“Once I got a two-run double in my first at-bat, I felt comfortable.”
Although he is playing alongside Yoon, he also has his own hitting qualities. He emerged as a hero with his second career three-hit game.
Six hits, three doubles, two RBIs and three runs scored. This is what Han Jun-soo did in the second game of the weekend series against the Lotte Giants at Sajik Stadium in Busan on Wednesday. On that day, Kia defeated Lotte 13-5 to snap a two-game losing streak.
In his first at-bat, Han lined a 132-kilometer forkball off Lotte starter Jung Sung-jong for a two-run double. Kia responded with a five-run second inning to take a 6-0 lead and never looked back.
Jung has a special relationship with Han Jun-soo. “We were drafted together,” Han Jun-soo said after the game, “but we were both seniors at (Gwangju Seoseok) Elementary School. The professional world is cold.
“I’ve faced a lot of Jeong’s pitches in the second team, and I think it was good that I was prepared to hit them at the right time because he’s a fastball pitcher. I was able to get rid of the pressure by getting a hit in my first at-bat, so I was able to hit more comfortably.”
The KIA has been an endless battleground for catchers this year. Han Seung-taek, Joo Hyo-sang, and rookie Han Jun-soo were the four catchers competing for the job before Kim Tae-gun was acquired via trade. Han Jun-soo has been given limited opportunities to show what he can do.
“I’m always ready, and I just want to help the team as much as I can. I want to show the same thing in the first team as I did in the second team, and I think it went well today.”스포츠토토
Han Jun-soo added, “Kim Tae-gun was also a backup for a long time, so a catcher needs to know a lot and be able to react quickly to any situation… I’m preparing like that, too.” “I’m learning a lot of things like mentality and pitch mixing, rather than the technical side,” he said. “Your fighting spirit is the best, and you always lead by example even though you’re a senior. I’m learning a lot from Kim Tae-gun, so I’m sticking by his side. Catcher is basically a position that analyzes pitchers, so I think the bat comes naturally,” he added.
Yoon still feels bad that he didn’t get the win in the end.
“As a starting pitcher, the first and fifth innings are the most important, but I was hit by Noh Jin-hyuk on the second strike, which was the most unfortunate. I’ve been working with Young-cheol, but it’s a challenge for us. I’ll prepare better next time and study.”