A Wobbly defending champion? I believe the winning shortstop will eventually find his place

May 10, 2025

A Wobbly defending champion? I believe the winning shortstop will eventually find his place
사진=KIA 타이거즈



"I think we'll be okay at the end. Don't you think so?"

A lower performance than last year. It is a cold assessment of the KIA Tigers as the defending champion.

KIA, which had its best season by winning the regular season last year and the Korean Series, is struggling in the middle and lower ranks this season. At one point, the team's ranking fell to 9th place and has recently risen to 7th and 6th, aiming to enter the top ranks, but so far, it has not significantly raised the winning rate.




Still, he won two consecutive away games in Gocheok after three consecutive losses, and won the game against SSG Landers at SSG Landers Field in Incheon on the 10th by overcoming the last difficulty.

Park Chan-ho was the hero of the victory. KIA only had three hits in nine innings by the entire team's batters. However, first hitter Park Chan-ho made the first run with his foot by stealing third base on a double from the first inning, and shook the opponent's battery with a total of three stolen bases, including the first inning. Without a home run, that is the driving force behind KIA's victory on the day with three hits.

A Wobbly defending champion? I believe the winning shortstop will eventually find his place
사진=KIA 타이거즈
Park Chan-ho, who met with reporters after the game, said, `From the moment I analyzed it, I thought I could play today, so I tried to play actively. I'm glad everything turned out well." "I focused a lot on taking away the timing."I looked back.




He "I think this is my role. On the Incheon electronic board, the OPS of the batters comes out all the way, and I wondered if I could go in here. Everyone's performance is so good. But I think the director wants to see this and keeps putting it on number one," he said, expressing his appreciation.

It is the first time that he has stolen three bases in a game since his professional debut. Park Chan-ho himself wondered "Didn't there really ever be three steals?" He said "I've been stealing twice, but I don't think there was a third steal," he said with a smile.

A Wobbly defending champion? I believe the winning shortstop will eventually find his place
사진=KIA 타이거즈
It is also true that KIA, which was considered a leading candidate this year, had a lot of concerns as a whole due to its poor performance at the beginning of the season. Park Chan-ho said, `It is true that we have not moved as far as pitching and hitting. But after the season, I think I have no choice but to believe that I will get back on track"But it's very helpful for the team to see young juniors come up and play. I don't think there's a law to die for. Seeing the young players pop out, I think we'll be fine at the end, though. I think we'll find the rankings in the end," he said emphatically.




In the end, everything accumulates. Once you accumulate one win and one win each, you can regain your last year's appearance. After the reversal of the shock at Gocheok Dome on the 7th, the victory against SSG on the day is meaningful. This is because he showed his tenacity to protect his victory until the end.



This article was translated by Naver AI translator.