Choi Ju-hwan, 36, an infielder for the Kiwoom Heroes in the Korean Baseball Organization, who hit the game-winning home run, came into the dugout drenched in water.
“I’m a little nervous because I’ve been drenched so much,” Choi said, but he thanked the younger players, saying, ”I’ll have to look at the video to see who sprayed the most.”
Choi Ju-hwan hit a walk-off home run off Jung Hae-young in the bottom of the ninth inning of a 1-1 tie against the KIA Tigers at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul on Thursday.
Facing a one-pitch, two-strike count, Choi saw a 145-kilometer-per-hour fastball down and away and bent his knees as if waiting for it.
The high fly traveled 115 meters and landed in the stands.
It was his 10th home run of the season and the third of his career.
The previous two came on April 18, 2015, against the Jamsil Lotte Giants and May 31, 2018, against the Jamsil SK Wyverns (now SSG Landers) while playing for the Doosan Bears.
“I thought it went over the fence, but the ball didn’t fall (into the stands). I was positioned like the right fielder was going to catch it, so I thought, ‘What if he catches it at the last second? I didn’t realize it went over until I 카지노 커뮤니티 heard the cheers,” he said.
Choi went 1-for-3 with a walk and two strikeouts on the day, but he wasn’t just happy about the game-winning home run, he was relieved because of a missed opportunity in the seventh inning.
With runners on first and second with one out in the top of the seventh, Choi struck out against Kim Dae-yu.
In the previous game, Choi was stranded on third base with runners on first and third in the first inning when a short fly ball to left field failed to bring home the runner from third, and the team lost 0-2.
“You can’t hit every time,” Choi said, ”but if I could have hit a sacrifice fly there, it would have been a good result. But in the end, (it was) a good feeling to help the team win the game,” he said.
Choi struggled in the first half of the season in a Kiwoom uniform, batting just .223 with six home runs and 42 RBIs, but rebounded in the second half to hit .286 with four home runs and 14 RBIs.
“Every team has a different culture, and the young players here are doing so well in training. It’s been a bit of a trial and error, but we’re getting used to it.”
Choi also helps stabilize the infield with his steady hands at first base.
“One of the things coach Lee Seung-yeop said was, ‘The first baseman should catch difficult pitches as easily as possible so that the players can trust him. I’m flexible, so I try to catch it as easily as possible,” he said.