Koo Ja-wook (outfielder) of the Samsung Lions said, “I was considered weak ahead of this season, and the players played hard and showed good results to break expectations (of many baseball experts). Unfortunately, I did not rank No. 1 in the regular season, but I am happy to advance to the second place (in the playoffs).”
Koo has played in 128 games this season, posting a batting average of 343 (69 hits in 492 at-bats) with 33 home runs, 115 RBIs, 92 runs, 13 steals, and OPS of 1.046. He has achieved 30 home runs and 100 RBIs for the first time since his debut as a pro player in 2012.
“I entered the stadium more delicately to maintain the batting mechanism that was established last year. Despite the technical aspects, I was able to play with confidence thanks to the coaching staff and the coach setting the tone,” he said.
Notably, he has displayed his best batting performance by posting a batting average of .509 this month, as well as 29 hits in 57 at-bats, nine homers, 24 RBIs and 18 runs. “Since it was the last game, I think it resulted in a good result as I played with more confidence and boldness. Even though I am not in good condition, I think a good result comes from luck,” Koo said.
Koo Ja-wook, who played a regular season MVP-class performance this season, led the team well as a captain and made a great contribution to the direct play-off. He said he was most disappointed that he was canceled from the first-team entry after being hit by a ball thrown by opponent starter Lee In-bok against Lotte in Daegu on July 20.
“My goal this season was to spend a season without injury, but I feel most sorry that I was accidentally kicked out by a pitch that hit my body. I wish I hadn’t missed the first team entry. Still, when I was out, the players cheered me up and held on well,” Koo said.
Harmony between the old and the old is one of the secrets of Samsung’s good performance this season. Koo Ja-wook said, “My seniors were a great help. They helped me a lot to solve my difficulties or difficulties. When I had to speak strongly to my juniors, I was strong, and when I needed encouragement, I was generous with encouragement. I tried to lead the atmosphere as well as possible. I have to make the atmosphere good, so I am paying attention to this part.”
Samsung, which had been expected to play at the bottom of the list this season, secured the second place in the regular season and a ticket to directly advance to the playoffs. Nothing is more than enough. Having said that, Samsung has a strong commitment to become the star of fall baseball.
Koo Ja-wook said, “There is no end to anyone’s greed. We also have to be greedy. I came all the way here, but I’m not saying I did a good job. It is the mindset that players should have to look at the first place.” 안전놀이터
Samsung had been inferior to Kia this season by posting four wins and 12 losses, but the regular season and the post season are different. “We have strong opponents, but we have to maintain our No. 1 ranking in the regular season, which would be more burdensome,” Koo said. “We can handle the situation more comfortably. Tension is up to the opponent. We will try our best to win.”
Koo did not miss out on thanking the fans. “We were able to achieve good results thanks to our enthusiastic fans. Many fans visited the stadium and we were able to surpass 1 million viewers,” he said. “If you cheer us on until the end, we will do our best to play at a higher rank than now.”
