“I felt even better because I feel like I’m part of a team now”
It was a dramatic hit. A walk-off home run, which is also a grand slam. Victor Reyes (30), a foreign hitter at the Lotte Giants, exploded with a walk-off grand slam that marks the end of the game.
Reyes exploded a walk-off grand slam in the bottom of the 10th inning in the 2024 Shinhan SOL Bank KBO League game against Doosan at Munsu Baseball Stadium in Ulsan on the 17th, playing a decisive role in Lotte’s 6-2 victory.
In the bottom of the 10th inning with two outs and a bases-loaded opportunity, Reyes hit a 130-kilometer-per-hour slider to hit a grand slam that crossed the right fence. Reyes’ ninth homer of this season. The flying distance was 115 meters.
“It was a tough game, but I’m so happy to win. Our victory gave us hope to take a step closer to fall baseball,” Reyes said. “When I entered the batter’s box, I was waiting for a ball, and the pitcher threw it in a good mood. I went in with the goalie. Pitchers were playing in a similar pattern throughout the game. So I knew it,” Reyes said.
What kind of mindset did Reyes have to take the batter’s box? “I didn’t intend to hit a home run,” Reyes said. “I just decided to hit the homer, and I focused more on that part because I would get one point if I could survive.” 노래방알바
Reyes is a batter who stands out more in contact than in power. Reyes, who has been hitting .355 this season, is ranking second in the batting category, closely chasing Guillermo Herredia (batting average of .361) of SSG, who ranks first. However, Reyes exploded a 135-meter-long home run against Ulsan Doosan on the 16th and hit a walk-off grand slam against Ulsan Doosan on the 17th, showing off his unusual slugging capability. Reyes said, “I am a contact-oriented hitter, but what I am saying to myself is, ‘If I hit the ball well, I will get a home run. Let’s focus on hitting it well,'” Reyes said. “They say that as we focus on hitting it correctly, we will get home runs.”
In fact, Lotte would not have been able to have an extended game without Reyes. Reyes hit a double to right-center in the bottom of the seventh inning when his team was losing 0-2, and Jung Hoon’s grounder to the second base gave his team its first valuable run. However, Reyes said, “I was able to win because I was not playing baseball alone, but because I had my teammates. Not only batters but also pitchers threw very well, so we were able to achieve good results,” emphasizing the “one-team” spirit.
That’s why Reyes was so happy even after being hit by a flood from his teammates. Lotte players approached Reyes after the interview with the broadcaster and congratulated him with a “water splash ceremony.” Reyes, who was soaked in the uniform, said, “I felt really good,” and added, “I feel even better now that my teammates are spraying water on me because I feel like I’m really part of a team.”
Reyes’ strength is that he constantly maintains the batting pace and even plays the role of troubleshooter in critical situations. Reyes has had hits in 13 consecutive games in recent months, and his batting average for this season has jumped to .355. Reyes, who had maintained his batting average since the beginning of the season, saw his batting average drop to .314 after the game against Samsung on May 25, but has exploded to .407 in 38 games since then.
He is also strong with a .410 batting average and six home runs in scoring situations. The batting average when the bases are loaded reaches .556. Reyes said, “When I have a runner, I think I can concentrate more. When I hit the bases loaded, I get at least one point, so I feel like I can concentrate more than usual.”
When discussing Lotte’s history as a foreign hitter, the name of Reyes will likely be mentioned along with Felix Jose and Kareem Garcia. As such, Reyes’ performance this season has been successful and exceeded expectations. We wonder whether Lotte will be able to advance to the fall baseball league by banking on Reyes’ high-sensitivity and hitting sense.
