Dawson. He only pushed with fastballs. A 148km fastball thrown to Dawson. Dawson’s batted ball quickly passed Park Sang-won and looked as if it would lead to a heavy hit. However, it was shortstop Lee Do-yoon who moved faster than him. Lee Do-yoon caught Dawson’s batted ball and threw it to first base, making Hanwha the winner of the game.
Park Sang-won, who said, “I feel once again that baseball is not something I play alone,” expressed his gratitude to Lee Do-yoon, who showed his generosity, saying, “I am really grateful to (Lee) Do-yoon. I will buy him a delicious meal.”
Park Sang-won is playing a full-time season as a closing pitcher for the first time this year. Until last year, his total number of saves was 1, but this year he has already accumulated 15 saves. In 45 games this season, he recorded 5 wins, 3 losses, 15 saves, and an ERA of 2.48, fully establishing himself as Hanwha’s new closing pitcher.
The pressure on a closing pitcher who is responsible for the final moments of the game is beyond imagination. However, Park Sang-won said, “I’m not the only one under pressure. It’s true that I was in a hurry because the Kiwoom hitters couldn’t turn the tables in the 8th inning,” and “So, I didn’t put pressure on myself and tried to get ahead by 1 run, 2 runs, or 3 runs.” “I’m just doing my best to help the team win,” he said.
Park Sang-won is contributing to Hanwha’s recent upward trend by earning five saves in September alone. Hanwha swept the 4-game series against Kiwoom and won 6 games in a row. It has been 7,300 days since the Daejeon LG game held on September 13-15, 2003, that Hanwha swept a four-game series including a double header.
But Park Sang-won gave the credit to the fielders. “Ultimately, in baseball, you can’t win if the batters don’t score. No matter how well the pitchers throw, our team’s score is 0. Although the bullpen pitchers are also attracting attention, we win because the batters keep scoring runs. “It’s the same,” said Park Sang-won.
I was also curious about his feelings about playing a full-time season as a closer for the first time since his professional debut. Park Sang-won, who said, “I realize that each ball is more precious and more important,” said, “There is no one behind me, but it still feels cool. In a way, it feels like I’m standing on the edge of a cliff. It’s dangerous to stand on the edge of a cliff, but isn’t the photo taken there cool? “I’m trying to think in a positive direction,” he said. Who could describe the feeling of standing on a cliff like this? The search for Jung Woo-ram’s successor, which has been one of Hanwha’s long-held wishes, is now slowly entering the final stage.
