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| Samsung won 6-3 after 11 extra innings. Won Tae-in is smiling broadly at Kang Min-ho who is struggling.. Photo = Reporter Jeong Jae-geun cjg@sportschosun.com |
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I'm 40 years old. In addition, he suffered a knee injury just three days ago, but his team's escape from losing consecutive games was a priority.
Veteran catcher Kang Min-ho wore a catcher mask throughout the 11th inning and led the team to escape three consecutive losses. In the process, he surprised everyone by even carrying out a 'surprise steal' that caught the opponent off guard.
A match between the Kiwoom Heroes and the Samsung Lions at Gocheok Sky Dome on the 20th. Kang Min-ho made a clean hit against Kiwoom starter Rosenberg in his first at-bat with one out in the top of the second inning. Since then, Kim Hun-gon's at-bat has a 2-2 ball count situation, and as soon as Rosenberg throws a 134-km slider in the sixth pitch, Kang Min-ho attempted to steal second base to catch Kiwoom off guard.
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| Kim Heon-gon at-bat with one out and one out in the top of the second inning. Kang Min-ho is succeeding in stealing second base. |
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Kiwoom's battery and infield team were not prepared at all. Kang Min-ho's start was so fast that catcher Kim Jae-hyun, who caught a low ball, gave up throwing to second base. Kang Min-ho, who saw through the opponent's ball combination as a veteran catcher, also shone. This was the second stolen base since the game against SSG on April 9 and the 34th in his career.
It was a steal that no one expected. It is also unusual for a 40-year-old catcher to steal a base, but Kang Min-ho suffered a twisted left knee in the first game of a doubleheader against Lotte in Busan on the 17th, just three days ago, and even underwent a hospital examination. Fortunately, the examination revealed that it was a simple bruise, but Kang Min-ho's physical condition was not normal.
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| Kang Min-ho's expression on the ground with a limp look on his face. Kiwoom's battery coach Park Do-hyun is asking about the situation when Kang Min-ho is injured. |
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| Kang Min-ho | showing the injured knee
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Before the game, Kiwoom coach even asked Kang Min-ho's knee condition worryingly. Kiwoom Bench also could not predict his steal at all. Although the follow-up hit failed and did not lead to a score, the veteran's fighting spirit to escape the losing streak stood out.
Kang Min-ho started as the fifth batter catcher on the day and worked with starting pitcher Won Tae-in and Lee Ho-sung, Baek Jung-hyun and Kim Jae-yoon, blocking the opponent's lineup with three runs wearing a catcher mask throughout the 11th inning of overtime.
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| The highlight of the game on the day. Won Tae-in roars in the bottom of the eighth inning, who handled the bases loaded with one out with a double play by shortstop. |
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| Roaring Won Tae-in immediately thanked Kang Min-ho. |
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In particular, starting pitcher Won Tae-in showed his best pitching this season with five hits, three walks, six strikeouts and one run in eight innings with his perfect teamwork with Kang Min-ho. Although closer Lee Ho-sung allowed a tie in the ninth inning, he later secured a 6-3 victory with Baek Jung-hyun (one scoreless inning) and Kim Jae-yoon (one run in one inning).
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| Kang Min-ho, wearing a mask throughout the 11th inning, shakes hands with Kim Jae-yoon. |
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Despite being a 40-year-old veteran born in 1985, Kang Min-ho won the Golden Glove in the catcher category last year with a batting average of 333, 19 home runs and 77 RBIs in 136 games.
This season, he played in 43 games, nearly 90% of Samsung's 48 games, with a batting average of 274 hits (two home runs) and 28 RBIs, proving that he is still a key player of the team.
This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
