This is the dignity of a captain. Koo Ja-wook (31), captain of the Samsung Lions, displayed stellar performance to lead his team to its fifth consecutive win. 여우알바
Koo Ja-wook played as the third batter and left fielder in the 2024 Shinhan SOL Bank KBO League regular season away game against the NC Dinos at Changwon NC Park on the 14th, hitting hard with three hits and three RBIs in five at-bats.
Koo had hits in six consecutive games before the game, but he was on fire in that game as well. He hesitated briefly in the beginning. In the first inning, when he faced NC’s starting pitcher Shin Min-hyuk with runners on the second base with one out, he pushed an outside changeup, but was caught fly to left field. He was out after hitting a fly ball to right field again in the third inning.
However, his bat caught fire in the middle of the game. Lee Jae-hyun’s two-run homer in the top of the fifth inning to take a 4-3 lead, and Park successfully got on base by hitting a double directed to the right field. However, Park Byung-ho, the fourth hitter, failed to score due to catcher foul fly.
Koo Ja-wook became a hero of Samsung in the latter half of the game. In the top of the seventh inning, Samsung had consecutive hits by Kim Ji-chan and Lee Jae-hyun to take the opportunity to reach the first and second bases. Koo Ja-wook, who appeared at the time, hit a breaking ball by Kim Jae-yeol and fell on the right wing. The ball went one-bound over the fence to become a double in recognition, and the runner on the second base homered to make it a 5-4 lead.
The tying RBI was also up to Koo. At the top of the ninth inning, Koo hit the first pitch fastball of NC`s fifth pitcher Song Myung-ki to blast a double that went over the right-field line. The team led 7-4 with runners on the first base coming into the ground.
The team kept the lead until the end, winning 7-4 and Samsung continuously winning for five consecutive games. Koo’s timely hit in the seventh inning turned into a finishing hit. His hard hit was an outstanding performance for Samsung, which continues to compete for the top spot. “Captain Koo Ja-wook was a troubleshooter in scoring opportunities,” Samsung coach Park Jin-man also complimented. “He showed off his capability as a captain of the Samsung Lions.”
Koo Ja-wook, whom he met after the game, praised his juniors, saying, “It wasn’t easy to start today, but I think (Lee) Jae-hyun or (Yoon) Jung-bin prepared well and showed good performance so I could win.” Regarding his performance, he said, “I want to be a little bold these days. I think today’s analysis of my power was very good, so I was able to set it up well and attack.”
Koo Ja-wook, who mentioned the situation of hitting a double in the seventh inning, expressed regret, saying, “I thought there was nothing we could do about it because it is a rule of baseball. If I had one more point, I thought I could start the next inning comfortably.” “I hit a breaking ball at the batter’s box before, so I had a good result in aiming for a fastball this time,” he explained about the situation in the ninth inning.
As the captain and the center hitter, Koo expressed his gratitude and regret for the pitchers. “The pitchers are working so hard. The new (Im) Changmin, (Kim) Jae-yoon, and (right-hander) are throwing so well as Seung-hyun and (Kim) Tae-hoon, coming out to an important situation,” he said. “I need time to rest at times like that, but I felt sorry that I couldn’t score many points. I should have scored more points today, too.”
Outside the baseball stadium, Koo is leading his players as captain. Notably, he has been criticizing bitter comments this season. “In fact, I was a player who only said good things, but I didn’t think I was a senior who always said good things,” he said. “When he says bad things, Ryu Ji-hyuk (30) soothes him.”
He is also playing a role in elevating the team’s mood. “The coach and the coaching staff will be upset if they lose a game in a row. Intermediate-level players like me and (Ryu) Ji-hyuk should lighten up the mood,” Koo said. “When I am losing, I say, ‘Let’s have fun, we can do it tomorrow,’ and I am deliberately saying, ‘Why is the atmosphere so bad?'” he added.