There are times when a single turn at bat becomes the starting point for a rebound, and there are times when it becomes a bungee jumping platform where you fall endlessly. Oh Ji-hwan, the LG captain, was like that. The ball count 3-0 hit ended in failure, but after that, his hitting zone shook and he fell into a slump.
It was the literary SSG exhibition on the 25th of last month. Oh Ji-hwan boldly turned the bat in a match with opposing pitcher Song Young-jin in the top of the second inning, leading 6-0. The ball count was 3-0 as three balls thrown by Young-Jin Song landed outside the top of the strike zone. Oh Ji-hwan swung hard, confident that Song Young-jin would strike with the next ball. However, the ball headed a bit higher in the strike zone, and Oh Ji-hwan vainly retreated with a fly to second base.
There were no problems with the process. LG aims for a first ball hit, a hit within 3 pitches, and a 3-0 ball count. With active hitting as its motto, it ranks high in most hitting indicators. The secret to Hong Chang-ki’s resurgence this season is also an active hit. Park Dong-won and Austin Dean, who play the role of solvers in the other line, also have no hesitation in batting the first pitch or ball count 3-0.
However, Oh Ji-hwan fell into a deep slump after the SSG match. In 9 games from Gwangju KIA on May 26 to Jamsil NC on May 4, the batting average was only 0.188 OPS 0.528. Above all, strikeouts increased significantly. The walk-to-strikeout ratio, which had been stable this season, collapsed to 4 walks and 10 strikeouts during this period. In the meantime, his batting order went down to 6 and 7 from cleanup.
He asked for help from those around him, and Park Dong-won, a new catcher of the same age, calmly analyzed Oh Ji-hwan. Oh Ji-hwan, after playing an active role in the match against Gocheok Kiwoom on the 6th with 2 hits and 4 RBIs in 4 at-bats, said, “I heard a lot about my colleagues. He has asked a lot of players who have been playing well lately how they feel and what they value most at the plate,” he said.
At the same time, he emphasized that Park Dong-won’s advice was very helpful. Oh Ji-hwan said, “Dong-won told me a really good story. As a result of constantly watching me hit, I heard that the bat goes out even on a course that is too difficult. No matter how advantageous the ball count is, I have to hit the ball that came into the course where I can hit it well, but I said that the bat came out too easily even on a difficult course while paying attention to the ball count.”
He continued, “When I thought about it, I thought that was right. So I decided to pay more attention to the course I could hit while focusing more on chance situations.” From that 3-ball hit, I only thought of an advantage in the ball count. From then on, the bat started to go out even with bad balls.”
If there are many good players, it will naturally become a strong team. This is especially true of other lines. As excellent hitters share their know-how and enjoy the atmosphere together, a powerful batting line is completed.메이저놀이터
At the center of LG’s batting line is Park Dong-won, who is running first in home runs. Until the 6th, Park Dong-won had a batting average of 0.292, 13 homers, 38 RBIs, and an OPS of 0.953. League leader in home runs and OPS. In RBI, he is tied for second in the league with his teammate Austin.
Looking at the MVP, he doesn’t shine alone. It is of great help not only to the pitchers who form the battery, but also to the hitters. If the game on the 6th becomes the starting point for Oh Ji-hwan’s rebound, the batting line, which faltered in three consecutive matches last weekend, can revive.
