The Samsung Lions club failed to retrieve Park Byung-ho’s 400th home run ball for the third time in the KBO League history. Negotiations continued throughout the game, but the spectators who caught the ball could not turn their minds.
After finishing Game 15 of the season against the Doosan Bears in the 2024 Shinhan SOL Bank KBO League with a 7-3 victory at Samsung Lions Park in Daegu on the 4th, a Samsung official told reporters, “Park Byung-ho’s 400th home run ball was not eventually recovered.”
He started as the fourth designated hitter on the day, and set a new record at his first at-bat. It was in the bottom of the second inning when the score was 0-0. Appearing as the leadoff hitter, he targeted a fork ball (128 kilometers) driven to the center of Doosan starter Choi Seung-yong with a ball count of 0B-1S, and connected it with a 120-meter home run to the right-center field. It was the moment that he hit home runs in four consecutive games following the game against the Daegu KIA Tigers on August 31, the game against the Daegu KIA on September 1, and the game against the Daegu Lotte Giants on September 3. 토토사이트
After Lee Seung-yeop (Samsung, 467), Doosan manager, and Choi Jeong (SSG Landers, 491) Park hit the 400th homer in the KBO League. He also hit his 20th homer of this season, marking the first time in two seasons since the 2022 season when he was a KT Wiz player. He also hit four homers in seven consecutive games after five consecutive games from June 25 to June 30, 2022.
Soon after achieving the milestone, the Samsung team headed to the right outfield seats at Lions Park where Park Byung-ho’s home run ball fell. There, they met a baseball fan who claimed Park’s 400th home run ball and asked for the number of home run balls, but the fan was determined. A Samsung official said, “I asked for the number of home run balls, but the fan said he would keep the ball. He didn’t want anything special from the team. He just wanted a home run ball.”
Samsung visited the outfield seats again in the fifth inning and earnestly asked for the recovery of the home run ball, but nothing changed. According to a Samsung official, the spectator returned home with the home run ball, leaving a comment, “I will think about it.” Samsung has secured the contact information of its fans.
Park Byung-ho, who was in charge of the game, looked calm. “I told the club that it was okay. You can just use a slightly dirty ball as a commemorative ball,” Park said after the game. “Of course, the ball is meaningful, but the person who received it can also be meaningful. I don’t think it means much more than him,” Park said, showing a professional attitude that puts fans first.