Catcher is an extreme job. It’s hard to squat behind home plate with heavy protective gear on, but it’s often hit by an unpredictable foul hit that hits a batter’s bat. Even though he wears protective gear, the pain of a foul hit doesn’t go away easily.
However, if the foul ball hits the inner thigh, the pain is indescribable.
It was like that in the match between KIA Tigers and Kiwoom Heroes in the ‘2023 Shinhan Bank SOL KBO League’ held at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul on the 13th. In the bottom of the 8th inning, KIA catcher Han Seung-taek with one out and first base was hit by a ball and collapsed. Lim Ki-young’s pitch hit Lee Hyeong-jong’s body, and the bounced ball struck Han Seung-taek’s inner thigh at a vital point.
Han Seung-taek, who was hit by a critical spot in the process of throwing his body for blocking, collapsed to the ground. He was in great pain, but he rolled on the ground, not knowing what to do. Trainer and battery coach Kim Sang-hoon ran out of the startled KIA dugout, but there was no way to treat it. Since the ball hit by the ball was a vital part, I couldn’t spray pain relief spray or massage it. I just patted him on the ass and gave him encouragement.
Han Seung-taek wiped off his sweat as if he was sweating, and coach Kim Sang-hoon watched the situation with a worried expression and returned to the dugout, rubbing his shoulders.
Fortunately, he was wearing protective gear, so it didn’t lead to serious injuries, but it was a situation that almost got into trouble. Kiwoom Lee Hyung-jong was hit by the pitch, but KIA Han Seung-taek was more hurt.
On the other hand, in the game that day, KIA Yang Hyeon-jong struggled with the recent sluggishness and fought hard with 5 hits, 6 strikeouts and 1 run in 5 innings (without an ERA), but the team batting line was silent and lost 0-1.
However, KIA is happy to see Yang Hyeon-jong’s resurrection. He threw 98 balls, a fastball with a maximum speed of 149 km, and a slider, changeup, and curveball entered as he intended. He pitched so aggressively that he gave up no walks. After one run in the bottom of the first inning, Kim Hye-seong allowed a hit, and Lee Jung-hu regretted the shortstop’s mistake at bat. He pitched perfectly except for a timely hit by Russell with 1 out and 1.2 base.메이저놀이터
KIA, who lost the game that day, suffered two consecutive losses and maintained 6th place. With 25 wins and 29 losses, it fell further from the 50% win rate. On the other hand, 5th place Doosan won and the game difference between the two teams grew further by 3.5 games.