The Samsung Lions started to secure the second place by beating the third-ranked LG Twins by a gap of three games. It would not have been possible without Park Byung-ho (38) who was brought in through trade.
Samsung won the away game against the Kiwoom Heroes 9-5 at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul on the 28th. Park Byung-ho, the fourth batter in a long time, showed off his presence by hitting two hits and three RBIs in five at-bats, including a three-run home run.
Samsung allowed four runs from the start of the first inning, and Park Byung-ho’s three-run homerun completely boosted the mood in the early days of the game. Park scored a three-run homerun after Kim Ji-chan’s walk, Kim Heon-gon’s right hit, and Koo Ja-wook’s timely hit. He swung a fastball that came in the middle of the third pitch from Kiwoom left-hander Jongmin Lee to cross the left fence. With a driving distance of 120 meters, it was his 15th homer of this season.
Park Byung-ho transferred from KT to Samsung through a one-on-one trade with Oh Jae-il, a left-handed first baseman of the same age, on May 28. Prior to the trade, he had a batting average of 1988 (20 hits in 101 at-bats) in 44 games with three homers, 10 RBIs, 16 walks, 38 strikeouts, and a .331 slugging percentage. As his position narrowed in the team, he asked for a trade and took a new opportunity with Samsung.
While there were expectations that Park’s slugging capability would be maximized in the batter-friendly “Lapak,” there were also concerns about the aging curve. Three months after the trade, Park has rebounded. He has posted a batting average of 244 (33 hits in 176 times at bat) with 12 homers, 38 RBIs, 29 walks, 62 on-base strikeouts and a .359 slugging percentage in 57 games since moving to Samsung.
His performance is not that impressive as it was in the season of “Tago” and “Battleship.” He ranked 15th in home run and long hit rate and 29th in OPS among hitters with 200 or more. However, if you look closely, he displayed performance by clutch that directly contributed to his team’s victory. Five final hits, including three homers, were not an ordinary one-stroke final hit. He boasts perfect nutritional value and purity with all of his impressive finishing hits.
Samsung had eight wins and three losses (winning percentage .727) in 11 games when Park hit his homeruns. With the game in decline, few had homeruns. Seven of the 12 homers came from a tiebreaking situation. Ten homers, one with a gap of one point and two with a gap of three points, were made in a tight race within three points. Three of them were the final shots that determined the winner.
On May 31, he hit a three-run home run over the left fence to Kim Bum-soo in the sixth inning of a 5-5 tie against Hanwha in Daegu, and made a solo shot to Lee Hyung-bum in the 11th inning of extra time, which led to 4-4 against KIA in Gwangju on the 11th. In the match against Lotte in Daegu on the 25th, he led the team to take the lead by hitting the grand slam of the left-handed final to opponent starter Kim Jin-wook from the start of the first inning.
There were also two final hits, not home runs. In the match against Hanwha in Daegu on June 2, he hit a timely hit to right-center against Lee Min-woo in the eighth inning of the 0-game series, and became the hero of the 1-0 victory. In the match against Changwon NC on the 17th, he led Samsung to a come-from-behind victory by hitting the final hit with a timely RBI in front of right field to Kim Jae-yeol, a changed pitcher in the eighth inning when the score was 4-4.
With a batting average of 320 (six hits in 50 at-bats) and five homers, 31 RBIs, and an OPS of 1.097, Park has displayed strong performance in chances. His mere presence at bat puts pressure on opposing pitchers, but gives them a sense of fear with a fatal shot from the clutch.
Had it not been for Park, it would have been difficult for Samsung to secure such a second place finish. If the team lost the five games it won by Park’s finishing hit, it would have lost the second place to LG. Samsung, which is lagging two games behind LG and leading Doosan in fourth place without a gap, could be in a busy position to move to third place. However, Samsung, which has added at least five wins amid the Park Byung-ho effect, is maintaining a 5.5-game gap over No. 1 Kia, dreaming of a come-from-behind victory. 안전놀이터
Park Byung-ho also has to earn a lot from trade. He has only five more 400 home runs left in the KBO league, reviving his career that could have ended helplessly. Above all, he has a chance to re-challenge for his first win in the fall baseball league. Attention is focusing on whether Park, who had been the runner-up in the Korean Series three times at the Nexen Heroes in 2014, the Kiwoom Heroes in 2019, and the KT Tigers in last year, will be able to ease his disappointment of winning the championship at Samsung.